Against his will, the water drew him. It was dangerous to go there—to be seen there. But there he was, hoping what he’d lost—or maybe cast away—would come back to him...
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The old photo equipment was a gem—and a steal. Setting up an old-school darkroom for his granddaughter was just the thing to connect with her. “She’s not broken,” he’d tell his son (her father), “She’s an artist. Such an eye, she has.” The estate sale marked the end of the line for the family some said had been oligarchs in the old country. He didn’t know about that. But one of them, at least, must have photographed for a living, or as a hobby, and they’d kept the old equipment clean. So it was a surprise when setting up, the girl found a negative left behind in the enlarger. But the bigger surprise was the subject—an echo from a very dangerous time…
Some loved the anti-gravity machine, others, not so much. But when the boys’ ride was over and their launch seat settled to almost still, the utterly empty park caught them both by surprise…
The whole idea of a business meeting—in this city, after last night—seems preposterous. The toast, the proposal, the brawl they set off, all head-shakers in the light of day. Still, there are bills to pay, appearances to maintain...
They all had a different story. Whatever’d brought them there—proximity to the local beauty, the first spot to rest off the relentless stretch of mountain highway, the ability to pay by the hour—none of it would have prepared them. Not for the one permanent resident, and certainly not for each other…
I thought by leaving town, getting some fresh air, taking a trail through the limestone cliffs, I’d shake her. No dice. Overdressed for the mud and moss, purse in hand, that absurd feather sprouting from her hat, she rounded the bend, like she had some business being here—in this time, this dimension, this plane of existence...
Occasionally the boy will ask why they come here, to this exact stretch of sand, every day. She’ll say, “just because” or “isn’t it beautiful” or “why do you think?” But she is really just waiting for her lover, the man, the father who named this as the spot to which he’d return. So, the boy plays and she watches the waves…
She thought she had something that set her apart. Still thinks so. But landing here with these...average stiffs? So disorienting. Especially considering the places she'd been shown in her heyday...
Of course, she couldn't possibly remember that kiss, at that age, from that man, could she?
It was time. Past time, really. He'd come all this way and now, in this most picturesque of places, with the precision of a watchmaker, the thing would be done.
Yesterday he didn't know the difference between a coffin and a casket. He remembered Pa's motto: "Don't need nothin' more'n a pine box." Ma was fancier, but maybe the secondhand casket was a step too far. And he really needed a bigger truck....
Jealousy can bloom right alongside desire and often does it with cruel irony. Gigi took this way home trying hard to avoid seeing her at all, much less like this. Did he know what she knew?
He’d need time and some space to process this new demand. Her family had the money and she ran the show, but he was the one who made magic. She knew it—knew he was why patrons came in droves. The ultimatum was just the old world judging the new. He did love her, but not how they expected. How much of himself could he keep secret just to keep the money flowing?
Piecing things together meant looking back at where they’d been. Two years—in that place. Painful, maybe, but not unhinged or anything. Still, there were things they hadn’t noticed before. Things that in retrospect might’ve said, “slow down.” Might’ve screamed, “this won’t end well.”
There are so many parts of this journey that are inexplicable. If she had to choose one aspect that stood out, it would be the unnerving void of communication. Not a word. A test, possibly?
Gianni had to follow his brother, who often lured him into all sorts of foolishness. He should know better, but this time Tio swore it was truly unbelievable—what he’d found there in the courtyard—and was so worth being late to school for, again...
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