Post by Hamuu on Mar 27, 2010 15:49:59 GMT -5
The trolley doors slid open with a whoosh to reveal a small elderly man eagerly waiting to shuffle off. He leaned forward slowly placing his cane on the next step down. Then he lowered his left foot onto the same step. Once both the cane and his foot were secure, he brought his right foot down to join them before repeating the whole process again. It was slow, but the driver didn’t try to rush him; no one else was waiting to get on or off.
“I’ll see ya again at five,” Bill the trolley driver said before shutting the doors, “but don’ worry if ya runnin’ behind, I’ll wait fer ya. Have a nice day Earl!”
Earl nodded and watched the trolley pull away from the curb and disappear around the corner. Turning in the opposite direction, he began walking toward the grocery market twelve blocks away. His gait was slow and similar to the process of getting off the trolley – cane, left foot, right foot, repeat.
“Hey, old-timer, you need a ride?”
Earl turned toward the road and saw a young man sitting in a car with a pretty young lady, “No, but thank you for offering.”
“You sure? Where you headed?”
“To Ma and Pa’s Grocery and yes, I’m sure.”
Earl started walking again but the young man drove slowly along side him.
“That’s about another ten blocks away though. Why don’t you hope in and let us give you a lift.” The young man smiled at him expectantly.
“I’m sorry, but I’d much rather walk there.” Earl answered without looking at him.
“Alright, well have a good day then.” With a frown the young man and the pretty young lady pulled away.
It wasn’t uncommon for people to offer Earl a ride when they saw him. He was a shrinking old man with an ever growing hunch in his back, but for ten years he had walked this route once a week. At this point his walk was a tradition and, since this was the last time he’d make it, he wasn’t going to back out now. There were other reasons to walk as well – the smells, the sounds, and the peace of mind. In a car though there was only one sound, one smell, and the obligation to talk.
Talking didn’t necessarily bother Earl, but speaking to strangers that he’d never see again just felt like a waste. Conversations with friends, in his opinion, were far more rewarding and meaningful than any conversation you could have with a random stranger. With strangers there was no history; you could never assume anything about what they may be thinking or feeling. You had to talk with a stranger, but that didn’t hold true for friends – there were times when silence spoke volumes.
“Hey Earl!” Alan the store owner greeted the old man as he walked into Ma and Pa’s Grocery, “Give me a moment and I’ll get a cart pusher to help you out.”
“Don’t worry about it today,” Earl said as he slowly leaned over to pick up one of the small shopping baskets, “I’m only getting a few items for a change and I won’t need them delivered this time either.”
“Oh… Well alright. Just shout if you need anything.”
Earl nodded before shuffling towards the canned good isle. It was a small store, family owned, that got most of their goods from the farms scattered around town. He’d been in the store so many times he could navigate through it with his eyes closed. Eventually he emerged with a fresh can of corn, two russet potatoes, and a nice juicy steak.
“Hi Mr. Whitaker,” Katie, the cashier, said as she took his basket and eyed him with mock suspicion, “This isn’t your usual weeks worth of groceries. You’re not shopping around behind my back are you?”
“Of course not,” Earl said, “you know your dads store is the only place in town I’ll buy my groceries from. Frankly, I’m hurt you’d accuse me of such an act.”
Katie giggled as she started scanning the items, “Well that’s good to know sir, but still this isn’t all you’re getting is it?”
Earl looked around and leaned in close, Katie doing the same.
“Well, I haven’t told anyone yet, but I’m going on a vacation tomorrow.”
“That’s exciting! Where are you going?” she asked while bagging his items.
“I don’t know yet,” Earl mumbled as he looked through his wallet.
“Oh, well when will you be back?” Katie took the ten dollar bill as Earl picked up his grocery bag.
“I won’t be coming back. Say goodbye to your dad for me.”
“Wait, what?” Katie almost shouted as she turned but with a surprising burst of speed he had already made his way out the door.
Earl didn’t slow his pace until he was almost a block away, more because his leg ached than anything else. Winded from the sudden rush to get away from prying questions, he adopted a much slower pace. Katie was a good kid; he’d known her since she was born. When she was smaller, Alan would let her ride in Earl and Helen’s cart while they did their monthly shopping. That had been twelve years ago when Katie was eight and Helen was still alive, before the wreck. It had taken him along time to recover after that.
“Earl? What are you doing around here you old fart?”
Earl pushed his memories to the back of his head as he approached the porch of his oldest friend, “I’m an old fart now am I? What does that make you Paul?”
The two old men laughed as they clasped hands.
“Well I guess that makes me an old fart too,” Paul grinned as he sipped a beer.
“I’m going to put this in the fridge and grab a drink,” Earl said motioning with his cane towards the brown paper sack he was holding, “I’ll be back out in a minute.”
“Well hurry up,” Paul said, “I need someone to help harass the pretty young ladies as they jog by.”
Earl laughed and went inside to put his groceries up. When he came back out Paul was where he left him, sipping his beer. He sat down in an adjacent chair and opened his own bottle.
“So I take it you went by my son’s store?” Paul asked.
“Yep.” Earl took a sip.
“How is Alan doing?”
“Alright by the looks of it. That Katie though, if I hadn’t watched her grown up I wouldn’t believe that was the same little girl we used to watch eat bugs.”
Paul laughed, “She used to be quite a tomboy. Must have been college that changed her though, when she came back from her first semester was when she started wearing skirts and dresses and fixing her hair up.”
“College?” Earl questioned, “Since when is she old enough to go to college?”
“That’s what I asked,” Paul finished his beer, “When did we become the old guys?”
They laughed as Paul went in to get a couple more beers. Most of the afternoon went by in much the same way. The two talked about the past and sometimes they sat in silence, which was usually broken by Paul heckling the joggers as they passed by.
“How are the kidney’s doing?” Earl asked.
“Better than they were a year ago, but I’m not out of the woods yet.” Paul scratched at the back of his ear, “How’s the leg?”
“It’s gotten better since the crash,” he answered, slowly twisting his cane this way and that, “But even after ten years I still have to use this stick. At this point I’m stuck with it.”
“Has it really been that long since the accident?” Paul asked.
Earl nodded but didn’t say anything. They sat awhile longer sipping what was left of their beers until Earl finally stood up.
“Leaving early?” Paul asked.
“Unfortunately, I still have one more errand to run before I catch the bus home.”
Paul nodded, “We’re not going to see each other again are we?”
“What-?”
“I’ve known you longer than anyone. You think I can’t tell when you’re hiding something?”
Earl started to protest but decided against it, “I didn’t want to tell anyone at first, just be here one day and a memory the next. That would be rude though, so I told Katie to tell you guys by for me. I couldn’t leave though, not without seeing you Paul. You’re the closest thing to a brother I’ve ever had.”
Paul finished his beer, “If you talk a bit quieter I might be able to hear the violin in the background.”
They laughed again and Earl retreated inside to recover his groceries. When he came back out Paul was waiting for him at the end of the porch, his hand outstretched. He took it and the two shared a final handshake.
“You take care of yourself Earl.”
“You too Paul.”
Earl turned away and shuffled down the steps. His eyes watered slightly but he didn’t cry. He heard the clinking of beer bottles behind him, Paul gathering up the empties to throw away. Without looking back he turned the corner. The pace he walked at now was slow and heavy, weighed down by years of memories. A few blocks down he could see the sign for Dave’s Friendly Hardware. When he entered the shop there was a teenager leaning behind the counter. The young man straightened up when Earl came in and put on his best forced smile.
“Hi,” the teen said, “How can I help you today?”
“Hello, I need about twenty feet of thick strong rope.” Earl answered putting the grocery bag down on the counter.
“Coming right up.”
The teenager walked out of sight for awhile, leaving Earl to wait by the register. He’d only been in here a few times, once to replace a hammer and then again to get some pipes for the sink when it started leaking. Earl wondered if there was actually a Dave that owned the store or if it was just a name to make the place feel more inviting. When the teen reappeared he was holding a tightly bound coil of rope.
“That’ll be twelve dollars and eighty-five cents.” The teen extended the rope towards the old man.
“Just put it in the bag,” Earl instructed as he thumbed in his wallet for a ten and five. He placed the two bills down on the counter and scooped up the bag, “Keep the change.”
The walk from Dave’s Friendly Hardware back to the trolley stop was uneventful. Earl would have, for once, enjoyed a distraction from his thoughts. He wasn’t going to back out on what he had planned, but he just wished there was a way he could everything he cared about with him. When he finally arrived at the trolley stop Bill was already there.
“Looks like I beat ya taday.” Bill laughed once the doors were opened, “It’s ok, I aint been here fer that long.”
Earl thanked him as he made his way to an available seat. He leaned his head against the back of his seat and drifted into slumber. It was normal, his stop was last and Bill always woke him up when they got there. Memories of how things use to be flitted through his dreams and, towards the end, he saw Helen watching him, smiling. Eventually, Bill shook Earl carefully to wake him.
“It’s yer stop Earl.”
The old man blinked a few times and looked at the vacant seat next to him.
“Did ya lose somethin?” Bill asked as he followed Earl’s gaze.
“Yeah, but it was a long time ago.” he picked up his rope and groceries, “I don’t expect I’ll find it again.”
Slightly puzzled, the trolley driver shrugged, “Well, if I see anythin’ that looks like it might’uv been yers I’ll give it to ya next week.”
Earl stopped halfway down the steps and turned enough that he could look Bill in the face, “Actually, I’m going on a vacation. I won’t be coming back afterwards.”
“Oh well that’s sad ta hear, yer a good fella. Well, enjoy yer vacation and God Bless.” Bill tipped his hat to Earl.
Earl nodded and exited the trolley. Instead of watching it pull away, he turned and walked the last two blocks to his house. It was an older home, the one his parents had lived in before him. The yard had recently been cut and the sidewalks scrubbed. Near the mailbox was a big realtor’s sign that had the word ‘sold’ on it in big red letters.
Once he was inside a sigh of relief escaped him. The day was over and he had managed to get through it without changing his mind. Earl sat the bag down on the counter and placed the rope off to the side for later that night. Leaning on his cane he rummaged through a low cupboard for two small pots and a skillet. Steam eventually rose from the stove as the potatoes boiled while the corn was warming up in a nearby pot. When the steak was cooked to his liking, brown on the outside and still slightly pink on the inside, he drained the water from the potatoes. Adding a little bit of salt, butter, and milk to the freshly boiled spuds, he mashed them until they were nice and fluffy. His final step was to bring everything neatly together on a dinner plate.
Typically Earl ate fruits and tried to stay away from red meats, for health reasons. But tonight was his last dinner here and he was going to indulge himself for once. When he was finished, he placed the plate in the sink and rinsed it off. As he washed it, his gazed though the window above the sink and fell upon the oak tree in his backyard. His eyes shifted toward the rope on the counter next to him then back at the tree. He slowly turned the knob on the sink till the faucet trickled to a stop, it was time.
He threw the rope over his shoulder and shuffled outside. By the shed he found the ladder which took a bit of effort to drag over to the oak tree. Earl didn’t need his cane on the ladder, so he left it hanging on one of the rungs. It was a rougher process than the trolley steps, but he made it all the way to the top of the ladder. There were a few good limbs to choose from but he picked the thickest one he could find. After tying the rope as tight as possible, he gave it a few sharp tugs.
Climbing down was much easier. Once he reached the bottom, Earl grabbed the rope with both hands and put all his weight on it. The limb gave a little, which was fine, and the rope remained firmly in place. He picked his cane back up and grabbed one of the chairs off the deck. He slid it behind him until it directly beneath the rope. Grabbing it with both hands again, he leaned on it one more time just to make sure.
A sharp electronic squeal pierced the air causing Earl to jump in surprise. He realized the phone was ringing and hobbled inside as quickly as he could. The ‘hands-free-headset’ was his least favorite contraption but it was the closet to the door. Frowning, he jammed the thing on his head and hit the talk button.
“Hello?” Earl greeted, slightly out of breath.
“Hey dad, it’s me, Nathan. Is everything ok?”
“Hello son. Yes, I’m fine, just out of breath is all.” he opened the screen door and walked back outside.
“Ah, that’s good. Worried me for a sec there, I thought you might be having a heart attack.” Nathan chuckled, “Any-who, just wanted to tell you that Ashley and I were getting the last of the luggage packed in the car. It’ll take us all night to get there so we’re going to take turns driving while the twins sleep. We should be there mid morning so be watching for us.”
“It’ll be nice seeing you again,” Earl said as gave the rope a few sharp tugs, finally confident in its stability, “It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah… Hey Ashley, I’m going back inside to make sure everything’s off.” The sound of a door opening and shutting was heard in the background, “Look dad, you know none of us blamed you for what happened to mom. It was an accident.”
Earl sat down in the chair and looked down at the ground, “I blamed myself. She wanted to leave sooner but I was having a good time. The roads were so icy when we finally left…”
“Look dad, you can’t keep dwelling on it. What’s important is that we’re family and we stick together.”
“I guess I forgot that for awhile,” Earl said, wiping a tear from his eye, “Am I really that pathetic now that my son has all the advice?”
Nathan laughed, “No, it’s just the smarts I inherited from you.”
“No, you got that from your mom. She was the smart one.” Earl stood up and stretched before making his way to the shed.
The sound of the door opening and shutting again played in the background, “Well, we can debate what I got from who when you move in after the vacation. Hey, is the old tire swing still up? I’d be nice if the kids could play on it one last time before you move out.”
“I just replaced the rope actually.” Earl located the tire behind the shed, “It fell during the last storm and I’ve been meaning to fix it.”
“Well if it’s too much for you don’t worry about it, I’ll do it when I get there in the morning.”
“The hard parts already over, I just have to tie the tire to the rope now.”
“Alright then dad, we all love you and we’ll see you in the morning.”
“Love you too son. Tell Ashley and the kids I love them too.”
“Will do. Bye dad.”
Earl waited to take off the headset until he heard the electronic click on the other end of the line. He didn’t like wearing the headset around his neck so he did the best he could to cram most of it in his pants pocket. After he rolled the tire over, he mustered as much strength as he could to lift the thing up onto the chair. His hands were beginning to ache but he wasn’t about to give up this close to being down. Once he was finished, Earl stepped back and admired his work.
He went back inside and put the headset on the charger. All his bags were already packed and by the door so he wouldn’t have to worry about them in the morning. There were a few reminders to himself on a post-it note by the stairs. At the top was a reminder to leave a key under the mat so the movers could get in while he was vacationing with his family. The next, and last, item on the list simply instructed him to smile. A few chuckles escaped him and as he shuffled up the stairs he wondered where his son was planning to take him on vacation. It didn’t matter to him at this point, he was just happy to finally spend time with his family again.
Earl showered and then slipped into his side of the bed. The other side, mostly undisturbed except for a wrinkle here or there, had been empty for ten long years. On the pillow next to him was a picture, which he gingerly picked up. It was an old photo of a young couple in their backyard. There was a fresh tire on the ground with a coil of rope sitting on top of it and a ladder behind them. The man was standing behind the young woman with his arms wrapped around her middle and he appeared to be trying to bite her neck. She on the other hand had one of her arms over his while her free hand was planted against his forehead in an attempt to keep him from reaching her neck. Her face was a mixture of laughter and amusement.
“Good night Helen.” Earl said, carefully placing the photo back on the pillow before rolling over and drifting off to sleep.
“I’ll see ya again at five,” Bill the trolley driver said before shutting the doors, “but don’ worry if ya runnin’ behind, I’ll wait fer ya. Have a nice day Earl!”
Earl nodded and watched the trolley pull away from the curb and disappear around the corner. Turning in the opposite direction, he began walking toward the grocery market twelve blocks away. His gait was slow and similar to the process of getting off the trolley – cane, left foot, right foot, repeat.
“Hey, old-timer, you need a ride?”
Earl turned toward the road and saw a young man sitting in a car with a pretty young lady, “No, but thank you for offering.”
“You sure? Where you headed?”
“To Ma and Pa’s Grocery and yes, I’m sure.”
Earl started walking again but the young man drove slowly along side him.
“That’s about another ten blocks away though. Why don’t you hope in and let us give you a lift.” The young man smiled at him expectantly.
“I’m sorry, but I’d much rather walk there.” Earl answered without looking at him.
“Alright, well have a good day then.” With a frown the young man and the pretty young lady pulled away.
It wasn’t uncommon for people to offer Earl a ride when they saw him. He was a shrinking old man with an ever growing hunch in his back, but for ten years he had walked this route once a week. At this point his walk was a tradition and, since this was the last time he’d make it, he wasn’t going to back out now. There were other reasons to walk as well – the smells, the sounds, and the peace of mind. In a car though there was only one sound, one smell, and the obligation to talk.
Talking didn’t necessarily bother Earl, but speaking to strangers that he’d never see again just felt like a waste. Conversations with friends, in his opinion, were far more rewarding and meaningful than any conversation you could have with a random stranger. With strangers there was no history; you could never assume anything about what they may be thinking or feeling. You had to talk with a stranger, but that didn’t hold true for friends – there were times when silence spoke volumes.
“Hey Earl!” Alan the store owner greeted the old man as he walked into Ma and Pa’s Grocery, “Give me a moment and I’ll get a cart pusher to help you out.”
“Don’t worry about it today,” Earl said as he slowly leaned over to pick up one of the small shopping baskets, “I’m only getting a few items for a change and I won’t need them delivered this time either.”
“Oh… Well alright. Just shout if you need anything.”
Earl nodded before shuffling towards the canned good isle. It was a small store, family owned, that got most of their goods from the farms scattered around town. He’d been in the store so many times he could navigate through it with his eyes closed. Eventually he emerged with a fresh can of corn, two russet potatoes, and a nice juicy steak.
“Hi Mr. Whitaker,” Katie, the cashier, said as she took his basket and eyed him with mock suspicion, “This isn’t your usual weeks worth of groceries. You’re not shopping around behind my back are you?”
“Of course not,” Earl said, “you know your dads store is the only place in town I’ll buy my groceries from. Frankly, I’m hurt you’d accuse me of such an act.”
Katie giggled as she started scanning the items, “Well that’s good to know sir, but still this isn’t all you’re getting is it?”
Earl looked around and leaned in close, Katie doing the same.
“Well, I haven’t told anyone yet, but I’m going on a vacation tomorrow.”
“That’s exciting! Where are you going?” she asked while bagging his items.
“I don’t know yet,” Earl mumbled as he looked through his wallet.
“Oh, well when will you be back?” Katie took the ten dollar bill as Earl picked up his grocery bag.
“I won’t be coming back. Say goodbye to your dad for me.”
“Wait, what?” Katie almost shouted as she turned but with a surprising burst of speed he had already made his way out the door.
Earl didn’t slow his pace until he was almost a block away, more because his leg ached than anything else. Winded from the sudden rush to get away from prying questions, he adopted a much slower pace. Katie was a good kid; he’d known her since she was born. When she was smaller, Alan would let her ride in Earl and Helen’s cart while they did their monthly shopping. That had been twelve years ago when Katie was eight and Helen was still alive, before the wreck. It had taken him along time to recover after that.
“Earl? What are you doing around here you old fart?”
Earl pushed his memories to the back of his head as he approached the porch of his oldest friend, “I’m an old fart now am I? What does that make you Paul?”
The two old men laughed as they clasped hands.
“Well I guess that makes me an old fart too,” Paul grinned as he sipped a beer.
“I’m going to put this in the fridge and grab a drink,” Earl said motioning with his cane towards the brown paper sack he was holding, “I’ll be back out in a minute.”
“Well hurry up,” Paul said, “I need someone to help harass the pretty young ladies as they jog by.”
Earl laughed and went inside to put his groceries up. When he came back out Paul was where he left him, sipping his beer. He sat down in an adjacent chair and opened his own bottle.
“So I take it you went by my son’s store?” Paul asked.
“Yep.” Earl took a sip.
“How is Alan doing?”
“Alright by the looks of it. That Katie though, if I hadn’t watched her grown up I wouldn’t believe that was the same little girl we used to watch eat bugs.”
Paul laughed, “She used to be quite a tomboy. Must have been college that changed her though, when she came back from her first semester was when she started wearing skirts and dresses and fixing her hair up.”
“College?” Earl questioned, “Since when is she old enough to go to college?”
“That’s what I asked,” Paul finished his beer, “When did we become the old guys?”
They laughed as Paul went in to get a couple more beers. Most of the afternoon went by in much the same way. The two talked about the past and sometimes they sat in silence, which was usually broken by Paul heckling the joggers as they passed by.
“How are the kidney’s doing?” Earl asked.
“Better than they were a year ago, but I’m not out of the woods yet.” Paul scratched at the back of his ear, “How’s the leg?”
“It’s gotten better since the crash,” he answered, slowly twisting his cane this way and that, “But even after ten years I still have to use this stick. At this point I’m stuck with it.”
“Has it really been that long since the accident?” Paul asked.
Earl nodded but didn’t say anything. They sat awhile longer sipping what was left of their beers until Earl finally stood up.
“Leaving early?” Paul asked.
“Unfortunately, I still have one more errand to run before I catch the bus home.”
Paul nodded, “We’re not going to see each other again are we?”
“What-?”
“I’ve known you longer than anyone. You think I can’t tell when you’re hiding something?”
Earl started to protest but decided against it, “I didn’t want to tell anyone at first, just be here one day and a memory the next. That would be rude though, so I told Katie to tell you guys by for me. I couldn’t leave though, not without seeing you Paul. You’re the closest thing to a brother I’ve ever had.”
Paul finished his beer, “If you talk a bit quieter I might be able to hear the violin in the background.”
They laughed again and Earl retreated inside to recover his groceries. When he came back out Paul was waiting for him at the end of the porch, his hand outstretched. He took it and the two shared a final handshake.
“You take care of yourself Earl.”
“You too Paul.”
Earl turned away and shuffled down the steps. His eyes watered slightly but he didn’t cry. He heard the clinking of beer bottles behind him, Paul gathering up the empties to throw away. Without looking back he turned the corner. The pace he walked at now was slow and heavy, weighed down by years of memories. A few blocks down he could see the sign for Dave’s Friendly Hardware. When he entered the shop there was a teenager leaning behind the counter. The young man straightened up when Earl came in and put on his best forced smile.
“Hi,” the teen said, “How can I help you today?”
“Hello, I need about twenty feet of thick strong rope.” Earl answered putting the grocery bag down on the counter.
“Coming right up.”
The teenager walked out of sight for awhile, leaving Earl to wait by the register. He’d only been in here a few times, once to replace a hammer and then again to get some pipes for the sink when it started leaking. Earl wondered if there was actually a Dave that owned the store or if it was just a name to make the place feel more inviting. When the teen reappeared he was holding a tightly bound coil of rope.
“That’ll be twelve dollars and eighty-five cents.” The teen extended the rope towards the old man.
“Just put it in the bag,” Earl instructed as he thumbed in his wallet for a ten and five. He placed the two bills down on the counter and scooped up the bag, “Keep the change.”
The walk from Dave’s Friendly Hardware back to the trolley stop was uneventful. Earl would have, for once, enjoyed a distraction from his thoughts. He wasn’t going to back out on what he had planned, but he just wished there was a way he could everything he cared about with him. When he finally arrived at the trolley stop Bill was already there.
“Looks like I beat ya taday.” Bill laughed once the doors were opened, “It’s ok, I aint been here fer that long.”
Earl thanked him as he made his way to an available seat. He leaned his head against the back of his seat and drifted into slumber. It was normal, his stop was last and Bill always woke him up when they got there. Memories of how things use to be flitted through his dreams and, towards the end, he saw Helen watching him, smiling. Eventually, Bill shook Earl carefully to wake him.
“It’s yer stop Earl.”
The old man blinked a few times and looked at the vacant seat next to him.
“Did ya lose somethin?” Bill asked as he followed Earl’s gaze.
“Yeah, but it was a long time ago.” he picked up his rope and groceries, “I don’t expect I’ll find it again.”
Slightly puzzled, the trolley driver shrugged, “Well, if I see anythin’ that looks like it might’uv been yers I’ll give it to ya next week.”
Earl stopped halfway down the steps and turned enough that he could look Bill in the face, “Actually, I’m going on a vacation. I won’t be coming back afterwards.”
“Oh well that’s sad ta hear, yer a good fella. Well, enjoy yer vacation and God Bless.” Bill tipped his hat to Earl.
Earl nodded and exited the trolley. Instead of watching it pull away, he turned and walked the last two blocks to his house. It was an older home, the one his parents had lived in before him. The yard had recently been cut and the sidewalks scrubbed. Near the mailbox was a big realtor’s sign that had the word ‘sold’ on it in big red letters.
Once he was inside a sigh of relief escaped him. The day was over and he had managed to get through it without changing his mind. Earl sat the bag down on the counter and placed the rope off to the side for later that night. Leaning on his cane he rummaged through a low cupboard for two small pots and a skillet. Steam eventually rose from the stove as the potatoes boiled while the corn was warming up in a nearby pot. When the steak was cooked to his liking, brown on the outside and still slightly pink on the inside, he drained the water from the potatoes. Adding a little bit of salt, butter, and milk to the freshly boiled spuds, he mashed them until they were nice and fluffy. His final step was to bring everything neatly together on a dinner plate.
Typically Earl ate fruits and tried to stay away from red meats, for health reasons. But tonight was his last dinner here and he was going to indulge himself for once. When he was finished, he placed the plate in the sink and rinsed it off. As he washed it, his gazed though the window above the sink and fell upon the oak tree in his backyard. His eyes shifted toward the rope on the counter next to him then back at the tree. He slowly turned the knob on the sink till the faucet trickled to a stop, it was time.
He threw the rope over his shoulder and shuffled outside. By the shed he found the ladder which took a bit of effort to drag over to the oak tree. Earl didn’t need his cane on the ladder, so he left it hanging on one of the rungs. It was a rougher process than the trolley steps, but he made it all the way to the top of the ladder. There were a few good limbs to choose from but he picked the thickest one he could find. After tying the rope as tight as possible, he gave it a few sharp tugs.
Climbing down was much easier. Once he reached the bottom, Earl grabbed the rope with both hands and put all his weight on it. The limb gave a little, which was fine, and the rope remained firmly in place. He picked his cane back up and grabbed one of the chairs off the deck. He slid it behind him until it directly beneath the rope. Grabbing it with both hands again, he leaned on it one more time just to make sure.
A sharp electronic squeal pierced the air causing Earl to jump in surprise. He realized the phone was ringing and hobbled inside as quickly as he could. The ‘hands-free-headset’ was his least favorite contraption but it was the closet to the door. Frowning, he jammed the thing on his head and hit the talk button.
“Hello?” Earl greeted, slightly out of breath.
“Hey dad, it’s me, Nathan. Is everything ok?”
“Hello son. Yes, I’m fine, just out of breath is all.” he opened the screen door and walked back outside.
“Ah, that’s good. Worried me for a sec there, I thought you might be having a heart attack.” Nathan chuckled, “Any-who, just wanted to tell you that Ashley and I were getting the last of the luggage packed in the car. It’ll take us all night to get there so we’re going to take turns driving while the twins sleep. We should be there mid morning so be watching for us.”
“It’ll be nice seeing you again,” Earl said as gave the rope a few sharp tugs, finally confident in its stability, “It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah… Hey Ashley, I’m going back inside to make sure everything’s off.” The sound of a door opening and shutting was heard in the background, “Look dad, you know none of us blamed you for what happened to mom. It was an accident.”
Earl sat down in the chair and looked down at the ground, “I blamed myself. She wanted to leave sooner but I was having a good time. The roads were so icy when we finally left…”
“Look dad, you can’t keep dwelling on it. What’s important is that we’re family and we stick together.”
“I guess I forgot that for awhile,” Earl said, wiping a tear from his eye, “Am I really that pathetic now that my son has all the advice?”
Nathan laughed, “No, it’s just the smarts I inherited from you.”
“No, you got that from your mom. She was the smart one.” Earl stood up and stretched before making his way to the shed.
The sound of the door opening and shutting again played in the background, “Well, we can debate what I got from who when you move in after the vacation. Hey, is the old tire swing still up? I’d be nice if the kids could play on it one last time before you move out.”
“I just replaced the rope actually.” Earl located the tire behind the shed, “It fell during the last storm and I’ve been meaning to fix it.”
“Well if it’s too much for you don’t worry about it, I’ll do it when I get there in the morning.”
“The hard parts already over, I just have to tie the tire to the rope now.”
“Alright then dad, we all love you and we’ll see you in the morning.”
“Love you too son. Tell Ashley and the kids I love them too.”
“Will do. Bye dad.”
Earl waited to take off the headset until he heard the electronic click on the other end of the line. He didn’t like wearing the headset around his neck so he did the best he could to cram most of it in his pants pocket. After he rolled the tire over, he mustered as much strength as he could to lift the thing up onto the chair. His hands were beginning to ache but he wasn’t about to give up this close to being down. Once he was finished, Earl stepped back and admired his work.
He went back inside and put the headset on the charger. All his bags were already packed and by the door so he wouldn’t have to worry about them in the morning. There were a few reminders to himself on a post-it note by the stairs. At the top was a reminder to leave a key under the mat so the movers could get in while he was vacationing with his family. The next, and last, item on the list simply instructed him to smile. A few chuckles escaped him and as he shuffled up the stairs he wondered where his son was planning to take him on vacation. It didn’t matter to him at this point, he was just happy to finally spend time with his family again.
Earl showered and then slipped into his side of the bed. The other side, mostly undisturbed except for a wrinkle here or there, had been empty for ten long years. On the pillow next to him was a picture, which he gingerly picked up. It was an old photo of a young couple in their backyard. There was a fresh tire on the ground with a coil of rope sitting on top of it and a ladder behind them. The man was standing behind the young woman with his arms wrapped around her middle and he appeared to be trying to bite her neck. She on the other hand had one of her arms over his while her free hand was planted against his forehead in an attempt to keep him from reaching her neck. Her face was a mixture of laughter and amusement.
“Good night Helen.” Earl said, carefully placing the photo back on the pillow before rolling over and drifting off to sleep.