ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME ?

         The empty wine carafe on the counter displayed a prismatic glow of orange and yellow hues as dawn erupted through the east window.  Her gaze was drawn to the distant, ice-capped mountains shrouding the deep ravine below.  She thought back to that particular sunrise two months ago and shuddered.

         Rebecca went down the hall to check on Ted.  After ten years, she knew his habits well and coaxing him out of bed was a daily ritual.  She paused at her daughter’s room and placed her hand on the closed door and smiled. 

         She entered the master bedroom and gazed at her lover and best friend.  Ted was lying on his side of the bed facing the French doors that led to the hot tub on their secluded patio.

         “Good morning,Honey.”  She plowed through the clothes on the floor and crossed the room.  As she bent down to meet his unshaven face, he opened his eyes and reluctantly blinked back the oblivion of sleep.

             “It’d be a shame to waste such a beautiful day lying around in bed.”  She reached out and touched the curl on his forehead.  “I’m worried about you, Teddy.”

         He sat up with effort and swung his legs over the side of the bed.  Running his fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair, Ted frowned as the sun light flowed through the house, announcing another day. 

         “You’ve got to come see the sunrise this morning.  I don’t think I’ve seen such vivid colors.  Come on now; get up.  I mean it, mister.  Are you listening to me?”

         Ted stumbled to the master bathroom, snapped on the cold water faucet and splashed his stubbled face.  He raised his head and starred at the reflection of the stranger looking back at him. 

         Rebecca sat on the bed and watched him through the open door.  She wondered if he was going to shave today.  “Are you going in to work, Teddy?  You’ve always told me how much you love your job.  I’d hate to see them replace you.”

         He brushed passed her and headed to the night stand, grabbed a Marlboro from the half empty pack, stuck it between his lips, and thumbed the lighter as he inhaled.

         “You promised to quit after your father died of lung cancer last year.”  She frowned as he took another puff.  “Are you listening to me?” 

         Ted plodded down the hall as Rebecca followed in a cloud of smoke and they entered the sun-lit kitchen.

         “Honey, look at the beautiful day rising before you.  It’s been two months and you’ve barely gotten out of bed.”  It tore her up to see him like this.

         He sat at the table and sipped his black coffee without tasting it.  He used to add cream to his coffee.  Now the thought of cream made him sick.  He crushed his cigarette in the ashtray, and began to cry.  Ted Johnson cried a lot lately.

         “Teddy, please don’t cry.  It’ll get better, I promise.  You’ve got to snap out of this.  Are you listening to me?”

         Ted looked at the funny cat Amanda had drawn in school.  She had proudly placed it on the fridge door for all to see.  He remembered her dimpled grin as she danced around the kitchen, her pigtails swinging across her back.

         “I know it hurts but she’s happy where she is.  I’m not going to leave you, honey.  We’ll get through this.”

         There was a knock at the door.  He slowly got up and dragged himself to the living room.  Ted pulled the curtain back and peeked out of one of the side glass panels flanking the door and sighed. 

         Rebecca leaned over his shoulder and grinned.  “Oh look, Teddy, it’s Jim.  Why aren‘t you inviting him in for coffee?“

         It was his partner, detective Jim Sweeney.  He unlocked the door and motioned for Sweeney to enter.

         “How you doing today, Johnson?  Thought you might want a lift to the precinct.”

         “Oh, isn’t that sweet of Jim.  You go on.  I’ll be fine.” 

         “Nah, Jim.  I’m not ready to go back.”  Ted headed back to the kitchen.  Jim and Rebecca followed.

         Jim and Ted had worked together in homicide for five years and knew each other like brothers.

         “Any news on finding the driver?”

         “Ah … Maybe you shouldn’t bring that up right now, Jim.  He’s having a bad morning.”  Rebecca watched Ted’s expression.

         “Uh huh.  They’ll never catch him, Sweeney.  The guy destroyed three lives that morning when he ran Rebecca into that ravine.  I should have been with them.  Oh God Jim.  I SHOULD HAVE BEEN WITH THEM.”

         “Take it easy, buddy.  I don’t know why things like this happen.  They just do.”  He stood by the kitchen window shifting nervously from one foot to the other.  “It’s a pretty sunrise,” he said, stupidly.

         “I already tried that, Jim.  It didn’t work.”

         “We had worked late that night.  Remember, Jim?  It was that homicide over in The Heights.  So I was sleeping in.  The ringing of the phone woke me up.  As I reached over the night stand, I saw the note.  ‘Gone to store with Amanda for cream.  By the way, you snore.  Kisses, Becky.’ “

         Ted recalled the nightmare of events that followed.  He slumped down in the kitchen chair, put his face in his hands and sobbed.

         Rebecca floated over to her husband and kissed his cheek.  “I love you, Teddy.  Are you listening to me?”

         Ted felt something tickle his left cheek.  It was a familiar feeling and he looked up, but no one was there.  He touched the tingling spot on his face and wept.


Winner of The Writers Cramp Contest 10/06/09