I quietly opened the hotel room door. I had had five, maybe six beers, enough that I was not staggering down the hall but to the point where I had to concentrate on simple tasks.
The door creaked as I opened it and I heard motion coming from inside the dark. At first, I thought it was Summer.
Perhaps she had been awake, wondering if and when I would return. Perhaps…then I realised the church bells were tolling. Ten o’clock.
Had I only been gone an hour?
Well, the band in the bar had made the time go by so fast, helping me forget I’d been upset that the rain had picked up again just as I started to walk out to the car, preventing me from taking the drive on the autobahn.
I shut the door as quietly as I could.
I heard the steady sound of rain coming from the open window. Even though it was one of the warmest days of the fall, it was still cool at this hour.
I debated feeling my way along the beds but decided I didn’t want to grab Summer’s ankle and be unable to make another move.
My eyes adjusted to the dark and I could see some light bouncing off the ceiling. I saw a flashlight pointing at me and realised it was a plane coming in for a landing.
I took a few baby steps forward, passing by the toilet. I kept my eyes focused forward, even though I wanted to look over and see if Summer was asleep.
I wondered if Summer was even in the room anymore. Perhaps she’d called the front desk and found an available empty room.
I heard the steady sound of rain coming from the open window. Even though it was one of the warmest days of the fall, it was still cool at this hour.
I debated feeling my way along the beds but decided I didn’t want to grab Summer’s ankle and be unable to make another move.
My eyes adjusted to the dark and I could see some light bouncing off the ceiling. I saw a flashlight pointing at me and realised it was a plane coming in for a landing.
I took a few baby steps forward, passing by the toilet. I kept my eyes focused forward, even though I wanted to look over and see if Summer was asleep.
I wondered if Summer was even in the room anymore. Perhaps she’d called the front desk and found an available empty room.
I took a few more steps and stumbled into a chair I’d forgotten about, hidden in the shadows beneath the window.
I scooted around the chair and leaned out the window. I could just make out the edges of the soccer field. Small waves of rock music crashed around me.
I remembered why I’d left the bar – I’d gotten tired of hearing the old pop tunes, songs I’d not forgotten not long after they were first released and no more memorable being sung by a local bar band.
At that moment, the band was cranking out “Achy Breaky Heart,” a crossover country song that played well at both discothèques and Western dance halls. After the song, the band announced they were taking a break.
I scooted around the chair and leaned out the window. I could just make out the edges of the soccer field. Small waves of rock music crashed around me.
I remembered why I’d left the bar – I’d gotten tired of hearing the old pop tunes, songs I’d not forgotten not long after they were first released and no more memorable being sung by a local bar band.
At that moment, the band was cranking out “Achy Breaky Heart,” a crossover country song that played well at both discothèques and Western dance halls. After the song, the band announced they were taking a break.
I turned around.
I wanted to test myself. Who was I?
Was I truly deep-down a trusty soul, a regular guy who certainly recognised good-looking women when I saw them, who liked to window shop but still made all my purchases at only one bride store where I had publicly signed a marriage contract over 20 years before?
I wanted to test myself. Who was I?
Was I truly deep-down a trusty soul, a regular guy who certainly recognised good-looking women when I saw them, who liked to window shop but still made all my purchases at only one bride store where I had publicly signed a marriage contract over 20 years before?
I fell in love with women at a drop of a hat. I saw divine, angelic beauty no matter what, even though no one was absolutely angelic and certainly everyone was far from perfect.
In the gray shades of the room, I could see a charcoal outline on one of the beds. Or was it just my imagination?
Lightning flashed and I distinctly saw that Summer was laying still, sleeping on the bed next to the wall, her body resting on her right side, her back to the other bed.
Lightning flashed and I distinctly saw that Summer was laying still, sleeping on the bed next to the wall, her body resting on her right side, her back to the other bed.
Did maturity have anything to do with growing older? Did forty-four years on this planet mean one thing to the man standing by an open window, the cool breeze clearing up his head, giving him the opportunity to calculate his next move?
I sat on the window sill, feeling the rain water that had pooled on the granite ledge soak into the seat of my pants.
The bell tolled 10:30 p.m. I closed my eyes for a moment. The only thing I knew was that I’d have to remove my pants and hang them up to dry. And to think, Summer had teased me the day before about only bringing one pair of trousers for the trip.
A series of lightning flashes and subsequent thunder jarred me. I wacked a knee on the chair and grunted, waking Summer.
“Hallo?”
“Sorry. I was trying to be quiet.”
“What time is it?”
“I don’t know exactly. Sometime after 10:30, I guess.”
"What?"
"22:30."
"Oh."
"What?"
"22:30."
"Oh."
Summer rolled over to face me in the dark just as the band starting playing again.
“Did you have a good time downstairs?”
“Downstairs?”
“Yeth, with the band.”
“How did you know?”
“I heard you laughing before I fell asleep. It was easy to hear from the open window. You have a very distinct laugh.”
“I do?”
“Yeth, but not with a lisp, though.” We both laughed.
“Mind if I turn the chair around to face you?”
“Mind? Why would I mind?”
“Oh…well, I don’t know, really.”
“No problem.”
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