-26 minutes -
The rain finally subsided after what felt like an eternity. The heavy weight of the mist still lingered in the air, making it harder to take in the crispness of what remained. The sleek pavement shone under the blanket of street lamps uniformly lining the road. The faint sound of the wind swaying through the trees could easily be mistaken for a repeat performance from the rain gods, either way the sound emitted a sense of caution to all those within earshot. An odd warning to temptation of the serenity brought forth by nature's cleansing.
Erik crept over to the bedroom window, quietly opening it while taking a deep breath. A harsh gust of wind caused him to shutter ever so slightly, but not enough to influence his stance. He peeked his head out and looked in both directions - not a soul could be seen anywhere as was expected. The reflection of the light bouncing off the wet ground left a lava-like impression. Things were rarely as in focus as they were right after a storm.
"Honey? Did you open a window?"
Erik glanced back into the darkness at the silhouette at the body curled up on his bed. The light from outside positioned in such a way that divided the room into two.
"I Just wanted to see if the storm was over."
"Well now that you know, come back to bed." Her watched her turn over and pull the blanket up over her shoulder, signaling her disapproval. He turned his head back around, once again peaking out of the window. "I'll be there soon," he mumbled, unmoving. A lone drop fell from the top of window pane onto the back of his neck, startling him as it split up and raced on both ends down the side, startling him and snapping him out of his daze. He took one last deep breath, savoring its lushness and closed the window as quietly as he could. It wasn't until he walked back to the bed where he felt the coolness of the room and immediately sympathized with his wife's disapproval.
He was awake. Wide awake.
Moments like these rarely happen, at least to him. His schedule keeps him bogged down to the point where being able to stop and appreciate the simplicity of life is more of a chore than an opportunity to remind himself of what is really important.
He walked around the bed to the side his wife was on and gently kissed her forehead before pulling up the blanket tight around her shoulders. She smiled, subtlety and innocently, eyes remained closed as if she only dreamt the kiss happened.
Grabbing a coat, he crept down the stairs and out the front door. The creek of the heavy wooden door was the only other sound aside from the rustling of the leaves coaxing him to follow. So much of his days are spent hibernating behind the warmth of a computer screen, under the dull guise of overhead halogen lamps leaving nothing to the imagination. Every day the burden of the guilt from all of the self-realization regarding life and the misplaced priorities grew heavier and heavier. Distracted by other people's interpretations of what was important made it harder to remind himself what mattered the most to him. Nights like these were important for that. An emotional reset button.
A small puddle formed at the edge of his driveway. He crouched down and dipped his finger in, the water felt cold. He missed moments like these. He looked back around at his modest 3 story house. He wasn't ashamed of all that he accomplished, just disappointed in what he pushed into the back of his mind, nostalgia piled up like a trunk of forgotten memories in an attic. He was happy with his life but longed for a chance to do it all over again just to have that time back.
Up and down the street leaves glided down from their nesting place, high up in the trees. Once thought unreachable, they leisurely descended without worry of their final resting place. Erik put both his hands in his jacket pockets and stood in the middle of the deserted street for what felt like days. There was no other movement in his sightline, as if he were the last person inhabiting what was left of this world. The remnants of the rain soaked through his slipped like sponges, wetting the soles of his feet. A few faint droplets fell from the sky, or perhaps the tops of the trees, making contact with the tight leather of his jacket with an almost cracking sound. The wind picked up again causing more drops of rain and more leaves to fall at a more feverish pace. The breeze felt good on his skin.
"Sometimes," he thought to himself, "this is all the matters."
As if on cue, the rain began to pick up again, prompting Erik to scramble back to the house. Taking one last look outside he closed the door and took off his saturated slippers before proceeding back upstairs to be in the arms of the woman he loved.
