After Thought

by P. A. Crenshaw

  The lights were dim, and smoke filled the room quickly, making it increasingly hard to see. Adam focused on trying to locate an exit. Since they were up on the stage, the band members were closest to the fire. Mobs formed at every available exit. Adam’s heart beat rapidly as he raked his fingers down his face. He felt panic rising from deep within as he stood frozen in terror.

  Suddenly, he felt someone grab his hand in the darkness. He strained to see who it was, and realized it was Maddie, looking surprisingly calm. Relief flooded through him as she pulled him toward her and yelled, “Come with me, Adam. Call for everyone in the band and follow me.”

  Adam shouted into the mic for Zach and the other band members to follow them. Maddie led them through the crowd toward an area of the club that, to his knowledge, did not have an exit. He wondered if she had gone mad. Had the smoke affected her thinking? As far as he could see, there was no exit in sight, only a wall with a large, heavy stage curtain covering it. He assumed it served no purpose except for decoration, and he knew there weren’t any exits near there.

  Adam had been in and out of the club many nights and he had never seen anyone enter or exit there. Several people blindly followed them like a flock of sheep, assuming that they knew an escape route. As the smoke filled the room, visibility decreased. People coughed and wheezed violently, and some passed out due to smoke inhalation. It appeared they were trapped. He had to do something fast, or people were going to die.

  Adam, convinced that Maddie had suffered from confusion or delirium from panic or from the smoke, made up his mind to take control. He grabbed Maddie by the arm to pull her and the others away from the wall to safety. She jerked away from him, grabbed the large curtain, and pulled as hard as she could. His mouth fell open as the curtain fell and revealed a large garage-like, rollup door. He rubbed his eyes.

  How could she have known a door was there?

  He realized it wasn’t the time to ponder the situation and quickly helped Maddie grab the large chain pulley to raise the door. It moved a little, but seemed to be stuck from lack of use. Several of the guys also grabbed the chain and pulled as hard as they could. To everyone’s great relief, the door finally gave way and began to open.

  People poured out of the door even before it rolled all the way up. The next thing Adam knew they were standing outside coughing and sputtering, but they were alive. No one near them appeared burned or hurt. When he finally regained his composure and realized they were safe, he turned to Maddie and said, “Are you okay?”

  She coughed and replied, “Yes. Are you?”

  He looked himself over and said, “I think so.”

  She visibly gave a sigh of relief and said, “I’m so sorry about that, Adam. I was so worried about you. You don’t know how glad I am that you’re alright…that we’re all alright.”

  Adam furrowed his brow. “Sorry? It’s not your fault. I was worried, too. I have to admit that was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through.”

  She didn’t reply. He scanned the faces of the people that were in the vicinity while he did a mental inventory. To his relief he saw all of the band members and all of their friends who had been seated closest to the stage.

  “Is everyone okay?” he shouted.

  He heard several positive responses and saw nods. He also heard the sound of the approaching sirens.

  He turned back to Maddie and said, “How in the world did you know that door was there? As long as we’ve played here, I’ve never seen anyone entering or exiting through that door. Have you been in this club before?”

  She hesitated briefly, as if choosing her words carefully, and said, “I’ve never been in this club before. I didn’t know for sure it was a door. It was a lucky guess.”

  A lucky guess?!

  He looked at her incredulously. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something about the way she said it made him doubt her story. He could believe that she had never been to the club before, but he found it odd that she, or anyone for that matter, would have guessed a door loomed behind that curtain just by looking at it, especially in a moment of panic. Maybe he had put her on the spot. Maybe she knew more than she wanted him to know. Anyway, it wasn’t the time to overanalyze things. Thankfully, she had been right about the door, no matter how she knew of its existence. Adam shivered as the realization sank in that if there hadn’t been a door there, they might not have made it out alive. Maddie had saved their lives.

  As if reading his mind, Claire rushed up to Maddie and hugged her as she said, “Maddie, you saved our lives! Thank you so much.”

  Claire’s voice caught as she barely held it together. “I was so scared. I couldn’t see anything and I was getting to the point where I couldn’t breathe. I thought we were all going to…”

  She broke off as Zach took her in his arms, patted her back, and comforted her with calming words. “It’s okay. You’re okay. We’re all okay, thanks to Maddie.”

  He gave Maddie a grateful nod as Claire buried her face in his neck and sobbed.

  Luke patted Maddie on the back and, in a serious manner hardly ever witnessed by anyone, he said, “We owe you one, Maddie. Good going.”

  He too gave her a respectful nod of gratitude. Several others verbalized their thanks and gratefulness. Maddie said nothing, but just stoically nodded back as if to tell them all “you’re welcome.”

  Adam attempted to lighten the mood and said, “Maddie, you’re my hero.”

  Maddie didn’t smile. She still looked shaken. “Well, I just did the best I could. I’m so sorry. I was so afraid for you, Adam. You could’ve been killed in there.”

  Sorry? Why was she apologizing?

  “It’s not your fault, Maddie. I’m fine.”

  She looked at the ground and said, “I don’t think anybody was hurt badly. A few people have been taken off by ambulance.”

  Adam thought it was a miracle that nobody had perished. As he pondered the implications of this, he saw Maddie shiver. The temperature had dropped, and in the rush to get out, she had left her jacket in the club. He usually wore some type of rocker-style leather jacket during performances, and tonight was no exception. He took off his jacket and placed it around Maddie’s shoulders.

  She tried to protest. “Adam, don’t do that. There’s no sense in both of us freezing out here.”

  “I insist,” he said. “Besides, what kind of jerk would I look like now if I took it back?”

  She finally laughed a little. “Good point. Well, if you insist, then how about this?”

  As the jacket rested on her shoulders, she held it open with both hands and wrapped her arms around his waist. It enveloped them both like a small blanket. She pressed her body against his, and rested her head on his chest.

  Sudden warmth came over him, and only partly from her body heat. Through the smell of smoke that permeated their clothes and hair, he could smell her subtle perfume and the scent of her. He became aroused by the closeness of her body to his and marveled at her effect on him.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer as he answered her question. “This will do just fine. I could stay like this all night and not get cold at all. And it just might take all night for them to let us back in to get our equipment out. But as much as I would selfishly like for you to stay with me like this, you should probably get out of the cold and back to your warm apartment.”

  “I really don’t mind staying for a while,” she said. “I’m warm now myself. Do you think your instruments and equipment will hold up to the fire and smoke?”

  “Some of it will, and some of it may not. We won’t know the extent of the damage until we recover everything and clean it. I imagine the metal mic stands and instruments will fare okay, but the wooden, string instruments might be damaged beyond repair. We’ve all put a lot of money into our equipment, but Zach has the most to lose. His guitar is a vintage cl
assic 1965 Gibson Firebird III with a reverse body in cardinal red. He put a lot of cash and T.L.C. into his ‘baby’ and will be crushed if it is lost.”

  As Adam spoke, he watched Zach pace back and forth a few yards away, and he knew that he must be thinking the same thing.

  As everyone else in the crowd dispersed, their little group waited in a small huddle for the fire department to give them the word that they could reenter. About an hour and a half later, they were finally cleared to go in and retrieve what they could. It wasn’t as bad as they had anticipated. It looked like mostly smoke damage. It would take some major scrubbing and elbow grease, but most of the equipment was salvageable—even Zach’s beloved Gibson. Zach nearly cried when he saw that ‘his baby’ had suffered no permanent damage. No one would have ribbed him about it, either. They all had the ultimate respect for the vintage classics.

  They finally wrapped it up at about two o’clock in the morning, and Adam offered to follow Maddie home to make sure she made it safely. Like him, she still seemed pretty shaken up. He had to admit the fire was probably one of the scariest things he had ever experienced.

  He and Maddie walked hand in hand in silence from the parking garage to their neighboring apartments. They were both still in shock and exhausted from the horrific events of the evening. He felt glad that she had stayed behind to help. He also wondered what, if anything, the rest of the night might have in store for him and Maddie. He considered himself a typical guy when it came to sexual expectations, fire or no fire, exhaustion or no exhaustion, and he could only hope.

  When they got to her door, she stopped and said, “I’m so thankful that everyone made it out tonight. I could see there was no escape for the band and I was so afraid for all of you.”

  She paused for a moment and continued, “So despite the fact that there was a fire, the nightclub almost burned down, and people almost died, I had a great time.”

  Adam grinned at her attempt at humor.

  “It’s good that we can joke about it now. But seriously, though, I’m touched that you were worried for me. I was worried about you too. I’m glad everything turned out okay.”

  “You guys are really awesome performers, and I really enjoyed the show. Thanks for inviting me,” she said as she stepped forward, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him gently on the mouth.

  He felt heat spread throughout his body. As she stepped back, he stepped closer to her, pulled her back to him and said, “I’m so glad you came to the show. It meant a lot to me.” And he kissed her back, gently at first, and then, with the passion building, a little more firmly.

  Her lips parted and a slight moan escaped as the kisses grew deeper and their bodies pressed closer together. They stood like that for several minutes enjoying and exploring one another. Adam was just beginning to think that she might invite him in for the night when she stepped back and said, “I hate to be a mood kill, but I really need to get some sleep. I’ve got a lot of writing to do tomorrow and I’m up way past my bedtime. I need my beauty sleep.”

  She winked and added, “But I really had a great time…up until…well, you know.”

  Adam forced a smile to hide his disappointment. After all, they hadn’t even been on an official date. He actually found it somewhat alluring that she didn’t jump into bed with him right away. But he didn’t want her to get away before he could get a chance to officially ask her out.

  “Trust me. You don’t need any beauty sleep,” he said. “I can’t imagine you getting any more beautiful. Listen, I want to keep my word and cook you that gourmet meal I promised.”

  “I’d like that, Adam.”

  “Are you free on Tuesday night?”

  She grinned and said, “I believe my calendar is open that night. When should I come? And what should I bring?”

  “How about six o’clock? And don’t feel like you need to bring anything. Leave everything to me. I love showing off my cooking prowess.”

  She raised an eyebrow and said, “I can’t wait to experience your prowess, and your culinary skills.”

  She looked at him seductively and winked.

  Damn, she was killing him. It was going to be a long wait until Tuesday.

  They exchanged cell phone numbers and shared one last, lingering kiss. Then she gave him a big, heartfelt hug and said, “Good night, Adam,” as she turned and walked into her apartment.

  “Good night, Maddie,” he said dreamily.

  That night definitely felt like a dream—a nightmare turned happy ending.

  Chapter 8

  Maddie called Sancha the next morning to tell her the news about the fire. After she replayed the horrifying events, Maddie said, “Sancha, I can’t explain why, but something felt wrong to me.”

  Sancha said, “Well, excuse me for stating the obvious, mi hermosa amiga, but fires in nightclubs usually feel wrong.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes and said, “You know that’s not what I mean. I don’t think the fire was an accident.”

  “You mean, you don’t think the pyrotechnics caused it?”

  “Oh, I’m sure the pyrotechnics ignited the fire, but I don’t think they caused it.”

  “Do you think that an arsonist was in the nightclub? Like a terrorist?”

  “I suspect someone evil caused it, but they weren’t necessarily in the nightclub.”

  Sancha sighed and said, “I’m not following you.”

  Frustrated, Maddie sighed too and said, “Sancha, do you think that Paul could have anything to do with this?”

  After some consideration Sancha said, “I really doubt it, Maddie. We’ve been monitoring the situation and we haven’t seen any activity in your area. You’ve been well hidden lately and nothing has happened in the past few months, so why would you suspect Paul?”

  Maddie picked at her lip nervously and said, “I don’t mean to sound paranoid, and it is very likely that it was just a random fire, but I just can’t help but wonder if Paul was involved in some way. What if I’m in danger? Or worse, what if I’m putting others in danger?”

  “We’ll get someone to check it out. Did you see anyone familiar in the crowd? Anyone that looked suspicious? Do they know what caused the fire?”

  “I didn’t see anyone or anything that looked suspicious. And right now they’re saying the cause was the pyrotechnics display.”

  Sancha paused a moment and said, “Based on what you’ve told me, let’s just go with the thought that it was a random event that had nothing to do with you. But I’ll make some calls and do some checking around just in case.”

  Maddie put her hand on her forehead as she paced back and forth.

  “But what if we’re wrong? What if Paul was involved? I could be putting Adam and everybody else in danger.”

  “Mi amada amiga, how many times do I have to remind you that you can’t live your life in fear? Everything turned out okay and you just need to move forward and think positively. Now, let’s change the subject. How did it go with Adam?”

  Maddie grinned. “Up until the fire, everything was going great. Well, actually it went great even after the fire, despite everything that happened.”

  “Tell me more.”

  Maddie felt like a giddy schoolgirl. “He invited me over for dinner on Tuesday.”

  “And you’re going?”

  “Yes, I’m going. How could I refuse when a man offers to cook for me?”

  “That’s wonderful! A man that can cook. You need to snatch him up, Maddie.”

  Maddie laughed and said, “He’s also a good kisser.”

  “Hmm,” said Sancha. “A good cook and a good kisser…sounds like a keeper.”

  “That remains to be seen. I’m going on the date, but I just want you to know that I am still leery about this whole situation.”

  Maddie could practically hear Sancha rolling her eyes. “I understand. I�
��m happy as long as you’re moving forward. Well, call me and let me know how your dinner date goes. I’ll call you if anything turns up.”

  Chapter 9

  Adam flitted around his apartment and made preparations for the dinner he planned to cook for Maddie. He often entertained his friends and had gotten quite adept at it, but he wanted to make their first official date extra special. He decided to call on his personal dating consultant—Claire.

  Since Zach and Claire had been together, Claire had often offered Adam dating advice—whether he asked for it or not. And most of the time he found her advice to be extremely helpful—whether he liked it or not.

  He liked to think he had mastered the art of entertaining, especially when it came to the ladies, but for reasons he couldn’t even explain to himself, he felt the need to make everything perfect for Maddie. And he knew Claire could offer a woman’s perspective on how to make it just so.

  Claire helped him decide on a menu of his specialty dishes. For the appetizer, they chose mozzarella and tomato bruschetta with fresh basil and garlic. The salad would be a classic Italian with his special version of homemade vinaigrette. He decided to go with lemon chicken piccata in a tasty lemon, butter, and capers sauce for the main dish. And finally, for the dessert he chose to make his own version of Emeril Lagasse’s tiramisu recipe. Claire suggested that he serve a chilled white zinfandel wine with dinner and offer coffee or cappuccino with dessert as an added special touch.

  Claire also advised him to have some nice, relaxing mood music playing quietly in the background throughout the evening, and some candles placed strategically throughout his apartment for just the right ambience. She assured him that if he followed all of her advice he couldn’t go wrong. She even offered to come show him how to set the table “the proper way” right before Maddie arrived.