The Blackout

by Stephanie Erickson

  She shooed him out the door and he landed on the back porch, surveying the acres of work in front of him. He was torn between the happiness of seeing her again, and the frustration that he really didn’t know any more than he did yesterday. He didn’t know anything important, like what her name was, or where she lived. Those were the things he needed if he was ever going to find her.

  He didn’t even know how long ago the dream was. Did I ever become a pilot? Is that what I did? Is that why we weren’t together? Was I away from home during the Blackout? He felt like screaming. Every time he got an answer, twenty more questions popped up.

  Feeling defeated, he looked up at the sky. It was a deep purple with brilliant shades of red cresting over the horizon. Please God, let me find her, he prayed. Please.

  30.

  Molly was successful in avoiding Seth for most of the week. She and Beth stayed busy with school, and after school Molly kept to herself, so as not to attract unwanted attention. It worked until Saturday.

  Molly was busying herself trying to dust and sweep and basically get the house fairly clean without any kind of assistance from an electric appliance – which was a frustrating task in and of itself – when someone knocked on the door. She leaned the broom against the door jam and went to see who it was. She hadn’t spoken much to Jimmy since her outburst, so she knew it wouldn’t be him. To her surprise and horror it was Seth, unaccompanied.

  “Uh, hey Seth. What’s up?”

  “Hey stranger. Everything OK? I haven’t seen much of you lately.”

  She shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “Yeah, we’ve been sort of busy this week.”

  “So I noticed. But, since it’s Saturday, I thought you might want to hang out. No school today! No excuses!”

  “Ya know, I’d love to Seth, but I’m kinda in the middle of something here.”

  He playfully brushed at the bandana containing her hair. “So I see. Come on, that can wait! It’s beautiful out!”

  She folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe. “What do you have in mind?”

  “We could ride bikes, or go for a hike, or go to the beach again. Whatever you want.”

  “No, because what I want is to stay here and finish cleaning.”

  “OK fine. How about this? I help you finish up and then we enjoy this glorious day?”

  He drove a hard bargain, but Molly wasn’t wild about the idea of spending the day alone with Seth. It offered too much temptation.

  She eyed him suspiciously. “What’s Beth doing today?”

  “Helping Mom go through some stuff, old clothes and stuff to give to the Center.” The Center provided all kinds of things for anyone who needed them; canned goods, clothes, sheets, pots and pans. Although the store-bought canned goods were running low, a few of the residents who had Mason jars and knew how to can the old-fashioned way would leave extras for the Center. People were also going through their attics and coming up with all kinds of things to help each other out. Everyone had been down to the Center at least once for something. Molly went for some new towels when the salt water had finally destroyed hers. Since they put the well in, the towels were lasting much longer.

  “I see.” So, she was alone in fighting this.

  “Hey, if you don’t want help cleaning, I can go find some other woman to help with her weekend chores.”

  Molly sighed. She was too old for that kind of drama. So she let him turn and start to walk away. She smiled. This is win-win for me. Either he’ll keep walking and my problem would be solved, or he’ll turn around and start begging.

  When he reached the bottom step of the porch, he chose option B.

  “Come on, Molly. You don’t really want to spend the whole day alone, do you?” It was bordering on whining.

  “Wow. Sounds to me like you don’t want to spend the day alone. If you’re so eager to help someone, why don’t you help your mom and Beth go through the stuff for the Center?”

  “They’re not as good company as you are.” He looked Molly straight in the eye when he said it. He was laying it on thick.

  She threw her hands up. “Fine. But you have to help me! You can’t distract me, or keep me from finishing this!”

  “Great!” He bounded up onto the porch, skipping all three steps. Dug greeted him happily once he was in the house, and Seth sat down on the floor to shower him with attention.

  “Boy, that looks like help if I ever saw it.”

  He laughed. “Wow, you’re quite the slave driver, Mrs. Bonham.”

  When he said her name that way it brought her back to reality. Don’t forget who you are, she thought. You are Mrs. Gary Bonham. Very much a devoted wife in a loving relationship. Any day now, he will be home and you can pick up where you left off.

  “And don’t you forget it.”

  He laughed. “So, where do you want me to start?”

  “I’m almost done down here.” She handed him the broom. “Just finish sweeping, and meet me upstairs when you’re done.”

  “Yes sir!” He saluted her in a ridiculous fashion and she couldn’t help but laugh.

  And so, that was how she spent the better part of her Saturday. Cleaning her house with a very attractive friend. Occasionally they bumped into each other, and shared a moment of eye contact. But, for the most part, they worked in quiet company. Molly decided it was nice to have help, and also not to be alone.

  When they were done, they stood next to each other in the entryway, surveying their work. “A job well done if I do say so myself,” Molly said.

  He put his arm around her and she tensed a little. “We make a good team, you and I.”

  “Yup.” She squirmed out of his grasp to go put the broom away, grateful it was still in her hands. When she closed the closet door, he was standing there watching with a half-smile on his face. He seemed content. She looked back and forth, unsure of what to do next. “OK, so now what?”

  “I tell you what, get cleaned up and meet me out front of my place in half an hour.”

  “For what?”

  “It’s a surprise!” he said, already on his way out the door.

  So she cleaned up and put on some jeans and a tank top. Nothing fancy. This was just some time with a friend. She didn’t need to impress him.

  She decided to take Dug along for whatever excursion Seth had in mind. He’d mentioned wanting to spend time outside, so she thought Dug could serve as a good distraction, and an excuse if she needed to extricate herself from an uncomfortable situation.

  Seth was waiting at the end of his driveway when they walked up. He looked puzzled for a moment, but recovered quickly.

  “Hi. I thought I’d bring Dug, since you seemed so gung-ho about doing something outside.”

  “Yeah, that’s great.” He had a canvas bag over his shoulder, and was dressed casually – dark blue jeans and a t-shirt. Nothing fancy. He pointed towards the direction he wanted to go and moved to put his arm around Molly, but she acted like she didn’t notice, and maneuvered Dug between them.

  She smiled internally. Already having Dug is proving to be a good idea.

  Dug walked happily along, and Seth calculated his next move.

  To break the tension, Molly asked, “So, you wanna tell me where we’re going now, or are you gonna make me wait until we get there for a dramatic reveal?”

  He laughed. “Hmm…dramatic reveal sounds like fun. I opt for that.”

  So they walked along, settling into a comfortable silence. The birds sang beautifully as they took a turn onto a wooded path. The trees made a magical-looking canopy over their heads, and the sun dappled the ground.

  “Huh,” Molly said. “All the years I’ve lived here, and I didn’t know this little trail was here.” It was hard to believe this little gem was inside the wall, so close, just waiting to be discovered. Dug was having the time of his life, tail in the air and nose to the ground.

  “Well, stick with me, kid, and you’ll learn all kinds of things.”

  “Wel
l thank you. That’s rather haughty of you.”

  He laughed.

  Then the woods opened up and the canopy became a prelude to something more beautiful than Molly could have imagined. There was soft grass stretched out before her, and to the left a beautiful blue pond that glittered in the sunlight. In the distance, a single tree with branches that extended farther than it seemed they should stood near the shoreline, providing the perfect amount of shade and beauty. They were the only ones in the clearing, with only the whisper of a breeze in the grass and the songs of the birds for company.

  She was flabbergasted. “Wow, Seth, this place is really amazing. How did you find it?”

  He shrugged. “Meh. I poked around a lot when I was a kid. Found quite a few spots like this. None were as nice as this one, but ya know. If you look around a little bit, this part of Florida is really quite nice.”

  He started walking and she stood there dumbly. “I always thought this part of Florida was nice,” she said smugly.

  She and Dug took their time getting to the tree, needing to investigate every new smell, and by the time they arrived, Seth had a blanket spread, some crackers and a thermos set out, and was lounging against the trunk of the tree, staring out at the lake. He was quite a sight to behold as they approached.

  “Why don’t you let Dug explore a little bit?” Seth suggested as she sat down with Dug panting excitedly. As much as she was using him for a security dog, she knew he would love to sniff around freely. He was a good dog and wouldn’t go far, and under normal circumstances she would have taken him off-leash ages ago. Thinking of how joyous he would be running in the grass made her forget about her own problems and she took the leash off, freeing her from the one tether to safety.

  Dug trotted away happily and she frowned, watching him go. Seth laughed. “Jeeze, Molly, he’s a good boy. He won’t run off.”

  “Hmm? Oh, no, I know. I just…” She paused, scrambling for an explanation. “I don’t know this area very well, so if he gets too far away I might not be able to find him.”

  He leaned back against the tree and folded his hands behind his head. “Well, then we’ll just have to stay here until he finds his way back to us.”

  She stretched out on the blanket next to Seth while Dug sniffed around the shoreline. She closed her eyes, soaking it in. “Ya know, Seth, I quite enjoy your slice of paradise.”

  “Me too.”

  Molly dozed off. In her dream, she was in the field with Gary. She was lying with her head in his lap while he leaned against the tree. He was running his fingers lazily through her hair while Dug rested his head on her leg. They were complete. Everything was as it should be. She suddenly realized he was whispering. She scrunched her eyebrows, straining to hear him.

  “Wait for me.” It was like a voice on the wind. Haunting. “Please God, let me find her.”

  She woke with a start, and Seth lifted his hand. Was he stroking my hair? She looked at him, puzzled.

  “You OK?”

  “Bad dream.”

  “What was it about?”

  “Nothing,” she said shortly. She sat up and tried to straighten her hair, trying to decide if he’d been touching her or if it was just that the dream seemed so real.

  “OK then. Want some crackers?”

  “Sure,” Molly said, grateful for something to keep her mouth busy.

  They ate their snack and chatted lightly about nothing in particular as the sun started to turn the sky shades of pink – what his mom might find in the attic to take to the Center, what book she was reading, things like that.

  He sighed heavily, clearly not wanting the day to end. By then, Dug was lazily stretched out on the blanket, just close enough for Molly to pet or give him a cracker.

  “Well,” Seth said reluctantly. “I s’pose we should head out before it gets too dark.”

  “Yes. I suppose we should.”

  They walked silently all the way back to Molly’s house. She never bothered to put the leash back on Dug. He walked next to her, tired from the day.

  When they got to the house, she opened the door for Dug and he trotted inside without so much as a goodbye to Seth.

  He chuckled. “Well, I guess we tired the poor guy out.”

  “Yup. That was a great spot for him. Thanks for taking us there.” She meant it, too. As risky as the day had been, she was glad she’d done it. They’d found a wonderful new spot, and spent a beautiful day outside. It was a good day.

  “No problem.” He smiled that gorgeous smile that melted her whole body. “Anytime.”

  She put her hand on the door, ready to follow Dug into the house. “OK, well, I’ll see ya, Seth. Thanks again.”

  But when she turned to wave he was on top of her, closing in for a kiss. Each moment passed by like an eternity. She could see him coming closer, powerless to stop it, part of her wanting it, part of her horrified by it.

  At the last moment, just as he was puckering up, she put her hands on his chest and pushed him away. “Seth, what are you doing?” It came out in her teacher voice, the one she use when she found one of the kids doing something bad.

  “I’m sorry,” He sputtered. “I just thought…since we’d had such a great day together…and you seemed like you really liked me…I guess I misunderstood.”

  She was sad in that moment. Sad to have to hurt him, and sad for the loss of what they might have shared. “Seth.” She made sure to look him in the eye. “I’m married. I love Gary very much, and although he’s not here right now, that doesn’t erase my love for him. This will never happen between us.” She didn’t add as long as Gary’s alive because she didn’t want to leave an ounce of hope for Seth. She had to make sure this ended, here and now.

  “OK,” he said quietly. “I understand.” As he turned and began to walk away, he said, almost to himself, “Gary is a lucky man.”

  Her heart broke. She went inside and shut the door. She sat down on the couch and cried. She cried for Gary. She cried for their future. She cried for Seth. But most of all, she cried for herself.

  31.

  Gary had been with Judd and his family for five weeks. To him, it seemed much longer than that, like an eternity, like he’d always been with them. He couldn’t help but think it was five weeks of wasted time sitting, though, when he should have been trying to find her.

  Little by little bits and pieces of information came back, but never all at once. One morning he remembered they had a dog. It was a shaggy-looking thing that Gary actually cared a lot about once he remembered him. But it took him another two days to remember the rest.

  They’d gone to the shelter together that afternoon. They had been married for about two years, and she’d bugged him for a dog for at least that long. He agreed to go to the shelter just to look, so he told her to get any ideas of coming home with someone out of her head. She did surprisingly well. He could tell she left all her emotions in the car and walked into the shelter purposefully.

  They separated for a bit. She was looking at puppies, but Gary found this one he couldn’t seem to walk away from. He was smaller than the other two dogs in the pen with him, and getting trampled by them.

  When she walked up, Gary said, “What do you think of this guy?”

  “Which one? They are kind of all over each other.”

  “The little one.” He was lighter in color and shaggy. Looked a little bit like the dog from Benji. Most of all, he just looked happy. Despite being caged outside during the Florida summer with an empty water bowl and two cellmates that were a bit overbearing, he seemed glad to be there. Like he thought he was right where he was supposed to be.

  She found his paperwork attached to the door. “Says he’s a two-year-old terrier mix, whatever that means. But that’s as big as he’d get, which is nice.” She looked him over. “He’s a good size, I think.”

  “I like him.”

  “Well, do you want to see if they can take him out?”

  “Yes. Yes, I do.”

  They took
down his number and went to the desk. A few minutes later they brought him into a room where he could roam around. He was scared and wouldn’t come close, but he wasn’t opposed to being petted either. He was so thin.

  “What do you know about him?” Gary asked the worker who brought him in.

  “He’s got a great personality, that’s for sure. But he’s been here thirteen days. Tomorrow is his last day with us.”

  “Oh, did you find someone to take him?” she asked. Gary couldn’t tell if there was hope or disappointment in her voice.

  “No, they have a two-week limit here. After that, they meet their maker.”

  “What?” she exclaimed.

  “We’ll take him,” Gary said.

  “What?” she said again.

  “I’ll leave you two alone.” The worker left to wait just outside the door.

  “We can’t leave him here,” Gary told her.

  “I know, but I wanted a girl, and a puppy to boot.” She looked at him. “He is very cute.” She considered. “OK. Let’s get him!”

  So they walked out with a dog because Gary couldn’t walk away. It wasn’t what he’d expected, that’s for sure. But he considered it one of the best decisions they ever made.

  Then, out of the blue, Gary had it. He knew what he needed to know. He was working in the orchard with Judd, trying to pick apples before the next frost, when it all came screaming back. Her name, what she did, what he did, where they lived, everything.

  He dropped the basket of apples and they tipped over as he ran to Judd.

  “Molly! Her name is Molly!” he yelled. Judd was startled, but Gary didn’t care. “She lives in Florida, we live in Florida. She’s a professor of English at a school near our house. She rides a scooter to work every day. We’ve been married over five years,” he kept talking as Judd stared incredulously. “Judd, I’m a pilot! I work for a small corporate company. I was in Pennsylvania when the Blackout happened! That’s why I’m alone! I walked here! Can you believe it?”