by Rob Jones
“No, unfortunately I don’t have it with me.” Ethan’s voice swayed.
“Well, maybe next time, hummingbird.”
“Sweetie, you don’t want to be rude and disappoint our guests now do you?” Abby asked her daughter.
“That is dirty pool, Mother. I hope you know that.”
Almost at the point of no return, Ethan, who was in a physically compromising position, was trying to figure out the best exit strategy for him because of the pressure of the gas that was antagonistically mounting up within him. He saw Tulip in the corner of his eye scampering back and forth. He wiggled his fingers discreetly to lure her closer. As soon as Tulip reintroduced herself to his leg, Ethan discreetly raised his left butt cheek to allow an inaudible but pungent flatus out.
“Phew, yuck, somebody released the Kraken! Disgusting!” Roman held his nose.
“Roman, manners.” Abby politely fanned her face.
“I didn’t do it, Mom,” he continued. “The one who did it needs to have the manners. Ugh, my nostrils are on fire!” Everyone’s faces were paralyzed with unwarranted guilt and embarrassment. Helen looked down and noticed Tulip between her and Ethan’s leg. Ethan was desperately hoping that the blame would be placed on Tulip. This would buy him some time to come up with an excuse to relieve himself before the second attack hit his stomach again.
“We may have located the source of that pleasant aroma.” Helen bent down and patted the pug on top of her head.
“Tulip! Why are you back in here again fumigating our kitchen?” Pastor Edwards said sternly. “Roman, put her in the kennel, please. Sorry for the inconvenience, Mrs. Thorn and Ethan.”
Observing that the scent was off of him, literally, he began to execute a strategy to excuse himself. He reached into his pocket and took out his phone, pretending that he’d received a text.
“Could you excuse me for one moment?” He pointed to the phone that he was holding. “I have an emergency that needs my immediate attention.”
His walk was uncomfortably careful because he was afraid that he would let out another shameful odor before he got out the door.
“What am I going to do?” he murmured. “I can’t wreck their bathroom. That would ruin any chance that I would have with Zoe. I can’t go home. Oh no!” The chaotic turbulence in his stomach returned, causing him to double over while holding his stomach. He walked to his car, passing gas with every step. He opened the door on the driver’s side, reached into his glove compartment, and grabbed his emergency flushable wipes that he had from a mini-tour that the band was on.
“This pain is ratcheting up. I’ve got to find a place real quick and in a hurry.”
What began as a power walk turned into a full-out sprint as he was trying to find an inconspicuous place to relieve himself. The nocturnal creatures started to make their presence known as the night began to ink over the sky. The sound of crickets filled the uncommonly cool sweet summer air, lightning bugs flickered, leaves on the trees started dancing in the breeze, and Ethan was groaning while looking for some woods to do his business.
“I can’t believe there are no woods to be found on this block, nothing but houses with a tree or two in their yards.” He came upon a house with no lights on or any cars in the driveway. “Well, I guess you are the chosen one.” He decided to go to the back of the house that had a midsize field behind it. He pulled down his pants in a mad rush, stooped down, and began to fertilize the field.
“Aw.” He closed his eyes and smiled like he just accomplished something great. “What was that?” He heard a faint growl. His eyes sought the source of the sound and he began to breathe rapidly.
“Oh hurry up, hurry up, hurry up,” he whispered nervously as he began to wipe. “Is that a…?” The growl got noticeably louder. So did the pounding of his heart. He clenched and turned his head slowly toward where the growl came from. He squinted, trying to see what was there. While he was still in a compromising position, the growl suddenly became a series of ferocious barks out of the mouth of a midnight black Doberman pinscher.
“Freak!” He feverishly tried to pull up his pants and run at the same time, with a high-pitched scream that Prince would have been proud of. His legs got tangled up, causing him to almost trip as he made his way to the street. Not realizing that the Doberman was no longer chasing him because it was restricted to the yard by its chain, he managed to break out into a full sprint yelling. “Help Lord, help Jesus, help Moses, please!”
After running for a few blocks past the Edwardses’ home, he finally became aware that the dog was no longer chasing him.
“Whew, that was a trip. I can’t believe that just happened.” He tried catching his breath while adjusting his attire and wiping his hands with the wipes. “Surely this night can’t get any worse.” Trying to get his bearings, he looked all around to see where he was at, tried to find something that looked familiar to him.
“Now where am I? I know I’m not that far from the Edwardses’. Hmm. I don’t recognize that house.” He furrowed his brow, looking to his left then his right. “Let me walk over to the next street.” He checked his phone to see how long he had been gone. “Eleven minutes. I need to get back before Nana puts out an APB on me. Is that…?” He paused momentarily. “No, that’s not their house. Unbelievable, I am freaking lost! Ugh! I guess I’ll look up their address on Google Maps on my phone.” He retrieved the address and began to walk back to the house. “Whew, made it.” He used another wipe to sponge the sweat off his face. He put the package of wipes back in his car, walked to the front door of the house, took a deep breath and opened the door.
“Is everything okay, hummingbird? You were gone quite a while. You had me a little worried.”
Ethan scanned the seemingly inquiring faces on everyone and felt that a conversation took place about him while he was gone. What in the world could they have been talking about? Did they suspect him of passing gas at the dinner table? Did Nana tell them how he felt about Zoe? Oh no, did one of the neighbors see him doing his business in the field then run away like Usain Bolt? What were they talking about?
“Yes, everything is okay, Nana. There was a pressing issue that had to be relieved, nothing that I couldn’t handle. So what did I miss? Catch me up.” He sat back down at the table.
“Oh, Helen was just telling us what a great cook you are,” Pastor Edwards commented. “She was just bragging how you come over every Sunday morning just to cook her breakfast.” Ethan placed his elbow on the table, stroked his chin with his thumb, and smiled because he was pleased that they were not talking about the incident that happened outside.
“I hope that you’re not embarrassed by that, Ethan. You were raised right, son.” Pastor Edwards gestured his hand toward Ethan. “You don’t hear about young men like yourself doing that for their grandmothers these days. Most young men are only concerned about the next party, the next girl, the next thrill, their own comfort and ease.”
Way to go, Nana. That is so perfect. What woman could resist a man cooking breakfast and caring for his grandmother? That would for sure win him some brownie points with Zoe. And having her dad co-signing for his character, she couldn’t help but to be melted away by his thoughtful actions. He only wished that he had thought of that himself, but it probably carried more weight coming from his nana.
“Thank you, sir. Mm.” He clicked his tongue, gave a quick nod with his head slightly cocked. “Sorry, Charles.”
“That’s okay, son.” Charles laughed.
“Again, thank you for the meal and especially for this red velvet cake, Mrs. Edwards.” Ethan took his last bite of it. “That is by far my favorite dessert.” He paused a moment like he just heard something familiar. “Is this Mahler’s 5th Symphony playing in the background?”
Zoe turned his way with her mouth gaping open and her eyes dilated.
“You know about Mahler’s 5th?” she asked.
“Does that surprise you?”
“Actually, yes, I am shockingly surpr
ised, but more than that I’m impressed, if I’m being honest.” A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she took two fingers and swept her hair behind her ear.
“Speaking of Mahler’s 5th Symphony, go ahead and get your violin and play us a song or two, sweetie,” Pastor Edwards suggested.
“Okay, okay, I’ll be right back.”
As she walked upstairs with the elegance of an Emily Dickinson poem, Ethan’s eyes trailed behind her, causing an enamored smile to materialize on his face. Euphoria bloomed deep within him like a flower being nurtured and cultivated in fertile ground after a virgin rain.
By what means was she able to dominate every inch of his unconquerable heart? She had him dizzy with desire. The beauty that she possessed was a gift that suggested it has been crafted in a place where eyes had not gazed or ears had not discerned. It was a transcendental, most influential, and the most powerful thing he had ever witnessed. Loving her would be as easy as breathing. It was as if he was born just to love her. There had never been an occasion where he had been totally swept away, his emotions wildly out of control. She was a staggering work of art, every moment with her was the greatest moment in his life. She was his path of virtue, the apex of ordo amoris. She might be the only person who could rival his love of music.
Zoe returned from upstairs with her violin case in her hand, her breath short and her pupils dilated. She sat the black case down and took out a French coffee brown and black violin and bow.
“All right, everyone, I guess I will torture you with just one song.”
“Let’s all go into the living room. The acoustics are great in there.” Pastor Edwards got up from the table and led the way.
Zoe closed her eyes and played to the enthralled intimate audience. Ethan’s heart decided for him in that moment that there was nothing in this whole world more beautiful than she was right here, right now. He was severely love-struck.
“That was so beautiful, so delightful. I can listen to you play all night.” Helen smiled and rocked from side to side with delight.
“Incredible, Zoe,” Ethan commented with a subtle voice while he stood with his thumbs in his pockets. “You moved me deeply in several ways. Your playing is hypnotic and riveting. Honestly, I’m carried away with an onslaught of emotions.”
She blushed.
“Thank you. I’m glad that you enjoyed it. Well, I kept the end of my deal. I believe I will call it a night.”
“Oh no, the night is quite young. I’m sure that you can give us one more so that we can go home with a smile on our faces and in our hearts?” Ethan said.
“Yeah, sis, just one more song, one more song, one more song.” Roman instigated a chant.
“One more song, one more song.” They all continued in unison.
“All right, all right,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll give you an encore. Roman, you’re dead after I’m finished.” She pointed her violin bow at him.
“This is one of my favorite pieces to play, which is not a classical piece but it’s extremely tender and powerful. Ahem.” She cleared her throat.
A sweet gentle hush fell over the room as she held the violin under her chin supported by her left shoulder. She brought the bow up and began playing Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.
This couldn’t be happening. Just when he thought this night couldn’t get any worse. First he almost made mud pies in his pants, now she was playing the song that constantly haunted him and pursued him in his darkest dreams. Out of all the million songs that had ever been written, it had to be this one that she played, the one that ripped his heart out every time he heard it. Just the mentioning of it reopened the deep wounds that could never be healed. Helen kept a concerned eye on him as each note daggered and jabbed the blackened bruises on his conscience.
The room started closing in on him and caused him to swoon with dread as his heart wilted like a waterless flower. His eyesight narrowed, his fists clenched, and his chest tightened as he took a long shuddering breath that turned into several jagged breaths. He tried to smile through it while swallowing a cry. His knees rattled and buckled, he bit his bottom lip violently. Even though Zoe was playing the song flawlessly and beautifully, every note was a dark, ominous reminder of that horrible night when he found his parents lifeless in a car that was turned over. No longer able to withstand the series of memories flashing in his mind, he slowly walked out the room with a downcast posture and a hemorrhaging soul.
“Ethan.” Helen’s voice softly trembled as she turned and reached out to him, understanding what was happening.
Chapter Ten
Zoe
Being privy to a private but painful window that Helen opened up to help her understand Ethan a little better, Zoe was moved with empathy and compassion. She also felt a little guilty about her actions toward him, so she wanted to somehow comfort and apologize for that painful song, and for how she had been acting regarding him. She hadn’t given him a fair shake, and not made an effort to really know who he truly was. She felt ashamed and a bit hypocritical about how she was so quick to dismiss him as a spoiled musician who was brazen and sort of sleazy, treating him like he was beneath her in every way. Though he gave her every reason to believe that, still she knew she was no better than he was. The truth of the matter was that he might be better than she was.
“Hey there, are you okay out here?” she asked with a disarming smile as she walked on the front porch where he was standing by a white cushioned porch swing. He sighed and nodded while looking up at the big supermoon in the starlit sky.
“Did you know that there are four to six supermoons in a year? And tonight we are fortunate enough to gaze upon one, and be surrounded by brilliant stars? We humans are so unappreciative of the gifts that we witness night after night.” He avoided making eye contact with her. “If the stars and the moon came out once a year, we would have everybody on this block out looking at that wonder, camping out, taking videos and pictures on their iPhones, posting them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. But look around us, not one person is out taking this all in, seeing and experiencing God’s wonder.” He turned and looked at Zoe, his face blank of emotion. Dogs began to bark back and forth in an antiphonal form in the background.
“I truly believe that we have become apathetic and unmoved by the greatest artist ever who paints the greatest art ever for us to enjoy every night and day, but we ignore it and disregard it like it’s cheap graffiti. Consequently, we substitute it with synthetic, manufactured, demeaning garbage. We are now addicted and shackled to mediocrity and an uninspired renaissance.”
“Wow, Ethan, that was beautifully deep.” She was stunned by what she just heard. “You definitely gave me a lot to dwell on. C.S. Lewis would be proud of you.”
Who was this guy? It was as if she didn’t even know this person. It was like two different people abiding inside him. One was an arrogant, cocky, self-absorbed, womanizing rock-and-roll cliché, and here right before her tonight was a tenderhearted, caring, thoughtful, flower-giving, caregiver of the elderly, who was all of a sudden a classical music connoisseur and a philosopher to boot. It appeared that he might have something noteworthy, some significant layers within him. This man was far more complicated than she thought and that wasn’t good for her, especially since she was trying not to succumb to his advances. It was safe to say that she was in some serious trouble.
Empty silence stretched between them that caused her to stiffen with uneasiness. Her mind was fumbling, trying to find the words, just one word to let him know how deeply sorry she was.
“Listen, Ethan. Ahem, Helen told us why you got uncomfortable with that song and left. She didn’t go into any details, she only mentioned that your parents were killed in a car accident.” She hesitated with a shaky breath then reached for his hand.
“And when you found your parents, that song was playing on the radio.” She shifted her weight. “I can’t tell you how awful I feel right now for playing that song. If only I could have that moment back. Kno
wing that I caused you to revisit a painful memory has me sick to my stomach.” Her eyes began to hold tears. “I’m truly, truly sorry for that song, but more importantly, about what happened to your parents.”
Her words revealed a heart that was pouring out a river of sympathy and guilt. Knowing him, he probably felt sorrier for her than she did for him.
“It’s okay, Zoe, you don’t have anything to feel sorry or apologize. It was just a strange coincidence, that’s all it was.” He tightened his grip on her hand. “Besides, it happened such a long time ago, and I made my peace with it. I’m fine.” She saw the ache drifting in his eyes and knew that he was far from fine, but she guessed he didn’t want her to feel sorry for him, or to burden her with guilt for something she had no business feeling guilty about.
“I just haven’t heard that song in forever, and hearing it tonight just took me off guard, that’s all.” He took her other hand, his expression turning serious as they were face to face with each other.
“Even though that song is hard for me to listen to, tonight was the first time that I heard it without it sounding like fingernails on a chalkboard on my soul. Believe it or not, it was somewhat therapeutic in an unexpected way. I know my reaction didn’t portray that, but it was, and the way you played it tonight was so tender, intimate, and beautiful. I have never heard it on a violin before. It gave it a softer color. You are an incredible musician, Zoe, actually one of the best I’ve ever heard and I truly mean that. You are going to go far in life with that talent, I’m sure of it. Your playing just drew me in.” He closed the distance between them. “But everything that you do draws me in, Zoe.”
Hearing those unvarnished words escape from his lips was like a myriad of sunrises penetrating her soul, causing tiny tremors to run through her heart, pulsating through every inch of her, leaving her swooning and emotionally compromised. She could not understand why those words quaked and rocked her. She had been praised and complemented before, by her family, teachers, peers, even by a prominent and renowned violinist, but no one’s words reached into her inner core, her deepest depths, and the silent recesses of her being like his. She lifted her brow and disclosed a coy smile that intimated that she was comfortable and at ease.