Corwin stared down at himself. The fresh blue t-shirt he'd donned before coming over here was already soaked with sweat, as were his jeans. Perspiration rolled down his face, and his head felt like it was going to explode. Standing in the meager shadow provided by the porch did little to keep the stifling heat from penetrating all the way to the marrow of his bones, to suck out every last drop of moisture from his body. There was no wind. It was over one hundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit, and climbing.
And it was around the middle of December, a week before Christmas.
He stood in front of the white door and stared at the slim, rectangular doorbell embedded in the wall. There was no knocker. Just a small cut glass window for people to peer through. A quick glance at his watch told him it was already past ten p.m., but the world was as bright as noon. Taking a deep breath, he raised his fist and knocked instead.
After a few seconds of silence, he knocked again. This time a surprised face looked out the window, spotted him, and her eyes widened further. There was the sound of a deadbolt lock sliding back, and the door opened a few inches.
Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Loose hairs were plastered to her face and neck from her own sweat. There was the awkward silence, then she spoke.
"Corwin?"
"Hi, Sadie."
"What are you doing here?"
Holding out the handful of silk flowers, Corwin watched as she glanced down at them. "I came to give you these and wish you a Merry Christmas. And to tell you goodbye."
Posts
