August 2008
Suddenly
The wind whipped around the corner, warning the town that a storm was coming. While others ran to shelter, Anthony Hope took a seat on a nearby bench. His home was just down the street, but he could not return to it… not now. His and Johanna's room was still there, just the way they had left it. Her perfume was on the shelf. Her nightgown was on the bed. Her spot – at the table, in the bed, next to him – was empty. Before they had left, she had been very much alive. That night, he lost her to the sea. The storm had tossed the ship around like a toy. The events played over and over again in his mind.
Anthony scurried about on the top deck, rushing to secure anything and everything loose. Suddenly, there was a hand on his arm. Spinning around, he found Johanna clinging to him. "Can I help?" she shouted over the wind.
"We've got it," he told her. "Get back down below decks!" She nodded, and he guided her back toward the stairs. Before they got there, though, the wind picked up. A giant wave crashed over the ship, and Anthony grabbed onto a rope for support. When he reached for Johanna, though, she wasn't there. He looked up just in time to see her disappearing into the ocean with the wave.
Desperate, Anthony dove into the water after her, but she was nowhere to be found. When his energy finally failed him, Anthony allowed himself to be pulled safely back onto the ship. He watched the waters all the way home, but never saw Johanna again.
As the raindrops started to fall, umbrellas went up all over the park around Anthony. Couple after family after group of friends passed him, their closeness a painful reminder of what could have been. At last, a single person came by unaccompanied; it was a beautiful young woman, about Johanna's age and size. She smiled at Anthony and stopped at his bench. The umbrella in her hand shielded him from the rain, and she bent down to be more on his level. Though she issued a generous invitation to take shelter in her home, Anthony had no will to leave his spot, much less to risk growing attached to another young lady. The drifter's life was the life for him, and he would soon be on the move again. Politely, he declined the offer and kept his seat when the lady hurried off with everybody else. Anthony didn't mind the rain.