Part 8
The sun was bright in his eyes, the cool air blowing around him, birds were chirping, he could smell hotdogs. Alex stood on the street corner and looked around at all the people he was surrounded by. He sniffed and crossed the street, smiling at the vendor as he approached. "Hey. Could I get one please? Extra mustard, extra onions?"
"You got it." The man said and began making the hot dog.
Alex watched, the hot dog was cooked and then topped. He licked his lips. "You know, it's been a while since I've had one of these." He said, the hot dog was wrapped and handed to him. "Thanks."
"Sure." He turned to the next customer and Alex walked down the street, taking a bite of the hot dog. "Oh fuck, that's good." He said, his mouth full of food. He swallowed as he began to walk down the street towards the park. If he was lucky there would be an ice cream cart somewhere.
When he entered he took out his phone and turned it around so the mic was pointed upward as he tried to find a quiet spot. He found a bench under a tree, not a quiet spot but it was off the path and the middle of the day. He wasn't expecting much attention.
He hit record. "Hey, Angel." He took another bite of his hotdog. "Sorry I sound like this but I'm eating. I wanted to get you a recording of the park just..." he swallowed feeling his voice break, "just uh...like I promised." He took another bite of his hotdog. "I'm sorry I didn't send you this yesterday but I wanted to get it right." He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, "it's nice out here. Quiet. It's hard to get quiet anymore." He sighed. "I'm gonna be quiet for the next few minutes so you can enjoy the ambience." He turned up the volume and leaned back against the bench, closing his eyes.
It was a beautiful day. It was warm and the wind was blowing through the trees. He could hear kids playing and birds chirping. He could smell the grass.
He was going to miss this. It was pretty. It was sane. He took a few steps away from the bench to finish his hot dog, the corners of his mouth stained yellow from the mustard. He wiped his mouth again and turned back to the bench, wiping his hands off on his jeans. It had been ten minutes
"Hey Angie?" He picked up his phone. "I know you don't want to hear this and you've been enjoying this recording, at least I hope you have." He began to walk again, through the park back towards the street. "But by the time you get this I'll probably be closer than you think. And I..." he stifled a cry, his voice shaking. "I want you to know it's not your fault. Truth be told up here...kinda sucks. Given the nature of the world, I can't imagine anyone will be here in the next thirty years. So I need you to understand that I do this of my own accord. Ok. I love you. Keep an ear out for me."
Alex ended the recording and hit send, stopping on the sidewalk to ensure the file sent. Once it was confirmed he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He looked around at the people passing him. No one was looking at him. He wasn't worried about them. He turned so his back was facing the road and he looked back at the park with its lush green trees, birds, and clouds in the sky. He smiled.
He stepped backward onto the street, closing his eyes.
"HEY!"
He could feel the impact as he was struck from the side, the pain, the screaming, and then it all went black.