Aftermath

By Gregory Keith

It's the Christmas season and all should be right with the world. But for Sal, it has become a haunting time of reflection. His marriage, life, and the world in general, have changed forever. He is convinced that one final journey to his vacation home holds the answers to the new beginning he seeks. But he must deal with his fears, haunting memories and a fierce snowstorm along the way.

He starts out, unsure of what tomorrow holds, what this new beginning looks like, or what can be done to correct the past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gregory Keith
• Release date: Nov 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465976017

Gregory Keith

Gregory Keith resides in Old Bridge, NJ. He makes his living out of his home studio office as a graphic designer/artist and art director. Married over 30 years to the girl he's had a crush on since the sixth grade, he and his wife have 3 adult daughters.

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Aftermath

By Gregory Keith

Copyright 2011 Gregory Keith

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He called Barbara.

She had been Ann’s best friend.

He had promised to call her two days ago.

After the second ring and no answer, he corrected the position of the silver pen at which he had been absently staring, wondering how it had gotten out of place all by itself. He nudged it back into alignment to the notepad’s edge on the den’s black, glass-topped desk, and then rose from his seat. Phone cupped to his ear, he headed away from the haloed reach of the crane-neck halogen lamp, aimlessly across the darkened room to the window where he parted the closed drapes, peeked down to the city’s night street traffic, seven stories below, and then up to the blank, poker-faced black sky. Deciding she had given up on him, he mulled over the message he would leave. His words had to be right. Middle age, the experience of seven years of marriage had not made explaining himself to women any easier than it had been at eighteen.

Her voice startled him on the line. Sal… A subtle hint of feigned surprise lifted her voice.

They talked, idly at first, winding their way around and about the details of each other's holiday shopping progress. She had just started this week, had only bought a couple of things for her two nephews—hadn’t even begun to think about his gift—and only two weeks left! It had been all this unpredictable weather. She reminded him that each weekend since Thanksgiving it had either rained or snowed hard enough to cause her to postpone any shopping jaunts about the city—not to mention last Saturday’s all day closing of three square blocks down in the heart of the shopping district due to a terror alert.

Finally, they segued into tonight’s forecast of heavy snow. He pointed out that they were on the predicted break line of the storm; they might be in for over a foot, and then again only flurries. And then the line grew quiet. He felt she was waiting for him to bring up the trip to the house.

He thought he heard her sip at something or moisten her lips.

Are you drinking? He asked.

"A little