Page 23 of Be My Summer

“Twelve fucking hours.” I smiled.

With fresh tulips in my hand, a new line up, and the nerves of a high school kid with a crush, I waited on the other side of Summer’s front door. The bell of the two-story brick home had been rung and the countdown to meet her father was underway. I straightened my spine and planted my feet firmly on the ground.

I wouldn’t have needed the address Summer had sent through text. All I needed was the street name and I would’ve found her home without hesitation. It stood out from the others on the block. It was equipped with all the things that made Summer special to me. Everything that made me look her way twice on my run the other day.

The locks turned and the door opened. Behind the frame was a long, thin fella that didn’t look a day over forty.

Dying? I questioned.

Hadn’t he been towing an oxygen machine with a breathing tube stuffed in his nose, I would’ve called Summer a liar.

But she wasn’t.

And the gentle sounds coming from his mouth before he spoke was evidence. He struggled to talk though the words were there. The ability was there. The oxygen wasn’t. The restriction led to his delay and soft coughs in the corner of his arm.

“Can I help you?”

“Saul,” I greeted, extending a hand.

Hesitantly, he accepted it.

“How can I help you, Saul?”

“I’m here for Summer. We’re set for a date at seven.”

“It’s six–” he paused, taking a look at his watch while catching his breath. “Forty-nine.”

“If you’re on time, you’re late, Sir.”

“I’m with ya when you’re right.Raymond,” he introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you, Sir.”

“Oh hell, I might be dying, but I’m not that old. I’d rather you call me, Ray.”

“Ray, it is.”

Though he was making light of his situation, it stabbed me in the side hearing him confirm it. Summer’s heart would ache forever. My mother had died when I was just a baby, and her death still woke me out of my sleep some nights.

I didn’t get to experience her through life, but her absence affected me just as much as someone who had. Possibly more, because I’d missed it all–not just some of it.

“Come on in. She’s probably up there getting herself together.”

“Actually, I’m ready,” Summer’s voice hummed behind her father.

Joyfully, he turned, entire face lifting into a smile. The same smile I imagined on my face at the sight of my daughter. The same smile I managed on my face at the sight of his.

Deep, heavy coughs erupted from Ray’s body, shaking his entire frame.

“Alright, now, I think it’s time you had a seat,” Summer announced.

“You– you look– splendid,” he coughed out.

“Um hmm. Thank you so much. Now, let’s head to the couch.”

She was gentle with her words, but emphasized them with her actions. She ushered her father further into their home.

“I’ll be right out,” she promised.