Page 8 of Guardian

Date?I’m not sure it’s actually a date, but given that I was just deep in her pussy, I think it’s a fair assumption.

“Not this weekend. I’ve gotta train this new dog I took on.” It’s not the complete truth as my main concern is Daphne, but I’m not telling my brother that. I’ll never hear the end of it.

“Gotcha. Well, I’ll be out on the lake if you change your mind.” His voice stagnates as though he’s ready to hang up the line, and though we’re not good at this emotional shit, we’re all we’ve got, so I press for more.

“Is it getting any better, man?”

“It’s just another day and I’m alive. So… I guess I’m good.” He sounds so fucking miserable. I swear it gets worse every day.

“Seriously… why don’t you call her?”

“I ain’t callin’ her. It’s been years, and she’s happy. She’s doing what she wants. It is what it is.”

“It’s just a call,” I press. “What if one call changes everything?”

He laughs under his breath. “You don’t think I’ve called? I called. She’s out in California doin’ her thing. A thing she fuckin’ left to do. So, let’s change the fuckin’ subject.”

“All we do is change the subject, man. You’re fucked in the head. Y’all were together for two years. You loved her. That’s the kind of thing you make a second call for.”

“Like you said, two years. We were together less time than we’ve been apart. It’s not a thing, it’s never gonna be a thing, and I’m done talkin’ about it. What the hell’s crawled up your ass this mornin’ anyway? You’re talkin’ like some lovesick idiot.”

“I’m talking like your brother, a guy that gives a shit about you, and a person who’s listened to people in town bitching about how far you’ve dragged his playground project on. You’re miserable. You’ve got to do something about this, or you’ll fall apart.”

Silence ensues for a long moment before he finally speaks. “I’m dialed in. I’ve got a million things to do here. Folks not wantin’ to follow rules is the problem.” He clears his throat. “Besides, I can’t finish that playground project.”

“Why’s that?”

“There’s this new shop being built by some group called the Chaos Brothers. Not sure what it’s goin’ to be, but these guys are fuckin’ exhausting.”

The song on the radio cuts and Daphne’s voice breaks back in to answer a call. I want to end mine, but my brother continues. “You heard anythin’ about them?”

“Nope. Not a word. I think you forgot that I’m retired.”

“Didn’t forget, just figured you were useful once in a while. Guess I was wrong.” He drags in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I better get back to it. If you change your mind, let me know.”

I want to spar with him over his comment, but I hang up the line and sit for a second, half listening to Daphne take a call, half thinking about how I could help my brother. He needs a break and a reality check. Maybe he needs another woman to show interest in him and prove there’s more than one fish in the sea. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I believe that as whole-heartedly as I used to. In fact, that might have been proven to me yesterday when Daphne stood up to leave after coffee. I’ve never met anyone like her before, and I know I’d never meet anyone like her again. There was a magnetism between us. A fire. A yearning I’ve never felt for another human.

Fuck!

Suddenly, I feel some kind of way about how Brooks must be feeling. That said, I don’t know how to help him. I’m sure I’m missing major pieces of his story. Kelsi didn’t seem like the type to just get up and walk away.

I make a mental note to figure out how to get in touch with her before I turn up the radio to hear Daphne’s voice take the next caller. It’s an older sounding woman with a shake in her voice.

‘I believe in love at first sight. I knew it the second I saw my late husband.’

‘That’s amazing, how did you meet?’ Daphne adds with a soft sweetness in her voice.

‘I was in my regular corner booth at the old whistlestop café that used to be out by the railroad tracks. You know, the place that used the old train car as a diner. It was Christmas time and twinkling lights were strung all over the old train while a light snow fell outside. Well, my Joe walked in the door in work boots and an old wool coat looking for a warm cup of coffee. Our eyes met, and there it was… my forever. I just knew. There was something so familiar about his gaze, like I’d seen it a thousand lifetimes before. He felt it too because he walked right over to me, asked if he could sit, and we talked for fifty-two years.’

‘Fifty-two years! Wow, that’s inspiring. What advice to you have for listeners who might be questioning their instincts today?’

‘Trust yourself, trust the spark, and give that love time to prove itself.’

‘Can we get a collective swoon?’ I can’t see Daphne’s warm smile, but I can hear it. ‘If you’re listening right now, wondering if you should trust that little flutter you felt when you met someone for the first time, this is your sign. You’re listening to Trailblazer Radio, and this is Daphne Merrill. Stay with me while I take your calls and dive into love’s greatest mystery, love at first sight, right after a word from our sponsors.’

Her voice trails off and an ad for the candle shop in town sings a jingle I’ve heard on the seventies station as well. They’ve got a half off sale going on all this week that, apparently, can’t be missed.

I lean back in my armchair and glance out the window, watching the pines sway back and forth in the breeze. I’ve never believed in love at first sight. Hell, I’m not sure I believed in love. Not the concept, but the fantastical desire of it all. The magical notion that two people aremeant to be.In my head, love was always a choice. A decision to be made when the time was right.

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