Harold stood on the asphalt ramp next to his Cessna 150 and watched the gate, then looked down the road beyond that led away from the airport. The road was empty. She wasn't coming. He was sure of it. She said she loved flying, but it took a real love of flying to strap on … Continue reading Two Before Me – Flight of the Heart

He had guessed. From the intuitive calculus borne of craving, his mind had concluded that she would probably stop somewhere for a drink. She wasn't an overly social creature, but she was a lively one and he knew the manic gyrations of her mind couldn't just stop at the end of her shift. Those eyes … Continue reading Two Before Me – Encounter

Later that night, Harold lay in bed, awake in that state of mind that is inspired by the tendrils of fear that emerge from the unfamiliar. Margaret slept on the other side of a demilitarized zone consuming a full three-foot swath down the center of the bed. The night hummed with the sizzle of stray … Continue reading Two Before Me – Midnight Crossing

Harold stood nervously on his own porch, as if he were visiting a girl in high school for a first date. He looked at the flowers in his hand and wondered if she would like them. A mix of carnations and daisies, they weren't particularly elegant or romantic. He wondered if she would comment on … Continue reading Two Before Me – No Escape

For the next several days, Harold left early for work so he could leave an hour early at the end of the day. As an added measure of caution, he took the south elevator so he wouldn't pass the cubicles and risk seeing Maia if she came in early for the night shift. By the … Continue reading Two Before Me – Girl Crazy

Harold woke up an hour early the next morning, feeling an unfamiliar sense of calm. He looked at Margaret, still curled up with her knees nearly touching her chest, clutching her pillow even though she was asleep a full two feet away from him. The rampant urgency that always seemed to permeate their relationship seemed … Continue reading Two Before Me – The Umbrella Stand

After hours of driving and without thinking about it too much, Harold wheeled into the rain-slicked driveway of the office building he had left eight hours before. He eyed the modestly towering building as he weaved his car through the mostly-empty parking lot. Rain dripped down a few lit windows, but most of them were … Continue reading Two Before Me – Lonely Hearts

Margaret sat on the carpeted floor of her daughter's bedroom. Amelia sat next to her, idly toying with a doll's hair while Margaret absently thumbed through a Highlights magazine. She was trying to read a story, but the words came out as a distant drone that she knew was boring and she could tell Amelia … Continue reading Two Before Me – Left Behind

Harold drove alone Into the night. It was always at night. She couldn't stand there with her hands on her flat hips and glare at him with burrowing eyes that wordlessly accused him of some unknown crime that was nevertheless obvious to anybody but an idiot like him - no, she couldn't do any of … Continue reading Two Before Me – Driving