Please find enclosed...chapter two of my story The Thunder Storm. This story is true as are the interactions...but I have changed some of the names to protect the privacy of those involved. The first chapter is archived under Science Fiction and Fantasy. It might have been better placed under the category of "older persons"...but never the less...I appreciate you printing it regardless. Thanks.
The Thunder Storm Chapter two By Ben_Ezra_jacobson@yahoo.com
The mystery person did not return to the condo across the courtyard for the next two weeks. I started staying up later at night to read and work on my family history story for Jacob and Levi...and would pause at 9:00, 10:00 & 11:00 PM each night to go to the window and look out...but no night visitor came to the window across the court yard. More weeks passed and the cool air of Autumn settled in. Then we heard that the condo was finished and a new owner would be taking possession in a week or so. The new owners name was Jean something or another. I was relieved in one sense and outraged in another. How could a lady being moving into this condo where I had experienced such intense emotional upheaval over the last few months. Jean something or another...would put up lacy curtains and probably paint all the walls pink and my mystery would end...just as that...a mystery. I would hate her...I would not go with the other neighbors to welcome her to the neighborhood and would not attend a reception party...no way. Even more so...I needed to focus on my own business and attend to my students, my sons and my friends. This fantasy was ending...and I was fortunate to be rid of it. That was the way it had to be!
Ms. What's her name move in to the condo but I did not go around to welcome her to the neighborhood. I did not offer to help move in furniture or personal affects...I was resolved not to speak. After all...she ruined my dream...and I felt incredibly foolish but more than that, I felt terribly disappointed. Kind of like when you are a kid and you know you are going to get a new bike for Christmas and when you open the packages...all the presents are clothing. I lowered the blinds on my bedroom window and pulled the heavy draperies...and resolved not to look out those windows again until winter had ended and spring returned. And so it would be.
The university was closing for Christmas break. Jacob was spending Christmas with his girl friend's family on the coast and Levi was staying in England for the holidays. Both called almost every day to visit and to persuade me to go on a cruise or something rather than to stay at home for the holidays...but traveling did not appeal to me this year. They finally accepted that I preferred to stay home and work on my book. On the last day of classes, after collecting all term papers... I had refreshments for my students and spent the better part of each class period visiting and saying good bye for the holidays... and then allowed them to leave a half hour early to finish any tasks that they might need to do, to leave for home. Snow had started falling around mid day. At first it was light and dusted the side walks but by the time campus was shutting down, the snow was beginning to accumulate. I had walked to class in the
morning hours and now was going to walk home as dusk was approaching. The walks might be slick...but it was too close to home to call a cab and my colleagues had already left for the day.
As I approached home, the snow plows were beginning to pass in the street and the condo Maintenance crew were cleaning and salting the sidewalks. There were lights on in Ms what's her names condo as I crossed the street and walked around to my side of the complex. The house was dark and a little on the cold side. I had not turned up the thermostat before leaving this morning...and the rooms were uncomfortably cool. While the heat came up...this might be a nice evening for a fire in the fireplace...which opened to both the living room and to my bedroom. It had been nearly a year since I last built a fire and the log box had enough of last years logs probably for tonight. It would be necessary to order more wood tomorrow if I wanted a fire over the holidays. I would tend to it in the morning.
I did not feel like cooking and decided to order a pizza from Joes...not only the original pizza place in our university town...but also the best in town. They put the Italian sausage on raw and then baked it...the result was a very greasy but wonderfully flavorful pizza. I could eat all I wanted and never seem to gain weight. While the order was being prepared, I showered and put on a pair of burgundy jogging sweats and a long sleeve white pull over shirt and a pair of fleece lined moccasins. When the delivery boy knocked...I let him in and went to the shelf for the money I had set out to pay my tab.
" Hey Dr. Jacobson...you may need to warm the pizza a bit in the microwave. It is getting cold out and the damn things cool off really fast."
" I will do that, Tony. Thanks for coming out on a cold, snowy night." I handed him a twenty for the pizza and a five dollar tip.
"Thanks Dr. J. I just delivered a pizza to one of your neighbors around the other side...Jean Dubois. Got a nice tip there as well..! Thanks...bye."
I do not give a shit about Ms. Dubois...I said to myself as Toni closed the door upon leaving. She can choke on it for all I care. The pizza was wonderful...as it always is. I added another log to the fire before turning on the television for the local news. The news highlights were about the weather and how quickly it was changing to a possible storm. It was good that my students would all be on the train, plane or almost home if they were driving and I was comfortable here with food, fire and comfort. More snow was being predicted.
As the evening became night, the fire in the fire place was slowly dying and I turned on the television in the living room off and turned the one in the bedroom on. The heat was comfortable by now as I grabbed the news paper, stepped out of all of my clothing and climbed into bed. The weatherman on the news said that we could expect large wet flakes with a possible accumulation with in the city. When the hall clock struck eleven...I tossed the newspaper to the floor and hit the remote to cancel the TV. So large wet flakes would continue through the night and some accumulation would be possible, huh? Only embers lay twinkling in the hearth. On impulse, I got up and opened the drapes and raised the blinds. Indeed, large white flakes were falling and the courtyard was white. The plants and shrubs were covered in white...as was the lawn furniture and all the trees. As I started to turn away and to return to my bed...movement across the courtyard caught my eye. Standing in the bedroom window across the court yard with the slightest of lights behind in the room was the naked figure of the man I had been waving to last summer.