To Walk and Talk

A short story:

The sweat was dripping down the face of Henry as he waited for an answer to his question. The sweat was not from any tense preparation on Charlie’s answer; heat was smothering the city, attacking all who was unlucky to be a resident in that moment. Although. Henry was very interested in what Charlie would have to say “Next year, I think. I find every 4 years or so I get this feeling in my stomach that I need to go somewhere ya know? I used to think it was just an adventurous spirit, but it might be that I’m afraid of being somewhere and getting trapped?” In the middle of a residential parkette, they sat beside each other on a bench. “Yeah I mean it could be both. I can see it being both, but it is hard to know reasons on why we do anything. For once I would like to do something and have absolute certainty that it was something I’d actually want” “Imagine that reality Henry. In this utopia of knowing what you truly want and then doing it! If you’re able to get to that point you let me know and reveal the secret.” The city was under siege of heat for almost a week and escape was hard for one without an air conditioner of any kind. To some it felt as though this was their life now. In some ways. A lot of ways, it was. And summer announced its arrival with an explosion of sunlight and sweat. Beating the cicadas.

The question can be posed if the cicadas felt a little betrayed by their friend, the sun. They were just waking up, after their long long sleep and opening their eyes. They had a bit more spring to summer transition before it was their time to shine. And before they could get out there and sing their drone song; the show gets started without them. Henry felt that the heat was incomplete without the cicadas singing in the trees. “You see if I was a cicada I would be coming out now louder than ever. Like you would hear me and be startled. If I was a cicada, you would know I was there I swear to you” “I believe you Henry. You are the only one who I can believe would be the loudest cicada I’ve ever heard” “Are you calling me loud? I thought you were my friend. Betrayal of this kind, I expected from many but not my closest friend” Henry said as they walked through the residential streets, he feigned sadness. “Yes, I hate you Henry, really that’s why I decided to walk through hell incarnate with you. And I hate cicadas most of all”

Birds sang their song; the heat did not seem to affect them as they yelled at each other from across the trees. Yelling and flying and looking down at the two giant mammals walking through the streets chirping very quietly where only their loudest chirps can be heard in between. What are these creatures keeping from us birds they thought and how can we learn of their secrets. “Ow what the hell that bird just pecked me on my crown!” Henry’s head hurt. The avian felt as though the peck was enough to tell those hairless mammals that secrets are just for the birds. “Maybe you wronged it, I read on the internet that birds feel very strongly” Charlie looked right in Henry’s eyes to get the point across that this is unequivocally true. “And so do dogs but I have never been bit by a dog before” Henry responded. “Dogs don’t feel as strongly as birds and they are more forgiving” said Charlie.

The repeating sound of the sprinkler going forward and back slowly, methodically covering the front lawn in wet. Henry walked a bit faster so he could get right when the sprinkler threw the water over the sidewalk. “I’d miss you Charlie, who would I turn to in times of trouble? You are halfway across the world climbing mountains and I am sitting at the end of the world melting and alone” “You’re such a dramatic person Henry. You’d be melting and alone then you’d feel a notification and then you’d see the phone screen and then I’d be on that screen at the top of the mountain and when you see that picture you would know that if I could climb that mountain you can get out of bed”.

The city felt scarce of people. This was surely because the heat was so intense that not many people would want to go outside. Some could be seen sitting on their porch, a sweaty drink in their hand cooling them down. Charlie and Henry walked through a park silently admiring the green that freshly appeared all around the city. Squirrels and an occasional rabbit could be seen. “So when do you think you would come back if ever?” Henry said, he really did mean it when he said he’d miss Charlie. He liked the company and found time spent with Charlie to be the best he spends with people. Henry had few he considered friends and even less that he could spend a whole afternoon walking with. “Dunno, I guess when I feel like I want to go back? This time though it feels a bit different, I might stay but we’ll see. I like it here. It can get too cold, and it can get too hot, but I like the people here. I like the food” “I will buy you lunch once a year guaranteed if you stay Charlie, I promise you this. Stay!” Charlie laughed at Henry’s attempt at bribery and felt flattered. No one had tried to bribe Charlie to stay before, maybe argued with a decision to leave or reluctantly supported such an act, but never bribery. “Henry, you are a person who doesn’t know their strength yet. If I do leave and if I do come back, I think you could expect that you Henry would be one of the reasons”

As they walked to Henry’s house to finish their sweaty hangout, the world was becoming pink. Their steps ricocheting off each other’s as one step followed the next. They enjoyed each other’s company. “As much as I will miss you Charlie, I would support whatever decision is made. You are my friend and one of the few people in my life that I think is truly doing what they want. I’m sure whatever you choose will lead you to something great.” Henry threw this out like something that he was afraid to admit, as much as he loved Charlie’s company. It was the person that he knew Charlie was that drew him to their friendship and care for this friend. Henry never wanted to undermine what may be just who his friend is “Henry you are the most self-conscious and anxious person I know but you are the most Henry person ever. I hope that we can know each other till we’re gone from this world”

They said their goodbyes to each other and not knowing how to say goodbye potentially for the last time. They shook hands. Henry closed the door then made a salad. As he tossed the greens and threw the tree nuts in, he thought and hoped that he didn’t seem desperate in asking Charlie to stay. He was making a joke to Charlie but there was a part of himself that was truly sad his friend won’t be there in the city to make time when they can. He went to sleep wishing his friend well. If there was one thing that was a certainty, it was that Charlie was going to make the most out of their time wherever they went.

Henry woke to the cold and looked out the window to the frost covering his window. It is March. Charlie has been out in Europe the past year or so, going wherever they felt pulled to go. At least that’s how they said it in the letters that Henry and they exchanged over their time gone. Henry would get a letter every few months from Charlie recapping what experiences they had as well as responding to whatever large and most of the time existential thought that Henry threw down on the page. This last one was how if there really was a truly evolutionary origin to everything, what does it matter that Henry refuses to drive a car. He simply, through evolution inherited the gene to not like going too fast than what is natural. This prompted Charlie to list of all the vehicles they can think of Henry taking and now he was thinking of a way to try to expand on his thought. Maybe it’s an excuse to not drive or maybe he really was genetically averse to driving. This train of thought followed him to the kitchen where he took out the ingredients needed for the sinigang he was going to make for the week and as he was throwing the vegetables in, the thoughts evolved to an annoyance that cities weren’t just walkable always all the time. As much as it looked hectic in those old photographs of cities it must have been nice to feel like you were in an active world brushing shoulders all the time with your fellow person. The shrimp were getting redder as his thoughts continued. And as Henry was stirring the pot and the sour scent of the food entered his nose, he thought about how terrible it would be if he was in a dense crowd all the time.

The sinigang was almost done and the scent of it covered the kitchen. Henry’s phone vibrated and he looked at the screen displaying a message from Charlie. They rarely texted Henry while they were in Europe, so he was surprised that they decided to send this message. He opened it immediately. Henry could imagine Charlie’s face as they saw how quickly the read message indicator under the picture they took appeared and Henry’s face formed a smile. It was a picture of Charlie on a mountain. Peaks white behind them, trees tall around them with dark rough bark and on the branches, assorted green and brown pine needles. Charlie was smiling with all their teeth and under the picture they texted “I did it, and I think I’m ready to come back. I looked at the weather and saw there’s an insane snowstorm next week. Let’s go for a walk and get a coffee.”