The Gazebo

The early spring air was cold and damp on her skin. A light ocean breeze gently pushed the long chestnut hair off her shoulders. The curls fell onto her back as the breeze let up. The lights reflected in the bay as the water rippled. The smell of salt air was so strong she could almost taste it. Was it the scent of the approaching summer or the scent of the marsh nearby trying to come back to life?

In a few months, the marina would be full and the dock at the restaurant would be packed with people. But this time of year, in this slightly brisk air, she stood peacefully in the silence.

“Hey Daahlin.” A raspy deep voice broke into the silence. The harsh Boston accent had a softness to it.

Callie turned to meet his gaze and her heart instantly felt warm. As if the summer sun suddenly shown down on her this chilly night standing in the gazebo at the dock. His light eyes stared through her, his strong brow looked firm, but his face was capped off with a shit-eating grin. One look and she felt like she had known him her entire life.

The man took a step closer. She nervously smirked and felt the overwhelming urge to be held by him, to be safe and loved in his arms. She slowly reached out her hand to be held by his.

The shrill sound of the alarm on her phone pulled her suddenly away from him. Away from the gazebo, away from the dock. As she opened her eyes, Callie hit snooze and slowly stretched. Not the kind of morning to jump out of bed. She woke up still in a dream thinking about how she felt with this man she did not know. Still blissfully entranced by his gaze. It was so realistic that she could almost smell the salt air.

“3. 0. 0,” she mumbled as she looked at her phone again. These early morning shifts were getting old very quickly. But the second job afforded her the ability to live on her own. After a failed relationship, Callie had moved cross country to become a 35-year-old woman living at her parent's house. “3 AM is better than living at home.” She thought as she dragged herself out of bed to start another long day trying to stay afloat.

After a few months, and a few horrible dates, Callie decided to take a break from dating. To look inward and focus on herself. The winter months brought some relief in her hours at work. She was able to get back into a normal sleep cycle, allowing her circadian rhythm to take control. Except for those nights she woke up at 3 AM. Each dream is a step closer to being in this mysterious man’s arms. She prayed each night, capped off with one simple request.

“Please help me be ready for love,” Callie asked over and over. She hoped that if she was ready the right man would come into her life. Deep down, she felt ready.

“You are going to love him.” She read the text to herself as she sat alone at the bar. Callie rolled her eyes as her friend group of happily married best friends sent text message after text message about the man they finally talked her into meeting.

“He sings in a band and he loves boating.”

“He’s perfect for you.”

“He’s a scientist and makes a ton of money.”

Callie yawned wishing she stayed home. But there he was. She couldn’t escape or call and cancel. He was there. In all his weird glory the man walked into the bar wearing a fedora, an unbuttoned shirt under a sports coat, and enough gold chains that Callie could buy a house.

“What have you all done” Callie texted the group chat.

After two drinks and listening to this strange and arrogant creature brag about himself for an hour, Callie’s phone rang. Finally some relief. She excused herself from her seat and walked outside.

“We are so sorry.” Callie’s best friend laughed at the other end of the phone. “I wanted to at least give you an out. Walk around for a bit then go back in.”

Callie hung up and decided to enjoy a few minutes on the dock outside the bar. Feeling like she wasted a warm spring night, she walked slowly down the dock. A gentle breeze pushed her long chestnut hair off her shoulder. The smell of salt reminded her that summer was coming.

“Seriously?” Callie thought to herself when she saw a gazebo at the end of the dock overlooking the water. She had dreamed of this place and the man with light eyes so many times. It had to be a cruel joke if the man she dreamed of was the one sitting at the bar.

Crack.

Boom.

Callie’s foot suddenly burst through a rotten piece of wood on the dock. The speed of the drop pushed her calf so far down that she couldn’t pull it back out. Even with stinging pain, she laughed at the ridiculousness of her situation. Would she have to call the fire department?

As instantly as she fell, he appeared around the corner.

“Daahlin are you ok?” Callie’s giggles turned to shock as he approached her. Holding back his laughter, their eyes connected. He smirked showing his chipping tooth. She knew his comforting smile. She felt like she had always known it.

“Let me help you.” He said holding back his laughter. “I’m Edgar.”

“I’m Callie.” She said as she broke into uncontrollable laughter. Edgar reached out his hand. As she placed her hand in his, she could have sworn she felt electricity running between them.

The two sat laughing and talking in the gazebo for what felt like hours. As if she had known him her entire life. Callie felt that she would know him for the rest of her life. Poor fedora didn’t stand a chance.

But as the last of the leaves fell off the trees, Callie and Edgar’s love was strong. The electricity they felt when they touched was still there, but as time went on, Callie realized she needed more than laughter in a gazebo. The greatest love story of her life felt like it was crashing down on top of her. Her 3 AM wake-ups from blissful dreams were growing further and further apart.

“I love you,” Edgar said. Callie melted into his arms, never wanting to let go. “I love you too.”

Callie took the last of her things with her when she got in her car to leave. Each time they ended with tears, only to reunite with the same passion and electric love they had that first time they met. Over and over and over.

“Please stay this time,” Callie asked with a smirk writing in her notebook. “You’ve always been my muse and if you stay with me I could write a book.”

Edgar grabbed her notebook and kissed her forehead. As her eyes raised to meet his gaze, she giggled playfully knowing what came next. Edgar kissed her lips and gently climbed onto the bed with her.

The chilly breeze from the open window woke Callie with an abrupt shiver. Miles away from the ocean, she should not have been able to smell that familiar salt air. She pulled up the soft green fleece blanket to her face. Warm in his sleeping arms, she put her head back onto the pillow to fall back to sleep. Before she closed her eyes, Callie thought she saw a slight movement. A low, dark shadow crossed the light coming down the hallway to the bedroom door. Her mind drifted into her near-sleep state and she wondered why there was a dog in the house. Callie opened her eyes and saw the crouching shadow slowly stand up and stretch high to the ceiling in the hall. Darker than the darkest shade of black, the figure had an almost human shape. It stood motionless.

As Callie inhaled and held her breath, the shadow began to run full speed down the hall towards her and Edgar lying in bed. How was he not awake? As the shadowy figure passed the threshold of the bedroom, the walls melted away and Callie found herself curled in the fetal position on the dock. When she looked up Edgar was standing in front of her in the gazebo. Their gazebo. But it wasn’t his light grey eyes that stared back at her. Black holes that could swallow a galaxy gazed down. Nothingness stared back at Callie.

“This isn’t real. You are not Edgar.” she cried out pinching her arms to wake herself.

The figure kept fading to shadow and reforming into the body she knew so well. Callie wanted to run but it felt like her feet were stuck in the marsh mud. Edgar stood motionless in front of her.

“Hello daahlin.” It was his voice but this figure in front of her could not have been the man she loved.

His mouth slowly curled into his smile. That same shit-eating grin that drew her close. That familiar comfort of his chipped tooth. But his smile changed. The corners of his lips extended to his ears. That same smile she loved and found comfort in so many times had turned into something not human.

Callie thought she could feel her heartbeat. It was slow as if the mud had slowed down the pumping of her veins. Slowed down time itself.

Thump. Thump. On the third beat of her heart, Edgar rushed towards her. He outstretched his arms but not to hold her in safety. In slow motion, his hands moved towards her throat. Still on the dock, she tried to pull herself away from his extended arms. Callie looked up at the circular roof of the gazebo. The edge circled the geometric shapes that supported the roof. The dark figure climbed over her and wrapped his hands around her neck. Around the dark outline of his head, the circle roof began to spin. Callie could feel his long bony fingers digging into her neck. Everything began to spin. The circle above her. Their relationship. In a cycle. Over and over and over. She tried to scream but felt as if her mouth full of mud.

Callie did scream. Edgar fired upright in bed to make sure they were safe.

“Are you OK?” He asked. “You scared the shit out of me.” He continued once he caught his breath. He reached towards Callie to comfort her. Her nightmare had been so lifelike. So realistic that she recoiled from his embrace. She jumped out of bed, her heart still pounding in fear. Was she still dreaming? Was this safe? Would he hurt her? The blur between wake and sleep had shaken Callie deeply.

The sound of bells echoed down the hallway from the clock on the fireplace. Clang. Clang. Clang.

3, 0, 0. Most of her 3 AM wake-ups had been dreams. She quickly grabbed her clothes and ran down the hallway in Edgar’s t-shirt. Looking down as she moved swiftly she thought she saw a tear in the hem and splinters of wood.

Edgar followed her down the hallway repeatedly asking if she was ok. Callie pulled on her yoga pants and said, “I have to go home.” Tears streamed down her face. Edgar wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight. His leftover cologne from their dinner filled her nostrils. Callie released the tension in her shoulders melted into his arms and sobbed. This was him. She knew that safety she felt in only his arms.

“Let’s get you back to bed” Edgar held her hand and guided Callie back to the bedroom. He tucked her in and climbed in next to her. Within what felt like seconds, he was snoring again.

Callie stared at the ceiling until the room filled with early morning sunlight. The birds chirped loudly at the bird feeder outside the window, informing the other birds that they survived the night. Callie survived too. Callie always survived. Tearful ending. Blissfully reunited. Over and over and over. Finally, in the safety of the first light, she drifted to sleep.

Over and over and over.

“Hey Daahlin.” A raspy deep voice broke into the silence. Callie knew that harsh Boston accent. She knew it’s softness. She knew it’s love.

Callie stood in their gazebo. Face to face with Edgar. He took a step closer. She felt the overwhelming urge to be held by him, to be safe in his arms. She slowly reached out her hand to be held by his. To be loved again.

Callie sat up suddenly in bed. Her eyes were immediately wide open and confused. Her sudden movement shook the bed.

“Everything OK Cal?” Callie’s husband asked innocently. The glowing red of their high-tech digital alarm clock lit up the room just enough to see him staring at her. Those numbers on the clock. 3. 0. 0.

Callie didn’t know how to answer. She could still feel Edgar standing there and could almost smell his cologne. She began in a whisper, “I was just having a…” Her whisper trailed off into silence.

“Was it a dream or a nightmare?” Her husband asked hoping to comfort her.

“I don’t know.” Her answer was barely a whisper. She slowly put her head back on the pillow as he wrapped his arms around her. For a moment she thought she could taste the salt air, but it was just a lone teardrop hitting her lips.