October 11th, 2018 - Maine“Hey Sevine, you gonna be okay locking up tonight?” The familiar voice of Michael carried towards her as he peeked his head out from the door to the kitchen.
“Yeah. I’ll be fine. Go on and go home to Sam.” Sevine said, a grin on her face as she placed both hands on the counter. “I’m just gonna finish wiping down the bar, and then I’ll be on my way home too.”
“Alright boss. Get home safe, it’s suppose to rain cats and dogs here soon.” He waved at her before disappearing out the back door. Sevine busied herself with cleaning up the front of house, she polished the glasses and silverware before deciding to call it quits for the night. She stretched her arms high above her head, the joints in her back popping in relief. She rolled her head along her shoulders before pulling on her black denim jacket, and switched out of her ragged converse for a pair of Doc Martens. She locked the back door to the bar, and headed for her motorcycle, helmet tucked under one arm.
She settled onto the seat of her black 1985 Honda Rebel, her pride and joy. She had rebuilt the bike after her dad passed away a couple years back. It was his to begin with, but she wanted it to serve as a reminder of him. Sevine kicked the engine over, and pushed the kickstand back. Revving the engine, she pulled out of the parking lot and began the long drive home. She lived an hour past town, but she didn’t mind. The ride helped clear her mind after stressful days from dealing with rowdy customers.
Just like Michael said, it started to rain cats and dogs. Black rain clouds blanketed the night sky, hiding the moon and stars behind the torrential downpour. She flipped the visor on her helmet down, wondering why she hadn’t checked the news this morning before she headed out for work. She passed a few cars coming into town, but her headlight soon became the only light shining in the blinding rain. Sevine took her time getting home, she knew to play it safe when it rained.
It wasn’t long before she turned off the state road and headed down the county road that would take her home. The winding road rose and fell with the hills, leading through a thicket of trees until she turned off the road and headed down a gravel path, slowing the bike. She came into a clearing where a worn log cabin still stood, the headlight of her motorcycle reflecting off the windows. Sevine rolled the bike under a covered garage, and shifted the kickstand, then killed the ignition. She made the short walk to the cabin, and unlocked the door. Switching on the light, her cats, Rowan and Artemis came to greet her with soft meows.
“Hi babies.” She cooed softly, petting them as they circled around her feet. Sevine peeled off her soaking wet jacket, and threw it inside the washer. She ventured into the kitchen where she noticed that she had one new message on her home phone. She pressed play, and pulled open the fridge.
“
Hey sis, it’s me. I was calling to check up on you, I tried to text you and call you on your cell. You haven’t called me back this week, I wanted to know if me and Tyler could visit you for the holidays since I’ll be on break. Gimme a call back. I love you, bye.”” Liliana had moved to Ohio for college and was busy attending the Ohio State University to become a veterinarian technician. She fetched out the leftover lasagna she made and set it in the oven to reheat. She returned to the fridge where she fished out the half-empty bottle of wine from last night, and settled down on the couch, kicking off her boots where she then propped her feet up on the coffee table. She sighed, and let her body sink into the worn sofa. The cabin belonged to her father, a vacation home of sorts. They used to come up here when her mom was alive and spend the whole summers foraging for wild blackberries. Sevine had quit her job as a forensic scientist, the grief of losing her father proving too much to bear at the time. She wanted to be close to him, to his memories, and this is where she remembered him best.
She brought the bottle to her lips, and took a swig. Rowan jumped on the sofa beside her, curling against her.
“I missed you kitty.” Sevine bent down and planted a kiss on her head before the stove chimed, her lasagna was ready. Groaning, she hopped off the couch and made her way to the stove, where she set the pan of lasagna on the stove top. She reached into the cabinet and pulled out a plate, cutting herself a steaming hot piece of the pasta and set it on the plate. Sevine rummaged in the cutlery drawer where she pulled out a fork. She leaned against the counter, plate in one hand, fork in the other, blowing carefully on each piece. Sure, someone could say that Sevine was homesick for Indiana, but she preferred to keep her emotions out of people’s business. Maine was close enough to home, while being close to her dad.
