Return to The Hub

He stuck his hands under the bed searching for treasure. Spiderwebs, coins, hairballs…

There!

Big shoe box. One side tore off as he pulled it out, it looked like it had been soaked in water and dried several times. He tossed it to the side. He grabbed the box with both hands and pulled it out from under the bed. The remainder of the box was falling apart. It was overflowing with papers and pictures. Letters, reports, old bills, photos that had only been half developed. He dumped the contents out of the floor to get a better look.

John.

He saw his name on several letters. Captioned on some pictures. Dates from before he was born. There were many letters from his first love Eileen, she always sent her letters in a red envelope. She still wrote on holidays to keep in touch. He moved those into a pile for reminiscing. The older reports and bills he gathered to trash.

He was looking for a letter from his old friend Tommy. He wanted to frame it for his wake. One of the pictures caught his eye as he shuffled the papers around. It was a picture of Tommy, Wendy and him in front of the old warehouse where they used to hang out after school. He had forgotten about Wendy for the past decade. She would probably be at the wake. The three of them were best friends through high school, until the incident during their senior road trip to Cincinnati.

John looked up Wendy’s contact info and sent her a message to check in. Tommy had died abruptly and it was a shock for his friends. John wasn’t sure if Wendy had kept close or if she knew at all about what happened to Tommy.

John good to hear from you, did you hear about Tommy?

Yea, I wanted to see if you’re all good.

I don’t know how much you know, John. But, there’s a lot going on.

I’m flying out tomorrow morning. Do you have time to get together before the wake?

Yesss, let’s do it. The Hub is still open downtown let’s meet there.

Done.

John decided to bring the photo instead of searching for the letter. Wendy’s words made him wonder a bit, but he distracted himself with packing and preparing to travel. He threw 2 outfits in his bag, travel supplies and snacks. Then placed the photo in his fanny pack to keep close to him. John figured the wake would be a lot of planning. He wasn’t sure if Wendy was helping with the planning or had something else going on.

John woke up early and arrived in Columbus just before noon. The Uber and plane ride were a blur of espresso shots, quick naps and loud airline announcements. The ride to The Hub was another 45 minutes. His neighborhood had not changed much since high school. There were more vacant buildings and some of the staple hangout spots were missing now. Seeing the neighborhood made John even more nostalgic. Thoughts and memories of Tommy flowed through his mind now that he was fully awake. He bounced from happy, to sad to wistful. He got there a little before his planned meeting with Wendy. The Hub looked much the same, but much more worn. No updates had been made to the sign or furniture. One of the stools still had the cut in the cushion from when John got in a fight and some stranger pulled a knife out.

John didn’t recognize the bartender.

“Is Tal in?” John asked grabbing his beer. Wondering if the old grumpy owner was still working.

“No, he only works Sunday nights.” The girl said turning her back on him.

John wanted to ask more, but his mind was elsewhere. He was remembering the last time he saw Tommy here. It was winter and could they feel the cold wind blowing through the walls. The old fireplace was the only source of heat, he Tommy and Wendy were huddled up sipping hot toddys. They were celebrating Tommy’s new job. Winter was a tough time to find work in town so it was a good stroke of luck. Tommy was so happy to be able to work in town and stay near family. Most everyone wanted to get out of town and explore. Tommy was a true hometown hero. John was planning to leave for his medical school training and Wendy was only in-town for the weekend. She had already started working as a tattoo apprentice in Tampa.

Wendy walked in and a dust cloud spread through out the bar. She walked in like a outlaw in a western. Bright light beamed in from outside and brightened the dark dive bar.

She waved at John and stopped by the bar. She was in a long black dress with a black sun hat. Her arms were covered in long sleeves, but tattoos peeked out on her left hand. She walked over to the table at the fireplace where John sat.

“What’s up J?” she held her glass out and John lifted his glass to cheers.

“What up Wen? Tatted up now, I see ‘em peeking out.” John pointed at her hand.

“The tat life infected me. I think last time I saw you I only had the little snowflake I did myself on my thigh. I keep it for nostalgia.” She tapped her left thigh and sat down.

“Check this out!” John brought out the picture from his fanny pack and set it between them.

“Awwww, look at us!” Wendy’s face softened and her eyes started to shine with tears. She shook her head and adopted a blank face.

“Do you know how Tommy has been the past few years?” Wendy too a big swig of her beer and set it heavily on the table.

“Naa, I haven’t really kept up as much as I would like. I totally forgot you were even out here.” John gazed off into the bar, his memories of John threatening to distract him from his current conversation.

“Yeah, I try to keep private. Tommy fell in with some Bulgarians doing electronic smart home installs. It was a obviously a front. But, Tommy needed work. The paper mill closed down, his parents passed. A lot went down all at once. I tried to tell him to just come crash with me. But, you know how he is… Was…” She tried to keep her blank face, but even after all these years John could see right through her. She was lost in a similar nostalgia as him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. The hum of old florescent light and a ceiling fan with a click in it were the only sounds. They heard a glass crash from back in the kitchen. The bartender popped her head up in the window with an embarrassed look. She said something but was too far away to hear.

“So, yeah… Tommy… He started getting too friendly with them for my taste. He started ignoring my calls and I hadn’t heard from him for the past 8 months. I tried to pull up to his old spots, but they had only seen him driving in town. He cut everyone off as far as I know. Now he’s dead. I know those people he was working for had something to do with it. They skipped town after their restaurant burnt down in an ‘electrical fire’ last month.” Wendy massaged her hands together, she hadn’t touched her drink since she set it down, the condensation pooled on the table.

“It’s been over a year since I last heard from him…” John traced the rim of the table with his finger trying to read Wendy’s face for her intention. She kept her blank face on, but her sorrow beneath was replaced with something darker.

“You’re thinking something Wen. I see it on your face. What’s the move? I gotchu.” John looked her dead in the eyes and stared until she answered.

Wendy placed her tattooed hand on the table her fingers on the picture John brought. Her fingers had a letter in black ink above each knuckle.

D-E-A-D

“We find them. For Tommy. He was the heart of this town and the heart of our friendship. They took our heart away J. Now we take their hearts out.” Wendy spoke quietly, but clearly and without hesitation.

“Done.” John place his hand on top of hers. They both felt a sense of relief in their solidarity.

“Bulgaria then?”

“No, Cincinnati.”