One More Day

Valerie stared at the calendar, forced to blink when her contacts started to dry out. As she gently rubbed her eyes, she repeated the date to herself, “January 4th, 2052.” No, that wasn’t right. It was 2055? 2056? It was definitely January...right? 

“Are you almost ready?” A voice echoed through the house. “If we’re late again, I think your brother might follow through with his threat and actually disown you.”

Why was she so tired? She glanced in the mirror and did not recognize herself. Had she aged? Closing her eyes, she shook her head slightly and tapped her forehead. Hesitantly, she checked again--better. The black bags under her eyes had dissipated, and she recognized the face reflected back. 

“Honey?!” Her husband’s head popped around the corner. He said the nickname with a hint of irritation, but she could see the glint of humor in his eyes as he continued to berate her, “We both know I didn’t marry you for your punctuality, but we’re at least thirty seconds behind schedule.” He tapped his watch.

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “It’s only my brother.”

“Exactly. Police detectives make me nervous. I’m just one step away from annoying him, and I know he’s going to find out that I jaywalked one time. And then--boom--you’re married to a underworld criminal fleeing for his life.”

Snorting, she said, “Raymond David Flynn--former businessman turned master criminal at large and sought out by every bounty hunter and detective in existence.”

“Hey,” He pointed a finger at her with a grin, “That’s Boss Raymond David Flynn. I can’t have anyone disrespecting my criminal status or my men might turn on me.” The cheeky grin disappeared. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just tired is all. I’m ready to go.”

The car ride was filled with Ray’s comments and verbal observations, but she was listening more to the sound of his voice. She studied his face, trying to memorize every freckle. Had the faded scar on his chin been that hard to distinguish? He had always complained how much it stood out. 

Staring at her reflection in the window, she quietly said to herself, “I hate January.”

“I wasn’t expecting this much rain today,” Ray mumbled, “I hope it goes away before tomorrow morning. I hate driving into the city with rain like this.”

Valerie felt like she was going to be sick, but she still forced herself to say, “Perhaps you could stay home tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that’d be the day. You and I both know that Murphy would never let me hear the end of it. Just a few more days before vacation, then I’m all yours.”

The car slowed down as Ray pulled over next to a restaurant. Valerie waited as he hopped out of the car, hurrying over to her door. “I forgot my umbrella, so you’ll have to make due with my jacket and these impressive shoulders,” he announced while holding his jacket over her head. 

Looking up at him, she felt her chest beginning to tighten. “I love you. You know that, right?”

Ray narrowed his eyes at her. “All right, you convinced me. I’ll take the blame for getting here late.”

Without hesitation, she took shelter under his jacket and hurried inside the restaurant with him. She could almost feel the warmth emanating from him, but she knew that it was just in her head. The host greeted them heartily, complaining about the deluge that they had been hit with. Valerie was almost overwhelmed with the chatter around the room as she followed the host through the restaurant to their reserved table.

Her brother was tapping his foot, a well-known sign of his irritation, and glancing at his watch. Roland chortled and made a comment about the man’s impatience when he was hungry.

“Look who finally showed up,” Damien declared, “I’ve been waiting here and actively starving.”

Valerie thanked her husband as he pulled her chair out; he glanced at his watch. “Oh, shoot, I need to call Murphy. I’ll be right back.”

Watching her husband disappear around a corner, Valerie turned to her brother, ready to accuse him of his hunger-driven anger. The moment her eyes met his, she froze. In a matter of seconds, he had aged by more than a decade.

“Val, this needs to stop.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Shaking his head, he folded his arms. “Do you know how difficult it is to get loaded into these false realities when they aren’t even yours? I had to beg Thomas to break protocol again to bring me here. These fake worlds are designed for you to say goodbye and get your closure that you never got; they’re not meant for you to live in a fantasy where life is fine and dandy.”

Her hands started shaking. “I know, but it’s my fault. Tomorrow morning, he’s going to leave for work then I’ll call him constantly on his way to work. He’ll eventually answer then get distracted then…” Her voice trailed off for a moment, “And then he’ll lose control of the car. Just like that, he’ll be gone.”

Damien’s gaze hardened, and his eyes became cold. “Tomorrow morning? Do you even know what today is?”

“Of course. It’s,” She began to panic, “It-it’s January 2055--ah, it’s the 6th of January.”

“It’s actually October of 2065. You’ve been doing this well over a decade; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come here. Val, if you don’t say goodbye and leave today, then I’m through with this. You’ve had your time to mourn. Let him go.”

Tears began to form in her eyes. “I just want one more day with him.”

Roland reappeared looking frazzled, “Sorry about that! Murph is a slave driver when it comes to this merger. Have you guys ordered yet?”

“Ah, no, I was just telling Damien--” As she looked to her brother again, he had returned to his youthful appearance and was looking the menu over. 

The detective tapped the table with a slight scowl. “No, but I could have ordered for you since you always order the chicken.”

Valerie remained silent as her husband and brother began egging each other on, something they had done since they were kids. Her brother’s warning echoed in her ears as she stared at her husband’s cheeky smile. 

***

The sound of the alarm clock jolted Valerie awake. Before she could command the alarm to stop, someone next to her irritably shouted for it to shut-up.

Valerie was about to shift out of bed, but a strong arm wrapped around her and drew her back into bed. She felt a warm breath on her neck as her husband nestled closer to her. “Just five more minutes.”

“What’s today?” She asked. Valerie could hear the heavy rain outside beating on the windows.

“Ask me again in five minutes.” Her husband took a deep breath before snuggling into her even more. “I’ve always hated January.”