Mary

Looped cord pulled tight against the man’s shoulders. The padding in his jacked puffed around the taut rope, fabric bursting from persistent pressure. Wrinkles creased his eyes and brow, brought on not by age but from weariness of living in the remains of the world. Still he wore a broad smile. His joyful look seemed entirely unreasonable amidst the city ruins. Ash and dust coated the drab rubble, with scarcely any sign of life in the long abandoned metropolis. Not even a single bird sang to alleviate the uncomfortable silence.

The ropes led behind the man to a four-wheeled trailer that creaked unevenly, black paint chipped away long ago. A frail woman, bundled in faded blankets, was surrounded by mounds of faded clothing, stuffed bags, dented cans, and plastic containers filled with murky water. Her face was haggard and pale, but her blue eyes still shone bright. The man turned to her and smiled.

“Hang in there, Mary. Things will get better,” he said, surveying the surrounding ruin. The man stepped cautiously to avoid debris which might disturb the cart or, more importantly, its passenger. “At least, as far as I reckon, it’s about the only way they can go.”

He marched past a collapsed building, steel frames of the once-high-rise spearing into the air like ribs of a fallen beast. The man liked to imagine what life might have been like if there had never been a collapse. Perhaps a group of friends would be enjoying a barbeque on the rooftop, a high schooler just received a college acceptance letter in the mail, a young couple delayed rising from their bed, content to look at each other in the late morning sun. The sun was muted now, hazy skies drowning its light.

The man halted his march at the remains of a sign leaning on a pile of cracked concrete blocks. Inspecting the board, he knelt and wiped dust, grit and grime from the sign.

“Do you see that, Mary?” He pointed to faded red text in a boisterous font painted over a yellow backdrop.“It’s Ricky’s Tacos! Gosh it must have been what, ten years ago that I brought you here? Or maybe it was eleven. I’m so sorry I can’t, I can’t quite remember. Fancy that, this sign making it through. I think this was hand painted, kind of amazing it’s still here.”

The man stood and admired the rubble. “Maybe some part of me doesn’t want to remember how long it’s been. I can’t believe I thought this was a good place for a first date. You told me you didn’t like spicy food and I took you to a restaurant known for putting peppers in everything. I mean you remember their TV ad? What was that jingle, it was so chintzy, it’s like I can feel it but I can’t see it.”

Mary mustered a loving smile as she caught the man’s eye. He puffed his chest and looked to the sky, beaming.

“Oh you were so gracious about it. You would have been well within your rights to just up and leave and ghost me after,” he laughed, grey-streaked coarse beard tremoring. “I don’t think I realized just how big a mistake I made until you asked if they had milk. I was so nervous and focused on me that I didn’t even notice you sweating. Oh you got so red in the face! Inconsiderate fool I was.”

He adjusted the ropes around his shoulders, shrugging loose the aching joints. He leaned forward, the trailer’s wheels groaning as they broke their rest.

“You know Mary, I don’t think I ever told you this. I’m not sure I ever would have, world situation aside, if I hadn’t seen that sign. If you remember back in the day, we were always talking about taking things slow, focusing on our careers, a fat lot of good that did us in the end. Anyway, I don’t think I ever said it, I was always too scared, and then years passed, and then I thought to myself, what was the point? But that day at Ricky’s? That was the day I knew my heart, my soul, every ounce of my being would be forever yours. I knew it then and it’s just as true today, I’m as lost as a grain of sand on a beach without you.”

The man’s smile dropped for a moment, his heart beating as if they were on their first date again. Grin returning, he called back to Mary.

“I always wondered, what made you say yes to another date after I was such an idiot the first go round? Why give me a second chance? Gah!”

The man lifted his foot to find a rock embedded in the halfway rotted rubber sole of his boot. He pulled the shard, grunting in annoyance as blood dripped from the stone. He plopped in place and pulled off the shoe to examine the wound, an oozing gash which was sure to slow his pace. He pulled a strip of cloth from a pocket and went about wrapping his foot.

“Sorry about this Mary. So what do you say? Care to finally tell why you let yourself get suckered into being with a guy like me? I’d say we’re overdue to clear the air.”

Bleeding halted, the man appreciated the pause and cool air on his foot. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, stretching and splaying his toes.

“Mary?”

The man slid his foot back into the shoe. “Mary,” he called. He looked to her, but her face was turned away.

Frantic, he scrambled back to the trailer, shattered concrete grating his palms and knees. His hand burst forth to turn her face, gently cradling her cheek in his palm.

“Oh Mary,” he said, looking into her glossy eyes.

The man trembled, raising two cracked and calloused fingers to tenderly close her eyes. He closed his own eyes around flowing tears, whispering to her.

“I love you.”