The Cricket's Song

It was a small town, only a few businesses surrounded by residential streets. Why his children had chosen to settle here was not immediately obvious. Dunn considered going straight to the kid's house, but he was early anyway, and had promised to bring something.

Eliza would never have forgotten the cake pan on the table. If she was seeing him now, she would laugh and say that he should have left a note for himself on the door.

Dunn searched for something that resembled a bake shop but came up short. The only cafe was closed for the day. Eliza would have been right. He instead found a general store and stopped in front.

He pushed open the door of his old ford ranger and slowly straightened. The only sounds was the creaking metal of his own truck and the lonely chirp of a cricket. A fly bused around his head. Dunn swatted at it and stepped onto the curb.

The store was quiet. He was one of the few people there. On the counter was a rack containing homemade cinnamon rolls and other pastries. A little further was one of those self serve coffee stands, its cups tilting toward the ground. A fly buzzed over head. The floor boards under his feet creaked as he stood admiring the shelves.

"Can we help you with any thing?"

The voice came from just behind the counter. A lady he had not noticed stood from a chair in the corner.

"No, thank you. Just looking."

There was a slight pause.

"What brings you here?"

"Grandchildren. What keeps you here?"

The woman laughed. "It's quite quiet here, isn't it? It may not be your scene but I've grown to love the place."

Dunn nodded, although he noticed she hadn't actually answered his question. He considered leaving, but that would probably be rude. He was thirsty anyway, and Wiley could probably use some coffee with the new child and all.

Dunn wandered over to the coffee counter and filled three cups. Wiley always like sweet things. His new wife had drank her coffee black when she had come over to visit before the wedding. He hoped that was how she preferred it.

Dunn balanced the drink tray on his arm and put them on the counter in front of the woman. Then he added the cinnamon buns.

As she rang his total into the till, Dunn realized that he should know this woman.

"Do you need something?"

Dunn realized that he was staring.

"No, sorry. The mind wanders." He gestured to his forehead and she laughed.

He knew that laugh. Why did it sound so familiar? He picked up his purchases but stopped as he neared the door.

"Marjorie? Marjorie Hilton?"

She cocked her head at him, and her eyes narrowed.

"Dunn Ried?"

"In the flesh! Goodness, I can't believe that it took me that long to recognize you."

"Believe it. We haven't even wrote since high school. I can't believe that after all this time we would meet again."

Dunn shrugged, "It's a small world Margie. What are you doing in a small town like this?"

"My late husband was a farmer. After he passed I moved here because it was cheap, and I slowly fell in love with it. If you're going to be here a while, you should come by. Bring your wife with you."

"She passed on five years ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Dunn shrugged. "She was sick for years. We both knew it was coming, and it was a relief to her. No more pain, no more doctors pocking at her." He sighed, "I think I'll take you up on that offer, if it's still open."

"Of course. Two blocks down from main, third house on the left. Don't bother coming after seven. I go to bed early."

Dunn nodded. "Until then."

He pushed back out onto the street and back into the truck. Before he started the engine he noticed that the cricket had stopped.

The house his children lived in was nice, with a big yard. That would be great for the grand babies. The lawn needed cutting, but they had just had their first child a week ago. Wiley was a little over thirty already. Eliza would have been delighted. She had been praying for a grand child since Wiley had gotten married ten years earlier.

Both Wiley and his wife looked exhausted, and seemed as though they could use the sugar and caffeine boost. They were happy to see him, but he could tell that they needed some rest. Her mother would be coming the following day to help around the house. Eliza would have known what to do, but Dunn knew he was in the way.

Dunn took his leave shortly after six. He hugged Wiley and Stephanie. He kissed baby Larissa, and remembered to close the door softly, as not to startle her.

He climbed into his ranger and started the engine. He was going to leave town, but then remembered how Margie had looked on their prom night, and how she could name all the constellations in the sky. Little details that he remembered even now.

He wasn't sure what it was, maybe he was lonely, but in either case he found himself in front of a little house surrounded by some of the most beautiful gardens he had ever seen. He turned off the motor and sat for a bit, listening to the song of the crickets that called the yard home.

With a sigh, he walked up the stairs to front door and pushed the ornate doorbell. He could smell fresh bread from the window. There was a hint of piano music too.

Moments later, she opened the door. Her hair, now white, was as pretty as ever. Her eyes still sparkled with what ever magic lit them when she was born.

"You came."

"Margie, I-"

"Dunn, it was a long time ago. We were both young, and there was fault on both sides. Come on in, I've just pulled out a fresh loaf."

"That sounds wonderful. Do you still sing Margie?"

She laughed. "Do I ever! Do you still know how to play the piano?"

"My name's still Dunn Ried, isn't it?"

"I don't know, I'll have to look it up in the record's office."

The door closed behind them. The crickets sang, and somewhere in that house, two lonely souls rediscovered something that few manage to find once, much less twice in their lifetime.