FAMILIAR FACES - Part 1

 "Good Tuesday morning Glasgow. It's 4 am currently. We'll see the sun in about an hour. Not that we could see it, unless you're in Graveyard Hill. So for any ghosts out there watching, direct your gaze on the horizon at 5.17 am. As for you humans…"

Towin Murray turned off the radio alarm on his bedside table. He got out of his bed. He reached for his towel. He took a hot shower. He brushed his teeth. Then dried and wrapped his body with a towel. 

Towin went to the drawers in front of his bed. He opened the drawer marked 'Tuesday'. He took out his gym outfit for the day, a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Oh, and also a pair of cartoon socks. Today it's Invader Zim it seems like. 

He took his running shoes from the shoe rack beside the front door. He double knotted his shoelaces. The last things he got before walking out was his 75 pounds rucksack, and his Hydro flask. He slipped the Hydroflask to the side pocket of his weighted rucksack, and was off on his way. 

Towin looked at his solar powered purple Rangeman. The time was 5.12. He barely made it. Towin finished his run a little late today. Usually he got a good 10 minutes left before sunrise. Probably the newly added weights in his rucksack. Feeling a little bit lethargic, he sat down on one of the concrete benches in front of the cemetery overlooking the horizon. 

The sky is pitch black. Only lights at the cemetery compound vaguely lit up the area. Towin sat there. Waiting for the sun. All was silent. 

Then it appeared. First, a line of orange on the horizon. Then, bright yellow. The black sky slowly turned blue. It peeked a little bit, then rose a little bit more. Each moment a little bit more. And there it is. The morning sun.

Towin raised his Hydroflask. As if clinking wine glasses at a dinner party. With a raised Hydro Flask, and a smile on his face, he uttered his usual morning routine. 

“Good morning Moe. Rest in peace up there.”

###

Towin stepped into the diner. The only 24 hour diner in Glasgow, Montana. There's quite a number of people, but it wasn't busy or anything.

There's a couple of tables vacant, but Towin does not go for it. He just hover over the register. As if waiting for something. 

"Hey Towin, you're quite late today." Sasha, one of the waitresses there greeted Towin. 

"Uhmm yes. Mrs Gorrinor had a bit of a tumble at the park. Had to wait for the ambulance to come."

"Awh, that's nice of you. Poor Mrs Gorrinor. Will she be okay?" 

"I don't know. Doesn't seem that bad." 

"That's great to hear." Sasha looked to her right. Towards the booth at the far corner. "Your booth is clear. Go sit down. I'll bring you your food. The usual?" 

"Yes please. Thank you Sasha." 

Towin sat down. He stared outside. As he often did. He was not looking at any particular things. Just staring. Getting lost through the window. Escaping from reality. 

Then Sasha came in with his food, and brought him back to reality. 

"Here you go. Cheeseburger, hashbrown, a couple of sausages and a lemonade. Oh, and here's your hot sauce. And I know you'll ask me later for apple pie a la mode, so don't worry I'll bring it later okay?" 

"Thanks Sasha."

Sasha winked at him, then went back to the register. Customers are waiting to pay. 

As the last piece of sausage went into Towin's mouth, the apple pie came. With a scoop of homemade ice cream. Upon placing the dessert, Sasha joined Towin at his booth. 

"You working today?" 

"Yes. As usual." 

"I don't know how you manage to get up early every morning to clean the grveyard every day Towin. Must be exhausting." 

Towin smiled. "I'm used to it by now. It has been six months." 

"And you still visit her grave everyday huh? Moe sure is lucky." 

"Not that lucky. She's dead." 

Sasha was startled. She looked at Towin. Checking to see whether he is joking. Nope. Just another one of his dry, dark, straight-to-the-point statements. Six months of dealing with him, she thought she'd gotten used to it. Turns out he still managed to surprise her. 

Sasha sighed. "Welp, most of my exes got bored with me after a couple of weeks. Some even forgot I existed. So, I put my money on lucky." 

Towin smiled again. He did not talk much. Either short sentences. Or silent smiles. Thank god for that cute, awkward smile of his. 

"Don't you think it's time for, you know, dates and stuff?"

"I don't think so, no." 

"Why? Don't you think six months is enough mourning?"

Smiled again. "It's not that. I promised to love her forever and always. As of now, I don't see anyone worthy of breaking that promise yet?" 

"Wow, okay then." Sasha sighed again. "Must be lonely though?" 

"Not really. I had sex almost everyday." 

That made Sasha laughed. "I thought you're loyal to a fault. Glad to know there's still a normal guy underneath all that moping." 

"Yup. Just your average typical one-night-stand guy." 

"But no relationship though." 

"No. Why should I make someone else's life hell? I tortured Moe to death with my issues. I don't want to inflict myself upon others." 

That is the longest sentences Sasha had heard Towin speak, since after Moe died. 

"You do not torture her. You are just depressed. Sometimes you get moody, you go quiet and you just need your space. She understands it. It's not like you ran away, or beat her up or anything." 

"Still, nice if I could be there for her. Maybe I could know about her illness if I'd been there more." 

"I can't argue with that." 

Sasha was quiet. Towin keep shovelling pies into his mouth. Unperturbed by words coming out of his own mouth. 

Sasha tried to lighten the mood. And shoot her shot at the same time. "So, that one night stand thing. Can anyone jump in on the action?" 

"I think so. Why? Who's interested?"

"Me." Sasha's turn to be direct. Towin instinctively looked directly into her eyes. 

"Sure. What time did you get off work?" 

"Same as yours."

"Okay, I'll pick you up. Your place or mine?" 

"Does it matter?" 

"If it's your place, we should go somewhere for dinner first. If it's at my place, I can make you dinner." 

Sasha laughed again. "It's a no brainer then. I got to make fun of your cooking now." Sasha got up. "I gotta get back to work. See you later." 

Towin smiled again. 

###

Sasha woke up. Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling for a while. She did not recognize it. It’s missing the dark spot that looked like a pirate ship. Sasha realized it. She’s not in her bedroom. Took her a second to remember where she’d been.

She looked to her right. Towin was not there. Sasha looked at her watch. It was 5 minutes to 3.30 am. Did Towin wake up that early? 

Sasha got up. Immediately went hunting for her underwear, or any of her clothes. It’s not anywhere near the bed. She tried to trace her steps back. When she remembered, she blushed a little bit last night. She went to the kitchen.

Her clothes were scattered all across the kitchen floor. Her bra was on top of the already dried dishes. Signs of  a good night. Sasha scan the entire floor while she got dressed. From the kitchen, all the way to the living room. Towin wasn’t anywhere in sight. Maybe he’d gone to her morning run already. Then she noticed the faint sound of music, coming from the basement. The door was wide open. So she went down to check.

‘No Pain, No Game’ by Nano filled the entire basement. Towin loved listening to Nano while working out. Her anime style, punk rock vibes keeps him focused, motivated in his workouts. Plus, it helps drown out the noise in his head. It got him so focussed, he did not notice Sasha leaning at the entrance to his basement gym.

Towin finally finished his reps. He went to the speakers at the entrance to turn off the music. That’s when he noticed Sasha, smiling at him. He smiled back, as he went to her. Perhaps he went to the speakers first, but he did eventually got to her.

“Sorry, I did not notice you.”

“No, no. That’s okay. Just enjoying the view.”

Towin stood in front of Sasha. Wiping off the sweat, the product of his workouts. “Would you like some hot cocoa?”

“Most people offer coffee, Towin.”

“Oh. I don’t have coffee. Sorry.”

Sasha laughed. “What are you, 8? I mean, I should not be surprised. You order like one.”

Towin grinned got even wider. “So, hot cocoa?”

“Sure, why not.”

Sasha watch the back as the well built 5’8 figure of Towin started to make the drinks. She felt sad for him, for some reason. There’s loneliness emanating from him. 

“So, what kind of librarian workout like that, the first thing in the morning? You going to war or something?”

“Can’t go to war. I got the metal rod in my left foot.”

“What? What for?”

“In college. I was playing football. Somebody took me down hard. Snapped my leg.”

“Ughhh, sorry man.”

“That’s alright. Plenty of other ways to die.”

Sasha brushed off the death quips. “So why then?”

Usually Towin was quick with response. It seems like nothing could faze him off. This time it did. It took him a good ten to fifteen seconds to answer. As the cocoa and milk concoction boiled, he spoke.

“I need to do something when I’m awake. Otherwise, I would be only thinking of her. I go for a run, I work out, I read, I have sex. Anything to keep the thoughts of her off my mind.”

Sasha did not know what to say. So, dumb comment it is. “It’s normal you know, missing her.”

This time, he turned towards her. Still smiling, but the smile is a lot sadder.

“But when I think of her, I thought about ending it and joining her.”

“You mean…suicide? You had that?”

“I’ve always had that thought. Even before I met her. I live my life thinking I will die, so I tried to do them all before I ended myself. Then, I met her. And I found the reason to live. And now she’s gone. The reason for me to live is gone Sha, and I don’t know what to do.”

Sasha got up. She went and hugged him. Towin, in the warmth of her embrace, started crying. They stayed like that for a while. Oblivious to the boiling cocoa on the stove. Towin kept on crying.

Towin parked his bike, a well kept Vincent Black Shadow, in his garage. He closed the garage door, and went to the steps up to his home. He did not feel like going for a run today. The first time in six months. First time in six months, he thought to just stay in bed for the rest of his day off. As he put the key in the lock, he noticed the kitchen lights were on. He was sure he’d turn it off. 

Slowly, he made his way to the kitchen. Maybe he forgot, eventhough he never did. But, maybe there was an intruder. He prepared himself anyway. As he got closer, he can smell the scent of fresh cookies. He always made cookies on his day off. But he did not made any yet. As he got to the kitchen entrance, he saw a sight he could not prepare himself for. The sight he’d long to see in these hellish six months. 

“Moe…”