When Night Breaks

Every so often, I would find notes on my balcony chairs. They would always be held down by small, smooth stones; each one a different color. I loved the afternoons or evenings I would come home from school or work and find the folded paper eagerly awaiting me to read it. They were never long messages, sometimes even just one word. Mostly, it had a time or a place: “Roof 9:30” or simply “park”. Even though the requests were short and sometimes not specific, I always knew Jay would be waiting for me. I never missed a moment when I found the notes, all signed the same: “-J”

I had gotten home from working a double shift at the department store when I found yet another handwritten message. This time with a yellow stone with swirls of white. I kept all the notes, along with the stones. And as I stashed both of these in the shoe box where I kept them, I went into the bathroom to freshen up my makeup. I heard my cell phone ring from inside my purse. I pulled in out to find Lacey’s call i.d on my screen. I had taken a photo of her with her face smashed against a window. Every time she called me, it looked as though she was trapped inside my phone. It was rather silly, but it always made me laugh.

“Hey.” I answered, placing her on speaker phone. I was to meet Jay in the park at 10 o’clock and had to hurry.

“What’s up, crack head?” Lacey never fell short of calling me a ridiculous nickname, and over the years, crack head had become her favorite.

“Nothing much. Just got home from work. Ouch!” I couldn’t help but yell out as I poked my eye with mascara.

“What you doing?”

“Oh, nothing. I just poked my eye.”

“God, you’re weird. Wanna go get a milkshake? I’m bored.” I hardly ever turned down a late night milkshake with Lacey. But tonight, I had other obligations to fulfill.

“I can’t tonight. I worked a double. I’m worn out.” This wasn’t a lie, I was indeed tired. Just not tired enough to miss out on seeing Jay.

“Ugggh.” She sighed.

“I’m sorry. Tomorrow night maybe.”

“Fine. I’m holding you to it.”

“Deal.”

“Alright, well sleep well. Later, cracker!”

“Byeeee.”

“Byeeee.” The extended goodbyes we gave each other in fake nasally voices had become a habit over the years. It had started by mocking an ex boyfriend who ridiculously exaggerated the word, and it just sort of stuck. I grabbed my keys after giving myself one last look over in the mirror.

I pulled into the park at exactly 9:57. It would have been later, but my little car could speed when her owner pushed her hard enough. Miller Park was supposed to be closed when it got dark. The front parking lot had a gate that prevented people from driving in. Thankfully, the park manager hadn’t put one up yet in the new back lot, so that made it easy for me to get in and out. The park was eerie at night, and would have been scary if not for the man I seen sitting on the bench a few dozen yards ahead of me. We always met at the same bench that sat under the biggest tree in the park. I walked up and sat down beside Jay.

“Hello, Samantha.” He smiled and looked at me. No one but Jay really ever called me Samantha. I
was, and always had been simply Sam. Lacey tended to always call me Sammy, along with a few other close family members. But never once did Jay address as me as anything other than my full name.

“How are you tonight?” I asked as the fall breeze blew cold air onto me.

“I’m good. You look cold.” I had on short sleeves with a gray cardigan sweater over it, but the night air was still chilly.

“I’m okay.” I said, smiling. But he insisted on he taking his black jacket. I smelt nice and was warm, and I was glad he offered it to me.

Jay stood up and held out his hand. I took it and we began to walk. It was these nights I enjoyed most. The concrete path under our feet, as the city settled down to rest, unaware of our private moments strolling through the park. Often, we talked about my day or week, and Jay always listened intently. I did most of the talking, but it was the times he did speak that I treasured.

“Leo refuses to go out and meet girls.” He chuckled.

“Why? Is he shy?”

“He’s just Leo.” We both laughed. He spoke about him a lot, and I knew he truly meant a lot to Jay.

“How did you two become best friends?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t a touchy subject.

“I was 13, and living in Detroit. I had been homeless for a year, and Leo found me one night outside of his father’s work. He’s 3 years older than me, actually.” Leo certainly didn’t look older than Jay, and in fact I had assumed he was younger. Jay was 24, a few years older than me, so that made Leo 27.

“Anyway, he brought me inside and that’s when he realized something wasn’t quite right. He didn’t care though, and he feed me and let me sleep in the guest room. His parents became like my own, and Leo and I became like brothers. He was always into science, and took it after his dad. They tried to find a cure for me. But obviously failed. Leo’s mom and dad died in a car wreck when he was 21, and since I was 18 at the time we moved to New York.”

Slowly, I was beginning to realize just how crazy Jay’s life had been. I wondered he ended up in Elliot Springs after living in such huge cities. But, I didn’t ask. I knew that too many questions made him uncomfortable. We sat on the slide and he listened to my story of how I met Lacey and the adventures we got into over the years. Eventually, as all nights with Jay did, the late night meeting came to a close. We always parted ways the same, unable to be sure when we’d see each other again.

“Be safe. Goodnight, Samantha.”

“Goodnight, Jay.”



“Nayn will be paired with Jaffe.” My chemistry teacher spoke as he crossed names off of his clipboard. We were fixing to start a lab project and got to have partners. I got put with Shane Jaffe, a kid from my high school. Shane was always super smart, and I was glad I was with him, because chemistry was certainly not my strong subject.
“Remember who your partner is, and tomorrow you’ll be starting the project. Have a good night.” With that, class was dismissed. I seen Shane and smiled at him. He smiled back while quickly shuffling out of the room. A little nerdy, but he was a nice guy.

I went out to my car and found Lacey standing beside the passenger door. She jiggled the handle indicating she wanted in. I unlocked the doors and we both got it. It was a ritual we had since junior year in high school. We would always meet up after school and sit in my car and talk.

“So, I got paired with Shane Jaffe for chemistry today.”

“Really? He’s smart. Too smart, I think” She giggled. “He’s sorta cute though.”

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“What? You don’t think so?” Shane wasn’t ugly, but he certainly wasn’t as attractive as some people.

“I mean, he’s okay.”

“Hey, I have an idea.” Lacey’s ideas more than often got us into trouble. I was half to blame though.
Her half was thinking it up; my half was going along with it.

“Oh no. What?” I asked, ready for a ridiculous suggestion.

“Ask Shane to The Rush.”

“I don’t think Shane is really the Rush type, Lace.” The Rush was something the school did every year mid semester. It was a huge festival with bands, food, games, and bonfires. “Exactly.” Lacey said.

“That way you know he won’t ditch you for his friends. I’ll ask Clay to go and we can all hang out.”

“That makes it look a double date.” I said matter-of-factly.

“So?”

“It’s NOT a date.”

“So, you’ll ask him?!” Her eyes widened.

“Fine, I guess.” I sighed, reluctantly. How bad could it be?

“Yay!” She squeaked. She opened the door to step out and I told her to be safe, a habit I had picked up from Jay.

“Byeee.” She waved.

“Byeee.” She shut the door and I drove off.