Forever Friday

by Timothy Lewis

  “You should have let the valet open my door,” Huck said casually. “It’s part of his job.”

  “I tipped the man.” Gabe smiled. “Why give him the pleasure of opening your door too?”

  Huck returned his smile and scooted closer. After twenty-one years of marriage, he still loved to surprise her. “So where are you taking me this evening? Dinner? Dancing?”

  “Since we’re in Galveston, I thought it might be fun to go somewhere from our first date.”

  “The International Pageant of Pulchritude?”

  “Nope. Those gals are homely compared to you. Besides, the pageant folded during the Depression.” He gazed toward the beach. “Let’s see. Somewhere out over the water, there’s a romantic little restaurant that serves pink champagne. We have reservations at seven.”

  “Mermaids?” Huck squeezed his leg. “Don’t be silly. It was destroyed in a hurricane.”

  “Exactly why we’ve never been back.” He glanced in her direction, raising his eyebrows. “But when I phoned the owners last month and explained that we’d be on the island for three nights, they rebuilt it just for us.”

  “Anything you say, darling.” Huck kissed his cheek. There had been a piece in the newspaper about Galveston rebuilding some of its most popular beachfront businesses, but she hadn’t paid much attention.

  “What? Don’t you believe my story?” Gabe grinned a crooked grin.

  “Absolutely not. But I will say it’s hard to doubt a face so insincere.”

  “My sentiments exactly … I think.”

  Huck laughed softly, thrilled to be away from Houston in the middle of the week. Sidney Lanier was on spring holiday, and she didn’t have to teach. Since Gabe had business the next two mornings across the bay in Texas City, she’d grade term papers while he worked, but afternoons would be spent relaxing together.

  She studied her husband’s strong profile, his hairline receding slightly more than it did when they’d met, beginning to gray at the temples. A year or so back, she’d noticed some gray in her own hair, so had it dyed once a month at The Lady Texan Beauty Salon, a ritzy downtown establishment whose sign boasted: “A Place Where Men Are Rare And Women Are Well-Done!”

  A few minutes later, Gabe pulled into the newly paved parking lot of Mermaids. The restaurant was much larger than Huck remembered, most of the inside reconstructed into open-air seating. In the center, a beautiful blonde wearing a mermaid costume swam in a giant champagne glass. A group of sailors shared cocktails at a nearby table, vying for her attention.

  “She’s almost indecent,” Huck whispered after the headwaiter had seated them. “Swimsuits have become risqué since the Pageant of Pulchritude.”

  “That’s a mermaid suit,” Gabe replied, then chuckled. “And it’s why those navy boys are sitting there.”

  Huck wrinkled her nose with playful indignation. “All men have disgusting minds, even you.”

  “We try not to disappoint.”

  After ordering a bottle of pink champagne, they decided on the house specialty: grilled red snapper, served with a tangy chili-lime sauce.

  “Oh my,” Huck said, reaching for her glass after the first bite. “I’ve never tasted fish so … grilled.”

  “A spicy innovation from our Mexican neighbors.” Gabe chuckled. “It is much different than the fried fare we’re accustomed to.”

  Huck could eat only half of her order and pushed the rest across the table for him to finish. She sipped her drink and peered out into the vast Gulf of Mexico. There was a certain majesty about ocean sunsets. The brilliant ball of light, transforming into every color of the rainbow before dipping into the darkening sea. On their first date, this was the time of day they’d stumbled upon the porch swing, which Gabe had later copied for their honeymoon.

  “What lovely thoughts lie behind those coffee eyes?” he asked after lighting a cigarette.

  “Oh, just remembering when we discovered that beach house.”

  “And you had to use the privy?” He laughed.

  “You would recall that part.” She reached across the table for his hand. “Remember the porch swing?”

  “Vaguely.”

  “Gabe Alexander!”

  He exhaled, the soft sea breeze pushing the smoke inland. “My guess is that unless a storm reclaimed that section of beach, our special swing is still there.”

  “Let’s go and see.”

  “Tonight? But I have to work in the morning.”

  Huck leaned across the table and whispered. “Remember how we cuddled close in the swing?”

  “I’ll never forget.”

  “And you behaved like the perfect gentleman?”

  Gabe nodded.

  Turning her head, Huck stared at the mermaid, then returned her attention. “There’s no need to be a gentleman tonight … sailor boy.”

  Gabe snuffed out his smoke. “Waiter,” he called. “Check please!”

  “I think I ate too much,” Gabe said as they drove west along the island. “Either that, or my trousers have shrunk.”

  “The day we married we promised we were going to watch our waistlines,” Huck said, then laughed.

  “My stomach must have been sleeping during that conversation.”

  As predicted, the swing was still there, hanging underneath the crude bungalow built on stilts. And even though a row of modern weekend houses had been constructed just up the beach, they had no trouble locating the secluded spot where they’d first bared their souls.

  “Isn’t trespassing exciting?” Not waiting for Gabe’s answer, Huck hopped out of the car and kicked off her shoes before twirling around in a circle. “I don’t think this place is ever used.”

  “We have the world to ourselves.” Gabe climbed out of the driver’s side and walked over to the swing. “This is it all right. A good bit more weathered than I remember and full of sand.”

  “Let’s write down the address and send the owner an anonymous thank-you,” Huck said, scampering back to the car. She put the top down and turned on the radio, keeping the volume low so they could still hear the gentle splash of surf along the beach.

  Gabe emptied the sand, then laughed. “To whom it may concern: Thank you for the use of your gritty swing and old-fashioned restroom facilities.” He paused. “Now would you look at that. Privy’s gone. What’s my dear wife going to do after all that champagne?”

  “Hush and take off your shoes so we can dance,” she ordered. “The DJ just announced he’d play ‘Moonlight Serenade.’ ”

  “Okay, but first let me loosen my belt. You don’t want to dance with a man who’s miserable.”

  As stars began to glitter the sky, they barefooted to a romantic selection of big-band ballads. And just like so many years before, Huck felt herself drift helplessly under the enchanted spell of soul mates. But this time it didn’t matter how deeply she showed her affection.

  This time she wasn’t engaged to another man.

  This time she was with her husband.

  Gazing into his sea-sky eyes, she kissed him. Throughout their marriage, she felt it proper for him to make the first move, but not now.

  Not tonight. Where other couples their age had selfishly drifted apart, they’d grown closer over the years, working hard to avoid the effects of The Long Division. Thanks to forgiveness and their continued desire for romance, they still treasured the time they spent alone together. “Two hearts commanding devotion,” she whispered, then kissed him again.

  “Wow,” Gabe said. “I never knew you could be this …”

  “Brave?” Huck laughed. “Want to see how brave?”

  The DJ’s melodic voice carried softly into the night. “And now for all you married couples out there, here’s a number that will strum the heartstrings. New on this week’s hit parade by Mr. Al Jolson: ‘The Anniversary Song.’ ”

  “It’s ‘Waves of the Danube,’ ” Huck cried. “From our wedding night. Only now there’s words.”

  “Darn that Jolson.” Gabe sat up. �
�This had better be good.”

  “Shh! I can’t hear.” She ran to Blue Norther and upped the volume as Al Jolson crooned. When the song ended, Huck switched off the radio and returned to the swing. “I can’t believe our music has words.” She kissed him a third time, more deeply than ever.

  “My own beautiful moonlight serenade,” Gabe whispered as she dove into his arms.

  With a loud snap, the swing fell to the ground.

  They burst out laughing.

  A light upstairs switched on.

  “Oh no!” Huck screamed. “We’re not alone.”

  “Who’s down there?” A gruff voice sounded as if it was directly above them, followed by a clomp of loud footsteps.

  “Quick, I’ll grab my coat and shoes. You run for the car!” The instant Gabe stood, the button on his trousers popped and they slid down around his ankles.

  “My shoe! Gabe, I’ve lost my other shoe!”

  “This is no time to play Cinderella. Leave it for Prince Charming up there!”

  Huck reached the safety of the car first as a flashlight beam shot through the darkness. She glanced back at Gabe. With arms full and britches still hugging both ankles, he moved like a panicked penguin. She laughed hysterically.

  “Scoot over behind the wheel and drive,” Gabe commanded, still ten feet from the car. “Start the engine!”

  Without bothering to stop, he tumbled headfirst over the passenger’s door. Catching his middle on the rubber window molding, his drawers pointed skyward like a white beacon.

  “Sex-crazed hooligans!” the gruff voice shouted. “How ’bout I fill your butts full of rock salt!”

  The engine roared to life and Huck tromped the accelerator, leaving the so-called Prince Charming with nothing but her missing shoe.

  The next morning, Huck and Gabe kissed good-bye at the lobby elevator. “I’ll see you tonight,” he said, then winked, before walking out the heavy front door for his nine a.m. meeting in Texas City.

  “Going up?” the elevator operator said.

  “Top floor, please.”

  As the elevator crept upward, Huck mentally replayed the events of the previous night, now a little shocked at her own boldness. Revisiting some of the haunts from their first date had made her realize all over again how much she loved Gabe. Sometimes, she felt as though she couldn’t care for him any more deeply, but with each passing day, her love continued to grow.

  As the elevator door opened, Huck had an idea. Instead of grading term papers, she’d do a little shopping. Close to the wharves in an area locals called “The Strand,” she’d noticed a women’s boutique that advertised silk negligees from Paris. Since last night had turned out differently than planned, she’d play it safe and surprise Gabe with a little something that evening in their own hotel room.

  An hour later, Huck stepped out of a cab and joined the eager bustle of Galveston’s historic commercial district. She checked her watch. Nine o’clock sharp. But instead of business as usual, people were stopped along the sidewalk, entranced by a giant orange smoke plume rising across the bay at Texas City.

  Huck started to ask about the beautiful color when the plume suddenly exploded, mushrooming into a thick black cloud. The sidewalk swayed beneath her feet, throwing her down onto the hard concrete. People screamed as glass storefronts shattered. Huck tried to stand but was slammed down again as an aftershock rocked the ground.

  Dazed, she sat up as even more glass and debris rained down. Billowing darkness covered the sky, suffocating the sunlight. Blood dripped from her forehead.

  “Texas City’s gone!” someone yelled. “Been blown off the map!”

  Sirens blared as a battalion of emergency vehicles sped past from out of nowhere.

  “Oh Gabe! No!” Huck cried. She finally managed to stand, but her head reeled, the dizziness causing her to lose balance. Breaking the fall with her hands, both palms landed against razor shards, but she felt no pain.

  A series of smaller explosions popped across the bay like a string of firecrackers, the rolling blackness now fueled by an inferno of towering flames. “Gabe!” Huck pleaded. “Oh please God, no. Help me. I’ve got to find him.”

  Struggling to her feet, she stumbled past several people with blank expressions. “Please help me,” Huck begged anyone who would listen, but it was as if she had entered a world of zombies.

  Another siren wailed as an ambulance appeared half a block away. Huck ran out into the street and waved her arms as blood dripped from her injured palms. The ambulance tried to go around her, but she blocked its path with her body. It swerved and screeched to a stop.

  “Lady? Are you insane?” the driver called, leaning his head out of the window. “Move out of the way.”

  “My husband. Please help.”

  “I said move out of the way!” The engine revved and the ambulance inched forward.

  “No. You can’t leave me here.” Huck pressed her bleeding hands against the hood. “My husband needs me.” Reaching down, she then picked up a long shard and clenched it like a knife. After climbing onto the hood, she crawled to the windshield and glared at the driver.

  “Get down from there,” he demanded.

  “Not until you take me to my husband.” She raised the shard. “Take me or I’ll use this on myself.”

  “Danged crazy lady.”

  Huck pressed the point against her wrist.

  “Lady, don’t. Please.”

  Focusing on her target, she reared back the shard and closed her eyes.

  “Okay!” the driver yelled. “Where is he?”

  “Texas City.” Huck flung the shard onto the street. “Monsanto Chemical Company.”

  “That’s where we’re headed.” The driver shook his head. “I shouldn’t do this, but lady … you got guts. Get in.”

  An orderly jumped out the rear door and helped Huck inside.

  “Patch her up,” the driver said. “I guess she’s coming with us.”

  Fortunately, Huck’s wounds were not serious and didn’t require stitches. But with so many emergency vehicles clogging the road, the trip took longer than expected. In the distance, she could see a huge steel barge that had washed up on dry land.

  “Please tell me what happened,” Huck asked the driver, after crawling into the front seat. “It will help me find my husband.”

  “All we know, ma’am, is that a ship docked in the industrial slip exploded, along with some nearby oil storage tanks. The shock waves knocked two light planes right out of the sky. Before we left Galveston, there was a report that a fifteen-foot wall of water had rolled over the town.”

  “What about Monsanto? My husband is with another company but had a nine o’clock appointment.”

  “Haven’t heard a word about it, ma’am.” His voice trembled. “Truth is, got an older sister who works there that looks kinda like you and … Just haven’t heard.”

  When they reached the outskirts of Texas City, Huck could see fires burning everywhere. Groups of people covered with a thick coating of oily soot walked aimlessly about. After they were waved through a police barricade, the destruction worsened. Some homes had been literally blown apart by the force of the explosions. Others looked as if they’d been shredded by tons of flying debris.

  A little farther on, a county deputy stood at the entrance to the business district. He held up his hand, instructing them to stop.

  “All ambulances to the city auditorium,” he called. “That’s where they’re holding the seriously wounded.”

  “What about Monsanto?” the driver asked.

  “Might as well have been ground zero. State troopers and military personnel are still pulling out bodies. But it’s off-limits to you sad wagons. Still too dangerous.”

  The driver nodded, then cocked his head toward Huck and the orderly. “Hold on!” With a squeal of tires, he sped past the deputy and headed toward Monsanto. “We’ll find your husband, ma’am. And my sister.”

  Too upset to answer, Huck could only nod.

/>   Much of the business district had been reduced to rubble. As best she could tell, ground zero was about a mile away, still engulfed in flames. When they reached the massive parking lots of the industrial area, they saw hundreds of cars slung into twisted piles of rubber and steel. A flatbed military truck passed, piled high with bodies, the stench of burned flesh almost more than Huck could bear. She gagged.

  The driver coughed. “That’s the Monsanto complex up ahead on the right, still burning. What does your husband drive?”

  “A blue Oldsmobile convertible. New.”

  “I know you said he was in a meeting, but maybe he was late.”

  “He’s never late.”

  “Just the same, I’ll keep my eye out.” He stuck his hand out of the window. “Pretty hot out there. Don’t know how much closer we can get without protective gear.”

  They detoured around the roofless hulk of a large blue vehicle.

  At the sight of it, Huck’s head spun. Was that Blue Norther? Could Gabe be somewhere close? “I think that’s our car!” Huck screamed. She tried to open the door, but the driver grabbed her arm. “What are you doing? Let go of me!”

  The ambulance skidded to a stop. “You’re gonna get yourself killed and us too!” he yelled, then backed off. “Unless your husband drives a delivery truck, it’s not him.”

  The next quarter of a mile was slow going. Huge hunks of steel stuck out of the ground like jagged meteors. Some cars were still burning. Others sat smoldering in giant puddles of oily seawater like wads of crumpled tinfoil. An icy sweat beaded across Huck’s shoulder blades and slid down her back, chilling her entire body. The doom was closing in on her. She began to shake uncontrollably.

  Up ahead, an army Jeep had stopped amid the destruction. A soldier dressed in green fatigues stood at the rear holding a two-way radio. The ambulance driver pulled up alongside. “Can you tell us anything about Monsanto?”

  “See that empty flatbed?” he said dryly, then gestured to the right. Thirty yards away sat a truck like the one they’d passed hauling bodies. “The corpses about to be loaded are all folks who were inside Monsanto. It’s too late for an ambulance.” Without another word, the soldier climbed in the Jeep and drove away.