Ellen

Ellen and I moved to this subdivision somewhat more than a few years ago. It’s been long enough that we’ve seen families come, kids grow, families move away. Except our neighbors just to the south of us. That would be Elmer and Janine.

Elmer and Janine became great friends of ours over time.

Childless like us, we’d spend most Friday evenings barbecuing and playing gin rummy for pennies. Occasionally, we’d go camping up in the mountains across the valley together just for something to break up the routine. It gave Elmer and me an opportunity to show off our mostly-forgotten Boy Scout skills. Certainly not professionals, we kept Janine and Ellen in stitches over our outdoor “skills.”

Elmer and I both worked at the machine shop in town.It was a big deal with CNC machines, noise neutralizing technology so we didn’t have to wear hearing protection, state-of-the-art ventilation systems for the welding bays. Old man Caid had all that stuff in place long before the union or OSHA made a big deal about it.

We had contracts all over the place. We’d meet senators and governors and other big shots all the time. I especially liked the fancy lunches the bosses shared with us when the VIPs showed up.

That was a great job.

Ellen and Janine would go shopping in the big city every month or so. About a two-hour drive away, they’d make it a full day of it. I always delighted in Ellen’s ever-so-proud presentation of her new treasures when she got home.

I retired a few years back and Ellen and I spent a fair amount of time traveling around the country. There’s enough to see here in North America and Mexico, so we never felt the urge to travel anywhere our little Minnie Winnie couldn’t get us to.

I spend most of my time at home now. Ellen and Janine both went to Heaven in the same month, leaving Elmer and me on our own. That sucked. Both because they were gone and now Elmer and I didn’t have anybody to show off in front of who would at least pretend to be impressed.

Today there’s a typical mid-December Sonoran Desert sunrise; gorgeous, chilly! Nary a cloud in the sky nor a hint of impending moisture. I’m in my front yard, enjoying the morning, admiring the range of colors as the sun rises.

“Joe, what the heck are you doing standing out in the rain?” Elmer’s shout surprised me.

“Hey, Elmer, you’ve been gone awhile. It’s great to see you! How’re ya doin’? When did you get home?”

“Thanks. I got here last night just before the storm hit.”

“Huh, that’s funny. I was outside when the storm blew in and I didn’t see you drive up. Being next door and standing outside, I’m pretty sure I would have noticed you turning into your driveway.”

“Well, Joe, I won’t speak to that. When I got here, monster raindrops tried to beat me. I barely got sheltered before buckets started emptying onto our yards. Where were you standing?”

“Right here where I’m standing now. And, Elmer, it’s not so sunshine-y that you need that umbrella. It’s December, not July.”

“Joe, are you kidding me? It’s raining! Why don’t you have your umbrella?” Elmer responded.

“Because it’s not raining, Elmer,” He obviously wasn’t doing well, so I was very patient with him.

“Elmer, did you have too much to drink last night? Did you take that weird sleeping medicine again? You remember what happened last time you took that medicine and had a drink. You drove all the way to Houston on a workday. That was kind of funny when I had to go to HR and tell them you never did that kind of thing before.

“Just because we live next door to each other, everyone thought we kept close tabs on each other.”

“Joe, we did. Remember those Friday night barbecues? We used to take turns doing the grilling.

And the competitions! Boy, those were fun! You’d grill up kebabs one week, then the next week I’d grill better ones. Then, I’d grill steaks to perfection and the next week you’d figure out a way to grill tastier steaks.

“I miss those days sometimes.”

“Elmer, I’m starting to worry about you! It’s barely past dawn now. Are you alright? You’re talking kind of funny. Did you drink some scotch already?”

“No, Joe. I haven’t had anything to drink. Heck, not even coffee!”

“That’s what’s wrong with you, Elmer! You’ve been acting and talking funny ever since you came out. You haven’t had your coffee yet!”

“No, that’s not it. I’ve got some news for you, Joe.

“I need you to think about last night. Do you remember that full moon that looked like a spotlight from Heaven?”

“Well, yeah, how could I forget such a beauty? Why do you ask? You obviously saw it and you know how pretty it was.” Boy, Elmer was acting funny!

“Do you remember how the clouds wafted in from the south about eight-thirty and blocked out the moon? Do you remember the first rain drops slapping onto your driveway? Do you remember the euphoria you felt as the weather shifted from moonlit to stormy?”

“Of course I remember, Elmer. I stood right here when that warm creosote bush smell blew in. I love that smell. Did you smell it last night when you got home? Or did you miss it because it was already raining too hard?”

“I smelled it as I came down to the house to be close to you when the storm hit. It truly is a pleasant smell, Joe. I’m glad you enjoyed it all these years. You can cherish that memory forever, you know. You only have to think of it; it will then fill the air around you for as long as you want.”

Then it hit me. “Hey, wait a minute! How could you know how I felt? All these years, I don’t ever remember you reading my mind or knowing how I felt about something. Unless, of course, I told you. Or I made it obvious. Like that time at work when I got so mad at Leo for bullying that poor new kid! You sure knew I was mad that day. Heck, everyone knew I was mad. Especially Leo. That’s the day I learned you can get in trouble with HR for cussing.”

“As it turns out, I know a lot of what you think and feel, Joe. We knew each other for a long time.”

“Sure, we’ve known each other for a long time, Elmer! But you just said you didn’t get home until after the rain started. I know we didn’t talk about how I felt.”

“That’s true, Joe. But these are different times.

“What else do you remember about last night, Joe?”

“What do you mean, Elmer? It started raining, I went inside and now I’m out here.”

“Joe, I’m here to get you.”

“What do you mean? Where are we going?”

“Joe, come over here and stand with me a minute.”

“Okay, Elmer, but I’m just doing it to humor you. You’re acting way too weird this morning.”

Very cautiously, I moseyed over to Elmer.

“Okay, I’m here. What do you want?”

“Joe, turn around and look at where you were standing.”

“Okay, Elmer.

“Hey, this is weird! It’s raining now.

“Holy crap! I’m laying down in my yard getting wet. What did you do to me? This isn’t the least bit funny!”

“Joe, things changed for you last night right after that storm hit. You came out to enjoy the moon and started crying when the rain came. You prayed to be able to see Ellen again.

“And your heart quit.

“And you died.

“And I’m here to take you to Ellen. Hold my hand and we’ll go to Heaven together.”

At that instant, they left and the sun broke through the clouds and the rainbow was glorious.