Page 189 - Where the Dream Ends ebook

Ships in the Night

under the blankets until the flapping subsided. Skittishly, he
searched the cottage. He found the terrified creature in the
bathroom, tossed a towel over it and carried it to the outdoors.

* * *

The low-pitched sound of a car approaching the curve
outside Eddie’s cottage never failed to agitate him. His heart
would begin to beat faster, and as the car came closer, he would
become tense; when at last it reached the bottom of his drive-
way, he could actually sense the driver applying the brakes,
and for an instant he would imagine the car was turning in,
but then there would be a loud roar as it accelerated out of the
turn; as it faded into the distance, his breathing would slowly
return to normal.

Every car that approached held some expectation, some
hope; and every moment of silence was a disappointment. It
was a mirror of Eddie’s life since the divorce: days filled with
hope and the expectation of new and exciting things; nights
filled with longing and desire.

On this particular night, as Eddie settled himself uneasily
into the comfortable chair by the window, he was hungry with
excitement and anticipation. He tried to read, but he couldn’t
concentrate on the words. He hadn’t been with a woman since
the divorce and his expectations were overwhelming. He tried
to tell himself to calm down, not to get so worked up. Lowered
expectations, he thought.

He got up, turned on the radio and checked the time:
11:30. He turned on the light next to his desk. It cast a ghostly
shadow onto his laptop that sat, expectantly, near the window.
He went over to the bed, propped a pillow against the wall and

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