43 - Happy Birthday

43 - Happy Birthday

James

I stared at the night lights of the small town that had become my home for the past couple of years. It wasn’t covered in snow anymore and winter’s harsh wind had turned to soft, cooling breeze in the evening. I trailed my finger on the glass, reminiscing about the time I had Mia pinned against it and made her come over and over again until she slumped in my arms, smiling at me with such a raw, giddy expression that I had taken her again on the floor.

My throat tightened and I downed the whiskey, relishing in the sharp burn it offered. I deserved more than just that burn. I looked around the empty house and yanked my tie away, hating each breath I took. I paused on my way to glare at my drafting table scattered with blueprints and the design of new hospital in New York.

Images of Eden, ex-dean of Saint Helena, flashed in my head. The numb, poker face of the freshmen who averted the cop’s gentle face when they prodded him with questions that no kid should ev