Chapter Five

“Hi, I’m not in right now, but I really want to return your call. Please leave a message after the beep, but don’t hang up! I hate hangups.”

Beep!

“Howie!” John yelled. “Howie, I know you’re there, get your lazy ass out of bed and pick up the phone!”

He paused and waited for his brother to answer.

“Well, when you get this message, call me back. I’m at the office till five. Bye.”

A few minutes later, Howie came back inside from the pool where he’d taken a morning dip. He stopped at the fridge for a bottle of water and then headed upstairs to his bedroom. He didn’t notice the flashing light on his answering machine sitting on the floor in the living room, because the lid from an open pizza box covered it.

Humming a tune, he jogged to his room, dropping his towel and swim trunks on his way to the bathroom. He stepped into the shower and turned on the water, a hot spray shooting from the nozzle.

There was still so much unpacking to do, and he wasn’t really looking forward to it. It had made him sad to leave his parent’s house, the only home he’d know for his entire life, but he realized it was time to move on, to become a big boy in the real world. So he’d moved into one of his own condos.

Hey, why not? he thought, grabbing his shampoo bottle.

He turned off the water and stepped out, grabbing a fluffy white towel from the towel rack and wrapping it around his lower waist. Then he wiped an arm across the steamed over mirror and smiled at the reflection. Turning his head from side to side, he wondered if Lori would recognize him if she saw him now.

His hair was longer, still curly, but he normally wore it pulled back into a ponytail to keep it under control. The facial hair he’d been sporting for a few years was gone, making him look younger. He debated on whether or not to chop the hair short again, like he’d had it when the group got started.

If anything, Howie knew she would know his eyes. She had always told him they were beautiful pools of brown silk.

“So soft and inviting,” she’d said once, kissing his eyelids.

He shivered at the memory.

“Ahh, the good old days,” he said, reaching for his razor.

He dressed in old jeans and a t-shirt. Barefoot, he went back downstairs and started cleaning up.

“Whoa, we were pigs last night!”

He took the glasses to the kitchen sink and then went back for the pizza boxes. He picked up one, then the other, knocking the lid against the answering machine. It started to beep at him.

“Message erased,” the monotone voice said.

“Oh crap! I had a message?”

Howie hit the play button, hoping maybe it hadn’t been deleted.

“You have no messages.”

“Dang. Wonder who called.”

He wasn’t really that concerned. If it was important, they’d call back again. He continued to clean up the living room. When he finished with that, he started digging into the boxes scattered around his house.

“Blah, blah, blah. Unpacking is no fun,” he said. “And I must be going nuts if I’m talking to myself!”

He popped a cd into the stereo, the first thing he’d unpacked, and turned it up full blast. It helped the time go by faster and gave him a steady beat to work to. Around noon, the phone rang and he turned down the cd to answer it.

“Hello?”

“D! Hey, man, you busy?”

“Hi, AJ. I’m just unpacking.”

“You know, you don’t have to do it all within three days. Take me for instance. I’ve been at this place for months now, and I still have boxes to go through.”

Howie laughed. “AJ, that’s because you’re too lazy to do it, and Amanda won’t touch your crap.”

“It’s not crap! It’s good stuff!”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Anywho,” AJ went on. “I was wondering if you’d like to catch some lunch or something. You better say yes because I’m about 20 minutes from your place.”

“Is it lunchtime already?” He looked at his watch. It read 12:08. “Sure. I can take a break from this. Where you wanna go?”

“Wherever. We can decide when I get there.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

Howie hung up and went to change clothes. AJ pulled into his driveway twenty minutes later, tires squealing and music blaring from the speakers.

“God, AJ,” Howie scolded, climbing into the truck. “There are old people who live around here.”

“Sorry, habit. So, where we heading?”

They began driving around downtown, trying to decide where to have lunch.

“We could always go to McDonalds,” Howie suggested.

"Not today. I had it yesterday.”

Howie rubbed his ears. “Excuse me?! You’re turning down the Golden Arches?”

AJ shrugged and smiled. “Yeah, I’m aiming for a real restaurant today.”

He stopped at a red light, which happened to be next to a large bank. Howie rested his arm on the open window ledge and looked out. Coming out of the bank, dressed in a long flowing blue skirt and white tank top, was a very familiar figure. He squinted, trying to make out her features. She had shoulder length, thick blond hair, and a face he saw in his dreams constantly. . .

Could it be?

He watched her walk down the steps from the bank’s entrance and turn left. He followed her with his eyes, taking in her confident posture and the way her hips swayed as she walked. Lori walked like that!

Howie half leaned out the window to get a better look just as AJ hit the gas and sped through the intersection.

“Hey!” Howie cried, ducking back inside the truck.

“What?”

“That girl! That looked like Lori!”

“What girl?”

“That, oh nevermind.” He slumped low in his seat, arms crossed.

AJ looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “You think you saw her back there?”

“I could swear it was her.”

“Want me to turn around?”

Howie thought about it, then shook his head. “No. I’m probably just seeing things.”

“Are you sure? I can do it, if you want.”

“No, it’s okay. Let’s get some food.”

“Whatever you say.”

They finally chose a restaurant and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. AJ even paid the bill.

“Dang, you must be in a good mood today,” Howie teased as they left the restaurant.

“I’m just trying to cheer up my best buddy.”

Howie was surprised. “Do I seem depressed?”

“Not exactly depressed, but sad. I’ve never seen you so down. Normally, you’re so damn happy I want to smack you upside the head.”

Howie laughed loudly. “So now what?”

“I suppose you want to get back to unpacking.”

“Well, sorta.”

AJ tore out of the parking lot and into the streets. “Well, I’m not taking you home just yet.”

“Huh?”

“We’re going furniture shopping.”

“What? Now?” Howie asked, confused. Then he added, “With you?!”

“Hey, I’ll have you know that I picked out all my own furniture,” AJ said, sounding hurt.

“I know. And it’s freakish. I don’t want stuff like that!”

“Fine. You pick the place. We can buy it now and load it in the truck to take back to your place.”

“Hmm, I guess that’s okay. As long as you don’t try to get me to buy some leopard print couch.”

“And what’s wrong with a leopard print couch?!” AJ cried.