Fireflies at Midnight

THREE 3

The bed had beaten Evelyn to death as she slept last night. Her lower back was aching as she rose from the pillows, sitting up with her feet planted firmly on the carpet below. Aaron was still sleeping, snuggled up to the pillow in front of him. She saw him find the most peace when asleep. As if every worry that presented itself had washed away.

She slipped her shoes on, feet scooting against the floor as she walked down the decently long hallway. Evelyn took a few seconds just to look over the photos that hung against a wall. Most was of the family; she recognized Aaron, from a baby to his age now. He was always such a handsome kid.

There were a few pictures of his brother, Allen, too. Presumably with his wife, Kari. Evelyn had never met Kari. Everyone in the family speaks of how bossy she was. So demanding and hostile at times. But the pictures that stuck out the most were those of Eric. So many of him, most with Kathy attached to his hip.

The ones that Evelyn seemed to notice were the ones where he was younger. He looked so much like Aaron. She gave herself a moment to smile, wrapping her arms around herself. It was refreshing to see the big smiles that stretched across Eric's face. Evelyn stared deeply at each individual one, and after a bit, it made her sad.

In the photos of Eric, taken when he was maybe 25 at most, he seemed so happy. The smile was brighter, she could tell that it was genuine. His forehead had at least 4 less wrinkles on it, probably added on from stressors over the years. And the light in those distinctive blue eyes shined so much brighter.

Everything she'd noticed begged Evelyn to ask the question, 'what happened?', as if she'd get an answer. Eric didn't mind to talk, that was obvious. However, she would place money down to say he wasn't much of one to open up about himself.

She piddled along the hallway, taking her time to the kitchen ahead. Evelyn was enjoying the home, taking in every small detail she could. It was sentiment, she guessed; wanting to feel connected to the home that Aaron's parents lived in. Anything she could do to make it seem as if she had care.

In the kitchen, the coffee pot was full with hot and fresh coffee. Evelyn had never been more thankful for coffee in her life. The smell of hazelnut tickled at her nose, making her mouth water. She made herself a cup and continued out onto the porch.

It was foggy this morning. And Evelyn found herself thinking about back home. It normally was foggy during the mornings down there. If you'd asked her, it was one time she really felt the beauty of her hometown.

She sipped on the coffee, pulling a cigarette out and lighting it. Such a bad habit, but Evelyn guessed it could be worse. It could almost always be worse.

Evelyn looked around their property. She was trying her best to get a good idea of the place. It seemed so serene, so quiet. The grass was a beautiful green as well. In her brain, she thought that if she ever had to move down here, it would be okay. Evelyn wanted peace so bad she could taste it, and this was the epitome of her peace.

The screen door creaked open beside her and out walked Eric. He had a cup of coffee, steaming from the drop in temperature outside. He say down in the chair beside her, propping his feet up and looking around.

"Beautiful up here, ain't it?" He said.

"It really is. Very peaceful." Evelyn took a sip of coffee, looking over at the older man. He smiled, and Evelyn was convinced that there was always a smile on his face at that point.

"Kathy and I moved here not too long ago. I wanted something away from people, from towns." Evelyn could understand that, she wasn't much on people either. Some could be cruel, some could be nice. But the older she got the more that she realized most of the nice ones were only nice in situations.