Meteors

The shower was almost scalding hot, but she loved the way the water caressed her. It raced down her body in endless streams, warming her as she shook off the winter chill. She tilted her head and enjoyed the feel of the pulsing showerhead as the water careened off her throat. Turning around, Maggie let the water sift through her hair, those long mahogany tresses turning ever darker under the water.

The water dribbled to a stop as she stretched. Her skin was buzzing with warmth and the thick terrycloth robe felt like cashmere against her. Her hair was bundled neatly up in a matching towel, and she padded out of the bathroom in her bare feet.

'Damn the cold' she thought to herself.

She sauntered out into the living room and clicked on the light, settling in to watch the news. Her feet propped up, she barely registered the first ring of the phone.

"Hello?" The silence of alone time was shattered as her friend Dawn squealed on the other side. "Heya Maggie! Guess where I am?"

Maggie shook her head, not even bothering to glance outside. If Dawn was calling and bragging, she had to be somewhere warm. She started imagining palm trees even before Dawn squealed out, "Honolulu!"

Maggie laughed as her friend began to excitedly recount her week's activities. Dawn was her oldest friend, and a direct contrast to Maggie. Dawn was petite, and full of boundless energy; her job as a flight attendant seemed tailor-made for her. Sometimes, even talking on the phone to her seemingly wore Maggie out. She went on and on about her layover in Honolulu and the perfect water and sun. Maggie shot another look outside at the frosted windows, and silently cursed her friend.

"And so then, we went to this place, the North Shore, they call it? Ohh, god, you should see these waves they have crashing in! So huge! And all of these surfers running around, tight little bodies...oh, wow, that's right, I totally forgot..."

"Hmmm?"

"Dean McAlister said hello."

Maggie's breath caught in her throat. Why was that name so familiar? Her mind sifted through the archives...digging through all of the names she could. If the name was not that important, why did her stomach slowly roll over in an ache that she hadn't felt in quite some time?

"Dean..." Her hesitance caused Dawn to giggle uncontrollably, and she finally laughed, as she gave her the hint. "Lake Winnipeg?"

All of the memories came flooding back in a torrent, and she closed her eyes for a moment.

+++

As far back as she could remember, her family would pack up and head to Lake Winnipeg for two weeks every summer. It was an arduous journey, but well worth it when they arrived. Each day was perfect, rain or shine, the unmitigated beauty of the area only challenged by the peaceful silence they were afforded.

She and her sister would spend the days goofing off, picking the local blackberries and blueberries. She spent time with her grandfather fishing, her grandmother baking cookies and muffins, chasing her cousins around, and watching thunderstorms roll in. Each day was its own paradise.

All of the men would routinely spend their whole days fishing, and then, in the evenings, they would sit around playing cards. On more than one occasion, she sat on her grandfather's lap sipping some rye and ginger as he showed her the wicked ways of poker.

Every summer was better than the last. They had the second to last cabin on the road, and became accustomed to the silence. The last cabin was never filled during their two week stay.

That was, until her fourteenth year.

+++

Dawn's dynamic almost frustrated her. Maggie was half in her daydream, and half expecting Dawn to belt out the information she craved. "So, how is he?" Dawn, ever the story teller, brought her along slowly.

"He is good...great, actually. He lives down here, although, on Maui, he said. Owns his own little business." Maggie smiled and drifted off...

+++

The summer she was fourteen, a dancing workshop cut into her precious vacation. Her mom stayed behind, and waited until it was completed, and then drove Maggie and her sister up three days later.

That day, as they arrived, the talk was about the last cabin on the road. Slightly smaller than all the other cabins, it had never been occupied in their previous stays, but this summer was different.

An older couple with a small child had rented it for a week. They were Americans, and very nice, but quiet and kept to themselves most of the time. Near the end of their stay, they were invited over for a cookout by Maggie's grandfather. The couple were older, in their fifties, with one son who was eleven. It didn't take long for him to fit in, running around with the other kids.

+++

"So, what? You just going to tease me all night?" Dawn just giggled away. "Oh, and I suppose you have his number, right?" Dawn just giggled again, and Maggie knew she did.

"Why? Would you want it?" Dawn was trying to play coy, but it was becoming difficult with the giggles setting in.

"Yeah, I would...I think it would be great to say hi to him."

All Dawn did was laugh. "Yeah, say hi...right." Maggie laughed, twisting her head and burying it into the pillow.

The conversation moved onto other topics, and before she hung up the phone, Dawn just told her, "Don't worry. I will keep your gorgeous friend company until you show. Expect an email soon." The line went dead, and just like that, Maggie was left to sit there with her memories.

+++

Every summer since, she would spend her time hanging out with Dean. She came to discover that they were born just two days apart...and that though he was three years younger, he was only two years behind, having skipped second grade.

He would spend every morning fishing with his dad, and then invariably find Maggie. Her older sister would have nothing to do with the younger boy, so it would just be Maggie and Dean, and occasionally one of her other cousins.

They quickly became good friends, eventually trading addresses and keeping in touch as penpals. She didn't see his age as an issue. Even as she went through high school, she came to love the two weeks where she would hang out with Dean and just shoot the breeze.

+++

Monday morning, after teaching her first dance class of the day, Maggie went into her office. The administrative part of her job wasn't the most fun, but a necessary evil. She logged on, and checked her email.

The standard work-related emails were there, in addition to one from Dawn. She smiled to herself as she opened it. In typical Dawn fashion, it was straight and to the point.

'Here you go...hope you have fun!'

Below, Dean's contact information was listed. Email. A website. Telephone numbers.

Bringing up a browser, she typed in the URL for the website in the email. The browser returned an informational site, much to her surprise. IT consultants. She pursed her lips, then did a search on the web for the name of the company. A little more information was revealed.

The company he founded donated heavily to different charities in the area, and his name had been prominently mentioned in a couple of articles. She took her time reading, a slow smile languishing across her lips as she read about her old friend.

She glanced at the clock on the PC and then checked the time zones. He was four hours behind her...so...it was only 6:30am there. She then checked her schedule. She had another dance class at 11am, then some quiet time for lunch and her administrative duties. Then another class at 1:30pm.

"Noon." It came out as a whisper. As if she had to tell herself to call him. She almost blushed as she went out to the foyer to meet the next group of students.

+++

When she graduated high school, like many of her friends, she wanted to get out and experience life on her own. And she put those vacations to the lake on hold. After her freshman year, she and Dawn spent the summer following a band around Canada. She wasn't able to make it to the family cabin. The following year, she broke her foot at a party just a week before her family was to leave for the lake, and missed that vacation as well.

Her mother would perpetually brag about the fun times they had, and Maggie would always hint around, asking about Dean. Her mother would coyly play along, talking about how great he looked or about how much his mother was bragging about him.

Maggie finally made it up to the lake after her junior year. She had dragged Dawn with her, as the two of them would have to leave early for a shopping expedition to Montreal they had planned all winter. That flitted right out of her mind when she saw Dean. The fifteen year-old boy that she had once known had grown about four inches over the past three years and added roughly fifty pounds. His blue eyes had magnified, growing a deep shade of sapphire, and his first year of college had not treated him poorly, to say the least.

Despite the obvious physical attraction the two shared, they kept it rather simple, just enjoying their usual late evening talks. Dawn would join them, and the three would sit around the small campfire in front of her grandfather's cabin, content to pass the time drinking and talking about anything.

At the end of that vacation, addresses were again swapped, and they went their separate ways.

+++

She had just finished her second class, and spent a couple of minutes sitting at her desk. Her eyes were glued to the clock. Almost noon...meaning it was 8 am there. She froze reaching for the phone. How long had it been? Twelve years? She hesitated, wondering if he would even remember her. Even the thought of picking up the phone left her skin buzzing. Sure, it was only one night, but...

As the phone rang, she actually began to hold her breath.

"Hello, Syllagistics...Monique speaking, how may I direct your call?"

Maggie's voice didn't fail her. "Dean McAlister please?"

"Sure, please hold."

The hold music was a light bouncy new-age mix. She almost giggled, listening to it. It took less than a minute, and she heard the telltale sign of the phone clicking as he picked it up.

"This is Dean, can I help you?"

Her voice did fail. His voice hadn't changed at all. Twelve years hadn't made a dent in anything, as she heard. She covered the handset, and took a deep breath.

"Is anyone there? Can I help you?"

Finally, her voiced cracked. "Hey...Dean. It's me, Maggie...Maggie Rainey." She rolled her eyes at her own voice...it sounded so far away. So distant. And she imagined him sitting there, rolling through a mental Rolodex of women, both business and pleasure, trying to put a name with a face. So, she almost choked at his response.

"Wow...heya Maggie. God, it has been a long time. How are you, your parents?" And with that...that coy chuckle of his, his way of always making her feel normal, she finally stopped sweating.

"Oh, everyone is fine...great really. What about you? I heard about your parents...I am so sorry."

"Thanks, well, it happens. I am ok. I mean, in the general scheme of things, life is pretty damn idyllic."

"Well, that's good."

"So, I suppose you thought of me when Dawn talked to you?"

A furious blush flared over her cheeks, and she feigned a cough to keep from giggling into the phone.

"She did give me some information. Would you like to catch up? Do you have some time right now?"

"I want to, I would love to, actually, but our day just started here. How about you give me your home number, and I can call you when I get out of here...?"

She smiled softly to herself, as she gave him her number. They made tentative plans to talk later that night and she hung up, reveling in the fact that her skin was still buzzing. She almost bounced out of her seat as she left for lunch.

+++

The day ended pretty normally. She dropped some bills off at the post office and drove through the snow back home. She lived in an artsy area downtown and was lucky to have found a little townhouse with a garage. The tail ends of her days varied, but despite the obvious aerobic activity necessitated by her workday, she always liked to get a simple treadmill workout in while watching TV. Then, a light dinner followed by a soak in the tub always left her in the perfect state for sleeping.

Tonight would be different. She still went through the workout, but kept it short, and ate a quick dinner before she slipped into a scalding hot tub with a glass of wine.

It didn't take long for that night to come flooding back to her.

+++

After her senior year, her and Dawn had planned a perfect trip through Europe. Flying to London, then backpacking all the way to Greece, staying at hostels, just soaking up the experience. They were due to leave just a week after graduation. The only conflict was her family's annual trip. Her mother begged her to come, at least for a day to say farewell to everyone. She argued that, given her short time for getting ready, she couldn't possibly come. But, in the end, she finally relented. She would show and spend one night, and then take off for her trip.

She and Dawn had driven up that morning and spent the entire day tolerating the "college grad" jokes that her family had just presented to her sister just the previous year. Dawn had to laugh along with her, as her entire family just spent hours razzing her about the real world.

After dinner, her entire family settled back into their normal evening fun time. Maggie watched as a small campfire was built in the picnic area behind the cabin. Reclining back into her chair and just watching the sun lay against the water reminded her just how much she enjoyed her family. She had always cherished these times, as the smell of the smoke lingered about. The men were already playing cards, laughing and smoking cigars. The women were closer to the fire, using it to ward off the night chill.

Dawn was already nodding off so she guided her into the cabin and downstairs to the small bedroom where her and her sister spent so many summers. After getting Dawn situated, Maggie laid down, pulling the cover up over her body, and tried to fall asleep.

It was the clock that had done her in. The old fashioned wind up alarm clock, with its rhythmic pulse, finally made her rise. She quietly cursed the fact she had been trying to sleep for thirty minutes. She stretched out and glanced outside.

The glow from the embers that remained of the campfire outlined a couple of silhouettes. Most likely a few men still playing cards. She shifted, rummaging through her backpack, to pull out a jogging bra and some sweat shorts, changing quickly. She stretched out in the small room and quietly made her way upstairs and out the front door.

Stepping outside at 11pm she inhaled the cool night air, filling her lungs as her feet slowly and methodically pounded the gravel road. The ease of running was a byproduct of her dancing and helped to soothe her.

She was used to running about three miles, so when she hit the end of the peninsula, she knew she was only at one mile. Not losing one step, she turned and jogged down the shoulder of the road towards the little store that was another mile away.

Another advantage of running at night was the silence. The trees swayed in the air, the moon perfectly framing anything it cast its luminance towards. The paved road she was running had an odd glow to it, and her feet never faltered, as she continued on towards the store.

Reaching the store, she made a wide turn and doubled back. As she neared the road for the peninsula, she was already sweating, and huffing. She was at her three mile mark at this moment, and had one more mile to go.

Her muscles were already protesting, yet she ground forward. Turning that final corner near her grandfather's cabin, she padded to a trot and easily slowed to a walk. Her body was heaving as her lungs clawed for air. She walked past the cabin, her arms resting atop her head, stretching her torso out, opening her lungs as much as she could.

Dean popped into her mind as she walked towards the cabin he and his family stayed in. She knew he would be up early to fish, and her brow furrowed. She had really wanted to see him. She was about to turn and walk back, when she heard it.

It was only a cough, but it was definitely a human sound, and she froze right away. The moonlight didn't allow her to see anyone, but the dock attached to Dean's cabin bobbed softly and she saw a small cloud of smoke dissipating in the air. She walked furtively towards the dock, and was relieved to find Dean sitting there, staring out in space.

The dock gently shifted beneath her feet as she strode down the planks, to walk around him and take a chair.

Dean casually turned towards her, his smile mellow. "Heya gorgeous...how are you?"

She reclined into the chair and glanced at him. He was wearing an old pair of cargo shorts and a heavy sweatshirt. He looked very relaxed, and had a beer resting in his hand. "Just fine...I take it your sophomore year was good?"

He nodded, his eyes still searching for something in the night sky. She glanced out, seeing the stars, the blackness, and not much else.

"School was good. Just a hammering blend of classes, sports, and fun..." His voice trailed off, and he shifted in his seat. "You need something to drink?"

She nodded, and she heard him chuckle as he got up. "If you want..." he said with a wink, and set something on the armrest of his chair. She giggled softly she recognized the dugout immediately and reached for it. The dock swayed under his footsteps as he retreated to the cabin.

The bat was already loaded up and she flicked the lighter and proceeded to take a long, slow drag. The smoke was mild, but her head immediately began to swim. She reclined against the chair and exhaled, watching the smoke rise and fade against the light of the moon. Another flame, and one more long toke, and she twisted to lay the dugout back on the armrest. Her skin was already buzzing, and she slumped back again, trying to ward off the impending giggles that would strike when she got stoned.

A quick flash of light seared to the left of her and she jumped, her eyes trying to train themselves on what it might have been. A search of the night sky revealed nothing, and her brain was racing, when the dock shifted beneath her. Dean deposited himself into his chair and held out a bottle of beer. She uneasily took it as her eyes kept a close lookout.

"Anything wrong?"

She giggled, "I just saw something, I guess it freaked me out."

He chuckled, his eyes scanning the sky again. "A meteor, sweets. You probably saw a meteor."

She exploded into a gale of giggles, blushing quite furiously as she did. "Ohh, thank god! I didn't think I was 'that' stoned so quickly..."

"What, did you think I was out here just staring at nothing?"

She took a sip and reclined, giggling the entire time. The two of them spent the next ten minutes silently watching the sky. On more than one occasion, she would catch movement on her left and glance over, only to find him looking at her. The coy stares were fun, but she shivered as the night breeze slipped over her skin. He must have noticed, because for no reason he rose and stripped his sweatshirt off.

"Here you go...I won't have you catching a cold on my watch."

She smiled softly and wanted to argue until her eyes took in his body. After four years of college herself, she was used to guys with good, hard bodies. So, it always took something more to attract her. She liked guys that were artistic and smart. She had never really been attracted to jocks, because they were usually jerks. With Dean it was the opposite...she met him when younger, and their friendship was already solid. She knew he was an intellectual, despite his athletic scholarship. So, as he placed his sweatshirt in her lap, she was stuck looking at a body that had been chiseled into a something too perfect for words. Her mind flashed on a comparison to Michelangelo's 'David' as she drank in his beautifully sculpted form.