Respite
written by: M. Enes Gençtürk
And the final nail was in. The platform was ready. Sam stood up and took a few steps back to look at his masterpiece.
“Looks perfect,” Mel said, taking a sip from his beer.
“Do you think I’ll finish it on time?” asked Sam.
“I’m here to help. So, yeah,” answered Mel.
“You just smoke and drink,” laughed Sam.
The sun was about to set, dyeing the sky hues of red. Sam turned his head, admiring the colors on the horizon. “What a beautiful evening,” he whispered. A deep breath filled his lungs with floral scents, mixed with the smell of burnt tobacco.
Mel stood there like a sculpture, staring at the wooden platform that would one day become a treehouse.
“I hope Ben will forgive me when he sees this,” smiled Sam. “He’s been asking for this thing for ages. Until he stopped. It will be a good surprise.”
Mel shook his head with a half-smile: “He’ll love it, man!”
Sam took another deep breath. “You will be here to finish this, right, Mel?”
“Do you have doubts?” Mel gave Sam an earnest grin.
Sam clutched his friend’s shoulder: “I wish I never left here in the first place. I thought moving away would solve everything but look at this. Now I’ve lost everything.”
Cough… Cough…
Mel quickly handed Sam a tissue. He didn’t know what to do. Say something? Or pretend nothing was happening. A quick “Gesundheit!” would suffice for a sneeze. But for these coughs?
It was an ordeal for them both.
“It just gets worse,” Sam grinned painfully, shoving the blood-stained tissue in his pocket.
Silence lingered as Sam stared at the soon-to-set sun.
“Scatter my ashes here.”
