A PREQUEL

They park the truck and walk to Commercial Street. It is warm for a Saturday in September. The town is busy. As they wander, they pass cloistered courtyards and little backyards filling the air with chatter and laughter. Someone yells out a window to a fancy queen across the way. She gives him a flash and heads off. Couples, families and kids crowd the little one-way streets. The old coastal fishing town is full. 

On Commercial Street, the smell of fried dough and suntan lotion fills the air. Campy comrades gather at crowded corners. Dogs bark at each other in the street. Sniff each other. Piss on telephone poles.

It's the kind of town where strangers feel welcomed and salty locals cherish the tide of tourists. The first time Bruce was here he was 17, when the town shared its secrets. 

Roy can’t remember the last time he was here. They cross the street and Bruce grabs Roy’s hand. The first time for them. A first for Roy anywhere. He looks down at their hands, then at Bruce and smiles.

After a couple blocks and a handful of eclectic galleries and shops, they're hungry. They find a place for take out and then a bench nearby. After eating, they linger and watch the crowd. An older couple slowly makes their way along the street while kids point to fudge shops and candy corners. Gatherings of old friends and new friends. A culture of personal histories. 

A group of women spill out of a restaurant across the street in laughter. Clouds roll in and a breeze off the harbor picks up.

They head up the street. Aimless, watching, looking. Holding hands. Roy’s caution long gone, if only for the day. 

They pass a handful of performers and the ladies look the men over. Roy gets blown a kiss and Bruce gets a wink. They blush. 

An oncoming car slowly makes its way slow through the traffic of people, pedestrians and bikes. A cyclist pedals down the street towards the car and suddenly dodges a jumping dog. A little girl sees her mother emerge from a store across the way. She yells mommy and lets go of her father’s hand. Runs into the street.

The mother screams. 

The little girl turns. The car driver panics, swerving to avoid the cyclist. Not seeing the girl yet. The father yells. In a burst Roy lunges into the street and with one arm grabs the little girl and scoops her up. The car clips Roy and he falls, failing to hold onto the little girl. Breaks screech. The car lurches to a stop. Heartbeats pound.

The crowd surrounds. A sobbing mother holds her daughter. The father helps Roy to his feet. Bleeding and banged up. 

The parents profusely thank Roy who is scraped up but fine. The mother trying to speak but crying still. The little girl is scared but okay. Roy looks around for Bruce who is still standing on the other side. Watching. His mind still catching up to what he witnessed.

Overhead an angry clap of thunder tears the sky open. It begins to pour and the crowd scatters.