sunrise, sunset
The day begins with an admission: “I’m depressed.”
With the tone set, the couple heads out for their morning walk.
It’s overcast and there’s a chill in the air. Summer’s not over, but the leaves are changing, and the temperature is trying desperately to keep up.
They decide to walk the hilliest part first. It’s risky since there’s no sidewalk and the speed limit is 50 mph. They’ve avoided this route for several months.
But for some reason today it seems palatable.
The cows stare as they walk by. Meanwhile, the chickens are laser focused on the ground in front of them. They are oblivious to the humans strolling by.
A car passes and the driver waves. The walkers wave back. Another passes with the same result.
Then more appear. They come in spurts, two or three at a time. Cars and trucks of all sizes, shapes and colors. Probably on their way to work or dropping the kids off at school.
But everyone is friendly. They all wave. Even the kid hanging off the end of the trash truck.
The neighborhood welder is busy working on a bobcat sitting on a utility trailer. One of the walkers wonders what’s being welded, while his spouse couldn’t care less. In fact, it doesn’t even cross her mind.
Both are knee deep in their own thoughts. One already confessed to being depressed just minutes earlier. The other made the same admission yesterday.
But it’s all good. Sometimes that’s the way it is. Gotta just power through.
They dodge the remains of a snake in the street.
A copperhead.
They briefly reflect on the time they found a pregnant snake in the backyard. But they don’t dwell on the memory for long. Better to be melancholy than creeped out.
More cars and trucks pass by. There is a lot of waving going on.
It’s as if the drivers know the walkers need encouragement.
A dog stands on its hind legs against a fence to get a better look at the humans. It barks a few times and then watches diligently until they disappear around a corner.
A hill lies ahead. Neither is looking forward to scaling it, but they do it without complaining.
One of the walkers notices how quiet it is considering it’s rush hour. The other agrees.
As it turns out, it’s rush hour for everyone except them.
They find a dead hawk lying on the side of the road. It’s beautiful so they take a picture of it.
When they get back home, they take their places on the couch. He in his place and she in hers.
They are basking in the sunlight of the overcast start to the day. The melancholy is still there, but now it feels tolerable.
After a few minutes he decides to run a quick errand. It can’t wait. He retraces their steps in the couple’s truck and pulls to a stop. He turns on the flashers, gets out and walks to the side of the road.
The dead hawk is still there. He puts on disposable plastic gloves, picks the bird up and drops it in a garbage bag.
In a few days, if it doesn’t stinketh, he will show it to his grandson.
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