A Wait

It was four in the afternoon but it was his first time outside
that day. His eyes took an extra few seconds to adjust to
the overwhelming brightness of the sun. It was no surprise
that the driveway was as hot as it was on his bare feet.
She had left him a message saying she would be there
but he didn't see her or her car anywhere. He stood on the
sidewalk with his left hand shielding his eyes. She had
 to show up. She never ran late. Five minutes passed,
nothing. He went inside, disappointed. It wasn't like her.
He cracked open a beer from the refrigerator. He sucked
down half of it in one pull. His body began to sink into
the soft cushions of the couch. Where was she? Why had
she not called? He finished the rest of the beer and sprawled
himself on the couch. Each breath rose and fell with precise
regularity. His mind went on standby. As he lost track of
the time he could have sworn he heard the doorbell.