Coping

Coping


Under the moonlit sky on a cloudy night with everything to gain, a single firework pierced the cityscape. Split by a line of smoke, the city reflected its fractured nature. As the firework erupted into its rainbow glory, Matt let go of the curtain in his fifteenth story apartment downtown, and he reflected upon his own fractured soul and recalled old memories.


“Daddy, Daddy, watch me!” Matt’s daughter cried out to him.

If there was fire in the park that day, it would have cooled the place down. Middle of July and Grace wanted to play on monkey bars. She climbed on the structure and grabbed onto the bars above her head. She swung once, twice and leaped across the bars, skipping every other bar, in one fluid motion.

“See, Daddy, I can skip bars now!”

“Yeah, sweetheart,” Matt picked up his daughter and sat her on his lap, “your arms are getting so long, we might have to stretch your body to make up for it!”

“Nuh-uh!” she retorted. The father and daughter got side cramps from laughing so hard.

“Go play a little more, Grace, you have five more minutes. Don’t waste a second,” Matt grinned at his daughter and nudged her on her way. Grace bounded over to the swings. Matt had to use the restroom. He quickly used the Sani-hut at the park. He exited the small, blue repository while he finished zipping up his jeans. When Matt looked up, the swing was moving with no one left on the strap.


Before the curtain had finished rustling and settled, Matt had glass in his mouth and a torch lighter in his hand. He mumbled, “This will be the best year of all.” Matt lit the lighter beneath the glass and inhaled the city’s best.