Broken

Alex awoke to a disturbing silence. Some layer of sound that always seemed mixed in with the vibrant sounds of the early morning was missing. The birds were still chirping happily outside the window, the muffled wet sounds of the cat taking a morning bath could just be heard from her favorite spot in the next room and the distant beeping of a garbage truck in reverse could be heard from the alley but something was missing. He could not put his finger on just what was bothering him so he forced himself to sit up and stretch. His fiancé rolled over in the bed next to him and let out a small sigh. As he stood up and put on his slippers Alex made every effort not to disturb her further. He threw his robe on as quietly as he could and made his way to the bathroom. He could not help but catch a glance of himself in the mirror as he grabbed his toothbrush and the deep bags around his eyes immediately gave him an insatiable craving for a steaming hot cup of strong black coffee.
Alex had always been an early riser so it was no surprise to him as he moved through the living room on his way to the kitchen that he had awoken just as the blood orange colored sun began to poke its head over the row of houses across the street and pour its comforting warmth across the couch but still he could tell that something missing had woken him. He had little time to dwell on it as the cat hoped down off her perch on the fireplace mantle, did a seemingly impossible stretch and came over to him demanding her breakfast.
“Ya ya Gloria come on. When have I ever forgotten?” Alex knew the question was irrelevant but he asked it anyway. He had to continue his walk around the stairs to the kitchen while dodging the cat as she snaked her way between his legs almost as though she wanted him to fall flat on his face. Cats sure could be annoying but for some reason he still loved little Gloria to death.
As he entered the kitchen Alex felt the familiar and unfortunate sensation of cold water soaking into his slippers. He looked down to see a puddle of water running all the way from the freezer beneath the refrigerator. Immediately it hit him that what was missing was the familiar mechanical thrum of the refrigerators compressor. He swore quietly under his breath and threw his slippers onto the dry floor behind him.
“Oh Gloria what am I going to do with you?” Alex said as he rolled up his pajama pants, assuming that the cat had gotten behind the refrigerator again and unplugged it.
Alex began to wade into the shallow cold swamp that was his kitchen and made his way around the island stove top to the refrigerator in its little niche in the corner. The cat tried to follow but upon reaching the water began walking backward and shaking its wet front paws in disgust. The cat looked up at Alex in disgust as though this whole ordeal was his fault. All Alex could do was laugh to himself. As he reached the refrigerator Alex grabbed it on both sides and began to walk it away from the wall. He tried hard not to be loud but it was difficult not to cause some creaking in the floor boards and he hoped with every fiber of his being that his fiancé would not wake.
Once it was far enough away from the wall Alex peered back behind the refrigerator and to his chagrin noticed that it was still plugged in. He opened the door and sure enough the light came on, he checked to make sure the dial had not been moved to a higher temperature. It had not and so he decided to unplug the refrigerator and plug it back in just for good measure, although this act had never actually helped in the past it seemed therapeutic. Alex just put his head in his hands and sighed, today of all days the refrigerator had broken.
Today was the one year anniversary of his engagement to his fiancé as well as the third of July and exactly one month to the set date for the wedding. In order to celebrate the fourth of July, the engagement and relieve some of the stress for the upcoming wedding Alex had planned breakfast in bed, a romantic lunch at his fiancé’s favorite restaurant along the beach and a grill out with all of their friends in the evening. This meant that the fridge and freezer were packed to the gills with pastries, ice-cream, potato salad, deviled eggs, coleslaw, sandwiches and all of the raw meat and beer anyone could ask for.
Alex knew he had to act fast and immediately headed out to the garage. On his way out the back door Alex stubbed his toe on the concrete step down to the sidewalk. He swore allowed and began to hop around on one foot. He could never believe how much stubbing ones toe could hurt. He hobbled the rest of the way to the garage and threw the door open. He walked over to the cooler, grabbed it and almost slipped on an oil slick in his haste. Alex took a deep breath and headed back into the kitchen.
As he set the cooler down Alex allowed himself to be momentarily amused by the ripples that spread out across his kitchen floor and bounced off at all sorts of interesting angles from the island and all the walls in the room. He then began to pack all of the things that could spoil most easily into the cooler, starting with the raw meat. Alex then opened the freezer to see the water still dripping out of the numerous bags of ice he had purchased for tonight. Alex brought over the trashcan and threw the now empty plastic bags in and then returned to the freezer. To Alex’s delight the blue freezer packs were still fairly cold and he threw them in with all of the food already in the cooler.
Alex closed the lid but it would not seal, he had to open and reorganize the cooler which felt like it took an eternity. Once the lid was finally sealed Alex moved the cooler out of the water and ran up to the linen closet to grab as many towels as he could carry. As soon as he had sopped up all the water from the floor Alex scurried into the laundry room and threw the sopping wet towels into the dryer. As he did so Gloria was once again attacking his ankles and meowing bloody murder.
“I know I know,” Alex said in a harsh whisper. “I have been a bit busy if you have not noticed.”
The cat just stared up at him with a mixture of confusion and expectancy. Alex strode over to the fridge and reached in to grab the open tin of cat food. To his utter dismay he realized that had been one of the first things he had packed into the cooler. Alex hit his head softly against the refrigerator door and went to the cupboard for a fresh can of Natures Finest cat food.
“I guess today is your lucky day there cat,” Alex said as he dumped the whole can of food into the cats bowl.
The cat stared up at him wide eyed and then began to eye and sniff the food suspiciously, after a few moment Gloria lifted her head and meowed with derision.
“Oh you have to be kidding!” Alex grabbed a spoon and scraped half of the food out of the bowl and back into the can. Immediately the cat began to purr and eat happily out of her bowl.
Alex walked over to the refrigerator and walked it out as far away from the wall as he dared. We then clambered behind it and began to investigate. He was no mechanic but his father was quite the handyman and had shown him many of the tricks to the trade. It took Alex only about ten minutes to figure out that the compressor was the defective part.
Alex wrote the part number down on a piece of paper and decided he would make breakfast and then run out to get a replacement part before lunch. As he walked over to the counter to start making coffee Alex noticed the time. It was seven fifty, the hardware store opened at eight and Alex knew that his fiancé usually was not up until at least eight thirty or nine on the weekend so he decided he would quickly run to the hardware store now and it would be like the refrigerator was never broken.
As he was walking out the door Alex quickly scrawled a note to his fiancé just in case she woke up before he got back. Dear Lisa, I am sorry if you did not awake to an omelet and fresh coffee this morning but the compressor on the refrigerator failed last night and I ran out to get a replacement. Love, Alex
On his way out to the car Alex realized what a beautiful day it was. The sun had risen just high enough to light the entire sky which for the moment was cloudless and crystal blue. The pleasant heavy smells of dew, fresh earth and cut grass filled the nostrils.
Alex started his royal blue Mazda roadster and began the familiar drive to Mr. Hansen’s Hardware. Alex had been fond of the little store ever since his summer job there in his youth. As he parked across the street Alex could see old Mr. Hansen himself turning on the lights of the store. Alex took a moment to stretch as it was not yet quite eight o’clock and then got out of the car. As he crossed the street Alex laughed at how silly he must look still in his robe and slippers.
“Good morning Mr. Hansen,” Alex said as he opened the door.
“Well hello Alex,” Mr. Hansen’s expression seemed to agree with how silly Alex felt. “What can I do for you today?”
“Well I woke up to a busted fridge this morning and I was hoping that you could sell me a replacement compressor.”
“Oh, well I can do my best there Alex. You’ve got a part number for me I assume?”
“That I have,” Alex said as he passed the piece of paper with the long sequence of letters and numbers scrawled on it.
“Hmm yup that’s what I was afraid of,” Mr. Hansen Grumbled. “Ya know the refrigerator business has become a little more complex since you worked here Alex. I just can’t stock all the parts anymore, I could have one ordered for you. Probably be here Tuesday next.”
“Oh I am sorry Mr. Hansen I would really like to have it sooner than that. Can you think of anywhere that might have it in stock?”
“Oh sure the Home Depot would almost certainly have it. I would call them for you but they don’t open…”
“Till nine ya,” Alex interrupted. “Well thank you anyway Mr. Hansen I will probably just head over there later today.”
“Alright Alex, sorry I could not be of more help.”
“Oh no problem Mr. Hansen,” Alex said as he left the store and headed over to his car. He figured he would just head home, hopefully still in time to bring Lisa breakfast in bed and then head to the home depot before lunch. Alex had known this was a long shot but he still felt somewhat defeated.
When he got back home Alex was pleasantly surprised that Lisa still seemed to be in bed and so he immediately began to make Lisa’s favorite, an egg white omelet with spinach and bacon. Once the omelet was in a state that required less attention Alex put on a pot of coffee and took a trey out from the cupboards. Once the omelet was done Alex put it on the tray with an éclair, a cup of coffee, a glass of orange juice and a vase with a flower.
Alex walked into the bedroom and just stood for a second and watched Lisa sleep, he loved the way she wrinkled her nose while she slept. After what seemed like an age, not to say it was a moment he particularly wanted to end, Alex walked over and set the tray down on the bedside table.
“Good morning sleepyhead,” Alex said softly as he lightly brushed Lisa’s nose with the flower.
At that moment as if on cue Gloria hoped up on the bed and started rubbing up against Lisa’s arm and purring.
“Good morning you two,” Lisa said in a slightly groggy tone. “Is that coffee I smell?”
“Coffee and an omelet,” Alex said as he set the tray down in front of Lisa. “Happy anniversary.”
“Oh my,” Said Lisa as she began petting the cat “Did the best fiancé in the world bring you breakfast in bed too Gloria?”
“No,” Said Alex feigning shame. “I tried but I had to tend to a refrigerator problem.”
“Uh oh did somebody go play mouse tail with the chord again?” Lisa said as she shook her finger at Gloria.
“No, unfortunately not, the compressor failed. I already ran to Mr. Hansen’s but he didn’t have one in stock.”
“Oh you didn’t have to do that.”
“I know but I didn’t want to ruin our plans for today.”
“Plans?” Lisa said through a mouthful of omelet. “I thought maybe we could just stay here all day.”
Lisa’s expression and tone of voice as she gestured for Alex to join her in the bed conveyed the rest of the embedded message. Alex wanted nothing more than to stay with Lisa but he knew that the cooler was only a temporary solution to a big problem.
“I am sorry my love but the cooler won’t last until tonight. I will just run off to Home Depot and be back in no time.”
“Home Depot?” Lisa whined “That’s a half hour drive.”
“Not to worry I will be back with ample time to get us to our reservation.”
“Oohh reservation?” Lisa exclaimed through a huge smile. “Where?!”
“You will just have to wait and find out.”
Lisa made her best pouty face but Alex resisted.
“I will be back in a jiff,” Alex said as he put on jeans and a t-shirt.
The drive over to the home depot was excruciating. It felt as though Alex was hitting every street light at just the wrong time such that he had to sit there for the full red cycle. He kept checking his watch but that only made it worse and so he decided to stop. When he finally got to the small stretch on the highway the lane that he needed to be in was moving at a snail’s pace. When Alex finally got to the Home Depot it was past ten o’clock and he could already tell that shopping was not going to be easy. It was a usual Saturday in summer which meant that every do it yourselfer and their brother and sister seemed to be at the Home Depot getting something for some irrelevant home improvement project.
Alex entered the store and made a b line for the appliance department’s customer service desk. He had to wait in a five person line just there and he could only imagine what a zoo the more summer oriented departments must have been like. When he finally got to the front of the line Alex brought out his piece of paper with the part number on it and began to explain his predicament. He was immediately directed to a specific refrigeration section of the department.
After an extensive search Alex finally found the part that he needed. The lack of sense that was made by a store as organized as Home Depot astounded Alex. He quickly grabbed the box and went to the checkout. To his dismay Alex found that all of the checkout lines had at least three customers in them. Alex picked a line, which seemed to come to a grinding halt as soon he joined it, and began to tap his foot and check his watch. It was now nearly half an hour after ten and he knew he had just a little over an hour to get back home, get Lisa and get to the restaurant. He knew missing the reservation was not an option, he had had to make this reservation two weeks in advance and felt lucky to have it.
Alex sat in the line without it moving for as long as he could and finally he decided to switch lines. As soon as he did so the line he had been in began to move and the line he was in currently froze. Alex felt like screaming and changing lines again but he decided to just stick it out.
Alex felt like he could jump for joy once he made it through checkout, he all but sprinted to his car and began the drive home. He caught himself incessantly checking his watch at every red light again and tried to breathe deeply and think about how relaxing the rest of the day would be.
As he got onto the highway again he glimpsed the clock and noticed that it was past eleven. He got into the fast lane even though he knew he would need to get back over in just over a mile to get to his exit. Usually he hated people who did that but the rush to get home had taken over Alex’s better judgment. As he was about to get back into the exit lane a huge white pickup truck cut Alex off. When he caught up to the truck Alex flipped the driver the bird, again something he would usually never do.
As he pulled off the highway Alex noticed that the truck had pulled off as well. He tried his hardest not to be paranoid and convince himself that he had watched too many movies as he continued along his way. He could no longer ignore the feeling anymore after two more turns that the truck took as well. Just to be sure Alex took three right turns, the truck followed. There was no way this was a coincidence, the truck was definitely following Alex. He had heard of such episodes of road rage before and pulled out his phone to call the police but then thought better of it. As he pulled up to the next red light Alex shifted down into first and revved his engine up to the perfect amount of RPM’s for a quick start that he recalled from his younger and more reckless days. The truck’s driver obviously understood what was going on and tried to pull in front of Alex but it was too late, the light turned green and the blue roadster took off with a quick chirp of the wheels and puff of blue black smoke.
Alex flew through first and when the tachometer hit the red line he switched into second, the same for third. He knew his third gear topped out just around ninety so he was careful to keep it down to about eight thousand RPM’s. After counting to three he slammed on the brakes and waited for the speedometer to hit forty before he threw on the hand brake and whipped around a corner. A huge grin came across Alex’s face as he took one more corner normally. The whole problem of the refrigerator and running low on time had melted away in the adrenaline and Alex turned back toward home.
About three blocks from home Alex looked in his rearview mirror and to his horror saw the white truck following him once again. A small part of him had wondered if he had gone fast enough for long enough to lose the truck. Alex shifted down into second and squealed around a left turn back toward the highway. He considered just pulling over and confronting the driver out here, he would never lead him back to his house. Alex ran through the third gear and shifted to fourth, he knew he had to be doing about a hundred and a feeling of guilt came over him as he realized how grossly he was disregarding the law. Alex looked up from his tachometer and saw a kid walking his dog crossing the street less than a block in front of him.
Alex slammed on the brakes but he knew there was not enough room, he swerved out of the way just missing the dog but lost control of the car. He slammed on the brake but it was too late the car slammed into a tree with brutal force and Alex blacked out.
…

Alex awoke in the hospital with an I.V. in his arm and a brace on his knee. Lisa was sitting in the corner of the room.
“How long was I out?” Alex croaked through a dry throat.
“Oh honey your awake!” Lisa exclaimed and walked over to the side of the bed. “You have been unconscious for about three hours; you scared me half to death!”
“What happened?”
“You don’t remember?”
The drive back from the Home Depot came back to Alex in bits and pieces but he could not remember how it had concluded.
“I remember the drive back up to getting off the highway but that is about it.”
“Well apparently you swerved to avoid hitting a kid in the crosswalk and hit a tree.”
The chase with the truck and the accident came flooding back to Alex. He turned white as a sheet.
“The doctor said you were very lucky,” Lisa continued “you suffered a minor ligament tear in your knee. The police on the scene say you had to have been going at least forty at the time of impact. Why were you going so fast?”
“Just in a hurry to get home and see you I guess.” Alex lied.
“Oh honey I thought we talked about this, I thought you had stopped driving recklessly.”
The truth was Alex had never been so reckless off of the track but he decided not to start an argument.
“Don’t worry,” Said Alex “I have learned my lesson.”
The doctor came in and told Alex all about how he would easily make a full recovery and could go home tonight if he felt up to it. He then gave him a prescription for some pain medicine that he could pick up on the way home. As he stood up and began to get used to the crutches Alex had to laugh a little to himself, all of this because of a broken refrigerator.