Every morning I see him. That same man, sitting on the bench, strumming his guitar. This morning, on my way to the station, I found him again. He sits so still, and so parallel to the previous day. What a distracting view of the sunrise. Maybe he’s not just strumming his guitar. Why would he be here every day? I suspect he’s hiding something. What it is, if it is, tortures my mind more and more. Though I believe he’s concealed some truths from me, I’m half-convinced that he’s a statue. 

He fell out of view, and my eyes shifted back to the road. I shook my head awake. The orange sun reflected off the frosty road. Its warm light complemented the soft snow. Always such a relaxing sight, especially this time of year. If it weren’t for that old man, I might still be able to enjoy this town. When I arrived at the station I came to a stop, climbed out of the truck, and began another uneventful day. 

Once again I was the only officer to arrive on time. The other three never arrive until around noon, not that they’re needed. The beige office was always cramped, except for the chief’s room. He walled himself off in the back corner. As for our area, you couldn’t fit another desk in here if you tried. It was almost the same size as my apartment in New York. Obviously nothing had been remodeled since the 70’s, not even the wallpaper. I wriggled through the primeval maze, and climbed over my desk to reach the other side. The chair gave a loud creak when I sat down. 

Before I could begin my reports from yesterday, I noticed the chief through his office window. Regrettably, I climbed back up, and walked along the desks to the other side of the room. 

“Chief Franklin? Are you busy in there?” I knocked on the door.

I heard a loud sigh. “No, Lauren, come in,” he groaned. I opened the door to a shorter, skinny man. He had a small face, combed back hair, and was dressed more like he was attending Sunday Mass than running a police force. “Is there something you’d like to discuss?” 

“Yes, Chief. I was wondering if I could talk to you about the man with the guitar… again. I believe he’s hiding something.” 

“Christ, Lauren, we’ve been over this. He’s really not that-” 

“Excuse me, Chief, but I don’t think I can ignore what I believe. I know he’s hiding something from us, and he seems very dangerous. He’s wearing shorts in the middle of March, and I know that cocaine can increase one’s body tempera-” 

“Lauren! That is enough!” he snapped. “Listen to me, okay? This man is not dangerous. In fact, not much of anything in this town is. I thought you moved here to get away from all that New York madness! Why are you trying to start it up again?” 

“Please, sir, I don’t think I can trust him. If he’s not dangerous, he sure is crazy.” 

He stood up from his chair, and almost brought the desk up with him. “Don’t say that about him! He’s a good man. Just leave him alone!” His face was red as a tomato. 

My face remained still, and I kept my gaze. “Wait, do you know him, sir?” 

“N-no, I don’t know him. Just get out of my office. If you question that man, you’re fired!” 

 I did as he asked. I walked out to find the other three officers staring at me. “Now you all show up.” Before they could reply I stormed off towards the front desk. There I found our new security guard. He hasn’t been here long, but he knows quite a bit about this town. He’s the only person in this town that ever seems to agree with me.  

“Morning, Harvey. Do you have any more news about him?” 

He leaned forward just close enough to whisper. “Yeah, but it might not be much. A friend of mine struck a fake deal with him the other day. They’re meeting at his usual bench at about noon.” 

“Meeting? Wait, do you mean he’s a dealer?” 

“If he wasn’t dealing before, he technically is now. I suggest you stake out the place and bust him in the act.”        

I felt my face start to glow. “Thank you so much, Harvey,” I squealed through a smile, ”I’ll pay you back for this, I promise!” 

“I know you will. I’ve never seen anyone this happy about potential drug abuse before, but I’m happy for you, too.” I rushed out the door, into my truck, and sped off back to the beach. This time they’ll see. Chief will have to keep me on the force. I’ll convince them all how dangerous this town really is. Get them to step up, take a stand, and give our all to protect as many as we can. 

Later that day, as the sun was setting, I spotted the old man again. I’d been in the truck for nearly the whole day, and now it’s finally worth it. He walked toward his little bench, sat down, and strummed his little guitar. “Wait, wasn’t Harvey supposed to be here?” I whispered to myself. “No matter. As long as I’m here, that’s all that matters.” After making sure he didn’t spot me, and that he was alone, I stepped out of the truck and made my way to the beach. I found him with his back turned to me, unaware of me right behind him. 

“Sir, I’m afraid I need to ask you a few questions.” I ordered. Ignoring me, he kept strumming. I was drowned out by the melody. “Sir, please put away the guitar.” After a moment of contemplation, he stopped. He still held it upright, with his fingers on the strings. Then I finally heard him speak. 

“What is it I can do for you, Lauren?” 

The raspy voice was all too familiar. Could it really be? The answer echoed in my brain. With a great deal of strength, I pushed the thought from my head. “H-Harvey?” 

“Hello!” He turned to face me, and gave a little wave. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while now.”

“But… Why are you here? What do you mean?” 

He patted the seat next to him. “Here, come sit.” I did as he asked, and he began to tune his guitar while he spoke. “Look in front of you, Lauren. What do you see?” 

“The… ocean?” I replied, confused. 

With a disappointed look, he asked “Is that all?” I nodded. “I see the best that Earth has to offer. A purple glow reflecting off the horizon. The little ghost crabs migrating across the sand. The horizon, offering a bridge between the sea and the sky. And of it all, you only paid attention to me. In any other circumstance, I might be flattered.” 

I thought about what he described. The sunset was, indeed, beautiful. But I wondered why I didn’t notice. Have I really become that distracted? “Well, I know you aren’t here because of the sunset. There’s something more, isn’t there?” 

Harvey took a deep sigh. “I joined the Navy while I was married. I thought I’d be back in a year or two. That was twenty-seven years ago last month. When I returned, I found her long dead. After that, my brother, David, took me in, gave me a job.” 

“Wait, your brother is Chief Franklin? Why didn’t he tell me?” I pleaded. Too much information flooded my head all at once. I thought I was here to win back my career. This was something I wasn’t prepared for. 

“David thought it best that you didn’t know. He knows you already look down on him, and he didn’t want you to think little of me by extension. Also, I probably shouldn’t say this, but he thought you weren’t going to be much help to the force for much longer.” 

I hung my head. “Yeah, he’s probably right, I should just go back to New York.”

“No!” he exclaimed, “Don’t you dare!” I almost jumped out of my seat. “Your problem is that you haven’t even left yet. Stop acting like you’re still there, Lauren. It’s a new town, new people, new uses for cops. You need to learn that sooner or later, or you’ll regret it.” 

I pondered that silently for a while. He didn’t say anything during that. Harvey just kept tuning his guitar. After a while he spoke up again. 

“Would you like to sit here a while longer? Sunset’s not over.” 

Though I’ve never done it before, I stayed to watch. I always thought of it akin to watching paint dry, but it felt… different, somehow. I think that was the day I finally started to notice. Just like that sunset, nothing’s ever the same as it will ever be.

____________________________________________________

Do you ever look up at the stars and wonder what’s out there? That feeling of wonder as the unknown sits in the palm of your hand. I’ll get that same feeling looking at something as small as an ant hill. Whatever they see, I wish I could, too. I wonder what it would be like if one of them saw our lives. Would an ant ever wonder such things as we do? I suppose we’ll never know those things. But that’s the fun in it all. Ask the questions before you get the answers. Soon, we’ll know it all, and we’ll have no other reason to wonder. I might be wondering enough for the rest of us. 

About a month ago, I met Lauren. Serious and stern, she had no room for questions. New York academy graduate, cop for three years, and now, stuck. The only reason I liked her was because I knew she got here to escape it all. Trouble is, she doesn’t know how. Since no one else seemed to have helped her out by now, I thought I should try. 

Every morning and every night I go down to the beach. Each sunrise and each sunset, I say good morning and good night to my wife, Mary. I’ll be with her til’ death do us part, and I’m not dead yet. I’ve lied about myself to Lauren, telling her that I’m a drug dealer, or something. I don’t know, I’ll say whatever as long as she eventually shows up. She won’t resist even the slightest opportunity for action. So now I’m here, waiting for her. Watching the beautiful sunset, playing the song I wrote for Mary, and leaving her a seat on the bench I raised the guitar so it wouldn’t touch the scar on my thigh, and waited. . 

After a few minutes, I heard footsteps behind me. “Sir, I’m afraid I need to ask you a few questions.” To mess with her one last time, I ignored the order. I kept playing the song a little more until she piped up again. “Sir, please put away the guitar.” She ordered. I stopped playing, but noticed it needed a tuning. She can’t arrest me for tuning a guitar. 

Before she could complain once more, I asked “What is it I can do for you, Lauren?” 

She stopped to think for a while. I assume she recognized my voice.“H-Harvey?” 

“Hello!” I waved. I turned to reveal my face. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while now.” 

“But… Why are you here? What do you mean?” 

I patted Mary’s seat. “Here, come sit.” She sat down, with a bewildered expression, I kept tuning the guitar, but I still spoke to her. “Look in front of you, Lauren. What do you see?” 

“The… ocean?” She replied, confused. 

I looked at her with a frown and I asked “Is that all?” She nodded. “I see the best that Earth has to offer. A purple glow reflecting off the horizon. The little ghost crabs migrating across the sand. The horizon, offering a bridge between the sea and the sky. And of it all, you only paid attention to me. In any other circumstance, I might be flattered.” 

She pondered that for a while. It’s almost sad to see someone unable to appreciate the beauty around them. She drew her focus back to me quickly, and said “Well, I know you aren’t here because of the sunset. There’s something more, isn’t there?” 

I took a deep sigh, and told her of the bigger things in life. “I joined the Navy while I was married. I thought I’d be back in a year or two. That was twenty-seven years ago last month. When I returned, I found her long dead. After that, my brother, David, took me in, gave me a job.” I kept it brief, because this session wasn’t about me.  

“Wait, your brother is Chief Franklin? Why didn’t he tell me?” She pleaded. 

“David thought it best that you didn’t know. He knows you already look down on him, and he didn’t want you to think little of me by extension. Also, I probably shouldn’t say this, but he thought you weren’t going to be much help to the force for much longer.” 

She dug her toe in the dirt. “Yeah, he’s probably right, I should just go back to New York.”

“No!” I yelled, “Don’t you dare!” Her eyes bugged out of her head, and I collected my voice. “Your problem is that you haven’t even left yet. Stop acting like you’re still there, Lauren. It’s a new town, new people, new uses for cops. You need to learn that sooner or later, or you’ll regret it.”  

I gave her time to think again. She has to let the thought soak as long as she can. After a few minutes, I finished tuning the guitar, and I broke the silence. 

“Would you like to sit here a while longer? Sunset’s not over.”  

Lauren looked up at me, smiled, and stayed. I’m not sure if I got through to her all the way, but I know I made some impact. For better or for worse, everything has to change. I’m glad I could help her begin to wonder. Just like that sunset, nothing’s ever the same as it will ever be.