Last Call

PETER

It was hot, hotter than Peter liked anyway. There was a heat wave sweeping across the country, some El Nino bullshit again, he thought sourly. There was no shade in his yard except for the tilted tin roof of their new house. Peter, his wife Sarah, and two boys had moved from the island, inland to Kelowna to get to a smaller school for the kids, but to still enjoy city life.

Peter worked for Beaver Lumber and had climbed his way as far up the ladder as he probably ever would since he was eighteen. He was comfortable now making forty eight thousand a year and having ample vacation time.

Their yard was on an acreage two miles from the high school, Wal-Mart, and his wife’s office. It was large enough to have a garden and pasture for a couple horses if his wife wanted. Peter had no time for horses, cattle, or any other type of farm animal. It was Sarah who loved animals and her idea to move away from the ocean. He looked across to the hills of the Okanogan Valley and breathed the dry air. Once the seedlings started to grow their yard would look more like home. His sons had insisted on a small swimming pool and promised to keep it clean and use it all the time. On the island there was never any need for a pool with the great Pacific for their back yard.

It was a hard decision, on in which the kids hated, but Peter knew they’d adjust. Eric, the oldest, was probably the most upset. His friends of sixteen years would be left behind and also his beloved surf board. Doug was a year younger and like his brother he hated to leave his friends, but Doug was a fatalist and whatever happened, happened.

“Peter?” His wife called from the kitchen, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She looked good when she sweated. “I think we should consider getting central air, we’ll boil all summer.” Sarah, lovely Sarah, hated the heat more than he did. She had grown up in Yellowknife and loved the cold while Peter grew up in California and loved the heat. They met at orientation for University in Vancouver. He just went because his girlfriend was going, he never planned on going to school. She was next to him, quiet, but radiant, listening to the professors talk about workload and course schedules. He just stared at her the whole time until she finally smiled at him and that was it for him. The next week he had tracked her down working at some clothing store and asked her out. She was reluctant, but finally agreed. It was a rocky relationship for the first three months because Peter had a hard time staying away from other women. Finally she told him she’d leave so he forgot his past ways and gave his full attention to her. They were married three years later and had Eric a year after that. She was at the screen door looking at him soaking in the heat.

“It’s not cheap Sarah, and we’ll only need it for four months of the year. It’s kind of pointless.” She sighed, aggravated.

“Me being unhappy is pointless when I can be happy and cool! I’m sure my wages can cover it.”

Peter wasn’t a macho guy anymore but he preferred to be the bread winner, even though his wife made more than double his income. She was a dentist studying to be an orthodontist. He always felt a little bit lower than she did, though he’d never admit it and she never condescended him.

“Honey, Eric’s going to university in two years, Doug in three. We don’t want them to get messed up in student loans, so we need to save up.” She rolled her eyes, something he hated, and spoke softly.

“I think you’ll reconsider in a few days. Forecast says it’s supposed to reach forty six degrees within the week.” She turned on her heal and walked back inside. She was beat, but not beaten. Peter would consider it because she willed it, and Sarah would make his life miserable if he didn’t.

“You’re red as a beet too. You better come inside, though it’s not any cooler in here!” She voiced snobbishly. He cringed, her comments were starting already, and she would continue until he agreed to talk about it. Sarah was stubborn, maybe that’s why he loved her.

He glanced down at his half naked body and realized he had gotten too much sun. His beer, half empty, sat on the ground beside his lawn chair, Peter grabbed it lazily and gulped.

“Even my beer’s piss warm and I got it ten minutes ago!” He complained angrily to anything that would listen. Peter dumped the rest onto the dry green grass with hints of brown. He couldn’t imagine how the orchard growers felt about the intense heat.

“Is there anymore beer?” He called, waiting for an answer. He knew there were a few more but he was hoping someone would just get him one. No one answered so he knew his wife was aggravated with him.

He didn’t even see the screen door, it was transparent in the dark kitchen. Peter walked into it full force and it, along with him, felt straight to the ground. The screen door was ripped of the door frame and he looked up from the floor at Eric, sitting at the table, with his mass of golden locks laughing at him.

“Jesus Peter, how are we going to fix that?” Sarah spoke angrily. Eric continued laughing at his father who tried to peel himself off of the hardwood floor.

“Don’t think he needs another beer.” Eric chuckled. Sarah let out a simple giggle and helped her husband of the floor.

“Goddamn screen, they should make them a different color, it just blends in.” He cursed, looking at Eric. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“Yeah if they had school on Sunday.” Eric explained smartly. He grabbed a coke from the fridge and studied the ripped door.

“I’ll help you put another one in when you get it. I’m going over to Joe’s for a bit, I’ll be back for supper.”

“Okay.” Sarah mumbled picking up the bend door frame.

“Joe, that’s that goofy looking kid with the Firebird right?” His dad spoke, knowing exactly who it was. Peter didn’t approve of Joe, he was the typical kiss-my-ass type kid.

“Yeah, so what?”

“Don’t be cruising around and getting into trouble.” Peter spoke father like. He knew all about being sixteen and maybe that’s what scared him.

“Yes father,” Eric smiled jeeringly, “Don’t go wrecking the place when I’m gone.” Peter heard the door close and he smiled.

“You know, your son’s turned into a real smartass.”

“Like his father was,” Sarah joked, “Now lets talk about central air.”