Midnight Meal

Midnight Meal

Water dripped from Henry’s jacket as he hung it on the rack. Home was quietly peaceful as the rain dully beat against the window outside, an endless shower. Hair still wet, Henry fell heavily onto the couch. The clock said late. It felt late. Henry’s mind was messy with thoughts.

Henry slowly stripped off the accessories of his Halloween costume until he was just in a plain shirt and pants. It had been a fun night.

What was her name?

There was a girl at the party. There’s always a girl isn’t there?

What was that name?

Thoughts of Miss Mystery drift to the next logical thought: food. The midnight cravings. The fridge was empty, but that didn’t matter. The only food that Henry could think of was a sandwich from Jullie’s Buns.

Ah, Jullie’s Buns. The ultimate sandwich shop that was conveniently adjacent to his apartment. Ah, Jullie’s buns.

There were two problems with Jullie’s buns.

1. Jullie’s was not open at this hour of 2am.

2. Jullie’s employed Kat, Henry’s ex.

Kat was the person that had introduced Henry to Jullie’s Buns. She was a sandwich artist, the best in town. She was the one that touched every sandwich in Jullie’s, laying the exact amount of meat, mustard, and all the other ingredients, constructing the perfect meal.

Kat and Henry had dated for the entirety of their undergrad, until two months ago. Henry had not entered Jullie’s Buns since.

The rain continued to drum against the window. The desire for a sandwich was immeasurable.

Henry grabbed his keys, and pulled on his still wet jacket. Out the door.

Henry used to meet Kat at the sandwich shop every day. It was a routine, and a diet. Life seemed so simple back then. Henry was close with everyone that worked there, he felt a part of the family. He knew every rumour, every corner, and also that the fire escape door could be opened from the outside if the door was pulled hard enough.

Here was Henry, past midnight, in the dark, and becoming drenched again. The sandwich joint was on the second floor, with the fire escape door up a rather sketchy stairway, made all the treacherous in the pitch darkness.

It was a slow process. One step at a time ensuring at least three points of contact at all times. The thin rusted railing wobbled as Henry gripped it and his feet were constantly slipping on the wet steps. This would have been difficult even if he wasn’t half drunk.

Eventually he reached the door. A hard aggressive pull was all it took to enter the closed sandwich shop. The smell of warmth and comfort was a welcomed greeting. Henry instinctively reached for the light switch in the darkness. Just like old times.

Jullie’s Buns was a small simple shop. There was the dining area that had the front entrance, and the back kitchen with it’s fire escape exit. A large fridge hummed in the silence of the room. Inside it were all the ingredients and also the premade sandwiches. Henry could easily spot the sandwiches that were made by Kat. There wasn’t a defining trait or a way he could explain how he knew which ones were made by her versus the other employees, but he just knew. This one had her touch.

Henry grabbed it and unwrapped it’s plastic wrap. He placed the bun in the Sandwich Griller 3000. He was familiar with the machine, the only real way to perfectly heat and slightly grill the bun. A minutes worth of anticipation as it cooked.

Two long months without a Jullie’s Bun. Two long months of not seeing Kat. They broke communication the day after the break up. Accounts blocked and privated.

Ding!

It was ready.

Henry grabbed a plate and a napkin, took a drink from the fridge, and prepared for the ultimate 2am meal.

Everything was perfect.

Everything used to be perfect. The days used to be so warm with Kat. It felt like an endless honeymoon at one point. A perfect life.

The meal was ready. Henry took the sandwich in his hands, raised it to his face, opened his mouth, and-

The sound of a key turning a lock in the front door. The sound of the front door opening. There at the entrance of Jullie’s Buns were Kyle and Jullie.

Kyle and Jullie were the two owners at Jullie’s Buns. They also lived in the same apartment complex as Henry. Since the breakup, Henry avoided their floor at all costs.

Here was Kyle and Jullie entering the restaurant at 2am. Henry saw them through the kitchen window before they saw him. They looked like they too were up late from a party or event. Ready to settle for the night but alerted by the lights left on in Jullie’s Bun. Henry should have been more sleuthly, should have kept the lights out, but his drunk brain was prone to mistakes.

There was no time to make mistakes now. Henry grabbed the sandwich and bolted for the fire escape exit, opposite of the two owners. They saw his figure move and took chase.

Henry was through the door and onto the steep, slippery steps. There was a choice. To descend the stairway with both hands on the railing ensuring a safe descent down. Or to tightly grip the sandwich and forgo caution and sense.

In the split second Henry processed his priorities.

Holding onto the sandwich, Henry ignored the safety of the railing and the steps entirely. Henry took a leap of faith into the darkness below.

There was another girl. That was the reason. Henry didn’t tell Kat that, but that was the reason. The poison of the idea of fresh boundless possibilities. Uncertainty, love, heartbreak, and all the other exciting unknowns. The idea corrupted Henry.

He was now falling along with the rain. His feet didn’t meet any steps of the fire escape. He was surrounded by darkness. The voices of Kyle and Jullie yelling, “Thief!” were drowned out by the wind. The falling didn’t end. He kept falling for what felt much too long for only one flight of stairs. It was rather relaxing, like riding bicycles with Kat on a perfect summer day, wind in hair, free on the open road.

Henry met Kat at a Halloween party a long time ago. That night changed Henry’s thoughts of love at first sight. It was real, she was the girl and Henry wanted the world to see. He would never forget the time or place. Henry fell in love instantly.

Henry could not fall forever.

Eventually, he hit the ground. Hard.

When Henry broke up with Kat it was messy and traumatic. The idea was to tell it to her bluntly, to rip the band-aid off quickly. She took it rather harshly. There was yelling and the smashing of Henry’s favourite mug. Kat’s final words were, “I wish I never met you.”

The doctor told Henry he had broken numerous bones throughout his body. He was stuck in the hospital for three weeks and then subjected to a cast on both his left leg and arm for much longer. “Other than your injuries, your heart is healthy.”

Kyle and Jullie didn’t press charges. They actually visited him at the hospital and they all had a laugh about the incident. They even brought Henry a sandwich.

Kat never visited.

Henry greatly enjoyed the sandwich while in the hospital, but never ate another Jullie’s sandwich. Henry soon moved out of the apartment and to a different city due to circumstance. Henry never saw any news of Kat. Sometimes he wondered if she still existed. Was she still making sandwiches somewhere for someone? As time passed those questions started to fade away until even the memories drifted to obscurity.

Much time later, on a cold February winter day during a lonely lunch break, Henry saw a post from Jullie’s Buns. They were closing.

For a second the memories returned. All of them: the day he met Kat, the perfect days he had with her, the breakup, and the sandwich incident. He smiled at the reminiscence for a little bit and then concluded the thought. His lunch break was over and he went back to his day.