7:10 Ep.#5

[Spoken Intro] I watched the gray coat disappear into the rain. “Well… that was weird.” I turned back toward the counter. “Mabel, what were you going to say to me?” She didn’t answer. She reached beneath the counter and slid an envelope toward me. Yellowed. Crumbling around the edges. My name was written across the front. Jenna. “Where did you get this?” Mabel pointed toward the coffee maker. “Found it sticking out underneath.” I looked at her. “Mabel, you’ve had that thing forever.” “Twenty-three years. And I’ve cleaned under it every damn night.” She looked at the envelope. “That wasn’t there yesterday.” [Low guitar enters] [Verse 1] I ran my thumb beneath my name Careful not to break the seam Same right slant, same heavy hand I’d watched him write while drinking black In yesterday’s news three stools away Little notes beside the headlines Week after week, Tuesday after Tuesday I knew that handwriting. [Pre-Chorus] Mabel said, “Jenna…” “I know.” Neither one of us said his name. Hell— I never knew it anyway. [Chorus] The coffee was still hot His keys were left behind His truck was sitting out front But Mabel swore he’d never been inside Now twenty years of dust Had given up something meant for me With my name in the handwriting Of a man nobody else could see [Verse 2] I turned the envelope over No stamp, no address, no date Just one brittle line across the back Like somebody knew I’d hesitate OPEN AFTER 7:10. I looked at the clock above the grill. 7:08. Mabel whispered, “Don’t.” 7:09. The old second hand kept moving. Somewhere outside an engine started. [Music drops almost completely] 7:10. The coffee maker clicked off. By itself. [Hard stop before next section]