This Fall Morning

Jeremy opens his eyes and looks up at the pale speckled ceiling of his bedroom. Light forces its way into the bedroom through the window shades, and Jeremy slides out of bed to start a new day. He hears the pitter-patter of feet charge through the hallway to his room, echoing through the empty house, getting closer and closer. The bedroom door creaks open slowly, as Brutus, his faithful Australian Shepherd casually walks into the room and jumps on the bed. As Jeremy walks over to kick Brutus off his bed, he catches himself in the mirror. He coldly stares at the unfamiliar man in the reflection. He saw the same pinkish white skin, brown eyes, and shaggy brown hair, but he didn't see himself. Jeremy's eye catches the clock sitting on his dresser, and realizes what time it is, rushes to his son's room to get him ready for school.

Jeremy's life took an unexpected turn, early fall, four years ago after his wife, Sandra, passed away. Their son Max was only one and a half, and didn't really understand what was going on. Jeremy was only twenty-four years old when he became a single father. He graduated from a prestigious technical school, and had a good job, but Jeremy wanted to be with his son more than anything, so he started working from home as a website designer. Some of his close friends were their to help him through the major change, but over the years they have drifted apart. It is hard to stay in contact with each other, when you have to do the work of two.

After Jeremy walked Max to the school bus, he went back inside the house and made a cup of coffee. He looked through the kitchen window he saw the first leaves of Fall begin to turn into their beautiful array of reds, golds, and purples. The wind blowing the trees back and forth, as his neighbors wind chime jingles to the pace of the wind. Jeremy catches his reflection again, this time in the window, and memories of the good times in his life that he had with Sandra began to flood into his mind. He remembered the day Max was born, and when he first spoke. A smile crept onto Jeremy's face, and right then he realized that he recognized the man in the reflection.