October came and went in a blur of wind and clouds. Humidity hung on, unseasonably so, through Halloween and the first week of November, when it finally gave in to rain.

Gabe never called.

I, on the other hand, often picked up the receiver ready to dial his number, ready to apologize for anything and everything just to hear his voice one more time, but I never went through with it. Despite his request to keep in touch, I sensed the fragile balance of the elements. One ...