Chapter 23
August 18. My forty-fifth birthday. The plan for the day is simple--there are no plans. I do have a bit of grocery shopping to accomplish, two loads of laundry, and a brief meeting with the Dean of English at West End College to discuss my fall semester. Other than these few tasks, I have the entire day to myself.
A gentle wind and summertime rain occurs outside the Cape. The effervescent storm blows down from Canada, across Lake Erie, and mingles with Templeton.
I monitor the rain as I accomplish all of my tasks in the morning hours. At noon, I choose to read a few chapters of a gay novel called Hold Him Tight and find myself in the attic room, where I can open the windows and enjoy the tapping sound of rain to its fullest.
To my utter disbelief, not even a half hour later,
