Catching the Sunset

By: Stamatis Kakleas

“It’s getting late. Where are you?” she asked him through the phone. “You said you would be here to watch the sun set with me.” He promised his best friend that he would visit her for Memorial Day weekend at her summerhouse near Greenport on the North Fork of Long Island. He was your typical Brooklyn “badass” and didn’t really have much care for the consequences of his actions and was always getting himself into trouble. He craved attention, whether it was the good kind or the bad kind.  Memorial Day weekend had always been the first weekend to many great summers; the two of them had so many great times there. Since he forgot to keep his promise he was invited to go and stay there the weekend after; it was more of an order from her than it was an invite though. “I will be there in time for the sunset. Don’t worry” he replied to her with a laugh. “How are you getting here? I hope you know that the sun sets around 7:20 and Brooklyn is a two-and-a-half hour drive. You owe me a sunset. You’re such a dick you know that!” He looked at his watch and it was 6:04. “And you’reeeee a bitchass…hold on a sec” he told her as he plugged his headset into his phone, put the ear buds in his ears, and proceeded to put on his helmet. “I’m taking the Ducati. I’ll see you in an hour. Relaaaax!” She was instantly enraged; “Don’t tell me to relax!!! AND IF I SEE YOU HERE IN AN HOUR I WILL KILL YOU!” There was a short pause… “Please drive safely” she said, “I don’t care if you miss the sunset. Just get here and we’ll light a fire instead.” “YES motherrr! By the way… the sun sets around 7:40 today” he said with a mischievous grin on his face, “soooooo I’ll see you in an hour and a half.” “I TOLD YOU THAT IF I SEE Y-.” He hung up the phone before she could yell his ear off anymore.

He put the phone in his breast pocket and zipped up his jacket. He took one good look at his bike and smiled. It was a beautiful shiny red 2003 Ducati Supersport 1000ds. He found it on craigslist a few weeks prior and had blatantly shown it off around his neighborhood every day since then. The original owner seemed like a reliable guy and was willing to take cash in exchange for the vehicle’s title. He had been saving up for it for a while. The owner barely ever rode it and it didn’t have a single scratch on it. He was in love from the moment he first turned the ignition and felt the 1,000 cc engine rumble beneath him. The bike came with carbon fiber silencers and boasted a hefty 85.5 HP and could hit 0-100 mph in a few seconds flat. He couldn’t be happier with his purchase. His Ducati satisfied every craving and thirst for speed he could ever have; except he hadn’t been able to ride it to its fullest potential in the short crowded streets of Brooklyn. Being that this would be his first long trip he decided it was time to see what his baby can do. He felt his phone vibrate. It was probably his friend texting him some mindless nonsense so he decided to ignore it. He stretched a leg over the bike’s saddle, flipped the ignition switch and put the bike in first gear. He peeled away quickly and the only things visible as he zoomed off were his bright tail lights and the letters ‘ICANFLY’ printed on his license plate.

There was traffic on the Belt Parkway going east. It was bumper to bumper for as long as the eye could see but that didn’t matter because all he had to do was weave in between all the cars. Even though he was beating the average speed, he was still going too slowly if he was planning on making it there in time for the sunset. Once the construction zone came to an end he had some more free space so he sped up a little bit more. There were still too many cars on the road to really top out but he was going dangerously fast for the amount of traffic around him. Coming within inches of the cars was such a thrill to him, he felt a jolt of adrenaline flow through his veins every time he had to react to a car that switched lanes too quickly. He was a few exits into the Southern State Parkway by now and only a few more minutes until he reached the Long Island expressway. He knew once he hit the expressway he would be able to speed his way over to his friend’s house in record time but when he finally reached it there were cops everywhere. He had never seen so many police cars and motorcycles on an expressway. He couldn’t afford to speed, there was no way he could outrun those Suffolk county troopers. The last thing he needed was to call his friend from jail because he got arrested. He decided to slow it down until he saw the road clear up ahead of him. He was sixty minutes in and he still had about an hour to go (going the speed limit that is).

Now he was in Riverhead; a shopping area over packed with street lights, pedestrians, and patrol cars. Riverhead was at least forty-five minutes from her house but he was determined to surprise her. He owed her this. He always made empty promises to her and never put her first when it came to anything. He finally made it to the traffic circle in the middle of Riverhead and turned his way up towards Sound Avenue. It was officially a straight shot to Southold beach and it was only twenty miles away. It was finally time to put his motorcycle to the test. Once the light changed he shifted gears and quickly accelerated. Within a few seconds he was topped out at 130 mph. 130 mph doesn’t seem like much when you’re in a car or a plane, but on a motorcycle it’s a completely different experience. It’s just one huge adrenaline rush and he was addicted. He was shooting past cars and intersections at a lightning fast speed and he couldn’t afford to stop. He had to make it there in time to see the sunset with her.

In the distance he saw a street light turn yellow and he had to stop. So he let go of the throttle and pressed the clutch so he could downshift but his clutch was jammed and for some reason when he let go of the throttle the motorcycle didn’t slow down. He tried the clutch again to put the motorcycle into neutral but it wasn’t budging and the motorcycle was still going 130 mph. He blew passed the red light and his heart started racing. Luckily there were no cars coming that could have potentially turned him into feta cheese. He couldn’t hit his breaks because at 130 mph the pads would simply be ripped off and then he would have no way to stop even if he was able to. He began to panic; whether his hand was on the throttle or not he was still going three times the speed limit. He had to focus because he knew there would be more lights ahead of him or worse…oncoming traffic.

After he blew the second red light he realized that there was no slowing down and that he probably would kill himself on this motorcycle. If the slightest thing went wrong he would be dead before he could even blink. He was helpless and had no idea how to stop so he decided to call his friend because he wanted to say his last words to her. He pressed the button on his earpiece and said “redial” into his microphone. The call went straight to voicemail. He shook his head in grief; he was going to have to leave her a message. As he heard the automated system in his ear he thought about how he was going to phrase his final words. He exhaled and just went for it.

*Please leave your message after the tone*

Hey doll…It’s me. I wish I was calling you to tell you that I’m stuck in traffic or that I picked up some giant marshmallows and chocolate graham crackers for our fire tonight…I know chocolate graham crackers are your favorite. I really did try to make it there in time for the sunset and before I continue I just want to say I’m sorry. By the time you get this…Well…I don’t know how to say this…but… this might be… this is probably the last time you’ll ever hear from me. I decided not to listen to you and I tried to make it out here in time for the sunset. I guess you can say that I wanted to surprise you because I haven’t really done anything nice for you lately. It’s too late for this but I think I should’ve listened to you more often in general if you want to know the truth. Anyway, you’re probably wondering why I’m leaving you this message. Long story short; my throttle is locked in place and I’m stuck going 135 mph on Sound Avenue. Assuming I don’t crash, one of two things can happen; I’m either going to run out of gas or I’m going to run out of road. Considering I filled my tank in Brooklyn it’s most likely going to be the latter. I would’ve preferred to hear your voice one last time but I guess this message will have to do. Here goes nothing.

You’re the only person that has tolerated my bullshit all of these years. You’re the only real friend I’ve ever had and even though I don’t say it nearly enough…I’m thankful for you. You keep my head screwed on someone right and if it wasn’t for you I know I would be worse. You are smart, funny, beautiful and a flat-out angel for putting up with me the whole time. I know I can be a shithead and I know that you don’t have to put up with me and I just want to say thank you. Thank you for being there when others weren’t and slapping some sense into me when I needed it. Anyway, I don’t want to spend my last minutes telling you how great you are. I’m calling because I want to tell you something that I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now.

You know me better than everyone. You know everything there is to know about me except for one thing…something I never told you… the way I truly feel about you…the way I’ve always felt. I’ve always wished there could have been more between us. I just never told you this because I was afraid of making things weird between us. I always sat on the sidelines and jealously watched as other guys gave you their attention. I just pretended not to care because…well… I’m an idiot.  If you ask me, I always knew I could do a better job than them anyway. I’m sorry that I tease you all the time and that I make it seem like I don’t really care. Truthfully, I care more about you than you’ll ever know. You obviously know I’m a risk junky… evidently… I’m stuck going 130 mph on a speeding red rocket. One thing I was never willing to risk though was you and that’s why I never told you. I’d rather have you in my life as a best friend than make things awkward and not have you at all. Anyway, I know this doesn’t do me any good now but I wanted to tell you anyway. Just in case you’re wondering, I made it in time. I just passed Southold beach and your car isn’t there. I guess you decided not to catch the sunset. It’s about to kiss the water and my god that’s the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen. You’re really missing out on this one

Anyway I have about five miles to go until I reach Orient Point. I have a few minutes before I get there and if you don’t mind I kind of want them to myself… you know, to think and stuff. Maybe next time around I won’t wait until it’s too late. Take care doll. I love you.

He hung up the phone and continued speeding down Sound Avenue. Suddenly he realized that 85.5 horsepower didn’t matter to him anymore. The “0-100” in a few seconds flat was no longer of interest to him. All the attention he got from obnoxiously driving his bike around Brooklyn now seemed pointless. Memories they shared kept running through his head. She was always bailing him out of trouble; always there for him when others weren’t, and was always the only person who ever truly cared about him. He had spent his days always trying to impress others and now she was the only person he wished he tried to impress. He was about a mile away from the end of the road and he still hadn’t slowed down one bit. He only had a little over thirty seconds left until the end of the road. That’s when he saw her car in the distance; her obnoxious lime-green Volkswagen Beatle. She only went to catch the sunset in Orient point when she was sad or something was really upsetting her. Maybe she went there because of him. Maybe she knew he wouldn’t make it to her in time. Maybe the entire time she expected that he wouldn’t keep his promise. His eyes started to swell and a tear trickled down his cheek until it was absorbed by the fabric inside the helmet. All he wanted to do at that instant was to make everything up to her; fulfill all of those empty promises he had made in the past. It was too late for all of that so he did the only thing he could possibly do; brace himself for the crash ahead that would soon end his life.

“Fuck it” he said as he quickly approached the end of the road, “Let’s see what this baby can do!” He figured if he was going to die anyway, why not try to go faster. At this point his friend turned around because she heard his motorcycle in the distance. He saw her jumping up and down and waving her arms feverishly at him; she probably hadn’t heard the message yet. She had no idea that he was about to crash right before her eyes. By the time she ran over to him there would be nothing left except for scraps of metal the size of a baseball. He jerked his wrist back so he could speed up and the throttle unexpectedly unlocked. To his surprise the motorcycle began to slow down. He shifted the bike into neutral and hit his breaks; he was in the utmost relief. Once the bike was in full stop and turned off he just dropped his arms to the side and his helmet hit the gas tank. With his body still crouched over the motorcycle he laughed and shook his head in disbelief. He was alive! He was so thankful to be alive and breathing.

He swung his right leg over the motorcycle and pulled his helmet off and placed it on the seat. As he walked towards his friend, the sun setting behind her, he could see that she had her phone up to her ear. He knew she was probably listening to the message he left and he slowed his gait to give her time to hear it. He wasn’t sure how she would react and as he watched her listen his heart started to beat faster than the moment he realized he couldn’t slow down. He was about twenty feet from her when she turned around with a confused look on her face. “Why would you leave me a message like this?” she asked him in an irritated tone.

He thought to himself “Is this bitch serious?!?! I just poured my damn heart out for her and this is how she reacts?! Well, that played out much better in my head.” “What do you mean?” he asked her, truly curious as to why she wasn’t crying at the sight of him being in front of her. She handed him the phone and while still holding her gaze he placed it up against his left ear. He let out a chuckle and a stupid grin immediately followed. He couldn’t believe his ears; the only thing he could hear was the loud sound of the motorcycle exhaust. It was a loud piercing ring and you couldn’t make out a single word; “so much for those silencers” he thought. “I can hear you talking…were you trying to say something?” she asked him. He hung up the phone and opened his arms to her for a hug. “I have great news!” he said with a smile as he looked her in her green eyes. “What’s that?” she replied. “I’m never riding a motorcycle again. You’re driving me back in that lame green beetle of yours.” She smiled and simply walked herself into his embrace.

He squeezed her with everything he had and proceeded to give her the biggest kiss on the cheek. He grabbed her by the hand and walked with her towards the shore so they could finally watch the sunset. As they walked through the sand they each pulled away until both their arms stretched out; then he would pull her back into him. He straightened his arm and pulled her close so their sides were touching. Then he swung his right arm around, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her down with him to the sand. She screamed, he persisted, and they laughed together. With his arms wrapped around her she sat in between his legs and rested her head on his shoulder. The reassuring smell of her hair was more than worth the horrifying trip up there. The sun was setting in front of them and the sky was like a shaded canvas of yellow, orange, red, and purple. It was a timeless moment. “What we’re you saying in the message? I know you were talking” she asked him one last time. He smiled as he stared deep into the horizon, “Don’t worry about it”. She smiled and they proceeded to watch the sunset together. He finally kept his promise.

THE END