Anything to Win Back Chloe

The cold, pouring rain seemed like an outward reflection of David’s feelings. At least the weather allowed for him to cozy up and wallow in his misery. Every night that week, he fought his way off a crowded subway car and dashed up the street to his apartment, huddled beneath his umbrella. As soon as he got home, he stripped off his damp clothes, got into his robe, put the tea kettle on, and sat by the window with the black Moleskin notebook he used as a journal. The journal had been his therapist’s idea.

While he waited for the kettle to boil, he began pouring his feelings onto the page. Chloe, his girlfriend of a year, had left him. He knew from stalking her social media accounts she wasn’t seeing anyone else. That somehow made him feel worse. She preferred loneliness to being with him.

He had struggled the last year, sure. He was unhappy with his job, but didn’t know what he wanted to do next. Maybe he shouldn’t have complained so much. But that’s what partners were for, right? They were supposed to support one another through the bad times.

I guess that WASN’T TRUE, Chloe, he scrawled in his journal. Then he flapped the cover shut and stood to go make his tea.

It was hard to stay mad at Chloe. She had hurt him, but he still loved her. He loved her wide smile and the way her incisors turned in a little. He loved how she clapped her hands together when she got excited about something, like the time he surprised her with tickets to see Justin Timberlake. He loved the way she always reached for his hand when they walked down the street.

Please God, he prayed that night before bed. I will do ANYTHING to win back Chloe.

Praying, like journaling, was a new thing for him. But just like journaling, praying sometimes made him feel better.

#

The next day, time at work passed the way it always did, in a long streak of boredom. At 4:55 p.m., David shut down his computer, pulled on his jacket, picked up his umbrella, and left his office. He walked a block up the street to 7-11, where he purchased a cherry Slurpee and a scratch-off lottery ticket. He leaned against the counter, sucked at his Slurpee, and dug a dime from his wallet. This too, he supposed, was a new habit for him. There was the journaling and praying, but there was also the Slurpee drinking and lottery playing. He didn’t know what his deal was. Maybe there was just comfort in starting a new routine post-breakup.

David didn’t totally understand how scratch offs worked. They seemed more complicated than what he remembered as a kid, when he sometimes got scratch offs in his Christmas stocking from some lazy relative. He scraped at the silver coating without paying much attention. It wasn’t until he uncovered the whole card that he perked up a little. There were three $20,000 squares all lined up in a row.

“Hey!” he shouted, making the guy behind the counter jump. “I think I won!”

He hardly noticed the other passengers on the subway ride home that night. He was too busy day-dreaming about all the things he could buy with his $20,000. There were practical considerations, of course, like buying a car or adding to his retirement account. He supposed he might use some of the money for that. But his mind kept wandering to more exciting ideas, like foreign travel. As a kid, he’d been fascinated by Mayan culture. With $20,000, he could plan a nice trip to Mexico, and maybe from there head further down the map. He’d always wanted to see the Panama Canal. His great-grandfather had been stationed there during World War II.

It wasn’t until he was running down his street under his umbrella that he realized he could’ve just taken a taxi home. He laughed aloud and decided he could at least treat himself to delivery from a nice restaurant to celebrate his good fortune.

#

Hours later, David jerked awake. He blinked into the darkness, wondering what had awakened him. He saw movement at the foot of his bed and his whole body went numb.

Slowly, a figure emerged from the darkness. It was a very tall man, surrounded by golden light. He was dressed in billowing white robes. As he lifted his head, two large wings stretched out on either side of him.

David’s heart began to pound. He tried to swallow, but his tongue felt glued to the roof of his mouth.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Obviously, I’m an angel.”

“Am I dead? What do you want with me?”

“You made a promise to God. Do you intend to keep it?”

“I did?” David squeaked. His mind was blank. What promise had he made to God?

“You promised God you would do anything to win back Chloe,” the angel said. “God has blessed you with $20,000. It is the exact amount Chloe needs to pay off her student loans. Give her the money and God will reward you with your heart’s desire.”

“What happens if I don’t?” David asked. He couldn’t believe he was being so bold.

The angel heaved a sigh. “They always ask this,” he muttered to himself. He glared at David. “Haven’t you ever read the Bible?”

“Yeah,” David said. “Some of it.”

“Then you know God punishes those who squander their blessings. Go see Chloe tomorrow.”

There was a sound like a mighty rush of wind, and the angel disappeared.

#

David woke up the next morning. It was Saturday. The clock by the side of his bed read 10:00 a.m. He got up, showered, ate a piece of toast, and then hopped on his bike. Chloe lived a few blocks west of his place. On his short trip to her apartment, he reflected on all the other things he could do with $20,000. He thought of climbing Mayan ruins and of gliding through the locks of the Panama Canal on a cruise ship. Then he remembered the angel at the foot of his bed and his thoughts sobered.

He buzzed Chloe’s apartment when he reached her building.

“Yeah?” she asked through the intercom.

“It’s me. David. Can I come up?”

A few seconds passed. Then the door buzzed. He rolled his bike into the foyer and leaned it against the wall opposite a row of mailboxes. Then he climbed the stairs to the second floor. Chloe was already standing in the doorway of her apartment with her arms crossed over her chest. They hadn’t seen each other in eighteen days. David’s heart fluttered a little.

“What do you want?” she asked.

He told her about the little black notebook, the therapy, the praying, and the lottery ticket. When he reached the part of the story where he won $20,000, she led him inside her apartment and gestured for him to sit on the couch next to her. He decided to omit the part of the story where the angel had appeared to him so he would appear more altruistic.

“I’m going to give the $20,000 to you,” he finished. “I know you have student loans and I think you should pay them off.” Chloe clapped her hands together and squealed. Then she launched off the couch into David’s arms.

#

Chloe likes to reach for David’s hand when they walk down the street, the way she used to. David tells himself that this is enough, that her love is all he will ever need. He tells himself this when he rides the subway home at night, pressed against all the other passengers. He tells himself this when he sees advertisements on TV for exotic travel locations. He writes about how lucky he is in his Moleskin notebook, and reads the entries aloud to his therapist. But sometimes, late at night, he thinks he would be happier if he’d just gone to Mexico.

THE END