When he came home from the funeral he found the bicycle propped against the closet door. The tassels still sparkled, but upon closer inspection the rubber grips were shredded at their tips from falling to the cement and the pedals were scuffed. He chimed the bell, the sound ringing bright like the warble of a bird’s call. He ran his fingers through the tassels as if he were combing Emily’s hair, doing it gentle so he didn’t pull on an invisible tangle.
MeadowbrookCemetery sent him a notice in the mail, asking him to remove the bicycle from the gravesite so the groundskeepers could do their jobs. They cited their understanding of his feelings and grief in these troubling times, but it would be best for all involved if the matter could be taken care of in the most respectable manner, without lawyers and petitions. The last line read: We humbly regret this course of action, but feel as though we have no choice as it is our duty to continue the upkeep of the grounds.
During the day, Tommy Dean works as a middle school English teacher. A chapbook entitled Special Like the People on TV is forthcoming from Redbird Chapbooks. A graduate of the Queens University of Charlotte MFA program, he has been previously published in the Watershed Review, Apollo’s Lyre, r.kv.r.y, Boston Literary Magazine, Blue Lake Review, and 5X5.
–Art by Natalia Drepina