Blue Hour ~ Dawn

'I rise before the dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.'
~Psalm 119:147~

               Andrea stirred at the tickle on her cheek. She turned, moaned at her stiff neck; where had she fallen asleep this time? She brushed her eyes open with a hand, then felt the warm breath across her face. "What're you doing here, girl?"
               Andrea's eyes slid open, the smile already across her face. "Terry."
               She pulled him close by his collar and gave him the long version of the kiss on her cheek. She was still smiling when they broke it off, even as she took in his weary eyes. Weary, yet tense. Wonder where he could've gotten those from.
               "What's the time?" Andrea stretched, kinking herself out of the left nook of the couch.
               "Six-twenty." Terry straightened up, his features revealed in the smooth beginnings of daylight. It was coming so early now...
               "What're you doing?" He looked down at her, that blasted black cowlick falling over his broad forehead. It made him look too cute, even when he was angry with her. "Why are you here?"
               "Because I love you." Andrea told him matter-of-factly. Her eyes trailed by toward the window. There Frank sat, his head nodding to the side, June tucked in at his feet. "You father just happens to be a side-effect of that."
               "He should be in bed." Terry shook his head, rubbing a palm into his eyes. "You should be at home, where it's safe. Nobody's where they should be!"
               "You wanna wake him!" Andrea hissed, getting her stiff legs to support her. "We only managed to settle down after four. It was a restless night."
               "It is ever anything else?" Terry turned from her, gazing aimlessly toward the kitchen for a moment. June had stirred by this point, stretching and coming up to nuzzle Terry's hand. Well, at least someone was happy.
               Frank and I spent the night safe behind a door. Andrea remembered. While Terry walks raw through the thick of it. And he's worried about ME????
               Andrea walked up behind her boyfriend and looped her arms around his waist. She rested against his shoulder a moment, before. "Do me a favor, hm?"
              "What is it?" Terry asked after a pause.
              "Come see how beautiful the sunrise is." Andrea didn't wait for an answer. Just put his hand in hers and led him back through the front door, past the bars and down the steps. June followed, her sniffs investigating the crushed beer cans and faded cigarette butts as Andrea got Terry out to the curb. She angled him against her so they both faced the end of the road that dipped into the beginning of a hill that eventually led into one of the newer suburbs. The refuge for those who'd given up on Warren Avenue. But Andrea didn't think about that; rather she lifted her eyes above the shadows, the chipped rooftops, and into the gray-pink that was chasing away the last navy threads of last night.
                "Andrea-"
                "Shhh." Andrea told him gently, an arm around him and a hand on June. Their presence warmed her, but she grew more excited with the warmth that was rising to fill her. The navy was pushed out for the soft blues of a jaybird, the breathless pale yellow of the Baja sands. It was only seconds, until the morning sun announced itself with a full face of tangerine orange. It stretched it's fingers over the avenue, the neighborhood, the whole city. It chased the shadows off and bathed everything anew in its refreshing light.
               Andrea finally had to look away and she squinted at Terry. He turned to her likewise, his expression softer... eyes just as tired and sad. "It's beautiful. And it's over way too quickly."
               "It's enough." Andrea told him, both her arms around his now, leaning her face to smell the week-old coffee and office sweat of his uniform.
               "Not when you have a twelve-hour night to contend with."
               "It's enough," Andrea repeated, locking their eyes. "When we've got people like your dad and you. Determined to shine those rays into the night. Even the darkest ones."

THE END 

'Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, 

for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.'

~Psalm 112:4~