Miss Atomic Bomb Who: Caelum & Jayati What: Preparing for the holidays When: Nov. 12 - mid morning Where: Atlantic City Rating: Probably Low Status Ongoing
You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone
The holiday had been a success in his opinion though it wasn’t any different than it had been any other year. Veterans Day had always been a source of pride for his father and as the Fire Chief he played an active role in the community in effort to show their support. Cal could remember him being gone more than usual - the town hosted a small Veterans Day parade which the Fire Department teamed up with the Atlantic City Police Department to protect the citizens. If the fire trucks weren’t being used to rescue citizens they would send one or two to participate in the parade.
They’d closed down the Main Street downtown for the parade and in spite of the light drizzle and the chilly weather the turnout had been good this year. As usual, they passed all of the landmarks he could remember as a child from the television. The Villanueva children had loved parades back then, especially the local ones. Each of them had competed to be the first one to spot their father on the TV but it was a rare sighting. This year Cal did his best to lay low and get where he needed while maintaining the order.
A small ceremony was conducted later on in honor of the Veterans that had served and those who were still serving. All in all, he felt honored to be part of the city when it was all said and done. The Station had been gearing up all month for donations for the approaching Thanksgiving, they had a toy drive to assist with during the month of December - there was no lack of things to do on top of aiding his fellow citizens.
With all of that, he struggled with the emptiness the way he always did. Their family felt less complete around the holidays. The small headaches he had weren’t helping, either. Some days the headaches were worse, some days they were better. Over the horizon he knew something lingered there but he never bothered with trying to figure out what it was. Instead, he busied himself with the tasks set onto his plate like a good public servant would and then he went home to rest because real sleep was a scarce commodity.
When the shift was over, Caelum headed over to a nearby street to grab some lunch. A small deli sat nestled inbetween a dry cleaners and a convenience store which made the best hoagies in the city (in his opinion) and the owner was proud to host the Fire Chief for lunch. It’d gotten to a point that some of the other business owners on the street had become a bit irked by the constant bragging of the deli owner. Cal tried to limit his time in each business because of that reason but he felt humbled all the same.
“Chief!” Came the call from the man behind the deli counter. They’d even given him his own sandwhich, something Cal didn’t even order himself, and with a sheepish look Caelum offered a wave. “Afternoon Paul.”
“The usual then?” Paul inquired happily, already nodding at the staff.
“Yeah, sure thing!” Caelum laughed. He pulled out enough to cover the sandwich and then some, before settling down in a vacant seat. The place wasn’t big, it served as a deli and a small marketplace so the foot traffic was come and go. Turning his eyes to the large window, Cal observed the people passing by on the sidewalk with mild interest. Once in a while those soft throbs would appear only to fade away as quickly as they’d come. He emitted a sigh of defeat and settled into the day ahead.