The night sky was void. Not black and all consuming, that would still be a night sky, but simply void of all that would make it a night sky. Void of starlight. Void of darkness. Void of the moon. Only the light of the streets reflected off of grey clouds, a blob of sheer nothingness that stares down on us all with emotionless indifference. If only there were stars that would twinkle, if only there was a shifting moon, if only there was darkness. Then the least we could do, as humans, is relate.
I walked slowly through the streets, crammed between the massive towers and skyscrapers of steel and concrete that were reaching towards the endless grey as if fuelled by the hubris of mythological mankind while throwing the light of a thousand neon signs down upon the little people making their way below. The air was humid, the wind was still. The grey above didn't even have the good manners to cry for us. While crossing main street the cars were honking like wild geese chasing crumbs, probably just as happy to be off the clock as I was, but I kept my tempo. They could wait. At least they had cars.
What would Gabriél say? I thought to myself, taking a look at my watch. Roughly half past ten I could tell, despite the cracks in the glass. I wouldn't have the time to read tonight either, nor kiss the kids goodnight before they would be sound asleep. At least if things went according to schedule at home. A skip, a hop and a deep sigh later I stood before the steel gate to the megacomplex, one of many shapeless blobs of living space littered throughout this part of the city. A few lights were still on in the windows, and on a balcony a bald man in a wife beater was having a smoke. Greg, I think Gabriél called him that one time we strolled past his window. A strange habit. Who would want to look at this horrid grey above? With a swipe of my keycard I got the gate to retract, and I could pass onto the sorry excuse for a yard our megabuilding had. The grass was barely even yellow, nearing the same colour that David's shit had when he was a baby, and there were only twenty benches that us two thousand residents would have to share. I waved to Greg before entering the building. The least I could do to make his day better, acknowledge that I saw him.
Given the high risk of the west-side elevator malfunctioning again, I decided to take the stairs to floor sixteen. A left turn, a cut across the vacant floor sixteen basketball court and a corridor later I stood before my front door, hands in pockets, trying my best not to bite my lip. I then swiped my card and stepped inside as quietly as I could before locking the door behind me. Finally.
"Welcome home, miamor!" a voice from he kitchen echoed.
I removed my shoes quickly and looked up to see Gabriél's tired eyes leaning forth from behind the wall. After dusting off my jacket quickly and hanging it in the wardrobe I squeezed forth between it and the wall, and knelt before Gabriél so he could give me a hug. A warmth spread through my chest.
"Why do you insist on the spanish, Gab?" I tried to chuckle, but I must just have sounded tired.
He looked appalled and shocked, dramatically leaning back to the degree that his wheelchair creaked and resisted.
"It's what my mom called her husband, and it is what I will call mine, thank you very much." he said before holding my face between his soft, dark hands and looking into my eyes. He smiled carefully.
"Rough day at work?"
"Yes."
"Did Russels give you grief again?"
"No."
"What happened? You know you can tell me, right?"
"Well... I... I don't think I'm allowed to tell."
"Alright. The kids are asleep, and you just missed Maria. She did the laundry while I read for David and Erica."
"I'm so sorry that I'm late all the time. I hope you know that." I forced out, straining to keep the lump in my throat down.
"I know. But I know what you're doing is important. You're building this city. You're giving others opportunities for life with clean water in their taps and cold food in their fridges. And you're giving us money to pay the bills for that same clean water, and to buy the food to stuff those fridges with. But most importantly, I love you. That's why I don't care."
He kissed me again. When he pulled away, I pulled my fingers gently through his hair. Recently showered, but not conditioned. Saving on it, I suppose.
"Do they love me, Gab? Do the kids love me?"
Gab shook his head and just chuckled. In disbelief it seems. Am I that out of touch?
"They do nothing but ask for you. "When will Robin be home?", "Can Robin read for us tonight?" You're all they want, miamor."
"Okay. Let's go to bed. Do you want help?"
"Yes please. My arms are so tired."
I rolled him to the door to the right in the entrance hall, or the left as seen from the door, and heaved him onto the bed. He fell back, let his hair spread across the bedding like webbing of rivers from a mountain.
"Could you take off my pants please?" he asked with a yawn. I happily obliged and then pulled off his shirt, reached for his muscular shoulders.
"Not tonight. You need to go to bed."
"Yeah. Be right there. I'm just gonna get myself ready."
I walked off to the bathroom, which was right across the kitchen. It smelled of the soap Gab had saved up for two months ago, lavender I believe. With robotic precision I brushed my teeth slowly, and probably for much longer than I needed to. Then off to bed only to then wake up for another day at the office, like every other day of the week. Regardless, I couldn't help but be excited. Because I would be able to hold Gab again, even if Russels would be a piece of shit again and I probably would have no time to read up on the architecture again. On my way back I snuck a look into the kids' room, right next to the bathroom, just to hear their breaths in the darkness. If only I could see their faces. Walking across the kitchen I enter the bedroom and undress.
"You're so handsome, miamor." he whispered lazily.
"You too, my love."
He smiled. His smile would wake me from the dead with its radiance. The only bright spot in all this grey. In this void.