Comings, Goings, and the Wait in Between

 

Comings, Goings, and the Wait in Between

Friday afternoon in Miami. The clouds are hanging low, the air is heavy with summer’s humidity, and for once, there’s no thunder cracking in the distance. Mom would say St. Peter must be off his bowling game today. I’ve always taken her warnings to heart—no charging electronics when lightning’s involved. So, small blessings: just cloud cover, not chaos.

In theory, I should feel pretty good. Earlier this week, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen went live on Amazon—another piece of the Garraty puzzle, written almost on impulse and finished before the ink had time to dry on Reunion: Coda. It's not sprawling. It doesn't try to do too much. And maybe that’s what makes it one of the most focused and emotionally honest things I’ve written.

If you've followed Jim's arc across the Reunion stories, you’ll recognize this as something smaller and quieter—a moment in 1984 that sets the tone for everything that comes after. It's about beginnings. That night in Boston, that brief connection with Kelly—it isn't flashy, but it matters. It hums with the same aching quiet as Summer of '42, though I wasn’t trying to mimic Raucher’s work. I just wanted to capture that soft ache of memory, the kind that lives between words and lasts longer than expected.

Is it my best work? That’s not for me to say. But I do know this: writing Comings and Goings took restraint, precision, and a lot of heart. And while the early response has been, let’s say, subdued—I won’t lie, I’ve refreshed the KDP page more times than I’d care to admit—it still feels right. The story’s out there. It found form, found voice. Maybe that’s enough.

Still, I’d love for more readers—new and returning—to discover it. If Jim’s story resonates, even in a quiet way, I’d be grateful for a rating or review. It makes a difference.

Thanks, as always, for walking alongside me on this storytelling path. Every time someone reaches out or leaves a trace of their own in response, it reminds me why I do this.

Soundtrack to a Moment

Music threads itself through Jim’s night—and through this story, really. Here are a few of the pieces that echo through the silence:

• “This Night” – Billy Joel

• “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again” – Eric Carmen

• “The Longest Time” – Billy Joel

• “The Winner Takes It All” – ABBA

• Andante cantabile from Piano Sonata No. 8 – Beethoven

These aren’t just songs—they’re emotional cues. If you listen while reading, you might hear what Jim can’t quite say.

"That night in Boston… it hums with the same aching quiet as Summer of '42."

You can find Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen on Amazon. I hope it finds a home in your memory, the way it’s made one in mine.