The Evening Calendar

I walked back inside from the bookshop and climbed onto the study desk to wind down. Beside the warm lamp, a small wooden perpetual calendar stood on a walnut base, its date cubes sitting slightly askew. Approaching with measured steps, I grasped the painted wooden block marked with the numeral two. Using both hands, I squared its smooth beveled edge flush with its neighbor, bringing twenty-two into sharp horizontal alignment. Next, I nudged the slim month slat below until its lettering rested perfectly centered in the frame. Leaning back against the sturdy timber plinth, the tidy date brings a tranquil, immaculate order to the night.