He rose from the couch behind her. Mid 20’s;
unmarried; thin but muscular; baggy pants and shaggy hair. Not a care in the
world. He shook open a pair of sunglasses, flashed a brilliant smile, and
glanced around the room.
His head turned as a car pulled into the
parking lot. The man behind the wheel jerked his chin upwards quickly, making
the silent connection that men understand. The young man pulled a backpack over
his shoulder and left the coffee shop.
She was in her mid 30’s with two little girls and no
wedding ring. The girls were eating bagels while she drank her coffee. She
sensed his movement and disengaged from the children, turning her head to watch
him go out the door. The girls transitioned smoothly into some little
conversation of their own while she watched him leave. She looked at him the way
you look at a powerful animal or a magnificent piece of art. Her eyes locked on
him and her world narrowed.
He moved around the car, and she began leaning
over to preserve the visual corridor, putting more and more weight onto her
elbow. He dropped easily into the passenger’s seat, and his body thrashed about
as he worked with the seatbelt. A smile twitched on her lips. It was only
there for an instant. Then she lowered her cheek onto her fist, slowly
distorting her face until a roll of skin was pushed up under her eye. She stared
at the parking lot after they drove away. It was only a few years ago that her
life was like his, and the men in her life were like that.
She turned back to her girls and picked up the
conversation. They seamlessly opened a space in their chatter and welcomed her
back.
“You know, I don’t really want to go home and
clean. Maybe we should go somewhere, just the three of us.”
“And buy a toy?” said one of the girls.
“Maybe. Sure, why not. We’ll see.”
The girls turned their faces to each other and
bounced up and down on their seats. She looked at them from her elevated
position of adulthood, appreciating their energy, moderating it, allowing it to
go just so far.
“Okay goofy toofies, let’s pick up this mess
and get out of here.”
The girls bolted for the door. Her face sagged
into a neutral expression. She calmly picked up the empty cups and napkins. She
politely whisked crumbs into a paper plate and dropped all of it into the trash.
She started to leave and then turned back to the table. She used a napkin to
sweep a single crumb off the tabletop.
Then she walked briskly to the door, crumpling
the napkin in her fist as she left.
rlp
