8
Sophie
Morning came faster than I thought it would, and while my body felt tired because I spent most of the night wondering how the meeting with Maggie would go, I had the energy to get moving. It was actually later than I had slept in a while since I had been getting up early, prepping myself for the school day mornings that were not far off, and going into my classroom to get everything ready for the new year. Luckily, I didn’t actually have to be there on these days; it was more of a voluntary thing to help me get ahead. The extra time allowed me to spend more time than I might usually have spent getting myself ready for the day. I found myself staring at my closet, trying to pick out my prettiest dress, and I was kind of disappointed by what I saw there. It was then I realized that I hadn’t done much pampering of myself in a long while and my wardrobe showed it. Everything looked just like you would expect an eighth-grade schoolteacher to dress – conservative, bland, without much flair and color. I was starting to see more of why people thought I was a spinster. All I needed was three or four cats roaming around, and I was all set.
I finally found something pushed to the far side of my closet that I thought looked breezy and perfect for summer. It was a casual tank dress, sleeveless, and a light yellow. It was knee-length and flared out a bit to make the dress look light and feel comfortable. I had bought the dress about a year ago at Simmons, our local clothing store, but I hadn’t worn it since then.
Now is as good a time as any, Sophie, I told myself and laid the dress on the bed.
I took a long, leisurely, hot shower, and after wrapping a fluffy, white towel around myself, I walked over to the mirror over my vanity and took a look at myself. I thought about putting some makeup on, but I rarely wore any and I opted to skip it. I did blow-dry my hair, however, something I rarely did except on cold mornings before school. Drying and brushing out my hair took a bit longer than I thought it would, and I realized my hair had gotten quite a bit longer since the last time I got it cut. I would usually go and get it done right before school started, and had to remember to do that. Today, however, I was putting the school out of my head.
I slipped into my basic white cotton bra and panties and then pulled the dress on over my head. I looked over in the mirror and was very happy with how it looked on me. I actually felt good wearing it instead of my usual clothes, and I spun around a little in front of the mirror to make the dress twirl a bit as I smiled at my reflection. I put my watch on and realized it was almost 11:30, still a little early for lunch, but I wanted to get there and have time to talk to Maggie without fear of getting interrupted. I slipped into my slip-on sneakers and moved down the stairs. I picked up my purse, checked myself in the mirror one last time, and headed out the door.
It was already feeling warm out, not at all unusual for late August around here. The sun beat down brightly, and the neighborhood kids were all running around under a sprinkler two houses down from me. I thought about walking to The Homestead again, but then remembered I would have to walk by the house again. Something about doing that scared me off a bit, so I got my keys out and opted to go with the short drive instead.
I turned the air conditioning up as soon as I turned the car on to get it working as soon as possible. I knew it seemed silly to do that for just a few minutes I would be in the car, but I felt like between the heat and the bit of nervousness I felt that the last thing I wanted to be was a sweaty mess before I got there. I pulled out of my driveway and was on my way. I drove slowly past Travis’ father’s house as I went by, taking a quick glance at it to see if it was still intent on menacing me somehow. The house looked more rundown in the sunshine, like it had lacked love and attention for a long time. I eased my foot on the gas to speed past it a bit so I could put it out of my mind.
In no time at all, I was turning into the parking lot next to the restaurant. There were just a few cars in the lot, as I expected. I turned my car off and started to get out when I found myself struck with a thought.
What if Travis is in there?
I’m not sure why I hadn’t considered that a possibility before, but it certainly could happen. That knot in my stomach started to tighten more, and I could feel myself gripping the door handle but not opening it. The thought that Travis could be in there, having a happy lunch with his wife and daughter, laughing and smiling, was gutwrenching, to say the least. I could just as easily turn the car back on and go home, forget about all of this, and go on with my life.
Sure you can, the voice in my head said to me. While you’re at it, drive over to the animal shelter and pick up your cats, because that is where you are headed.
I exhaled deeply, opened the car door, and got out. I could feel my legs shaking a little as I took the short walk through the parking lot and onto the sidewalk before I reached the front door of the restaurant. I peered in through the glass briefly and didn’t see Maggie at the podium. She wouldn’t not be here for lunch; that wasn’t her.
Of course, she might not be here. Her granddaughter, son, and daughter-in-law are in town, and she wants to spend time with them. Get back in the car; your cats are waiting for you.
“No!” I said out loud, startling the two older women walking past me on the sidewalk. I blushed as they went by me. I was sure they would be telling everyone they knew how the school’s eighth-grade spinster English teacher is now talking to herself as well.
My sudden burst of bravery got the better of me, and I pulled the glass door open and walked inside. The blast of cool air from the air conditioning made goosebumps stand up all over my body, and I felt myself shiver. I peered past the podium and saw just one or two people seated in the restaurant eating or ordering lunch. One of the waitresses, a teenager with brown hair snapping gum in her teeth, who I did not recognize, walked over to me.
“Would you like a table?” she asked me, popping her gum.
“Um… I guess.. is Maggie here?” I asked her awkwardly.
“Oh yeah, she’s here. She’s behind the bar. The afternoon bartender called in sick, but I don’t think he’s sick. A little too much partying last night for him, if you know what I mean.” The girl winked at me and smiled. It was more information than I wanted.
“Yes,” I said to her, hoping to cut off the conversation. “I’ll … I’ll just go sit at the bar if that’s alright.”
“Sure,” she said to me, chomping on her gum again. “Suit yourself.” She turned and walked towards the kitchen as I made my way towards the bar.
To be honest, I don’t think I had ever sat at the bar here before. It’s not that I don’t drink, I just rarely have any alcohol. One bad experience in college with some tequila was more than I needed to set me straight. Now it was the very rare glass of wine, and that was about it.
I sat at a stool in the middle of the bar. I could feel the cold vinyl of the stool come right through the thin material of my dress, making me shiver once again. My feet didn’t reach the floor sitting here at the bar, and I suddenly felt like I was twelve years old and doing something I shouldn’t be doing. One other person was sitting at the bar, a few seats down from me. I recognized him as Fred Perkins, the owner of the dry cleaner shop down the street. He was a friendly man, always with a nice smile whether you saw him inside or outside the store. I wondered why he would be here early during the week instead of at his shop.
I found out shortly when I saw Maggie emerge from the door at the far end of the bar that led to a backroom. Fred perked up and beamed at her as she came in, blushing the same way I have seen many adolescent boys do in my classroom when the girl they like happens to walk by. Maggie stopped off for a moment to talk to Fred, leaning over the bar closely to him as she gently laughed and took his lunch order. She turned to the right and saw me sitting there, and a surprised look came over her face. She excused herself from Fred and made her way down to me.
“Sophie? I’m surprised to see you here so early. And sitting at the bar too. What’s up?”
“Oh, I just decided to skip the classroom today and treat myself to an early lunch,” I said to her, trying to sound casual.
“Good for you,” she said enthusiastically. She handed me a menu to look at. I wasn’t really that hungry, especially with my stomach doing backflips with knots, but now that I had told her I was here for lunch, I needed to order something.
“I’ll have the Cobb salad, with the house dressing,” I said to her, picking the first thing I saw. I wasn’t even sure if I really liked Cobb salad, or exactly what was in it, but since today was a day of taking chances, I figured what the heck.
“Anything to drink?” she asked me. I thought about ordering a real drink, but my senses got the better of me.
“Just a lemonade,” I said to her, feeling a bit embarrassed. There was that adolescent feeling again!
“No problem honey,” she said to me. She stopped a few steps down the bar to pour a beer from the tap for Fred, and then went down and placed it in front of him, smiling (or was it flirting?) at him. She then turned to her register, entered what I assumed was my order, and disappeared into the backroom again.
I felt my legs swinging nervously, and I could feel myself spinning the stool lightly as I waited. The wait seemed endless to me, and the restaurant was almost unbearably quiet. I glanced up at the muted TV to see the sports news scrolling something about someone’s knee injury. Maggie came back out and brought Fred his lunch, a hamburger with fries, and slid the plate in from of him. Fred thanked her profusely as she then made her way down to me with my tall glass of lemonade.
“One fresh lemonade,” she said as reached down and grabbed a straw. “I just made it myself.”
“Thanks, Maggie,” I said to her, trying not to show my nervousness to her. I took a sip of the tart lemonade and felt it hit the back of my throat as it went down, making me choke a little.
“Easy, sweetie,” Maggie said to me. “That’s strong stuff you know.”
I could feel myself turning red again as she smiled at me and went back down towards Fred. He had already finished most of his burger and was trying to engaging Maggie in conversation when I heard a cell phone ring. It was obviously Fred’s, as he pulled it from his shirt pocket and flipped it open, disappointed that his conversation was interrupted. He had a brief, animated discussion with whoever was on the phone with him, hung up angrily, and sat back down with his shoulders slumped. He told Maggie he had to go, there was some problem with someone misplacing Mrs. Henderson’s favorite dress, and she was ranting and raving in the shop. Maggie reached over and touched his hand gently and said it was okay, causing him to brighten with a smile again. He took money out of his wallet and left it on the bar, turned and smiled at me widely as he walked out, obviously happy with how things went.
Good for you Mr. Perkins.
Maggie had disappeared again, but quickly came bouncing back with my lunch. As she was putting the plate in front of me, I knew it was now or never time for me. I took a quick glance down at the salad, which looked yummy with its chicken, hard-boiled egg, bacon, and avocado with some bleu cheese crumbles over greens. I lightly picked at the salad as Maggie took some glassware out of the dishwasher behind the bar to my left.
“So Maggie,” I began, hearing my voice cracking slightly as I spoke, “ Mary and I were in here last night. It was pretty busy.”
“Yes, I was surprised it was so packed for a Thursday night. But you know, summer, small town, it’s hot, no one wants to cook. It’s all good for me,” she said with a laugh.
“Yeah, I guess it is,” I could feel the nervousness making it’s way from my stomach up to my throat, trying to cut me off. I had to get it out before I stopped myself.
“I saw you in here, with a young girl, a redhead,” I said as I grabbed a forkful of greens and shoved them into my mouth.
“Oh?” Maggie said to me. There was a slight twinkle in her eye as she closed the dishwasher and came closer to me.
I swallowed my greens slowly, trying not to choke. “Yes,” I said, feeling my hand tremble a little as I pierced a piece of chicken. “I had never seen her before. She looked like she would be the age of the girls in my class. I was just wondering who she was.” There, I had said it. It was hanging out there, and I just had to brace myself for the reply.
Maggie put her arms on the bar in front of me. “That was my granddaughter, Abby,” she told me. A seriousness came over her face as she said it, making me feel like I had to brace for the worst news I could hear. That knot was in my throat now, and I could almost feel tears welling up in my eyes.
“Granddaughter,” I said solemnly, trying to look like it didn’t bother me. “So… so Travis has a daughter.” I am sure Maggie could tell this was tearing me up inside, but I had to press on. “I’m sure he and… and his wife… are very proud. She’s a very pretty girl.” I forced myself to take a bite of avocado, though now it felt like acid going down my throat. I washed it down with some lemonade, which made me cough and choke again. I grabbed my napkin and coughed into it, using it to wipe the light tears I could feel in my eyes.
I felt Maggie’s hands pull mine down slowly from my face. She could see my eyes were red now, and I tried to hold myself back from bawling. I could see her smiling at me.
“Travis isn’t married, Sophie,” she said to me, using the napkin I was holding to wipe my face.
“He’s not?” I said to her, finding it hard to believe the Travis would divorce anyone.
“Nope never has been,” Maggie told me. “Brenda, Abby’s mother, took off when she was two months old. She didn’t want a family or to be tied down. She wanted to live a “free” life. Travis hasn’t seen or heard from her since. He’s raised Abby by himself… well, with a little help from me along the way,” she said proudly.
I felt a huge weight lifted off me as the knot went away. I laughed a little as the last tear fell, and took another bite of my salad. Suddenly, Cobb salad tasted like the best thing I had ever eaten.
I took a quick glance down at my watch to feign interest in it.
“Oh, look at what time it is,” I said in haste, trying to move quickly. “I need to get over to the school for paperwork.” I fumbled with my purse, trying to get it open.
“I thought you said you were skipping school today,” Maggie said to me, arching an eyebrow.
“I did, I mean I was going to, but I really should get some work in. Classes start in just a few weeks.” I pulled my wallet out of my purse. “What do I owe you?” I asked Maggie.
“No charge,” Maggie told me as I tried to hand her a twenty. “Lunch is on me. Just two friends getting together for a little catching up, okay?”
I smiled broadly at her, maybe even wider than Fred Perkins had. “Thank you,” I said to her softly.
“Your welcome Sophie,” she said. “Come around again soon, okay?”
“I… I will. I promise,” I told her as I practically skipped out of the restaurant.
I barely noticed the wave of heat that hit me as I walked outside and quick-stepped to my car. I opened the car door, sat down, turned the car on and felt warm air rush from the vents as it worked to get cool. I banged my palms on the steering wheel as I felt a huge grin on my face.
“You can forget about those cats,” I said out loud to myself as I backed out and started driving over to the school, hoping to catch Mary there so I could tell her all about this.