by Sarah Price
“I know,” she replies reciprocating his honesty with a bit of her own.
Jack nods, acknowledging the simple fact that nothing remains a secret for long in the tiny village where he lives, “Of course you do.” Before she can say another word, Jack speaks again. “It’s getting late. Can I walk you back down to the Inn?”
“I’d like that” is all Tia can manage.
They both walk in silence for most of the way back down. Tia is sure that Jack is thinking about Sarah while her own mind is occupied with thoughts of him and sweet awkward embraces shared long ago, quick kisses exchanged, the rare moments alone when they would sneak away out of sight from the preying eyes of parents.
Tia walks without saying a word, stopping only to notice a group of old ladies whispering furiously to one another as she passes them, glaring at her as if she is committing adultery with a married man. The women are all dressed from head to toe in black, including black handkerchiefs tied over their hair, in keeping with the old tradition of honoring loved ones long past gone. Jake smiles at them, offering a greeting as he passes.
Underneath his breath, he makes a comment to Tia, “It seems we are about to become the latest village gossip. I hope you don’t mind?”
She smiles and whispers back, “I don’t mind if you don’t mind.”
“It’s what I live for,” Jack answers and Tia laughs out loud, causing the women in the group to stare at her even more viciously than before and, for that moment, she gets a glimpse of the Jack she remembers, the mischievous and playful boy she once knew.
The rest of the way they walk in silence. Finally, Jack speaks as they walk up the stairs to the front entrance of the Inn. “How’s Abby doing? I haven’t been by to see her. Work has been keeping me very busy.”
Tia already knew that. She hadn’t seen much of him since her arrival. “She’s resting. She gets tired a lot.”
“I know but you have given her a reason to get out of bed.”
Tia turns to him and places her hand on his arm. It’s a friendly gesture, nothing more. “I can’t thank you enough for what you are doing for her and what you did for me up at the church just now.”
He smiles, that same old smile that always made her knees weak. “It’s really no trouble.”
She withdraws her hand, hoping that he didn’t take the gesture the wrong way. “But still, you didn’t have to go out of your way. It was really thoughtful. If there is anything that I can do to repay the favor?”
“There is one thing.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“Have a cup of coffee with me sometime?”
Chapter Nine
A cup of coffee. It sounds innocent enough. Dark black coffee with a splash of milk and two packets of sugar. What can possibly be implied with that? Some conversation, of course. Sitting in a café to share a cup of coffee with someone, a friend or loved one, inspires conversation, the sharing of inner thoughts and feelings. That is always a possibility. Feeling comfortable enough with someone so that conversation naturally flows to a revelation of one’s life, feelings and thoughts. This is what Tia is afraid of, a revelation of herself, to Jack. Yet, she accepts readily his invitation to share that cup of coffee and there she is, two days later, in her hotel room, applying lipstick and combing her hair through one more time. Tia had meant to say no but it came out instead as a “Yes, I would love to.” What possessed her? Maybe she’s lonely. Tia takes one last look in the mirror.
“I look good,” Tia thinks. “Don’t look like a woman in her forties. Just a few wrinkles around the eyes-laugh lines.” Tia thinks this is ironic since, in the last few years, she has had little to laugh about. She checks her watch and realizes she has only five minutes left before meeting Jack. Tia is wearing a simple white cotton t-shirt that fits snug around her waist, showing off her figure and matches it with a blue denim skirt and casual sandals. In her mind, she doesn’t want to think of this as a date although Abby has not stopped teasing her since Tia finally told her about it last night.
“It’s a date”
“It’s a thank you.”
“It’s a date.”
Tia puts her hands on her hips and stares at Abby. “It’s two people getting reacquainted.”
“It’s two people on a date getting reacquainted.” Abby always wins.
Tia waits for him in the lobby. She finally catches sight of him coming out of one of the offices besides the concierge desk. He is dressed in a light blue button down shirt and blue jeans. Very casual and very attractive. Would he look this good if it wasn’t a date? She shrugs the thought out of her mind. He walks up to Tia and smiles.
“Hi.”
“Hi back.”
Tia can feel Jack’s eyes on her and the tension is palpable in the air. To lighten the mood, Tia teases him.
“Do you think they can spare you here? I’d imagine without you to manage things, it can be utter chaos.”
With a mischievously twinkle in his eyes, he answers back. “Oh, I think they’ll manage just fine without me for just a few hours. Besides, I’m not letting you back out of this so easily.”
Tia shakes her head. After all these years, he still knows her well. Part of her feels so comfortable around him and the other part of her is terrified.
“Shall we go?”
Jack extends his hand out and Tia walks in front of him. She feels his hand on her lower back as he guides her to the front door of the Inn. She is down the steps and into his car before his hand leaves her back. Tia can still feel the warmth of his touch long after she settles into the seat.
Jack takes Tia to a small cafe a few miles from the Inn. It is a charming little place that is the exact opposite of the big coffee chains Tia is used to in the States. The coffee is served in little white porcelain cups with matching saucers, instead of Styrofoam cups with plastic lids, and the tables are small, allowing two people to be practically sitting on top of one another. After the first sip of coffee, Jack shakes his head, begging Tia to ask the question, “What?”
“I can’t believe that after all these years we’re here together, sitting across from each other. I would never have thought this possible.”
Not only does he have a way of reading her thoughts, he also has an uncanny ability to unnerve Tia. In front of him, Tia turns into the awkward teenager that she was when they first met instead of the level headed adult she grew up to be.
“I know, it really does seem impossible, but here we are.”
“You look great by the way.”
“Oh thanks but I’m sure I’ve changed a lot since back then, grown much older.”
“You’ve grown into a very beautiful woman.”
She flushes. “Well, thanks and you, you still have that smile.” The color spreads to her cheeks. “Oh God,” Tia mutters underneath her breath, in disbelief that she actually just said that to him. It was the first thing that popped into her head. She’s sure that Abby would have something to say about this. Not a date, huh? Jack interrupts her thoughts.
“So we didn’t get to talk much on our walk yesterday.”
“Well, we did have an audience.”
“True,” he says, nodding his head. “But they’re not here now so you get to tell me all about your life because I’m sure from the way this town works, you know enough about mine.”
“Not quite,” she teases. “I’m still working on getting your bank account information.”
“Give it time. The teller at the bank is the ring leader of all the gossipers.”
Tia shakes her head in agreement. “It’s true, you seem to be a very interesting topic of conversation.”
“As you noticed, not much goes on around here so, I guess, my life gives them something to pass the time.”
She looks at him seriously, steering away from the teasing to ask him a simple question. “I’m sure you’d like to get away from the whispers, if you could?”
“There are days…”
For a brief second she notices
the look of hurt and pain and then, just like that, it is gone. Tia wonders what lies behind that look. But before she can ask, his charming smile returns as he wags his finger close to her face.
“I know what you are trying to do here. You’re trying to change the subject on me but it isn’t going to work, so start talking.”
“Who me? Try to change the subject? You are imagining things.” Tia smiles, knowing that Jack is onto her, but he persists.
“Imaginary or not, I want to know everything about what has happened to you since we last saw each other.”
“Do you want the abbreviated version or the extended edition?”
He checks the time on his watch. “I don’t have to be back to the Inn for the rest of the afternoon so I have some time on my hands.”
“Well, in a nutshell, I went to college, got married, became a teacher, had two kids, got divorced, kids grew up and are off on their own, friend is dying which brings me here with you having a cup of coffee.” She brings the cup up to her lips for another sip.
He frowns at her. “I’m not letting you off the hook that quickly. I have questions.”
“Such as?”
“How long were you married?”
“Twenty years.”
“And…”
Rolling her eyes in exaggerated fashion, Tia continues. “Michael was my college sweetheart. We fell in love while I was studying pre-med.”
“You’re a doctor?” Jack’s eyes widen, obviously impressed.
“No”
“But isn’t that what you also wanted to be?”
“Yes.”
“So what happened?” He looks confused and Tia can understand. When thinking back on her choices, she often wonders that same question and she gives him the same answer she always gives herself.
“Life happened along the way. “
“So what do you do?”
“I’m a teacher.”
“Let me see if I got this right. You wanted to be a doctor but became a teacher instead?”
She nods and knows that she needs to explain to Jack the events that led to her life decisions. But how does she sum up in one sentence the twists and turns of a road she has been on for so many years? “I married young and got pregnant right after that. You can’t support a family on a resident’s salary so I became a teacher instead.”
“Oh, I see.” But Tia can see that he doesn’t. Most people have never been able to understand her sacrifices.
“But don’t get me wrong, I love teaching. It sounds corny but there is such a sense of accomplishment in passing on your knowledge to young kids.”
“What do you teach?”
“High school science.”
“Teaching to the future generations of doctors?”
“Hey, if you can’t join them, teach them, right?”
“Well it sounds very fulfilling.”
“It is.” And Tia means it. She has found it fulfilling and satisfying. Even if it wasn’t her first choice of professions, she never regretted her second choice. She likes to think she has influenced an entire generation to follow their dreams.
“And you have kids?”
Tia can’t help but light up at the mention of her children. “Yes, and they’re wonderful, just great. Jaime, my daughter, got an amazing job in fashion and is moving to NYC. My son is going off to college.”
“Sounds like a very rich life.”
“Yes, it is, now that I think about it.” Tia is amazed how insightful Jack is. The struggles of the past few years with the divorce have made her forget how blessed she has really been, how much she still is. Jack continues with his questions.
“How do you know Abby?”
Now, he has moved onto a topic Tia feels very comfortable with talking about. “She’s been my best friend since we were kids. We are polar opposites but…I don’t know how to explain it other than Abby always brings out the best in me, pushes me to be more than what I am.”
“From the little time I’ve spent with her, I can see that she is someone special.”
“She’s special alright, seen me through some tough times. So now, I feel like I need to be there for her.”
“You sound like a pretty good friend yourself. I’m sure she appreciates you being here with her.”
“I am not doing anything she wouldn’t be doing for me.”
At this point in the conversation, Tia has had enough with talking about herself. Jack always did have a way of making her feel like the center of his attention but, with so much to know, Tia wants to hear about him. It is time to hear more about his life. “Now your turn.”
“Is this how it works?”
“Yes, we take turns here or I don’t play. You can’t be asking all the questions.”
“Alright, I’ll play your game. Go ahead, ask your questions.”
Tia starts with something safe. “How is your family?”
“Good, they’re all doing well.”
“I was so glad to see you took over the Inn from your dad.”
“I didn’t have the heart to sell it. It’s been in my family for so long and it holds so many memories for me.”
Tia nods, images of what she imagines are Jack’s memories going through her mind, of his childhood, family gatherings, holidays and his wedding reception with Sarah. She wonders, however silly it is, if she’s also a small part of his memories and his reason for not selling the Inn. “You’ve done a great job. Really, the place is exactly as I remember it.”
“Anything else you remember, Tia?”
This isn’t fair, Tia thinks. She’s asking the questions here not him but yet, despite Jack breaking the rules of their little ‘Twenty Questions’ game, she is glad he did ask. It answered the only real question going through her mind that she was afraid to ask-what did he remember? Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of an immediate reply, she plays with her words instead.
“Of course, I remember a lot. I remember my grandparents, the fiestas, my first taste of wine.”
“Anything else?”
“I remember how happy I was here. How everything was so simple and easy.”
He isn’t deterred and continues on. “Anything else?”
“I remember the ocean and the beach, laying out on the sand and the warm sun.”
“Do you remember me?”
There it is. Right there for her to either deny or walk right into. Tia is nervous but despite the fear, she lets go and takes a chance. “Hard to forget your first kiss.”
He smiles as if finally satisfied and the questioning stops. He looks down rather shyly, his hands playing with the napkin lying on the table in front of him. “I have a confession to make. Back then, I didn’t need you to teach me English.”
“You didn’t, huh?” Although Tia already knew that, she playfully acts surprised by this very transparent revelation.
“No, I had been taking private lessons for years.”
“So you lied?”
“It was a little white lie.” He smiles as he puts out two fingertips close together to show her just how small the lie was.
“Do you feel like coming clean now?”
“I do,” he says, nodding his head seriously despite the teasing tone to his voice. “My conscience can’t take another minute of this.”
“I’m waiting.”
“The truth is I really liked you.”
“You couldn’t have. Not the gawky teenager with the long legs and the bad skin. Are you sure?”
He looks up at Tia, confusion setting in on his face as he nods his head in utter disbelief. “We must be talking about two different girls. The Tia I liked had long legs and the prettiest eyes I’d ever seen.”
“Things change. I don’t have those long legs anymore.”
“I don’t know about that. You still have the pretty eyes.” He is looking directly into her eyes. After a few seconds, which seems much longer because of the intensity of his stare, Tia looks away, convinced that she is blushing and tries to
wave off the compliment.
“Oh please, I am a middle aged woman with two grown kids.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that you have pretty eyes.”
Trying to interject humor, Tia laughs and answers back. “Good to know that there are still some things that haven’t changed.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re still a charmer.”
“I just speak what‘s on my mind.”
“Well, OK, Mr. Speak Your Mind, my turn.”
“Go ahead.”
“What do you remember?”
Tia can see Jack thinking about her question, turning it over in his head and instead of the humor that accompanied her own responses, Tia isn’t expecting the seriousness of his tone. “I remember our talks. I remember how good of a listener you were.”
She isn’t expecting this and with just those words, Jack transports her back to those moments of whispered secrets, long conversations, shared dreams and limitless futures. They made plans, had hopes and definitely some fears. It strikes Tia as amazing how with just a few words, clips of moments begin to pop into her head-glimpses of Jack and what he meant to her.
Tia and Jack
“You’re lucky.”
I say this as I am sitting on a crate in the kitchen of the Inn, where Jack is leaning over the grill, making us an authentic American hamburger with all of the trimmings.
“Why?”
“You have this place to take over when you get older.”
I stretch my arms out as much as I can so that he can see what I mean.
“I guess.”
He shrugs his shoulders and does not seem happy. He looks sad in fact, which makes me ask him.
“Don’t you want it?”
“It’s a lot of work. I see my father and he’s up at dawn and doesn’t come home until dark.”
“Yeah, but look at all of the perks of the job-housekeeping makes your bed, they clean up after you when you make a mess and who can beat room service late at night.”
“You’re talking like a paid guest. It’s different when you are running it.”
“Still you get to meet different people from different places. I think it would be fun.”