by S J Sargent
Molly smiled and nodded.
“Good girl.” Christine half-smiled. “Once we have some more team members here, there won’t be so much on all of us. We just need to pull our extra weight in the meantime. Appreciate it, team.”
“Why aren’t you working?” Christine asked to Alex.
“I wasn’t on the schedule.” Alex pointed to the back break room where the weekly schedule was always posted. “It was Ken tonight. Where is he?”
Christine ignored the question, staring down at her clipboard and jotting down numbers as she looked inside the soda cooler.
“Say, Christine,” Peter spoke up. “Do you really think Molly needs to stick around? I mean, it’s starting to die down a bit. I bet you and I can handle it.” Peter paused as she just stared at him. “I can manage the front of the store without her.” He gave Alex a nod, trying to help.
Peter always brought equilibrium to the team for Alex, Molly, and Ken. Christine loved to bulldoze through the team. Peter was the one that came by and cleaned up after her. He always made sure that they weren’t upset or angry.
“I don’t think so.” She finally said. “Too busy in here.” Then Christine disappeared to the back. Alex waited until she was out of earshot to speak.
“Thanks for trying, Pete.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Peter said. “I shouldn’t have spoken up. That was wrong of me to second guess Christine. She’s right. It’s Friday night, and we’re already short-staffed.”
“True…” Molly said. “But the fact that you’re looking out for me, it means a lot.” Molly smiled. “Besides, it is finally starting to slow down in here. But…it’s fine.”
Peter shrugged. “I’m going to recover the shelves.” He wandered off into the abyss known as the drama section.
“Well, there go our dinner plans,” Alex said. Defeated.
“Oh...” Molly said. “Yeah. I mean…”
“Well, I mean…” Alex said back. They both stood silently, waiting for the other to say something. Alex finally went first.
“…we could still go, I guess. It’s just…”
“…yeah. But it would be late.”
“Right.” Alex nodded quickly.
“I would hate to make you…wait,” Molly said. “You’ve been so nice already. You’re such a good friend.”
She didn’t say the last word any differently. But that’s the word Alex heard the loudest. The f-word is basically a cuss word when it’s used in a sentence by your crush. Even though they had never gone on a single date, vocalizing the f-word out loud is a low blow.
Alex nodded. “Sure. I’m just…I want to be here for you. I know it’s been a really emotional week for you.”
Molly looked down. Tears started to return, but she stopped them before they could. She shook her head and pushed them back in. A customer came up to check out just in time to rescue her from another breakdown. Alex looked at Molly’s preoccupied stage and stepped up to a register to help.
“I can get you on this computer right here, sir.”
“Do you work here?” the customer asked, staring at his ragged hoodie of an outfit.
“I do!” Alex said. “I’m just technically off duty right now. But I love it so much that I even come and work here for free on my days off. That’s the magic of Movie Madness!” The customer cracked up. “Have you checked out our movie sale, by the way?” Alex pointed to the table behind him. The customer turned around and began to examine the stacks of used DVDs behind him. This was too easy.
“Wait. Do I still get commission for this even if I’m not on duty? How’s that work?” Alex looked over at Molly, who was too distracted to hear him.
She quickly wiped away a tear and headed toward the staff restroom in the back to get cleaned up. It was one of the few times in her life that she couldn’t control her emotions. Something she usually took great pride in. Her current state of emotional helplessness just added to the pain and insecurity.
Her family had always taught her that a proper lady stayed composed, even if they are hurt. Save the pain for behind closed doors. That’s what her mom always said. Of course, her mom learned that in her own version of cotillion class as a kid. Just like Molly did herself a few years earlier.
So now, she didn’t just feel broken for losing her friend. But she also felt incompetent that she wasn’t strong enough to keep her head up. And scared for the mystery of it all. She looked in the mirror and let out a deep breath. Checked her phone. 8:17. Just push through a little longer. As she made her way back to the front of the store, she heard Christine raising her voice. What was wrong?
“No!” Christine yelled at Alex. Peter stood between them, trying his best to diffuse the situation. “It’s completely inappropriate. If you ever check out a customer again when you are off duty, you are gone.”
“I’m sorry, Christine.” Alex had his hands in surrender. “Peter was on the floor and Molly was just…she…it’s been a really hard day for her.”
“I don’t care.” Christine barked back. “There are standards, Alex. You can’t just play by your own rules. This town doesn’t revolve around you and what you want.”
“This is my fault,” Peter said. Taking the blame as usual. “I’m the shift manager. This is on me. Alex was trying to help.”
Christine glared at Peter again. “Don’t stand up for him. You weren’t even up here. Don’t take the blame.”
“Please…” Molly said. “Please, Christine. Alex was just trying to help. I kind of lost it for a moment. I’ve just been really shaken up with everything that happened with Amy and he just manned the register for a minute…”
She grunted at this. “Okay. Everyone listen up. I know it’s been a hard week. I get that. But that’s no excuse for us to lose our heads here. I don’t want to hear anything more about this Amy girl. I’m tired of it. That’s all I’ve heard all day.” Arms crossed. “Got it?”
Then silence.
The three sheepishly nodded. Did she really just say that?
Alex was about ready to walk out and call it quits. But he loved this job. And didn’t want to do anything to disrupt it, even if Christine’s lack of sensitivity had reached an all-time high. Or was it an all-time low? Either way, it was bad.
Christine let out a long sigh of frustration. Then put her head in her hand. “Peter, how many customers are in the store right now?”
“Three. I think.” Peter said. “
It’s starting to slow down.” Christine stared at him. Then at Molly.
“Okay.” She put her hands on her hips. “Listen. I’m sorry, Molly. I wasn’t trying to be…I’m just tired. I shouldn’t have said that about Amy. I know it’s been hard for you and hard for all of us. I’m sorry for saying that.” She stared at Molly for a second. “I think I’m just a little worn out. It’s been a long few weeks. Let’s just keep our composure and get through the holidays. You can take off.”
Molly nodded, relieved.
“Alex.” Christine continued. “Just don’t get more involved in situations than you need to be in. Deal?” He confirmed.
Christine abruptly disappeared to the back again. The three looked at each other, speechless. Peter finally smiled and then he made his way to the return box.
Molly and Alex stared at each other. “So…” Alex asked. “Got any dinner plans?”
6
Dinner ‘Date’?
Friday, December 17 - 8:31 P.M.
Alex peaked over his dinner menu to steal a gaze at Molly. Even in her Movie Madness shirt, she was beautiful. Her red hair always looked stunning. He tried to stay subtle, but she looked up and caught him staring. They both looked away.
Even though Bruno’s offered free food to both him and Molly, it was still a bit intimate for a first…hangout time together. Dim lighting. Candle in the middle. And at this time of night, just a handful of other customers in the restaurant. One of the few nicer places left in Pecos, most of the other formal establishments had closed do
wn after the economy tanked.
The owner, Sofia, came over to personally greet their table. Being an avid customer of Movie Madness, Alex was very familiar with her movie tastes. As he was with many people in town. Everywhere Alex went, he recognized customers. He rarely could recall their name, but he could always remember what movies they had rented from him in the past. Sofia’s taste were mostly the older romantic movies, flicks with Barbara Streisand, etc.
“Look who it is?” she said with her thick Italian accent. “Two of my favorite people in the film industry have finally decided to make their way over to visit me. It’s been too long.”
“The film industry!” Alex laughed. “I wish.”
Sofia gave a giddy, Italian smile. “So is this little dinner between you two…a…date?” She pointed back and forth between them and then put two big thumbs up and started to nod in anticipation.
“No, no.” Molly quickly spoke up. “Just a late dinner together. As friends.” There that word was again. This time it stabbed Alex a little deeper. Why did she have to keep using such a cruel word like that one?
“I see. Well, I’m glad you came in.” Sofia nodded. “Gives our kitchen something to do. It has been our slowest Friday night in months. Usually we are booming at this point on Fridays. But tonight, no ma’am. This is unprecedented. That story about the girl…that’s really shaken up the whole town. I’ve lived here for twenty years and never seen a case like this.”
“And even more uncomfortable is the fact that he’s still out there,” Alex said. “They have no suspects.” He looked up at Molly, who glared at him. So did Sofia. “I mean, I’m sure everyone is safe. I’m just saying, it’s an open case.” He stopped himself from digging a deeper hole. “Business next store has actually been kind of busy.”
“Well, that must be nice!” Sofia said with a sarcastic tone. “I kept my girls home today. I’m not sending them to school during all this craziness. I thought about closing today. But I didn’t want to send the wrong message and create a panic. You know?”
“Absolutely,” Alex agreed.
“Well, I’ll get you guys started with some bread and drinks and give you a few minutes to order.” Sofia scurried off and brought some bread and drinks, then disappeared for a bit.
The two sat there silently as they stared at the menu. Finally, Alex spoke up.
“Can I make a confession?”
“Sure.” Molly looked up, setting her menu down.
“This whole…news story,” he began. “I can’t help but…think of it from another perspective. I mean, there’s never been anything like this in our lifetime. Right? It’s unprecedented. And tragic. But this is going to sound horrible. But…” He paused for a second.
Molly waited.
“I’m a little fascinated by the mystery of it.”
He wanted to say more but stopped short. Molly stared at him, unsure of where he was headed with this. He hesitated to continue, as he didn’t want to give away too much of the inner workings of his bizarre mind. But he pushed through and continued.
“I mean, let me explain. I love stories. I love movies. I always have. Even as a young kid, I watched Hitchcock and The Twilight Zone and any mystery I could get my hands on. That’s why I started working at Movie Madness. Because I love movies. That’s why I want to make movies for a living.”
“But this isn’t a movie, Alex,” Molly spoke up, defensive. She pointed at the table. “This is real life. This isn’t just some fiction story with made up characters. This is our town. Our life.”
“Exactly,” Alex continued. “That’s why it’s even more important. A movie has no real stakes to it. Because we turn it off and go back to our lives when it’s done. Even if the bad guy wins in the end. The credits roll and we move on.”
Molly stared down at her water. “This whole town is unsafe until this case is solved, Alex. I don’t see how you can find any excitement in that.”
Alex struggled to respond. He’d obviously come off the wrong way here. And they still didn’t know each other enough to give the benefit of the doubt. Stumbling with the next sentence, he was thankful when Sofia came back to the table with her notepad and a large smile.
“Are we ready to order?” Sofia asked.
The two ordered quickly. Alex then shifted the conversation to a casual discussion about movies and their favorite recurring customers at Movie Madness. Surprisingly, this was something they were able to talk about through the course of the entire meal. Like Alex, Molly always made keen observations of the people she was ringing up. And had a memory just like his to recall their most specific idiosyncrasies.
After a hearty meal over pasta and some lively conversation about upcoming Christmas break plans, Alex set down his fork and jumped back into the discussion about Amy. He just couldn’t contain himself.
“This isn’t just a murder case,” he said. “It’s an unsolved mystery.” Alex leaned forward. “I don’t know what’s going to happen next, Molly.” He paused, looking into her eyes. “But I want to make sure that you are safe.”
Molly nodded as Alex rested his hand on hers. She shook her head as another tear pushed its way out. Dabbing it away with her dinner napkin, she looked down into her lap.
7
More Breaking News
Friday, December 17 - 9:10 P.M.
“I’m sorry if I’m scaring you. I’m actually trying to do the opposite.” He laughed at himself. “I’m just thinking out loud…” Alex nervously rubbed the brim of his glass. He was clearly blowing his one shot with her.
“I know,” Molly said. Smiling. Finally. “Thank you.”
“…are you…scared?” Alex asked.
Molly nodded, quickly. “Yes. Very. Like you said, this is unprecedented. I mean, it’s still surreal. All of it.” She paused and let out a deep breath. “I was just with Amy on Saturday. And now she’s gone. I still can’t believe it.”
“Wait, really?” Alex asked. “You were with her this past Saturday? Isn’t that around when she went missing?”
“Yes.” Molly let out a slow, long breath. “I had coffee with her. In fact, we kind of got into an argument…” Molly stopped herself. Alex waited for her to continue, but she didn’t. “I just…don’t know what to think right now. And I’m not sure what to do.”
“What were you doing together?” Alex asked. She looked up at him, then back at the table. He could tell she didn’t want to talk about it. So he switched subjects.
“Have you talked with your parents about how you are feeling right now? I’m sure they would understand.”
“No. They don’t want to talk about it. They never want to talk about these types of things. All they want to know is if I got into college yet. That’s all every conversation is about these days. If I brought this up, they would say that I can’t let it distract me from my future.”
“Molly…you’re the last person I know that needs to worry about their future.” He smiled, bringing one to her face too. “You’re going to have more options than you’ll know what to do with! If anyone should be giving their kid pressure, it should be my mom.”
“…I know.” Molly took a sip of water.
“Listen…” Alex straightened up. “I don’t mean to weird you out or anything. But I really do consider you to be a good friend.” He didn’t want to use the f-word, but he had to. “And I’m here for you. And if you need anyone to talk to, I’m here. I want to look out for you right now.”
Molly smiled. A sincere smile.
“Thank you. I think I could really use that right now. Senior year is already stressful enough. I just, I can’t get a handle on everything. I can’t wait for Christmas break when I can actually take a break.”
“What is your first choice for school? Who are you hoping to hear back from?” Alex tried to change the subject.
“Well, my parents want me to go to Vanderbilt. That’s where both of them went, and that’s their dream for my future. I think I would prefer to go to Duke, though. J
ust to go somewhere different. To prove to my parents that I don’t have to live out the perfect plan they have for my life. Does that make sense?”
Alex smiled. “Absolutely.”
Molly grabbed a piece of bread and started eating it. She sat back in her seat and relaxed. “What about you?”
Alex laughed to himself.
“I’m not sure.” He relaxed back in his chair. “I want to go to film school, but that doesn’t make a lot of financial sense. So, I may just go to community college next fall and keep working. Get some core credits out of the way. It’s hard talking to my mom about everything because I go back and forth. She says that sometimes it’s like she’s talking to two different people. If that makes any sense.”
From across the room, the TV interrupted their conversation. An obnoxious alert sound came over the regularly scheduled program. ‘Breaking News’ flashed across the screen.
“We are sorry to interrupt your regularly scheduled program at this time, but we have local breaking news for the town of Pecos and the surrounding towns of Peytonsville and Shelbyville. The Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the major’s office, is enforcing a town-wide curfew of 9 p.m. starting tomorrow, December 18. The only exception will be police enforcement, government officials, and military…”
Alex and Molly looked at each other.
“Wow. A town curfew?” Alex said. Molly stared back at him. “Have they ever done that before?” Molly shook her head. “Looks like they are eager about finding the suspect.”
“It looks like they’re even more eager than you to find the culprit.” Molly smirked. “I didn’t think that was possible based on your enthusiasm.”
“I guess we’ll see who cracks the case first. My money is on me.” Alex smiled. “I, um, probably shouldn’t joke about that, actually.”