Daniel’s car pulled up in front of the cafe just as a car pulled out of a spot. I saw that he wasn’t alone. When he stepped out of the car, he looked like a male model from a Ralph Lauren ad. He was wearing a white linen shirt and beige linen shorts. He seemed oblivious to the way he looked. His friend looked older and was dressed in tennis whites.
“Good morning. You all survived the night,” he said in a mischievous tone.
“You make it sound like you had doubts,” I joked back.
“Of course not,” he said and winked. “This is my friend, Pierce. I didn’t think you’d mind if he joined us. I didn’t want to be outnumbered.”
“Are you afraid of us?” joked Noelle.
“You never know,” Daniel kidded back.
We ordered food and everybody talked except Pierce. He looked like he wished he were somewhere else. Lily and Noelle tried talking to him, but he seemed very disinterested in anything they had to say. Maybe he didn’t want to bother with high school girls.
“How do you two know each other?” Noelle asked. Her nosiness was usually annoying, but today I didn’t mind.
Pierce looked over at Daniel to answer.
Daniel said, "Pierce lives near my aunt. We met years ago."
“Where does she live?” Noelle asked.
“Near the Wampus Lake Reservoir."
"Is that nearby?" I wondered out loud.
"No," Noelle said. "It's on the opposite side of town."
Daniel excused himself and went inside and Pierce seemed nervous being left alone with us. Noelle asked him questions but Pierce only gave curt responses. We learned that he was in his last year at NYU and lived in the Village. He was home this weekend for his mom’s birthday.
Daniel returned and said, “Paige, we have to get going. I paid the bill so take your time.”
“Okay,” I said, flabbergasted by their quick exit. “Nice meeting you, Pierce.” He looked at me and nodded uncomfortably. What a strange guy!
Daniel turned around and jovially added, “Be careful in the pool, ladies. Make sure to put on sun block.”
“Okay, Dad,” answered Noelle. They got in the car and drove off. I hoped that he wasn’t spending a long time in Chappaqua. The city would seem so empty without him.
5. BLOCK PARTY
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” Einstein
We got up early Monday morning and caught the train back to the city. As Uncle Ian and Lily walked to work, I spotted a cab dropping someone off at Grand Central and I jumped inside. Feeling hot and tired, I wanted to get home as quickly as possible.
Exiting the cab, I saw Mom across the street taking Amber for a walk. I waved to her. When I entered the lobby, Carl handed me a package for Dad. I put it on the table in the entry foyer and admired the hydrangea arrangement.
Mom loved flowers and most of the paintings and photographs hanging in the house were of flowers. She weekly bought various bouquets and made beautiful arrangements. There was always a vase filled with flowers in the kitchen, dining room and foyer. Once when I suggested dried flowers, Mom said that in feng shui teachings, it wasn’t good to have dead flowers, something about bad energy. Whatever that meant.
After I got out of the shower, Mom came in to my room and said she was working from home. She needed to pick things up for a photo shoot and asked if I wanted to come. I said sure. She reminded me that Dad was leaving for Paris after work and to call him.
As I brushed my hair, I heard my cell beeping. It was a text from Daniel. “Can you have lunch today? Am going out of town tonight.” That put me in panic mode. Where was he going?
Instead of texting back, I called him and said, “Hi, lunch is great.”
“Want to meet at Rosa’s near Lincoln Center at noon? Do you know where that is?”
I told him I did. We even liked the same types of food. Before I could ask him anything, he said he had to run and would meet me there. I’d have to wait to find out.
Mom appeared in my doorway and I had to fill her in on Daniel because if I didn’t, Aunt Cecile would. How could I tell her I met him in Central Park and that he was a complete stranger? She wouldn’t care that he was nice; she’d be thinking “serial killer.” I knew her.
I started by saying that I had just made a lunch date and was going to pass on going with her.
After she asked who I was having lunch with, I filled her in on the whole story. Her demeanor quickly changed. When she heard his age, Mom began pacing around my room straightening up, a sure sign that she was upset. She folded some clothes that were on a chair, and stated, “If you go out with him, I must meet him.”
“Mom, please, it’s just lunch,” I pleaded.
She pretended not to hear me and asked, “Where does his uncle live?”
“On West 72nd Street, but I’m not going to his apartment. We’re going to Rosa’s."
Ignoring my comment, she added, “We don’t know anything about him.”
“You’re really not being fair. If it was a boy from school, it would be okay even if we knew nothing about him.”
“At least I’d be able to find things out from another parent."
“If I was in college, you couldn’t,” I countered.
“You’re not in college, so don’t bother using that as an excuse.” She became silent and then said, “Give me his cell number.” This couldn’t be happening.
“You’re kidding, right?
She shook her head no.
“Mom, please, don’t be ridiculous,” I begged.
“I’ll only call if absolutely necessary.”
“Describe necessary.” I tried to remain calm, but if she called him, I’d die.
“If you don’t come home, is it okay if I call him then?"
I felt absolutely safe with him, but nodded my head yes and said, "I understand.”
“It’s about time. I want to meet him.”
“I promise next time, if there is a next time.” If Mom knew that Aunt Cecile had met him, she’d be upset.
She relented. “Fine. Next time, he picks you up at the house, or no date. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I said, trying to mollify her.
Mom sighed and exited without another word or his cell number. I went to my closet and started looking at clothes. I had to get out of this apartment. I put on a beige gauze skirt, a pale green tank top and beige sandals. Hurriedly, I brushed my hair and applied some pink lip gloss.
I ran downstairs and at the front door yelled bye. I didn’t wait for a response, not wanting to have another conversation.
It was a bit early, so I window shopped to waste time. Grace was walking up the street and I knew she’d ask about Daniel since Daphne must have told her about him. I hadn’t spoken to either of them all weekend though we had exchanged some texts.
“Hi Grace, sorry I didn’t call you back. I just got home this morning.”
“It’s okay. You look nice,” Grace said, looking me up and down.
“Thanks,” I responded. I could tell by the way she was looking at me that she was waiting for me to say more.
“Where are you going?” I asked, hoping she didn’t ask me the same question.
“Back to the store, I had to run an errand. Where are you going?”
“I’m having lunch at Rosa’s.”
“With who?” she sing-songed.
“A friend.”
“That guy Daphne saw you with?” she continued.
“Yes, his name’s Daniel,” I said and began slowly moving away. Please let me get out of here.
“Oh… Daphne said he was hot.” Yes, he was hot and I felt a twinge of jealousy. Grace seemed unaware that I wasn’t engaging in this conversation and was actually trying to escape.
“So are you dating him?” she continued with the questioning.
“If I was, I’d tell you. We’re just having lunch,” I coldly replied.
“You’re acting like you’re going to a funeral. What’s wrong
with you?”
Why was I being so crazy? Grace was right. Ever since Daniel had come into my life I had been a horror to my friends. First, I had it out with Noelle and now, I was doing the same thing to Grace. “I’m sorry, Grace. I’m just not ready to talk about him yet. I’m afraid I’ll jinx it.”
Part of that was true, but more precisely, I was afraid he’d leave and I’d be crushed. Hearing about him from friends I’d confided in would be torture, so I decided to speak of Daniel only to Lily till I knew where, if anywhere, this was going. Normally, I was quite private with my emotions anyway and now with the strong feelings I had for Daniel, I was even more gun-shy.
Grace kindly let me off the hook. “You really have to lighten up. I have to get back to work. Call me later and tell me how it went. Want to go for a walk or something later?” she asked and made me feel guilty all over again.
“I’ll call you later. Dad’s out of town and I’m not sure if Mom has something planned,” I fibbed not wanting to hurt her feelings again. I wanted to stay home since I had been away all weekend. My bed and TV were calling me.
Daniel was waiting outside talking on his cell. My heart jumped and all my doubts vanished.
He was wearing faded blue jeans, a plain white T-shirt and black sunglasses. His hair was slicked back like he had just jumped out of a shower and he looked amazing.
“Hi, you look lovely.” Lovely, who says that? It sounded like my father.
“Let’s go in. Our table’s ready.” He led me inside and I followed him as he veered around all the people. The hostess took us upstairs to a corner table by the window. After ordering our lunch, I couldn’t wait anymore and had to ask where he was going.
"To London, but the trip was canceled.”
I was so happy to hear that. “I thought you might be leaving for good.”
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Daniel said smiling.
“Why was your trip canceled?”
“Squatters moved in to my house and I wanted to see if I could do something about it.” He had a home in London! “My lawyer said that I didn’t have to come. He’s starting the eviction process and will get them out.”
“Evict the squatters? Don’t they just arrest them?” I asked confused.
“No, I have to formally evict them. Squatting isn’t illegal if entry isn’t forced.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No. I’m not. I know that it’s crazy. I had a problem with squatters a few years ago and my uncle took care of it through his contacts in London. After that, I hired a couple to live at the house full-time. They went on vacation for a month to visit family in Poland, so I asked a friend to check on the house and she called yesterday and said she saw people inside. I’ve instructed the lawyer to offer them money, so possibly that will expedite things. Squatting’s been a problem in Britain since at least the fourteenth century.”
Daniel didn’t seem that concerned with his illegal visitors, so I dropped the subject. We talked about his family and he told me about his uncle. His name was James Haydin, worked for the US government and lived primarily in DC. Daniel said he was going to DC soon to visit his family because he came directly to New York from Australia. Every time he mentioned travel plans, it felt like my heart stopped beating.
“Are you close to your cousins in DC?” Daniel looked uncomfortable, but I had no idea why.
“Not really, I see them mostly on holidays. We really have very little in common. They’re both married.” Daniel had no parents, no siblings and much older cousins; it explained why he acted so mature.
When I asked what his parents did, Daniel proudly said, “They both went to Oxford and were physicists.” He raised his eyebrows as if I should understand something from that answer.
It hit me. “Oh, that’s why you read Einstein.”
Daniel smiled and said, “Yes, that was the reason, but I’ve always been fascinated by Einstein’s genius. One of my favorite quotes by him is ‘A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future.’"
“That makes sense. People should live in the present instead of always thinking about the future.” Daniel stared at me strangely. “What’s the matter?” I asked.
“Simple as that quote seems, it’s quite complex.” I didn’t know what he meant, so I changed the subject.
“Where on 72nd Street does your uncle live?”
We both reached for some chips and our hands brushed. I felt a tingle. It was so weird like static electricity.
“The Dakota. I’m sure you know the building.”
“Are you kidding? That’s my favorite building.” John Lennon lived there and got shot in front of that building. Every time I walked by that secretive and imposing building, I wondered what it looked like inside.
When Daniel said I was invited over anytime, the thought of going to his uncle’s apartment actually made me very nervous.
After lunch, he walked me to my building and I noticed Mom sitting in the lobby reading a magazine. Oh no! When she saw us, she walked outside. This was so humiliating.
“Oh… hi… Mom,” I said, glaring at her. She ignored me and scrutinized Daniel. “Mom this is Daniel Haydin. Daniel, this is my mother, Lena Devon.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Devon.”
Mom started asking him questions. Poor Daniel, he couldn’t get away from being interrogated. First by me, then Lily and Noelle, and now my mother.
When Mom asked him about college, Daniel glanced over at me and said, “I might start college soon and stop putting it off, Ma’am.”
Ma’am? It must be the English boarding school influence. Even Mom’s eyebrows arched as she turned to me. Daniel said he had to run and I hoped that Mom didn’t scare him away.
“Well, he’s cute and charming. Different somehow,” she commented.
Different? I wasn’t even going to ask. “Why were you waiting for me?” I asked, ignoring her comments. “It’s embarrassing that you’re spying on me.”
“I figured since he lived on 72nd that he might drop you off. Why didn’t you tell me he was in Chappaqua? I spoke to Aunt Cecile and she said she met him."
“He called after I had talked to you and offered to stay with us till Aunt Cecile and Uncle Ian came home. That was it.”
“Well, you still should’ve told me. I don’t appreciate hearing things from Aunt Cecile.”
“I’m sorry,” I said but didn't really mean it.
Mom knew I wasn't being sincere because she glared at me and said, “It bothers me that we know nothing about him.”
She was being crazy. “His uncle lives in the Dakota. One of your friends might know him. Well, maybe not. His uncle lives in DC mostly and only comes to New York for work.”
Mom left to run her work errands. I had enough of her hysteria and went upstairs. Maria called and said I was needed at work on Tuesday and possibly Thursday.
After dinner, Mom and I took Amber for a walk in the park. Thankfully, all the way to and from the reservoir, Daniel was not brought up. Enough had been said for one day.
Lily called when I got home and I told her that he had a house in London.
She said, “You know I like him, but try not to get too attached. With a home in London, he can leave anytime he wants.”
“I know, but it’s too late because I really like him. Please don’t mention that he has a London place to anybody. They’ll constantly ask if he’s leaving and it’ll drive me insane.”
“Sure, but maybe he’ll surprise us and stay around for a while.”
After we hung up, Mom and I started watching a movie, but I left before it ended.
I remembered that I had gotten a journal, but had never used it. I searched my closet and found it in a box. I didn’t want to forget anything. On the first page, I wrote Daniel & Paige. I wrote about my feelings for Daniel and wrote everything that had happened since the first day I saw him. When I finished, it was three o’clock. I hid the journal under some clothes in the
drawer of my nightstand and went to sleep.
Before I left for work, I saw an invitation on Facebook that Chad’s band, Sunspots, was playing at a block party on Wednesday night. A lot of my friends had RSVP’d that they were going. It sounded like fun so I texted Lily and asked if she wanted to go. Lily texted me right back and said “Sure.” Anything that involved music, Lily was in.
The day at work dragged, probably due to my lack of sleep. The filing duties were so tedious that I couldn’t focus and my mind kept wandering to Daniel.
As I left, Sonia, Dad’s secretary, stopped me by the elevator and asked if I could bring a file home, saying Dad would need it when he got back from his trip. Luckily when I walked out of the building, a cab was dropping someone off so I jumped in.
As I walked in, my cell rang and it was Daniel. I threw the file on the couch and the papers spilled on the floor. I raced upstairs for privacy since Mom was in the kitchen.
When I asked about his day, he answered, “Just had some appointments and handled personal stuff.” For a nineteen year-old, he sure had a lot of appointments.
“Oh, what happened with your squatters?”
“It’s really strange. The lawyer went over and no one was there.”
“Were they hiding?” I asked.
“No. The lawyer had the alarm company come out and investigate and they said the house wasn’t tampered with.”
“That’s so weird!”
“I know. A friend is staying there until my housekeepers gets back next week.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah, I’ll feel better about it. Do you have any plans tomorrow night?”
“Lily’s coming over and we’re going to a block party. Would you like to come with us?”
“If I’m not intruding.” Was he kidding?
“You’re definitely not, please come.”
After the call, I ran downstairs, ecstatic that we had a date. Upon entering the living room, I noticed the scattered papers on the floor, so I gathered them up and placed the file in the foyer.
I took Amber for a walk and when we got back, I stood in the foyer admiring it while taking off her leash. The walls were painted a soft golden yellow. On the left wall, there was a demilune console table and beyond that the stairs leading to the second floor. On the right side, the bathroom had a topiary-printed wallpaper in a sunny antique wash. Straight ahead, the French doors opened onto the living room that was painted a darker shade than the foyer.
EMIT (THE EMIT SAGA) Page 9