Coffee in Common

by Dee Mann

  "Still at work, I think. I told her I had to talk to you. I'm seeing her later."

  Once on the familiar paths, they strolled slowly, silently. After a few minutes of quiet togetherness, Priya couldn't stand the waiting any longer. "Are you going to tell me what the big mystery is or do I have to get tough with you?"

  Paul chuckled. "Sorry, I was going over something in my head one last time. I wanted to make sure I'm doing the right thing." He paused for a second. "Guess who I ran into last night?"

  Priya's face clouded over. "Not him, I hope."

  "Yup. Him."

  Paul gave her a rundown of everything that was said, including the threats he'd made.

  "And you really believe him?"

  Paul nodded. "I do, Pri. Maybe he's a really great actor, but last night I looked into the guy's eyes and he really looked miserable, almost haunted. He did not look like any player I've ever known. And when you think about it, and look at everything he's done, I mean, what guy would go through all of that, would humiliate himself like that, just for a piece of ass. Even one as nice as yours."

  Her hand shot out and smacked his shoulder. "Hey, my ass is worth way more than a little humiliation!"

  Paul laughed. "Maybe so, but seriously, the things he said, the way he said them, the things he's done, add them all up and maybe you should give him his chance to talk."

  "Do you think Lisa could have misunderstood? Not heard what she thought she heard?"

  Paul shrugged. "I don't know. But maybe the guys she overheard didn't know what they were talking about. Rumors fly around all the time in workplaces and not all of them are true. And people do sometimes misinterpret things."

  Priya nodded, remembering her own recent involvement in a grand misinterpretation.

  6:15 PM

  Jillian sat at her desk, alone, unmoving, and unhappy. Her forehead rested on the palms of her hands, all supported by elbows planted on the desktop. Silent tears squeezed between closed eyelids, some following the profile of her cheeks as they ran down, some simply letting go to fall on the stack of papers below.

  She was startled when a voice said, "Are you okay, Jillian?"

  Her hands dropped to her lap, but her head remained bowed. "I'm okay, Cathy. I thought everyone left awhile ago." She heard her boss walk into her space and felt the hand on her shoulder when Cathy stopped next to her. If her profile had not given away that she had been crying, the small puddles on the papers would have.

  "Jillian, sweetie, you are obviously not okay. Can I help?"

  She turned and could tell from Cathy's reaction how she must look. "It's all such a mess. It started out so wonderful, so unbelievably wonderful, and now I've gone and messed it all up."

  Her tears flowed freely now as Cathy sat on the stool in front of the drawing table.

  "What did you mess up? Paul? Has something happened?"

  Jillian wiped her eyes and took a deep breath before telling Cathy everything that happened since the day she first thought she'd seen Aiden. She talked about her confused feelings and of Paul's reaction to her distance. And when she was done, her tears began anew.

  "He's been so great the whole time, but still I feel like I'm losing him," she sobbed, "and it's all my fault."

  Cathy let her cry for a bit, then gently urged her to blot the tears and talk.

  "Tell me the truth, now. Do you love him? Or at least like him a lot."

  "Of course. If I didn't I wouldn't be so upset. But is it fair to Paul to be with him when part of my heart is somewhere else? Having Aiden in my head makes me feel like I'm cheating on Paul. It's crazy, I know, but I can't help it."

  The time for crying had passed. They talked about Jillian's problem for most of an hour. It was clear to Cathy the girl was deeply conflicted about her feelings for this Aiden. She suspected the feelings were due more to the mysterious nature of his reappearance than to any true affection for him. But she'd seen enough in her life to know they could be real, too.

  "It seems to me you need to stop worrying so much about how you're feeling, and start thinking about why you're feeling that way. Why do you feel as you do about Paul? Why do you feel as you do about Aiden? You really need to get to the root of it all, to figure out what it is, and who it is you really want."

  Jillian nodded.

  It all comes down to what and who, what and who. If only I knew.

  8:10 PM

  "You've been quiet tonight," Elissa said as she replaced her wine glass.

  The Robertsons were dining, as they did nearly every Tuesday, in the parlor of L'Espalier.

  "I know. I'm sorry."

  "Big new case?"

  "No. I've been thinking about how happy we've all been for the past week or so now that we have our daughter back. And about the past, and how bad a job I did being her father."

  "No worse than I did as her mother."

  Chad shook his head. "Do you realize that between us, we have over 300 IQ points and despite all that intelligence we spent nearly her entire life not having a clue about what she really needed and wanted from us."

  His wife nodded.

  "How could we have been so wrapped up in our careers, in ourselves, in our certainty of being right, that we never understood Lisa is a marriage of our genes, not a clone. You would think all the rebellion, all the arguments, all the acting out would have given us a clue. But we never saw it." He took a sip from his own glass of 2001 King Estate Pinot Noir Domaine. "How?"

  "Arrogance? Hubris?"

  "Indeed. And stupidity. Lissy, when I think back on some of the lectures I gave her, when I think of the number of times she tried to tell me who she was and who she dreamed of becoming, and when I think of how I simply dismissed it all as the ramblings of a child who'd not yet seen the light…" A deep sigh completed the thought.

  "I know. But I was no prize either. I'm her mother. I was the one who should have listened."

  A shiver ran up her spine.

  "I'm just thankful she didn't end up like some of her friends. Between the drugs and abortions and…you know the Cushman's daughter Rachel?"

  Chad nodded.

  "Last week I heard she'd had her third abortion. My lord, didn't anyone ever teach the girl about birth control? And how many times have Mort and Grace had to bail her brother out of jail? When I think of all the things that could have happened, Lisa getting conned and married really isn't so bad. We are very lucky, Chad."

  "Unbelievably lucky."

  He drained the last of his wine, then poured more for both of them.

  "You know when it hit me that I might sometimes be a bit full of myself?"

  Elissa's arched eyebrows preceded a simple, "When?"

  "Three weeks ago, when she brought Rob down to the summer house. We were all having breakfast Sunday morning…"

  "Ahh."

  She knew what was coming.

  "…and he had the audacity to imply that I was cross-examining him. Everyone had a good laugh, but it started me thinking. I realized I was treating him like a hostile witness and I wondered how many times in the past I've treated people that way and if that's the reason we have so many acquaintances and so few really close friends. Have I been such an ass my whole life?"

  "Pretty much."

  She said it with a grin.

  "Then why in the world did you stay with me?"

  "Because for a long time I was just as big an ass." Her smile softened. "And because I love you."

  Chad reached over and took his wife's hand. "I'm a pretty lucky man. I have an amazing daughter, and a future son-in-law who I know will take good care of her. And I have an incredible wife who's not only the most beautiful woman I've ever known, but who's the smartest and funniest, and who inexplicably loves me despite all my faults. I don't believe my life could get any better."

  "Oh, I don't know. Perhaps you should get the check so we can head home. I think you may be getting even luckier tonight."

  9:35 PM

  Is it possible?


  Priya had spent over an hour after work walking around the Common with Paul, talking about Brian, before heading home.

  He's clearly convinced Brian is sincere. And his arguments make sense. If it was just a play, would he really have carried it that far? Risked harassment charges and stalking charges?

  "Hmmm."

  Paul said he looked desperate, but desperate for what? To win some bet? To satisfy his ego? Or is he really that desperate for me not to think badly of him? Does he really like me so much after one date he'd humiliate himself just to raise my opinion of him? Is it possible I've done the same thing Jillian did to Paul the night she saw us together? Did I assume the worst instead of confronting him?

  "I did, didn't I?"

  But Lisa heard them talking. There's no reason to think she wasn't being truthful. Was she mistaken about what she heard that day? Even if she wasn't, Paul was right. Rumors are sometimes wrong. But she said they used my name. And his name.

  "It just doesn't add up."

  I did like him before all this. He made me laugh. And we did have fun on the date. And he held his own when we talked. And…oh! Talk. He wanted to talk the next day. About what? If I hadn't discovered…no…been led to believe he was a player, I would probably have gone out with him that Monday and…what? What did he want to tell me? Would it have explained what Lisa heard?

  The uncertainty troubled her.

  This is not good. This is bad karma, very bad. And if it's true I've misjudged him I have to make it right.

  She wavered back and forth for a few more minutes, but in her heart she knew she had to do it.

  I can't condemn him without giving him a chance to defend himself. But I already did, didn't I? I let my past dictate what I did in the present. Just like Maggie's been doing.

  I have to call him. I have to give him a chance. But what if Paul was wrong? Do I really want to be alone with him if it plays out badly? Maybe I can ask Paul to be with me when I talk to him. Or I could ask Jillian and Lisa. Or Maggie. She's certainly seen enough players to be able to spot one. Maybe…

  An interesting idea popped into her head, but before she let it excite her, she had to make a few phone calls.

  When she pressed the END button nearly an hour later, Priya was smiling. Everything was set.

  She picked up the napkin and dialed Brian's number.

  "Hello?"

  "Brian, it's Priya."

  "Priya, I…"

  "Don't talk, listen. You wanted a chance to talk to me. It's Thursday at my place. Eight-thirty sharp. Okay?"

  "Priya, I…"

  "Okay?"

  "Okay."

  "Good. I'll see you then. Goodnight, Brian."

  THURSDAY, JUNE 3

  8:30 PM

  When the doorbell rang at precisely eight-thirty, Priya pressed the buzzer and opened her door. She waited until Brian's head had risen above the landing so he could see her, said, "Come in and close the door behind you," and vanished back into the apartment.

  "Damn. I hope she's not waiting for me in there with a gun."

  Brian pushed open the door and stepped into the vestibule. As the door clicked shut, he heard her say, "You can hang your jacket in the closet if you want."

  So far so good. If she planned to shoot me, she probably would have preferred the jacket stay on to sop up some of the blood.

  "Hi, Priya," he said as he walked through the doorway to the living room. He had been prepared to face an unhappy, even hostile Priya, but he wasn't prepared for a room full of unhappy, hostile women scowling at him as if he were the anti-Christ come to steal away the soul of a newborn child. He froze as he caught sight of the group. Two were familiar faces from the night he'd met Priya. But the rest!

  Staring at him from around the room were Jillian, Lisa, Liz, Jenna, Shandra Lewis, Marie Kavanagh, Holly Washington, Maggie Sayer, Marissa Kim, and Gloria Kneeland.

  His eyes darted from one to another

  So many women. So many angry women! What's going on here?

  "Come in, Brian. These are some of my friends. Everyone, this is Brian, the guy you've heard about. Brian, this is everyone."

  He blinked a few times, trying to figure out what he should do. The tension level in the room made the air feel thick and difficult to breathe. "I, uh, I thought we were going to talk."

  "Well, technically, you've been saying you wanted to talk to me, not talk with me. So here's you're chance."

  "But…"

  "These are my friends," she repeated, anticipating his objection, "and they know everything. You came here to tell me something so give it your best shot. But it's not just me you'll have to impress. You'll have to convince everyone. If that's a problem for you, well, you know where your coat is."

  Brian saw in her eyes she was serious.

  Is she really that special that I put up with weeks of rejection? Do I really like this girl enough after only one date to be willing go through this to be with her?

  Yes!

  He walked to the center of the room and looked around. Not one person smiled. Moving forward, he stopped about six feet from where Priya was seated. Her eyes bore into him.

  "Okay. Here's the thing. A few weeks ago, we went out on what I thought was a really great date. When I brought you home and we said goodnight, I was sure you wanted to see me again. Was I right about that?"

  Priya's stare never wavered.

  "At that moment, I mean. At that moment, when I brought you home and you gave me a kiss, you wanted to see me again as much as I wanted to see you. Right?"

  She nodded slightly.

  "Right. And we'd made plans to talk Monday night because there was something I needed to tell you. But when I called, I got your machine. Twice. Then I called on Tuesday and on Wednesday but you never returned my calls. At that point, given what I thought I knew about you, I figured you had to be sick or injured or something else bad had happened. If it had been anyone else, I'd have given up after Tuesday. But I didn't believe you were the kind of person who played the silence game. If you didn't like me, if we hadn't clicked, I knew you'd have told me when I dropped you off. Correct?"

  Again Priya dipped her head slightly.

  "So I called your work. And you blew me off without giving me a chance to find out what you were talking about.

  "After that, any sane guy would have decided you were some kind of a loony-tune. But I guess I'm not sane because I couldn't let go of the most incredible woman I've ever met without first finding out what was going on. So here we are. You're pissed off, hell, the whole room here is pissed off at me and I think it's only fair you at least tell me what you think you know about me and how you think you know it."

  Priya's eyes narrowed, as if she were trying to see into him to discover if this was real or part of his act. He returned her stare until Lisa cleared her throat, walked over to Priya, and whispered something in her ear.

  Nodding, Priya said softly, "You're right."

  Lisa straightened up and turned to Brian. "Since you've put so much effort into getting here, you do have a right to know what happened. And since I'm the one who started all this, I'll tell you."

  She proceeded to repeat, almost verbatim, the entire conversation she overheard during lunch that day. As she spoke, his eyes grew wider and wider. Periodically, his head would nod or shake the slightest bit. And when she was done, he stared at her for almost ten seconds before shifting his gaze to Priya.

  Priya watched closely as Lisa confronted Brian. She expected to see him crumble or grow defiant, but when Lisa finished and he looked again to her, she was completely unprepared for what she saw in his eyes — disappointment.

  That startled her, though she remained as she was, her expression unchanged.

  "And you believed that?"

  He looked around the room at all the girls.

  "You all believed that? On the strength of hearsay from a bunch of boneheads you believed that I…"

  He closed his eyes and bit his lower lip as if he were
trying to restrain himself from saying something. When he opened them again a few seconds later, Priya saw pain had joined the disappointment.

  His eyes now locked with hers as he moved within three feet of her. Then he crouched down, so they'd be on the same level.

  "Maybe I can sort of understand why you might believe what you did. What I don't understand is why you wouldn't have confronted me with it. But, you know something, I don't care right now."

  He paused for a second to gather his thoughts.

  "When I saw you walk into DHL that night, it was like I was looking at an angel."

  He shook his head.

  "I know that sounds trite, but honestly, I…I'd never seen anyone so beautiful before in my life. I thought for sure you had to be a model or an actress or something. All I knew was that you were way, waaay out of my league. Still, I couldn't stop looking at you. And then I remembered something. Two or three months ago, Mike Conyers, who works in the same building as I do, by the way, and is not a friend, had been going on and on about this incredibly beautiful Indian girl he was dating. Mike's one of those guys who, ah, seem to get more pleasure from bragging about his conquests than he does from the conquests. Know the type?"

  Priya nodded, as did most of the women in the room.

  "Well, for two weeks or so, Mike would come to work every day with stories of how he was going to nail this beautiful Indian girl. It was only a matter of time, he'd say. Then one day, no bragging. So somebody asked him about you and he started with this story about the virgin ice queen, this religious nut who was saving it for marriage. I mean, he made you out to be…well, trust me when I say you don't want to hear all the details."

  He shook his head slightly before continuing.

  "The more I thought about it, the more I believed you might be the girl he was talking about. Certainly you were beautiful enough. Then at some point, I caught your name and knew you had to be the one.

  "I really wasn't interested in going out with a crazy virgin, but I'd been watching you and you didn't seem like the head case Mike made you out to be. The people you were with seemed okay and they all seemed to like you and I started to get curious. After the other guys left, when I approached you, all I really wanted was to find out if Mike was full of shit about you being nuts. When you blew me off the way you did, I almost decided he was right. But then I realized the line had been a little lame, so I figured I'd try honesty.