by Mia Ford
“Oh, god, June, I was so worried about you,” Thomas said sternly. He stood up and walked over to me, wrapping one arm around my shoulders and pulling me close.
“I’m sorry.” I blushed. “I fell asleep, I didn’t think I’d be out for more than a few hours but I didn’t wake up until just now.”
“It’s okay. Stress does strange things to our bodies.”
I nodded.
“June, can I take you out for breakfast?”
“I’m not hungry,” I said sadly. “I don’t really feel like going out, Thomas.”
“Come on,” Angela interjected. “You’ve been moping around here all day, and I know you didn’t eat anything yesterday.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “Can’t have my bestie going and getting sick on me.”
“I already feel sick,” I said.
“Well, then you need some coffee and maybe a fancy doughnut,” Thomas said. He winked at me and I tried to smile.
“I don’t think so,” I said.
“June.” Thomas gave me a stern look. “I care about you. Angela cares about you. You can’t stay inside and mope just because the school fucked up.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Fine,” I said. “You want me to come out? I’ll come out.” I stomped across the room and defiantly pulled on a jacket. When I glanced up, Angela was staring at me in shock. Thomas merely looked bemused.
“June, I just—“
“No,” Thomas said firmly. “She’s coming with me and that’s that.”
I followed Thomas out of my apartment, down the stairs, and into a waiting car.
“Someone vandalized my Porsche,” Thomas said casually once we were settled in the back seat.
My jaw dropped. “Thomas! Why didn’t you tell me that? You know – like, sooner?”
Thomas sighed. “I didn’t want to add to your stress,” he said. He reached over and squeezed my knee. A warm, pleasant sensation floated through my body and I closed my eyes. Being with Thomas was making me feel better than I’d felt since before I’d gotten fired. But I knew that wouldn’t last – I knew that as soon as I was alone again, my anxiety would come trickling back in to haunt me.
“When did it happen?” I narrowed my eyes.
Thomas reached forward and tapped the back of the driver’s seat. “Café DeLuxe, please,” he said. “It’s in Bushwick.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That sounds trendy,” I said.
Thomas laughed. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard of it before.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ll be the oldest one there.”
“You’re getting off track,” I said. “What happened to your car? When?”
Thomas looked guilty. “Yesterday, when I was upstairs with you,” he said. “I came back down to the street to find my tires slashes. Someone shattered the windshield, too.”
Guilt surged through my body and tears welled up in my eyes. This is my fault, too, I realized sadly. Thomas may be having a good effect on my life, but I certainly can’t say the same about my effect on his!
Thomas cupped my chin in his hands. “No,” he said firmly. “Don’t get upset. Don’t blame yourself, June – you had no way of knowing.”
I bit my lip. “I feel like such an idiot,” I said softly.
“Why?” Thomas snorted. “It’s not like vandalization like that happens on the regular, does it?”
“No,” I admitted reluctantly.
“See? It wasn’t your fault at all. Don’t worry about it,” Thomas said firmly. “I want you to concentrate on feeling better, you understand?”
All I could do was nod. The car slowed to a stop and Thomas climbed out before walking around and opening the door for me. Café DeLuxe was just as I’d pictured it from the name. An open-air bistro filled a large space that was easily four times the size of the apartment I shared with Angela. Outdoor heaters were placed strategically between the tables and people sat with coffees, papers, and the occasional laptop.
“This really is a hipster joint,” I remarked to Thomas as we approached.
Thomas snickered. “I thought you’d like it,” he said.
I glanced down at my boring sweater and jeans. “I don’t think I’m cool enough for this place,” I said.
Thomas took my hand and squeezed. “You’re with me,” he said. “You’re cool enough.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re so corny,” I said. I blushed.
Thomas raised an eyebrow. “You like it,” he said confidently.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “I do.”
A very hip, tattooed, bearded man showed us to a table in the back and handed menus. It was as different from our dinner dates as night and day, but I had to admit that it did feel good to be out of the apartment. Maybe Angela and Thomas had been right – maybe all I needed was a little time, and then everything would get back to normal.
Thomas ordered two large cappuccinos for both of us, as well as an order of beignet and two large croissants stuffed with cream and strawberries. We sat in silence for a few moments and I looked all around, enviously watching the people working.
“It must be nice to work from home,” I said. I sighed. “I’ve never even thought about that.”
Thomas laughed. “Planning a career change?”
I shook my head. “No. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I don’t want to quit now. I’m just worried about how difficult it will be to find another position.”
“June, don’t write off the school yet,” Thomas said. “If they have any sense, they’ll bring you back.” He raised an eyebrow. “Sandy told me that if at all possible, they’ll call you and ask you to return. They don’t want to open themselves up to a lawsuit.”
“Sandy?”
“My lawyer, Sandy Goldstein,” Thomas said.
I laughed.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. I blushed. “It’s just…you’re such an adult,” I said. I wrinkled my nose. “Sometimes I don’t even have matching socks! And you’ve got a condo, and a child, and a lawyer…I just wonder what you’re doing with me.”
“June, I’m spending time with you because I like you,” Thomas said gently. “And the sooner you realize that, the better it’ll be.”
Just as I was about to respond, I saw a flash of bright red hair.
“Thomas!”
I glanced up. My heart sank when I saw Marlene lowering herself into a chair next to me, opposite from Thomas. She beamed at Thomas.
“Hello, Marlene,” Thomas said stiffly. “Feeling better?”
“No,” Marlene snipped. She turned to me. “What’s going on?”
“This is June, you’ve met before,” Thomas said slowly. “June is my girlfriend.”
Marlene’s green eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious,” she said softly.
“I am,” Thomas said. “Now we were in the middle of a very serious discussion. Marlene, please leave – if I need to reach you, I’ll go through your lawyer.”
I narrowed my eyes. What’s going on between them, I wondered. This is so strange. Did something happen?
“No,” Marlene said shortly. She turned to me. “You can’t be with Thomas,” she said.
I shrugged. “I am,” I said softly.
Marlene’s face changed from pale, to white, to bright red. She stood up and glared at me, her green eyes blazing with fury.
“You can’t have my husband,” Marlene said angrily. “And if you think I’m going to stand by and let—“
“Marlene, enough!” Thomas stood up and grabbed Marlene by the arm. For a moment, they tussled. Then Thomas pulled Marlene close and hissed something quietly in her face. Marlene turned to me and glared for another long second before stalking off, her fur coat swishing around her shapely legs.
“June?” Thomas sat back down and put his hand on my arm. I flinched. “June, I’m so sorry about that. I had no idea she’d even be around here.”
I sniffed. “I think I want to go home,” I said softly. “I don’t really feel li
ke being here anymore.”
“June, come on – I’m really sorry,” Thomas said. His own face was flushed and I could tell he was almost as distressed by the encounter with his wife as I was. Still, I couldn’t keep myself from beginning to shake. Tears welled up in my eyes and my face turned bright hot red.
“Thomas, please, take me home,” I whispered in a scratchy voice. “I don’t want to cry – not around all of these people.”
Thomas sighed. He signaled the waiter and asked for our breakfast to be boxed up. As soon as Thomas had paid the tab, he escorted me over to where his driver was waiting.
I shivered as Thomas opened the back seat of the car and helped me inside. As the driver pulled away from Café DeLuxe, I glanced around, suddenly afraid that Marlene was still lurking behind us.
Angela and I spent the rest of the day inside. Thomas sent over a huge amount of catered French food. When I saw that it was from Daniel, I smiled. I would have much preferred being with him at a gorgeous restaurant, but I still couldn’t make myself feel any better. I felt like a complete and total failure. My first adult job and I hadn’t even lasted two years.
I was really pathetic.
Just as Angela and I were packing up the leftovers, there was a knock at the front door.
“I bet Thomas sent over more food,” Angela said dryly. She rubbed her belly and moaned. “June, I’m stuffed! I can barely move.”
I laughed. “Maybe it’s flowers this time,” I said. I walked over and opened the door. When I realized no one was there, I frowned.
That’s when I saw the small brown box just outside of the door.
“He sent something,” I said, picking up the box and frowning. I turned it over in my hands but there was no return address or hint of who had mailed it.
“What is that?” Angela narrowed her eyes. Just as I was about to rip the tape away from the cardboard, Angela bit her lip. “June, maybe you shouldn’t do that,” Angela said. “What if it’s not from Thomas?”
“Who else could it be?” I gritted my teeth as I ripped the tape away. Immediately, a foul scent filled the room.
“God, that reeks,” Angela said. “It smells like burning plastic and rubber.”
A nervous stab of fear pierced my heart as I pulled open the cardboard. When I saw what was inside, I shrieked loudly and dropped the box to the floor.
“Holy shit,” Angela said. She squatted down. “What the fuck is this?”
I bit my lip. Two badly-burned dolls had fallen from the box and they lay in charred pieces on the floor. The acrid smell of smoke was strong enough to burn my nostrils and I felt tears come rushing back.
“I don’t know,” I said. “But Thomas didn’t send it!”
“June, you should call the police,” Angela said. “This is really getting out of hand. Don’t you think it’s time to take matters into your own hands?”
I frowned. “I don’t know. They weren’t very helpful last time.”
“Well, this is different,” Angela said angrily. “And I live here too. If you don’t call them, I will.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re not in danger.”
Angela looked at me sadly. “June, I want to believe that. But we need to worry about our safety. This is our home,” she stressed. “I can’t tell you how important it is that we both stay safe.”
I nodded. “Okay. I mean, you’re right,” I said slowly. “I’ll call the police now.”
Angela stayed right beside me as I dialed the non-emergency line and requested a dispatch. It seemed like forever before the cops showed up, knocking on our door so loudly that I was afraid it would cave in.
“What seems to be the problem?” The bigger cop – Officer Carmody – crossed his arms over his chest and squinted at me.
I explained the whole saga, from Andy’s first advances, to our coffee “date,” to the nasty drawings on the wall at school and the attack in the alley.
“And these just showed up,” I said, pointing down at the baby dolls.
Carmody picked one of them up in his hands and squinted.
“Um, shouldn’t you be wearing gloves?” I asked quietly. “I haven’t touched them – just the box – if you’re worried about fingerprints.”
Carmody set the messy, burned doll down on the table. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Angela cringe.
“Look, Judy,--“
“It’s June,” I corrected.
“Judy, I hate to tell you this, but it seems like garden variety asshole behavior.”
My jaw dropped. “You’re kidding,” I said softly. “This guy is stalking me! He’s threatening me, and harassing me! And I’m supposed to just take that in stride and let it go?”
Carmody sighed. “Look, I don’t make the rules,” he said. “But unless we have hard evidence of any of those things, you’d have a really tough time making a case against this guy.”
“You do have hard evidence,” I shrieked, pointing down to the ruined plastic. “It’s right there!”
Carmody chuckled. “No, this ain’t nothin’,” he said. “We don’t know anything – how do you even know these were for you?”
“Because my name was written on the box,” I said in exasperation. “Look, I know all of this stuff has to be connected! It’s not just some random guy trying to mess with me. He really wants to hurt me!”
Carmody snickered. “Honey, I get that you have a very high opinion of yourself, but trust me – this is just some kid messing around.”
Tears stung my eyes. Angela wrapped a protective arm around me and pulled me close.
“My friend is really scared,” she said sternly to Carmody. “And you’re telling me you’re not even going to look into it?”
Carmody was already tucking his notepad and pencil away. “There ain’t nothin’ to look into,” he said. “Call us back if you get an actual threat.”
Angela stared at him in disgust and disbelief. “You’re kidding,” she said slowly. “This is disgusting! I thought you guys were supposed be on our side.”
Carmody laughed. He pulled on his jacket and shook his head, nodding his head towards the front door. His silent partner walked out into the hall. Just as Carmody was about to follow, he turned back to Angela and me.
“Look, girls, I know it’s scary. Big, big city and you’re all on you’se own. I get that. But you girls are adults now, and that means not calling the cops for every little thing that frightens you.”
I could tell Angela was about to resist, but I knew that my tears would be falling soon and I didn’t want to cry in front of the cops.
“Fine,” I said softly. “Thanks for coming out.”
“You two have a real good day,” Carmody said. He tipped his hat, then walked out the door.
Angela kicked it shut behind him. “New York’s best,” Angela said bitterly. “Don’t make me laugh. Those two were pathetic!”
I bit my lip and shrugged. “Yeah,” I said softly. “I told you.”
Angela pulled me into a close hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you,” she said. “I had no idea they would be so callous. They practically blamed you!”
I nodded. “I know.” I wrinkled my nose. “Same way they treated me when Andy tried grabbing me in that alley. They acted like it was no big deal – like I deserved it, because I’d once asked him for coffee.”
Angela heaved a large sigh. “What are you gonna do?”
I bit my lip and sniffled. “I have no idea,” I said quietly. “When I think of something, I’ll let you know.”
June
On Monday, Angela had to go back to work. I wish I could say that I was starting to feel better about my whole situation, but the truth was that I was feeling more depressed than ever before. Day after day passed by where I did nothing but sit on the couch and flip through old shows, and I was starting to wonder if I shouldn’t be spending my time by looking for a job. But every time I pulled up my laptop and started working on my resume, I just felt guilty and sad. I couldn’t b
elieve that my lifelong goal of teaching had barely lasted for more than a year.
Thursday morning, just as I was settling down on the couch with some leftover pizza and a bad romantic comedy, my phone buzzed on the end table. My hand was shaking as I picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Hello, may I please speak with June Rogers?”
“This is she.”
“June, this is Anne Marie, one of the sectaries at P.S.151. How are you?”
“Um, I’m fine.” My cheeks flamed bright red and I bit my lip.
“Good. I was hoping you could come in this afternoon for a small meeting – just myself, you, and Principal Morris.”
Oh, shit, I thought. It’s finally happening. They’re going to hand me a pink slip and then it’s all over.
“Okay,” I said nervously.
“June, could you be here in an hour?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Good. Thanks so much for your cooperation, I really appreciate it. See you soon.”
I hung up and sprang off the couch, knocking my pizza onto the floor. I stared at it for a moment, debating whether or not to clean it up. They’re going to fire me, I thought. It doesn’t matter. I’ll still be home before Angela. I can just clean it up then. Or who knows – maybe I can just eat it, because I’ll be feeling so miserable that I won’t be able to stand myself.
I shuddered and darted into my room. Tugging on a knit dress, I added tights, boots, and a swipe of coral lipstick. My hair was a greasy tangle but I picked it apart as best I could, using some of Angela’s dry shampoo and combing it into a chignon.
Downstairs, I hailed a cab. It made me nervous to be spending that kind of money today – after all, now that I was about to be officially fired, I wouldn’t really have any play money for a while. Or any money, I realized bleakly.
The cab halted to a stop in front of P.S.151 and I gave the driver the biggest tip I could without overspending. Then I ran up the stairs, for what I knew would be my last time walking through the front doors.