by Scott Baron
“What?” he said, returning from his memories. “Anyway, I’m all alone now. I just wish it was over.”
She fixed him with an ageless gaze and spoke with zero doubt.
“You’ll see her again,” she said. “But life is such a marvelous thing. You should enjoy every moment you have for as long as you can. It’s what she would want.”
“But I miss her.”
“And you’ll see her again.”
“But it could be such a long time,” he said, tears trailing down his face.
“Yes,” she replied, looking deep in his eyes. “But it is also just a moment away.” Dorothy held his gaze a moment longer, comforting him until his tears slowed.
“You’ll be fine,” she said, squeezing his arm as she rose to walk back to her post-bike lesson picnic.
“Spaciba, molodaya zhenschina,” the man thanked her in his native tongue. “Thank you.”
“Pazhousta,” she replied, her Russian accent mirroring his.
Dorothy felt good as she strolled back to her little cozy spot on the grass.
He’s going to be all right, she thought, smiling to herself, feeling so good that the unusual happenstance of a girl who thinks she’s Death telling a man to enjoy life was lost on her.
She passed a man with a familiar styled beard as she settled back to the grass, and for the first time since her escape, the fact that someone looked quite a lot like Doctor Vaughan hadn’t even fazed her.
Randy returned, hot dogs and root beer in hand, just a few minutes later.
“Sorry for the delay, m’dear,” he said as he took a seat next to her. “The woman in front of me was ordering for her whole family, and apparently they all like the works. Whatcha gonna do? So, did ya miss me?” he chided.
“You know, for the millisecond you were gone, I actually did.” She beamed.
“Right answer,” he said as he leaned over and kissed her forehead before trailing down to her waiting lips.
Hours later, as Randy enjoyed a relaxing, post-picnic shower, Dorothy hung her little surprise on the living room wall. It wasn’t much, compared to some of the paintings artists had gifted to Randy over the years. Just a simple, yet amazingly realistic, trompe l’oiel painting of a chunk of gray rock that had caught her eye.
The street artist, who frequently sold his wares on the sidewalk near her work, had somehow made the flat panel look as if it housed an actual piece of stone. When she first saw the new piece on his stand, Dorothy stopped in her tracks and found herself almost reaching out to see if it was real.
The artist was pleased.
“Tell you what,” he said, “I’ll cut you a deal.”
“Why would you do that?” she asked. “You don’t even know me.”
“I see you working in the coffee shop. That makes you what I call a ‘friends of the neighborhood’ customer. Besides,” he said with a wink and a smile, “you strike me as someone who understands that things aren’t what they always appear.”
Dorothy was on the fence. She’d only just begun working, and paying her own way was something she found surprising satisfaction in. Spending money on art was something she saw as frivolous, despite living with a gallery director. That said, she couldn’t take her eyes off the man’s beautiful artwork.
“Well…” she began.
Sensing a sale hanging in the balance, the man struck a bargain.
“I’ve got an idea,” he said. “Half off, but you hook me up with your employee discount on coffee and pastry. Does that sound workable?”
When Randy, freshly showered and smelling of soap and cleanliness, walked into the living room, he stopped in his tracks. Something was different.
Dorothy held her breath. She had slowly been adding little touches to the apartment, but this was big. This was Randy’s realm. This was art.
He stood there, silently studying the piece.
“So…” The tension was killing her. “I hope you don’t mind, but I really liked it, and—“
“Where did you get this?” he interrupted.
“I’m sorry,” she said, dejected. “If you don’t like it I can take it down.”
He looked at her like she was crazy.
“Like it? Babe, I fucking love it!”
“Wait, what?” She breathed a happy sigh of relief.
“Oh, yeah. Seriously, this is really impressive work. Where did you get this? The artist is amazing.”
“Just some guy who sells them on the street by work.”
“Oh my God, a true unknown? When you see him, give him my card. If the rest of his work is this good, I’ll to talk to Gary about putting him in a group show. Just a guy on the street?” He flashed a happy smile. “You, my dear, may have just scored me an exclusive new artist for the gallery.”
That evening Randy had a fair bit of paperwork to get in order for an upcoming gallery event, and so it was that Dorothy decided to try another new thing. She was going to cook dinner all on her own. Since she’d moved in, Randy had been doing the majority of the cooking, as well as bringing home take-out on busier days, so this was her first chance to play chef solo.
It didn’t exactly go as planned.
The fire department wasn’t called, at least they had that going for them, but her noble attempt had led to the windows staying open for most of the evening as they let the apartment air out.
Dorothy had actually done quite an admirable job assembling the ingredients, but then, as it was cooking, Randy took a break from his work and they both became… distracted.
By the time she and Randy had stumbled back to the kitchen, sweaty and disheveled, the noticeable acrid smell of something burning had begun to fill the air.
“Shit! Dinner!” Dorothy cried out as he yanked the oven open, releasing a cloud of smoke that set off the smoke detectors. Randy grabbed a towel and dumped the dish on the counter. He quickly put the lid on it, snuffing the smoldering meal and limiting further smoke release. Despite the destruction of her attempted meal, Dorothy couldn’t help but smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she tried not to laugh.
“It’s not funny!” he lamented. “That was our dinner!” He flung the windows open, then climbed up on a chair to disconnect the wailing smoke detector. When he stepped back down to the kitchen floor, Dorothy threw her arms around him and kissed him with a smile.
“We can always order take-out,” she said with a giggle, then snuggled her face into the crease of his neck with a happy sigh, sending a ripple of goose bumps down his arms.
He looked at her, flushed, and suddenly felt hungry for something other than dinner. The look in her eye told him in no uncertain terms that she most definitely felt the same.
“Ah, screw it,” he said as he tossed the potholders on the counter and swept Dorothy up in his arms, practically falling into the bedroom in his haste to savor his lover’s delights again.
The bus was crowded for the duration of the long ride to work, but Dorothy didn’t mind. She’d actually become rather fond of watching the broad assortment of people stepping on and off as they crossed the city. Mobile people-watching, of a sort.
She stepped to the sidewalk and turned toward work. Plenty early and in no rush, she took her time, enjoying the stroll.
A man in jeans and a sport coat bumped her as he hurriedly walked past, engrossed in some drama on his cell phone screen. Dorothy watched him, annoyed by his lack of situational awareness. Sure enough, he bumped two more people in his haste, before tripping over a drunken bum sleeping on the sidewalk.
The inebriated man sat up, startled.
It took a moment, but Dorothy realized it was the same drunk she’d briefly encountered when her ordeal had only just begun.
The oracle.
It’s him! She felt her heart race. He can tell me what I’m missing. The key to—
“Hey,” the drunk slurred loudly at the man who’d tripped over him. “Watch it, you jerk! Yeah, that’s it… a watch!” he droned on. “You need it or you’ll be blue like me. Blue! I�
��m so blue,” he started to lament, then regained his zeal. “You have to find it!” he carried on. A passerby took pity on the vagrant and tossed a dollar to him.
“Get yourself something to eat, okay?”
“What? Yeah. Wait… but it’s a question—no, a quest! Yesssshhh, that’ssss it!” He collected the money and took a swig from the bottle ensconced in a dirty brown paper bag next to him, then rolled on his side and fell back asleep, not even noticing Dorothy was there.
She didn’t know how to react.
He isn’t…? She was mortified. But that means… it means he’s just a crazy old drunk talking nonsense. He might not have even been talking to me that day. He might not have even known I was there. Randy, the watch… they’re not be the key to anything at all.
Dorothy stared at the slumbering man as she walked by. The rest of her way to work passed in a blur as she soaked in the enormity of what had just happened.
“Hey, you okay?” Nadine asked her as she stepped behind the counter.
“What? Oh, yeah, just an off morning is all,” Dorothy said, covering.
The rest of the morning went smoothly, though Dorothy was working on autopilot for most of it. Standing near the storage room in the back washing mugs, she almost didn’t notice the Camview orderly enter. Only at the last moment did a tingling on her neck make her turn to look.
Larry, the orderly she’d tied to the bed.
He was looking at his phone, texting.
Shit! Dorothy ducked behind the partition. Nadine, her sixth sense kicking into high-gear, stepped away from the counter for a minute.
“Hey, what’s up?” she asked her friend. “You okay?”
“The man at the counter. He’s…” Dorothy didn’t know what to say.
“Ex-boyfriend?”
“No. Shit, listen, there are things I haven’t told you about me. Let’s just say there’s a really bad man looking for me, and that guy works for him.”
“Did he see you?” Nadine asked, concerned.
“I don’t think so. If he did, this whole part of town would be off-limits for me.”
“Okay, let’s think this through. He ordered for here, so it’ll likely be a while. Only one thing to do. End your shift early and sneak out.”
“But what if he—”
“I’ll cover you. Run a distraction.”
Dorothy hugged her friend.
“Stop the hugging, you’ll make me mess up my mascara. Now be ready when I block his view.”
Dorothy peered out from behind the partition as Nadine poured a large iced specialty coffee. She looked at her friend and nodded.
Carefully, Dorothy stepped from behind the partition, angling her body to face away from Larry. As casually as she could, she started walking toward the door.
“Yes, I’m serious. Send them ASA-fucking-P, and tell Doctor Vaughan I found her.” Larry noticed the movement and saw her edging by. “Hey! Stop right there, bitch!”
He jumped to his feet, lurching from behind his table, but before he could reach her, he inexplicably tripped, face-planting onto the cement floor.
“Go!” Nadine mouthed to her friend as she pulled her extended foot back. “Oh my God, are you okay?” she said, kneeling over the fallen man as Dorothy bolted for the door.
“Look out, you fucking idiot!” Larry shouted, pushing her as he scrambled to his knees.
The cup of iced coffee in Nadine’s hand fell, not unintentionally, right across his face, flooding his eyes and nose with the dark brew.
Larry hit the ground, writhing in pain.
“Jesus! What the fuck did you do to me! It burns!”
Dorothy paused at the door. She shared a grateful smile with her friend, then took off running as fast as her feet would take her.
Nadine looked down at the coffee-soaked man on the floor.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, unconvincingly. “It must be the cayenne pepper.”
“Who the fuck puts cayenne in coffee?” he wailed in agony.
“Oh, it’s a specialty drink,” Nadine replied with a wicked little grin. “It’s called Coffee of Death.”
By the time she exited the bus ride home, Dorothy had managed to lower her heart rate to something resembling a normal level. Nonetheless, she was still quite discombobulated.
What do I tell Randy? I mean, this won’t jeopardize Sam moving back, but he still might freak out.
By the time he came home that evening, she had decided that a toned-down version of the day’s events would be the best choice. Over dinner, maybe after a couple of glasses of wine.
“It was a pretty eventful day,” Dorothy said between bites. “There was a bit of craziness at work.”
“Ah, coffee house drama,” Randy said as he sipped his wine. “Now that brings me back a few years. So what happened?”
“Well, there was an issue with one of the customers. He was aggressive, and things got a bit out of hand.”
Randy quickly sobered up.
“Do I need to do something about this?”
“What? No. I’m perfectly capable of handling things, Randy. I appreciate the protective instinct, but I’m not a child.”
“Sorry, I just… it’s a dad thing.”
“Apology accepted. Anyway, since I’ve been working under the table there, this could be a big problem for them, so I had to be let go. But I’ll start looking for another job tomorrow, so don’t worry.”
Randy got up, walked to her, and gave her a hug.
“Don’t worry about it, babe. Take a few days and relax. I know you liked that place, and you really put a lot of effort into contributing to the household. A little break is well-deserved.”
“Really? You’re not worried about your folks?”
“Nah, I think it’ll be okay. They know we’re living together, and they know you’ve been working hard to help me finish Sam’s room for her to move in. I haven’t told her about us living together yet, but I will soon. She knows I’ve been dating, but this? I’m still a little nervous about it. More than my parents, even. I think they’ve gone from cautious to hopeful. You know how parents get when their kids finally meet someone.”
“All right, then.” Dorothy said as she took a deep breath of relief. “If you’re really okay with it, I’ll take a few days off. Maybe I can finish that last coat of paint in her room before I start the job hunt again.”
“Excellent idea,” he agreed. “So, you up for a post-dinner game of Scrabble?”
Dorothy flashed a come-hither smile.
“Make it strip-Scrabble and you’re on.”
A few days passed, and the beautiful blue skies were dotted with little puffy clouds. Happy little clouds, some might even say. It was a perfect morning outside, but Dorothy was indoors, wrapping up her painting project rather than out enjoying the sun.
The seasons were finally changing, the air growing warmer as winter was well on its way to becoming a thing of the past. She liked it that way. Warm was good.
Randy sat comfortably on the couch doing a crossword puzzle, sipping his coffee, relaxing a bit longer before heading to the gallery. Dorothy, meanwhile ,was bustling about in the kitchen, cleaning paintbrushes and rollers.
“Kick ass paint job, babe. Her room looks great,” Randy said appreciatively.
“Thanks. I’m really happy with how it turned out. I think she’ll love it.”
A pensive look formed on Randy’s face.
“You know, summer break’s coming up in a few months,” he said. “It’s weird, I’ve been looking forward to it for so long, but now I’m nervous about it. What if she freaks out when I tell her?”
“You’re her father, she’ll want you to be happy,” Dorothy soothed him.
“It’s just that I… well, I haven’t dated anyone since her mother, and now here I am…” He was briefly at a loss for words. “When I visited her last month, I did tell her that I was seeing someone, and it was serious, but I still have to broach the whole living together part of it.” The
concern clear in his eyes tugged her heart strings.
“Don’t worry.” Dorothy kissed his forehead, then headed back towards the kitchen. “I won’t come between you and your daughter,” she said. “Not for a long time anyway,” she added under her breath.
She thought about her life and what it had quite surprisingly become, and decided she was okay with it all.
A minute later he turned his head at the sound of her soft footsteps approaching.
“Here, I made you something.”
She handed him a plate, and on it sat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. With the crusts cut off.
Randy took the plate, his eyes shining from the gesture they both knew was far more than just a snack. He leaned over and gave her a kiss, resting his forehead against hers for a moment, savoring the closeness, then took a bite of the sandwich.
“I got you something too,” he said as he put the sandwich down. He went and retrieved the box he’d hidden in the hall closet.
“What is it?”
“That’s the fun part of opening it, now isn’t it?”
Dorothy took the long, flat box in her hands and slid it open. Inside, wrapped in delicate tissue, was a beautiful, deep red dress with a black lace overlay. She had commented on it during an outing weeks earlier, even going so far as to try it on, but had ultimately handed it back to the store clerk.
She felt tears rush to her eyes as she hugged him. “Oh Randy, it’s beautiful!” she exclaimed as she squeezed him tight.
“I’m glad you still like it. Actually, I was hoping you’d wear it tomorrow night. I want to take you out for something special.”
She kissed him, pupils dilated and cheeks flushed, as the two of them slid down to the couch.
“So,” she asked, her voice a husky whisper as she latched her lips to his ear, “how much time do we have before you have to be at work?”
He responded by gently sliding his fingertips across her collar until he cupped her face in his hands. His pulse was pounding so hard in his chest that she could feel it as he held her close.
“We’ve got time,” he said as he drew her closer, kissing her with an intensity that overwhelmed them both as they melted into one.