Chapter Three: Coffee
I arrived at Downtown Grounds just shy
of 10:01, I stepped into the crowded cafe, with the bustling noise of
people's morning chatter and the whirring sound of the espresso
machines, and breathed in the familiar warmth. I glanced around and
not seeing Joe, I cringed inside. Had he forgotten? Been held up
by...who knows?
I headed to the counter to order us
coffees, maybe by doing thus he'd magically appear. I remember
fondly he always enjoyed his lattes. I ordered two and a muffin,
pulled with a mischievous glee a twenty out of my wallet that I had
pulled from my wad of cash back at home waiting to be deposited into
the bank later, and handed it to the cashier. She took it without
thinking and handed back the change, somewhat absentmindedly. She
placed the muffin in a paper bag on the counter, I picked it up, and
popped a bite into my mouth. I took a few steps down and waited
while our lattes were being prepped, somewhat not awake as I had yet
to have my morning cup. The chime of the cafe door rang out to
announce someone's entrance. I did not turn around, half out of
sleepiness and half not wanting to become disappointed if it was
still not Joe.
A few minutes passed, I felt a breath
against the back of my neck and a whispered, “Hi there.”
I turned and looked into the twinkling
blue of his eyes, the tingling sensation erupting throughout my
entire body. I leaned in for a quick hug and pulled out with,
“I got us both lattes.”
“Lattes, oh, you remembered,” you
smiled and I returned it back to them. The barista boomed out the
announcement of “latte” and placed it on the counter. I took it
and handed it to Joe with a flourish.
He smiled warmly, taking it. The
barista bellowed out the the second latte's finish. I picked it up
and Joe led me to a nearby table, near the window.
We sat and took each other in, as we
sipped our drinks. I turned to look out the window, watching the
city hum of the beginning day. After a few moments, as we allowed
the caffeine to hit our brains, he spoke.
“So, you have some questions for me?”
“Yes,” I began. “Is what you
gave me a loan?”
“Consider it,” he mused. “A down
payment.”
“Excuse me,” I remarked confusedly.
“Down payment for what?”
He took a minute, then responded, “I
have a business proposition for you.”
“Um, okay, what?”
“I have friends across the country,
friends that visit from time to time that are always looking for
entertainment,” he stated.
“Entertainment?” I asked furtively.
“How so?”
He hesitated a moment then he grinned,
“You know, cartoons.”
I was taken aback, wondering just
exactly he was asking me to do, somehow understanding if not vaguely.
I said as much.
“They'd pay, these friends of mine,”
he responded. “They'd pay well.”
I pondered this new line of work.
“Okay,” I began. “So...” The
words caught in my throat.
“They'd also pay for their special
friend to make visits to their cities,” he continued. This wasn't
what I wanted to know completely, but I nodded as my interest peaked
even more. I loved traveling, he knew this. “So, what do you
think?”
I knew what my answer was but there was
one thing more I wanted to know, needed to know.
“So, how do you fit into all of
this?” I asked, breathlessly.
“I'd act as intermediary, as such,”
he stated.
“Is that all?” I blurted out before
I could take it out. I had forgotten in that moment how to play the
game with him.
“No,” he smiled reassuringly.
“That's not it, it could never be.”
I returned the smile gratefully,
inwardly leaping for joy. Some part of me really cared for him,
maybe not love but it was something.
“So, how does this all work?” I
continued, ready to get down to business.
“They contact me, I get ahold of
you,” he began. “You'll need to get check ups, starting now and
regularly. And, it'll always be clean...safe.”
“Safe?”
“You'll have protection.”
“Condoms? Birth control?”
“Not just that,” he firmly stated.
“There would be no kind of danger to you.”
I looked back out at the city, the cars
whizzing by down the street, the different passers-by, some with
children, some on their way to work or school. I let my mind ponder
this new venture.
“So, what do you think?” he wanted
to know. I thought for a moment, calculating.
“I'll have to think about it,” I
began. “Give me a day.”
“Take the time you need,” he
reassured. He smiled at me, reaching over, and gently taking my free
hand. I looked at him, into his eyes, and knew where this was going.
If he was in my life, that was all that
mattered, so intoxicated I was by him. I trusted him too.
We both already knew what my answer
would be. A decidedly resounding “Yes!”
No comments:
Post a Comment