Part
Four
Les
pushed the door open towards the diner and coffee shop with an air of
superiority. His briefcase swung by his side and his smartphone was
tucked inside his coat pocket. His suit was perfectly tailored and
ironed, he was ready for his big day in court. Ready to win and
nothing else. He moved towards the counter and placed his order with
authority about him.
“The
usual?” the cute twenty-something girl behind the counter smiled up
at him. He did notice her, had been noticing her. Sure, he was
married but looking never hurt anyone and most of the men in his
office had bits on the side, as it was referred to.
Three
years ago, he'd stood nervously in the front of a cold wedding
chapel, adorned in a tuxedo watching as his beautiful bride, Monica
walked towards him down the aisle. He smiled at the pleasure of the
sight. In the audience sat only the best and most necessary guests,
besides the obligatory family members and such. Not present, most
notably, were any of his friends from the long ago days at
Crowshaven. Since his last encounter with all of them at the Jewel
concert and after-party, he had made up his mind at last to put
childhood things and fantasies to rest. He was ready to suit up and
grow up, to mine the battlefields of adult life and not just thrive
but succeed.
Now,
in present day, Monica held a child on the way in her stomach and was
busy finishing up her dissertation in English Literature with an
emphasis on Shakespeare Studies, teaching part-time at NYU in the
English department. They had a beautiful house in upper Manhattan,
nice cars, and friends who practiced the same upwardly mobile life
style. His life was what he had wanted, his life appeared to be
perfect. So, what was he missing?
As
the girl behind the counter prepared his order of a ham sandwich and
a latte to go, he surreptitiously slipped his business card out of his
pocket. As she rang up his order, he handed her his debit card with
his business card right next to it. She held both up and he smiled,
mouthing a “call me” while hiding his left hand in his pocket.
She smiled back and pocketed the business card and quickly rang him
up, handing over the bag with his sandwich and chips, then his
espresso drink. He moved them, with a skip in his step towards the
exit. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a girl, a woman rather,
with a guitar propped up against her corner table by the window.
Before her on the table was a coffee cup and a plate with a half
eaten muffin atop it, she was busy scribbling in a journal. A
flicker of recognition scampered across his brain but he quickly
dismissed it and continued his destination towards the exit.
“Les?”
came a familiar voice from the corner table. “Les Daniels?”
He
tried, unsuccessfully, to act like he hadn't heard, was lost in his
thoughts, but his body froze in place at the recognition of that
voice and what it meant. He swallowed and turned to face the
familiar and long forgotten face. He came face to face with Ruby
Rhodes.
“Hi,”
he pretended to search his mind. “Ruby?”
“Yeah,
you know me,” she laughed and came forward. She made an awkward
attempt to hug him in greeting but his hands were full with a coffee,
a bag of food, and his brief-case in the other hand.
“Sorry,”
he said in response. She shook it off and punched him on the arm.
“So,
how have you been?” she smiled up at him.
“All
right,” he said. “I've been pretty busy with work, actually.
You?”
His
eyes looked past her, out the window and watched the city flying by.
She noticed, but did not look to see what he was looking at, but
instead stared him down.
“So,
working as...” She began. “Some kind of lawyer?”
“Corporate,”
he answered crisply, still staring out the window.
“Aha,
I see,” she turned around and followed his gaze. Her eyes fell
upon a newspaper stand with the headlines reporting the events
happening in the middle east, namely Iraq. “Fucking bull-shit,”
she said, mostly to herself and under her breath.
“Excuse
me?” Les said at last turning to her. “Is there a problem with
corporate law?”
“No,”
Ruby laughed up at him. “No, I was looking at those newspapers,
the war on terrorism bullshit, blood for oil, more like.”
Les
sighed impatiently.
“They
attacked us first,” he grimaced at her.
“What
the hell, Les?” Ruby began in wonderment. “You serious? You
really believe that propaganda bullshit?”
“Facts
are facts,” Les retorted.
“Facts,
huh?” Ruby scoffed. “Who controls the news?”
“Where
were you when a little thing called 9-11 happened?” he looked down
at her, practically spitting on her.
“Don't
try that on me,” Ruby began. “And the answer isn't more
violence, that is never the solution.”
“Oh,
please.”
“Lester
Daniels--”
“Don't
call me that,” he demanded. “You know not to call me that.”
“I'm
not sure I even know who you are,” she responded calmly. “How
can you defend the war-mongers in DC? Don't you remember what we
learned at Crowshaven--
“Childhood
dreams,” he said under his breath. Ruby's eyes grew large as she
looked at him, seeing who he had become. She shook her head with
that realization.
“That's
right,” she said slowly. “I don't know you...anymore.”
With
that she turned on her heels and headed back to her table. He stared
after her for a moment then pushed his way back out the door, to
continue on his way towards the courthouse.
He'd
win the case. Another corporation would rise to further success and
a small business would sink into oblivion. His bank account would be
further padded out, his conscience all the more hidden beneath the
prosperity. The cute girl from the coffee shop, Stella, would
contact him and he would begin meeting her after work, before heading
back to his Manhattan house, his pregnant wife waiting him.
In
the coffee shop after he left, Ruby would welcome an old friend to
her table. Rob would sit opposite her and she'd smile happily
towards him.
“I've
got big plans for you, Ruby,” he'd smile over at her and wink.
“Oh,
yeah,” she'd respond, unconsciously licking her lips.
“We're
gonna get your career up and running again,” he said cautiously and
she slipped her hand across the table and into his. “Get you back
on stage and modeling again.”
“Yes,
please,” she said. And, Rob brought her hand up to his lips.
Shortly
thereafter they'd leave the coffee shop and head to Rob's
condominium, the place that would become her new home as they worked
side by side on her advancement. But, today after drawing up future
plans, they'd fall into bed together, enjoying the sight of each
other's naked bodies and pleasuring one another until late into the
evening.
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