Disclaimer: This is a story of fiction, and never happened, I do not know, or own the people included in this story, it is written for entertainment purposes only, and I gain no profit from writing such things.
Books and Coffee
It's pouring outside, and I'm stuck at the counter. I'm leaning against the wall near the till reading.
"Excuse me?" I look up from my book and smile warmly at the woman in front of me, I'd say she's in her mid thirties, bleached blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun, handfuls of bags, and ah kids. Two of the little tikes around the age of, I'd guess 6 or 7, are running around picking up books, and eugh I don't want to think about the brown stuff on there hands.
I grimace as one of the kids picks up a copy of Harry Potter- and those books are heavy- then he lobs it at the other kid. I close my eyes momentarily waiting for the shrill cry but it doesn't come, when I open my eyes I see the mother holding a pack of skittles enticing them to behave, yea they're hyper so feed 'em more sweets! Idiot, you can probably tell, I'm having a bad day, it's like male PMSing.
"Sorry," she says inhaling as she watches the two boys sit down and devour the bag of sugar coated sweets. "I was wondering do you have 'It' by Steven King?" She asks, smiling nicely at me, and I shudder, because I have a great fear of clowns, they're just so, ah!
I nod and put my book down, marking my page with an old receipt and then asking her to follow me; I walk to the fiction side of the store and direct her in the direction of where all Steven King novels are. She thanks me and I nod, returning to the counter. I pick up the small notebook on the cash register, and I put another line on the tally under my name. Yea our boss wants to know how many times we help a customer, so every time I help one I have to add another line to the tally.
I grab my book and resume my reading; it's not long before I'm interrupted again by a loud thud as a book is more or less dropped onto the counter. I breathe in, service with a smile, remember service with a smile. I look up with a smile, except there's no one there, I lean over the counter and there are those kids looking up at me and giggling.
I roll my eyes and look at the book they've deposited on the counter, and it's some kind of karma sutra book I didn't even know we sold.
"I don't think you kids should be looking at these kinds of books," I say taking the book and placing it on the shelf under the counter, they grin, showing gappy teeth and then waddle off to find they're mum. Sighing I rub my temples, "god I should get paid more." Then I think about what I really do, which isn't much, I pretty much read for the duration of my shift, and reading has always been something I've been fond of, so it's not anything bad.
I serve the woman and her kids, and am thankful when the kids wave goodbye and they leave, the shop restored to its normal quiet state.
Toronto, 1967
Bob looked at the younger in his wife's arms. For a second he thought about another country, and another child…no. he stopped himself as he stroked the baby's warm red cheek. That was another time, another place. That was Wolverhampton Bob Worthington. This Bob Worthington had made a new life for himself in Toronto.
He stayed at the hospital for a few hours, then, exhausted but elated after sitting up all night, took the long drive home out to the suburbs. All the houses were different in this street, not like the mass-built redbrick slums he'd come from, yet a strange air of uniformity still pervaded his district. He parked the car in the narrow driveway outside the garage.
I tear myself away from my book to look up when I smell the strong smell of coffee, looking at the counter I see a starbucks cup. My eyebrow arcs in curiosity as I look up at the person standing on the other side of the counter, a smile flits onto my face as I look into Brendon's eyes.
"Hey," he says doing that same half circle wave like he did in the elevator. "Hope I'm not disturbing you, I bought you coffee." He says picking up the cup and extending it towards me.
"I didn't know what you liked, so I played it safe and went for cappuccino." He smiles, and I take the cup nodding. I've never thought of cappuccino as a safe option, but whatever it's a nice gesture.
"That's great, thanks," I sip at the warm liquid, and oh god it tastes good, closing my eyes in satisfaction I hear him laugh.
"I guess I played well then," I nod opening my eyes, and smiling, and then his face turns slightly serious and he leans towards me more. "If I take you on a date and I play my cards right then, will you consider kissing me like you did in the elevator?" And I cough, I wasn't expecting that, and I'm blushing, I'm more than sure he can see it.
I nod as he looks at me worriedly, "yea I'd like that." I say between coughs, he grins and then leans his arm on the counter. After I regain my composure he talks.
"So, when and where?" He asks, dragging out the 'h' on where.
"Up to you," I reply shrugging.
"Okay, I think I've got an idea, let's swap numbers." He says, I nod and we exchange numbers, he draws a little stick man on the paper and I laugh, because it's riding a bike.
"So, what you reading?" He asks glancing at the book I'd put page down on the counter, I pick up the book and show him the cover.
"It's called Ecstasy by Irvine Welsh, good book. Bit pornographic in some places, and it does have a necrophiliac that's also a pedophile in it." He gives me a strange look, "its three tales of a chemical romance." And then he makes an 'oh' sound while nodding.
"I've heard that somewhere," he says looking up thoughtfully.
"You know the band My Chemical Romance," he looks at me confused. "Been around a couple of years, they're from New Jersey," he then nods in realization.
"What do they have to do with the book?" And he's got that confused look on his face again.
"They got their name from this book, three tales of a chemical romance." And he nods, a smile plastered on his face.
"Cool, so what, it's like three stories in one book?" I nod and turn to the contents page of the book, before reading aloud.
"Yea, A Rave and Regency Romance, A corporate Drug Romance and An Acid House Romance." I finish putting the book down on the counter closed, and then mentally kicking myself for losing my page.
"Cool, I may have to read that sometime." He says standing up straight and nodding, I laugh because in all honesty he looks like an idiot, he smiles back, and god when he smiles like that it makes my knees go weak, cliché much?
"When do you finish your shift?" He asks me glancing at the clock on the nearby wall, I look too and work out how long I've got.
"Ooo fifteen minutes," I say smiling.
"Cool, you wanna go on our date tonight then?"
"Yea okay," I reply smiling, we talk and we discuss, and then my boss is walking over to me, basically shooing me out of the shop.
"Bye Ryan, go home." He shouts mockingly as he closes and locks the door to the shop after I've grabbed my bag and jacket and my book.
"Is he always like?" Brendon asks, pointing a thumb in the direction of the shop, I nod.
"Yea, he has a strange sense of humor," I say pulling a face, and shoving my book into my bag, and then proceeding to put my coat on and sling my bag over my shoulder.
