Noon - Same day
Tommy sat in his Jeep, parked across the street and a couple of houses down from Mary Jane's. Her car wasn't there so he had to wait. He hoped that she had just run to the store and would be back soon. As he waited, he studied her house and tried to decide how to handle the situation. The house, like it's owner, wasn't spectacular. It appeared to be a small four room house, painted white with black trim. Red geraniums sat in their green pot on the porch.
He couldn't decide what he was going to say when he saw her. Finally, as he saw her car coming down the street, he decided to play it by ear. He watched as she parked her car in the driveway and exited the vehicle. He raised an eyebrow as he took in her appearance. She wore a plain black business suit with a cream colored blouse, black high heels, a green scarf, glasses and wore her hair up in a bun. As he watched, she slipped her shoes off and picked them up before going to the trunk and retrieving a briefcase. She walked up to the house and let herself in. Tommy opted to wait a few minutes before approaching the house.
Mary Jane sighed as she dropped her shoes on the mat by the door and her briefcase on a nearby chair. She absolutely hated working on Saturdays, but, as usual, someone in another department had screwed something up and she had to fix it. She begin undoing her hair as she headed for her bedroom to change clothes. Five minutes later, she emerged wearing jeans and a t-shirt, no glasses, barefoot and lighting a cigarette. She made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a soda from the fridge. As she took a drag from her cigarette, she crossed over to the CD player on the table, pressed play and flipped open the cookbook that sat next to it. She found the page she wanted and began pulling out ingredients as the music started.
Mary Jane didn't know why she was doing this to herself. She knew the thing with Tommy had been a one night stand, but she couldn't stop thinking about him. She knew she hadn't been drunk and couldn't understand what had compelled her to behave the way she had. She also couldn't understand why on earth she came home every night and played the same song on the player over and over. "If You See Him, If You See Her" was a stupid choice, she knew, but on some deep level she wished the night had been as unforgettable for him as it was for her. Mary Jane knew better. She was the forgettable type.
Outside
Tommy approached the house, still unsure of what he would say. As he walked up the driveway, he could hear music inside. The closer to the door he got, the clearer it became until he could make out the words as he stood on the front porch. He frowned as he listened. He recognized the song - Kira had been listening to it just last weekend. He wondered who Mary Jane was thinking of as she listened to it. Was it himself or someone else? Was that night just a rebound thing? He wished he had asked Billy more about his cousin, but it was too late now. Or was it? He hadn't knocked on the door yet so he could still slip back to his car and call him. Tommy made up his mind and headed back to his car, pulling his phone out of his pocket and dialing on the way.
A few minutes later, Tommy had all the information he wanted. As far as Billy knew, Mary Jane hadn't been seeing anyone for over a year. She worked at a small publishing company as a proofreader and editor. She had a pet - a large Moluccan cockatoo.
Armed with this information, Tommy once again approached the door. He listened to the music from inside the house. This time "For My Broken Heart" was playing. He shook his head, knocked on the door, folded his arms and leaned back against the porch post in what he hoped was a casual pose.