Chapter 20: Coffee Shop Blues
Rat, tat, tat, was the sound of the keys under her fingers. It was not unheard of for her to write two or three articles in a week. Her personal record was six. There weren't daily columns for publications like The Post or The Dailey News. Often, they went on some website or another, news apps, it was the digital age. The pay was okay, not great. And she generally got bored with the lifestyle stuff they often wanted her to write.
Ellie Scott looked at the page and shook her head. Lifestyle stuff, she guessed that's what people associated with her name now. The one book she published and people start to think that's all you could write. But her dad had accepted it and had made part of his living at it.
"Can I share your table?" a male voice broke through her thoughts.
Ellie looked up and saw a guy still bundled up for the weather. He was holding a bag and a cup of coffee, there was a messenger bag over his shoulder. "What?" Ellie asked removing from her left ear an earbud, "Sorry, what did you ask?" she replied.
"Can I share your table?" he asked.
"Sure, no problem," Ellie said.
He sat down, and looked at her, "You're not a local," he stated.
"Pretty, forward, are we?" Ellie asked.
"Just, well, I noticed your accent," he said.
Ellie smiled and studied what she could see of him. He wasn't hard on the eyes. "Yes, but I've lived in the City for the last six years," she said.
He nodded, "Okay," he took off his hat, exposing his dark hair, now messy from his winter hat. Unzipping his coat, he got comfortable, which included taking off his messenger bag.
Ellie shook her head and put her earbud back in. Her finger brushed her multiple ear piercings. She never gauged her ears, something she had thought about, but decided against it. Ellie smiled, slightly, then went back to her article.
Her new table mate was reading a book. Not a Kindle, Nook, or phone app, but a real paperback book. Ellie looked closely at the book; the worn spin was purple in color. The white letters were cracked and faded; it said The Girl That Always Wore Purple.
This fact brought a slight smile to Ellie's face. Also, a bit of terror. There were a lot of personal things in that book, she hoped it wouldn't come out.
"What's so interesting?" he asked.
"I'd not expect anyone to be reading a book club suggested book of the month," Ellie said, removing her earbud again, it was also true several book clubs, had made it the pick of the month, "At least not non-ironically," she finished.
He chuckled, "An ex-girlfriend introduced me to this book. I'm not normally interested in this type of book, but it's beautifully written and I wanted to see it to the end," he said.
"You don't say, the book looks like it's been read a few times," Ellie said.
"I've read it several times," he said, "But never finished it."
Ellie cocked her head, "I wonder why if it's not the normal type of book you read," she said, "and you've read it several times, why would you want to see it to the end?"
"As I said it's well written and well, I feel for she is slash was going through," he said.
"Yeah, she had an interesting life," Ellie pointed out, "So if you don't normally read those types of books, what type of books do you like?"
He nodded, "What I read before this book was Leaves of Grass," he said.
Ellie smiled, typical, almost out of the playbook, "Whitman," she said.
"What was the last thing you read?" he asked.
"My last free-lance contract," Ellie said.
He laughed, "That's not what I meant," he said.
"You weren't specific," Ellie said.
"I guess I wasn't," he said, "Well, I'll be specific this time, what was the last book you read?" he asked.
"The Wife of Bath's prologue and tale," Ellie said.
He nodded, "Never heard of it," he said.
"They're part of The Canterbury Tales," Ellie said.
He nodded, "Never got into it," he said.
"It's sort of ahead of its time. It's not easy to read as that book you're reading," Ellie said.
"So, you've read it," he stated.
"You can say that," Ellie said.
"Do you remember it at all?" he asked, getting a bit excited.
"Yeah, a bit," Ellie said.
"I'm at the bit where Eileen met those two guys on her kayaking trip in college," he said.
Ellie nodded; she had been on many kayak trips in college. In fact, she has one stored out at one of Fallon's Long Island House which she uses when she's out there. But the trip he was referring too happened her senior year in college. She took a drink of her coffee. She did it to hide her blushing cheeks. It was not her brightest moments, but she was young and she's living her life. She was also a sorority girl and earned the nickname Libby. Her sorority sisters gave it to her. Ellie would explain to people that it was a play on her name, Elizabeth, which was plausible, and true for some people. Ellie wasn't one of those people. In truth, Libby was short for her real nickname, Libertine.
Putting down her coffee, she looked at him. "Well, Anne Becca seems to be honest about, well sexuality," Ellie said, using the name on the spin of the book.
"I'd say so. I wonder if it was real or made up?" he asked.
All too real, "Well, who could tell," Ellie said, "You know it could just be another Go Ask Alice."
"True," he said, "By the way, my name is Dawson."
"Ellie," Ellie said.
"Ellie?" Dawson asked.
"Yes," she said, "Elizabeth actually, but I've always been called Ellie."
"I see," Dawson said, "Most Elizabeth's go by Liz."
"It was my grandmother's nickname, so they named me and called me after her," Ellie said.
"I see," Dawson said, "I was named after some television character."
"I'm sorry," Ellie said.
"It is what it is. What are you working on?" Dawson asked.
"An article, about a person, that takes place in a city, that involves something happening," Ellie said.
"Don't want to say?" Dawson asked.
Ellie shook her head, "No, it's how I make a living, they all flow together after a while," she said.
Dawson nodded, "I see. Pardon me for saying, you don't seem to enjoy it," he said.
Ellie shrugged, "You're not the first person that pointed that out," she said.
Dawson nodded, "Sorry, I've seemed to overstep myself," he said.
"Maybe," Ellie said and looked at the clock on her computer, "I have to go, thanks for the company."
"You're welcome," Dawson said.
Ellie packed up her stuff and sealed her bag with a quick zip of her zipper. Slowly she donned her heavy winter coat, hat, scarf, and gloves. Ellie made sure everything was in its right place. Taking up her stuff, she left the coffee shop.
One thing she had set was her Bluetooth headset, with one of the earbuds in her covered up ear. As she stepped out of the coffee shop, she was greeted by a blast of the cold wind. In the winter in Manhattan, the wind came off Upper New York Bay and was channeled down the Avenues. It would pick up velocity down the artificial valleys and just rip and tear at you.
Ellie slowly walked along the nearest avenue heading towards the nearest subway station. It wouldn't get her that close to her place, but it was still better than walking all those blocks. It was time to head home and start the laundry. That was when her phone rang. Ellie clicked a button to answer it.
"Hello?" Ellie asked.
"Libby, its Ainsley," the woman's voice on the other end said. Ellie reflected she didn't have to say it, her phone told her whose calling.
"Hey Ains, what are you doing?" Ellie responded.
"Sitting here bored on a Sunday, maybe a little hungover from that crazy party you weren't at last night, Libby," Ainsley said.
"It's a tradition I spend time with Trin and my nephew," Ellie said. Trin's son was technically her cousin, but he called her Aunt Libby. This was hilarious, as Wyatt was a sweet innocent boy, and his mom knew why she was nicknamed Libby. But Wyatt drifted off early and Trin said to Ellie go out. Which Ellie did and found a nearby party, just one Ainsley wasn't at.
"Totally ditched me and the squad, but it's okay, bitch," Ainsley said.
"Love you too, Ains," Ellie said.
"Enough about the loser you were last night, what are you doing now?" Ainsley asked.
"I'm heading home from my coffee date and going to do laundry," Ellie said.
"Need company?" Ainsley asked.
"Always, we can watch Netflix," Ellie said.
"Netflix and chill?" Ainsley asked.
"Funny, I was thinking of also working on my writing," Ellie said.
"No fun, all work, is not a way to live, Libby," Ainsley said.
"Deadlines right now, Ains," Ellie said.
"Alright," Ainsley said, "I'll text you when I'm in Manhattan," she finished.
"Sure," Elli said, and they hung up. Under all the layers of clothing, she smiled. As she finished her walk to the subway station. There was now a bit of a pep in her steps.