Chapter 107: Upper East Side
Wednesday, January 4th, Evening
The car service dropped her off in front of her building. Trinity "Trin" Adams got out with a sigh and looked up at the high-rise co-op apartment she lived in on the upper east side. She was a block east of The Met, and sometimes she would jog, she would see girls that attended the same private school she once did hanging out on the steps having a morning coffee there. The memories she wished she had and would have never met Brian, but she wouldn't have had Wyatt either.
With a quick shake of her head, she stepped away from the curb to the door of her building. The doorman opened the door for her.
"Good evening, Ms. Adams," The doorman said.
"Good evening," Trin said, and went right to her mailbox, unlocking it and collecting her mail. Next, she used her pass card to gain access to the elevator and rode up to the proper floor.
She walked down the hall and came to one door. Adjusting her bag and putting down her briefcase, she counted to ten. She picked up her briefcase in her other hand and knocked on the door.
Trin heard movement behind the door. After a minute the door opened. A thin woman, about an inch or so taller than Trin, with light brown hair, light blue eyes, and pale skin stood before her. She was dressed effortlessly, maybe a signature necklace, but effortlessly, but still looked elegant. It would take Trin hours to look this elegant.
"Hello Trinity," Clair Anne-Sophie Legrand said, in a Parisian accented English.
"Madam Legrand," Trin said.
"Trinity, please call me Clair, we are long time friends," Madam Legrand said, she avoided using the word old, always. It's true they had known each other for a long time. They first met when Trin was in college and accompted her Mom to her namesake city, Paris, Trin's middle name is Paris, for business. Madam Legrand was one of the models in the show.
"That's true," Trin said, "How's Wyatt been?" avoiding the subject of calling her by her first name.
Madam Legrand laughed, "Wyatt, he's such a perfect angel, are you sure who his father is?" she asked.
Trin nodded, "Quite sure," she said.
"He acts nothing like his father," Madam Legrand said.
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Trin said.
Madam Legrand laughed, "I will get him," she said, and looked over her shoulder, "Marguerite, Léa, dis à Wyatt que sa mère est là pour lui," she called out in her native French.
"Oui Maman," a girl's voice called back in French.
Trin couldn't tell if it was Marguerite, the twelve-year-old, or Léa, the ten-year-old. Wyatt was slotted right in-between the two girls. In some ways, Trin reflected Wyatt was surrounded by girls as his Dad had been. The major difference is Wyatt isn't related to any of the girls like his Dad was.
A minute or so later Wyatt came out from the back of the apartment. He was accompanied by Madam Legrand's two daughters. Trin noticed that Marguerite had changed out of her school uniform and was now dressed casually, if not with a very American look. Léa was still dressed in her school uniform. Both girls went to Lycée Français de New York on East 75th Street, which Trin always thought was funny as it was located near two Con-Edison sites, a substation and a steam generation station.
"Maman, Wyatt peut-il rester pour le dîner?" Marguerite asked, in French.
"Je veux que Wyatt reste trop Maman," Léa said, also in French.
"Non, les filles, Wyatt doit rentrer à la maison," Madam Legrand said, still in French.
"Merci de m'avoir regardé, Madame Legrand. Je te vois demain Marguerite, Léa," Wyatt said, in broken French. Trin had learned that the girls were teaching him basic French.
"Thank you, Madam Legrand," Trin said.
"You're welcome, Trinity, Wyatt," Madam Legrand said.
Trin guided Wyatt into the hallway. They walked down a few doors down. She unlocked the door and let Wyatt in. Trin followed and closed the door behind her.
"How was your day?" Trin asked.
Wyatt shrugged his shoulders and placed his bag onto the breakfast bar. "It's okay," he said.
"Your French seems to be getting better," Trin said.
"Thank Mom," Wyatt said.
Trin put her bah and briefcase on the breakfast bar and looked at Wyatt, "So, what do you want for dinner?" she asked.
"I'd like Grandma Haley's mac and cheese," Wyatt said.
Trin nodded, "Me too, but not tonight, we don't have the stuff to make it," she said, "I've ordered it, but I feel the need for comfort food as well."
Wyatt sadly nodded his head, "Okay," he said, "How about Chinese?"
"That sounds good," Trin said, "The usual?"
Wyatt nodded, "Okay, that sounds good," he said.
Trin nodded, "Okay, I'm going to shower, change, and order dinner," she said.
"Okay, what should I do?" Wyatt asked.
"Homework?" Trin asked, in that way parents ask but are really telling you.
Wyatt nodded. Trin grabbed her briefcase and walked down the hall to her room. She put her briefcase down on her bed and closed the door behind her. Sighing, she started to take off her clothes. Taking up her smartphone she opened an app and ordered dinner for her and Wyatt.
While looking at her phone, she saw she had a message on from her dating app. Placing the phone down she kept getting undressed. Should she check the message now or after she took a shower?
After a moment of self-debate, she picked up the phone and opened the message. It's from Wolveriot, the guy she's been messaging with for the past few days.
Wolveriot: How are you doing today? Did you have a good day at work?
Trin put down her phone and finished getting undressed. She entered her bathroom and started to run the shower. Once the water was at the temperature, she wanted she stepped into it. It wasn't like she needed the shower, but it helped her de-stress from the day.
The hot water felt good on her skin as she absent-mindedly washed herself. Once done she got out and dried herself off. In her bedroom, she changed into her beat-up NYU sweat pants and a worn-out hoodie that was from her Mom's line of casual clothing, but many seasons ago. Brushing her hair, she looked in the mirror and studied her face. Trin noted she had aged, in a good way, gone was the naïve look of her youth. There were parts of her that she hoped showed the hard-earned wisdom and experience she had.
Trin picked up all her clothes. She separated them into what needed to go to the laundromat, and what needed to be dried cleaned. Throwing her hair up, she grabbed her smartphone and looked at the dating app message. She sighed and walked out of her bedroom. A moment later she found Wyatt at the breakfast bar doing his homework, he'd changed out of his school uniform.
Wyatt looked up at Trin and smiled, "I just got a notification that the T3 Collective was live," he said.
"I saw that," Trin said, and grinned, "I wonder what trouble they're up to now?"
Wyatt nodded, "I don't know," he said, "Is that Aunt Libby or Aunt Fallon texting you?"
"Neither, just catching up on stuff," Trin said.
Wyatt nodded and returned to his homework. Trin took a seat at the breakfast bar, and looked at the message on the dating app, then smiled. Before she could respond, she got the alert that their dinner had arrived. She had the doorman send him up and she met the deliveryman at the apartment door.
"Dinner's here," Trin said, as she put the bag down on the breakfast bar and started to unpack it.
"So, what are we watching tonight?" Wyatt asked.
"What are you feeling?" Trin asked.
"Anything but Charmed," Wyatt said.
Trin laughed, "Don't like witches?" she asked.
Wyatt shook his head, "No, not really, except maybe in The Craft," he said, as he dug into his food.
Trin smiled, "Okay," she said, as she picked at her food, and looked at the message. Finally, she came up with her response.
AliceinGothem: I'm doing well, and work was rough, it's the busy time of year.
Wolveriot: That sucks. What else is going on?
AliceinGothem: Not much, having dinner and figuring out what to watch tonight.
Wolveriot: Not porn, I hope.
Trin laughed at the messaged that followed that one.
Wolveriot: Sorry that's my inside message coming out/.
AliceinGothem: Well no, no porn, not since college, not there's anything wrong with it.
Wolveriot: Oh good, don't want to sound too crass.
AliceinGothem: No, you don't. I don't watch porn because I had a friend have a sex tape released.
Wolveriot: That Sucks.
AliceinGothem: Yeah, revenge porn.
Wolveriot: The nerve of some people.
AliceinGothem: Do you want to talk on the phone later?
Wolveriot: What? So soon? Yes
Trin smiled.
AliceinGothem: Here's my number, I have to sign off.
Wolveriot: Okay, here's mine.
AliceinGothem: I'll call you tomorrow.
Trin put her phone down and smiled at Wyatt.
"All caught up," Trin said, "So, any ideas what you want to watch tonight?"
Wyatt shook his head and went back to eating while Trin just smiled. Finally, she turned back to her dinner.