Rrythmic sounds of windshield wipers begin to lure Sally to sleep. Bright high beams of an on comming car startles her awake just as she was about to swerve off the road. Quickly she grabes the steering wheel, pulling to her left just enough, bringing the car back between the lines where she should be. Glancing into the rear view mirror she relalizes no one is behind her, heart racing, blood pulsating she puts her foot on the break ever so lightly, just enough to begin a slow stop as she guides the car to the right shoulder, straighting it out, shifting into
neutral so not to stall, then pressing hard on the break. Both arms fall against the sterring wheel as her upper body collapse, air emits from her mouth as if the Good Year blimp had struck the Empire State Building. Exhastion overtakes her and she falls asleep.
She awoke an hour later. It was still dark, still raining. She sighed as she sat up. She had been slumped over and now her back hurt her. She wondered how long it would take her to get to her sister's house. She had been driving four hours now and still hadn't reached Boston. Left New York at about 10PM, should be there soon. Very upset, Talking to herself, "How could he do this to me?!". "We're married ten years and I
still don't know the man! He comes home tonight and tells me he has to leave for about a month and won't tell me where he's going?" Shaking her head, trying to stop the flow of tears that were threatening her again.
"I can't think about this now. When I see Mary, and talk it over with her, maybe then I can make some sense out of this." blurting aloud, turning the radio on loud to keep herself awake. Continually thinking about their conversation. John had looked very angry, packing in a hurry, doing a sloppy job. He kept saying it couldn't be helped. He couldn't tell her anything. "You can trust me". He kept raving about how it must be done. There was nothing he could do to stop it. What did he mean by that? She had begged and pleaded with him to explain it to her, but he wasn't listening. He just kept packing and telling her to trust him and ran out of the apartment. Looking out the window, although it was very difficult to see, she was crying so hard, him getting into a car, someone was at the wheel, the car sped away in an awful hurry. What did it all mean?
Pulling off Interstate 95 onto Worchester Turnpike Sally realized it was only 3:30 AM, to early to arrive at Mary's, besides Harvard Street in Brookline was just at the end of the Turnpike, a few miles away. Down a few blocks she notices an all nite doughnut shop, pulled in, parked, sat a few moments,
stretched.
Constant thinking to herself, occasionally talking out loud had kept her awake, alert, and so she continued to do so. "Yea! ten years and this is what I get, his bag packed faster than the unwrapping of the Trojan on our wedding night. There was no way to see if the driver of his car was male or female, it was all so
very damn fast". Trying not to continue thinking about it all Sally started to get hunger pains, "ok, just the thought of a hot cup of coffee and one, maybe two of those fantastic french crullers", began to creep into her mind.
Her mind was not completley clear as she approached the door, from almost behind her an arm reached out for the handle, pulling the door outward. Stopping in her tracks she began to back away just as a six foot plus man side stepped around her, to her right, saying, "Allow me please". Time stood still for at least an hour as Sally was mesmerized by his appearance, all six foot plus. Tan raincoat, large belt snuggly pulled around a full frame of a man. Slightly darker brown hat, fedora style, his right hand just touching the rim as if to say, "I know you are a lady, I salute you". Regaining her composure Sally stepped inside the
vestibule, inside door being very close, she opened it and advanced into the shop.
She sat at the counter and noticed that he sat two stools away. There was no one else in the diner except for the guy behind the counter. She asked him, "coffee, black, and a french cruller". While she was eating she was wondering what she was going to do for the next three hours. She shook her head realizing it was dumb of her to drive through the night to talk to Mary. It wasn't right to wake her up at this ungodly hour just to cry on
her shoulder. She should have called her instead. That way she wouldn't be waking up the whole family...It was all John's fault! He upset her so much by leaving like that. Suddenly she was startled by another thought. What if he came back? What if he changed his mind and decided to come back and explain things to her? Why did she leave like that? What a mess! She felt
like crying. She felt so tired.
Suddenly she heard a voice asking her if she was okay. She turned to look at the man sitting near her. He looked concerned. "Are you okay?" he repeated. She nodded and then shook her head. She smiled and said, "I'll be okay soon. It was a long trip, I'm just tired. Thank you for asking."
He smiled at her and asked where she was headed. She really did not want to answer that question. After all, he was a stranger, and here she was in a strange diner late at night. "I have to visit someone and I arrived too early, so I thought I'd drop in here for awhile."
He nodded as though he understood. "I was suppose to pick up a friend here, but I guess she missed the bus. I'm waiting for the next bus to come. I hope she'll be on that one." As he talked he slid over to the stool next to her. "Do you mind if I sit next to you? he asked. "It would be nice to have company while we're both waiting."
Momentary fear was slowing being replaced with acceptance that
this guy was hitting on her. It had been years since any man even took the time to notice Sally was on this planet, much less try to begin a conversation with her. A slight warmness began to be felt, an emotion long put out to pasture yet was giving a new felt heat of it's oun.
Words lept out of her mouth before they appeared in her mind, "Oh!, ahhh, Yea, sure, no problem, I guess conversation would relax me, somewhat". Not there her approval was needed, for he was already sitting next to her before the words could rest in his ears.
"Sooooo, visiting someone, a friend? Relative? Male? Female? Words were flying faster than a repeating rifle, complete with a very manly smile, stern yet soft as an angel's wing. "Oh!, sorry, to much to soon?".
"Nooo, not really", Sally slowly says. "It's just that, well I don't know you and besides I'll not tell you, I mean not just like that".
"Ohoo, Iam sorry, you want an introduction, Hi! my name is Robert, Robert Williamson, Bob, my friends all call me Bob".
"Well BOB! slow down a bit, at least order some coffee, eat a doughnut, get a grip on yourself, and let us start over".
Having been put in his place, realizing that this was no cream puff he was talking to, he waved the doughnut man over, ordered a black coffee and a Boston creme doughtnut. Upon their arrival Robert picked up the cup, slowly put it next to his lips and blew ever so gently into the black liquid, a mild attempt to cool it. Having the cup in his left hand he reached with his right to pick up the Boston creme as it approched his lips his eyes glanced at Sally who had been watching his every move.
A vision of dejavu filled her mind, John would always order the same combination, black coffee, Boston creme doughnut. Only one black coffee and one Boston creme doughnut, everytime.......
Sally feels a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her while a far off voice asks, "Sally, Topaz Angel", even louder, "Sally!". Quickly she regains her awarness, looking into the face of John, "John?", she asks herself, mentally thinking, "but where is Bob, Robert, who ever the hell he was, where is he". Quickly she remembers, she and John were on their way to her sister's house, as she dozed off with John driving and had forgotten about even comming into the doughnut shop, just blanked out, waiting for her coffee to cool.
