Chapter 7
Jody was scheduled for a mid-afternoon shift the next day because of her excursion with Eve the night before.
Just like clockwork, though, Taylor came into the store. He was able to look behind the counter and ascertain that Jody wasn’t there. However, Dana was.
“Where’s Jody?” Taylor asked quietly.
“She’ll be in at 3. You still want a raspberry chi or do you want something...”
“Thanks,” he muttered as he turned and left.
“...different,” Dana finished.
That was odd, Dana thought to herself. Jody seems to be the only reason he comes in here. She made a mental note of that and continued her work.
“Hey,” Jody greeted as she made her way to the back room.
“Hi,” Dana responded without looking up. “You had a visitor.”
Jody returned a moment later while tying her apron. “What’d you say? I didn’t hear you.”
“You had a visitor.”
“Oh? Who was it?”
“You’re friend, what’s his name.”
“Eve? She was home the last time I checked.”
“No no no,” Dana said a little flustered, “the guy with the kid.”
“Oh,” Jody said non-chalantly, “Taylor?”
“That would be the one.”
“What’d he order?” Jody questioned as she tried to get a handle on his mood.
“He didn’t.”
That caught Jody’s attention. “What?”
“He asked for you and when I told him you weren’t here, he just... left.”
“Huh,” Jody said, more surprised than she was letting on. Why did he just leave? It didn’t make much sense at all.
“Speaking of Taylor...” Dana noted as she moved out of the way.
The door opened slower than usual, but the same man who seemed to have the weight of his shoulders walked in.
“Hey,” he greeted.
“Hi.”
“Caramel mocha, please.”
“Tall?”
Taylor shrugged. “Sure.”
She returned to her register.
“How was the show?” Taylor asked.
“The show? How’d you know about the show?”
Taylor shrugged. “Eve mentioned it yesterday. Thought I’d ask.”
Jody smiled a wide smile. “It was awesome.”
“Who’d you see?”
Jody shook her head. “Not who, but what.”
Taylor looked completely lost.
In the background, Horace pulled Dana aside. “Wasn’t he here before?” Horace questioned.
“Uh huh,” Dana responded.
“Did he come back just for her?”
“Uh huh.”
“You feel like doing me a favor?”
Dana looked at him funny. “Huh?”
“You feel like covering Jody’s shift?”
Dana grimaced. “I dunno about that Horace.”
“So what’d you see last night?” Taylor questioned in the silence between Dana and Horace.
Dana sighed. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Thanks,” Horace said. “She’ll do a double for you next week to make up for it.”
“I saw Wicked,” Jody said, her eyes sparkling.
“What is that, exactly?” Taylor asked. It was rare for him to really open up and ask questions.
“Uh, Jody?” Horace said, interrupting the conversation. “Dana just told me that something came up next week and she’d like to make up some hours.”
“I’ll, uh... Later Jody,” Taylor muttered as he backed away.
“No, stay,” Horace said. “Jody’s shift was just ending.”
“What? Horace, I just got here.”
“Yeah, but with Dana taking a day off next week and wanting to make up some hours, I figured that maybe you’d like to have the day off.”
“I’ll cover for you today if you can pull a double next weekend,” Dana chimed in.
Being cornered by both Dana and Horace meant that something was brewing. She looked at both of them. Their diverted eyes meant that her hunches were correct- they were plotting something. Fighting would only make it worse.
“Um... yeah. Thanks Dana. I’ll, uh. I guess I’m done.”
Taylor still looked a little lost.
“Once I put my apron away I’ll explain all about Wicked,” she said to reassure him. “Go take your seat.”
Taylor left the counter and Jody’s coworkers exchanged knowing looks.
Jody returned quickly and found Taylor at the table. “Hey, sorry about that.” He nodded. “The meddling coworkers are at it again.”
“So,” he cleared his throat. “What’s this Wicked thing about?”
Jody smiled. “You really wanna know?”
“I mean, it was obviously something of importance to you.”
Whoa. That was big.
Her shock might as well have been flashing on a bright neon sign in back of her.
“I mean... If you really wanna talk about it.”
“Yeah,” she tried to recover, “you just didn’t strike me as a musical theater kinda guy.”
“Huh,” Taylor muttered. That’s because I’m not, were his next thoughts.
So with that, Jody began to tell the whole story of Wicked, complete with sound effects. True, she wasn’t great at telling stories and there were lots of repeated events and backtracking, but Jody’s personality really began to shine through and by the time she finished her story, Taylor was cracking jokes as well.
“Sounds like you had a miserable time,” Taylor joked.
“Oh yeah. The whole thing just sucked.”
Jody sighed and checked her watch. “Oh geeze,” she said. “It’s already after 6.”
“Really?” Taylor asked, checking his own watch out of habit. “Wow.”
“Yeah, I should get going. The subways and stuff get scary after dark and I don’t wanna tempt fate too much.”
“Where do you live?” Taylor questioned.
“Long Island,” Jody said with a smile. “That’s where school is.”
“Isn’t that a long commute? Why don’t you just transfer stores?”
“Eh,” Jody commented. “I like the City. It represents a kind of freedom where I can just let loose and be myself and nobody’s gonna judge me.”
Taylor thought that over. “What train are you taking?”
“Oh, I take the Long Island Rail Road.”
Taylor shook his head. “No. What subway do you take?”
Jody shrugged. “Anything that’ll get me to Penn Station.”
“I’m going the same way if you need an escort to Penn Central.”
This was crossing a small line. She really didn’t know Taylor and even though the subway system was crowded and so was Penn Station, this was letting him in a little too far. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Her fight or flight reactions told her to flee, that this was moving too fast.
The frown on her face wasn’t a good sign for Taylor. He rethought about what he said and decided to explain his statement a little.
“That sounded really sleezy didn’t it?” Jody nodded in response. Taylor sighed. “That’s not what I intended it to be.” He looked at her. “It’s just that you said that you didn’t like traveling alone at night, so maybe it’d be a little less scary if you had a someone with you.”
Jody shifted in her seat, still not sure what to make of the situation she had just gotten herself into. “A friend like you?”
“Yeah,” Taylor said, realizing he was opening himself up to her. “A friend like me.”
“Well,” Jody said while carefully measuring her words, “I don’t see the harm in that as long as it’s not out of your way.”
Taylor shrugged, fully knowing that his own apartment was right down the street and taking Jody to Penn Station was completely and totally out of his way.
The two stood and, after Jody thanked Dana for covering for her again, they left the store. Meandering down the street, Jody decided to ask a question.
“So where do you live? You’re obviously from around here.”
Taylor nodded in the opposite direction they were walking. “I live over that way.”
Jody stopped walking. “Taylor, you don’t have to do this. I don’t want to make you late or anything.”
He shrugged, as was becoming a habit. His breath froze in the winter air and he tried to bury his hands further in his pockets. “You shouldn’t be on the subway alone at night.”
“I know,” Jody said as she fidgeted to keep warm. “But it’s so far out of your way.”
His body language led her to believe that he knew she was right. However, she could also tell he was fighting with himself. “I know, but...”
Jody ran her hand through her hair and studied him. “If it would make you feel better, then...” He looked up at her with eyes that only wanted to help. “Come on.” She reached for his arm to pull him along. Taylor grinned. This was a big step for him. Not only was he out of his apartment, but he was on his way to a little social interaction. Taking Jody to Penn Station was about as far as he planned on taking this adventure and he hoped that she knew that he had pure intentions.
Jody noticed a small but distinct look of sheer panic on Taylor’s face when she accepted his invitation to escort her. It was that moment in which she knew that he didn’t have any alterior motives. He wasn’t looking to hook up or for anything physical. All he really wanted to do was make sure she made it home OK.
It made Jody think about what he was like as a husband. If he was this attentive and this caring about someone he barely knew, then he must have really loved Natalie. He must have been head over heels in love with her. Just the way he mourned the relationship was so telling of how deeply he was involved. Granted having a child with someone most likely deepened their relationship, but Jody couldn’t help but give a thought to his actions while in the marriage.
All of this silence on Jody’s behalf made Taylor nervous. He cleared his throat. “So what are you majoring in?”
“Excuse me?” Jody asked, still in a slight fog from her previous thoughts.
“You said you go to school.” Jody nodded. “What are you majoring in?”
“Oh,” Jody said with a slight smile, “I’m a theater kid.” She paused for effect. “Surprise.”
Taylor cracked a smile as they descended the steps and went into the subway. He fished his MetroCard out of his pocked and swiped it through as Jody did the same in the turnstile next to him.
“So what’s your plan?” she questioned as they made their way onto the platform.
“Plan?”
“Yeah. Do you want to be a rock God or a pop-star or are you just content in a garage band?”
OK, that was a little too close for comfort. He decided a short and diplomatic answer would be best.
Taylor shrugged. “I just like to play.”
Jody, once again, noted the sensitivity of the topic and decided to change it.
“So, uh, how long is it going to take you to get back to your place after you drop me off?”
Taylor felt a wave of relief wash over him as she changed the subject. “45 minutes maybe.”
She frowned, something Taylor didn’t get to see much of. The train pulled up at that precise moment.
“I still feel really bad,” she admitted quietly.
They began to fight their way into the subway car. Once inside, standing, and holding onto a pole, Taylor gently turned Jody toward him. “Don’t feel bad. If I didn’t want to do this, I wouldn’t have.”
Jody’s breath caught in her throat. This was a moment. His touch was warm and welcomed despite the fact that the car was overcrowded and heated. The soft look in his eye reassured what had been said and despite her usual chatty nature, Jody could only nod in response.
This was the first time they had made sincere eye-contact, and what was seen in that moment caught both by surprise.
The brakes began to screech signaling that the next stop would be where Jody would get out.
“Excuse me,” somebody said as they cut in between the two on the way to the door.
The moment was gone after that. Taylor was back to his usual inspection of his shoes or the floor and Jody decided to double check that she did not need to make her exit right then. Neither of them spoke until the brakes screeched again.
“Um...” Jody said awkwardly, “thanks for making sure I get to the station. It was really sweet of you.”
“Yeah, um... No problem.”
“See you tomorrow?”
I guess, yeah...”
She reached out, squeezed his hand, and left the subway.
On the way up the stairs and into Penn Station, Jody’s head felt as if it had been caught in a tornado. Here was a man, already a father, and on the verge of divorce. He was caring and sensitive, yet he had a ton of baggage. He was in a very fragile state of mind and was most likely looking to replace someone who, in his mind, was completely irreplaceable.
Then why did she let him escort her to the station?
The question plagued her all the way home. She opened the door to her room, plunked her purse down on the floor next to her desk, sat down, and rubbed her eyes. This was nagging her to no end.
At the same time, Taylor was pondering the question of why he had offered to escort her. Why had he wanted to spend more time with this girl when he was obviously still mourning over Natalie? Why did he feel so guilty about it? But more importantly, why didn’t he care about the guilt?
The next morning, Jody found herself at her familiar post at her Starbucks. She wasn’t her usual chipper self, but there was a very good reason for it. She silently kicked herself for forgetting to take the day off. In the holiday rush, it somehow slipped her mind. It was almost a shame that Dana had ‘suddenly’ decided to cover for her yesterday instead of today.
Meanwhile, the entire staff at the store noticed a change in Jody. She wasn’t herself, and especially during the holiday season, it was very very rare. Horace had pulled her aside and asked if everything was OK, but Jody responded with a very robotic, “Sure. Everything’s great.”
In moments between customers, in the lull between orders, Jody’s mind began to wander to the topic that made her so upset.
“Hey Jode,” Dana greeted. “You ready for Christmas?”
Jody wiped her eyes quickly. More than anything, she hated bringing her personal baggage into the store. It was the kind of thing she tried to avoid at all costs- especially if it involved tears.
“Yeah,” Jody replied in the best composure she could muster. She turned away from Dana to try to hide her tears. “I’m all set.”
Dana studied Jody and in no time decided that she was lying. Jody never cried at work- never. It was obviously something big that was bothering her, but since Jody never incorporated her personal life into the life she led at the coffee shop, Dana didn’t know how to ask. She didn’t know how to approach Jody on topics like this.
The rest of the staff came to the conclusion that Jody was best left alone at the register. She dutifully did her job, but she just couldn’t seem to give anyone a genuine smile.
“Hey Jody,” Taylor greeted a little more merrily than usual.
This caught her by surprise. She had started to lose herself in a memory and her eyes had welled up as a result. Quickly looking down, she wiped her eyes and brushed her hands on her apron. “Oh, hey,” she answered softly.
“Whoa,” Taylor said out of shock. “You don’t look so good.” Jody only shrugged, completely unwilling to make any attempt at eye-contact.
What Dana saw next made her jaw drop.
Taylor reached across the counter and gently wiped a stray tear. His whole body language changed and it seemed that everything was highlighted on just them.
Dana silently went over to Jody and nudged her away from the register.
Jody ‘officially’ went on break as the entire area behind the counter went silent. They had all seen what happened and were rather astonished by the emotions on behalf of both parties.
Somewhere in the background, someone whispered, “Wow.”
Jody made her way out from around the counter and all but threw herself at Taylor for reasons that she herself could not explain. With her arms around his neck, she buried her head in his shoulder and broke down in tears.
Taylor was surprised by this as well. This was an unexpected reaction. Nobody had hugged him in quite some time. The last woman who sought comfort from him was Natalie.
However, the last thought escaped his mind as he slowly but gently wrapped his arms around Jody and comforted her. His left arm was tucked around her upper back while his right hand clutched her head to his shoulder.
For the first time in a long time, Jody was receiving the comfort she so desperately needed. On days like this, a mere 3 days before Christmas, Jody really wanted to curl up and go back to sleep. It was one of the days that she wished would simply fall off the calendar.
A million thoughts swirled around in Taylor’s head as he held her. What had happened? It was less than 24 hours since they had seen each other. What possibly could have happened to destroy her smile?
“Shh,” he soothed as she started to calm down a bit. “You wanna go sit?” Jody nodded as she struggled to catch her breath. They both started toward their usual table. He was walking in back of her, his hand providing comfort on her shoulder as they made their way through the store.
Once they settled in, Jody began to collect herself.
“Oh God,” she said as she attempted to clear her eyes of tears. “I’m so embarrassed.” She stole a quick glance at Taylor who looked very concerned. “I didn’t mean to just freak out and cry like this.” Jody took a deep, but shaky, breath. “I’m so sorry, Taylor. You’ve got enough on your plate without this.”
“Why are you sorry? You did nothing wrong.”
Jody sniffled. “Stop being so nice.” She wiped her eyes again and struggled to regain her composure. Taylor didn’t quite know what to do. She had been there for him for the past few months without knowing it and it was only fitting that he returned the favor. However, he was never good with tears. Even Natalie had said that he wasn’t good with tears.
Jody had calmed down considerably by the time she decided to speak again. “You deserve an explanation.”
Taylor shrugged, completely terrified as to what to do next.
“See, um, today...” she started before her eyes welled up again, “today is uh...” He could see this was extremely difficult for her. He watched as she tried to collect herself, but her tears kept rolling. She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. “Maybe it’d be better to just, say it really fast.” She began to fiddle with her rings and wring her hands a little bit out of nervousness. “You’d think after all these years it wouldn’t hurt so bad...” Taylor just let her ramble until she was ready to divulge what happened. “Today’s the anniversary of my cousin’s death.” New oceans of tears formed in her eyes as she looked down. “I just... forgot to take today off. I’ll be fine tomorrow, but it’s just...” Jody put her head in her hands, completely embarrassed about her state of mind.
“No, I mean you guys must have been really close if you’re this upset.” Jody nodded.
“I’m the biggest dork,” Jody said, still mortified. “You must think I’m crazy to just jump out from behind the counter and hug you.” She paused. “I’m so sorry.”
“Jody,” Taylor said, reaching across the table and taking her hands and looking her in the eyes, “it’s OK. Don’t worry about it.”
Now it was Jody’s turn to be absolutely mortified as to what to do next. She broke the eye contact after a few seconds and looked back at the table. “I should be getting back.”
Taylor was silent as neither of them looked at each other or took their hands back.
“Thanks for, uh, not freaking out,” Jody concluded as she withdrew her hands and stood up.
He watched her go for just a second before he stood as well. He was almost out the door when he stopped and went back.
“What are you doing tonight?” he questioned her, stepping up to the register but next to the line.
“What?” Jody asked, completely confused. She turned to the customer, “Three, twenty-eight please.” She then turned back to Taylor. “What are you talking about?” The customer handed over a five dollar bill and she gave the change.
“What are you doing tonight?”
“I’m gonna go home and I’m gonna get wasted in my room by myself. Why?”
Taylor took a deep breath and started out. “The way I see it is this: I don’t wanna be alone tonight and from what I can see, you shouldn’t be alone either.” This resulted in a funny look from Jody. “Not in the scummy way you’re thinking of. Just... let’s go somewhere, do something.”
She looked completely unsure. “Taylor, I dunno...”
How could he convince her?
“I’ll take a venti vanilla creame mint frap,” a customer told her. Jody punched it into the computer and made the correct change.
“Do you like pasta?”
“I’m a college kid- I live on pasta.”
Taylor, obviously nervous, started speaking rather quickly. “OK good, ‘cause that’s all I have in my apartment. We can have some pasta and a glass of wine.” Jody looked completely shocked. “I mean... If you’re up for it.”
“You alright Jode?” Dana asked, genuinely concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks,” Jody answered shyly before turning back to Taylor. “Being alone would suck, but,” she hesitated, “I dunno Taylor.”
“Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?” There was a brief silence and he could see the gears turning in her head. He leaned further over the counter and said softly, “With all due respect, you wouldn’t have cried to me if there wasn’t at least some level of trust.”
Jody mulled that over while taking the next order.
“I guess there’s no harm in dinner and some wine.”
Taylor smiled. “Great, uh, so what time do you get out of here?”
She took the next order before answering. “I’m out at 6.”
“Alright. I’ll swing by and come and get you.”
Jody nodded. “Sounds good.”
“Jody, you OK?” Horace asked as he came up to her.
“Yeah, I’m a little better. Sorry about that.”
Taylor cleared his throat. “See you later, Jode.”
“Bye Taylor.”
Horace looked at Jody. “Jode? He called you Jode.”
She shrugged. “Yeah. So?”
“It just seems a little forward, that’s all.”
“Give it a rest, Horace,” Jody said. “Just because I’m having an off day doesn’t mean you can pry.”
The manager held his hands up in innocence. “You just seem a little vulnerable to be going to some stranger’s apartment.”
Jody let out a frustrated sigh. As if this day wasn’t hard enough for her. “I’m a big girl, Horace. I know what I’m doing.”
Chapter 8
Index
Email: BunchOfFrogs@aol.com
