As they walked toward the restaurant, Todd dropped his arm down along his side, making Tea's arm, which was holding on, naturally drop away. As they continued walking near each other, their arms were bumping as they strode side by side. Tea loved the accidental contact and wondered if Todd had even noticed. When he reached down and took her hand, she realized that maybe, yes, indeed, he had noticed.
Tea: This is not like you at all, Todd.
Todd: Well, you were starting to pass the joint and I thought you might appreciate a tug in the right direction.
Tea: Oh. I guess I should thank…
Todd: (interrupting her) Please. Don’t mention it. Really, don’t.
Tea: (leaning in on his arm with her body) But I know how much you really want me to.
Todd: (leaning back with his own body on hers) You have no idea.
Tea: (smiling up at him) Is this the place?
Todd: It’s the only place in town.
Tea: Then I guess this IS the place.
Todd stopped dead in his tracks, therefore causing Tea to be pulled back toward him and bump into him more than he had intended or that she had been prepared for. It had been months since Todd had been in this place and something seemed different. The vibes were unexplainable, but he knew he felt something off kilter. Something was just not right.
Tea: Todd, what’s wrong?
Todd: I don’t know. Something just seems out of whack.
Tea: Have you ever been here before?
Todd: I used to come here sometimes when I stayed here before. But I never had this feeling before.
Tea: Maybe it’s because I’m here.
Todd: Not everything is about you, Delgado.
Tea: Feed me, Manning.
Todd: Whatever.
Tea drops Todd’s hand as she walks toward the center of the restaurant. Todd immediately grabs her hand again and pulls her toward a booth closer to the front of the restaurant, but also, closer to a corner.
Tea: If I didn’t know better, Manning, I’d think you like holding my hand.
Todd: You would. I just didn’t want to alert everyone that I was back. I’d prefer to be over here.
Tea: I think you just want me alone, over here and all to yourself.
Todd: You would.
Tea: Do you have any other standard cliché you can use?
Todd: Nope. Let’s eat.
Tea: Good idea. Wish I had thought of it.
Tea begins looking through the short list of items on the back and front of the menu that was laying on the table. She starts to have a weird feeling like eyes staring at her. She looks around the restaurant and sees a man peering at her from behind a column. She looks away quickly, not wanting to bring attention to him from Todd. When she looks toward Todd, she realizes that it was HIS eyes that were staring at her.
Tea: What?
Todd: Something else got your attention here?
Tea: It was nothing.
Todd: It was nothing. Nothing startled you just then. Nothing got your attention off of me, of us?
Tea: Todd.
Todd: No, it’s okay. We need time together again, that’s all. And we have time. Right?
Tea: (realizing Todd needs reassurance that she isn’t going anywhere) Right. Plenty of time. This experience is going to be a lot easier if you don't stop and take it's temperature all the time though, Todd.
Todd smiles. It’s the first time, in a very long time, that Tea can remember making Todd smile. She likes how this makes her feel that SHE was the reason he smiled. She smiles back at him. The moment becomes awkward and they both stop smiling.
Todd: Where’s the waitress? I’m hungry now.
Tea: Someone should be over soon. Is there anything you would recommend?
Todd: Yeah, food.
Tea: How silly of me to think there were different kinds of food we might be able to order.
Todd: Order anything you want, Delgado. The sky’s the limit.
Tea: At a place like this, the bill might actually get up to double digits if I splurge.
Todd: We can go somewhere else.
Tea: I thought this was the only place in town.
Todd: Well, we can drive out of town, for a while, if you like.
Tea: No, that’s okay. We’re here. I like this place.
Todd: You might want to hold that jury out, counselor. You haven't eaten the food yet! Yo, waitress. Can we order this year?
Tea: Todd!
Todd: Well what do you think they’re here for?
Tea: Not to have you barking orders at them, that’s for sure.
Todd: That’s exactly what they’re here for.
Tea: If you say so.
Todd: Here she comes. Are you ready?
Tea: I’ll wing it.
Todd: That sounds good. I’m ordering wings.
Tea: You would.
Todd: Hey! That’s MY line.
Tea: You'll have to share it with me, Todd. I’m borrowing it tonight.
Todd: You should know by now, I don’t share.
Tea: So I’m taking what I want tonight.
Todd: Is that a warning or a threat?
Tea: Just order Todd.
Todd orders the dinner special. Meatloaf with mashed up, smashed up potatoes smothered in gravy. Tea orders a BLT. Todd orders a cup of coffee and Tea is about to order a coke when she asks the waitress if they have chocolate milk.
Waitress: Yes, ma’am, we do have chocolate milk. But it will cost a dollar more than the coke.
Tea looks at Todd, finding it hard to control her laughter, but does succeed.
Todd: (Also having a hard time controlling himself looks at Tea seriously) Go ahead, splurge.
Tea: Do you really think we should?
Todd: Live a little.
Tea: I’ll have the chocolate milk.
Waitress: As you like.
Todd and Tea stare at each other for a second, waiting for the waitress to disappear out of sight before bursting into laughter. They could afford to buy the whole joint, let alone an extra dollar for a glass of chocolate milk. The simplicity of the people in this place makes them both realize how out of their element they really are.
Todd: I’m sorry that this isn’t working out quite the way I had thought it would.
Tea: Everything’s fine. It’s quaint.
Todd: It’s horrible. They have horrid little worthless people working in a horrid little place. I should never have brought you here.
Tea: It’s fine, Todd.
Todd: You deserve better than this.
Tea: I’ve got better. (She reaches across the table and touches his hand.)
Todd: I still don’t understand how you can see that, looking at me.
Tea: And I still don’t see how you can’t.
Tea can sense that he feels uncomfortable, but he’s trying hard not to let his discomfort show. She also notices that he hasn’t tried to pull away from her hands. In fact, he seems receptive to the closeness. Their food arrives and she starts to pull her hand away. Todd instinctively grabs her hand with his other hand and covers it, pushing it between both his hands.
Todd: (speaking to the waitress) There are other free places on the table for you to put that food. (looking toward Tea) This isn’t going to count as pushing you away, is it? If I let go?
Tea: Since I need my hands to eat, we’ll call it what it is. Necessity.
Todd: Good, got out of that one.
Tea: Todd, you don’t have to be so sensitive. I’m here now. I made my choice.
Todd: Are you comfortable with that choice?
Tea: The jury’s still out. But it's looking good. (She touches his hand again.)
Todd: Always the lawyer. Okay, enough of this.
Tea: That’s me. (She looks up at him and likes the way he’s looking back at her. It’s almost reassuring. She hesitates for a moment.) Let’s eat.
Tea looks at her meal then looks over at Todd’s. How appropos. Todd has the meal that needs the knife and fork and she has the one that should be eaten with her hands. She sees Todd hesitating and is uncertain how to proceed. Though her instincts tell her that she’ll be publicly humiliated if he eats with his hands, it seems somehow, unfair that she’s allowed to while he is not. He moves toward his food with his right hand and then looks up at her and smiles.
Todd: Had you worried there for a minute, didn’t I?
Tea: Who me? Naw.
Todd: You’ve gotten better at lying, but I’m still the master.
Tea: No, you’re not. I just let you think you are.
Todd reaches down on the table and unwraps the silverware inside his napkin. He tucks the corner of the napkin inside his collar and proceeds to eat his food. A more accurate description would be shoveled it in his mouth. Tea doesn’t mind, because she too, is very hungry. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices that man looking at her again. She can’t help but notice and starts to wonder if there’s more to his staring than just curiosity. He also seems to be looking at Todd more than he is looking at her. But she just doesn’t know what to think about it.
Tea: That man is staring at us.
Todd: What man?
Tea: Over there. (Pointing toward the back of the restaurant.) Near the kitchen.
Todd: I don’t see anyone.
Tea: He’s gone. Well he was there a minute ago. He seemed to be staring at you.
Todd: He was more likely staring at you.
Tea: Never mind.
They go back to eating, keeping their talking to a minimum. After they finish, Todd jokingly asks Tea if she wants to have some more fun with the waitress.
Tea: What are you up to, Todd?
Todd: Watch. I think you’ll like this. Oh waitress.
Waitress: Are you ready for your check?
Todd: No. We wanted to order dessert. What do you got?
Waitress: We have ice cream and pie and I think we might even have some brownies tonight.
Todd: Bring us one of each.
Waitress: Excuse me sir?
Todd: I said, Bring us one of each! Is there a problem with my English or just your hearing?
Waitress: Are you sure that’s what you want?
Todd: I am Todd Manning. Make it so.
Waitress: What did you say?
Todd sits up more in his chair, unable to quite get a handle of where this woman is coming from. Either she doesn’t understand him, can’t understand how two people could eat all the food he’s just ordered, or she’s afraid she’s going to get stiffed on the check. Todd pulls out a hundred dollar bill.
Todd: (flashing his money) The entire bill is yours if you can prepare my order in under 10 minutes.
Waitress: Yes sir!
Todd: That’s more like it. Isn’t it interesting, that even in these parts, a C note can be just the right tune?
Tea: Unfortunately, where I grew up, people sang the same song. Money will always be a powerful motivator.
Todd: It obviously lost its affect on you. I can’t seem to get you to take my money these days.
Tea: What is that supposed to mean?
Todd: Well, I wasn’t going to bring this up but what the hell. What happened to our annulment? I mean, you had someone track me down, to sign the papers, I refused to sign them, but my lawyer was supposed to tell you that you could get the annulment even without my signature. I’m sitting up here in this cabin, alone. I’m expecting a legal document the size of a small Texas county with your financial demands to be delivered to my doorstep. All the while, you did nothing. That’s part of the reason I came back and well, watched you. I wanted to make sure you were all right. So what’s with that Delgado? Are we still married or not?
Tea: (hesitating for a moment) The short answer is yes. We are still married. The long answer is I had no idea what to do. You refused to sign the papers. How was I supposed to interpret that move on your part? Did you still want us? Did you still want to be married? To me? Or were you just continuing your typical manipulative head games?
Todd: I never wanted us to be apart in the first place. You were the one who went ballistic on our wedding night.
Tea: I’m not having this conversation. You asked me a question and now you have your answer. As far as the rest of it goes, we’ve been down this road before. And to continue this conversation would be, well, dangerous at this point in our, well, I can’t really call it a relationship, without sending you screaming out the door, so I’ll just call this an adventure.
Todd: (shouting angrily) You’re my wife. (Now speaking in a much calmer voice) I can live with that.
Tea: As long as you can, as usual, that’s all that matters.
The man that had been peering at Tea from around the corner seemed to hear each word of their conversation. Tea felt very uncomfortable. There was something about him, she just couldn’t put her finger on, but she just didn’t like him. She wasn’t sure if it was the fact that he seemed to be staring at them all the time. Or the fact that she knew he was ease dropping on their entire conversation. Or even the fact that every time she tried to point him out to Todd, he seemed to all but disappear. But she had figured out that the part of him she distrusted the most were his eyes. They seemed so cold and vengeful. She had seen the look before. And she didn’t like those eyes having that look and directing it toward Todd.
Tea: Todd. Leave the money and let’s go. I don’t want to be here anymore.
Todd: In this joint, or with me?
Tea: Here Todd. I don’t like being here. I just want to get back to the cabin.
Todd: I can do that. Hey, honey. Keep the change and give the desserts to everyone else who’s here. Tell them it’s courtesy of Todd Manning.
As Todd and Tea left, Tea could see him again, that strange, dangerous man, barely glancing their direction as they walked out. He had a very menacing look on his face. One of knowing. One of satisfaction.
The man was very pleased with himself. He had confirmation on what he already felt certain he knew. That WAS Todd Manning.
Strange man: And look what Todd has. He’s sporting a wife. He's sporting his Achilles’ heal. She will do just fine....
