《A Heartfelt Dream》
Chapter 1: An Ordinary Life
Chapter 1: An Ordinary Life
His dreams were where he felt the most comfortable. They were vibrantly coloured, and adventurously nostalgic, filled with old memories, and memories that he was yet to experience. Sometimes his dreams were absurd, out of this world, in a made-up land, and at other times he walked through abstract places and cities that were somewhat familiar. It was always disappointing when they were cut off and broken by the obnoxious sound of his alarm clock.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Jacob opened his eyes and looked up at the blurred roof of his bedroom. The alarm clock continued to scream unchecked. He considered snoozing his alarm and closing his eyes for another ten minutes ¨C but he knew he wouldn¡¯t return to the same dream. He never did. Instead he rolled over lethargically and switched it off. It was a relief, but not as much of a relief as it would have been if he could just sink back into the mattress. With quite some effort, he slipped out from under the covers of his doona, and tottered into the bathroom to splash his face down with some cool water. It didn¡¯t wake him up.
His coffee, however, did help to wash away the strong sagging feeling that had settled over his eyes. And as he sipped on his black instant coffee, and nibbled his jam covered toast; he cast his mind back upon the dream he¡¯d been having.
There had been stars that twinkled like faraway candles in the night sky. He had felt the cool breeze brush against his skin and whisper untold secrets into his ears. Secrets of love. He remembered the feeling of the grass against his back and skin, giving him a pleasant itch. In front of him there was a city. Alive and glowing magnificently ¨C the buildings stood out against the dark blue night sky. He heard the gentle lapping of waves ¨C and felt the light spray of sea foam against his legs. It was peaceful, calming, relaxing. Then he had heard the voice of a girl singing. It was soft. And the notes were dazzling. He turned, catching a glimpse of a female figure laying next to him in the shadows of the night. She had blonde hair, and blue eyes that shone like lights. And then ¨C BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.
That had been when his alarm had woken him. Jacob took another bite of toast. He hated when he woke before his dream ended. Especially the good dreams. His ordinary life seemed black and white in comparison. It wasn¡¯t as though he hated his life. Actually, there was very little for him to complain about. His job was good, he had decent friends, his parents cared for him, and he could, only just, afford a one bedroom place in the city. But there was something missing, something that he felt belonged in his life that hadn¡¯t yet come. Or maybe he was just sick of the same routines every day, every week, every month and every year. Since he¡¯d left university -nothing had really changed. But even university hadn¡¯t been too exciting. Sure, he¡¯d grown up in a small Victorian town ¨C and moving to the city had been a big change. But it hadn¡¯t taken too long before things felt ordinary again.
Soon he began to get dressed. Jacob buckled his pants and slipped on his blazer. He wrapped his tie around his neck and formed a beautiful Windsor knot. His face shone clearly in the reflection of the mirror above the sink ¨C his long nose, hazel eyes and straight black hair. He was almost classically handsome, but his face was so symmetrical that it was really quite boring.
The air outside was cool, almost frosty. The sound of the Melbourne traffic greeted him with loud revving engines, the screeching sound of tram wheels upon the metal tracks, and honking horns in the distance. The sun was out, shining brilliantly in the blue sky, and glistening upon the windows of the buildings around him. A breeze brushed over him, causing his scarf to flap about, and tumbling the golden Autumn leaves of late May along the pavement in its wake.
Many people traversed the sidewalk ¨C mostly commuters on their way to work. Every single one of them like him. Ordinary. He already felt ordinary but they made him feel even more ordinary. His trousers, his tie, his commute. A thousand people, if not more, he passed in a day, and every single one of them were just like him. Ordinary.
His short walk was convenient, yet not really that satisfying. The only interesting part about it was stopping at his favourite caf¨¦ just off Elizabeth street; a cosy little place with a que almost out the door. He walked out with his order in less than five minutes ¨C a soy latte and a croissant. He couldn¡¯t go to work without secondsies (what he called it). He had barely finished his second breakfast before he approached a large building in the Melbourne CBD. Jacob walked into the lobby and buzzed his card against the gate which swung open to let him in and swung shut behind him. He approached the lift doors, and waited a moment for them to open, before stepping inside. The lift ascended slowly, and grinded to a halt at the eighth floor before opening with a clunky thud and letting him out into his office.
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¡®Morning Jake.¡¯
¡®Morning,¡¯ Jacob replied, dumping his bag under his desk and booting up his desktop computer.
A tall, lanky, blonde haired guy in formal attire leant against Jacob¡¯s desk, flicking his hair back from over his blue eyes.
¡®Still on for poker tonight? The boys won¡¯t be happy if you bail on us.¡¯
Jacob rose an eyebrow.
¡®Why would I say no to free cash. Doesn¡¯t take much skill to clean you guys up,¡¯ Jacob winked.
Thomas, the blonde-haired guy, smirked, and slapped Jacob on the back.
¡®Keep dreaming. You fluked it last time¡¯ he said turning and walking off, ¡®oh, and don¡¯t bring your Mrs. It¡¯s just the boys tonight.¡¯
¡®Don¡¯t have a Mrs, Thomas¡¯ Jacob called out after him without even looking back from his desktop. Yep. Don¡¯t have a Mrs, he thought to himself.
Thomas was a jokester. He was always smiling, and he loved to stir people up ¨C but he meant well. Thomas was always going on about how they should be pulling more pranks at work. One July, a few years back, Jacob had mentioned casually that he¡¯d claimed a few a hundred dollars on tax and put it down as ¡®miscellaneous¡¯. Jacob had told his friends that it was for all the money he¡¯d spent on pens and stationary at work. Nobody really cared, but he would definitely have been in trouble had they requested an audit. The next day Thomas had switched his phone to private and called Jacob up from the tea room. Thomas put on a high pitched, nasal voice, and a bad American accent, claiming to be a representative from the Australian Tax Office. Jacob¡¯s heart had skipped a beat, and he began to freeze up and panic; that was until the other boys broke and began laughing in the background. Then he had clued in, it was just Thomas pulling a prank. As frightened as he had been when the call had been made, he couldn¡¯t deny that Thomas¡¯ jokes lightened the workplace. The managers knew it too ¨C it was probably why he hadn¡¯t been fired.
It wasn¡¯t just that, though. If it wasn¡¯t for Thomas, then Jacob probably wouldn¡¯t have many work friends. Jacob usually preferred to keep to himself ¨C but Thomas was overly social and made sure that he came along to things.
It took Jacob¡¯s computer a while to load up. When it did, several windows popped into existence around the desktop. He quickly opened his emails, and realised they¡¯d been flooded, so he collapsed the window and decided to make a cup of coffee instead. Three before ten. That was his saying.
The clock kept ticking. Jacob continued to type away. Nothing really interesting ever happened at work; everyone and everything was so formal. At 12:30pm, Jacob began munching on a peanut butter sandwich. At 1:30 his phone buzzed. It was Thomas, sending a picture to a group chat titled ¡®Da Boyz¡¯, of a guy sleeping on his desk next to a half drunken cup of coffee. Daniel was always falling asleep on his lunch break ¨C and Thomas was always paying out on him for it. It wasn¡¯t his fault. He was Italian. He was used to having a siesta every day. Jacob was the only one who really understood that, his grandparents had come to Australia on a boat from Malta, which was a country in the mediterranean sea, with a culture very similar to that of Italy.
Things were boring and mundane at work, but they had been a bit less boring, and a bit less mundane when his friends had worked in the same department as him. They still worked at the same company ¨C but things changed regularly, people got promoted and moved around. The team that he worked with now were all middle-aged ladies with a dry sense of humour.
¡®Do you have those reports ready?¡¯ a brunette haired lady popped her head over the side of Jacob¡¯s cubicle and interrupting his thoughts.
¡®I..ah¡yeah. Kind of!¡¯
Jacob began clicking his mouse frantically, trying to bring the half-edited reports up on his computer screen.
¡®Don¡¯t worry. Just get it finished by the end of the day.¡¯
Jacob nodded. Great. Another thing to add to the overwhelming list of things to get done.
At 3pm he got a message from his mother.
Were you still planning to come and visit next weekend? Let me know if you want to stay the night. Love you xxx.
He would reply later.
Between 3pm and 5pm, the only sounds he could hear around him was the ticking of the clock on the wall and the monotonous sounds of fingers tapping against keyboards. Occasionally someone would say something about an email they¡¯d sent or a phone call that they had to make, but there really wasn¡¯t anything too exciting going on. Eventually, as the sun was beginning to set, he zipped up his bag and stood up to leave.
¡®Bye Jane. See you Tracey,¡¯ Jacob called as he turned around and began to head towards the lift, ¡®have a good evening!¡¯
¡®See you Jacob.¡¯
¡®Did you edit those reports Jacob?¡¯ a voice called out behind him.
Jacob turned and smiled.
¡®See you tomorrow Martha,¡¯ he said cheerfully, and continued into the hallway and down towards the lift. He would definitely pay for that.
Jacob¡¯s morning thoughts seem to intrude back into his head. Indeed, his life wasn¡¯t bad ¨C but it was quite mundane and boring.
Jacob approached the lift. The down arrow lit up brightly when he pressed it. After a few moments waiting, there was a dinging sound and the thick steel double doors of the lift grinded open. And time seemed to slow down. Inside the lift was a young girl with long blonde curls, a fringe cut, and a scarlet ribbon tied into her hair. Her eyes were sky blue, and her lips were red like a rose. Suddenly Jacob¡¯s life didn¡¯t seem so mundane at all, suddenly it seemed interesting.
Chapter 2: The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon
Jacob stood frozen. Time had seemingly slipped away; a single second felt like it was taking a lifetime to pass. Jacob surveyed the girl in front of him. Blonde hair, red lips and a scarlet ribbon tied above her ear. Her eyes were bluer than the sky, and she wore glasses with thick square frames. She was dressed in formal attire and carried a small bag by her side. Quite a lot of people worked in the public service, and there were more people in his building than he could count; some of them working from home and only coming into their office on odd days. Most of them would pass him by without him even batting an eyelid. In fact, he was sure that he passed many people regularly in his way in and out of work, many people who he wouldn¡¯t recognise at all. But he was sure that he hadn¡¯t seen her before; he would definitely remember if he had.
His hesitation must have seemed apparent, because the girl looked up at him and for half a second their eyes locked. Jacob¡¯s heart started pounding in his chest and he broke eye contact straight away. Then he stepped forward. He dared to steal another look at her ¨C his eyes flicked back up briefly and brushed over her. The girl was staring down at her shoes, with rosy cheeks and a smile on her face, a smile that was as warm as a clear summer¡¯s day. It seemed that she herself had not dared to look at him again. He turned to the buttons on the side of the lift and pressed the button for the first floor. He noticed the button for the second floor was also lit up. That must be where she was getting off.
He stepped back beside her as the large steel double doors of the lift rattled to a close. The lift began its descent. A hearty silence had settled between them. In his peripherals he noticed the girl turn to him ¨C as if she was going to speak ¨C but then she turned away and continued to look down at her shoes. Maybe he could break the silence. He summoned the courage and opened his mouth to say something, anything. He mustered breath in his lungs to speak, even though he didn¡¯t know what to say. But his heart began to pick up pace and he started to question how awkward he would sound, probably mumbling a bunch of nonsense. Before he knew it, his mouth was closed again. The lift continued its descent.
Floor 14.
Silence.
Floor 13.
They both stared ahead at the silver doors in front of them.
Floor 12.
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Was he going to say something? Could he?
Floor 11.
A single moment. It was now or never.
Floor 10.
He could. He had to.
Floor 9.
¡®Courage dear heart,¡¯ Jacob said aloud without even thinking.
The girl turned and looked at him, her face fascinated, but also slightly confused. Without saying anything Jacob nodded his head towards her unzipped handbag. Suddenly she noticed that her copy of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was sticking out awkwardly.
The girl laughed warmly, and pulled the book out from her handbag.
Floor 8.
¡®You¡¯re a fan of Lewis then?¡¯ the girl asked. Her voice was soft and sweet.
Floor 7.
Jacob unzipped his own bag and pulled out an old book with a tattered cover. Surprised by Joy.
Floor 6.
¡®That¡¯s a good one!¡¯ She remarked.
Floor 5.
¡®I think so,¡¯ Jacob replied ¡®but there aren¡¯t really as many talking animals as I would like!¡¯
Floor 4.
¡®Or fauns or nymphs. But don¡¯t worry ¨C someday you¡¯ll be old enough to start reading fairytales again,¡¯ the girl giggled and held out her copy of Narnia toward him, ¡®it¡¯s a special edition hard cover. Have a look. I think you¡¯ll be impressed.¡¯
Floor 3.
Jacob took the book from her and examined it closely. Blue and golden with an illustration of a large boat on the front, sailing through the wild sea ¨C indeed it was quite beautiful, and soft to touch. The pages glistened white, and it smelled of¡roses and honey.
Floor 2.
There was a loud ding and the doors opened.
¡®That¡¯s me!¡¯ she said, ¡®nice to meet you.¡¯
The girl stepped briskly out of the elevator. Jacob waved awkwardly as the doors came to a close with a jolt, and then he found himself staring blankly at nothing, it seemed, caught in a joyful daydream. The lift descended slowly towards the first floor. He looked back down at the copy of Narnia that he held in his hands, admiring the cover, admiring the pages, admiring her beauty. And that was when he realised that hadn¡¯t given back her book. Oh. It was an honest mistake ¨C but inwardly his heart was joyful. He now had an excuse to talk to her again.
Jacob broke into a sprint almost as soon as the doors opened at level one. He ran into the lobby and then up the stairs. Jacob searched for the next half an hour but there was absolutely no sign of the girl who had captivated him. He shouldn¡¯t really have expected much more ¨C there were so many people around. Crowds of them leaving. There were hallways and cubicles and offices he didn¡¯t think he was allowed into. It had been a long shot; one that he had surely missed.
Soon Jacob found himself dawdling along the sidewalk back towards his apartment. The sun was setting, the sky was a scarlet red, and the streetlights were just turning on. He didn¡¯t even look to see where he was going. Instead Jacob held the book in front of his face. He opened it suddenly something had been written on the inside of the front cover.
Penellope.
At least, now, he knew her name. A book in exchange for a heart. He wondered if it was a fair trade.
Chapter 3: Poker Night
¡®Penellope? Nope. Never heard of her.¡¯
Thomas grabbed a slice of pizza from the middle of the table and took a large bite, chewing loudly and smearing red sauce all over his lips.
¡®I¡¯m raising,¡¯ Alex said and threw three blue chips into the middle of the table.
Daniel rose an eyebrow. Jacob grinned.
¡®I¡¯ll call. What do you have?¡¯ Jacob matched Alex¡¯s three chips.
Alex flipped his cards revealing an eight of hearts and a queen of hearts.
¡®A flush,¡¯ Alex replied with a smile.
¡®Full house,¡¯ Jacob turned over a pair of twos and then moved to take the pile of chips in the middle of the table, and add it to his own medium sized pile.
¡®How do you always do that?¡¯ Alex grunted, ¡®I get a really good hand for once in my life, and you get something better!¡¯
Jacob shrugged his shoulders.
¡®I wouldn¡¯t have called if I didn¡¯t have something good.¡¯
¡®But I had something good too!¡¯ Alex waved his hand in frustration, and flicked his cards back into the middle of the table, ¡®maybe I¡¯m just terrible at poke,¡¯ Alex folded his arms.
¡®So, you reckon she was coming down from the 12th floor? This girl?¡¯ Daniel asked.
Daniel flicked his long dark hair from over his eyes, then quickly pulled it back and tied it into a neat ponytail. Thomas leant back in his chair but clearly anticipated an answer. Alex, frustrated from just having lost the hand with the highest pot, was looking away from them, over at the wall. Alex had always hated losing.
¡®I dunno. It was nothing,¡¯ Jacob replied, ¡®She was cute; that¡¯s all. And she seemed kind of cool¡and I have her book!¡¯
¡®Do you know how many people work for the public service?¡¯ Thomas said, ¡®if you didn¡¯t get her number then that¡¯s it. You can forget about ever meeting her again.¡¯
¡®I would have thought you knew every girl who worked in our building, Thomas?¡¯ Alex had suddenly forgotten about his recent loss; and decided that he wanted to chime into the conversation.
¡®Only the cute ones,¡¯ Thomas gave him a sly wink.
¡®Well she was cute,¡¯ Jacob said, ¡®and it wasn¡¯t really about looks anyway¡ well it was¡but¡it just felt like we¡connected¡somehow¡in someway.¡¯
¡®Dude, you barely said five words to her,¡¯ Alex remarked.
¡®It was more than five words!¡¯
¡®Even so, how deep can things really get on an elevator ride from the thirteenth floor to the ground floor?¡¯
Jacob shook his head.
¡®Forget about it. Let¡¯s just get back to the game so I can take your money.¡¯
Alex quickly shuffled the cards and began dealing them out, two to each of them.
¡®Remember that girl I saw you with a few weeks ago, at the Westfield in Footscray?¡¯
¡®Chloe¡?¡¯ Jacob replied in a questioning tone.
¡®The one with the brown hair.
Jacob nodded.
¡®Why don¡¯t you ask her out. She¡¯s cute,¡¯ Alex smirked, ¡®or, if you¡¯re not keen, and dead set on this Penellope girl, you could introduce me to her.¡¯
Daniel leant across the table and slapped Alex lightly over the back of the head.
¡®That¡¯s his cousin you moron.¡¯
Jacob couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Daniel, out of all his close friends from Melbourne, was the friend he had known for the longest ¨C and the only one of his friends who actually knew Jacob¡¯s family. He could be quite protective when he wanted to be.
Daniel and Jacob had met in their first week of university. There was a chapel on campus that held a mass every Thursday morning for students. Jacob¡¯s grandmother had made him promise to go. If he wasn¡¯t going to mass with her, at least he was going to mass; is what she had said. Jacob didn¡¯t see the big deal. His mother went to mass twice a year; Easter and Christmas. So why did he have to go? But she insisted.
¡®When your mother didn¡¯t take you church ¨C it was no sin. You had no way of getting there on your own. But now that you¡¯re of age, now that you can go, you should. Every Sunday you miss is like a small bit of dirt on your heart.¡¯
Jacob did believe in God, but he didn¡¯t actually think it was a sin to miss church on a Sunday. But in the end Jacob had agreed to go; just to make her happy.
It was a small building ¨C hardly anything like the grand churches in Europe, with large pillars and stained glasses. It was more like a room with pews and scented candles. There weren¡¯t many others at the service. Three students sat in the front row ¨C and then there was a single student in the back corner. Jacob was almost going to sit on his own, as far away from anyone there as possible. But he was curious about the boy at the back with long hair and shabby clothes. He wore a necklace with a cross, and had his arms stretched out wide ¨C seemingly relaxed. Jacob sat down on the same pew as the boy.
The service started not long afterwards. They sung the usual songs, knelt, prayed, offered each other peace and took communion. When the service finished, Daniel leant over to him and whispered ¡®did your parents make you come?¡¯
¡®Grandmother actually. And what about you? You don¡¯t really seem like the typical church goer.¡¯
¡®What does the typical church goer look like?¡¯ Daniel retorted.
Jacob scratched his chin. That would have seemed like a simple question ¨C but when he had come to try to answer it, he suddenly realised that he didn¡¯t really have one. In the end they had gotten lunch together. It turned out that Daniel¡¯s grandmother had also encouraged him to go to mass ¨C but Daniel hadn¡¯t been as opposed to it as Jacob had.
¡®It¡¯s boring, but it makes her happy. Who knows how much longer she¡¯s got left. I¡¯d go to mass with her ¨C but she lives in Adelaide. Actually, I¡¯m surprised she hasn¡¯t packed up and legged it back to Sicily at this point.¡¯
That had been the beginning of a change in attitude for Jacob. Not towards church; he still found mass as boring as the ballet, or an opera concert. But that single comment struck him hard: ¡®Who knows how much longer she¡¯s got left.¡¯ Indeed, how much longer did he have left with his grandmother.
Daniel turned out to be extremely kind ¨C but also lazy. If he didn¡¯t have to do something, then he wouldn¡¯t. His room was untidy, his clothes were never ironed, and Jacob hardly ever saw him study; yet somehow he still managed to get decent grades. It was quite common for Daniel to skip his lectures and he never cooked a meal during his whole four years at university. His mother had been so motherly that she had washed and ironed his clothes, and packed his lunches until he was eighteen. Jacob, in a way, could relate. He had no doubt that if he moved back in with his own mother ¨C she would still have a packed lunch for him every morning to take to work.
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¡®Azzopardi,¡¯ Daniel pointed to his university ID card reading out his surname, ¡®sounds like an Italian name to me.¡¯
Daniel¡¯s last name was Bellucci. Daniel proudly declared that it meant ¡®beautiful light¡¯ in Italian ¨C Jacob had no reason not to believe him. In fact, he couldn¡¯t help but feel as though Daniel did shed a bit of light into his world. He was caring ¨C and always made time for those who were close to him. Jacob couldn¡¯t deny that some of that had undoubtedly rubbed off on him.
¡®Ow! That hurt,¡¯ Alex yelped.
Jacob¡¯s mind was drawn back to the dimly lit living room where the four boys were playing poker, and eating pizza. Two cards lay face down in front of each player, coloured chips were piled in front of them, and there were open packets of lollies strewn over the table.
¡®No it didn¡¯t,¡¯ Daniel retorted, ¡®softest slap I¡¯ve ever given out. You¡¯re just a sook.¡¯
¡®Guys, guys, guys. If he¡¯s going to introduce her to anyone ¨C it¡¯s me,¡¯ said Thomas, ¡®now let¡¯s get back to the game. You¡¯re big blind Alex.¡¯
Alex slid two white chips into the middle of the table. The four of them peeked under their cards nervously.
¡®Daniel?¡¯
¡®Call.¡¯
¡®Jacob?¡¯
¡®Call.¡¯
¡®I¡¯ll call. Alex?¡¯
¡®Raise you all by fifty,¡¯ Alex slid two blue chips into the middle of the table.
¡®I¡¯m out,¡¯ Daniel threw his cards into the middle of the table.
¡®Me too,¡¯ Jacob followed suit.
¡®And we didn¡¯t even make it to the flop,¡¯ Thomas flicked his cards away.
Alex turned his cards over revealing two aces.
¡®Why did you all fold? I finally had something worth betting on.¡¯
¡®You can¡¯t go raising that high that early. You¡¯re going to scare everyone off. You have to play it cooooooool!¡¯ Thomas stretched the last word out, and smoothed his hand over in a straight line. Jacob couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.
Thomas had met them in their last year of university. He¡¯d been in one of Daniel¡¯s maths classes and although Jacob felt like they were probably too boring for him ¨C Thomas surprisingly took an unusual liking to them. And Jacob really couldn¡¯t help but be a little jealous of him. He was attractive, funny, and outgoing. He always had a different girl on his shoulder, and he was a smooth talker.
One weekend, Thomas invited Daniel to a party. Daniel, in turn, invited Jacob. Jacob didn¡¯t want to go ¨C but Daniel wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer.
¡®I don¡¯t know anyone there. It will be less awkward if you come. Plus, I need a wingman.¡¯
¡®Why can¡¯t Thomas be your wingman?¡¯ Jacob asked.
¡®He probably has heaps of other people to wingman. You hardly ever come out to this stuff. It will be fun! Please.¡¯
And that was the first time the three of them hung out together; Jacob, Daniel, and Thomas. It turned out that Thomas did have a lot of other people to wingman, and Jacob didn¡¯t have a good time ¨C but Thomas kept inviting Daniel to those sorts of things, and Daniel kept inviting Jacob. Before too long; Thomas was introducing Daniel to girls, and Jacob was enjoying himself. Soon the three of them were getting lunch together on a regular basis; and going back to Daniel¡¯s dorm to play video games.
Thomas was from Melbourne, and so he was part of many different social groups. He was a social butterfly ¨C and so socialising was just something he thrived on. But the closer he got to Daniel and Jacob, the less he could deny that he connected with them in a way that he didn¡¯t connect with others. They weren¡¯t as outward and showy as other people. They didn¡¯t care much about the way they did their hair, or what was trending. And Daniel certainly didn¡¯t care about the state of his bedroom. Maybe, Thomas had thought to himself, he had chosen the wrong people to hang around during high school. Maybe his friends were vain, maybe he was vain.
At the beginning of summer, towards the end of their final year at university, the three of them applied for a grad scheme in the same department of the public service. To their surprise, they were all accepted. Not that they were ever going to be working together. But they would pass each other in the hallways ¨C and meet up for coffee at lunch. The three boys who, only months beforehand, were laying on the lawn of RMIT Melbourne, in singlets and shorts, with unkempt beards and cheap sunglasses; were now wearing suits and ties and had neat haircuts.
Alex redealt the cards. Following Thomas¡¯ advice - this time he didn¡¯t raise until the river. But Daniel re-raised him. By a lot. Thomas and Jacob folded their cards straight away; but Alex held his cards tightly, close to his face, and his cheeks began to fluster. Jacob knew exactly what he was thinking. Thomas and Daniel could see straight through him too. The truth was, Alex had a really good hand. But he couldn¡¯t tell if Daniel had something better. After all, such a high raise implied he had something good. Unless it was just a bluff. Jacob wasn¡¯t particularly good at reading people; but Alex was extremely easy to read. Alex¡¯s face went as red as a tomato, and he continued to scrunch his face up until it looked as though he was going to explode. Eventually he huffed loudly.
¡®I fold,¡¯ he proclaimed.
Most players didn¡¯t show their cards when they didn¡¯t have to, but Daniel couldn¡¯t help it, he flipped them over so that they were face up. A pair of twos. Daniel had bluffed. Thomas and Daniel immediately burst out laughing. Alex threw his cards into the air in frustration. A smile drew up over Jacob¡¯s face. The whole thing was rather amusing.
Alex had been in the grad program with Thomas. Thomas always organised the social stuff. He usually rallied up a bunch of guys (and sometimes some girls) to go for drinks after work. A couple of times he even organised a game of social soccer on Wednesday nights. Alex, a curly haired guy with a short fuse, had been one of those guys. Over the years people came and went. People left Melbourne or moved out of the city. Alex, however, had just stuck around. Thomas loved to wind Alex up, and Alex would always react, which made Thomas want to wind him up even more. Jacob wondered at times if Thomas was taking it too far ¨C but he soon came to see that Alex was enjoying it as much as Thomas was. And at times Alex even gave it back twice as hard. Soon Alex was the second-in-command prankster, always egging Thomas on whenever Thomas suggested doing something funny in the workplace. That was, unless Thomas ever decided to pull a joke on Alex (which happened from time to time). In those cases Alex always gave them the loudest and most ecstatic reaction they¡¯d ever seen. Alex was quick to flare up, but he was just as quick to calm down. And he enjoyed the way the guys joked around, even, although secretly, when it was a joke towards him.
¡®That¡¯s it! I¡¯m out!¡¯ Alex declared.
¡®Aww, don¡¯t get all sulky because you keep losing. You can come back,¡¯ Thomas said.
¡®No. I¡¯m out. Look ¨C I have no chips left,¡¯ Alex waved his hands around in front of him, indicating nothing.
¡®Oh,¡¯ Thomas¡¯ mouth fell, ¡®well I guess you are out.¡¯
The guys played another three hands before Daniel was also knocked out.
¡®How¡¯s the girl you¡¯ve been chatting up. Sally ¨C I think you said her name was?¡¯
¡®Yeah, I mean, I¡¯m trying ¨C you know. We have good conversations when we¡¯re actually having conversations. But she¡¯s got this friend who she always huddles with in her breaks. Girls are so hard to talk to when they group up in twos.¡¯
¡®Oh, look at Thomas, getting nervous and awkward around girls for once,¡¯ Alex smiled and patted him on the back playfully.
¡®Welcome to our world,¡¯ Daniel said.
¡®When have you ever been nervous around girls, Daniel?¡¯ Jacob asked.
¡®Well; I was nervous around your cousin Chloe. You know, when you introduced me to her. Years ago,¡¯ Daniel made eye contact with Thomas and winked. Thomas shook his head.
¡®What¡¯s this girl¡¯s name, anyway. It¡¯s always easier to talk to two girls when there are two guys,¡¯ Alex said.
¡®Pip.¡¯
Jacob gasped and looked at Daniel. Daniel looked from Jacob to Thomas.
¡®Tom, you know what Pip is short for, right?¡¯
Thomas scratched his chin.
¡®Umm, no¡¡¯
¡®Penelope.¡¯
The four boys looked at each other in silence. A good thirty seconds passed before anyone said anything.
¡®Blonde hair?¡¯ Thomas asked.
¡®Yep,¡¯ Jacob replied.
¡®Red glasses?¡¯
Jacob nodded.
¡®A fringe cut?¡¯
¡®Aha.¡¯
Thomas smiled.
¡®Then I take back what I¡¯ve said earlier. We¡¯ve found her. Come upstairs at lunch on Monday. You can talk to her, and I¡¯ll talk to Sally.¡¯
Jacob kept a straight, nonchalant face, but inwardly his heart was leaping with joy. After all this time, he finally understood how Romeo felt that first time he met Juliet.
***
¡®You can¡¯t just ignore Martha like that. She¡¯s the team leader now.¡¯
Jacob looked up from his phone.
¡®What?¡¯
A short balding man stood in front of him.
¡®Martha is your team leader. If she needs the reports done by Friday afternoon ¨C then I¡¯m sure she has a reason for it.¡¯
¡®I¡¯m also very sure she has a reason for it. But I have a reason for not doing them. I¡¯m swamped. The more work I get done, the more work she gives me.¡¯
The man huffed.
¡®I don¡¯t want there to be any relationship issues in this team. I think we might need to organise a restorative conversation between you and Martha. I¡¯ll mediate. You can get all your issues out on the table and move past it.¡¯
¡®There¡¯s no need for a restorative. I don¡¯t have any problems with Martha ¨C she¡¯s a lovely lady. I just can¡¯t do everything she wants me to do. There¡¯s literally not enough time in the day.¡¯
¡®It still might be worth having a conversation with her about your workload. I¡¯ll talk to her and hopefully we can sort this out.¡¯
¡®Okay. No problems.¡¯
The man turned and walked off between the desks and the cubicles. Jacob felt the phone in his hand vibrate. He looked down at the small screen. It was a message from Thomas.
Sorry bro. Pip has a boyfriend. If it helps, Sally thinks he¡¯s a jerk.
Chapter 4: Penellope
Chapter 4: Penellope
Pip drove around her block for the third time, eyeing the silver Toyota Corolla in her driveway as she passed her house. Her car slowed down for a moment as she glanced to the side, and then she sped up and turned into one of the side streets. She pulled her car over next to a park, turned the keys backwards and cut off the engine. Everything was quiet.
Pip let out a deep breath. The sky was overcast, and there was a cool nip in the air that leaked in through the slightly open window. Pip looked out at the yellow grass that rustled about with the wind that blew through the park. The cold weather didn¡¯t seem to keep three children from playing in the playground in the middle of the open space. They laughed and smiled, seemingly without a care in the world. She wished she was like them.
Pip took another deep breath and brushed the pockets of her trousers, feeling the outline of her phone beneath the line of black fabric. She¡¯d turned it to silent, and muted his messages, hoping to cut out his presence completely. But something emanated from that small device. Just the thought that he was probably messaging her was making her anxious. Pip hadn¡¯t planned anything with him for tonight; but an unannounced arrival was almost a regular, and even expected occurrence these days. Giving him a set of keys to her house had been a huge mistake.
Pip pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked down at the small device in her hand ¨C wondering why she was so afraid to simply turn it on and check his messages. She¡¯d tell him that she had been held up at work, that she had a book club meeting, dinner with her parents. Anything would do. But as much as she tried to convince herself otherwise ¨C Pip knew that there was no way he would take it nicely. After minutes of staring at the blank screen, she switched it on. Nothing. Of course there was nothing. She¡¯d turned his messages to silent. She worked up her courage and then flicked through her contacts until she came to his name. Pip opened his messages. There were twelve unread messages and ten missed phone calls. Her heart sunk deeper the more she read.
Where are you?
Shouldn¡¯t you have finished work by now?
Why aren¡¯t you replying?
You¡¯re such a crappy girlfriend.
I¡¯ve been waiting for a whole bloody hour now.
Thought I¡¯d surprise you by popping over. But you¡¯re starting to ruin it.
Are you going to reply, or not?!
I don¡¯t even know why I bother!
You know there are plenty of girls out there who are much prettier and smarter than you are. I could have any one of them if I wanted, so stop taking me for granted.
I don¡¯t know why I stay with you when you treat me so badly.
I do so much for you. You wouldn¡¯t get by without me.
For goodness sake. It¡¯s been two hours already.
And on and on they went. She switched her phone off and threw it down onto the passenger seat as a small tear slid down her cheek. Pip looked back over at the children playing in the park. Oh, how carefree their lives are. How innocent they look.
Her boyfriend hadn¡¯t always been this way. When the two of them had first met, he had been extremely charming. He was at a bar, dressed in a nice suit, with a neat haircut, a clean-cut beard and a beautiful smell about him.
It had been a Saturday night; and Pip was out with a few of her friends, Sally and Mia, for a girl¡¯s night out. They loved to dress up nicely and put on lots of makeup. Pip had spent hours doing her hair, she wore a beautiful red dress and had painted her nails a lovely sky blue to match her eyes. They started with dinner. Sally had booked a table at a really nice Spanish restaurant, for some tapas. They shared several plates of olives, tomatoes, bread, and different kinds of cured meats. After eating, and sipping on a few drinks, the three of them decided to go to a bar in the city for a few more drinks and a dance. Pip didn¡¯t really like dancing too much, especially as she was wearing high heels, but she had been happy to go wherever the group went. They found a cozy little jazz bar, that was dimly lit, busy, but not too crowded with soft music that was easy to dance to, but not so loud that they couldn¡¯t have a conversation at the bar. Sally ordered three expresso martinis, and they found a few seats off to the side of the bar where they began to giggle and gossip about their workplace. Pip couldn¡¯t help but notice a guy at the bar give her a side glance. He wore a suit, had sandy blonde hair and hung around with three other guys. He stood upright, with his chest puffed out, and for the brief moment they made eye contact, he gave her a charming smile. The guy oozed confidence.
¡®Common girls, let¡¯s go dance!¡¯ Sally said.
¡®Can¡¯t. I¡¯m in high heels. But you two have fun. I think I¡¯ll order another drink.¡¯
¡®Okay. We¡¯ll come back and join you for another drink after the band finishes the set. Don¡¯t get into too much trouble while we¡¯re gone,¡¯ Sally ginned at her, and then looked at the guy who had made eye contact with her earlier.
He¡¯s handsome, Sally mouthed, and then walked off with Mia.
Pip signalled for the bartender¡¯s attention; and then ordered another drink. It took the bartender a minute to make the drink, and after mixing, stirring and pouring the liquor, the bartender handed her a wide glass full dark brown liquid. Pip unzipped her handbag and pulled her bank card out from her wallet, but before she was able to tap it against the EFTPOS machine to pay for the drink, someone approached her from the side.
¡®Do you mind if I get that?¡¯
She wasn¡¯t even able to open her mouth to answer, to protest, before a hand flicked up and pressed a card to the card reader. There was a light beeping noise as the payment was processed and then the bartender turned and moved away to serve another customer. Pip turned to the side to face the stranger who had just paid for her drink. It was the sandy-blonde haired man who had made eye contact with her earlier. He was handsome, just as Sally had said, but he was even more handsome up close. His light skin was smooth, without even a single blemish, his hair was thick and wavy, and his teeth were as white as snow. In hindsight, Pip would have loved to have said that there was something off about him in that moment, that she sensed something cold, and that something wasn¡¯t quite right ¨C but the truth was ¨C this man had captivated her. That warmth, the smile, the gentle gestures, it was all fake. She knew that now, she just hadn¡¯t caught on in the moment.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
¡®I can¡¯t help noticing that your friends have gone to dance and left you alone, and well, unfortunately, I¡¯m in the same boat. I thought maybe we could keep each other company.¡¯
Pip smiled.
¡®You don¡¯t need to buy me a drink to keep me company,¡¯ Pip said and gestured for him to take a seat next to her.
¡®I¡¯m sure a girl as pretty as yourself is used to guys buying her drinks?¡¯
The man sat on the stool and edged close to Pip, anticipating an answer.
¡®Less than you might think.¡¯
¡®Well, does this beautiful girl have an equally beautiful name?¡¯
¡®Yes. She does. Penellope.¡¯
¡®I¡¯m Jason. Pleased to meet you.¡¯
Jason held her hand out to her, and Pip took it. But he held her hand softly and gently, barely shaking it.
The Jazz band took a small break after some time. But Mia and Sally, unbeknownst to Pip, found another seat in a dimly lit corner of the bar. The seat they found was close enough that they could spy on Pip, and gossip, but not so close that they would interrupt them.
Pip and Jason talked for over an hour ¨C or rather, Jason talked for an hour. He talked about business and politics, and a lot of stuff that Pip didn¡¯t really understand, but he sounded smart. Eventually, though, Pip decided it was late and that she should find her friends and leave.
¡®I can take you home¡if you like?¡¯ Jason had suggested.
¡®No, it¡¯s really okay. I live with my friends, so it¡¯s better that we all go home together,¡¯ Pip replied.
¡®Well, can I at least have your number?¡¯
Pip had almost been inclined to say no, or at least to give him a fake number. As smart and as flashy as he was, Pip thought he was frankly quite a boring person to be around. It is true, he had captivated her early, and he was generous, but he had also drowned her with endless uninteresting conversation for an hour. But she knew what Sally would have said. ¡®You should at least give it a shot.¡¯ And so that¡¯s what she did.
Things between them had been nice for the first two months; he hadn¡¯t gotten any more interesting, but Pip had gotten used to it. But soon the warning signs began to show themselves. There were sly comments, like: ¡®why don¡¯t you start going to the gym. You could do to lose some weight,¡¯ or ¡®I don¡¯t think you¡¯re as pretty as she is.¡¯ At the time, Pip thought that maybe he was just in a bad mood, after a long day at work ¨C as these comments became more frequent, she thought that maybe it was all true.
Things only got worse from there. He was nice to her friends when they were around, but as soon as it was just the two of them, he would waffle on about how annoying they were.
¡®Sally just doesn¡¯t stop talking. Does she? And Mia¡¯s voice drives me crazy!¡¯
It was true, Sally could talk a lot, but she was the most supportive friend that Pip had. And Mia did have a slightly nasal tone to her voice, but she was caring and kind-hearted. At the time, Pip couldn¡¯t see what his problem was. Of all his derogatory comments, the ones he made about her friends were the only ones she was confident were not true.
After they had been together for three months, he began turning up to her house unannounced. It was odd, he seemed to know what days her housemates would be out, and it was as though he purposely chose those times to come around. And he knew that it was her time, or at least, she felt as though she had expressed as much. It was her time to be alone, it was her time to relax, her time to switch off from the world. She had protested the first time it happened, but he responded unkindly, accusing her in a passive aggressive way that she didn¡¯t appreciate him enough. She remembered feeling guilty and a little uncomfortable, but she just let it go, telling him to stay and just hoping that it would be a one-time thing. But she couldn¡¯t have been more wrong.
The visits become more and more regular. And Jason seemed to be getting more and more aggressive and demanding as time passed. He was still charming when he wanted to be, but he often changed when other people weren¡¯t around.
She didn¡¯t often push back against what he said; she had gotten used to being passive around him. But one afternoon, when they were in Pip¡¯s kitchen eating an early dinner, she spoke out against him.
¡®Your friends don¡¯t like me. I know they don¡¯t want us to be together ¨C and to be honest I¡¯m getting sick of them. You know what I think? I think we should move in together. Get out of this place; get some new friends. We don¡¯t need them anyway.¡¯
She¡¯d known this would come. This suggestion. He¡¯d been pushing her boundaries for quite some time. So far Pip had gotten away with simply kissing him. But she¡¯d resisted. She¡¯d been like an iron wall. If they moved in together, though, she wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out against him for much longer. She had no doubt this was his way of barging through the iron wall.
¡®Yes, my friends aren¡¯t perfect. But nobody is. Not even you. I don¡¯t know what your problem is.¡¯
¡®What?! Do you think I don¡¯t know what¡¯s best for you!¡¯ Then he grabbed a glass from the kitchen bench and threw it against the wall. It smashed and exploded into a million tiny shards of glass; and that was when Pip realised, she was afraid to be around this man. Of course he apologised later. And he made it sound genuine. But Pip knew that his behaviour would continue. And it did.
Finally, the clouds gave in, and light drops of rain began sprinkling down upon the windscreen of her car. They had been seeing each other for five months now. She wanted to break up with him, but she didn¡¯t know how. She had tried suggesting a few times that they take some time apart, some time to reset ¨C but it had only resulted in him breaking down in tears. Although she knew what he was like, something about the way he acted still made her feel guilty, and feel unsure of herself. Yet nothing did change.
Suddenly something interrupted her thoughts. Something made her forget him completely. A memory from work only two days ago, a small moment, a short lift ride down to the second floor of her building to meet up with her friend Mia so that they could catch the train home together. She hadn¡¯t really stopped thinking about it since it had happened. She¡¯d met a boy in the lift. He had been shy and unconfident. In an oddly attractive kind of way. But what struck her the most was how kindly he had looked at her. Not like she was a thing to be had, a prize to be won and paraded around, or a piece of meat. But like she was someone. In that moment, when he had looked at her, it was the first time she knew for certain that the comments that Jason made about her were not true, the first time that she was confident about herself and thinking about it only invigorated her. She had left him with her favourite book, on purpose, hoping he would find her to return it. Hoping that maybe they could talk again, for a little longer the second time. She felt the depression washing away from her at the thought seeing him one more time. Suddenly Pip picked up her phone and opened Jason¡¯s messages.
I¡¯m not going to be home tonight. You¡¯ll have to find somewhere else to go, or something else to do.
She wrote the message and sent it straight away. Then she started her car, and drove down to the shops. She got some Chinese takeaway and then made her way out to a suburb on the outskirts of Melbourne. A narrow road ascended a hill and led to a small seating area that overlooked Melbourne and the city skyline. It was a fairly unknown spot, and so she was the only one there. As the sun was starting to set, the rain stopped, and the clouds parted to give way to the bright orange sky. The city lights, one by one, were beginning to turn on and flicker in front of her. It was a spot that her father had taken her to countless times growing up. It was a place where she could be alone with her thoughts and relax. Tomorrow she thought she¡¯d talk to Sally. Tell her everything. And then she¡¯d take back the set of keys she¡¯d given to Jason and well, after that, she would end it. She watched and ate as the sun sank below the horizon and the city began to light up, as did her mood.
Chapter 5: Sunday Mass
Chapter 5: Sunday Mass
Jacob normally went to his grandmother¡¯s place on Sundays. He would go with her to mass, which he found quite boring, but he was able to endure because afterward his grandmother would make him pastizzi, ghagin-il-forn, and gelato for desert. She would also send him home with several helpings of leftovers to eat during the week. It was something that he¡¯d been doing for so long now, and he thought it was a rather lovely way to spend time with her. And it wasn¡¯t just him that went to mass. No. His cousin Chloe would usually join them.
When Jacob had been a child, he¡¯d thought that his grandmother had been strict and he hadn¡¯t gotten along with her overly well, but now he knew that his grandmother was actually the sweetest lady in the world.
There was a girl who might have been sweeter than his grandmother, or so he had thought for a very brief period of time. He¡¯d met her in a lift only a week ago. But after he found out there was another guy, he had spent almost every ounce of his energy trying to forget about her. That connection that he¡¯d felt with her, that excitement buzzed in his stomach when he looked at her, he realised now that it obviously had been a one-way feeling. She¡¯d left her book with him, but it was probably because she was in a rush. That was all. Penellope.
Jacob breathed in and out deeply as he jogged along the sidewalk in the suburbs of Melbourne, with sweat dripping down his face and soaking into his singlet. He normally exercised in the afternoon, but he knew that today, of all days, if he didn¡¯t get his run in early ¨C then it probably wouldn¡¯t happen. There was something about running that helped to relax him, to calm and him and motivate him. Maybe it was the way his breathing matched the cadence of his feet, as they padded lightly against the pavement, or the way that scenery around him continuously changed. Whatever the reason was; running helped him to cope with life. People often asked him how he could enjoy running. To the majority of the population it was a chore. Something you needed to do to stay healthy or get into shape. But to Jacob it was the complete opposite. It was during these runs that he thought about her the most. Or rather, that he tried to forget about her.
***
Chloe was waiting for him at nine thirty. She¡¯d parked in an empty side street about five minutes from his apartment. Her red Toyota Yarris was easy to spot.
¡®Hey,¡¯ Jacob said opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat.
¡®Hello,¡¯ Chloe replied as she changed gears, flicked her blinkers on and pulled out of the parking space.
Chloe had dark brown hair, and equally dark eyes ¨C with beautiful olive skin. It was quite odd, as she was only half Maltese and Chloe¡¯s mother was as fair as they came. She wore a light blue dress that fell past her ankles, with and a casual hoodie over the top. Their grandmother liked them to dress nicely for mass, Jacob himself wore a collared shirt and brown chinos.
¡®Can we close the window? It¡¯s freezing,¡¯ Jacob said wrapping his arms around his chest as a gush of fresh morning air flew in through the open window.
¡®It¡¯s not that bad,¡¯ Chloe replied but reached over and pushed a button on her side. There was a light buzzing sound as the windows rolled up. ¡®Still not used to Melbourne weather, huh?¡¯
¡®No, I¡¯m used to the weather. I¡¯m just not used to driving around in the middle of winter with the windows down. You must have iron skin or something,¡¯ Jacob laughed.
¡®I know how to dress properly. That¡¯s all. There¡¯s a spare jumper in the back if you want it? It¡¯s pink though,¡¯ Chloe turned and grinned at him.
¡®I¡¯ll be okay.¡¯
Chloe turned around a corner and then turned left onto the main road.
¡®Hey, umm, you know we were meant to turn left just now?¡¯
¡®I thought we¡¯d stop at Red Brick for a cappuccino? You know, like last week. Besides, I¡¯m going to need more than instant coffee if I¡¯m going to stay awake during the service.¡¯
Jacob grinned.
¡®Do we have time though?¡¯ Jacob asked.
¡®Plenty.¡¯
¡®Nunna won¡¯t be happy if we¡¯re late.¡¯
¡®I¡¯ll take the blame.¡¯
***
Jacob wasn¡¯t disappointed by the suggestion. Not only did the hot frothy cappuccino warm him up, but it also woke him up. He held the white porcelain mug in both hands, and sipped the white froth gently. The two of them sat inside, looking out upon the streets of Melbourne from within Red Brick caf¨¦. It was a small place, nestled in a side-street in the suburb, and Chloe thought they made the best coffee in Australia. He himself couldn¡¯t deny that the coffee was good, and it was slowly becoming his favourite place too.
¡®Have you been doing okay?¡¯ Chloe asked him.
¡®Yeah. You?¡¯ Jacob replied.
¡®I¡¯m doing well. Has life at least gotten a little more exciting since we last spoke?¡¯
¡®It felt exciting for a bit. But it¡¯s probably just wishful thinking.¡¯
¡®Wishful thinking is the most exciting part about life. Keep wishing. Keep thinking,¡¯ Chloe¡¯s eyes seemed to sparkle. Her smile curled up to the corners of her face, Jacob couldn¡¯t help but smile in return. Spending time with Chloe on a Sunday was one of the highlights of the week. No matter what mood he was in, no matter how sullen, or downfallen, she somehow managed to cheer him up. It wasn¡¯t always with wise words either. Sometimes she made corny jokes. One time she¡¯d told him that she didn¡¯t like stairs.
¡®Why?¡¯ he had asked.
¡®Because they¡¯re always up to something.¡¯
It had been so stupid that it had been funny, and Jacob had immediately burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.
Other times she made fun of him in a way that could only be seen as endearing, teasing him about his wild facial hair, or the way his shirt was never tucked in properly.
Now she just looked at him. Before too long she began to giggle awkwardly.
¡®You have something on your face,¡¯ Chloe reached over and wiped a bit of white milk from his cheek, ¡®you silly goose.¡¯
Jacob gulped down another mouthful of the hot liquid. He looked outside the window of the caf¨¦. People were strolling down the sidewalk that lined the roads, going about their business. The orange and gold leaves of early winter rained down upon the pathways, and were swept up with every frosty breeze that blew past. If Jacob could have hit pause on this moment ¨C he would have.
***
Their grandmother was ready to go as soon as they arrived and greeted them both with a warm hug and plenty of kisses. She wore a purple silk dress, with earrings, makeup and perfume that smelled of roses.
¡®We still have time, ta. Come inside, and we have someting to eat,¡¯ she ushered them in without waiting for their answer.
They drank tea, ate biscuits and spoke about trivial things. For a seventy-year old widow, Jacob thought his grandmother was doing pretty well. She was independent, she still played tennis with her friends on the weekends, and looked about fifteen years younger than she should have. Although she was now retired, she continued to keep herself occupied. Jacob¡¯s mother had always told him that she would never let Nunna Mary end up in a home, but Jacob doubted she would ever even need to be put in a home. Indeed, their grandmother looked after them more than they looked after her.
¡®Look at da time. We should go now, or we be late, ta¡¯,¡¯ she said to them after about half an hour, and pushed them out the door.
The church was only a five-minute drive down the road from where their grandmother lived. It was a grand building, with red bricks, and paned windows that depicted figures with halos over their heads. Their grandmother, and even their grandfather on many occasions when he was alive, had assured them many times that it was nothing compared to the churches in Malta. But Jacob couldn¡¯t help but appreciate their d¨¦cor.
Stolen novel; please report.
Chloe parked the car, and the three of them strolled through the car park and onto the path that led to the open doors of the church. There were several families, elderly people, middle age parents and young children walking about; all of whom greeted their grandmother by name. Jacob couldn¡¯t remember all of them, and neither could Chloe ¨C but the two of them would often get ambushed by elderly ladies, hugging them and kissing them on the cheek. Both of their parents grew up going to this parish; their grandmother hadn¡¯t stopped going ever since she migrated to Australia in the sixties. Jacob would have bet his life savings that she hadn¡¯t missed a single Sunday.
Of course, his mother and uncle had stopped going to church as soon as they had gotten married and left home. That was when their grandfather had still been alive. Things had felt different then. Mary¡¯s husband had been very capable, and independent. Not that Mary herself wasn¡¯t all those things ¨C but their family were a lot less concerned about Mary being looked after back then. Jacob¡¯s memories of his grandfather were growing weary. Jacob been thirteen when he had died. It seemed like a lifetime ago. But his mother never stopped singing his praises.
¡®Jacob, good to see you,¡¯ an older lady with a thick Maltese accent grabbed him and kissed him on the cheek. That was another thing about their parish. Back when their grandparents had sailed over from the small island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, they barely knew any English. So they all just formed their own little community. They socialised together, worked together, celebrated Christmas and Easter together, and they all went to church together. Most of them hadn¡¯t left.
¡®Good to see you Carmena,¡¯ Jacob greeted her.
After hugging three more older woman, they followed the crowd into the building and it wasn¡¯t too long before they were seated in the pews waiting for the priest to begin the mass. This was the most boring part. An hour of looking up at the ceiling, kneeling, standing, singing hallelujah, the shaking hands and the ¡®peace be with you¡¯ blessings, the collection and then communion.
¡®Jacob,¡¯ a voice whispered from behind him. Jacob knew exactly who it was. Pretty much everyone at the parish were elderly, middle aged, or children. Except for Maria.
¡®Jacob, you missed confession on Wednesday.¡¯
Jacob turned around. Maria was smiling at him from the pew behind, where she sat next to her mother, father, grandparents and younger sister. She was a year younger than Jacob and a year older than Chloe. Her father was Italian, and her mother was Maltese. Yet despite this, she had fair hair and blue eyes.
¡®There was confession last Wednesday?¡¯
Maria nodded. Jacob hardly kept up with all that stuff.
¡®Chloe was there.¡¯
¡®Well someone had to keep Nunna company,¡¯ Chloe had obviously overheard her and decided to join the conversation.
¡®And I suppose you had a lot to confess?¡¯ Jacob rose an eyebrow.
¡®Father Kevin was drunk.¡¯
Chloe and Maria let out a light, heartfelt giggle. They were cut off though by the sound of the priest beginning the service. Everyone rose in their seats.
¡®Speak later,¡¯ Jacob said and turned around. Chloe smirked and nudged Jacob in the arm.
¡®Maria was really disappointed you weren¡¯t there. You know that?¡¯
***
¡®So Jacob, what have you been up to?¡¯ Maria asked.
After mass, most people stuck around for cake and coffee. Jacob¡¯s grandmother, Mary, was talking to Maria¡¯s grandparents; their conversation was switching rapidly between English and Maltese, and although Jacob could understand a little bit of the language ¨C at the speed that they spoke, he could hardly keep up. Chloe had gotten caught up in conversation with Maria¡¯s younger sister, which left Jacob and Maria on their own.
¡®Ahh, you know, this and that,¡¯ Jacob replied.
¡®Where were you on Wednesday?¡¯ Maria punched him lightly in the arm.
¡®¡sorry, I umm, kind of forgot about it if you want me to be completely honest. I, ah, think that I was with some of my friends that night. Playing poker.¡¯
¡®You skipped out on confession to go out and gamble. I wonder what your Nunna Mary would say if she found out.¡¯
¡®Are you kidding me? She spends more time gambling than anyone else I know. You should see her on those poker machines. If anything ¨C it¡¯s her that¡¯s been the bad influence.¡¯
Maria laughed, her bright red lips shining in the coloured light that the paned windows let into the church, and the few strains of brown hair that weren¡¯t tied up waved about her face gracefully. Her skin was smooth and flawless, and Jacob couldn¡¯t help noticing that she was extremely pretty.
¡®You¡¯ve changed a lot since you first moved here. You¡¯re no longer the shy little country kid that didn¡¯t really have any friends. You¡¯re getting out now. You¡¯re more confident, and independent. You¡¯ve put on weight too!¡¯
Jacob rose an eyebrow.
¡®That¡¯s an odd way to complement someone,¡¯ Jacob rubbed his stomach and began pinching the fat around his waist.
¡®I don¡¯t mean you¡¯ve gotten fatter, you silly thing. Your shoulders are broader. Your arms are more toned. You used to be so skinny! I remember being scared of knocking you down by accident. But now look at you. I hadn¡¯t really noticed ¨C but the other day I was looking at some old photos of us¡and well¡¡¯
Jacob¡¯s cheeks flushed slightly. He wasn¡¯t used to being complemented so openly, except from his grandmother ¨C and he didn¡¯t really count those compliments. Even Chloe was subtle when she reassured him.
¡®Thanks¡I guess¡¡¯
Chloe smiled brightly.
¡®It would be good to see you a bit more Jacob.¡¯
***
The best part about Sunday was going to his grandmother¡¯s place for lunch. He doubted that would ever change. The three of them sat around the dining room table eating Mary¡¯s homemade ravioli, Jacob splashed red sauce all over his lips and cheek; he couldn¡¯t get enough.
¡®Eat it slowly, ta. Or you make a mess,¡¯ his grandmother rebuked him. Jacob nodded in compliance, but barely slowed down. Chloe, on the other hand, ate her food delicately, cutting each square into small bite sized chunks before smearing it with sauce and chewing it slowly. After lunch, Mary brought each of them a bowl of gelato from the kitchen.
They finished desert and spent the rest of the afternoon in idle chatter, playing cards, watching tennis and reality TV shows. Eventually, at around four thirty, they both kissed their grandmother on the cheek to say goodbye, and Chloe drove Jacob into the city towards his apartment.
The afternoon sun shone down brightly upon them as they drove out of the suburbs.
¡®Another Sunday gone, huh?¡¯ Jacob stared out the window, watching the trees and buildings as they whizzed by.
Jacob turned to face Chloe, who smirked at him mischievously.
¡®What?¡¯
¡®Oh Jacob, you¡¯re so toned. And strong. And handsome!¡¯ Chloe teased putting on a fake high pitched mocking voice.
Jacob rose an eyebrow.
¡®You know what I¡¯m talking about.¡¯
¡®You heard us?¡¯ Jacob asked.
¡®Well, I was right next to you. Dah.¡¯
¡®You were talking to¡How did you¡?¡¯
¡®I¡¯m good at multi-tasking. Plus, I love to eavesdrop. How about the more important question though: when are you going to ask her out?¡¯
***
Thomas threw the controller over to Alex.
¡®Screw it,¡¯ he complained ¡®Marth is broken!¡¯
¡®Only if you know how to use him,¡¯ Daniel replied, ¡®Actually I don¡¯t think he¡¯s that broken. Every character is pretty well balanced in this game¡but having said that¡Alex, you ready to get wrecked?¡¯
¡®He¡¯s right. Marth is too good!¡¯
The four of them, Jacob, Alex, Daniel and Thomas sat in Daniel and Thomas¡¯ living room, on the couches in front of the TV, passing around the Nintendo Switch controller.
¡®I won¡¯t use Marth then. How about that?¡¯
¡®I don¡¯t care who you use,¡¯ Alex retorted, ¡®I¡¯m still going to beat you.¡¯
¡®Bring it!¡¯
The two boys selected their characters, started the game, and began mashing the buttons on their controllers chaotically. Thomas watched, intrigued, and made the occasional comment like; ¡®you¡¯re just spamming the same move,¡¯ or ¡®almost had him.¡¯
Jacob, however, stared silently down his phone.
¡®It¡¯s official. I¡¯m unbeatable!¡¯ Daniel proclaimed when the game was over. Daniel¡¯s character Marth, a cartoon figure with dark blue hair and a flowing cape, bobbed up and down on the tv screen, holding his sword out in front of him in a victory post.
¡®Damn it!¡¯ Alex threw the controller in a sideways spin over onto the couch that Jacob was lying back on. The controller hit the cushion with a soft thud; Jacob left the controller where it had landed, untouched.
¡®Jacob, my man, you¡¯re next.¡¯
Jacob looked up from his phone and smiled.
¡®I think I¡¯ll sit this one out. You know, let you guys wear your fingers out ¨C and then maybe I¡¯ll have a go at beating you once you¡¯re all tired.¡¯
¡®Jacob, have you sent that message yet?!¡¯ Thomes asked, ¡®Don¡¯t sit there thinking about it all night ¨C you¡¯ll just freak yourself out.¡¯ Thomas leant over and put his hand on Jacob¡¯s shoulder. ¡®Trust me on this one, the bigger deal you make of it, the more nervous you¡¯ll be when you do start dating her - ¡¯
¡®If I start dating her,¡¯ Jacob cut him off.
¡®When you start dating her. And girls like confidence. It¡¯ll be much easier for you if you don¡¯t overthink it.¡¯
¡®So, you¡¯re over that girl you met in the lift¡Penny?¡¯
¡®Pip,¡¯ Thomas corrected him.
¡®Yeah Pip.¡¯
¡®Well,¡¯ Jacob began but stopped for a brief pause. Just thinking about Penellope made him nervous. He could barely picture her face now but the thought of a scarlet ribbon made his stomach churn with excitement. No. He fought to push the feelings away. Jacob continued.
¡®I met her for like five minutes. And, she, well, she has a boyfriend. Didn¡¯t you say that Thomas.¡¯
¡®Umm kinda. It¡¯s complicated. But she¡¯s certainly not in a position to be dating. That¡¯s for sure. My advice ¨C move on mate.¡¯
¡®How do you know all this stuff about her Thomas?¡¯ Alex asked.
¡®Let¡¯s just say he has an extra special relationship with one of her friends,¡¯ said Daniel.
¡®A relationship. Maybe a little bit special. Definitely not extra special though. Not like your relationship with that Nintendo Switch.¡¯
Suddenly Thomas¡¯ phone began ringing loudly.
¡®And speaking of special relationships¡ that¡¯s Sally. I gotta take this one.¡¯
¡®Send the message Jacob, and then do me a favour, show Daniel that he can actually lose at this game.¡¯
Jacob laughed.
¡®Not really sure about the latter.¡¯
Thomas put the phone up to his ear and walked out of the room. Jacob pulled up Instagram on his phone again. He clicked on Maria¡¯s profile and then tapped the message icon.
Hey, sorry I didn¡¯t come to church to see you the other night. But maybe I can make up for that by getting you coffee sometime soon?
Before his mind could process what he was doing ¨C he clicked send. He felt his stomach churn, and so he put his phone in his pocket and tried to forget about it.
¡®Jacob, common. Pick up the controller. It¡¯s your turn.¡¯
Jacob grinned.
¡®Fine!¡¯
It turned out that Daniel really was unbeatable at the game. Jacob didn¡¯t care.
***
Maria didn¡¯t reply until he¡¯d arrived back at his apartment; the four of them had agreed to have an early night, after all, it was a Thursday and they had work the next day. Jacob was brushing his teeth and getting ready to tuck himself into bed when he heard his phone go off with a familiar message alert. He spat out his toothpaste, washed his mouth and picked up his phone with eager expectation.
Jacob! Are you asking me out on a date? (Smiley emoji) (Smiley emoji).
Of course Maria, of all people, was going to be upfront. He didn¡¯t waste any time replying.
You know I was trying to be a little subtle about it. But, kind of, yeah.
She replied almost immediately.
How¡¯s this Saturday? The Little Rose Caf¨¦ on Emerald Street?
Jacob smiled.
Yeah, okay. See you then.
Chapter 6: The Breakup
Chapter 6: The Breakup
It hadn¡¯t been easy. It wasn¡¯t easy. Penellope had never expected it to be easy. But she did expect the hard part to be over quickly. Like any break up; she thought it would involve a conversation and some crying. Maybe some bickering or banter. Considering the circumstances of her relationship, she had understood that part would probably be somewhat messier than normal. But she didn¡¯t expect things to drag out as long as they had. The messages. The calls. And even the threats. It was clear this wasn¡¯t ending quickly, or quietly.
***
It had been late when Penellope had gotten back from her special place, the place she retreated to, to think when life was hard. The place her father would take her to as a child. Ofcourse her phone was flooded with messages and calls. But she didn¡¯t care. She pushed every thought of Jason to the bottom of her mind and thought about the guy she¡¯d met in the lift a few days earlier. He had been handsome, in an odd kind of way. Shy and unconfident. Slightly unkempt. And the best thing about him was, well, he felt safe. But she knew she couldn¡¯t dwell on the thought of him for too long. After all, she¡¯d only met him once and he hadn¡¯t returned her book yet. That meant that he probably wasn¡¯t too interested in her. It didn¡¯t matter. There were other things she could think about. Like how Harry must have felt all alone and isolated when he¡¯d lived all those years with the Dursleys, only to discover true friendship when Hagrid took him to Hogwarts. Or how Frodo must have felt having Samwise by his side throughout his whole journey to Middle-Earth. Gosh, was she a dreamer.
Sally was awake when Pip had gotten home. Sally had been laying on the couch, with a thick blanket covering her, watching trashy Netflix shows.
¡®Jason was here waiting for you earlier,¡¯ Sally had said without looking up from the TV, ¡®I hate it how he always just shows up whenever he feels like it, so I hope you don¡¯t mind but I kinda told him to ¨C ¡¯ but Sally stopped talking as soon as she looked up from the TV and over at Pip, who stood in the shadows of the living room with a red face and tears streaming down her cheeks.
¡®to¡ I told him to get lost.¡¯
¡®I don¡¯t mind,¡¯ Pip had said through thick sobs.
Sally had sat up and pulled her blanket over to make room for Pip on the couch.
¡®Come here Pip. Has something happened between you two?¡¯
¡®Umm¡ I just¡ I can¡¯t¡¡¯ but before Pip could finish her sentence, she was choking on tears again.
Sally had been on her feet in a heartbeat and had wrapped her arms around Pip in a comforting hug.
¡®Sit down hun,¡¯ Sally had said rubbing her shoulders gently, ¡®sit down. I¡¯ll make you a cup of hot chocolate and you can tell me everything!¡¯
Pip nodded as she sniffled chaotically.
***
Pip lay on her bed with a book in her hand. Six of Crows had caught her by surprise. She¡¯d been told it was good. She never thought it would be this good. But her immersion kept being broken by the thought that her phone might go off again, that she might receive an unwanted message. No. She¡¯d changed her number. He couldn¡¯t contact her anymore. She put her book down. Not that it was a book that should have been put down, perfectly written in her opinion, and completely enthralling ¨C it was his fault. Not the authors.
She began to cast her mind back upon that night, when she¡¯d come home in tears at ten thirty.
¡®What a jerk!¡¯ Sally said.
Pip sat on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, and a warm blanket over her lap. She¡¯d gotten changed into her PJs, and Sally sat next to her, with an arm around her shoulder. The tears had died down a bit, but Pip still let out the occasional sob.
¡®I mean, I knew he was nasty work. But I guess I didn¡¯t realise the full extent of it. I¡¯m sorry I ever encouraged you to ask him out.¡¯
Pip had shaken her head.
¡®Not your fault Sal!¡¯
¡®You¡¯ve got to break up with him. You know that, right?¡¯
Pip nodded.
¡®Do it somewhere in public. Somewhere safe. Heck, even just send him a message if you want. Usually I¡¯d never break up with anyone over message, I mean most people deserve a decent conversation and explanation. But he isn¡¯t most people. You don¡¯t owe him anything.¡¯
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¡®No, I don¡¯t.¡¯
Sally pulled her into another tight hug.
¡®It will be okay Pip!¡¯
Pip tried to pick up her book again. She was halfway through the chapter, and every time she put down her book (for whatever reason had distracted her this time), the magic of losing herself in the fantasy world wore off a little more. Almost as soon as she began reading the page, her phone buzzed loudly and her heart leapt out of her chest. She rolled over and swiped it up. The message was simply a Telstra promotion ¡®upgrade to a 200GB plan this month for a chance to win¡¯ blah blah blah. She didn¡¯t care. She hated being afraid every time her phone went off. Her psychologist told her that this was normal because things were so fresh. It would wear off over time. Time heals everything.
In the end she broke up with Jason in person. Not for him, but for herself. She wanted to show herself that she could stand up to him. But she did take Sally¡¯s advice and do it in a public place. She met up with him at a caf¨¦. He was waiting there before her, sitting on a single table with his arms folded, and his nose held high. The sight of him so tense, almost gave her cold feet. But she pushed through her nerves and joined him on the opposite chair.
¡®Why. Have. You. Been. Ignoring. My. Messages. And. Calls?¡¯ he said as she sat across from him. Every word had been drawn out and pronounced with an intense deep rumble.
¡®Because I don¡¯t want to. We can¡¯t do this anymore Jason. I can¡¯t do this.¡¯
¡®What do you mean?¡¯
Pip looked around; worried that the two of them might be drawing the attention of people around them. But so far, they had seemed to go unnoticed. Elizabeth Steet on a Saturday afternoon was bustling. People were just too busy to care.
¡®I¡¯m breaking up with you Jason. It¡¯s over.¡¯
¡®Don¡¯t be stupid!¡¯
¡®I¡¯m serious,¡¯ Pip said firmly even though she was quivering on the inside.
Jason scrunched his fist.
¡®After all I¡¯ve done for you. And the way that you¡¯ve been treating me these last few days - ¡¯ Jason pounded his fist on the table hard enough to be aggressive, but not so hard that it would cause anyone to look their way, ¡®and here I was expecting an apology, but instead you give me this!¡¯
¡®Excuse me?! The way I¡¯ve treated you?¡¯
¡®You¡¯ve literally not replied to a single message that I¡¯ve sent! Nor have you answered my calls! Do you know how anxious you¡¯ve made me!¡¯
¡®Don¡¯t put this on me,¡¯ Pip whispered in a low, but firm voice, ¡®I¡¯ve no obligation to reply to your messages ¨C and maybe you should consider that I need some time to myself every now and then, instead of being at your beckoning twenty-four seven!¡¯
¡®You know that any girl would kill to be with me. And there¡¯s nobody out there in their right mind who¡¯d ever want to be with you!¡¯
¡®Well then they can have you! You should be happy Mr. Good looking! You can have any girl you like now. Except for me.¡¯
Pip couldn¡¯t believe herself. Normally she was shy and introverted ¨C this was probably the most she¡¯d ever stuck up for herself in her entire life.
¡®Stop being a smart ass you filthy little slut.¡¯
Pip gasped. Her first inclination was to slap him. But seeing his eyes narrow. Seeing how aggressive he was becoming, she finally felt her nerves finally run dry. Instead she picked up her handbag and walked out of the caf¨¦.
¡®Have a nice life,¡¯ she said as she walked away. But she didn¡¯t really mean it. In that moment, the sweet-hearted Pip wished that Jason¡¯s life would be miserable.
The thing she loved most about Bardugo¡¯s writing was how Kaz was always one step ahead of everyone else. Unlike most heroes in Western media, Kaz fought with his brains rather that brawn. He had no brawn. He could barely walk. Pip turned the page and quickly finished the chapter before she realised that it was actually getting quite late. She slid her bookmark in place, closed her book, placed it on her bedside table, shut off the lamp, and lay down to sleep. With the full moon shining beautiful pale light in through her window, and the city beginning to quiet down, she really should have quickly fallen into a deep slumber. But she couldn¡¯t. Instead her mind kept turning.
Pip had thought that would be it. That it would be over. Finally. But it wasn¡¯t. He kept messaging her to start with. Message after message. Half of them were insults towards her, the other half were praises about himself. Pip had asked Sally what to do, and Sally told her to just ignore them and block his number. She did exactly that. But soon messages began coming in from a different number. One time he actually came to her house. Luckily Pip hadn¡¯t been home. But Mia and Sally had been. Apparently both of them confronted him and told him to give the spare set of keys back and not come around ever again or they¡¯d call the police. Well it turns out they actually had to call the police, and the police confiscated the keys from him. The police said that Mia and Sally could file for a restraining order ¨C but Sally and Mia didn¡¯t really want to make that call without Pip being around.
When Pip found out, she actually messaged Jason back (to the new number he¡¯d began messaging her from).
¡®Last thing I¡¯ll ever say to you. If you come around again, or try to contact me, I¡¯m going to take actually get the police involved. For real. And take you to court or do whatever I have to do.¡¯
Jason seemed to take the warning seriously. She supposed he was preying on some other girl now. The thought made Pip feel quite bad. She wouldn¡¯t wish Jason upon any other girl but there was little she could do to help that now.
Apart from that, the only real drama was the new guy that Sally began seeing. Well, it wasn¡¯t really drama ¨C actually Pip and Mia both thought he was a nice guy ¨C but it really was a topic that the three of them began gossiping about. Pip had dug around a little bit at work and found out what people had said about him. He was a jokester, immature and silly ¨C but also a really nice. Well he must have been on his best behaviour around Sally, because when they were together he was nothing if not a gentlemen. Thomas was his name.
Chapter 7: The First Date
Jacob never would have thought that he¡¯d ever end up going on a date with Maria. Like ever. Jacob had known her since they were children, after all, their parents had grown up together. When he was younger, he had thought that Maria would probably get married to some famous actor. When he had been older though, that had changed. Instead he saw her going out with some weight lifter in a tank top, or a male model (or maybe both). But going on a date with shy and awkward Jacob ¨C the little boy she used to tease and pick on. Certainly not. He had never been attracted to the popular type either. Usually he found himself attracted to introverted girls, who were a little bit geeky, and kind and gentle. He definitely thought Maria had a kind heart, but she was a chatterbox, straightforward, and she could be fiery at times. Definitely not the sort of girl he as used to dating.
But here he was. Doing his hair. Shaving his beard. Puffing a spray of cologne over his shirt. Brushing his teeth. Parting his hair again. And puffing a second spray of cologne on his neck. All to make a good impression. The truth was ¨C he was so nervous because it had been two years since he had dated anyone. The more he thought about it, the more he realised there were definitely positives to dating Maria. After all, he knew her; he knew what he was getting into. And her parents would definitely approve of him (considering some of the other jerks she¡¯d dated, the bar wasn¡¯t very high), and they were both ethnically the same; which meant they both understood each other¡¯s culture.
And yet, for some reason he was still thinking about the girl he¡¯d met in the lift. Penellope. He had to berate himself every time he did though, telling himself it was silly to keep thinking about someone he¡¯d met for five minutes three weeks ago. Even if she had left him her book.
It usually took him twenty minutes to get ready for work. He could do it quicker if he was running late. His personal record from bed to door was five minutes - however today he spent almost an hour getting ready. When he was done, though, he was quite chuffed with how neat and tidy he looked. He wore a red collared shirt, blue Uniqulo jeans and red connies. He strapped on his Garmin Forerunner 45, and checked his hair in the mirror one more time. Just as he was about to leave, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He whipped it out. One new message: from Chloe.
¡®Can¡¯t believe you actually did it. Good luck today buddy.
P.S
She hates flowers. Don¡¯t talk about books or running. She likes tennis and travelling.
And in case you¡¯re wondering how she found out; we¡¯re better friends than you think.
P.P.S
I¡¯m expecting a full rundown on Sunday.¡¯
Of course those girls were going around gossiping to each other.
Jacob arrived at the caf¨¦ half an hour early. He began wandering up and down the street hoping to walk off his nerves. Jacob looked at his watch. 2:40pm. Still another twenty minutes. He did another lap of the block. 2:43pm. Jacob wandered up and down the sidewalk trying to kill some time. He found an old book shop where he spent ten minutes browsing titles, then stopped at a pub to use the toilet. He returned to the Little Red Rose caf¨¦ at 2:55pm feeling like he was going to throw up. He decided to get a table and wait out the last five minutes. Or so he thought. It turned out he had to wait another fifteen minutes, because Maria was ten minutes late. But to be honest he was kind of glad; it helped him swallow his nerves.
He got a message from her at 3:08pm.
Just a few minutes away.
Cool. Got us a table out the front.
He began to watch the people strolling up and down the streets, his jaw dropped when Maria rounded the corner and came into view. If he¡¯d thought Maria had been pretty before, well it wasn¡¯t really anything compared to how she looked now. He would have liked to say that she stood out from the people around her like a sore thumb, but that would have been a really poor simile, because in reality she stood out more like an angel.
Maria wore a blue dress that flowed behind her elegantly. Her hair had been straightened, but somehow she had gotten it to curl down at the ends. Her nails were long and red. Her cheeks were smooth, and her lashes dark. On top of it all, to complement everything else, was her natural mediterranean coloured skin, her brunette hair and sea blue eyes.
¡®Hey cutie,¡¯ she teased as she approached him. He never knew how to react when she had greeted him like that in the past. Jacob used to think she had always done it to make him feel awkward, because it really did make him feel awkward. But now he was wondering if she might have actually meant it. Jacob blushed.
¡®Hi¡¡¯ Jacob muttered quietly.
Maria bent down and kissed him on the cheek. Again, another of her usual greetings. But that kind of thing was actually quite normal in Southern Europe, and so it didn¡¯t quite make him squirm as much. He pecked her on the cheek in return, then she took a seat on the opposite side of the table.
¡®Umm, what do you want to drink¡or¡ you know, eat or whatever?¡¯ Jacob asked as he stood up from his chair.
¡®Jacob! Are you offering to pay?¡¯
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Jacob scratched the back of his head.
¡®Aren¡¯t we on like a ¡¡¯ Jacob had to choke the next word up. Not because he despised the idea, more because he was so nervous about saying it aloud. ¡®Like a¡date? I thought that¡¯s what guys were¡ you know¡ supposed to do?¡¯
¡®We do live in the year twenty-twenty-three. So you don¡¯t really have to!¡¯
¡®Umm, no, I want to. What would you like?¡¯
¡®You¡¯re such a gentleman. If you¡¯re insisting, then I¡¯ll have soy latte, with a dash of honey. Thanks!¡¯ Maria smiled brightly.
***
¡®Two soy lattes please. Umm, one with a bit of honey.¡¯
The young teenager behind the counter nodded and began juggling cups, and frothing milk as well as fiddling with the coffee grinder all at the same time. Sometimes Jacob wondered if the baristas did all that to put on a show, or if it really did save time. Either way, Jacob paid, returned to his seat and the coffees were put down in front of them two minutes later. Jacob sipped from the cup as he looked across the table at Maria who beamed at him, making him feel even more giddy.
¡®So tell me about umm¡travelling¡and stuff?¡¯ Jacob asked after a long sip of coffee.
Maria looked at him sideways.
¡®Jacob, you¡¯ve known me for more than twenty years and I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve ever asked me about travelling.¡¯
¡®Well did I ever need to? You used to tell me about it weather I liked it or not, didn¡¯t you?¡¯
Maria chuckled.
¡®We¡¯re on a date but we don¡¯t need to be weird about things. I¡¯m still me and you¡¯re still you. Nothing has changed; you know that right!¡¯
¡®I¡¯ve never dated a girl who I¡¯ve been good friends with. It¡¯s always just one or two conversations and then things happen.¡¯
¡®Life isn¡¯t Shakespeare Jacob. You don¡¯t always see a girl across the room at a Capulet ball and fall in love instantly. Usually it happens over time!¡¯
¡®Ahh, so you have read a book before,¡¯ Jacob teased. He suddenly felt his nervousness wash away.
¡®And you consider me to be a good friend!¡¯ Maria teased back, ¡®if you want to know the truth ¨C I HAS to study it in High School. But in reality, I just read a summary online and paid my older boyfriend to write my essays for me. It was easy for him because he was a year above me.¡¯
¡®You paid your boyfriend¡?¡¯
¡®Yes. But I only paid him in kisses. I couldn¡¯t afford anything else.¡¯
Jacob grinned.
¡®I kinda feel like you¡¯ve told me about this before¡¡¯
Maria looked upward.
¡®Oh¡have I?¡¯
Jacob laughed and took another mouthful of coffee.
¡®Please. Tell me about your trip,¡¯ Jacob said, eager to change the subject, ¡®you were away for a few months earlier on in the year, weren¡¯t you?¡¯
Maria grinned suspiciously.
¡®You really want to know about it?¡¯
¡®Yeah,¡¯ Jacob replied, ¡®I do.¡¯
¡®We went to Bali. It was okay but it was mostly just Australian tourists and locals who thrived off them. By the end of it I was sick of hearing ¡®taxi, taxi do you need a taxi¡¯ or ¡®I¡¯ll give you this t-shirt for a good price. Common, a good price just for you!¡¯ Maria pretended to throw up, showing how much she disliked the whole experience, ¡®Chloe was supposed to come with us actually,¡¯ Maria continued, ¡®but she got sick at the last minute and couldn¡¯t make it. Shame. Overall it wasn¡¯t too bad. But last year we went to Europe¡ oh, I¡¯ve already told you about that, haven¡¯t I?¡¯
¡®It¡¯s fine. Tell me again.¡¯
¡®Okay then! We flew to the UK, and then we went to France, and Spain, then Italy ¨C and of course we visited Malta. The UK was lovely. There¡¯s a lot of history in London. We went to see Big Ben, and, oh, wait.¡¯
Maria pulled her phone out of her pocket, unlocked it, placed it in front of the both of them, and began scrolling through photos.
¡®This is Big Ben! And this is my friend Amy, and Jen. Oh and that¡¯s Jordan, with the brown hair. And Oli. This is us in front of the Thames. Leo can be such an idiot; that¡¯s him with the blue eyes and long hair, pulling a really stupid face. He¡¯s actually really good friends with Chloe ¨C that¡¯s how we know him. I used to date his cousin. His cousin was a nice guy, but he had a gambling addiction. Oh, I¡¯m so sorry, you probably don¡¯t want to know about my ex-boyfriends. Anyway - this is us in front of the Colosseum. Look at that pasta. Sorry, I couldn¡¯t help taking a picture of that. And then this is us in Malta. That¡¯s my Zia Katrina and my Zio Joe. This pastizzi place is sooooo good. And this place here is called Forn Ta L¡¯Ghawdxi, it¡¯s like this Gozonian restaurant; with pizza and all sorts. You¡¯d love it Jacob! You really would. This here is the church in Marsa. You know that¡¯s where your grandparents got married, right?¡¯
Jacob¡¯s eyes widened. Maria was speaking so fast that it really was hard to keep up with her. But that last part had struck him quite clearly. He looked closer at the picture. It was a grand structure, made of white limestone. It had large pillars and paned windows, with bells at the top.
¡®Anyway,¡¯ Maria continued, ¡®this is us swimming in Camino, and oh ¨C this is the Eiffel tower. My goodness the view was stunning. It was a hard climb though!¡¯
Maria spoke for a while. Jacob was content to sit and listen. He actually preferred it that way. He found it hard to make conversations, especially in these kinds of situations. Usually, when he went on a first date, he wrote a bunch of questions down on his arm. What sort of things do you do in your spare time? Where are you from? What¡¯s your favourite book? That sort of thing. It was just in case he got stuck for conversation. And he wrote it in French. Because that was his second language, and if the girl he was with ever asked what it was (which they did from time to time), he could just say that it was some boring stuff about work. Plus he always sounded smart when girls found out that he could speak French.
But it had seemed pointless to do this with Maria. He had known her for long enough that he could probably answer all those questions already. In her spare time she listened to music, and watched trashy TV shows. She was from Melbourne. And of course Maria didn¡¯t read. Neither did he need to flex by telling her that he could speak French; she already knew.
And so he was happy to let Maria take the lead when it came to conversation.
Before too long they¡¯d both finished their coffees. Maria continued to talk just as vigorously and Jacob continued to listen. Eventually Jacob asked her if she wanted to go for a walk ¨C and soon Jacob found that the minutes were passing by rather quickly.
A few hours later they found themselves wandering down the streets of St Kilda, and then barefoot along the beach, with the vast blue ocean in front of them and the sun beginning to set. The light glistened a beautiful orange upon the gentle waves of the sea, and a few people began to turn and look at the horizon with awe.
¡®Dolphins,¡¯ Jacob whispered.
Maria looked around. Sure enough, there they were. Several of them jumping silhouetted in front of the setting sun. Maria leant against Jacob¡¯s shoulder. Suddenly Jacob felt Maria¡¯s hands brush against his, and then she clasped her hand around his. Jacob didn¡¯t protest. A cool tranquil breeze blew through and rustled their hair as the two of them watched the dolphins, and the setting sun, and the people of the city pass them by. Jacob hadn¡¯t really noticed, but he had suddenly forgotten all about Penellope.
Chapter 8: Therapy
¡®Do you still think about him often?¡¯
¡®Yes¡ a bit,¡¯ Pip replied.
¡®Don¡¯t worry. That¡¯s perfectly normal.¡¯
The blonde-haired lady with thick glasses began scribbling notes on a clipboard.
¡®Forgetting completely isn¡¯t the goal. You want to move on. You want to be able to move past him. And that will only come with time.¡¯
Pip stared nonchalantly out the window at the gum trees which flaunted their green eucalyptus leaves proudly. Beautiful rays of light streamed onto the blue carpet that lined the floors, illuminating the room with natural sunlight.
¡®It¡¯s so hard not to think about him. He seemed so kind-hearted. I¡¯m just a little¡curious, you know. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m in love with him or anything. But he seemed¡fun¡safe¡like someone I could connect with¡someone I could talk to. And he still has my book.¡¯
The blonde-haired lady with thick black glasses looked up from her notebook.
¡®Are we talking about the same person?¡¯
Pip¡¯s eyes widened.
¡®Yes! No¡ahh¡ who were we talking about again?¡¯
¡®We were talking about Jason. But we can change the subject if you like? Who do you want to talk about.¡¯
Pip¡¯s cheeks flushed, and her eyes widened.
¡®Yes! I mean no. No! We don¡¯t need to change the subject. Jason,¡¯ Pip huffed, ¡®I¡¯ve forgotten about him. I¡¯ve forgotten about him completely. Well¡ not completely¡ but¡ okay sometimes I do think about him.
¡®When do you think about him Pip?¡¯
¡®Usually when my mind wanders. Sometimes when I see a good-looking confident guy at work, I get a little anxious. I know not everyone is a narcissist. I hate to generalise, but it¡¯s just a sudden reaction that I can¡¯t really seem to help. You know?¡¯
¡®I know,¡¯ said the blonde-haired lady, ¡®how are things at work going anyway?¡¯
Pip scratched her chin gently.
¡®Things are going well. I mean, as well as I could hope for anyway. When I was seeing Jason¡ I went through a period where I just couldn¡¯t get anything done. I like to think that I work hard at my job ¨C but for a while I was just struggling. I took a few days off last week, like you suggested. It was nice to reset, and I¡¯ve come back feeling refreshed and back to normal,¡¯ Pip smiled brightly, but then, as if having a sudden disturbing thought, her smile turned into a frown, ¡®I¡¯m so sorry! I¡¯m probably talking your ear off.¡¯
¡®Pip, it¡¯s what I¡¯m paid for. Relax.¡¯
¡®Okay,¡¯ Pip breathed deeply, ¡®how has your week been?¡¯
The blond-haired lady laughed gently.
¡®Pip, we don¡¯t need to talk about my life. Especially when you probably have more that you need to share?¡¯
¡®Not at all. I want to hear about your life!¡¯
¡®Well then,¡¯ the blonde-haired lady placed her clipboard and pen down onto the table next to her chair, ¡®if you really want to know, my week has been a little hectic.¡¯
¡®How so?¡¯ Pip asked.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
¡®Do you really want to know about my problems?¡¯
¡®Yep. I do,¡¯ Pip smiled.
¡®Well one of my kids got into a fight at school, and the other came down with the flue. My husband has had to stay back late at work over the last few months, because our mortgage rate has gone up, which means I¡¯ve got to sort those two out on my own ¨C and believe me, they aren¡¯t the easiest children to sort out.
We all have problems, and life isn¡¯t all about avoiding them. I mean, I¡¯d avoid them if I could, but sometimes you really can¡¯t. Life is about working through problems. Whether at work, or in relationships or friendships.
I know you have your doubts Pip, about whether or not you deserved what you¡¯ve got, but the truth is that in any relationship there is going to be problems. I have problems with my husband; with my children. Sometimes I mess up, sometimes my husband does, and well, my children get into trouble more often than I¡¯d like to admit. We work through them Pip.
When it comes to your relationship with Jason, it¡¯s probably true that you did some things wrong ¨C but that¡¯s normal. It doesn¡¯t give anyone the right to verbally abuse you, control you, or invade your personal space. So you did the right thing by leaving him. Trust me.¡¯
¡®Well, as kind as that is, I don¡¯t know how you managed to make that about me again.¡¯
¡®It¡¯s my job Pip. You¡¯re allowed to take some for yourself! You can spend the rest of the week caring about other people, but this one hour in the week, it¡¯s about you. Take some time to think about yourself. Take this hour to care about yourself. And I¡¯m not just saying that because it¡¯s my job. Like you, Pip, I care about other people. It¡¯s why I got into psychology. But even I see another psychologist. Even I take some time for myself.¡¯
¡®I see¡well, there is something else that¡¯s been bothering me then.¡¯
¡®I¡¯m all ears!¡¯ the blonde-haired lady smiled.
¡®That clip board,¡¯ Pip pointed to the clip board on the table beside her chair, ¡®what do you actually write in it?¡¯
¡®Oh this?¡¯ the blonde-haired lady laughed, ¡®nothing. Absolutely nothing.¡¯
The lady picked up the clip board and turned it around, it was full of doodles and unintelligible scribbles.
¡®What¡¯s the point of it?¡¯ Pip asked.
¡®It makes people feel secure. Haven¡¯t you ever seen Freaky Friday?¡¯
Pip suddenly exploded into laughter.
¡®My sister was obsessed with that film! She only watched it about fifty times?¡¯
¡®I have twenty minutes after you finish up, before I see my next client. That gives me time to make my notes. It¡¯s important for me not to be distracted while I¡¯m talking to you. But now that you know¡¡¯ the psychologist reached over and threw the clip board onto the small desk, ¡®there¡¯s no point in me holding onto it. So Pip, we have ten minutes left. How do you think you¡¯re going to move forward this week?¡¯
¡®Well umm, do you remember last week ¨C we talked about making a change to my normal routine. Doing something new?¡¯
¡®Yes. Of course. Have you thought of something?¡¯
Pip nodded.
¡®I think so.¡¯
***
Sally bopped her head to the sound of the Beatles playing through the wireless Bluetooth speaker on the window sill, as she stirred spaghetti sauce with a wooden spoon and then began feeding long strands of spaghetti into a pot full of boiling water.
I wanna hold your hand, I wanna hold your hand.
The stovetop was a mess, with red splashes of sauce all over the benches and walls, vegetable peels everywhere, and loads of dirty forks and spoons in the sink. But Sally was satisfied with the smell that filled the room. And the taste.
¡®Mmmm, that¡¯s good!¡¯ Sally said to herself as she tasted a teaspoon of the red sauce.
¡®Hey Sal,¡¯ a familiar voice called over the music. Sally knew exactly who it was. Sally quickly turned down the music.
¡®Hey Pip. Thomas is coming over for dinner. You¡¯re welcome to join us?¡¯
¡®I¡¯d love to,¡¯ Pip said, her voice gentle and dreamy.
¡®Cool,¡¯ Sally turned around, ¡®well then do you mind¡¡¯ Sally stopped suddenly, squinting a little to get a better look at Pip, before her lips curled up into a smile.
¡®Do you umm¡do you like it?¡¯ Pip asked.
Pip¡¯s once bright blonde hair was now a deep dark red.
¡®I got it done this afternoon. I think I¡¯m going to grow out the fringe too.¡¯
¡®I love it Pip!¡¯
¡®Thanks,¡¯ Pip giggled brushing her hand through her hair with giddy excitement, ¡®oh, there¡¯s also something else that I wanted to tell you.¡¯
Sally threw the dirty spoon down into the sink, ran over, took Pip¡¯s hand and pulled her down into the empty seat by the dining room table.
¡®Tell me Pip. What is it?¡¯
¡®Did you say you needed a hand with something?¡¯
¡®Never mind. I was going to ask you to help me clean up, but I¡¯ll get Thomas to help me later on tonight. Tell me, what is it?¡¯
¡®Well¡¡¯ Pip twired a strand of hair around her fingertip ¡®I applied to transfer into a different department at work!¡¯
From the author: so I have to admit, I don''t have any qualifications when it comes to psychology - and I have only been to a psychologist on a few occasions. So if anything comes off as really inaccurate or stupid - please let me know and I''ll definitely edit/fix things.
Don''t forget to follow me on Social media!
Chapter 9: Family Matters
Thomas_The_Magnet:
So Jacob is going up to Bendigo to see his mother and sister on Wednesday. We¡¯ll head up on the Friday, pick him up, and then we¡¯re off to Adelaide BAABEY!!! It looks like we can get a three-bedroom Airbnb for about $800. That¡¯s $200 each and it also means one of you suckers is sleeping on the couch.
Jakeyboy_CoffeeSnob:
I¡¯ll take the couch, I don¡¯t care.
KingofSmashbrosDantheMan:
How did you manage to get leave approved at this time of year Jacob?
Jakeyboy_CoffeeSnob:
I have my ways.
Prince_Ali:
How old is your sister Jacob?
Jakeyboy_CoffeeSnob:
Too young for you, Alex!
Thomas_The_Magnet:
Will you guys shut up for just a second. We still have stuff to sort out. How early can you boys get out of work?
Prince_Ali:
Maybe three? If I¡¯m lucky.
KingofSmashbrosDantheMan:
Sorry guys. Probably 5 at the earliest for me. I¡¯ll bring my stuff to work though, and we can go straight from there.
Prince_Ali:
Maybe KFC for dinner on the way?
KingofSmashbrosDantheMan:
Me and Thomas are trying to be careful about what we eat. Need a six-pack for the summer.
Jakeyboy_CoffeeSnob:
You¡¯re never going to get a six-pack. You go through about five boxes of pizza a week, and two packs of crispy cream donuts.
Prince_Ali:
Actually Daniel, now that I think about it, how are you not fat?
KingofSmashbrosDantheMan:
There¡¯s no way I eat that much Jacob! Plus I got a gym membership. Things are changing.
Jakeyboy_CoffeeSnob:
Anyone can get a gym membership! ;). You know that right?
KingofSmashbrosDantheMan:
Yeah but I actually use it. Don¡¯t I Thomas? You boys would know that if you had moved in with us!
Jakeyboy_CoffeeSnob:
Maybe one day.
Thomas_The_Magnet:
He actually uses it. But he¡¯s only been twice.
KingofSmashbrosDantheMan:
Using it is using it. Doesn¡¯t matter how many times I¡¯ve actually been. But seriously, I¡¯ve only had it for a week ¨C so I think I¡¯m doing pretty good.
Jakeyboy_CoffeeSnob:
You¡¯re right. You¡¯re doing pretty good.
Thomas_The_Magnet:
Well it¡¯s cheat day for me anyway. So I¡¯m down for KFC.
Prince_Ali:
Yew!
Jakeyboy_CoffeeSnob:
Everyday is cheat day for me.
Prince_Ali:
You¡¯re not even coming with us!
Jakeyboy_CoffeeSnob:
You¡¯re picking me up on the way. So I am. For half the trip at least. And you¡¯d better not forget about me, or you¡¯ll have nobody to drive your drunk butt home on Saturday night!
KingofSmashbrosDantheMan:
:¡¯D :¡¯D
Thomas_The_Magnet:
Okay easy! We¡¯ll leave work at six. Stop for KFC. Maybe be in Bendigo around nine, and then we¡¯ll be on track to get into Adelaide at two. Sound good?
Prince_Ali:
What about the part where I take Jacob¡¯s sister out to dinner. Surely that will take at least two extra hours.
Jakeyboy_CoffeeSnob:
She knows karate. She will kill you.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
KingofSmashbrosDantheMan:
Won¡¯t 2am be a little late. How are we going to get the keys for the AirBnB?
Thomas_The_Magnet:
I think they just send us a code. It will be fine!
Prince_Ali:
Super keeeeeeeen!
KingofSmashbrosDantheMan:
Yeah babey!!
Jakeyboy_CoffeeSnob:
?a va ¨ºtre super!!
Thomas_The_Magnet:
Shut up Jacob you show off! :P
***
The sun shone brightly on Wednesday morning as Jacob drove down the two laned highway towards Bendigo. Several kangaroos skipped through the golden grassed fields in the distance, bouncing playfully as they dodged the tall gum trees that swayed gently with the wind.
Jacob sat back, with one hand on the wheel and the other hand holding a cheap keep-cup full of fresh coffee. The open window let in a welcome rush of cool air that blew over his face and rustled his black hair. The sun shone over his face, his eyes were protected by a pair of thick red sunglasses that looked as though they¡¯d cost him two dollars at a service station. All in all, it was a beautiful morning, and there wasn¡¯t much for him to complain about.
Jacob passed a large green sign as he zoomed down the straight road.
Bendigo 100km.
A little less than an hour. And an hour seemed like it would pass by quickly. Especially because he usually let his mind wander on these long drives. It gave him time to think, time to process life. Jacob put his keep cup down in the cup holder and turned the speaker volume up.
***
It didn¡¯t feel like much time had passed before the streets began to transform into the all too familiar suburbs of Bendigo. It was the place he¡¯d spent most of his life, a place he knew almost as well as the back of his hand. The trees and the fields slowly transformed into suburban houses with large front yards and backyards. And before too long, he was driving through the town centre. He passed the fish and chip shop that his dad used to take him to before he had packed up and disappeared, the movie cinema they went to with their mum whenever a new Harry Potter film had come out, and the pub where he¡¯d gone out with his sister when she had turned eighteen.
The main street was different to when he was a boy, but also surprisingly similar. People walked along the sidewalk, kids played in the parks. Buildings had changed, but life hadn¡¯t; the people here looked to be much the same as they always had.
Jacob turned into a side street, passed a few roundabouts, and five minutes later, he was pulling up into a wide driveway, that led to a beautiful red bricked house. There was a patio out the front, a double garage and somehow his mother had managed to keep the front lawn green. There were even bright white daffodils that she¡¯d planted between now and when he''d last been home. She had a way with these things, but he doubted she¡¯d be able to keep the grass this green throughout the whole summer. Especially when there were sure to be water restrictions put in place.
Jacob cut the engine, slid out of the car and pulled his bag out of the back. The front door opened and his mother had appeared at before he¡¯d even made it to the steps. She was clearly old, but her skin shone somewhat youthfully, and her eyes glowed a beautiful green. Her black hair was streaked with grey, and curled down naturally over her shoulders.
¡®Jacob, I¡¯ve missed you,¡¯ she said and moved forward to plant a kiss on his cheek.
¡®Hi mum!¡¯ Jacob returned the kiss, ¡®just give me a second to get these bags inside.¡¯
¡®Sure thing hun. I was expecting you a little earlier. What took you so long?¡¯
¡®Coffee. Three of them. Not really worth it to be honest, servo coffee is disgusting. But it was the only thing that was going to keep me awake. Where¡¯s Jess?¡¯
¡®She¡¯s at uni. She should be back later on this arvo though. Let me help you with that, though.¡¯
¡®It¡¯s fine mum, I got it,¡¯ Jacob said shrugging her off, and pulling his bag up over the step and through the front door.
Jacob hauled his bags down the hallway and into his old bedroom which had been turned into the guestroom. His small single bed had been replaced by a large double bed, and his Spider-man doona cover, and Harry Potter pillow cases had been switched over to a plain green spread, with matching pillows, sheets, quilt and doona. One thing that hadn¡¯t been moved was his plain desk where he¡¯d spent countless hours studying and pouring over textbooks during his VCE. He looked over the white walls. He could still see the marks from all the blue tack he¡¯d used to hang up posters all over the room. That seemed like such a long time ago.
***
His mum fed him almost as much as his grandmother. Jacob shovelled large spoonfulls of minestrone into his mouth, and soaked up half a slice of his mother¡¯s homemade bread into the broth and ate that too.
¡®How¡¯s Nunna going? Do you and Chloe still go to church with her?¡¯
Jacob nodded and swallowed.
¡®Most weeks, yeah.¡¯
¡®It¡¯s good of you two to go and see her. I don¡¯t like to think about it ¨C but you never know how much longer she has.¡¯
¡®She¡¯s going strong mum. I bet she has a lot left in her. She still goes out to tennis on Saturdays with her friends.¡¯
Jacob¡¯s mother, Tessie, laughed a little heartily at that.
¡®Well she never was one to sit at home all day.¡¯
Jacob nodded his head in agreement.
¡®How¡¯s Melbourne?¡¯ Tessie asked as she took a kettle of boiling water, and filled her mug. Their kitchen had a small bench with stools that separated the kitchen from the dining room. Jacob ate his food, while his mother did small bits and bobs, like make tea and mix cookie dough.
¡®It¡¯s good. Cold.¡¯
¡®Not as cold as it is here. It sounds like you¡¯re pretty settled in Melbourne. Your job, your friends, everything¡¯s going well?¡¯
¡®I suppose I kinda am getting settled down there. And yeah, it¡¯s all going well.¡¯
¡®That¡¯s good to hear. And do you have a girlfriend yet?¡¯
Jacob felt his face flush.
¡®N¡ahh,¡¯ Jacob looked down at the kitchen bench, ¡®It¡¯s¡mum¡¡¯
Tessie smiled.
¡®I get it! You don¡¯t want to talk about that stuff with me. Your mum¡¯s not cool enough ¨C is she!¡¯ Tessie teased.
¡®No, it¡¯s not that¡¡¯
¡®It¡¯s fine. I just want you to find someone. That¡¯s all. It¡¯ll happen in your own time. You know your sister started seeing a guy?¡¯
Jacob looked up from the kitchen bench.
¡®Has she now?¡¯
¡®Yep. It¡¯s a pretty new thing for her ¨C the whole dating thing - so don¡¯t tell her I told you. She¡¯ll probably want to tell you herself.¡¯
Jacob grinned.
¡®New?¡¯
¡®For her. Yes.¡¯
Jacob shook his head with a half-smile still plastered to his face.
¡®What¡¯s with that look?¡¯ Tessie asked.
¡®Nothing mum,¡¯ Jacob replied.
Tessie rose an eyebrow curiously, but she was always one to let things go rather than press them when she knew she shouldn¡¯t.
Their conversation flowed casually, and time passed gently. Jacob finished his food, and helped his mum with various things around the kitchen, like preparing the cookie dough that was supposed to be their desert that night. The afternoon was calm, relaxing. Eventually they heard the front door opening and slam shut with a loud thud.
¡®Jakey?¡¯ a voice called down the hallway.
¡®Hey Jess,¡¯ Jacob called back.
A young girl walked out from the hallway and into the kitchen. She wore torn blue jeans, pink Vans, and a purple knitted jumper. Her long black hair was tied up into a bun, which meant that her olive skin was clearly visible. Her dark eyes and long nose were a splitting image of Jacob¡¯s own. Jess threw her bag down onto the floor beside the table and ran forward, almost jumping on Jacob.
¡®Jakey! How you been?¡¯ she said as she blissfully embraced him.
¡®I¡¯m good! I see you¡¯re studying hard at uni. Or hardly studying at all, if I had to guess.¡¯
¡®Probably somewhere in between,¡¯ Jess began to pull back, but stopped for a moment so that her lips were almost pressed against Jacob¡¯s ear.
¡®Maria, hey?¡¯ she whispered giddily.
Jacob felt the blood rush to his cheeks and his heart began to pick up pace. Jacob pulled back from her embrace. Jess had a cheeky smile on her face. Jacob gave her a quick wide-eyed look, that pretty much said ¡®don¡¯t say anything about it.¡¯
Jess winked at him and took a seat beside him on the kitchen bench.
***
¡®Mum, Jacob is dating Maria,¡¯ Jess called over the dining room table. The three of them each sat with a plate of nachos in front of them. The sun had long since set, so the place was no longer lit with natural sunlight, but instead was illuminated brightly with the artificial, yet beautiful lights of the house. Bendigo was a quiet town, there was less noise on the streets and things seemed to be a little slow. But Jacob wasn¡¯t slow, at least to react to his little sister.
¡®What!? Why did you have to¡!¡¯ Jacob threw his hands in the air.
The smile on Jess¡¯ face was so bright that the sun might as well have been shining.
¡®I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯s so exciting, don¡¯t you think? I just couldn¡¯t help it!¡¯
¡®How did you even find out?¡¯
¡®I¡¯ll let you guess,¡¯ Jess laughed.
Jacob folded his arms.
¡®I¡¯m not going to guess! And that¡¯s it. You can forget about that Nintendo Switch I was going to get you for your birthday!¡¯
Jess¡¯ face contorted slightly.
¡®You¡¯re not seriously mad about this, are you?¡¯
¡®Well, yeah, I kind of am,¡¯ Jacob replied.
¡®Why? It¡¯s something to be happy about¡¡¯
¡®I was going to share it in my own time. It¡¯s barely been six weeks. But you couldn¡¯t keep your big mouth shut, could you?¡¯
Jess stood up from her chair, leaving her plate of half-eaten nachos on the table exactly where it was.
¡®You¡¯re twenty-nine Jacob ¨C you don¡¯t need to be all cloak and dagger about these kinds of things, and you don¡¯t need to make a big deal over nothing. I don¡¯t care about the Nintendo Switch anyway,¡¯ Jess turned and walked out of the room before either Jacob or Tessie had a chance to reply. Tessie looked torn between emotions. Joy, as she had just found out that Jacob had a girlfriend, and the daughter of her childhood friend at that, and disappointment, as Jacob and his sister had only been together for a few hours and they were already fighting. A few moments of silence passed before Tessie finally decided what to say.
¡®So, Maria?¡¯ Tessie asked.
Jacob didn¡¯t make eye contact with her.
¡®Yep.¡¯
He twiddled his thumbs.
¡®You could do worse.¡¯
¡®I know.¡¯
Jacob continued to twiddle his thumbs.
¡®Are you really not going to get your sister that gaming machine like you said you would?¡¯
¡®Well. I already bought the thing!¡¯
¡®Go talk to her,¡¯ Tessie nodded towards the hallway.
¡®Fine,¡¯ Jacob said getting up and disappearing. Jacob returned a moment and picked up two plates.
¡®I¡¯ll take these.¡¯
Then disappeared again.
***
¡®Knock, knock,¡¯ Jacob called out at the bedroom door. He didn¡¯t actually knock because he was holding a plate of nachos in each hand. Jacob heard a feint ¡®come in¡¯ echo from the other side. With great difficulty, he managed to turn the door handle with two free fingers and push open the door.
Jess¡¯ room was small and messy ¨C with clothes on the floor, sheets of paper and receipts covering her desk, and a dirty mug on her bedside table. Jess sat back on her bed with a half-open book her hand. But she wasn¡¯t looking at the book at all. As soon as Jacob walked in, her expression turned to one of relief.
¡®You brought the nachos. Thanks! I wanted to come back and eat them so bad, but I felt like I had to stay in here to make a point.¡¯
Jess threw her book off to the side and reached up to take the plate from Jacob. Then she moved over to make room for Jacob on the bed.
¡®Well you made it. You¡¯re right Jess. That wasn¡¯t a big deal. I overreacted.¡¯
¡®Yeah, you did. But it¡¯s fine,¡¯ Jess said as she picked up a corn chip loaded with salsa, cheese and guacamole, and shoved it down her throat.
¡®So, your first boyfriend hey?¡¯
Jess¡¯s eyes widened. She swallowed her mouthful.
¡®Did mum tell you?¡¯
Jacob nodded.
¡®You didn¡¯t¡¡¯
Jacob smiled.
¡®No I didn¡¯t tell her you¡¯ve had plenty of other boyfriends. Because I¡¯m twenty-nine. And I¡¯m supposed to be more mature than a twenty-two year old like you.¡¯
Jacob poked his tongue out and Jess laughed and slapped him on the back.
¡®How did you find out about Maria?¡¯ Jacob asked.
¡®Chloe told me. We keep in touch you know? She helps me with some of my assignments occasionally too. Law can be pretty hard sometimes.¡¯
¡®Oh. That makes sense. Hey, it¡¯s still pretty early. Did you want to go out for a couple of drinks after dinner. When we¡¯ve finished these nachos, and cleaned up all those cookies Mum and I made earlier. I assume she still goes to bed at eight thirty like she always had.¡¯
¡®She goes to bed even earlier these days.¡¯
¡®Great. Let¡¯s go out after desert then.¡¯
¡®We could if you like. I don¡¯t have too much spare cash though.¡¯
¡®Don¡¯t worry,¡¯ Jacob wrapped an arm affectionately around her shoulders, ¡®it¡¯s my shout.¡¯
Chapter 10: Everything Okay?
Pip and Sally snuggled on the couch under a thick blanket watching reruns of friends. Each of them had a steaming mug full of hot chocolate in their hands, and a bag of popcorn between them. Pip wasn¡¯t the type of person to go out. It wasn¡¯t like she couldn¡¯t be convinced to go get a few drinks from time to time, but her preference was always to stay home and watch tv, or read a book. Sometimes she did some painting. Watercolours were her favourite medium.
There was something cosy about laying on the couch with her best friend at nine o clock on a Friday night while most people her age were out drinking, getting dinner or going to see a movie. There was something relaxing about it. Like she felt content.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡®So how many cameras are actually on you?¡¯ said one of the characters on screen.
Sally leaned over to Pip.
¡®So how you been doing hun?¡¯
¡®Better,¡¯ Pip nodded. She smiled and then leant sideways on Sally¡¯s shoulder.
¡®That¡¯s good. Did that transfer get approved?¡¯
¡®Oh Sal, sal. Shhh for a sec,¡¯ Pip said rubbing her shoulder affectionately, ¡®it¡¯s coming.¡¯
¡®What?¡¯
¡®Rachel is about to kiss Ross.¡¯
Sally laughed and leant back against the couch.
¡®Sure.¡¯
Chapter 11: Road Tripping
The next few days were a great change of pace ¨C at least for Jacob. It was nice to be out of the city, away from work, and in a space where he could just relax. Of course he missed Maria, but she messaged him frequently and he knew that he¡¯d be back in Melbourne before too long.
He couldn¡¯t deny that the past six weeks with her had been great, but the two of them spent quite a lot of time together; so going away for half a week wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. It was even a bit of a breath of fresh air. Plus, he¡¯d had a lot less time to spend with his friends now that he was seeing her ¨C and he was looking forward to spending some time with his friends.
His mum, however, wanted to know everything about his new relationship. How it happened, if he was serious, when Maria was coming over for the weekend ¨C and of course, the most awkward question ¨C when she was getting grandchildren. Of course Jacob didn¡¯t answer the last question, and although he skimmed over a lot of details, for once, he tried to be honest with his mother about his love life. His sister was undoubtedly much more immature than he was, but she definitely had some wisdom to share with Jacob.
The next three days passed a little too fast for Jacob. But before he knew it, it was Friday evening, and he was on the phone to Thomas about what time they were due to get into Bendigo. It turned out that Daniel had managed to get out of work much earlier than expected, and so they were hoping to arrive sooner than they¡¯d thought. That was, in Thomas¡¯ words ¡®if Alex and Daniel didn¡¯t gorge themselves on KFC until they passed out.¡¯
A few hours later, while the sun was still out and the light was shining, Thomas¡¯ car was pulling up into the driveway.
Jess was still at uni, she¡¯d already said goodbye Jacob, but Tessie was home, and she insisted that Jacob invite his friends in.
Thomas rolled down the window as Jacob walked along the driveway to meet them. Jacob peered into the car which had been littered with empty cans of soft drink, chip packets and KFC boxes full of chicken bones. Thomas wore sunglasses and his blonde hair looked frazzled by the wind.
¡®Mum wants to know if you want to come in for tea and biscuits.¡¯
Thomas cut the engine.
¡®We could do tea and biscuits, right boys?¡¯ Thomas turned around to Daniel and Alex.
¡®If it means that I get to meet Jacob¡¯s sister, then I¡¯m in,¡¯ Alex said.
Jacob narrowed his eyebrows, but Thomas and Daniel just laughed as they opened the car doors and slid out of their seats, stretching their legs and walking up to the front door at the same time.
¡®Hello Mrs. Azzopardi,¡¯ Thomas greeted Jacob¡¯s mother politely, which was extremely odd and out of character for Thomas.
¡®You can call her Tessie,¡¯ Jacob said.
Tessie smiled and welcomed them.
¡®Come in! Oh, good to see you again Thomas. And it¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it Daniel,¡¯ Tessie smiled embracing him in a gentle hug, and then moving over to greet Thomas in the same way.
¡®This is Alex.¡¯
¡®Nice to meet you Mrs Azzopardi.¡¯
¡®Nice to meet you too!¡¯
Alex held out his hand for her to shake, but Tessie pushed it away and pulled him into the same embrace as she¡¯d given to Thomas and Daniel. Her usual greeting.
¡®I told you to call her Tessie.¡¯
¡®So, this is where you grew up Jacob?¡¯ Thomas said peering around the hallway.
Thomas had met Tessie on multiple occasions ¨C but he¡¯d never actually been to Jacob¡¯s house in Bendigo before. Daniel on the other hand, had gone on many road trips down to Bendigo with Jacob during their uni days; so Daniel was all too familiar with their home, and their family.
¡®Hey look, it¡¯s little Jacob,¡¯ Alex said peering at a small photo on the mantlepiece at the entrance. The two other boys along with Tessie joined in, crowding around the picture.
¡®Yep, that was Jacob¡¯s first day of High School,¡¯ Tessie said, ¡®He was so small. If you want the baby photos, I could probably find them somewhere.¡¯
¡®No mum! We don¡¯t want the baby photos.¡¯
¡®I¡¯d like to see the baby photos, Mrs Azzopardi,¡¯ Alex piped in.
¡®You can call her Tessie!¡¯
Tessie gave Jacob a half grin. She didn¡¯t mean to embarrass him, but Jacob was easily embarrassed.
¡®I think it¡¯s nice that your friends are being polite,¡¯ Tessie said, ¡®honestly, call me what you like. I¡¯m not too bothered about it.¡¯
In the end Tessie did find the baby photos. Tessie passed them around while the five of them were drinking tea and eating Tessie¡¯s homemade figolli (normally these biscuits are an easter treat, but Tessie still had some left over in the freezer). Jacob was extremely thankful that they weren¡¯t able to stay for too long ¨C because they had to hit the road and get a start towards Adelaide.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Soon the four of them were speeding down the highway with their feet up and the wind in their faces. Thomas and Jacob took turns driving. Jacob usually drove ten kilometres under the speed limit, while Thomas usually drove ten kilometres over ¨C so in the end everything kind of just evened out.
Time passed with little and lots of conversation. They spent the hours with the speaker turned up, singing along to Red Hot Chilli Peppers, or on a lower volume, relaxing to Ed Sheeran, and of course, a road trip wouldn¡¯t be a road trip without laughter and banter.
The scenery around them changed from suburban houses, to fields, and denser parts with lots of gum trees. They passed service stations, rest stops and plenty of places to eat. As the sun began to slower, the horizon turned a deep red-orange and then purple, and it continued to lower until the sky was dark and the scenery around them became obscured and all they could see were the headlights of the cars on the opposite lane driving towards them.
They arrived at their Airbnb at twelve-thirty. Not too late, and with plenty of time to crack open some beers and put on a movie. The place was small, with three bedrooms, a modern bathroom, and a cosy little kitchen that connected to the living room.
It was one in the morning by the time they unpacked everything and had settled in. Thomas managed to connect his phone to the TV through the WIFI. There was a little bit of haggling about the movie, but in the end they settled on Rush Hour.
It was a good night. And a good weekend too. They slept in on the Saturday, visited Daniel¡¯s grandmother who made them all delicious home-made ravioli and gelato for desert, and then they began their bar crawl through the city at five in the afternoon. It didn¡¯t end until three the next morning. By then Thomas, Daniel and Alex could barely stand upright.
¡®Get in the car,¡¯ Jacob said holding the door open for Daniel.
¡®You get in the car!¡¯ Daniel retorted with a large giddy smile plastered over his red face.
¡®You get in the car,¡¯ Alex pointed at Thomas.
¡®No you!¡¯ Thomas yelled at Daniel.
¡®You do it first!¡¯ Daniel said.
Jacob huffed and lent back against the bonnet with his phone in his hand wondering when the boys were going to be done mucking around. Probably never.
¡®Why is that bird staring at me?¡¯ Thomas said looking over past Daniel.
¡®What bird? Where?¡¯ Daniel turned around scanning the dark shadows of the street.
¡®Get out of here you stupid bird! And stop staring at my friends,¡¯ Alex said as he began running up and down the streets chasing off the one small bird that had been picking innocently at some crumbs on the pavement. Thomas joined him, running in circles, waving his hands about, until he tripped and fell down. Jacob didn¡¯t even see it happen. Instead he was looking at his phone screen. When his friends were ready to behave, he¡¯d take them home; but until then ¨C he continued writing out his message to Maria. For some reason she was also still awake at two o clock in the morning.
Jacob: Just waiting for these guys to get in the car, and then we¡¯ll head off home. But the state they¡¯re in, that might not happen for another few hours.
Maria: A shame you couldn¡¯t join them. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be acting stupider than them.
Jacob: I am only ever mature when I drink! :P Besides, you¡¯re not really one to talk, are you?
Maria: Haha! I have my ¨C
Jacob felt someone take him by the shoulders and begin shaking him. Jacob looked up with a start. It was Thomes.
¡®COMMON JACOB! LET¡¯S GOOOO!¡¯
Jacob slipped out from Thomas¡¯ grasp, opened the passenger door, and gestured for Thomas to get in. Thomas jumped into the seat and slammed the door shut. Then began climbing through the window until half his body was hanging out.
¡®BOYS!¡¯ he screamed, ¡®BOYS, JACOB¡¯S TAKING US TO MACCAS!¡¯
¡®I am not taking you to Maccas,¡¯ Jacob said.
¡®JACOB¡¯S TAKING US TO MACCAS! LET¡¯S GO.¡¯
Alex and Daniel began sprinting towards the car, Daneil opened the door and Alex dived onto the back seat. Daniel scrambled in after.
¡®MACCAS, MACCAS, MACCAS,¡¯ the three boys chanted in unison.
¡®Fine, I¡¯ll take you to Maccas, but Thomas is paying and then we¡¯re going straight back to the AirBnB.¡¯
¡®No Alex is paying!¡¯ Thomas said.
¡®No Daniel.¡¯
¡®No Thomas.¡¯
Jacob shook his head as he started the car. He supposed he¡¯d be paying.
In the end Thomas paid. Thomas gave Jacob his bank card and told them all to order whatever they wanted. The next day the three boys were hung over, and barely even able to roll out of bed. Jacob, however, was full of energy. He got back from his midday run before the three boys were even out of bed.
All in all, it was a great weekend. Thomas, Alex, and Daniel were more or less recovered by the time they had packed up and began the nine-hour drive back to Melbourne. Jacob took the first shift. As he drove along the highway adjacent to the setting sun, with his best friends slouched on the seats around him, and the music playing loud, but not too loud to be disturbing, he began to reflect on his life. He had a decent job, good friends, family that cared for him and a beautiful girlfriend. By all means, his life should have felt perfect. It should have felt complete. But Jacob still couldn¡¯t help the feeling that something was lacking, that there was something missing. He tried his best to push that feeling away. He tried very, very hard.
***
Jacob pressed the button on the lift frantically.
¡®Crap, crap, crap.¡¯
The four of them hadn¡¯t arrived home on Sunday until quite late. So of course Jacob had hit the snooze button on his alarm one too many times the next morning, and now he was late for work. The lift wasn¡¯t coming down quick enough.
Jacob abandoned the lift and began running up the stairs, taking them two at a time. A decision he regretted after he¡¯d gotten four floors up and realised that the lift probably would have come and gone in that time. If he¡¯d not been in shape, he probably wouldn¡¯t have made it. When he finally got to his floor, and opened the door to the office floor, he saw that there was a few people loitered around ¨C but he suddenly realised that nobody on his team were at their desks at all.
¡®Monday. Monday. Crap. Monday briefing.¡¯
Jacob threw his bag on his desk, bolted out the door and down a corridor. He rounded a corner and stopped at a large door, with two glass squares that were covered with blinds. Jacob looked down at his watch. He was only fifteen minutes late. Gently, he turned the handle and pushed the door open. It didn¡¯t make his entrance any more subtle.
The room was small, with a table in the middle, a large glass window along one side that overlooked the city, and a TV plastered upon the wall at the far end. Martha stood in front of the TV. It was obvious that she¡¯d been in the middle of addressing the team, but the TV was still turned off, so she clearly hadn¡¯t gotten very far. Jacob looked around at everyone who sat at the table - their heads slowly turning toward him. It was the usual crowd, all the normal people he worked with every day. Well most of them worked with him every day. There was someone he didn¡¯t recognise. Someone who was still staring fixedly at Martha in front of the TV. A girl. Clearly young, with blazing red hair, a slender body and glasses. But Jacob could only see the back of her head. So that was all he could make out.
¡®Jacob, take a seat,¡¯ said Martha, ¡®you haven¡¯t missed much. I was just introducing our new team member, Penellope.¡¯
¡®Please, call me Pip,¡¯ said the girl as she slowly turned around to look at Jacob.
Their eyes met and Jacob¡¯s heart skipped a beat.
Chapter 12: The New Girl
Chapter 12: New Girl
Pip sat in front of the computer behind her new desk, surrounded by four makeshift cubicle walls, tapping away at her keyboard while listening to calming lo-fi beats through her wireless air pods. She wasn¡¯t really supposed to be listening to music at work ¨C well ¨C there weren¡¯t any strict rules against music, but it was never a good look. However she always found that she was most productive when she had something to calm her, and sometimes something to bop her head to. Her old boss didn¡¯t mind. Pip had a good reputation of being a hard worker ¨C there were a lot of things back then that she could get away with. But she was part of a new team now, and first impressions mattered. So she let her bright red hair down, tying part of it into a ponytail so that it looked neat, and letting the rest flow over her ears, completely covering her airpods.
¡®Hello there.¡¯
Pip swivelled around in her chair. Someone was hovering over the side of her cubicle wall, peering down at her. It was him. The boy from the lift. They¡¯d both pretended not to recognise each other when they¡¯d first seen each other in the meeting, but it was obvious that they both did.
¡®Easy Obi-wan,¡¯ Pip grinned with a relaxed demeanour, a look that was supposed to hide the nervousness that was now gushing over her.
¡®Obi-wan, I thought you were a fan beautiful literature, proper well written stories. Not Star Wars,¡¯ Jacob held up a book. It was blue and golden with an illustration of a large boat on the front, sailing through the wild sea. Narnia. Her copy.
So he did remember her.
¡®You were the one who made the reference? And what makes you think that Star Wars is poorly written?¡¯ she asked as she subtly took the airpods out of her ears by pretending to brush her hair back.
¡®It was a very off-the-cuff script. Lucas wrote the stories as he went. There was no planning it out, it was very much like why don¡¯t we make Darth Vadar his father, or why don¡¯t we make Leah his sister. And don¡¯t get me started on the spin-offs.¡¯ "I guess it''s not like Narnia then?" "Or Lord of the Rings," Jacob continued. "Or Wuthering Heights.""Mmmm, I¡¯m inclined to disagree on that last one. Wuthering Heights is terrible. Imagine writing a book about a guy who spends a third of his life chasing after a girl, another third of his life depressed that he was rejected by the girl, and the rest of his life trying to get revenge on her children. I hate to break it to you, but it¡¯s a little sad,¡¯ Jacob smiled.
Pip couldn¡¯t help but laugh.
¡®You¡¯re very opinionated when it comes to novels, aren¡¯t you. I happen to really like Wuthering Heights. I think it¡¯s a remarkable piece of literature.¡¯
¡®Each to their own, I guess. Maybe I¡¯ll re-read it one of these days, but I doubt my opinion is going to change.¡¯
¡®Each to their own,¡¯ Pip said with a soft, agreeable tone.
¡®Well, umm, here¡¯s your book,¡¯ Jacob held it out for Pip to take.
¡®Thanks for keeping it safe.¡¯
¡®No stress,¡¯ Jacob said as he handed it back to her, ¡®oh and no need to hide the music. As long as work gets done ¨C nobody around here really cares. Sometimes even when work doesn¡¯t get done, nobody cares.¡¯
Pip¡¯s eyes widened slightly.
How did he¡
***
Jacob slumped back into his desk which wasn¡¯t actually that far away from Pip¡¯s. When he had first seen Pip back in the meeting room, his heart had almost leapt up through his chest and out his mouth; he could tell by the look on her face that she had also been surprised to see him. After he had walked in and seen her, he had nodded to Martha and then tripped over his own shoelaces. It couldn¡¯t have been more awkward. After he¡¯d met her in the life, he honestly didn¡¯t ever think he¡¯d see her again, but now here she was, less than five meters away from him.
Suddenly his phone began to vibrate on his desk interrupting him from his thoughts. Jacob picked up the phone.
¡®Hey beautiful,¡¯ he answered, ¡®yep, still on for lunch.¡¯
Jacob looked down at his watch.
¡®Give me like half an hour¡sure¡see you soon!¡¯
***
¡®She didn¡¯t know what department I worked in? Did she?¡¯
The four boys sat on a table outside The Rusty Bike Tavern, each of them with a schooner of beer, except for Alex, who was drinking lemonade.
¡®I¡¯m so tired man! I think I¡¯m still kinda hung over,¡¯ Alex said.
¡®You¡¯re not kinda hung over. You didn¡¯t even drink that much,¡¯ Thomas retorted.
Daniel leant in and looked across the table at Jacob.
¡®She didn¡¯t know what department you worked in dude. How would she know?¡¯
Jacob threw his hands in the air.
¡®I dunno. Maybe Thomas mentioned something to Sally?¡¯
Thomas shook his head.
¡®Sally doesn¡¯t know what department you work in. We barely talk about you. Sorry but it¡¯s true. This is all just a coincidence.¡¯
¡®I suppose it must be.¡¯
¡®Jacob, you¡¯re worrying too much about this,¡¯ Daniel said, ¡®you had a fleeting schoolboy crush on her - ¡¯
¡®School girl crush,¡¯ Thomas interrupted.
¡®School girl crush,¡¯ Daniel continued, ¡®but doesn¡¯t mean things have to be awkward. Yeah, you work with her now. You¡¯re not single anymore. You get along with her. So what? You can be her friend. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that,¡¯ Daniel said.
Jacob shrugged his shoulders suddenly beginning to feel bad about the fact that he was making a big deal about it.
¡®And maybe you can invite her to come hang out with us. I¡¯ll invite Sally. It¡¯ll be fine. Daniel¡¯s right. Don¡¯t worry. Don¡¯t think about it.¡¯
¡®I spose I am causing a bit of a fuss about it. What do you think Alex?¡¯
¡®Don¡¯t ask me,¡¯ Alex said, ¡®my head hurts.¡¯
Daniel laughed and rubbed Alex¡¯s hair.
¡®You are causing a fuss about it,¡¯ Thomas interjected slapping Jacob on the back, ¡®she probably doesn¡¯t even remember you.¡¯
¡®She did remember me. At least I¡¯m pretty sure.¡¯
¡®I¡¯ll ask Sally.¡¯
¡®Don¡¯t! No¡no, no, no,¡¯ Jacob blushed and began waving his hands about.
¡®Chill. I¡¯ll be subtle about it. She¡¯s going to find out you work with Pip sooner or later ¨C things are getting serious. And I want you guys to meet her.¡¯
Jacob huffed, but left it as it was.
¡®Thomas getting serious with a girl,¡¯ Alex commented.
¡®Yep,¡¯ Daniel agreed, ¡®never thought I¡¯d see the day. Also Jacob, don¡¯t try to hide it from Maria, either. Things will go pear shaped if you¡¯re secretive.¡¯
Jacob nodded in agreement and took a large gulp of beer.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
***
The week passed fairly quickly; and with very little commotion ¨C although a lot of interaction between Jacob and Pip. Despite Daniel¡¯s little pep-talk, Jacob still tried to avoid her when he could, but it was hard. Secretly, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little guilty every time he spoke to her, and what was more, every little interaction that they did have usually turned into a conversation about one thing or another. He just couldn¡¯t help but get along with her. He kept repeating Daniel¡¯s words of wisdom in his head.
You can be her friend. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that.
He told Maria about it while they were having dinner one night at his place. Well, kind of.
¡®A new girl joined our team at work this week,¡¯ was how he put it.
¡®Aha, what¡¯s she like,¡¯ Maria asked as she chewed vigorously on a mouthful of spaghetti (which was really the only thing Jacob could cook).
¡®Quiet¡she doesn¡¯t really cause much of a fuss. She just kind of gets on with it. If you know what I mean. She¡¯s actually Thomas¡¯ girlfriend¡¯s friend.¡¯
¡®Thomas¡¯ girlfriends¡¯ friend, huh? If she¡¯s young and cute then you¡¯d better stay away from her!¡¯ Maria pointed a hard finger at him.
¡®She¡¯s young¡ and well¡ I mean cute but¡I don¡¯t know how to umm¡¡¯
¡®I¡¯m joking you loser. I¡¯m not jealous.¡¯
¡®Oh,¡¯ Jacob gave her a look of relief, ¡®Well she¡¯s not as cute as you!¡¯
¡®That¡¯s what I like to hear,¡¯ Maria said as she leant across the table and pecked Jacob on the lips.
***
Coffee with Chloe was still the best part of his week. The weather was beginning to warm up; and so the plants around their usual caf¨¦ were beginning to turn bright and colourful. The flowers were budding, and the trees were showing signs of growing their first new green leaves for the season.
¡®Summer is on its way here!¡¯ Chloe said leaning back in her chair and sipping on a cup of coffee, ¡®I can feeeel it in the air!¡¯
¡®Your favourite season, isn¡¯t it?¡¯
¡®Well, what¡¯s not to love? Ice cream, swimming, longer days. It¡¯s just fabulous, don¡¯t you think?¡¯
Jacob shrugged his shoulders.
¡®I dunno. Every season is beautiful in its own way. Sure, you can eat ice cream, and go swimming in the summer. But there¡¯s nothing like coming home on a cold day to a warm drink and a hot bath. And you can also go snowboarding in winter.¡¯
¡®And what about spring and autumn.¡¯
¡®Well,¡¯ Jacob continued to stare out the coffee shop window admiring the beauty of the trees, grass and newborn flowers, ¡®they¡¯re the comfortable months. It¡¯s not too hot, not too cold. The temperature is perfect. Plus the golden leaves on the trees are gorgeous in autumn. So picturesque.¡¯
¡®You know,¡¯ Chloe joined him looking out the window, she, however, was admiring the people passing by ¨C walking along the sidewalk seemingly without a care in the world, ¡®for someone who goes on about having something missing in your life, you seem pretty content.¡¯
¡®It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want to feel content. I try you know.¡¯
¡®Well you¡¯re doing a great job cuz!¡¯ Chloe beamed and tugged on Jacob¡¯s hands, drawing his attention away from the window.
¡®So this new girl. What¡¯s wrong with her?¡¯
¡®There¡¯s nothing wrong with her ¨C I just get along with her a bit too well. If you know what I mean. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair to Maria. I already spoke with the boys about it. And they told me not to worry. But I just can¡¯t not worry.¡¯
¡®Well, are you planning on cheating on Maria?¡¯ Chloe asked.
¡®No!¡¯
¡®Then who really cares Jacob. Trust me, Maria¡¯s had a lot worse than a boyfriend who got along pretty well with another girl at work.¡¯
¡®Really,¡¯ Jacob rose an eyebrow.
¡®Yep. You¡¯re out of the norm for her. She normally dates - ¡¯
¡®Immature losers. I know. She really seemed to like those kinds of guys. But how bad did it really get.¡¯
¡®Let¡¯s just say that cheating wasn¡¯t out of the question for them. And they had no remorse about it. I don¡¯t want to share too much though, why don¡¯t you ask her yourself.¡¯
¡®Yeah, I probably should at some point.¡¯
¡®You¡¯ve got nothing to worry about,¡¯ Chloe rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.
¡®Thanks, I appreciate it.¡¯
Maria wasn¡¯t at church that week. She was catching up with a few of her girlfriends, though Jacob already knew this. Maria¡¯s grandmother and her parents were there though. They always tried to make small talk with Jacob, but Jacob just felt awkward whenever they did.
Jacob and Maria weren¡¯t really open about things at this stage ¨C he didn¡¯t even know if her parents knew that they were a thing yet. It¡¯s not really something he asked her about; he felt like knowing would just make him more nervous.
The few times they had been at mass together during the months they had been seeing each other ¨C Jacob had tried to avoid her as much as possible. He didn¡¯t know why. It was probably because he felt super weird about it all with his grandmother and her parents around. But Maria never avoided him. In fact she kept flirting with him, and it wasn¡¯t really subtle either. One time Jacob had seen her waving at him from the other side of the pew. Another week Maria had insisted that Chloe move over so she could sit next to Jacob, and then proceeded to rest her head against his shoulder during the service. On the way home that week, Chloe had commented on how embarrassed he had looked; and said that she had wished she¡¯d gotten a photo. Chloe had comforted him by telling him Maria has an upfront personality, and he¡¯d get used to it.
Lunch at his grandmother¡¯s was no different to usual. They ate Maltese torta and chocolate for dessert. They watched Judge Judy, and played cards. The afternoon passed blissfully; exactly as any lazy Sunday afternoon should. And as normal, Chloe and Jacob kissed their grandmother goodbye around five o clock in the afternoon before going home.
Jacob spent the rest of the day reading. When night fell, he ate a small helping of leftovers that his grandmother had given him to take home, showered and set his alarm to wake up early the next day. He thought that his mind was active, he thought he¡¯d have to fight to get his body to calm down, but to his surprise he fell asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.
It had taken Pip a little longer to get to sleep. It really shouldn¡¯t have. She had just finished reading the Shadow and Bone series, and now she couldn¡¯t help but succumb to the urge to re-read Narnia, a series she thought was heartfelt and cosy and always made her feel like she was back at home with her mother and father. But for some reason, after she¡¯d turned out the light, she found herself staring up at the roof of her bedroom, with her eyes open and her mind ticking ¨C listening to the sounds of dogs barking in the distance, along with the sounds of cars and traffic passing by in the street.
Pip hadn¡¯t had any intentions of talking about Jacob with anybody ¨C she¡¯d only mentioned him once to Sally. He was the ¡®boy¡¯ at work in her ¡®new department¡¯.
¡®The boy in your new department, hey. Is he handsome?¡¯ Sally had asked her.
¡®No,¡¯ Pip had replied, which technically wasn¡¯t a lie, because what Pip really thought was that he was more than just handsome, he was gorgeous.
But despite her intentions, Jacob did come up during that week. It was becoming more and more normal for Thomas to visit ¨C usually he would just come to hang out with Sally. Sometimes they¡¯d go to Thomas¡¯ place instead, but more often than not, they were in the kitchen, or on the couch in front of the TV watching Netflix.
Thomas hadn¡¯t spoken much about his friends before. Pip had supposed it was because things with him and Sally had been pretty new. But now they¡¯d been together for almost two months. Thomas seemed to be getting more comfortable around Sally, and in turn, he was getting more comfortable with Pip.
Pip had been in her pyjamas, on her way from the kitchen to the bedroom to her bedroom when Thomas had said something. Apparently the boy at work, the boy from the lift, the boy who¡¯d been holding onto her special edition copy of Narnia for a bit over two months, had been one of Thomas¡¯ best friends. Who would have thought.
Of course Pip had felt the need to continue the conversation, asking a bit about Jacob, and how Thomas knew him. It had all seemed nice, until she found out the Jacob was seeing a girl.
When it came up, Pip didn¡¯t know how to take it. She didn¡¯t know how she should be taking it. After all, she¡¯d spent the past week trying to convince herself that she didn¡¯t like Jacob, and that Jacob didn¡¯t like her. So why did she feel so torn apart about the fact that he had a girlfriend. Either way, she made sure not to let it show. She continued making small-talk with Thomas for a little longer, before she smiled and went straight to her room.
Now Pip found that she was still looking up at the ceiling of her bedroom. It took a while for her to calm down, a while for her to drift off. When she did finally manage it, she had lively dreams and a troubled sleep. She didn¡¯t really wake up feeling well rested the next day.
***
¡®You just have to kick it,¡¯ Jacob said.
¡®What,¡¯ Pip replied, a little shocked.
¡®You have to kick it. Pretty hard too. That¡¯s what we all do around here to get that photocopier working,¡¯ Jacob said.
¡®Okay¡¡¯ Pip looked at the machine in front of her that had just started glitching out. It was the last thing she needed on a Monday morning, while she was high on caffeine. Without thinking she kicked the machine with her small foot.
Jacob gasped.
¡®Pip, I was kidding.¡¯
¡®About kicking the photocopier? That was just a joke?¡¯ Pip quickly looked around the office. Luckily there was nobody in sight.
¡®I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually do it?¡¯ Jacob said with a pleading voice.
¡®Jacob you¡¡¯ Pip punched him in the arm; the softest punch he¡¯d every taken in his life.
Jacob couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. They say laughter is contagious. And for Pip it really was, because a few moments later a smile drew up over her face too, and then the two of them were leaning against the photocopier in hysterics.
¡®Seriously though Jacob,¡¯ Pip said once they¡¯d both calmed down, ¡®how do you get this thing working?¡¯
¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯
¡®You really don¡¯t?¡¯
¡®I really don¡¯t. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn¡¯t. Try turning it off and on again ¨C though that only helps half the time.¡¯
Pip began fiddling with the buttons on the machine.
¡®Hey, you know umm¡¡¯ Jacob began after a few moments of silence had passed.
¡®Umm what?¡¯ Pip replied without looking up.
¡®Umm your best friend is dating my best friend.¡¯
¡®I know,¡¯ Pip said.
¡®You know? Well Thomas was kinda thinking it would be cool if we all hung out together.¡¯
¡®Yeah he said the same thing to me.¡¯
¡®Oh, and what did you say?¡¯
¡®I said I thought it would be cool.¡¯
Jacob nodded his head as he leant against the wall casually.
¡®Cool,¡¯ he said.
Pip looked at him from the photocopier.
¡®Cool.¡¯
Jacob smiled.
¡®Cool,¡¯ he whispered.
Pip suddenly realised something. It didn¡¯t matter if Jacob had a girlfriend. She enjoyed hanging out with him. And they were just friends. There was nothing wrong with that.
Chapter 13: The Days That Passed
Thomas and Alex wanted to name their new group chat something they thought was cool, like The New Work Avengers 2.0, but both Jacob and Daniel gave them a pretty hard no. In the end they named the group chat ¡®Work Friends¡¯ and left it at that. Alex thought it was boring. Thomas said it was lame. But all of them agreed that it was good enough. There were seven members. Jacob, Pip, Thomas, Sally, Daniel, Mia, and Alex.
***
¡®Well, there you go, you wanted us to get to know Sally a bit more. And now we¡¯re getting to know her,¡¯ Jacob said as he waited in line for coffee next to Thomas on Tuesday morning.
¡®You don¡¯t really know her yet,¡¯ Thomas replied.
¡®Yes. But we will. That¡¯s the point of the group.¡¯
Jacob leant to the side, peering down the line that snaked outside the coffee shop that was built into one of the many tall, high-rise buildings.
¡®What¡¯s taking them so long today? I¡¯m normally in the door and out by now.¡¯
A short man in front of Jacob turned to face them.
¡®I think they¡¯re having problems with the coffee machine.¡¯
Jacob looked down at his watch.
¡®We¡¯re going to be late if this keeps up.¡¯
¡®You¡¯re going to be late. My boss doesn¡¯t care when I get in. Don¡¯t stress too much. They¡¯re not going to fire you.¡¯
***
¡®What took you so long to get in this morning. Martha asked about you three times already,¡¯ Pip said as Jacob scurried in with an empty takeaway coffee cup trying not to be seen.
¡®Three times? I¡¯m only ten minutes late. What did you tell her?¡¯
¡®I told her you were at the photocopier.¡¯
¡®You know, you could have pulled that off if the photocopier wasn¡¯t broken,¡¯ Jacob replied as he dumped his bag under his desk.
Pip shrugged.
¡®It was the best I had.¡¯
Jacob booted up his computer.
¡®There was a bit of a hold up at my favourite caf¨¦ this morning.¡¯
¡®You were late because of coffee? Didn¡¯t you know we have a coffee machine in the tearoom. I¡¯ve only been here for a week, and I already know about it.¡¯
¡®I can¡¯t start the day without a coffee from Tierra Madre Caf¨¦. There¡¯s nothing else like it.¡¯
¡®You told me yesterday that Red Brick caf¨¦ was your favourite place for coffee.¡¯
¡®Well, I take it back.¡¯
¡®Hmm, okay then. I¡¯ll have to try one of their coffees sometime then¡¯ Pip said as she pulled out her phone, ¡®Hey umm, what¡¯s with the group chat?¡¯
Jacob pointed to desk opposite him.
¡®Grab a chair if you like. For some reason Martha gets onto me for being ten minutes late, but she doesn¡¯t care that Jane takes a two-hour cigarette break in the morning, because she got here half an hour early.¡¯
Pip laughed and pulled the chair out from under the desk.
¡®Having a group chat is just easier than sending messages around individually,¡¯ Jacob explained, ¡®We have one with the boys; but trust me, you don¡¯t want to be added to that one.¡¯
¡®No. I get that. I¡¯m talking about the chat itself,¡¯ Pip held up the phone so Jacob could see.
The name of the group chat read ¡®The New Office Heroes 2.0.¡¯
The chat head had a picture of Kevin Malone from The Office dropping a bowl of hot soup on the floor.
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Jacob slapped his face in frustration.
¡®I told them not to name it something stupid like that.¡¯
¡®Oh, so you don¡¯t know what it¡¯s about? I thought it must have been some kind of in-joke between you guys,¡¯ Pip said.
¡®Nope, not at all. My friends are just being stupid.¡¯
¡®You know, the more I think about it, the more I kind of do thing it¡¯s a bit of a fun name.¡¯
¡®You¡¯re not being serious, are you?¡¯
¡®Dead serious!¡¯
Pip started laughing, and Jacob couldn¡¯t help but join in.
¡®Well, if that¡¯s your kind of humour, then each to their own. But I think it¡¯s corny.¡¯
Suddenly Pip sat up slightly straighter, and her face contorted so that it was a little less casual, and a little more serious.
¡®Thanks so much for helping me with that Jacob. I really owe you one.¡¯
Jacob rose an eyebrow, but before he could voice his confusion Pip looked up over his shoulder and continued talking.
¡®A good worker you¡¯ve got here Martha. Dug me out of a massive hole.¡¯
Jacob turned around. Martha was standing behind him, straight and tall. Jacob hesitated for a moment but eventually he spoke.
¡®Umm, yeah, it was nothing really, no big deal. No harm done.¡¯
Jacob¡¯s eyes kept darting between Martha and Pip as he spoke. Martha gave the feintest of smiles.
¡®It¡¯s why we keep him around,¡¯ Martha said and the marched off.
Jacob turned back to Pip.
¡®You know you¡¯re putting a target on your back by covering for me, right?¡¯
¡®I don¡¯t mind. I can always transfer back to me department if things don¡¯t work out here!¡¯
***
As always, Thomas was the one who initiated events. He had been the one to make the group chat and add everyone¡¯s numbers. Now he went ahead and set a date for burgers after work. Mia couldn¡¯t make it, and neither could Alex. They tried to move the dates around, but it was going to be hard to find a day that worked for everyone ¨C and Thomas was quite eager for Sally to meet his friends. Sally said not to worry about Mia, and Alex told Thomas that there was always next time.
It was a rainy Monday afternoon in Melbourne, about two weeks after Jacob had convinced Pip to kick the photocopier. Thomas and Daniel had a meeting in their department that had gone on until quite late, and so they had decided to walk straight from work to the burger place.
Jacob had gotten out of work early. He got home in time to fit in a quick run through the suburbs, which was relaxing and refreshing, because the rain was heavy enough to cool him down, but not so heavy that it soaked into his t-shirt. After a shower and a shave, he threw on some clothes and still managed to get to Grill¡¯d before everyone else.
Pip and Sally were the next ones to get there. Pip easily spotted Jacob, who was sitting on a table scrolling through Instagram.
¡®Jacob!¡¯ Pip beamed waving at him frantically and pulling up a chair next to him. Jacob put his phone down and looked up.
¡®So you¡¯re ¡®the boy¡¯ in Pip¡¯s new department,¡¯ Sally said with a sly grin as she joined them on the table.
Pip¡¯s eyes widened.
¡®Sally,¡¯ she whispered with embarrassment. The last thing Pip wanted was for Jacob to know what that she had paid special attention to him.
¡®So you¡¯re the girl that¡¯s been taking up all Thomas¡¯ time,¡¯ Jacob replied with an equally sly grin.
Sally laughed.
¡®Not all his time. Just some of it.¡¯
***
Thomas and Daniel arrived twenty minutes later. They walked into the lively burger restaurant, and spotted their friends sitting close to the window.
¡®So I see you¡¯ve already met Jacob¡¯ Thomas said to Sally as he approached the table, ¡®or do you want me to introduce you just for the sake of it?¡¯
¡®Why don¡¯t you introduce us,¡¯ Sally said patting Thomas comfortingly on the back, ¡®It sounds like it will make you feel better.¡¯
Thomas sat next to Sally. Daniel sat down on the opposite side of the table next to Jacob and Pip.
¡®Jacob, this is Sally. Sally, this is Jacob and Daniel. Daniel, this is Pip. Pip, Daniel. Jacob you know Pip. Now we¡¯ve all met.¡¯
¡®Nice to meet you,¡¯ Daniel waved at both Sally and Pip.
¡®It¡¯s a shame your friend Alex couldn¡¯t make it,¡¯ Sally commented.
Daniel flicked his wrist, waving it off as nothing.
¡®He¡¯s probably almost back home by now, from whatever it was that he was doing, just being lazy.¡¯
¡®You can talk,¡¯ Jacob snickered, ¡®who is it that sleeps until one o clock on a Saturday?¡¯
¡®Hey,¡¯ Daniel said, ¡®I¡¯m combining my Saturday sleep-in with my midday siesta. It checks out.¡¯
¡®Alex is probably at home stalking your sister online Jacob,¡¯ Thomas laughed.
¡®Hey!¡¯ Jacob punched Thomas in the arm lightly from across the table.
Pip observed the three boys bantering from where she sat quietly. When she¡¯d first met Thomas, she¡¯d thought he had been a stiff-necked proper gentlemen. Now she was starting to see that this had been an act, probably more to do with the fact that he had been so nervous around Sally. He was most likely doing his best to make a good impression on both Sally and her friends; as most guys do when they first start dating a girl they like. Pip still thought he was a gentlemen, in the way that he was a really nice guy, but in reality he didn¡¯t fit the stereotype. At least not anymore. And he was anything but stiff-necked. Now, if Pip had to describe him, it would be as a carefree confident guy.
¡®Are we going to order,¡¯ Daniel asked interrupting Pip from her thoughts.
¡®Yep, I¡¯m starving,¡¯ Thomas replied.
¡®I¡¯m so down for the Simply Grill¡¯d¡¯ Jacob said getting up out of his seat.
¡®It¡¯s Bird and Brie for me,¡¯ Daniel said.
¡®What do you want?¡¯ Thomas asked Sally.
¡®I think I¡¯ll go for the Hotbird.¡¯
¡®Great.¡¯
The four of them joined the line to order.
¡®What are you getting?¡¯ Jacob asked Pip.
¡®Mmm, probably the garden goodness.¡¯
¡®I didn¡¯t know you were a vegetarian?¡¯ Jacob asked.
¡®Well I am.¡¯
¡®Explains why you just eat salad for lunch every day.¡¯
¡®I eat salad because I like to be healthy!¡¯
They ate and talked and laughed and time flowed gently in its wake. Burgers and chips weren¡¯t bad. Especially for a rainy Monday evening. With good conversations. And new friends. The night passed rather quickly, and they stayed out later than Jacob normally would. He couldn¡¯t complain. All in all, it was a good start to the week.
Chapter 14: The Weekend Markets
The Saturday night markets in the city were something special. Not only were the trees in the park decorated with sparkling little fairy lights, which reflected and glinted yellow off the still water of the ponds, but the tall skyscrapers of the city were visible all around. There were a lot of people walking along the gravel paths that ran through the park, but there weren¡¯t so many people that it felt crowded. Stalls had been set up along the sides, each of them selling something different, mostly food; from burgers, to Mexican and Asian food ¨C but some also sold toys and crafts. There were bands on the corners playing upbeat music and people who laid on the grass, listening and eating with an air of tranquillity ¨C through others danced casually. All in all, it was an atmosphere that could only be described as magical.
Thomas had gotten back into the swing of organising outings like usual, and it seemed that their small little work group was expanding ¨C naturally of course. It had been three weeks since they had gone out for burgers; and since then, they¡¯d all gone out for ice-cream on the following Friday after work, and then they¡¯d had coffee together at the Coffee Club during their lunch break on the Wednesday afterwards.
It was actually Sally who had suggested the market. She¡¯d been telling Thomas about how she¡¯d been wanting to go for a while, and before any of them knew it, they¡¯d all crossed that Saturday night out of their calendar. Except for Daniel. He didn¡¯t have a calendar. He just crossed it out in his head.
Jacob had invited Maria along, but unfortunately she couldn¡¯t make it. One of her friends from out of town was visiting, and they¡¯d had a dinner planned for quite a while.
¡®I¡¯ve been to the markets in the city about a hundred times, you¡¯ll love it though!¡¯ she¡¯d told him with a rugged smile.
***
The sun was out in all its glory on Saturday; not that Jacob really made the most of it. He spent most of the day watching TV, though he did manage to get out for a short run in the afternoon; it was about the only productive thing he managed to do. The daylight had almost disappeared by the time he¡¯d gotten ready to leave the house, there were a few small clouds in the sky, and a cool draft blew through as he walked out onto the street. The temperature was rising. No longer did Jacob need to wear a thick jacket, scarf, gloves and beanie - jeans, a t-shirt and a thin cardigan was sufficient.
The markets were on the opposite side of the city to where Jacob lived. He had organised to meet up with Daniel and Thomas at the park which was about halfway between their houses, so they could go together. It was a fifteen-minute walk for Jacob, and a little less for Thomas and Daniel. Jacob was there before they were, though he wasn¡¯t waiting long. Thomas and Daniel appeared tottering down the street, Daniel with his hair tied up ¨C a thin cardigan and collared shirt, and Thomas held a cup of coffee, and wore a long coat that dropped down well past his waist.
¡®Even I don¡¯t drink coffee this late,¡¯ Jacob said as Thomas and Daniel approached him.
¡®It¡¯s decaf,¡¯ Thomas said has a drained the last dregs from the cup, and threw it in one of the nearby bins, ¡®nobody consumes as much caffeine as you do,¡¯ Thomas added with a cheeky grin.
¡®That¡¯s something that I¡¯m very proud of.¡¯
From the park they walked to the nearest train station, which didn¡¯t take them long; the train pulled up a few minutes later. Soon they were gliding along the train tracks, which ran beside the urban afternoon streets, just as twilight was passing and the lights in the windows of the buildings around them were beginning to flicker on. They got to their stop twenty minutes later, got off, walked down a few streets, and jumped on the tram which proved to be an equally relaxing experience.
The city was flourishing with leisurely activity, from families enjoying a day out, to couples holding hands; there were even students from rural Victoria who seemed to be in Melbourne for a school camp. Jacob heard one of the students say something about ¡®top arts¡¯ which really made him think about his days when he would venture down to Melbourne on school excursions during his VCE.
Even during the late hours of the afternoon, the streets were bustling and people got on and off the trams casually. Eventually there was a loud ding, and the tram doors opened for them to depart. The three of them stepped out onto the street and began stroll down the sidewalk. They made their way past the shops, under the lampposts and trees, all whilst weaving in and out of the people who passed them by.
¡®I¡¯m glad it¡¯s starting to warm up,¡¯ Daniel said as he unbuttoned the top of his thin coat, ¡®this winter was freeeezing!¡¯
¡®It was pretty cold,¡¯ said Thomas, ¡®but I think a lot of it was to do with the fact that you¡¯re just a bit of a softy.¡¯
¡®Maybe. But I wasn¡¯t the one blasting the heaters at home. Pretty sure the electricity bill spike was because of you.¡¯
Thomas shrugged.
¡®Shut up and let¡¯s go,¡¯ Jacob said taking Thomas by the shoulder and pulling them ahead. He was the only one conscious that they were running late.
***
The boys were late. But the girls didn¡¯t mind. In fact, they had expected it. Pip found a beautiful little Japanese stall (that had apparently been a regular stall at the market since the 90s), and bought a sweet Taiyaki, which was a fish shaped biscuit-like little treat. Sally and Mia had both gotten some crispy chips, as well as a cup of hot chocolate each ¨C and the three of them sat on the grass in front of a band playing live music. It didn¡¯t take long for Pip to finish her Taiyaki; she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little glutenous as she got up to search for more food. But she reminded herself that it was a Saturday night. She didn¡¯t smoke, rarely drank and hardly ever splurged; so she shouldn¡¯t feel guilty about treating herself once in a while.
***
Meanwhile the three boys were wandering aimlessly through the markets.
¡®Where do you think they could be?¡¯ Jacob asked Thomas as they passed around a large family.
¡®I don¡¯t know. Sally hasn¡¯t checked her messages for the last half hour,¡¯ Thomas replied.
¡®I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find them eventually,¡¯ Daniel said with a mouth full of food.
Thomas and Jacob both looked over at Daniel. He held a large burrito, with both hands and was chewing frantically as the sauce dribbled over his fingers.
¡®When did you get that?¡¯ Thomas asked, looking around, ¡®and where?¡¯
Daniel pointed over to a small little van, with a large open window and low-lit red and blue lights. A fancy neon sign flashed on the roof of the van. Sabor de Mexico. There was a menu on the side and two men were leaning through the window handing out tacos, burritos and bowls of nachos, all while taking cash that the customers passed them in exchange.
¡®Dude, we were supposed to be wating for the girls before we got food,¡¯ Jacob said.
Jacob suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.
¡®Don¡¯t worry, we started without you anyway.¡¯
Jacob turned around. Pip stood behind him, holding a box of noodles in one hand, with the chopsticks half buried in the greasy food. Her red hair curled down to her shoulders though the roots had begun to grow out blonde, which Jacob only thought made her look more trendy. The sparkling fairy lights reflected in her blue eyes; and for a moment ¨C just a moment, Jacob forgot about everything that was going on around him, and for that moment the only thing that existed was Pip. It was a single second, a flash in time, a flicker in reality. Before he knew it, and before anyone had a chance to notice he was gawking, he was back to his senses.
¡®P¡Pip¡¡¯ Jacob stuttered.
¡®Yeah?¡¯
¡®You know you¡¯re not supposed to do that with your chopsticks, right,¡¯ Jacob pointed at the box of noodles, ¡®it¡¯s actually quite rude in Asian cultures,¡¯ Jacob pulled the chopsticks out from the noodles and laid them carefully atop the box.
¡®Well I¡¯m glad you warned me before the Yakuza found out?¡¯ Pip smirked, ¡®otherwise I¡¯d have been a goner for sure!¡¯
Jacob shoved her playfully. He was becoming more and more accustomed to her subtle banter. Pip laughed and punched Jacob in the shoulder.
¡®Common, the girls are waiting for us out on the grass.¡¯
Jacob looking back behind him, but the boys were gone. He knew they couldn¡¯t have gotten too far, and after glazing over the stalls carefully, he noticed that Thomas was in line at the Mexican van, and Daniel had already finished his burrito and was browsing the different flavours of ice cream at an ice cream cart.
¡®Well, I guess I¡¯m going to go get something to eat too then, if everyone else is.¡¯
He began to head toward the Mexican food van, but before he could take more than two steps, he felt Pip take his arm.
¡®There¡¯s a really good Japanese stall around the corner. Common ¨C I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love it.¡¯
¡®I could go for Japanese.¡¯
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
***
Japanese turned out to be a good choice. There was a grand selection of sweet treats and hot food. In the end Jacob had gotten a box of mochi and some hot udon noodles.
¡®Why don¡¯t you try one?¡¯
Pip and Jacob made their way towards the band where their friends were waiting for them.
¡®The mochi is really good!¡¯ Pip said, ¡®Green tea flavour.¡¯
Pip reached over and took the box out of Jacobs hands, opened it, and held it out for Jacob to take. She figured it would have been hard for Jacob to eat anything with a how bowl of soup in one hand, and his other hand taken up with the box of mochi. But with one hand free, and the box held out open to him¡ Jacob hesitated.
¡®Is it against Japanese culture to walk and eat at the same time?¡¯ Pip laughed.
¡®Well actually¡ it kinda is.¡¯
Pip rose an eyebrow.
¡®You¡¯re kidding!?¡¯
¡®No¡I¡¯m not,¡¯ Jacob grinned, ¡®you don¡¯t know much about Japanese culture. Do you?¡¯
¡®I did Japanese in primary school. Konichiwa. Watashi wa Peneropi desu. Plus, I used to get Ramen every Saturday during the winter when I was at uni. There¡¯s a really good one in Brunswick.¡¯
¡®I¡¯ll have to try it sometime. It¡¯s not the cultural thing. Though I am very afraid of the Yakuza. It¡¯s more that I tend to wait after I¡¯ve eaten dinner before I eat my sweet food.¡¯
Pip nodded her head in acknowledgement.
¡®That is very grown up of you. Isn¡¯t it.¡¯
¡®You go ahead though,¡¯ Jacob tilted his head towards the box, ¡®You¡¯re clearly more excited about them than I am. ¡®
¡®Are you sure?¡¯
¡®I don¡¯t mind.¡¯
Pip picked out a small soft green ball that was probably made of pure sugar, and popped it into her mouth, chewing delicately.
¡®You know,¡¯ she said after she swallowed her mouthful, ¡®sometime when I start eating these things, I just, can¡¯t, stop!¡¯
Jacob shrugged.
¡®I suppose I¡¯m going to have to go back and buy another box then, after I¡¯ve finished my udon,¡¯ he said.
Pip ate three more, before she handed the box back to Jacob.
¡®That last two are yours.¡¯
¡®Thanks.¡¯
¡®This way,¡¯ Pip said stepping ahead of him and turning a corner.
¡®One sec,¡¯ Jacob said, ¡®I think my phone is ringing. Do you mind holding my noodles for a moment?¡¯
¡®Sure,¡¯ Pip took the box from Jacob¡¯s hands and Jacob reached into his pocket and put his phone up to his ear.
¡®Hey!....¡¯ he answered. ¡®Yeah, we¡¯re at the markets now¡no we probably won¡¯t be out too late¡possibly ¡I suppose I can swing by tomorrow, or later on tonight. Whenever you like. Okay¡sure¡no problems, see you then.¡¯
Jacob hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
¡®Was that Maria?¡¯ Pip asked.
¡®Yep.¡¯
***
Jacob wasn¡¯t surprised that Thomas and Daniel had finished eating before he¡¯d even started on his own food. Jacob sat down on the soft grass next to Daniel, who was halfway through a bucket of ice cream. Pip sat in between Sally and Mia, and Sally leant gently against Thomas¡¯ shoulder. Even Alex had managed to find their way to them.
¡®Where did you guys get off to?¡¯ Thomas asked eyeing the bowl of noodles in Jacob¡¯s hand.
¡®And oh boy does that look good,¡¯ Daniel added.
¡®You and Daniel were the ones who disappeared, I look away for one second, and the two of you¡¯ve run off for nachos.¡¯
¡®Burritos actually.¡¯
Daniel lifted his hand in the air.
¡®Ice cream for me. And no regrets either.¡¯
Jacob crossed his legs, and opened the steaming hot bowl of udon soup, placed it on his lap and broke open the chopsticks.
¡®We¡¯re all here now, so who cares,¡¯ said Sally.
And in reality she couldn¡¯t have been more right. Who really did care. There was nothing to care about. Or rather, to worry about. There was indeed plenty to care about. But the grass was comfortable, they were with friends; the trees swayed with the wind, the ponds glowed, and the buildings in the background glittered yellow. Who really did care.
***
They stayed there for two hours, chatting, playing cards, and only occasionally getting up in search of more snacks. But now the night was beginning to wane. Many of the stalls were packing up, and that¡¯s when the six of them decided to pack up as well. They dusted the crumbs off their clothes, folded up the blanket they¡¯d been nestled on, and began heading out from the park that hosted the markets. Soon they were navigating the city streets; which were still lively, although a little less so than it had been on their way there. Eventually they came to a T-intersection, which was really a quiet little street that shot off from the large road that they were currently walking along.
¡®We¡¯re heading to the train station down this way,¡¯ Sally said pointing towards the smaller, quiet side street.
¡®I¡¯ll see you Monday then,¡¯ Thomas lent forward and kissed Sally gently on the cheek.
¡®Or we could do something tomorrow if you wanted,¡¯ Sally said as she fiddled with Thomas¡¯ collar, her eyes glistening.
¡®Yeah, I¡¯ll message you.¡¯
Sally lent in for another quick peck on the cheek and then the three girls were off.
¡®See you Monday,¡¯ Jacob called, waving as the girls crossed the road.
Sally twisted around, kissed her palm and waved back at the four of them, as Pip pulled her forward.
Thomas turned and continued down the road toward the tram station.
¡®Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s getting a bit chilli,¡¯ Thomas said.
Alex and Jacob followed him.
Thomas expected Daniel to come back at him with a cheeky retort, about how he was being soft, or that he should stop complaining, but instead there was silence. Before they could take more than a few steps, Daniel took Jacob by the shoulder and tugged him back.
¡®You okay bud?¡¯
Daniel didn¡¯t answer him straight away. Instead he beckoned the rest of them to wait.
¡®Do you see those guys?¡¯ Daniel said with a troubled tone.
The three boys turned around. Everything seemed normal, so nobody had any clue what could be wrong.
¡®Do you see that group of guys over there?¡¯ Daniel pointed to three men crossing the road almost in the same fashion as the girls had crossed the road only moments earlier.
¡®Yeah¡?¡¯ Thomas shrugged his shoulders.
¡®They¡¯ve been following us since we left the markets. I thought it was just coincidence; and well, it might be one. But don¡¯t you feel like it¡¯s a bit odd? They had their eyes on Pip the whole time, and well, now they¡¯re following them down that street. I think maybe it might be better to walk the girls all the way to the train station.¡¯
The three men crossing the road disappeared down the same side street as the three girls had gone into.
Thomas rose an eyebrow; although it seemed like nothing, he knew it was better to be safe than sorry.
¡®I¡¯ll message Sally and tell her to wait for us.¡¯
The four of them then hurried after the girls.
***
The side street was quiet, a gust of cool wind swept through and blew the sleeves of their coats. Pip swivelled her head and looked back down the street anxiously.
¡®Keep walking,¡¯ Pip said pulling them ahead with long strides as she increased her pace.
¡®Is something wrong?¡¯ Sally asked struggling to keep up with Pip.
¡®I hope not.¡¯
The air was cool as the tension began to rise.
¡®Seriously! What is it?¡¯
Pip huffed.
¡®It¡¯s those guys behind us. Don¡¯t look!¡¯
Sally and Mia both turned to look.
¡®What about them?¡¯
¡®I thought I recognised one of them. Just a few minutes ago. I only just noticed but¡ I¡¯d prefer to get to the station as quick as we can?¡¯
¡®Who is it!?¡¯ Mia asked.
¡®Well¡it might have been my imagination, but got a glimpse of him as he walked under the streetlight, and well¡ I swear he looked exactly like Jason.¡¯
¡®As in your ex-boyfriend Jason?¡¯
Pip nodded.
Sally turned to get another look. Sure enough, as the three men walked under another streetlight, Sally recognised the smooth blonde hair, chiselled face and muscular build of the man in the middle.
¡®Oh god it is him!¡¯ Sally said.
¡®Relax,¡¯ Mia tried to calm them, ¡®Maybe this is just chance. Maybe he hasn¡¯t even noticed it¡¯s you.¡¯
But, as if on que, a voice called out behind them, a voice that sent a wave of anxiety through Pip¡¯s heart and made her shudder.
¡®Hey sweetheart, wait up!¡¯ there was mock sarcasm in the voice.
¡®Keep walking,¡¯ Mia whispered, and the three girls increased their pace even more. But it was too late. The men had closed the gap between them in less than a few seconds.
Suddenly the three men were in front of them, blocking off their path, and Pip was looking into Jason¡¯s bright blue eyes. He smiled a ghastly smile that made her take a tiny step back.
¡®Are you going to run off and have a pathetic little cry, like you did last time I saw you. And call the police?¡¯
¡®Get lost!¡¯ Mia growled stepping forward and holding her fist out.¡¯
¡®So,¡¯ Jason scratched his chin casually, ¡®Who were those guys you were with earlier? You got a new boyfriend?¡¯
Pip¡¯s mouth widened. She looked up and down the street in front of her, hoping someone was passing by, someone who might be able to help. But there was nobody. She dared not look behind her though.
¡®How long have you been following us?¡¯
¡®We saw you at the markets. But it seems that you didn¡¯t see us. So, who were they? The guys you were with. You know only get attention because you¡¯re easy, right?
¡®Umm, that would be us,¡¯ a loud masculine voice echoed through the narrow street. It was unmistakably Thomas¡¯, ¡®is there a problem here?¡¯
Pip turned around; her heart flooded with relief at the sight of the four boys standing behind them. Jacob stepped forward and put himself in between the three girls and the three men.
¡®Easy huh? That¡¯s rich coming from someone who probably didn¡¯t get anything more than a little kiss on the cheek,¡¯ Jacob teased, ¡®wasn¡¯t so easy for you, was it?¡¯
Everyone was silent, but Pip herself couldn¡¯t help but smile at the insult. The street was dimly lit ¨C but Jason¡¯s cheeks were clearly turning red with anger. His face contorted and he locked eyes with Pip; who was now extremely glad that Jacob had placed himself between them.
¡®Have you been going around and making up crap about what happened between us?¡¯ Jason spat, ¡®you little bitch!¡¯
Jacob curled his fist and stepped forward ¨C but a gentle hand suddenly took his arm, and Thomas stepped up beside him. As childish as Thomas could be, he was surprisingly good at handling these kinds of situations.
¡®Calm down,¡¯ he whispered into Jacob¡¯s ear, then he took another two steps forward and faced the man head on, ¡®here¡¯s the thing, mate, I can¡¯t help noticing how well dressed you are,¡¯ Thomas indicated towards Jason¡¯s cashmere cardigan, fine trousers, and polished shoes. ¡®You must have a lot of money. Are you a doctor, a lawyer? An engineer maybe. It doesn¡¯t really matter because I¡¯m sure that whoever it is that you work for is going to love seeing a video on the internet of their employee abusing three girls on the street unprovoked,¡¯ Thomas pulled out his phone and pointed it at the man, ¡®whoops. Did I just hit record?¡¯
Jason seemed visibly confused. But Thomas continued to clear things up.
¡®So now you have two choices. You can turn around and walk away; and nothing will come of this, or this video here will go straight onto Youtube. It will probably get millions of views too. I¡¯m sure it will go down well with your employer, and everyone else in your life.¡¯
The three men stared them down in silence. Eventually one of the guys who stood next to Jason nudged him.
¡®It¡¯s not really worth it Jason. This guy¡¯s a smooth talker. Let¡¯s just go.¡¯
Jason snuffed as the two guys next him turned and began to wonder down the street away from him. The girls began to relax; and the group of them turned to start walking the other way. But it didn¡¯t seem like Jason was finished, because he reached out and grabbed Pip by the arm.
¡®You ever say anything like that about me to anyone ever again, and I¡¯ll ¨C ¡¯
But he didn¡¯t get to finish was he was saying. Jacob slapped his arm away, stepped forward and without even thinking he slammed his fist into Jason¡¯s jaw. Jason fell back onto the concrete sidewalk, cupping his nose which was now gushing with blood. Jason¡¯s two friends ran back to him, as Thomas, Daniel and Alex stepped beside Jacob expecting a fight to break out.
¡®Dammit Jacob, we had it under control,¡¯ Thomas said.
One of Jason¡¯s friends stepped forward and pushed Jacob, but Jacob held a firm stance, and was unmoving. There was a bit of shoving, but in the end it was four against two. The guys knew they were clearly outnumbered, so they turned and strutted away. Jason was still cupping his nose as he turned tail.
¡®I know where you work Pip! You¡¯ll definitely be hearing from my lawyer!¡¯
And then he disappeared.
Jacob, having come back to his senses, looked around to face his friends. Thomas was visibly annoyed, Daniel was expressionless; Alex was clearly exhilarated. Mia and Sally looked as though they were relieved it hadn¡¯t been worse. But Pip smiled. As the seven of them stood there in silence, Pip walked up to Jacob and wrapped her arms around him. She¡¯d never felt safer around anyone before in her life.
Chapter 15: Consequences
There were three people sitting in an empty office room, at the end of an obscured hallway that lead to nowhere, on the thirteenth floor of one of the many tall buildings in the city of Melbourne. There was one person standing. He was on the phone, and in the middle of a heated conversation.
¡®Oh, you want to sue, do you?¡¯ Thomas growled into the phone, ¡®that¡¯s fine. In fact, we welcome it. You think I didn¡¯t get your subtle little threat on camera? Well I did. Loud and clear too. In 4K even. We¡¯ll have a field day on this. We could go for some time off work; we¡¯ll get you for court fees, lost income, and I think I might even throw in a little bit of trauma in there ¨C that¡¯ll get us an extra ten or twenty thousand. Jury is already out on this one bud.¡¯
There was a moment of silence.
¡®No worries. I¡¯ll get my lawyer to contact you soon.¡¯
Another moment of silence. Sally, Daniel and Jacob sat on the chairs around the table in nervous anticipation.
¡®Oh you don¡¯t want to sue now?¡¯
Thomas was pacing back and forth across the room as he spoke.
¡®It makes no difference if you¡¯re just pressing charges against him. This goes to court and your video goes straight onto Youtube. And every other platfrom out there¡ Twitter? Oh you better believe it¡¯s going on twitter.¡¯
Silence.
¡®Well what do you mean then?¡¯
Thomas huffed.
¡®Blackmail huh? Illegal? I¡¯ll tell you what - I don¡¯t think it¡¯s as illegal as abusing through girls in public.¡¯
¡®Okay, well why don¡¯t you call me back when you¡¯ve decided what to do. Just remember, footage like the kind that we have doesn¡¯t just disappear. Especially once it¡¯s up on the internet. You¡¯re pretty stupid for a psychopath.¡¯
Thomas hung up the phone and looked down at Jacob. It wasn¡¯t Thomas¡¯ usual smiley self.
¡®So what¡¯s going on. Is he going to press charges or not?¡¯ Daniel asked.
¡®He¡¯s threatening us ¨C but I don¡¯t think he will. We have too much on him. He hasn¡¯t filed a police report; which is probably the first step anyway and I¡¯m going to guess that he¡¯s the kind of person who doesn¡¯t want the police buzzing around¡ if you catch my drift¡¯ Thomas breathed a sigh of relief and eyed Jacob, ¡®you¡¯re lucky I didn¡¯t stop recording, and that I turned around when I did. I managed to film him grabbing Pip which is definitely enough to turn public opinion against him, even if it doesn¡¯t hold up as self defence in court. See for yourself.¡¯ Thomas unlocked his phone and slid it over towards Jacob, Daniel and Sally. The video was already on screen ¨C Daniel hit the play button almost straight away. The video showed the dark street that they had been walking down only a few nights earlier, the camera was facing away from Jacob and Pip, but it turned just in time to catch Jason with his hand on Pip¡¯s arm. And then a moment later. WHAM. The Jacob struck him in the face.
¡®Good punch!¡¯ Daniel said.
Thomas gave Daniel a cold look.
¡®Don¡¯t encourage it,¡¯ Thomas stared daggers at both Jacob and Daniel as he swiped the phone back, and slid it back into his pocket, ¡®I have to go. But make sure Jacob, whatever you do, you don¡¯t let him contact you. If he tries to message you on social media ¨C block him and then let me know about it. If you see him on the street, avoid him. I¡¯ve seen too many of my dad¡¯s clients lose the upper hand because they let their mouth get the better of them.¡¯
Thomas stood to leave.
¡®I¡¯m sorry for causing so much mess for you,¡¯ Jacob said.
Thomas didn¡¯t turn to look back.
¡®It¡¯s done. I just want to make sure you get out of this without losing your job and ending up in a lawsuit,¡¯ Thomas strode out the door.
¡®Don¡¯t worry Jacob,¡¯ Sally waved as she stood, ¡®he just hates these kinds of stressful situations. I¡¯m sure it will have blown over in a few weeks.¡¯
Sally followed Thomas out of the room, and the door closed shut behind them.
Jacob sighed.
¡®I suppose you¡¯re also going to give me a lecture about how acted without thinking?¡¯ Jacob asked.
¡®No actually,¡¯ Daniel said, ¡®I admire what you did. But I suppose you didn¡¯t get that from the ¡®good punch¡¯ comment, did you? I think that loser deserved what he got. I¡¯m honestly a little jealous that I didn¡¯t have the guts to do it myself.¡¯
Jacob laughed lightly; feeling slightly chuffed by the compliment.
¡®You didn¡¯t really have the chance to¡¡¯
¡®I spoke to Alex. He agrees with me. And deep down, I think Thomas thinks the same thing. It¡¯s just, you know what Sally said, he hates these kinds of stressful situations.¡¯
¡®Thanks mate. Let¡¯s hope I get the same reaction from Maria. I¡¯m going to have to tell her at some point.¡¯
¡®I¡¯m sure you will,¡¯ Daniel said, ¡®I sort of pick her for the kind of girl who¡¯d punch a guy for less.¡¯
***
¡®YOU PUNCHED A GUY IN AN ALLEYWAY!?¡¯ Maria screamed.
¡®Well¡umm, it ah¡. it wasn¡¯t an alleyway. More of a side-street really. And¡he was starting stuff with us,¡¯ Jacob stammered.
Maria jumped off the couch and inched forward furiously toward Jacob, who had been standing over her awkwardly only moments beforehand. Jacob took a step back, but Maria continue to advance slowly. Her eyebrows were curled down and her face was contorted furiously. Jacob felt his back hit the wall.
¡®AND SO, YOU JUST HIT HIM DID YOU? BECAUSE HE WAS STARTING STUFF?!¡¯
¡®He grabbed one of our friends and¡I lost it. Just for a moment.¡¯
¡®You lost it!? You mean you couldn¡¯t conrol your anger!¡¯ Maria yelled and threw her hands in the air. Her nose was only centimeters from Jacob¡¯s.
¡®Only¡for a moment.¡¯
Maria put her hands up against the wall, one on either side of Jacob¡¯s head, ¡®And what if I do something that annoys you!¡¯ Maria growled, ¡®WILL YOU JUST LOSE IT WITH ME?!¡¯
Her blue eyes made harsh contact with his own. Jacob lifted his hands and brushed his fingers gently over her cheek.
¡®I¡¯d never lose it with you, Maria, you know that!¡¯
There was a long moment where neither of them said anything. Maria just stared furiously into Jacob¡¯s eyes.
¡®Good,¡¯ she said softly, and then she pressed her lips gently against Jacob¡¯s. The two of them held a prolonged kiss, and then Maria pulled back, ¡®because I just couldn¡¯t stand the thought of you getting angry at me like that Jacob,¡¯ she whispered, ¡®I¡¯ve seen it too many times! I¡¯ve been traumatised by it. You¡¯re so good that just the thought the thought of you changing scares me; I feel like I¡¯ve finally made a smart decision in you - and I¡¯d feel really stupid if that eneded up getting flipped on its head¡again.¡¯
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Jacob wrapped his arms around Maria¡¯s waist affectionately. Maria laid her head against his shoulder.
¡®You¡¯ve known me my whole life; do I look like one of those kinds of guys?¡¯
¡®Yeah well,¡¯ Maria murmured - Jacob noticed a single tear rolling down her cheek, ¡®I knew my dad most of my life and he turned out to be one of those guys - didn¡¯t he?¡¯
Jacob ran one of his hands through her chestnut hair, whilst he held her just above the waist with the other.
¡®Wasn¡¯t he the Italian one though? The Maltese men never do that.¡¯
Maria actually laughed.
¡®Your dad was Maltese, right? And how long has it been since you¡¯ve seen him?¡¯
The two of them laughed together.
¡®It¡¯s been a while.¡¯
Maria stepped back, took Jacob¡¯s hands and pulled them both back onto the couch. They got comfortable, sitting side by side, with Maria still resting her head on Jacob¡¯s shoulder - and Jacob still with his arm around her.
¡®What happened with your dad, anyway?¡¯ Maria asked.
¡®It¡¯s umm¡not something I usually talk about. Not even with my family.¡¯
Though secretly Jacob really wanted to talk about it.
¡®I understand,¡¯ Maria said as she reached for the remote and turned on the TV. Aladdin was playing on 7mate; it had only just started, ¡®I still can¡¯t believe you hit someone.¡¯
¡®You know Daniel reckons you¡¯re the kind of girl who¡¯d probably hit a guy on the street.¡¯
¡®Well he¡¯d better hope I don¡¯t see him anytime soon or I might hit him¡but he¡¯s not wrong. Just don¡¯t ever lose it with me Jacob.¡¯
¡®I won¡¯t,¡¯ Jacob replied.
¡®Promise?¡¯
Jacob reached out and took a block of chocolate off the coffee table, tore it open and offered Maria a piece. She broke off a generous chunk, but into it and handed the rest back to Jacob.
¡®I promise.¡¯
He took a bite out of the chocolate as he looked at the TV. Aladdin had found the lamp, and Genie was just about to burst into a song about how you¡¯ve never had a friend like me. It was a relaxing movie, and seemed fitting, so the two just watched in silence until Maria eventually fell asleep on his shoulder.
***
¡®You haven¡¯t spoken to your dad in two years?¡¯ Pip asked.
¡®Well¡it¡¯s been closer to two and a half years, actually¡¯ Jacob replied, ¡®I didn¡¯t really talk to him much growing up anyway, and so it kind of just became the norm.¡¯
Jacob had no idea how their conversation had progressed this far. He certainly hadn¡¯t meant for it to. But him and Pip could talk for hours, and when the subject came up - Pip spoke in a way that made it really easy for him to open up. She seemed so caring, and so emotionally comforting.
¡®Has he tried to contact you?¡¯ Pip blushed, ¡®sorry, we don¡¯t have to talk about it if you¡¯re uncomfortable.¡¯
The two of them walked side by side as they passed through a park with luscious green grass, leafy trees and a small creek flowing through the middle. The sun was shining down in its full glory, the sky a clear blue, and the trickling sound of the water was soft and relaxing.
Pip¡¯s anxiety had resurfaced since their encounter with Jason after the markets about a week ago; she was nervous about being alone in public - nervous that Jason was going to take his anger out on her. Especially since he knew where she worked, and where she lived. Thus, her friends were doing their best to make sure that she wasn¡¯t alone in public (at least for the time being.)
Jacob felt the most responsible; as he was the one who¡¯d caused all this trouble. He felt like he was probably the reason Jason was so angry. On this particular afternoon, all of Pip¡¯s friends were stuck in meetings or working late - Jacob was the only one around to walk her to her car; which was parked a couple of kilometers away. It saved her waiting around at work for two hours which he knew she would, rather than walk through the city alone at the moment.
¡®No, I¡¯m not uncomfortable about it. It¡¯s just awkward to talk about it.¡¯
¡®Okay¡umm¡how long has he been away for?¡¯
Jacob scratched his chin.
¡®He left my mum when I was young, and moved up to Queensland. I saw him occasionally while I was growing up. Usually on school holidays. But he wasn¡¯t really around that much. Not at all really. For my birthday, my sister¡¯s birthday - sometimes he¡¯d even forget to call. We saw him on the occasional Christmas; but I¡¯ve gotten pretty used to his¡ lack of presence. Anyway; he had anger issues and drank a lot of alcohol. I suppose I¡¯ve just always resented him.¡¯
Pip patted him gently on the back.
¡®Sounds hard. Do you think things will ever get better between you guys.¡¯
¡®It¡¯s hard to say. Maybe. Maybe not. He¡¯s kind of settled down now. I¡¯ve gotten the feeling that he¡¯s changed a little bit. He wants to be in more regular contact. I kind of just don¡¯t.¡¯
The two of them were coming out the other end of the park now, they began crossing the road; towards the entrance of the car park where Pip always parked.
¡®Do you want my opinion?¡¯ Pip asked.
¡®Sure. Go ahead.¡¯
¡®I know it¡¯s easy for me to give this advice. I was raised with two beautiful parents who were always there for me, but I think you should give him another chance.¡¯
¡®You think so?¡¯
¡®Yeah, I do,¡¯ Pip said, ¡®it might not be easy, but you¡¯ll be happier for it.¡¯
¡®I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡¯
Pip stopped and turned to Jacob as the two of them suddenly approached her car.
¡®Pip, before you go. I just wanted to say¡¡¯
¡®Yeah?¡¯
¡®I¡¯m really sorry about the other day. I feel so bad about what I did. It seems like I¡¯ve caused a lot of trouble.¡¯
Pip waved it off.
¡®Seriously! Don¡¯t worry about it. You stepped up. It¡¯s admirable, really. Maria is a lucky lady,¡¯ Pip said as she unlocked her car door.
¡®I suppose so.¡¯
¡®Thanks for walking me here. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow!¡¯ Pip closed the car door and started her car. She gave him one last wave through the side window as she reversed and drove off.
***
It was a bright Thursday morning; and the streets were just beginning to fill up with morning commuters. Jacob sat on a street bench in front of Tierra Madre cafe with a coffee in his hand watching the city pass him by. The mornings were still a little chilli, and so he cuddled his hot drink with both hands hoping to warm them a little. He looked up at the tall buildings around him pensively. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder; wonder about life and wonder if he¡¯d done the right thing during his confrontation with Jason. He cast his mind back and tried to imagine himself doing something different. But the situation always played out the same. The truth was, he couldn¡¯t imagine himself doing anything different. But it still seemed like he¡¯d caused so much trouble, and so much faff. It was true that it didn¡¯t look like there were going to be charges pressed - or court summons. It didn¡¯t even look like Pip was being targeted by Jason, but still¡
¡®I knew you¡¯d be here around here at this time of morning,¡¯ a voice murmured as someone sat down beside him. Jacob turned around. Thomas sat beside him, his blonde hair flowing, and a warm half-smile over his face.
¡®Oh hey mate. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Jacob asked.
¡®Not much man. Not much at all.¡¯
¡®You ahh¡don¡¯t have a coffee?¡¯
¡®I didn¡¯t come here for coffee. I swung by because I thought you might be hanging around.¡¯
¡®Oh, right¡you wanted to catch up?¡¯ Jacob asked.
¡®Kind of. I wanted to chat really.¡¯
¡®You know you could have just messaged me and asked me to meet me.¡¯
¡®That would have ruined the spontaneity of it all; me just popping up beside you, coming up with a cool line like it¡¯s a scene straight out of a movie.¡¯
¡®Spontaneity. Is that even a word.¡¯
¡®I think so; though I¡¯m not entirely sure. I might have to look it up later.¡¯
Jacob grinned, though it only lasted a moment. A grim feeling gripped his insides as he began to guess at what Thomas was here for.
¡®Look, I¡¯m really sorry about what happened. There¡¯s not much more I can say about it. I know how much you¡¯ve gone out of your way to make sure nothing came of it, but in the end all I can really say is that. I¡¯m sorry.¡¯
Thomas punched Jacob comfortingly in the shoulder.
¡®That¡¯s not really what I wanted to talk about. On the contrary, I actually wanted to apologise.¡¯
Jacob rose an eyebrow.
¡®Apologise? What for?¡¯
¡®I feel like I was a little too harsh on you about everything that happened. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I still think that what you did was impulsive, but also think we all need friends who are impulsively ready to defend us. It¡¯s a good quality - you¡¯re a good guy. It¡¯s why I keep you around.¡¯
Jacob¡¯s smile returned, and he felt that dark feeling slip away.
¡®I thought you kept me around because of my good looks.¡¯
¡®That¡¯s how it used to be. But now that I¡¯m not single, and don¡¯t really need your help with the girls,¡¯ Thomas slapped him on the back.
Jacob laid back; he thought he could hear jazz music playing somewhere in the distance, though he doubted that there were buskers out this early. He was probably imagining it.
¡®I appreciate the apology. Though it probably wasn¡¯t particularly needed. I still can¡¯t help thinking that I caused a lot of trouble though. More than I¡¯m worth anyway.¡¯
¡®You¡¯re worth more than you think.¡¯
¡®Do you think maybe if I hadn¡¯t hit him - we could have done things differently. Maybe we could have taken things further against him? After all, he was pretty abusive,¡¯ Jacob looked over at Thomas with sorry and pleading eyes.
Thomas felt a pang of sympathy hit him.
¡®I¡¯m not going to lie to you. Maybe we could have. But maybe things would have gotten worse if you hadn¡¯t intervened. I dunno. What¡¯s done is done, mate. Let¡¯s move forward. In reality, it¡¯s rare that guys like him do stuff like that as a once off. I guarantee you he¡¯s probably trying it on other girls. Our best hope now is that one of them speaks out.¡¯
¡®Maybe we don¡¯t have wait for someone else to come forward.¡¯
¡®What do you mean?¡¯ Thomas asked.
Jacob looked down at his cheap Garmin Forerunner 45; which showed the time clearly, as well as his heart rate which was unusually high.
¡®Don¡¯t worry. Are you going to get a coffee?¡¯
¡®Hmm, nah, don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ll just make one when I get to work.¡¯
¡®Okay. Let¡¯s head off then. We¡¯re going to be late otherwise.¡¯
Jacob jumped up off the bench, and Thomas followed. The two of them began walking side by side down the crowded street towards work.
Chapter 16: Respite
¡®So, your anxiety has resurfaced has it?¡¯
Pip nodded.
¡®It¡¯s only natural. Considering what happened.¡¯
Pip was back in her psychologist¡¯s office; the same blue carpet lined the floor, and she sat in the same red chair across from the same girl with beautiful curls and thick black glasses; her psychologist. Though the bookshelves had been rearranged, and the desk was in a different corner; but apart from that, everything was mostly the same is it had been for the three or so months she¡¯d been going.
¡®I¡¯d almost forgotten it was there actually. My anxiety. Things seemed to have been getting back to normal. I hadn¡¯t thought about him for¡ a while. And then¡well¡yeah; the thing happened.¡¯
¡®Let¡¯s figure out how to move forward with this. There¡¯s no point dwelling on the past. I think part of the problem for you is, obviously, knowing this could happen again. Would you agree?¡¯
¡®Yes. To a certain extent.¡¯
¡®Have you thought about taking things further? Legally I mean.¡¯
¡®No,¡¯ Pip said firmly.
¡®No as in you haven¡¯t thought about it, or no as in you¡¯re not going to.¡¯
Pip shook her head.
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¡®I can¡¯t take it further. If I do he¡¯ll press charges against Jacob for hitting him.¡¯
¡®Aha. Jacob¡¯s the one who hit him.¡¯
¡®Yep.¡¯
¡®Loyalty is a good quality to have in a friend. And as admirable it may have been, what Jacob did to protect you, this is about your safety. I think the most important thing here. You could have a restraining order filed in the worst case scenario,¡¯ the psychologist paused briefly as she began to sense Pip looking uncomfortable at the thought, but then she continued, altering her course of words carefully. ¡®If he touched you before Jacob actually hit him, then what Jacob did was technically self defence. He might not get in as much trouble as you think. If he¡¯s a good friend, he¡¯ll understand.¡¯
¡®I¡I can¡¯t. He did something good for me. I can¡¯t throw that in his face.¡¯
¡®And I can¡¯t make you go to the police, though I¡¯ll always encourage it.¡¯
Pip smiled warmly.
¡®I understand. But no. I¡¯m going to have to deal with this without the police.¡¯
¡®Is it possible that you have feelings for Jacob. It may be clouding your judgement?¡¯
¡®No!¡¯ Pip said, ¡®that¡¯s not the case at all. Besides, he has a girlfriend.¡¯
¡®Girlfriend or not. That doesn¡¯t change the fact that there may indeed be feelings there, even if you aren¡¯t acknowledged them, and it isn¡¯t a crime to feel a certain way about someone, either.¡¯
¡®I suppose we don¡¯t live in Orwell¡¯s 1984 just yet, do we.¡¯
¡®No. We don¡¯t. And remember, that what gets said in this room stays in this room. We¡¯re here to work through your feelings; whatever they may be.¡¯
¡®Look,¡¯ Pip shook her head, ¡®I can¡¯t deny that there¡¯s something about him that is attractive. And that I like being around him. And he makes me feel safe. He¡¯s also pretty funny, in a dorky kind of way. But the fact is that I¡¯m not going to get in between a relationship. I¡¯m not that sort of person. I¡¯m not in denial. There are feelings, but they¡¯re going to stay hidden away. We¡¯re just friends, and that¡¯s how it will always be. It was bad timing, but it is what it is. As you said, there¡¯s no point dwelling on the past now, is there.¡¯
¡®You¡¯re right,¡¯ her psychologist agreed, ¡®there isn¡¯t.¡¯
Chapter 17: Moving Forward
Chapter 17: Moving Forward
Jacob popped his head over the short wall of the cubicle in their office.
¡®Hey Pip.¡¯
Pip was typing rapidly on her computer. She finished the sentence and then swiveled around in her chair.
¡®What¡¯s up?¡¯
¡®The sky.¡¯
¡®Ha-ha,¡¯ Pip said with mock sarcasm.
¡®But seriously,¡¯ Jacob continued, ¡®I was thinking about what happened the other week.¡¯
Pip shook her head and their eyes locked; Jacob¡¯s were mellow and curious, and Pip¡¯s, as always, were bright and warm.
¡®I told you a thousand time,¡¯ Pip laughed, ¡®you don¡¯t need to apologise. I really don¡¯t care; on the contrary, I kind of enjoyed the moment.¡¯
¡®I actually wasn¡¯t going to apologise.¡¯
¡®Well this is a shocking twist of events. What¡¯s on your mind then?¡¯
¡®I¡¯ve actually been thinking about this a bit over the last couple of days, and I was going to suggest, well not suggest, but, you know, umm¡ have you thought about speaking out against your ex-boyfriend? I think you should. He seems like a maniac and I think if he¡¯s allowed to just run around and do whatever he likes¡ well that can¡¯t be good, can it?¡¯
Pip furred her eyebrows questioningly; and her conversation with her psychologist suddenly came to the forefront of her mind.
¡®No. Seeing him get hit was satisfying enough. Plus if I do anything - he¡¯ll file a police report against you, and you might get charged with assault.¡¯
Jacob rose a finger.
¡®One, I don¡¯t care if I get an assault charge.¡¯
Jacob rose another finger.
¡®Two, I can claim self-defence.¡¯
Jacob rose a third finger.
¡®Three, I think it¡¯s something you should do. It doesn¡¯t have to be officially, through the legal system. Maybe you could out him on social media - or write an article about him online. You know, like Amber Heard did to Johnny Depp.¡¯
¡®Didn¡¯t she get sued for defamation, and lose a lot of money?¡¯
¡®Yes, but that was in America. You¡¯re telling the truth, and we have video evidence to prove it. I think it¡¯s worth it; you could stop him doing this to another girl. Or maybe help a girl he¡¯s already doing it to. I¡¯ll support you. In any way I can. If, of course, you decide you want to follow through and do something. If not then I¡¯ll probably just go home and cry.¡¯
¡®Dang Jacob, are you secretly having an affair with my psychologist?¡¯
¡®Why, did you get some similar advice from her.¡¯
¡®Almost identical.¡¯
¡®Let¡¯s just say I have an intuition for psychology. So it only makes sense that I¡¯d think like one,¡¯ Jacob winked. He was clearly joking; they both clued in on it.
There was a prolonged silence afterward.
¡®I¡¯ll think about it.¡¯
¡®You do a lot more thinking than I do. You know that.¡¯
¡®Yeah but you hardly think at all.¡¯
Jacob grinned.
¡®You know I think about a lot of things. Like¡who would win in a fight between Dumbledore and Gandalf.¡¯
¡®Definitely Gandalf, he¡¯s literally a demi-god.¡¯
¡®Very true,¡¯ Jacob agreed.
¡®Have either of you thought about getting back to work?¡¯ Martha¡¯s voice spilled into his ears. How long had she been standing next to him.
¡®Yeah, anyway Pip, about those reports...¡¯ Jacob stammered as he looked around awkwardly at Martha, ¡®I¡¯ll get them to you on Friday.¡¯
Jacob marched back to his seat and plonked down in front of his computer. Once Martha disappeared, Jacob pulled out his phone and wrote a quick message.
She¡¯s always onto me, isn¡¯t she.
He sent the message through to Pip. He got a reply less than a minute later.
She does seem to have it in for you.
***
Jacob reached over and took a large slice of pizza from the box on the coffee table; cheese hung down in thick strands as Jacob took a bite then dumped the pizza slice on his plate. He wiped his mouth, and lay back on the couch. Daniel and Thomas sat beside him. The three of them were chilling and chatting while the TV was playing Futurama in the background. Jacob had seen almost every episode growing up; so they were only watching the show in small parts. In a sense the TV simply added to the ambience of the living room.
¡®Did you mean it when you said it?¡¯ Daniel asked.
¡®I absolutely meant it. Why wouldn¡¯t I mean what I said?¡¯ Jacob replied.
¡®Because we might have to testify in court,¡¯ Thomas sighed.
¡®And I¡¯m more than happy to take an assault charge if that¡¯s what I need to do. I told her that, and I told you guys that. I just don¡¯t think we can¡ let this¡ just pass by.¡¯
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¡®You know that you¡¯ll have our support, whatever happens,¡¯ Daniel said as he reached over and took another slice of pizza. Daniel was dripping sauce all over his mouth and shirt, ¡®right Thomas?¡¯
¡®Yeah, you¡¯ll have our support,¡¯ Thomas looked at Daniel, ¡®weren¡¯t you supposed to be doing that whole gym thing. Eating healthy and what not?¡¯
Daniel shrugged his shoulders.
¡®Hey, I¡¯m doing this thing where I don¡¯t eat in between meals and snacks. And I decided I¡¯m only going to eat takeaway on two special occasions. When it¡¯s my birthday, and when it¡¯s not my birthday. Maybe I¡¯ll hit the gym in January and quit after a month like everyone else.¡¯
¡®Yeah, that definitely is a trend.¡¯
¡®It doesn¡¯t really matter, though, I barely weigh eighty five kilos. Less than you actually.¡¯
Thomas turned to Jacob.
¡®Anyway, I spoke to my dad. Apparently there¡¯s been several cases where an assault charge was dropped completely because it was determined to be self-defence. The problem would be proving that there was intention of harm; and that he was the aggressor. If this does go to court, he¡¯s obviously going to claim that he grabbed her lightly - as a way of getting her attention,¡¯ Thomas said.
¡®Pip definitely said that it was forceful enough,¡¯ Jacob replied.
¡®Yes, but there¡¯s no way to prove that. He didn¡¯t leave a mark,¡¯ Thomas said.
¡®So¡ it will be impossible for us to prove anything?¡¯
¡®It will be impossible to prove that he grabbed her forcefully, but not entirely impossible to convince the jury that there was intention of harm. Pip was in an abusive relationship, three men cornered three girls in a quiet street. If we push that point hard enough, we might be able to convince the court that was enough suspicion of harm for you to be acting in a manner of self-defence when he grabbed her. That¡¯s the angle we¡¯ll need to go on,¡¯ Thomas said.
¡®Gee Thomas, I know you¡¯re dad is a barrister, but how are you so good at this?¡¯ Daniel said.
¡®I worked at his law firm for three years as a part time job during high school. I just did measly stuff, like sorting through papers, but you tend to learn a lot while you¡¯re there. Plus my dad took me along with him to court from time to time. He wanted to make sure that I could hold my own if I ever ended up getting sued for whatever reason.¡¯
¡®Well thank goodness for that,¡¯ Daniel said, ¡®so, do you reckon Pip¡¯s going to go through with it?¡¯
¡®I dunno. She said she¡¯s thinking about it,¡¯ Jacob replied.
¡®She said something to Sally, which means she¡¯s definitely still thinking about it,¡¯ Thomas added.
Daniel picked up the remote and turned Futurama off; then proceeded to flick through episodes of The Simpsons on Disney plus.
¡®Hey, that was one of my favourite episodes!¡¯ Thomas said.
¡®You weren¡¯t even watching it. And this happens to be one of my favourite episodes of The Simpsons. Good morning starshine, the earth says heeeeello!¡¯
¡®That is a good episode,¡¯ Thomas agreed.
Jacob poured a glass of juice to go with his pizza.
***
When Jacob got a message from Pip that night, about how she was going to try a coffee from Tierra Madre, Jacob couldn¡¯t help but suggest he stop by. That was actually Pip¡¯s intention, for him to come along, when she sent him the message; so together they both subtly arrived at a similar conclusion. The line for coffee was shorter than usual; Jacob spotted Pip halfway down the line.
¡®You¡¯re out and about on your own?¡¯ Jacob exclaimed as he approached her.
¡®Yeah well my psychologist said I need try to push through the whole not wanting to be out on my own thing. Baby steps. You know. I¡¯m making progress.¡¯
¡®Nice. The part about you making progress. Not the part where you drag me out here for coffee half an hour before I would normally wake up.¡¯
¡®You dragged yourself out here. Plus, the morning will do you good!¡¯
¡®The birds do sing a little louder at this hour. Anyway, I¡¯ll see you in there. Get us a table near the window.¡¯
Jacob turned and began walking the other way.
¡®Where are you going?¡¯ Pip asked.
¡®Umm, to the end of the line?¡¯
Pip grabbed his arm and gently tugged him towards her.
¡®I was saving you a spot,¡¯ she whispered.
Jacob smirked sheepishly.
¡®Wait¡ are you suggesting I push in line?¡¯ Jacob teased.
¡®It¡¯s not pushing in line. You¡¯re with me,¡¯ Pip said under her breath as she looked around awkwardly. Nobody had seemed to notice that Jacob had taken a spot next to Pip - most people were looking down at their phones, or staring off into space, dreading their coming day at work. Even though Jacob had the urge to continue to playfully tease Pip, he could tell that it was really making her uncomfortable so he decided to change the subject.
¡®So,¡¯ Jacob said, ¡®are you ready for the best coffee you¡¯ve ever had in your life.¡¯
Pip rose an eyebrow.
¡®That¡¯s a very high bar Jacob,¡¯ Pip said as she took a step forward keeping up with the line which was rapidly moving forward. Jacob followed her, ¡®I¡¯ve had quite a few good coffees in my time,¡¯ Pip added.
¡®I¡¯ll stand by it,¡¯ Jacob replied, ¡®they do very good ham and cheese croissants, too. Maybe just a cheese croissants for you. You eat cheese right?¡¯
¡®I¡¯m vegetarian. Not vegan. Plus, croissants are full of butter so a vegan wouldn¡¯t be able to eat a croissant anyway.¡¯
Pip took another step forward and Jacob followed.
¡®Good point! I¡¯d hate to be a vegan.¡¯
¡®They¡¯re doing the planet a favour.¡¯
¡®And so am I,¡¯ Jacob held up his fancy glass keepcup and waved it in front of Pip, ¡®say no to disposable cups. Anyway, on another topic, any further thoughts on, you know, our conversation yesterday.¡¯
¡®You mean the conversation we had about your undying love for Martha.¡¯
¡®That is eternal love. But no. The other thing.¡¯
¡®Further thoughts. Yes. But no conclusions. Not as of yet.¡¯
¡®Okay. Want to elaborate a bit.¡¯
Suddenly the people in front of them disappeared, and there was a clear space between them and the counter.
¡®What can I get you?¡¯ the lady at the counter asked.
Pip stepped forward.
¡®A soy latte and,¡¯ Pip turned to Jacob, ¡®what do you want?¡¯
¡®It¡¯s fine,¡¯ Jacob replied, ¡®I can get my coffee.¡¯
¡®He¡¯ll have a cappuccino with a dash of honey. To have here thanks,¡¯ Pip held out her card to pay.
¡®That will be $13.50,¡¯ the lady behind the counter said as she began punching the numbers into the eftpos machine, before holding it out for Pip to pay.
¡®You don¡¯t have to,¡¯ Jacob started, but before he could protest any further, Pip tapped her card against the machine. There was a gentle beep as the payment processed and then the lady put the machine away. Pip turned to Jacob and smiled.
¡®You can get the next one.¡¯
A few minutes later, Jacob and Pip were sitting on a table beside the window sipping at their coffees.
¡®So how did you know my order?¡¯ Jacob asked.
¡®Lucky guess.¡¯
¡®No seriously.¡¯
¡®Seriously. I guessed. You always come in every morning with a cappuccino, and you always put honey in your coffee when you make it at work.¡¯
¡®That¡¯s very observant of you,¡¯ Jacob said.
¡®I try to be as observant as I can. People think I¡¯m quiet because I¡¯m shy; but really I¡¯m watching their every move,¡¯ Pip smirked evilly and took a sip of her coffee.
¡®Oh right. That way you know their weaknesses. It will be useful for when you take over the world.¡¯
¡®Exactly!¡¯ Pip rubbed her hands together.
¡®Anyway, about our earlier conversation. The further thoughts. No conclusions. I¡¯m interested. What were you thinking¡¡¯
¡®Oh, that,¡¯ Pip took another sip of her coffee, ¡®it¡¯s kind of embarrassing.¡¯
¡®You know what¡¯s embarrassing? The milk all over your upper lip,¡¯ Jacob replied.
Pip laughed and wiped her face.
¡®But seriously. You can tell me. Whatever it is, there¡¯s no way it will top the embarrassing ideas that I¡¯ve had before. So go ahead.¡¯
¡®Well I was thinking of¡ starting a blog¡ maybe. I don¡¯t know. It would be something I could do to support women. When you said that Jason might be doing the same thing to another girl; well now I kind of feel obligated to share my experiences. For woman who might be in an abusive relationship. To support them, or help them, if I can. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll mention Jason by name though. It¡¯s a stupid little idea.¡¯
¡®It isn¡¯t stupid at all,¡¯ Jacob replied, ¡®I think it¡¯s a cool idea actually.¡¯
¡®You do?¡¯
¡®Yeah, I really do. And when you¡¯ve drafted your first entry, send it to me to proof it. I can be your unofficial editor.¡¯
¡®That would be cool. So do you¡ think Jason will press chargers¡ if I don¡¯t specifically mention him.¡¯
Jacob scratched his chin.
¡®I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s a good chance he might actually. If you manage to get a lot of attention. Even if you¡¯re not mentioning him by name, Jason will know you¡¯re talking about him if he ever comes across it. And anyone who knew you and Jason were a thing, his parents, friends, whoever, well, they¡¯ll connect the dots. So you might as well be mentioning him by name. But as I said, I don¡¯t mind going to court. And I think you should do this.¡¯
¡®Thanks,¡¯ Pip said, ¡®I¡¯m not a hundred percent certain about it yet, but your support really does mean a lot.¡¯