7:58. A low groan rolled out of Jack Riles as he slowly dragged his eyes away from his wristwatch. No matter how many times he looked at that thing, 8:00 just wouldn’t come. He had another hour beyond that too, and God only knew how long that one would go on for. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t care, but he had flowers in his trunk and every intention to putting them to good use, he had already told Dom and the others about Coffee-Shop and seeing how she seemed to be into him with the added bonus of being hot, he was determined to get her name tonight, at least.
Stuck at work however, he took out his frustrated impatience on the stack of dishes to his left, next to the sink, scrubbing them almost harshly between the soap water and sanitizer. After a few more seconds however, he heard footsteps, so with a deep, calming breath he flushed the irritation from his eyes before their haze irises made their way to the walker.
Lilly, as it turned out. She wore a cross around her neck and carried a Bible in her back pocket. Rambler too. They had the same break once and she spent the entire thing just talking about God and Jesus. Nonstop. He was no fan of hers, and she even tried to get him to go to church with her every now and then. With her she bore a stack of dishes, carrying them with both hands from her waist all the way up to her neck, smiling as she approached him.
“Good evening Jack!”
He grunted in reply.
“Is something troubling you?” She tilted her head to the side as she made her query, setting the plates beside the other dirty ones, “God blessed you with this day and the clear air to enjoy it in! Surely you can find a reason to smile!”
That time he scoffed, but he actually spoke afterwards though. “It’s negative five degrees outside.”
“Perhaps God created the cold to draw you back to the warmth of his embrace?”
Jack regretted speaking. He sighed.
“Sometimes I think you don’t like me,” She was only disappointed for a moment before her high pitched voiced hopped right back up, “But anyway! I’ve got a few more tables to clean, so I’ll see you in a bit!” Placing a few napkins full of silverware beside the plates she finally departed, but paused at the door. “Any chance I’ll see you Sunday?”
“No.”
“Maybe another time then,” Her giggle was so full of denial Jack could cringe, “I’ll talk to you later then!”
“I hope to God you don’t.”
“Then I’ll pray to Him that you will!”
Absolutely having to break eye contact, Jack looked away, missing the wave goodbye as his eyes fell on something he saw as even more annoying. 7:58. “That’s bullshit.”
The Between the Trees Diner enjoyed three minutes of silence before Jack dumped the silverware into the soap.
“Lilly!” The young man’s sudden shout exploded with all the ferocity of a hand grenade, making the girl jump with such a yelp it was more like a landmine she stepped on, “Where the hell did you get this!”
The poor adolescent could barely even stammer as the peaceful atmosphere crashed into a tense warzone. Of the four couples still inside the restaurant, one suddenly decided they wanted their food to go. The manager on staff’s head shot towards the back of the building to Jack’s voice, but before she could do anything, he was already storming out.
“Dammit Lilly, look at me!” The girl was practically frozen in terror as a full blown inferno blazed in his eyes, “Who the fuck gave it to you!”
“Go to the crew room!” It was more of a cracked plea from the manager who had no idea what else to do, but it fell on deaf ears.
“Who was it!”
“I-I-” Lilly and Jack were mere inches away from each other, she hardly had space to breathe, “I don’t even know what it is!”
“Don’t give me that shit, you had to feel it!”
“Jack! Go home!”
“But I didn’t!”
“Don’t you lie to me!”
“I’m not!”
“You’re scaring the customers!”
“To hell with the customers!”
“Please don’t say that!”
“Home! Now!”
“Well one’s going to burn there regardless!”
“What’s gotten into you!”
“What in Creation did you think I brought back there,” Lilly’s fragile voice was shaking like a leaf as she physically quivered, “I’ve never seen you like this, you’re scaring me!” She took a rocky step back, cringing in anticipation of the next shout, but it didn’t come. Jack just stood there for a few seconds, breathing intensely, eyes still practically on fire, searing into Lilly’s skull until she shied away, bringing up her hands as if to defend herself.
She screamed with his sudden movement, but rather than strike he had spun away, stomping back towards the dishes, leaving a dead silence behind him.
Lilly was still utterly petrified, her massive heart thumping against her body rapidly as woodpecker with her eyes bouncing back and forth just as fast. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a coworker came up to pat her on her shoulder, but trying her best to shake it off, she dismissed herself to go find Jack. She definitely had to talk to him now.
Although there were a few places he could be, she found him in just one try, the smell of smoke leading the way for her towards the crew room. Quietly, she crept towards the doorway, Jack had yet to put on his jacket but he was facing away from her so she couldn’t tell what was going through his head. It seemed like he was looking down on the table, his right arm placed against it as well and crossing to be in front of him, guarding whatever it was he had found. Left elbow planted on the table leading to his face, he suddenly dragged it away, revealing a lit cigarette as he blew a cloud of smoke to the right. Thick at first, the dark grey spread and faded into nothing the further it got from him, almost a metaphor for the smoker himself as he took another drag.
Taking a deep breathe, Lilly lifted her foot, but froze just as quickly spotting the small bandage beside Jack’s arm. Perhaps it was coincidence, but it was that very moment she recalled the one he always wore on his finger. She always did find it odd he’d cover up something on his hand but leave the long scar showing on his face. Jack blew another cloud as she waited to see if she would catch a glance at his secrets, but as the smoke dissipated before too long.
Gently, she put her foot down, but the faint click of the heel of her shoe and the floor tile alerted Jack, and his left hand slammed down on the table, creating a clang as whatever his palm struck hit the table, while the other jammed into his pocket.
Flinching at the sound, Lilly hesitated before finally taking a step forward. Her voice was quiet, but there was no other sound. “What…” Voice dry, she had to clear her throat, “What was it?”
“Nothing.”
“Jack…” Her voice was slowly becoming more firm as he took another drag from his cigarette, “You shouted at me over it… in front of everyone. That’s not you…”
A grey cloud was his only response, but blocked from her view, he felt the object, his thumb running over the deep cuts carved in the cool steel. One old, familiar, and one he knew nothing about.
“You’re the guy who always waits to talk to someone in private,” Slowly but surely she was growing more confident, “And you might not be the only one who speaks up, but you’re the only one who will speak up to anyone for anyone who needs it.”
The orange embers on the end of the cigarette glowed brightly as he inhaled.
“I still remember my first day here, I was on break with my caesar salad and strawberry lemonade. I was…” She shut her eyes to remember the event more clearly, a soft smile growing as she did so, “I was where you are now, my hands were folded and I was holding my necklace in them saying Grace. I was… I was rambling a little bit I guess, and I heard someone behind me talking on the phone. Then they stopped for a second, and then they scoffed. At me. I tried to ignore it, but it hurt and I got distracted and by the time I found my place, I heard another voice. Yours. You were whispering, and you only said about a sentence or two, but I could tell that whatever it was you were dead serious. I waited until I finished my prayer to look and see who it was, and when I said ‘Amen’, you and the other person said it too.”
Gradually, Lilly’s eyes reopened, a renewed warmth shining through as she smiled at the back of Jack’s head, still having yet to turn around. “You stood up for me to the store owner. You could’ve been fired in a heartbeat, but you did it, and you did it for a stranger. That’s why I want you to come with me to church.” She paused momentarily, as if to wait for Jack to look. He didn’t, and so she continued, “You’re a good man, Jack, and I want you to meet God. He loves you, and I know you’d love Him back. I, I just want to know what happened that changed you just now.”
“Goodnight Lilly.” Slowly, Jack drew his other hand forward to his body, sliding whatever the thing was into his other pocket, clenching his fist until a click was heard before withdrawing it. Wordlessly, he rose from his seat, taking another breath of smoke before making his way to his jacket.
“Can you at least tell me why it matters so much to you?”
Jack paused for a moment, just turning his neck enough to see her out of the corner of his eye. “Because it came back changed in a way that showed what I did didn’t matter.” They both took a step forward in unison, Jack reaching out to grab his jacket, but his right thumb covering what the dry bandage once did. “It was stolen from me before I moved here, but some things just need to stay buried.”
“What th-” Her eyes bugged as they caught a crimson on Jack’s left palm, opening as it went through the jacket sleeve carelessly, as opposed to his carefully guarded right. Her mouth stayed exactly where she left it mid word, stunned. His hands were fine when he snapped… which meant… Slowly, her gaze drifted to the table where Jack had been sitting, but at the first sign of it she had to tear her vision away. She had always been squeamish, so a four inch blood pool where he slammed his hand down didn’t help her stomach any, having time to spread slowly throughout their talk. “Are…” She had to blink a few times just to process the concept, “Are you... bleeding?”
Making his way to the door, he opened it with his left hand, a crimson print leaving its mark on the handle, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Gradually, it started to close behind him, but at the last second, he shot his hand out, planting another red palm print on the thing. Emotions out of his eyes, they glanced back to Lilly. “One more thing.”
Cautiously stepping towards him, she feigned a smile. She didn’t like the dark, especially when she was left in it. “What is it?”
“I’m sorry.”
It turned real with those two words, and broadened after she passed through the door he was holding open for her. “It’s alright, I forgive you Jack.”