Tim walks back to Holly Street
The shift drew to a close, and Tim watched April and August out of the corner of his eye, wondering where they would be going after work. He knew they wouldn’t be going home. Girls like them never had nothing fun to do and just went home. They always had a plan.
He wiped the counters between the left-hand drink machine and the cashier’s station. They didn’t get much use, and were in fact completely clean, but it gave him an excuse to get closer to April and August. He heard April tell Caleb to meet her and August at Cafe Nightingale, and that she could stay out late because her mom was working the night shift at the hospital.
Tim went upstairs and changed out of his work clothes. When he came back down, April and August were still sitting on the bench, talking intently. As he passed he heard August utter a short shriek of laughter and say “Oh my God that’s so gross.”
“I know,” April said. “It’s fucked. I shouldn’t have to hear that.”
Tim didn’t hear anything after that as he walked out of the theater’s front doors. He wondered what April shouldn’t have to hear, and wished he were her confidante and could learn her secrets. He would have liked to linger at the theater, but he had told Helen he would be back at Holly Street by 6:30. After making her give up her plans with Todd to drive him, he didn’t want to inconvenience her by being late.
Tim walked back across the mall, crowded with tourists who had come to shop and snack after spending the day at the beach–countless children in fluorescent orange, lime green and blue shirts, eating ice cream and bickering. Tim decided to walk down Cherry Street instead. Cherry Street ran parallel to the mall, but was much quieter, with fewer businesses.
After a few blocks he saw Café Nightingale on his left. People were sitting and drinking coffee in the golden light of evening, the off-white trim of the house lit orange. He looked for Caleb, August and April, but didn’t see them on the deck or porch, wondering who they were meeting there. He walked on, eager to get back to Holly Street, retrieve his stuff and move into his new home.
As he walked along Church, he thought about their plans for that night. He was looking forward to partying out with Helen, Jessica and Alice but the fly in the ointment was that Todd was going to be there too.
Tim reminded himself that it wasn’t jealousy that made him dislike Todd, but everything Helen had told Tim about Todd and how he treated her. He wasn’t very considerate of her, in bed or anywhere else. Tim recited to himself the litany of complaints Helen had about Todd–which he had heard her tell him many times–he came too fast, he didn’t use a condom, he wanted her to go down on him but didn’t reciprocate. Furthermore, he didn’t help her buy birth control, forcing her to shoplift contraceptives from 7-Eleven.
He felt anger burning through him, and his heart started to pound like it had the night before. Was it possible for someone to feel so much rage and despair that their body not able to hold it all in anymore, tore itself apart? Was that what had been happening to him the night before?
Tim took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, felt the mild breeze blowing in from the ocean. The smell of salt and seaweed in his nose filled the back of his nose. He opened his eyes and saw that he had reached Redwood. He saw there was a gap in traffic in both directions, so he scurried across.
What was it that made Helen want Todd? Tim wanted to understand. He wanted to understand why Todd treated Helen so badly and why she put up with it. Tim could not imagine someone who, having had the chance to have sex with Helen, wouldn’t do everything they could to make her happy. Todd, though, just seemed to regard Helen’s attraction to him as his birthright, as his natural entitlement for being who he was. Tim could never imagine having the confidence to expect good things to happen to him. Good things only happened to him when he had earned them, and even then, they usually didn’t. As much as he was hoping that when he came in, Helen would tearfully confess to him that she and Todd has broken up
He wiped the counters between the left-hand drink machine and the cashier’s station. They didn’t get much use, and were in fact completely clean, but it gave him an excuse to get closer to April and August. He heard April tell Caleb to meet her and August at Cafe Nightingale, and that she could stay out late because her mom was working the night shift at the hospital.
Tim went upstairs and changed out of his work clothes. When he came back down, April and August were still sitting on the bench, talking intently. As he passed he heard August utter a short shriek of laughter and say “Oh my God that’s so gross.”
“I know,” April said. “It’s fucked. I shouldn’t have to hear that.”
Tim didn’t hear anything after that as he walked out of the theater’s front doors. He wondered what April shouldn’t have to hear, and wished he were her confidante and could learn her secrets. He would have liked to linger at the theater, but he had told Helen he would be back at Holly Street by 6:30. After making her give up her plans with Todd to drive him, he didn’t want to inconvenience her by being late.
Tim walked back across the mall, crowded with tourists who had come to shop and snack after spending the day at the beach–countless children in fluorescent orange, lime green and blue shirts, eating ice cream and bickering. Tim decided to walk down Cherry Street instead. Cherry Street ran parallel to the mall, but was much quieter, with fewer businesses.
After a few blocks he saw Café Nightingale on his left. People were sitting and drinking coffee in the golden light of evening, the off-white trim of the house lit orange. He looked for Caleb, August and April, but didn’t see them on the deck or porch, wondering who they were meeting there. He walked on, eager to get back to Holly Street, retrieve his stuff and move into his new home.
As he walked along Church, he thought about their plans for that night. He was looking forward to partying out with Helen, Jessica and Alice but the fly in the ointment was that Todd was going to be there too.
Tim reminded himself that it wasn’t jealousy that made him dislike Todd, but everything Helen had told Tim about Todd and how he treated her. He wasn’t very considerate of her, in bed or anywhere else. Tim recited to himself the litany of complaints Helen had about Todd–which he had heard her tell him many times–he came too fast, he didn’t use a condom, he wanted her to go down on him but didn’t reciprocate. Furthermore, he didn’t help her buy birth control, forcing her to shoplift contraceptives from 7-Eleven.
He felt anger burning through him, and his heart started to pound like it had the night before. Was it possible for someone to feel so much rage and despair that their body not able to hold it all in anymore, tore itself apart? Was that what had been happening to him the night before?
Tim took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, felt the mild breeze blowing in from the ocean. The smell of salt and seaweed in his nose filled the back of his nose. He opened his eyes and saw that he had reached Redwood. He saw there was a gap in traffic in both directions, so he scurried across.
What was it that made Helen want Todd? Tim wanted to understand. He wanted to understand why Todd treated Helen so badly and why she put up with it. Tim could not imagine someone who, having had the chance to have sex with Helen, wouldn’t do everything they could to make her happy. Todd, though, just seemed to regard Helen’s attraction to him as his birthright, as his natural entitlement for being who he was. Tim could never imagine having the confidence to expect good things to happen to him. Good things only happened to him when he had earned them, and even then, they usually didn’t. As much as he was hoping that when he came in, Helen would tearfully confess to him that she and Todd has broken up
Works
Recent Writing
- 1989 A Novel: Helen drives Tim to his new apartment
- 1989 A Novel: Tim walks back to Holly Street
- 1989 A Novel: Tim and Caleb go to get coffee
- 1989 A Novel: Tim overhears a mysterious conversation between his co-workers
- 1989 A Novel: Tim first notices April