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10
Vanessa’s black leather weekender was at her feet as she scanned the streams of people coming and going through Penn Station. The rumble of rolling luggage and purposeful footfalls echoed off the vaulted ceilings and tall marble pillars.
Vanessa observed the morning commuters weaving between each other, absorbed in their phones or clutching travel mugs. She caught snippets of conversations and announcements over the station’s speaker system. It wasn’t long before she saw her niece coming towards her, two cups of coffee in hand.
Vanessa stood up as she greeted her, taking one of the cups from her. “Thank you for rearranging.”
“No problem,” Megan said, tucking a lock of brown hair behind her ear. She looked tired, and Vanessa wondered if she’d woken her up when she called her after Heather had left her hotel room just before nine.
Vanessa quickly pushed any thoughts of Heather out of her mind, focusing on her sister’s daughter as she took a seat beside her.
“And thank you for this,” Vanessa said, taking a sip, recognizing the logo on the side of the cup as Megan had gotten closer.
“I know you’re coffee snob, so why wouldn’t I bring you the best?”
“I did not plan ahead.” Vanessa cradled the takeaway cup. “I just packed my bags, checked out, and got here as fast as I could without even checking the train times.”
“When is your train?”
“Less than thirty minutes.”
“So, what happened?” Megan asked. “A fire?”
“Not a full-blown fire, but enough to cause smoke damage. I know my manager was stressed out, mainly because I wasn’t there, I’d imagine, but at the end of the day, no one was hurt. No serious damage was done. It’s all fixable.”
“It’s shit timing though. It’s been, what, five or six months since you’ve come into the city. And your trip got cut short.”
Vanessa shrugged. She’d only seen Megan two weeks ago when she was home for Christmas, but it was true. It had been a long time since she’d gotten away for a weekend. She’d gone to Philadelphia for her last two trips, just to change things up.
Vanessa had another sip of coffee. “I was hoping I’d get to meet your girlfriend.”
Megan coughed, covering her mouth. “Sorry. Swallowed wrong.” She cleared her throat. “No, she’s busy. What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Anyone special? I meant to ask you over the holidays.”
Vanessa sighed.
“I can’t tell if that’s good or bad,” Megan said with a lop-sided smile.
“Me neither.” Vanessa pressed her lips together for a second. “I met someone but it’s… It’s just not practical. So… But that’s okay.” She forced herself to smile. “Tell me about work,” she said, desperate for a subject change.
She hadn’t even had a chance to process last night. She’d have the next four hours to do that, not that she’d suddenly stop thinking about it when she got home, although the problems at the coffee shop would keep her busy for the next few days.
“Work is hectic,” Megan said. “Always is. But I love it.”
“That’s good. Isn’t that where you met your girlfriend? What was her name again?”
Megan took another sip of coffee before she looked past Vanessa, her eyes focused on something. “I think they’re calling your train.”
Vanessa glanced over her shoulder, following Megan’s gaze to the departure board. Her train was listed as ‘boarding’ which meant she had about ten minutes before she really needed to head to the platform.
“You’re trying to change the subject,” Vanessa said, turning back to her niece.
Megan shook her head, avoiding eye contact as she took another sip of coffee. “No, I just...”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me about her if you don’t want to.” Vanessa studied Megan’s face, noticing the faint blush in her cheeks. She wondered if there was trouble in paradise or if Megan was just a private person when it came to relationships. She’d never brought anyone home for Christmas or the Fourth of July.
