The house I had assumed was empty was occupied by the man from the restaurant.
This was the first time I had seen him there.
He was sitting in a chair on his porch, drinking a beer. A car sat in the driveway, even though I had never seen it before. He lived in that house? Him?
I stood there staring as my thoughts scrambled to catch up. I had passed that house so many times and had never once seen a sign of life beyond the neglect in the yard. Yet there he was, real and solid, sitting on the porch like some rough, brooding secret the neighbourhood had kept from me.
I decided to go over and greet him. It felt like the polite thing to do, and besides, we had already seen each other at the restaurant enough times that pretending otherwise would have been ridiculous.
After walking up to him, I forced a small smile and said, “Hi! I didn’t know you lived here.”
He looked at me and squinted.
The reaction immediately made my confidence falter. “I’m Jiya, your neighbour,” I said, my mouth beginning to feel dry as I realized I may have made a mistake approaching him. “I’ve seen you at the restaurant.”
He grunted in recognition, then got up without another word and walked back into his house.
I blinked after him, feeling awkward and slightly foolish. “I guess he remembers me,” I muttered under my breath.
As I turned away, I could not help thinking that I was unintentionally going to take away his drinking spot soon. He just did not realize it yet. Once the restaurant changed, once everything started moving forward, the Tipsy Cow would no longer be the same place for him to sit in his corner and disappear into his beer. He would probably come over one day and yell at me for what I had done to his favourite hangout spot.
Oddly enough, the thought made me feel sorry for him.
There was something deeply lonely about him, something wounded and closed off that made his rudeness feel less like cruelty and more like habit. Shaking it off, I walked to my car and headed for the restaurant.
After I entered, Jack handed me a cup of herbal tea. “This is better for you than caffeine.” He winked. Then he lowered his voice and asked quietly, “Did you go to the doctor?”
I nodded.
“That’s great. Is everything okay?”
I nodded again.
“Do you know the gender, or do you want to keep it a surprise?”
“It’s a girl.” I smiled.
He hugged me and congratulated me warmly. “I’m so happy for you. If there’s anything you need, my wife and I are here for you.”
Emotion swelled in my chest at his kindness, and before I could say much, Delia and Marcus interrupted us, asking what was going on.
“Well, I’m having a baby girl. I found out yesterday,” I said, already aware that my bump would become much more noticeable in another month.
“Congratulations!” they both exclaimed.
And then questions followed about the father.
I told them it was just my son and me.
I saw the pity in their eyes immediately. I had seen that look before. In my neighbours’ eyes. In people who did not know what to say, so they tried to soften their expressions instead. It was never cruel, but it still stung. Pity had a way of making me feel smaller than I already did, as if my life had become something to be gently mourned.
Jack held my hand and patted it gently. “She has my wife, Maureen, and me, and that’s more than enough for now.”
Filled with emotion, I lowered my gaze to the floor. I had known Jack for such a short time, yet he had already helped me out so much. My throat tightened, and I had to swallow before I trusted myself to speak.
“Alright, so let’s get back to business,” I said in a choked tone. “What are the plans and the quotes?”
Sketches of the theme, design, and colours were presented, along with Delia’s plan and timeline. Marcus delivered a schedule of the hiring and training process and the marketing strategy for the restaurant. Working alongside Will and a Michelin-star chef, a menu would be created with local ingredients.
