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Not that long ago, we could barely afford things. Now she was buying brand name groceries and shopping at Tiffany's. Just as I was about to stand, she sleepily stalked into the room. Turning to her, I pointed at the bag with my mouth playfully agape.
“Oh,” she smiled shyly, “you see that?”
“Heck yes, I see it!” I giggled. “What did you buy at Tiffany's?”
“A necklace, but I didn't buy it,” she smirked as her eyes focused on the floor. “It was a gift from my boss.”
Crossing my arms, I leaned back in my chair. Raising my eyebrows with curiosity, I questioned, “Your boss bought you a necklace from Tiffany's?”
She blushed, twirling a strand of her hair around her index finger, “I mean, yeah.”
“That's all you have to say?” I huffed with a wide grin.
“I don't know,” she sighed, blushing, “he's just a really great boss, I guess.” Failing to hide her smile, she awkwardly shifted her weight, nervously trailing her fingertips up and down her arm.
“It sure seems that way,” I snickered. “I need a boss like yours.”
Placing her hands on her hips, she exhaled, “Yeah, I think you do too.”
After spending my morning relaxing, I went for a run in the park before filling out applications. I quickly got dressed in a black sports bra with matching shorts and shoes. Standing in front of my apartment building on the busy sidewalk, I plugged my ears with my headphones.
Central Park was located just across the street from our building, so I jogged across the crosswalk the minute I got the signal. I pressed play on my music app and strapped it to my arm before I began to stretch. The park was crowded this morning with a variety of people, most notably a group of very nice-looking men playing soccer in a nearby, grassy area. Half of them were shirtless. I was not complaining about my view as I made sure I was limber before my run. I might have stretched a little longer today.
I had to run past them when I started my route. I did not think this part through very much. Not that I was a clumsy runner, but if I were going to fall, it would have been in front of guys. I turned my music up, blaring it into my ears at a deafening volume and took off jogging on the park's path. Thanks to my sunglasses, I was able to go enjoy the eye candy, undetected, as I passed by them.
When I got further into my run, I processed what happened to me. I was beginning to think about what I was going to do to pay my bills. I was scared, hurt, and sad. Before tears could escape my eyes, I realized that I had already made my usual three mile circle through the park. I removed my ear buds, turning my music off.
Just as I was crossing the street to go home, I saw a familiar face walking out of the coffee shop next to my building, followed closely by a larger man. I felt sweaty from my run, so I tried to shield my face from him, but it was too late. He stopped, waiting for me as he took a sip of his coffee. He lifted a cigarette to his lips, taking a long drag. I could not avoid him, so I came to a halt in front of him and his friend.
Smirking, he asked, “What happened last night?”
“It's okay,” I dropped my head, shyly shuffling my feet. “My boss was a jerk,” I shrugged, “and I didn't want to be there anymore anyway.”
“Yeah, none of us like that guy,” he rolled his eyes, chuckling darkly. “We go there because it's convenient.” Inhaling his cigarette deeply, he recounted, “We decided after last night, we will not be returning.”
Fidgeting with my fingertips, I gulped, “You don't have to stop going--.”
“We heard him yelling at you,” he unexpectedly interrupted. “No one deserves to be yelled at like that. I'm sorry.”
“I’ve been trying to figure out how to quit anyway,” I casually responded with a shrug.
Tilting his head intriguingly, his gaze focused on me, “I'm sure you'll figure it out.” He gently placed his fingertips on my forearm, "I have a good feeling anyway."
I drew in a sharp breath, “Thank you.” I anxiously giggled. “I hope so.”
He smiled coyly, as he studied me with amusement. I am fairly sure he could tell that he made me nervous. He passed his coffee cup off his friend, then pulled his phone from his pocket.
“I have to take this call,” he stated as he examined the screen.
Before I could reply, he held the phone to his ear, whispering, “Great seeing you again.”
Speaking to the person on the phone in Italian, he winked at me in passing, rendering me speechless. I watched as he and his friend faded into the crowd of people.
That same night Tanya was out late, so I watched a movie in the living room. During an anticlimactic part of the movie, I pulled out my phone and found myself sucked into the black hole of the suggested posts on my social media. Out of the blue, I came across a post by a woman with a man at her side. The man was the same mysterious Italian man I had met twice.
My curiosity got the best of me as I tapped on the post. The woman was locked in arms with him. The caption read,With my babe on holiday in London. The photo was taken in front of the London Eye Ferris Wheel. There was no name, no tag, nothing. I scrolled through her comments, but nothing stood out to me. None mentioned his name, so I was left to wonder.
It was getting late, so I went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be another day full of job searching, then the masquerade ball at night. I was looking forward to it. At some point in my daydreaming about how I would style my hair and who I would dance with, I fell asleep. I was briefly woken up by the front door slamming. Hearing muffled moans, I realized it was Tanya with a guest, and I quickly fell right back to sleep.
