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I shake my head and gesture to the open chair across from me. “No, please, be my guest.”
I scoot backward as if to leave and find another table, but she places her warm hand on my arm.
“No, sugar, I didn’t mean you needed to give me the table! Oh, what a fine first impression you’re going to have of me. Bursting in here like this, making you think that I’m trying to bully you out of the table you was at first. No ma’am that’s not my intention at all. In fact, if you would be so kind as to fetch me a cup of coffee like you have here, we can chit-chat and get to know one another a little better! Wouldn’t that be nice?” She doesn’t quite make eye contact after she lets go of my arm. She’s already busy pushing at the things on the table and putting them into whatever semblance of ordered chaos that she prefers. She pulls a pen out from behind her ear, and it clatters loudly to the table.
I nod and rise to go fetch her coffee like she asked me to. She talks so fast. I don’t mind helping her, but she also doesn’t seem like the sort of woman who takes no for an answer. She strikes me more like the sort to dress in some elaborately fancy costume for every holiday or school event that happens. Should I do that too? Will that be expected of me? Would I evenlikedoing something like that?
At least she seems nice enough.
I try to imagine what life as her best friend would be like, certainly not the constant binge-drinking and nightclubs that my previous friends and I entertained. No, I imagine Amy is the kindof woman who volunteers at the soup kitchen but spends the entire time people-watching and gossiping. She strikes me as the type of woman who would bring her own food to the movie theater and talk the entire time the movie was playing.
Which isn’t always a bad thing. It’s just different. I need to get better at rolling with the punches. She certainly doesn’t seem like she would judge me even half as much as I’m presently judging her. It’s not fair. I need to think more small-town. I decide that Sofia is the sort of woman who likes to go antique shopping on the weekends. Maybe that will be something that I can use to bond with Amy. If she likes that sort of thing.
I return with the coffee, and she heaves a sigh of relief so palpable it seems like I’ve done so much more for her than just transporting caffeine in her direction. She grabs hold of my arm and pulls me back into my seat forcefully.
“Oh,thank you.” She takes a deep chug of the coffee without even letting it cool down first.
My eyes widen. I’m not sure if I’m impressed or intimidated by the move.
“I needed that, so bad! Those little demons have been running me ragged all day. Each year, I swear they just get wittier and wittier, and sometimes I feel like they’re gonna surpass me when it comes to intelligence. I suppose that’s a good thing, but it doesn’t feel like it. I can hardly keep up with their sarcasm most days.”
She takes another long chug of the coffee before she pauses long enough for me to get a word in.
“How are you settling in, sugar? You liking everything okay?”
She actually waits for my response this time. Her smile never wavers for a second, so it’s hard to tell what she’s actually thinking. Maybe she actually is as kind as she seems.
“I am! Thank you for asking. It’s a really nice change of pace,” I answer quickly.
“Yeah? Was the school you come from not like this one?”
I don’t want to answer that question, so I shrug and buy myself a little time with a slow sip of my own coffee.
“Well, no matter what kind of school you came from before, I suppose you can’t really compare one job to the next.” Amy laughs with her whole chest and pats my arm while doing so. She seems prettytouchy-feely, but since it feels like we’re bonding somehow, I don’t stop her.
“You just need to know that even though we’re a small town where everybody knows everybody, for the most part, all the apples are good. You know what I mean?”
I nod and smile, pushing myself to pretend to be more outgoing than I currently feel. “So, what you’re saying is that I’m the only new blood here this year?”
“Oh hardly! But you are one of… what, three? I think it’s just you, and those pair of boys from the city.” She whistles really low. “Henry is a sweet kid, but his Papa? That is a tall glass of water, I’ll tell you what.”
Daniel is Henry’s father? I suppose that she would know. In spite of myself, I can feel my face flushing pink as my mind happily, and quickly, supplies me with all of last night’s fantasies.
“Oh, honey, I know,” Amy says, gesturing to my blush with one hand. “If I weren’t a married woman, I would be doing the exact same thing that you are right now. He’s probably the most handsome man I’ve ever laid eyes on. I will say that to my husband’s face, mind you.”
I decide to take a small risk. “Do you know if he’s single?”
Amy giggles so hard it almost sounds like a cackle. “You minx! I like you already. Well, I don’t know if he’s got a family in the city or anything, but there weren’t any women listed on Henry’s transcript papers—if you know what I mean. No mention of a wife or a baby mama. From what I managed to squeeze out of Principal Martinez, Henry’s poor mother committed suicide.”
“I thought Henry was the guy’s nephew?” the gym teacher interjects flatly from across the room without so much as looking up from his newspaper.
“Oh, you know… you might be right about that one. Yes, that was what it was. He took Henry in after his sisteroffedherself. Apart from being filthy rich and sweet as sugar, I haven’t heard much else about him yet.” Amy winks dramatically at me. “But I can be sure to let you know the moment that I learn anything juicy!”
The burly gym teacher heaves a long-suffering sigh from across the room and forcefully folds his newspaper. “No, you’re missing the best part.”
He crosses the room like he’s doing us a favor and flips a plastic chair around to sit on it while glaring at Amy.
“For such a gossip, Amy-Marie, you certainly don’t bother taking the time to get your facts straight,” he chastises without a hint of mirth on his face.
