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I heard more people leaving the office as their voices slowly faded. I watched as Charlie’s eyes tracked people over my shoulder then let her gaze connect with mine again. I relaxed further back into my seat. ‘Every time we talk on the phone she reminds me. Then she gives me a list of things she wants me to bring her. She is very specific and bossy for a six-year-old, too. You’d be surprised what a hard job it is to be her uncle.’
‘I’d believe you. She sounds adorable. Do you have kids of your own?’ she asked hesitantly.
‘No. What about you?’
She offered a small and shy smile as she shook her head. ‘Not married. And no kids.’
‘You did want kids though, right? That’s what I remember. I think you wanted two.’
‘You do remember.’ She paused. ‘Yes, I do want two kids. One or two, I’ll take either.’
‘I think I remember pretty much everything we talked about as if it were just yesterday. Strangely enough.’
‘Kinda strange, maybe. A little.’
‘You think so? I remember because it was important to me.’
She narrowed her eyes a little, thinking. ‘I’m curious, what kind of things do you remember exactly?’
‘I remember you hated people who talked loudly and disrespected our favourite seventy-year-old waitress. Doris, was that her name?’
She glanced at the floor for a second, then back to me. ‘Yes! Doris – I remember her. She was the sweetest.’
‘She was. Then I remember how your cheeks would hurt from smiling at me and you’d have to hold your cheeks to relax a little. And you’d avoid my gaze when I complimented you.’ This time, listening to me, she didn’t avoid my gaze. She was fully interested in hearing what I was saying. I found myself wanting to keep going. ‘I remember talking about your mom who left when you were little. Then I remember coming to the diner before you and you coming in and your eyes searching the place. Then you’d see me and just smile. And I remember both of us asking whoever was there first: “Is this seat taken?” As if that was our keyword. I remember staying and talking to you till closing time.’
We stared at each other for a long while. Suddenly the tension in the room thick.
‘I seem to remember a lot of things,’ I admitted out loud. Both to her and myself. And I remembered more.
‘I guess we both do.’
Then there was a moment of silence; she avoided my eyes and looked over my shoulder again. ‘I think pretty much everyone left,’ she said and slid forward in her seat a little. ‘I don’t want to hold you. Ah, I mean hold you up, not hug you or anything.’
‘You’re not holding me up, Charlie. How have you been? How is everything?’
‘Not much has changed really,’ she started and rose up so I slowly got up to my feet as well. Maybe I was the one who was holding her when she had plans.
‘Still single,’ she continued. I thought I saw her wince a little, but then she quickly covered it up with a smile. ‘Been in the same city since you last saw me. And… nothing new really. Nothing too exciting at least. I do date of course, but yeah. Nothing serious. Had a long-distance relationship for a few years, but it didn’t work out. And considering it’s been six years, the fact that nothing new has happened to me is slightly pathetic, so on that note I think I’ll leave.’
‘Charlie,’ I started and waited until she looked at me. ‘You’re not pathetic. I’m sure a lot of things happened in your life. I know you had a million things you wanted to do.’
‘Plans change, unfortunately.’ Avoiding my eyes, she took a few steps forward, then spun around and walked backwards until she reached the door. ‘Is it okay if we call Laurel tomorrow? She’ll feel like we’re ganging up on her after my call.’
‘You know your clients best. If you say she’ll react better after cooling off for a little, we’ll do that.’
Her hand reached for the doorknob behind her, and she squeezed herself in through the little opening she created.
As I watched her trying to get away from me – again – I felt something in my chest that I hadn’t felt in a long while, but I wasn’t that surprised. If I thought back on it, Charlie Davis had had that same effect on me six years ago as well – and I remember being startled by it back then. Startled by the fact that I’d ended up at that diner at the same time, every single day for a whole week, just on the offchance she’d be there as well. We never told each other whether we’d be there the next day or not. We never made a date. We never gave each other our numbers, I knew nothing but her name. We always ended our late-night conversations as if it were the last time we’d see each other. I remember her saying the same thing for seven nights straight as we said our goodbyes right outside the door of the diner.
