Leaving The Pieces Behind

by R. M. Demeester

  I would make it happen.

  Soon six o’clock rolled around and the rest of the morning staff appeared right on schedule. Like every day, the tranquil environment turned into a battleground, and my mind spun at a million miles per hour.

  “Pass me the sugar, Serenity.”

  When I didn’t react, there was a tap on my shoulder.

  “Pass the sugar already.”

  I jumped and quickly passed it along. “Sorry,” I whispered.

  My heart skipped in an unfamiliar way. I had better not let my petty problems get in the way of my job. So far I had been doing well and didn’t want to get on anyone’s bad side, especially when my life was just turning around.

  I spent the majority of my remaining shift in silence, doing what I needed to do without communicating with any of the other bakers. Not that it mattered. I didn’t click with anyone besides Zina anyway. Some of them even treated me as if I was continually encroaching into their territory. At least when I worked for George’s Bakery, I got along well with most of the other bakers. We were all in our late-teens and early-twenties, so it made sense. Here, I was one of the youngest employees, and it showed.

  Once one o’clock rolled around, Zina and I left the bakery.

  “So, what is your plan for this afternoon?” she asked casually as we stepped out into the sunshine.

  “I’m heading home,” I told her. I had an entire day planned with me, myself, and some solitaire. Maybe even thinking about William between games. “What about you?”

  “Would you like to grab a cup of coffee? I don’t have anything planned this afternoon.”

  I stood there dumbfounded for a minute.

  “Unless you're busy,” she said quickly.

  “No, coffee sounds good.” It was way better than chilling with Sophia and dealing with whatever drama she had for the day.

  “How about the coffee shop down the street?” she suggested.

  I nodded. “Sure.”

  I followed Zina down the street. My hand was cupped in my pocket where I had a few bills left over from my last paycheck. We entered the coffee shop. I was pretty sure we had delivered pastries to this place a few times. The decor was dated, and the floors were covered in scuff marks from years of wear-and-tear, but otherwise it was a quaint spot. And it smelled and looked clean, which was always a plus.

  A young man approached the till. “What can I get you ladies today?”

  Zina ordered a coffee, and I ordered a hot chocolate.

  Once we received our drinks, we made our way to a corner table and I sat across from her.

  She sipped her coffee. “I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

  “Oh?” I replied. I didn’t know what else to say.

  “Nothing bad, dear,” she clarified. “I’ve seen how that hunk looks at you.”

  I blushed. “I don’t know. It’s complicated.”

  Zina took another sip and laughed. “It’s only as complicated as you make it. So practice on me. What do you want to tell him? Now, don’t be shy.”

  “Well...” My mind spun around like a spinning top. I couldn’t believe I was sharing all this with Zina. “I want to know if we’re officially dating or not. We talk every day and hang out a lot. I enjoy his company and I know he enjoys mine. I want to put a label on what we have. I can’t explain it. I don’t even like labels, but in this instance, I do. I need it.” I wanted to slam my head into the ground like a cartoon ostrich; I could only imagine how scatter-brained I sounded.

  “Take a deep breath,” Zina advised.

  Great, she noticed too. I did as she instructed.

  She smiled. “Good.”

  “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  “Don’t be, Serenity. Don’t be,” she replied. “Now, about your dilemma. How would you feel about setting up a fun little date? Maybe some activity that you both can enjoy. Then casually bring up the state of your relationship. Like maybe a walk or bowling? Something where the two of you are interacting and talking. No movies,” she added.

  I sat there for a moment, soaking in what she was saying.

  Wanting to avoid looking clueless, I murmured a quick, “Thanks.” Maybe she was right. I could ask William if he wanted to go to bowling or take a walk around the mall. Then I could pick the perfect moment to blurt out what I needed to say.

  My phone rang. It was my mom.

  Taking her cue, Zina stood up. “I’m going to run to the bathroom real quick. Don’t worry about me,” she said and scurried away. She probably assumed it was William.

  I connected. “Hello, Mom.”

  “Hey, Serenity. How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine. I’m just having coffee with a co-worker. How are you?”

  There was an awkward pause. “I won’t keep you...”

  “No, it’s fine. She’s using the restroom, so I have a minute or two.”

  There was an obnoxious tapping on the other line. Mom’s nerves were acting up most likely. “I just wanted to see if you’d be busy next weekend. I’m going to be in town looking at some houses.”

  That piqued my attention. “Houses?”

  I heard some labored breathing on the other line. “Yeah, Mike,” she continued. “You remember Mike, right?”

  His name sounded familiar. “I think so.” I thought back to my childhood and could barely conjure up a face. I decided that he must have been around when we came back to live with Mom.

  “Well, anyway, the landlord sold the house, so we’re moving. I thought maybe to where you live. It seems nice, and maybe we could spend more time together. Would you like that?” She sounded hopeful.

  Zina returned from the bathroom and sat down.

  “That would be nice.” I felt a twinge of guilt. “Can I call you back later, Mom?”

  Mom’s voice trailed off. “Oh… Okay, sweetie. You take care.” Click.

  Zina stared at me sympathetically. “Is everything all right?”

  I smiled. “Yes, that was just my mom. She’s going to be in town next weekend.”

  “That’s nice.”

  The pain my chest festered. I knew I should be excited that Mom was coming to visit, but it made me a bit distressed. It made me want to crawl into a little ball in a dark hole somewhere. I wouldn’t tell Zina that though.

  I looked at the time. It was shortly after two, and I needed to head home soon.

  Zina finished the last of her drink while I had barely touched my own. “You seem preoccupied,” she said. “Is there somewhere you need to be?”

  I swallowed hard. “No,” I lied. What I really needed was to make plans with William as soon as possible. I wanted to get it all out. I wanted to finally clear things up between us. But ending this meeting abruptly would be rude.

  Zina was wise enough, though, to pick up on the subtle cues that I must have been giving off. “Well, I’d better get going. I’m sure you and William will be meeting up later.”

  “Have a great evening. I’ll see you at work.”

  “Same.” She smiled before she headed for the door.

  She was right. William was on my mind, but so was my mother. I would have to call her back sometime before she came to town.

  After Zina left the coffee shop, I sat for a few moments, debating what I was going to do next. William wasn’t off work until five, and I wasn’t sure if he had any other plans tonight. Neither of us had mentioned anything before.

  What are you up to? I typed.

  My fingers could barely finish a coherent thought. I really wanted to see him. In the back of my head, a million ideas stirred, but none took hold. What would we do? Maybe I could dress up and look real nice. Mix things up and throw him off his game but in a good way. Then once we were relaxed and his walls were down, I’d ask him if we were officially dating.

  The plan was perfect in theory, but my nerves were another story. Could I pull it off?

  I just finished with a client. I have a few minutes. How was work?

  I smiled. It was pretty
good. I went for coffee with a co-worker. Now I’m about to head home. Are you available to hang out tonight?

  I tapped my foot against the booth, my slender legs trembling. Please be available. Please, I kept telling myself. If there was ever a moment that we needed to meet, tonight was the night. Zina finally gave me the kick in the arse I needed.

  I was about to ask you the same thing. I’ll be off in an hour. Short day today.

  I was in the middle of typing a response when he texted again.

  Pick you up at your house.

  I deleted my original response and replied, Okay, sounds good.

  I quickly left the coffee shop, passing Zina who was just boarding the bus. I picked up the pace past the area where I was robbed. Even the twinge of fear that had attached itself to the location didn’t stop me. I was both nervous and excited to see William and finally, finally have some answers.

  Inside my house, I wasted no time hopping into the shower. I wanted to look my best when William picked me up.

  I changed into a purple cocktail dress; I had bought it on clearance a few years ago and had rarely worn it, but tonight seemed like a great occasion.

  I bounced out of my bedroom toward the living room, skirting right past Sophia.

  She stopped and stared. “Someone is in a good mood.” There was a hint of passive-aggressiveness in her voice, but at that very moment, I couldn’t care less.

  I sat on the couch and waited. I kept glancing out the window and then back to my phone. I couldn’t stop fidgeting. Finally, at quarter-after-four, William’s car pulled up in front of my home. Sophia had entered the living room.

  “Do I look all right?” I asked her nervously.

  Sophia nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dress up to that extent before if I’m honest.”

  I took her somewhat rude comment as a yes and let myself out of the house. Not waiting for William, I opened the passenger door and slid inside.

  William smiled, his eyes wide. “You look pretty. Are we going somewhere?”

  I shrugged. “No real plans.”

  “Could we maybe stop and get some delicious treats before the bakery closes? I’ve been thinking about you all day, and what better way to kick off the night than to eat one of those delicious cinnamon buns?”

  I started to nod, then a different idea popped in my head. “I have a better idea.”

  He rose his eyebrow. “Oh?”

  “Instead of buying them, why don’t we make them?”

  This was perfect. Zina said to plan a fun activity. Not only could we do something fun, but maybe we could also bond over something.

  “I’m not a great baker,” he tried to reason.

  “But I am. Trust me, we can make better cinnamon buns.”

  He licked his lips. “So, what do we need?”

  “We can make a quick stop at the grocery store.”

  “Okay. Let’s go. Then we can go back to my place and make them. It’s a little more private and all. Right?”

  “Right.”

  William pulled away and headed toward the local shop. So far so good, I kept telling myself.

  He pulled into the parking lot. “How about here?”

  “Sure.” Normally, I would have bussed across town to the cheaper market, but I didn’t want to remind him of my money troubles.

  As we strolled down the aisles looking for the list of ingredients, William stared in awe like a child in a toy store. It warmed my heart. It was rare to see such delight, and I wasn’t accustomed to it.

  “Is everything all right?” William finally asked.

  “Huh?”

  “The pretty dress, the shopping, and all that stuff. It just caught me off-guard, but in a good way.”

  “I just wanted to look nice for you.”

  William blushed.

  “We got everything,” I said, eager to change the subject. I reached into my pocket. All of this would take most of what I had left. I sighed. But I needed to resolve this dilemma today.

  William shifted foot-to-foot the entire time we were at the till.

  The cashier shot off the total, and I reached into my pocket for my money, but William handed the lady his credit card.

  I mumbled a thank you.

  Inside the car, I sat quietly. I wanted to pay for it, but once again, William had me beat.

  William touched my shoulder. I jumped. “Don’t feel bad about me picking up the tab. It’s just a habit, and besides, you’re going to teach me your mad baking skills. It’s the least I can do.”

  “Maybe I will.” If he only knew of my mad baking skills. If he only knew.

  At his apartment, I unloaded the ingredients onto his small counter, rearranging items nervously so we’d have ample workspace. Droplets of perspiration dotted my forehead.

  William stared at the counter. “Where do we begin?”

  “Do you have a large mixing bowl?” I prayed that he did. I didn’t think to ask before starting this whole charade.

  He pointed to his top drawer. “All my dishes are up there, and underneath are my cooking utensils.”

  I pulled out a large mixing bowl and a cookie sheet. I smiled. “First, we mix in the dry ingredients.” I measured and dumped the contents into the bowl.

  William stood there looking on in amazement, taking in everything I was saying. I handed him a spoon. “You stir while I add in the liquids.”

  He mixed, and I cracked an egg into the bowl. “Now, I’m going to mix in the milk slowly. It’s going to get a little difficult to stir in a bit, but it’ll start to take shape.”

  The dough was taking form, and William was excited. Even I was excited.

  “Now we let it rise for a bit.” I laid a towel over the bowl and washed my hands before walking into his living room. William followed.

  “You do it with such ease,” William complimented as we sat side-by-side on the couch.

  “Just like you make numbers easy, yeah?”

  William rubbed his neck. “Not nearly as exciting as being able to bake.”

  I shuffled over so our legs touched. His left hand touched my knee, but we maintained eye contact. I reached over and kissed him. This time, I would make the first move. William pulled away after a second and his eyes widened, his posture stiffening for a moment before he relaxed. I must have caught him off-guard. That seemed to be the theme of tonight. But then he reached over, cupping my chin and pulling me closer as our lips touched again. We stayed entangled for a moment, and then pulled away. It felt right. Natural. Despite the kiss, we didn’t say anything. We didn’t have to.

  My phone rang. Oh, God. Why didn’t I turn it off?

  Groaning, I pulled it out to stare at the screen.

  “Sorry, it’s my mom”

  “Why don’t you take it?” William said.

  When I turned to answer the phone, I swore I heard William sigh with relief.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “Hey, Serenity. Sorry our last conversation got cut short.”

  I placed my elbow on my knee and rested my head in my hand. “It’s all good.”

  “What are you up to?”

  “I’m just hanging out with my boy— my friend. I’m hanging out with my friend.” I didn’t bother to make eye contact with William. My face burned.

  “Oh!” Mom exclaimed.

  “We are baking,” I clarified before she could ask anything embarrassing. I rocked back and forth; my heart was pounding. I didn’t mean to blurt that out. I mean, I planned on asking William first. This just wasn’t how I imagined bringing it up.

  “That’s nice,” she replied. She paused for a moment before continuing. “I’m for sure coming next weekend. Maybe I can meet your boyfriend then.”

  “My friend, and yes. Maybe. I don’t know. We’ll see.” I kept stumbling on my thoughts.

  “I won’t keep you. Call me when you aren’t busy, okay, sweetie?”

  “Okay, Mom.”

  “I love you.”

  I took a
deep breath. “I love you too, Mom. Talk to you later.” Then the phone clicked.

  I slowly put the phone back into my pocket and forced myself to look over at William. He didn’t say anything.

  I guess now was a better time than any. “That is what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “About?” His words were shaky. I think he knew what I was referring to, but he was too nervous to admit it.

  Here it comes…

  “Are we dating?” I asked. “Or what?”

  William’s gaze averted from mine.

  Crap. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  William then turned to look at me. “Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

  “I do.” As soon as I said it, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.

  He smiled. “Then I guess neither of one of us has to guess anymore.”

  I pulled him close to me, almost too roughly, and kissed him. Warmth radiated throughout my body, and my heartbeat raced. William grinned cheek to cheek. I never wanted that moment to end.

  It was official.

  We were a couple.

  Chapter 6

  I’ll be in town later this afternoon. Where do you want to meet?

  I reread the text from Mom. The pit in my throat tightened. She told me she was coming, but I guess I just didn’t believe it. I paced, my mind floundering with thoughts of how this meeting was going to go.

  How about we meet at a little café near my house? I suggested.

  A sudden sadness hampered my heart. I wanted a better relationship with Mom. I told myself, I told her, and I even told Dayton before he ditched town that I wanted to see more of Mom. I had formulated a plan in my mind to see her more often. But now she was coming in a few short hours to see me. Why was I so sad? Why was I dreading seeing my mother?

  Then Mom’s number crossed my caller display.

  I reluctantly answered. “Hello?”

  “Hey, sweetie.” Mom’s voice was cheerful. I heard a distinct male voice in the background. More than likely it was Mike, the one she said she was going to bring with her when we last spoke.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  “We are about ten minutes from the city. Where do you live? We can come to pick you up.”

  My throat tickled. “Okay.” I shot off my address to her. What am I doing? Regret, or a sense of dismay, invaded my thoughts. I almost wanted to make up an excuse not to see her. What was wrong with me? My childhood wasn’t so bad that I deserved to feel this way about my mother. So why now?