by Bria Marche
Dan drove Route 9 to his parent’s house, thinking about Tina all the way. He couldn’t figure her out. There had to be a way to become friends, at least to start. Inviting her to have coffee seemed innocent enough if he ever got the chance. But there was earlier, when she’d approached him at the van. If she hadn’t been embarrassed about the paint, she might have stuck around. It could have led to me asking her out for coffee. Dan vowed to try asking on Tuesday since Tina always showed up on her day off. He knew he didn’t have many more opportunities. Their work at the Victorian would be complete in a few weeks.
***
Power tools and hammers could be heard from one end of Sunrise Avenue to the other. Sasha and her parents sat on the front porch, where the sound wasn’t quite as deafening as it was inside the house.
“Why don’t you guys take the truck and go downtown?” Sasha said. “You can relax in the town square or go to Amelia’s for coffee. It’s way too loud here. I’ve got to stick around because the baby furniture is being delivered this morning. Go ahead—I don’t mind. Tina said she’d stop by and help me set up the nursery, and the delivery guys should be here in an hour.”
“Are you sure, honey? We don’t want to abandon you.”
“Papa, it’s okay. Tina’s going to be here soon.”
With her parents gone, Sasha went back inside to watch the guys work. Wearing a dust mask, she sat back twenty feet to avoid most of the plaster particles that floated in the air, coating everything with white powder. Earplugs were jammed tightly into her ears, at least while the reciprocating saws were engaged. Every few minutes, she looked out the leaded glass window in the dining room, watching for Tina. Sasha caught a glimpse of Tina’s car pulling through the intersection a block up the street and went out on the porch to greet her.
“What the hell?” Tina asked when she was close enough to see Sasha coated with a fine, white powder. “Been baking?” She laughed.
“Nope. C’mon inside. I’ve been watching the guys work. You’ll need to put on a dust mask for your own safety and a pair of earplugs. It’s actually pretty cool to see how they take out an entire wall. I can’t wait until the sliders go in. I’m sure I’ll pee my pants from excitement. We’ll have a kitchen again and a convenient way to get back and forth to the deck.”
Tina laughed and followed Sasha into what used to be a perfectly good kitchen. The room resembled something a tornado blew through. “You do know you look like the Pillsbury doughboy, right?”
“You think I’m bad? Look at the guys.” Sasha pointed to the three men, coated from head to toe in white dust. The only part of their bodies that remained skin toned was their eyes, which fortunately had goggles protecting them.
Tina stared at them for a second before she burst into laughter. The men stopped working. They looked at her, then at Sasha, and finally at each other before they joined her, laughing too. Dan set down his saw, casually walked over to them, and grabbed Tina, shaking dust all over her.
“There—now you’re one of us.”
She screamed and ran out of the kitchen, begging him to stop, while he chased her. When they returned, Tina looked as white as the rest of them.
The knocker banged against the oak door. “Crap. The delivery guys are here,” Sasha said, wiping the tears of laughter from her powdery face.
“You’re going to pay, Dan,” Tina threatened as she bent over and shook the white powder out of her hair. “Count on it.”
“I can’t wait.” He chuckled as they got back to work.
Sasha answered the door, surprising the deliverymen with her unusual appearance. Tina came up behind her.
“Delivery for Martha Destiny,” the overweight man wearing tan coveralls said dubiously. A second man stood at the back of the delivery truck, waiting for the okay to begin unloading.
“Yep, I’m Martha Destiny,” Sasha replied, still laughing. “You can bring the furniture upstairs. Just follow me.”
Sasha paid extra to have the men assemble the cribs and take away all the protective plastic and cardboard. Then they left, and Sasha’s parents returned. An hour later, Sasha, Alina, and Tina stood in the nursery with two fully assembled cribs, two dressers, a changing table, two nightstands, and a rocking chair. The closet was full of accessories from Baby Heaven. Now the fun was about to begin. The baby-boy side would be to the left of the door, and the girl side would be to the right. The large maple rocking chair was situated under the center window. Sasha placed a nightstand next to each crib with a circus animal lamp on one and a carousel lamp on the other. The dressers sat side by side on the east wall, and the changing table was placed next to the closet. They hung pictures of teddy bears and building blocks. Because the floors were maple, Sasha bought three thick yellow fuzzy rugs. One went in front of each crib, and the last one was placed in front of the rocking chair. They covered the crib mattresses with colorful sheet sets and matching blankets. A yellow pillow and throw waited on the rocker for the day they would be needed. The three women stood at the doorway looking over the room, deciding if anything needed to be tweaked, or not.
“What do you guys think?” Sasha asked, her hands neatly resting on her widening hips.
“I think the room looks beautiful, darling. You’re going to be such a wonderful mother.”
Sasha felt her bottom lip quivering.
“Sasha, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Alina asked.
“You and Papa won’t be here for the delivery. Who knows when you’ll be back?”
“Dear, that’s something you’ll have to discuss with your father. He has a schedule to uphold, but he’s working less all the time. I’m sure we’ll be back soon. Don’t even worry about it. There’s a good chance we can return in October when you’re due.”
“Really?” Sasha asked with new enthusiasm.
“Really… so, Tina, what do you think of the nursery, dear?”
“I love it. We did a great job. To be honest, I don’t think one more piece of furniture could have fit in here. The room is packed, but perfect.”
Chapter Fifteen
The sound of footsteps ascending the staircase caught their attention. The girls turned to see Karen coming their way.
“Check it out.” Tina chuckled. “She didn’t even bang the door knocker.”
“I’m learning. If there are cars in the driveway, somebody has to be around. In a house this size, who knows if you would have heard it anyway with the racket in the kitchen? I need to see this nursery—step aside. Oh my God—it’s wonderful and so happy looking. You guys nailed it. I’m sorry I wasn’t around to help paint, but Mario and I went to Hunter over the weekend. He’s staying there until Saturday, then I’ll go back and pick him up. His ribs are starting to feel better, and his right hand is coming around.”
“That’s good to hear. At least he won’t be wearing a sling with his tux.” Tina smirked.
“No kidding, right? I have to see what’s going on downstairs. They’re knocking out the wall today, aren’t they?”
“Oh yeah, the wall is already gone. Now they’re framing in the patio doors. I bought the type of sliders that have a bunch of window panels in them. They fit in better with the style of the house—not so modern looking. By tomorrow, they’ll be putting on the decorative molding and replastering the walls, then we’ll be painting the kitchen. The painters are scheduled to start the deck on Thursday, so it’s coming around. Everything will be finished and absolutely gorgeous by this time next week.”
That means Dan will be gone and off to some other project, Tina thought. I doubt if I’ll ever run into him again… literally.
“Are you coming?” Karen looked back at Tina, who was still standing in the nursery doorway.
“What?”
“We’re going downstairs. I’ve got to check out the kitchen.”
“Yeah… sure.” If I’m ever going to get the nerve to talk to Dan again, I have to do it soon. He’ll disappear in a few days, moving on to the next job. I’m going to lose my
only opportunity to stay in touch with him.
Downstairs, the women found the crew taking a short break. The dust had settled a bit since they’d moved on to framing in the sliders. Karen was impressed with the progress and chatting with Bill and Jeff as they showed her the deck. Tina heard the front door close. Sasha and Alina walked out to the porch to join Gerard. Tina was left alone in the kitchen with Dan smiling at her.
Now was her only chance, so she had to say something. “I’m sorry I laughed at you guys earlier when you were covered in dust. Thinking back to Sunday when I had paint on my face, I’m sure I looked a mess, too. I shouldn’t have gotten so defensive when you laughed—it was just paint, for Pete’s sake. I’ll admit, I was a little embarrassed, but the way you guys looked today, you just took it in stride. I guess you have a better sense of humor than I do.”
Dan pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Tina started to walk away thinking he had to make a call. “Hold on, Tina—I was only checking the time. We have another hour of work before our lunch break. Are you still going to be around? How about sitting out by the truck with me while I eat? I’ll share my sandwich with you.” He chuckled.
“It depends,” she said.
“On what?” He laughed happily.
“On what kind of sandwich you’re having.”
Now Dan’s face flushed red through the pale-white powder remnants. “Well, I am a single guy, you know. My mom quit making sandwiches for me back in middle school, so I grabbed whatever was easy.”
“Yeah, and what was that?” Tina blew the dust off of one of the chairs and sat down.
“Peanut butter and jelly, but at least it’s on whole-wheat bread.”
“Okay, I’ll hang around. Come and find me when you’re ready for lunch.”
Tina headed toward the front door to join everyone on the porch. Karen was making her way outside, too. “Did I miss something since I was gone a few days?”
“What does that mean?” Tina couldn’t help but smile.
“Yeah, right… you and Dan looked kind of cozy sitting in the corner having your little private conversation.”
“I’m sure you’re imagining things. To be honest, he just asked if I’d sit with him outside while he has lunch. Pretty innocent, really, but it’s a step in the right direction for me. I’ve got to get on board. Everyone else is coupled up, for crap’s sake.”
“Good for you, sister, I hope it leads to more. He’s gorgeous and single. Those are two of the best qualities any guy could have.”
Tina was on cloud nine. Not only had she made the first move, but she’d pushed herself beyond her comfort zone. She hadn’t done that in years. Coming out of her shell and getting over her anger at men was what she needed to do if she ever planned to have a happy, fulfilling life with her friends. She didn’t want to be alone anymore. She wanted to be part of a couple like everyone else. Life as she knew it was ending. A new-and-improved Tina would emerge, starting that day.
Dan called her over when he opened the door of the van and pulled out his lunch cooler. They sat on the lawn in the shade of one of the ancient oaks. “Sorry. I only brought one can of soda. Let’s see: I have a sandwich, a bag of chips, and a banana. We can split everything. I’d much rather take you out for lunch, but I don’t think any decent establishment would let me in the door looking the way I do. I still have dust coming out of every crevice.”
I’d love to clean out your crevices, you hot thing. Tina thought back to a conversation she’d had months ago with the girls. She’d sworn off men for good years earlier, but had enjoyed adding her two cents to any conversation if it involved male bashing. She remembered Mia’s words. “Someday a hot hunk of manflesh will sweep you off your feet when you least expect it.” Tina wondered if that time had arrived. She looked up to see Dan smiling at her with his gorgeous, piercing-blue eyes. His two-day beard had grown back and looked sexy even through the light coat of white dust sticking to his whiskers. His normally curly black hair held a whitish tint. She’d love to wash the dust out of his hair and shave him again. Suddenly, kissing Dan and making love with him seemed like it could become a reality. She hadn’t been in a man’s arms for years, not even realizing she craved it until that moment.
“Tina, here—take half of my sandwich, and you’re welcome to everything else, too.”
Really? How about you? She smiled, wondering if he was thinking the same thing, as she reached for the sandwich.
Most of their conversation was small talk since they really hadn’t spoken to each other in depth before. They asked questions they already knew the answers to, but it was a beginning. They were making progress.
“Would you ever consider going out for coffee with me, when I’m cleaned up, I mean? You know, soon enough I’ll be a resident in this fine town of yours, and I’ll definitely need someone to show me around.”
“Aren’t you from Croton-on-Hudson?”
“Well, yeah… but I was gone for eight years. Things change, plus I didn’t know anyone in Tarrytown. I didn’t come here that often. Will you show me the ropes, Tina?”
“You didn’t really just ask that did you?” she said, laughing, as she grabbed a handful of potato chips. “I think you’re coming on to me.” Shit, I can’t believe I just said that. Suddenly I’m getting diarrhea of the mouth, for crap’s sake. Take it down a notch, Tina, before you scare the poor guy away. What the hell is in this soda? I’m never that bold. “Well, I’ll give it some thought. Don’t forget Tuesday is my only day off during the week, and it looks like you guys work on weekends.”
“Nah… not really. We’re only working weekends to get the deck and wedding garden done for Sasha and Josh. After that, weekend work happens occasionally but not normally. And once I move into Josh’s house, we’ll almost be neighbors.”
“How would you know that? I never told you where I lived.”
Dan looked away nervously. He pulled up a blade of grass, tearing it apart. “I mean, I’ll be living in Tarrytown, closer than if I was in Croton-on-Hudson, that’s all. Well, I better get back to work. Looks like my lunch break is over. Take care, Tina.” He stood, brushed off his pants, put his cooler into the van, and returned to the house.
What the hell was that about? He just gets up and walks away without making any plans with me? Who knows if he’ll still be working here next weekend? There’s no good reason for me to just come over, plus it would be blatantly obvious that I’m only stopping by because of him. Seriously, he didn’t even ask for my friggin’ phone number. Men… they’re all idiots!
Tina was pissed off again. She wasn’t going to hang around, waiting for him to grow a brain. I thought he might be smart, but as usual, I can’t read men for shit. Tina sat on the porch with Sasha, Karen, and Sasha’s parents for a while. She didn’t want to seem to be leaving abruptly. That would lead to questions she didn’t have answers to. Dan was another typical brain-dead guy—too much bother. She planned her exit strategy, saying she had to make arrangements for the yearly fashion-and-style expo she was going to on Sunday. The expo was real, but Vic was the one going to it. Only one of them needed to attend the three-day event in Rochester. Tina said good-bye and headed straight to Vic’s house. She rounded the corner on Vic’s street. Good, she’s home. The burgundy Ford Fusion was safely parked in the middle of the driveway, away from the menacing curbs Vic always seemed to hit.
Tina flung the door open and stormed in. “What’s up?”
“What the hell? You scared the crap out of me,” Vic shrieked, jumping off the couch with a single Cheeto hanging out of her mouth. Her fingertips were orange, and she came at Tina as though she planned to choke her.
“Don’t you dare touch me with those fingers. Go wash your hands, and I’ll pour the Merlot.”
“What’s up your ass?”
“Who the hell knows? Men, I guess. They’re just so dense.”
“You want to talk about it? I’ve got all the time in the world, except we can’t get drunk. We have to wor
k tomorrow.”
“Yeah, unfortunately.” Tina pulled a new bottle of Merlot out of the wine rack and cracked it open. She poured two glasses, setting Vic’s on the table. “Maybe I’m overthinking this. Dan and I finally sat down together and talked during his lunch break today.”
“That’s a good start.” Vic stood at the sink and squirted dish soap on her hands. She rubbed them together vigorously and washed the bright-orange artificial-cheese flavoring down the drain.
“Well, I thought so, too. He even hinted around about going out for coffee together some other time, but the idiot never asked for my phone number. How does he think he’s going to contact me—by friggin’ carrier pigeon?”
“Doubtful. I think they’re extinct.”
“Exactly… it just pisses me off. I started the conversation with him today because I’m trying to become more approachable. Everything was going fine, then his break was over, and he just got up and walked away. I swear I’ll never understand men.”
“So, what are you going to do?” Vic carried the open bottle to the table and sat down. She filled both glasses again.
“I’m sure as hell not going back to Sasha’s house just to make things easy on him. If he wants to go out with me, he can figure it out. Vic, I think I’ll go to the expo in your place. That way you can spend time with Max like you usually do. It isn’t like I have a man to worry about.”
