How The Cookie Crumbles

by Ting, Melanie

  After we finished the doughnuts, I got changed and off we went to get the chorizo and Portuguese buns. It was fun driving around the city with Jake. I had only explored the places I could walk to, so I got to see a lot more of Kingston and he was pointing out stuff as we went. Mainly places he had played hockey or soccer.

  “Wow, what is that place?” I pointed to this huge building with red peaked roofs. “It looks like a castle.”

  Jake laughed. “That’s Collins Bay Penitentiary.”

  “Really?” It didn’t look like a prison to me, it looked like Disneyland. When I did my research on Kingston, I read that there were seven prisons in the town, but I hadn’t seen any of them before. As I kept staring as we drove by, I realized that the place had an eerie stillness to it, and I shivered. “I’ve never seen a prison before,” I confessed.

  “Be a good girl, and you won’t have to see the inside,” he joked.

  “Very funny,” I replied primly. “As if I would break the law.”

  “No kidding,” Jake agreed. “I bet you’ve never even jaywalked.”

  “How do you know?” I said defensively. “You hardly know me, I could have done all sorts of horrible stuff.” I wracked my brain, trying to think of something bad I’d done, but nothing was springing to mind. And I was the kind of person who waited for the walk sign, even when there were no cars in sight.

  Jake smirked. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re a real badass in your spare time.” Then he turned and looked right at me. “But you know what, Frankie? I’ve got a feeling that you could be crazy… in the right situation.”

  The way Jake was looking at me made me feel a little funny inside. I suddenly felt aware of his physical presence in the car, like there was some energy between us. I started blushing and asked nervously, “So, how far is it to the sausage place?”

  “Right here, baby,” Jake replied, spreading his legs slightly and snickering.

  I rolled my eyes, but since he was driving he couldn’t see me and kept chortling away. Sometimes he was so immature. “Really, Jake? I mean, do you really think women find that attractive?”

  “Hey, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” he quipped.

  I couldn’t even be bothered answering him. Why did guys think that their penis was some kind of sex magnet, and the mere mention of it would attract women? Because I had never found Jake less attractive than right now.

  We arrived at a shabby strip mall. Jake took me to a bustling deli for the chorizo sausage, then to a nearby bakery for the buns. The ladies at each store were so friendly, they all knew Jake and asked after his mom. They were all covertly sizing me up too.

  “Ah Jacob, finally you bring a pretty girl in here,” one grandmotherly lady said, beaming at me. “It is about time. What is your name, little one?”

  “I’m Frankie,” I said, smiling back.

  “Very pretty. It’s good to see a young girl in a dress. Too many girls these days, they dress like streetwalkers. No man will take such girls home.” She nodded sagely. “I told your mother not to worry, Jacob, that at the right time, you would find a nice girl.”

  “Actually, Jacob and I are just friends,” I told her, pulling out the money to pay for the sausages. I had been waiting for Jake to correct her, but he seemed to find the whole thing amusing, as usual.

  “Oh yes, just friends,” she said, nodding and giving me a broad wink. As we left, there was a torrent of discussion in another language.

  “How come everyone knows you?” I asked Jake.

  “I dunno, guess when I was little I used to come with my mom when she went shopping.”

  After that, we went to the LCBO to get the wine. Jake didn’t seem to know anything about wine, so I chose some Vinho Verdes, which were light, inexpensive, and great chilled. He wanted to stop for lunch at some fast food place, but I opened up my giant purse and showed him the cooler bag inside.

  “I brought lunch. We just need to get drinks and then we can eat someplace outside.”

  Soon we were sitting at a picnic table in the dappled shade of some trees in a little park. Jake set out the pop, and I pulled out sandwiches and carrot sticks.

  Jake looked suspiciously at the pita sandwiches I had made.

  “What?” I felt a little insulted.

  “I dunno, it looks kinda healthy.” He peeked under the lettuce.

  “That would be a crime, wouldn’t it? What’s wrong with healthy?”

  “Healthy stuff tastes like crap.”

  “Oh my God, eat it! Take one bite and tell me if it tastes like crap.”

  He took a tiny bite like I was trying poison him, then he took a bigger bite and chewed. “Noff bad,” he said with his mouth full. He ended up eating his entire sandwich and half of mine, then he looked hopefully at the cooler bag. I handed him a container of fresh cherries I had gotten at the farmer’s market on the weekend.

  He started eating them, but he didn’t look particularly enthusiastic. I had also brought cookies, but I was saving them until the end. Why did I feel like the mother of three year-old?

  “You lost a lot of weight, right?” he asked me.

  “Yeah.” I wondered who had told him, Chloë or Brad? Or maybe he could tell somehow, I looked down at my tummy and hips to see if there was some clue.

  “Yeah, me too. Why’d you do it?”

  “Why does anyone lose weight? To look better.”

  “Some people do it for different reasons.” He looked me over, but for once it didn’t seem sexual. “You look great now.”

  “Thanks. I have to work at it though.”

  “Yeah, I noticed that. You work out hard at the gym, but you don’t seem to enjoy it.”

  “What I like to do is cook and eat. Unfortunately, I need to balance that.” I shrugged, “Like today, I’ll have a lighter lunch and then work out, so I’ll be able to eat what I want at dinner.”

  “I think you need to relax and enjoy yourself more.”

  “What are you talking about? I do enjoy myself.”

  “Yeah, but y’know, enjoy stuff now and not worry about everything.”

  I shook my head, “What do you mean?”

  But Jake just shrugged. I guess he couldn’t put it into words.

  Jake

  That night, when I came back to Frankie’s place with Andrew, she looked beautiful. She had a pretty dress on, as usual, and high heels. Tolly had brought his girlfriend, Naomi, so it was like we were all in couples. Except the other guys were actual couples and I wasn’t even able to touch the touchy Frankie.

  The dinner table looked really nice, with flowers, candles and everything. Frankie had chilled the wines we got in the afternoon, and she uncorked and poured them expertly. I guess she was a waitress, so this stuff came naturally to her. The dinner was fantastic. Everything looked like it had on TV; there was the chicken dish, a salad with fruit and salty toppings, and lot of Portuguese buns. She had added an extra salad to the menu as well, it looked healthy but it turned out to be pretty good. We were all talking and laughing and having fun.

  “Wow, Frankie, I guess I have to eat my words,” Tolly said. “You watch the Food Network and you can cook.”

  “This is all delicious, especially this chicken and clam dish.” said Naomi. “I wish I could cook.”

  Chloë nodded, “Living with Frankie has made my summer delicious!”

  Frankie smiled, but she didn’t seem to want a lot of compliments and started urging everyone to eat more. I was pretty much having thirds of everything, even though I knew what was for dessert. I wondered what it would be like to live with a chick that could cook like this, but I guess it depended how she was at other stuff. If Frankie was as good in the sack as she was at cooking, that would be incredible. I watched her swishing around the table, imagining what she looked like undressed. I bet she wore old-fashioned underwear too, like lacy bras and stockings, I loved that shit. I could imagine her lying on my bed, wearing just black stockings and high heels, and me giving it to her until she
begged for….

  “More, Jake?” Frankie’s voice interrupted my fantasizing.

  “Uh, sorry?”

  “I was just asking if you wanted some more of the chicken dish,” she said with a sweet smile.

  “Yeah, I would like some more,” I told her, grinning. I wanted way more, and by the way we were getting along, I was pretty confident that was going to happen.

  18. Coke Vs. Diet Coke

  These days, Chloë was constantly hanging out with Andrew, and invited me along whenever I wasn’t working. At first, I didn’t really want to tag along, like a fifth wheel, but she assured me that they weren’t alone that often.

  “Andrew has a big group of friends, and we’re always doing things with them. It’d be nice if you were there too, the other girls are nice, but they’ve all known each other since kindergarten.” Chlo gave me a hopeful smile.

  “This doesn’t have anything to do with Jake, does it?” I wondered suspiciously.

  “He’s there occasionally, but not all the time. He has a cottage and he spends a lot of time there.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. My social life was pretty much nonexistent without Chloë anyway. The things we did with Andrew’s gang were pretty low key, like house parties, gaming, or playing ultimate; but it was fun on the nights I wasn’t working. Despite what she said, Jake always seemed to be there, and he was usually the center of things. Not like the leader, but more like the guy everyone wanted to be around, since he was funny and goofy. I definitely liked him more now, but I still wasn’t attracted to him in the way he clearly thought I should be.

  One Saturday I had the night off, and we were all supposed to go to some club. Then in the afternoon, I got a call from Liam. It was a little unexpected, since I hadn’t heard from him since the party three weeks earlier.

  “Hey Frances, how are you?”

  “I’m fine, thank you. Yourself?”

  “I’m great. Look, I’m actually here in Kingston. We had a little family thing with my grandmother, and I’m sticking around to meet up with some friends from Queen’s later. So, I was calling on the off-chance that you might be free for dinner.”

  “Well, actually… I do have plans tonight.” I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to go out with Liam. He was cute, but he had made that weird pass at me. Even though he behaved himself afterwards, it had made me uncomfortable. “I’m going out to a club with friends.”

  “But that’s perfect, I’m going to this house party later. I’ll take you out for dinner, and I’ll drop you off at your club.”

  “Well….” I hesitated, still not sure.

  “Please Frances, perhaps we didn’t get off on the right foot last time, but you’re a very attractive woman. Let me make things up to you with a nice dinner.” His voice was deep and charming, and I found my resolve melting.

  “Okay,” I finally agreed. I was swayed by two facts: I hadn’t had a date since the last time I went out with Liam, and I had a really pretty navy dress I hadn’t gotten to wear yet.

  Chloë was less than impressed. She came in and sat on the bed, as I got ready. “I thought you weren’t going out with him again. Isn’t he a groper?”

  “Yeah, I know. I guess it’s been too long since I was asked out.”

  She opened and closed her mouth. I had a feeling she was going to nag me about Jake again, but she surprised me. “I dated a guy like Liam. There’s a lot of guys like that here at Queen’s. Private school douchebags.”

  I was shocked at her tone. Chloë was usually about sweetness and light and giving people the benefit of the doubt. She was looking off in the distance. “His name was Tim, and at first, I thought he was really nice, but eventually I realized he was just using me… for practice.”

  “Practice?”

  “Yeah, apparently I was good enough to fool around with, but not good enough to date seriously. When it came time to for a real relationship, he chose a girl from his own crowd. You know, rich, wasp-y, connected families from Toronto, all that stuff. And he told me that, too, that I wasn’t one of them….” Her voice sounded faraway, but I could see that this still pained her. Then she added a complete Chloë-ism, “The idea that Canada is a classless society only exists in economics class.”

  “Oh Chlo,” I went and hugged her. “This Tim guy is absolute asshole if he didn’t appreciate what a wonderful person you are!”

  “Or I was a dummy not to realize that he was a big phony! I just don’t want you to get hurt too, Frankie. I know you’re way more experienced with men than I am, but still….”

  I sighed. “Look, nothing’s going to happen. I’ll go out to dinner with him, and then I’ll be meeting you guys at the club. I’ve got the address, and I’ll get Liam to drop me or I’ll get a taxi. Kingston’s so small, I can probably walk there anyway.”

  But to my surprise, when Liam showed up he had made reservations at a faraway spot. We ended up driving half an hour out of Kingston to some fancy inn on Lake Ontario. As usual, I was slightly lost. This place was an old stone building, elegantly decorated with early Canadian antiques. It was ritzy, but it seemed a little stodgy, like the kind of place that my mom and dad would go to.

  Liam was putting on the full charm offensive, and I had to admit it was nice to have a conversation that wasn’t about video gaming or high school pranks.

  “Frances, it’s so surprising that you haven’t travelled much, especially since you’re an art history major. Wouldn’t you like to see the originals of Renaissance art? I’ll never forget my first time in the Ufizzi, seeing Boticelli’s Birth of Venus. Unbelievable.”

  I sighed. Liam was so sophisticated, and I would love to see the art museums of Europe. Still, he was inspiring me to dream, maybe a trip after I graduated? “Sounds heavenly,” I replied.

  “Italy is not just art of course, it’s the whole cultural experience, the architecture, the food, and the people are all incredible. It’s beautiful around Lake Como, in my mind it’s the perfect spot for a romantic holiday.” He looked at me, his blue eyes crinkling as he smiled. “Just like you Frances, sei bellissima. You said your grandmother was Italian, right? Do you speak any Italian?”

  “Um, sure: spaghetti, cappuccino, Ferraro Rocher.”

  “What a shame, you should learn, especially if it’s in your ancestry.” He reached across the table and stroked my inner arm, a startlingly intimate gesture. Just then our meals arrived and he retreated. Everything looked lovely, it was one of those locavore places where they use flowers for garnish and lots of herbs. My lamb chop was delectable.

  After a delicious meal and an interesting conversation, I was feeling a lot more charitable towards Liam. Maybe he had slipped up once, but he was very sophisticated, and definitely good-looking. I wanted to pay for myself, but he insisted because he was working and I was a student. Still, I didn’t like that feeling of indebtedness.

  We got back into his car, I had happily noticed that Liam only had one glass of wine with dinner, so he could still drive. Little things like that are important. As we drove back along the highway, I was still quite lost, but when we passed an adorable sign for cat-boarding I knew we hadn’t come that way.

  “Where are we going?”

  “My friend’s place is on the way, I thought we could drop by his party first.”

  “Liam, I told you I needed to get back and meet my friends. I didn’t know we’d be going so far for dinner in the first place.”

  “I know, I just wanted to take you someplace nice, someplace special, and the choices in Kingston are pretty limited. Besides, you enjoyed dinner, didn’t you?”

  “Of course, but I don’t like the way you assumed I’d want to go someplace with you… without asking me.”

  Liam looked over at me, and even in the semi-darkness I could see his smile. “Look Frances, I’m really trying to make things up to you. You’re a beautiful, intelligent woman, and I’d really enjoy your company a little longer. It’s still early, right?”

  I looked at the car clock
and it was only 9:30. “Yes,” I said grudgingly.

  “Is it okay if we stop by Alexander’s place? I’ll take you back whenever you want.”

  I didn’t really want to go, but Liam had been so nice all evening I felt like dropping in on the party wasn’t that much to ask. “Okay. But really, I only want to stay half an hour.”

  “No problem,” he said, smiling easily at me. His teeth were perfect and gleaming even in the dark car interior. Outside it was even darker, since we were out in the countryside.

  The party was at someone’s farmhouse property, which reminded me of Mrs. Fitz’s birthday party. Obviously buying and renovating old farms was the trendy thing to do. There was already a bunch of expensive cars parked all over the lawn and long driveway of the house. A booming bass vibrated the ground as we walked up to the house. Things were rocking inside, with a big crowd for a place in the middle of nowhere. There were a fair number of people inside, half guys and half girls.

  “Fitz,” some guys called out as we entered. He did some bro-type handshakes with his buddies, and introduced me around. Once Liam had gotten drinks for both of us, he excused himself and took off with his buddies.

  “I’ll be right back, baby,” he assured me, but I didn’t mind, I liked mingling. However, the party turned out to be kind of boring, there were lots of people there, but they all seemed to know each other and weren’t particularly friendly. I wandered around and checked out the house. It was as perfectly decorated as Brendan and Penny’s place, except for the added layer of beer bottles and junk food.

  I was making my way back to the living room when I overheard two guys talking about Liam.

  “Fitz, fuck man, how does he do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “All the fresh meat! The guy always has some new pussy lined up. That walking pair of tits tonight, she’s going to be a sweet fuck.”

  “Why don’t you kiss his ass, maybe he’ll let you have sloppy seconds.”