by JD Strand
"I was doing my best to keep good relations with the local residents until you came in like a bulldozer and ruined everything."
Stewart was obviously caught off guard by Elise's response. His strong reaction was the product of this surprise and the frustration of what had happened with Adair. "Relations with local residents is that what you call it? Is this some sort of revenge because I didn't return your affection?"
Now, it was Elise's turn to be surprised. "We both agreed what happened was a mistake. I thought you said we could put it behind us."
"And I have. However, I see you have not," Stewart said slowly. "So are you sleeping with this guy or what?"
Elise was on her feet in an instant. Her face was inches away from Stewart's as she tried unsuccessfully to get the words out and could only glare at him. He gazed back without emotion.
After a moment, Stewart smiled and said, "I will expect your resignation in the morning."
The words knocked the air out of her. She had never been fired from a job and was overcome by the idea. Words would still not come to her, and to her shame Elise felt tears rolling down her face as she quickly left Stewart's office.
Elise was practically running as she passed Kristen's desk. The confused secretary looked up and called, "Elise!"
Her mind was a blur as she reached her car a few minutes later. It seemed like all the emotions that Elise had held inside for years came pouring out as she stared out of the windshield of the car.
She had always held herself to high expectations placed upon an oldest child. Elise knew that she was the one upon whom others depended. Her sisters needed her to guide and support them. It was a role that she accepted without question. That is why finding herself in need of support was so confusing to Elise.
The tears and sniffles continued until the phone rang again. Once again, Cody's name filled the screen on the phone. Elise looked at the phone for a moment before curiosity overcame her and she answered.
"Hello?" She asked in a voice that she hoped hid her feelings.
"Elise, it's Cody," he said quickly. "Have you seen Penny?"
The question immediately brushed away everything else as Elise answered, "No, I haven't. What happened?"
The ice in Cody's voice was unmistakable as he answered, "Don't worry about it. I just thought she might have gone to see you. Just... never mind. Bye."
The line went dead. Elise felt the tears begin again but forced them away. "Does he really think I'm just going to forget about Penny?" she said aloud to herself. Without thinking anymore about it, she started the car and drove to the coffee shop.
Chapter 9
The drive to the coffee shop only gave Elise more time to think about Penny and worry about where she could be. By the time she got to the Cup of Love, Elise was nearly frantic.
She practically burst through the front door of the coffee shop and marched toward the table where she had first met Cody and Penny. Seeing the table was empty, Elise turned to the counter.
Melody looked on from behind the counter, obviously shocked by Elise's sudden appearance. Others in the coffee shop seemed to have stopped what they were doing to focus upon Elise.
"Is Cody in his office?" She asked Melody.
The girl shook her head no. Elise waited impatiently for a moment before, Melody said, "Oh, yeah, he went to look for Penny at the homeless shelter I think."
Elise headed for the door and only paused for a moment when Melody called, "I think she'll be okay!"
She was just getting in the car when Elise looked down the street to see Cody walking down the street. His worried expression made her heart fall. She was immediately on the sidewalk trotting toward him.
When they made eye contact, a smile curled at Cody's mouth before he caught himself and forced it away. "What are you doing here?" He asked without emotion.
"Tell me what happened," she said, ignoring his question. "I want to help find her."
Cody looked at her for a few seconds as if gauging her sincerity. "Okay, just remember you asked for this," he said coldly. "After what happened between us, or, more specifically, what happened between you, me and your job." He paused and checked her reaction before continuing. "When I told her that you weren't going to be coming around anymore, Penny lost it."
Cody's words couldn't have hurt Elise more. She felt lower than she'd ever felt. The young woman fought back the tears and said, "I'm sorry for all of this, but that's not important right now. The only thing that matters is finding Penny." She wiped her nose on her sleeve and asked, "So where should we look?"
He was silent as he gazed at her. Finally, Cody said, "Well, I thought that maybe she went to look for her mother." His displeasure at this thought was clear on his face. "But nobody at the shelter has seen Brenda for a couple days."
"Do you know any place else she might be?" Elise asked quickly.
He nodded. "I was just heading over to a place in the park where her dealer used to do business."
The question of how Cody knew so much about a drug dealer crossed her mind, but Elise ignored it. "Okay, I’m going with you."
One glance at her and Cody realized it was pointless to tell her otherwise, so he just shrugged and started walking toward the park. Like a puppy, Elise trotted after him.
"I'm sorry, you know." Elise said after a moment.
Cody's pace slowed for just a moment as he said, "I'm sure you are."
"Come on, Cody. You can't blame me for everything," she pleaded.
He stopped suddenly and Elise nearly ran into his back. "I don't blame you, Elise. None of it is your fault. It's my fault. I guess I've gotten so used to trusting people that I put my trust in you. And now, Penny is suffering because of my mistake."
Although Elise thought she could not feel any worse, she felt worse. She stopped walking and watched Cody as he continued toward the park.
After a moment, she continued after him, determined to make things right.
"So in the world of Cody Cooper, does anyone ever get a second chance?
The words stopped him, and he looked back at her. He smiled just a little and said, "Of course, people get a second chance. Everybody makes mistakes, but right now I've got other things on my mind."
"Well, let's go then," Elise said as she walked past him.
They walked quickly in silence for about a mile until they came to an area with lots of old camping tents and huts made out of cardboard boxes and assortment of other cast off material, also known as garbage.
"What is this place?" Elise asked in a hushed tone.
Cody smiled at her nervousness. "It's the recycling center. This place is like a flea market for the homeless and lots of other people."
Elise looked around at various people sleeping, reading, smoking, eating, or just staring at her and Cody. She was startled from her observation by a loud voice behind her.
"Cody!" A large, muscular black man with long dreadlocks called out as he quickly approached.
As he got closer, Cody moved toward him. Elise thought it looked like nothing more than a coming train collision. But just as she expected violence, the two men embraces one another.
"Been forever since I seen you, bro," the man said in a surprisingly gentle voice. "Where you been, man?"
"I've been busy with the shop, man. Haven't had even a chance to wet the boards in longer than I can remember," Cody answered as the man stared at Elise with clear suspicion. "Terence, this is my friend Elise." Still uneasy with a stranger, Terence simply nodded at her. "Listen, buddy, it's great to see you and all, but I'm looking for Brenda and Penny. Have you seen them?"
The mood suddenly grew tenser.
The big man took his eyes off of Elise for a second to look at Cody. "Yeah, they're in the tent." He then looked back at Elise. "Brenda's not in real good shape though."
Cody shrugged his shoulder, "Well, you know me. I've got no business with her. But I want to take Penny with me to keep her safe."
"What about you?" Terence
addressed Elise directly for the first time, and it frightened her a little. "You here for something?"
"She's just--" Cody started to answer before Elise spoke.
"I'm just here because I care about Penny and want to make sure she's okay," she replied, trying to sound as assertive as she could manage.
He nodded slowly before flashing a broad, bright white smile. "Nice to know Penny got so many friends looking out for her."
"Can I go get her?" Cody asked and then seeing Elise's uneasiness continued, "I mean, can we go get her?"
Terence looked at Elise and smiled again. "Sure, she's in the shack by the dumpster."
He pointed them to an old aluminum storage building. It was the kind of shack that would usually be filled with lawn mowers and gardening tools.
After stepping inside, it took Elise's eyes a moment to adjust to the change in light. She looked around to see a couple of mattresses on the cement floor, a small refrigerator, a heater, and a television on some cinder blocks. A mixture of tobacco and marijuana smoke filled the dimly-lit area interior and gave it all a surreal look and feel.
Through the haze, Elise spotted Penny sitting on the floor coloring. As she started to move toward the little girl, Cody grabbed her arm and put his index finger to his lips to signal her to be quiet. She nodded to show her understanding, and the two of them walked slowly toward Penny.
Penny was completely focused on the picture she was coloring and didn't notice anything around her. On the mattress next to the little girl, Brenda was sprawled out. As they got closer, Cody knelt down and picked up a hypodermic needle.
Elise watched in horror and could not remain quiet. "We need to get her out of here now," she whispered to Cody. He nodded back.
Penny looked up to discover that she was being watched and immediately jumped to her feet.
"Elise!" She squealed before catching herself and sticking her lower lip out, looking down, and muttering, "Hi, Elise."
Elise moved closer and hugged the little girl. She kissed the top of her head and said, "I'm sorry, honey. I won't leave you again."
Cody touched Elise's shoulder, and she looked over to see Brenda sitting up on the mattress. The woman's glassy stare and pale skin was like something from a zombie movie. Brenda continued to stare blankly for a moment before her mouth moved into a twisted smile. Her thin, bruised arms stretched out as she slurred, "Cody."
Elise felt Penny's embrace tighten around her waist at the sound of her mother's voice. She petted the little girl's head and whispered, "It'll be okay."
Cody watched Elise and Penny for a moment before moving closer to Brenda and saying, "Brenda, we're going to take Penny to the shop."
The woman looked blankly at him and continued reaching out for him. Cody took a step back and moved over to Penny and Elise,
"Let's get out of here," he said quietly, taking hold of Elise's arm and Penny's hand.
As they headed toward the door, Penny turned back to look at her mother and wave goodbye.
Chapter 10
They walked back to the coffee shop hand-in-hand and mostly in silence. For Elise, being with Cody and Penny just felt so right that she didn't want to let words get in the way. She looked at Cody and wondered if he was feeling the same way. From the way he looked back at her and grinned, she believed that he shared her feeling. Penny walked in the middle of the group, holding hands with both. The way she swung her arms back and forth left little doubt as to the happiness she was feeling.
As soon as they walked into the coffee shop, every head turned toward the three of them. There were lots of smiles and even a couple of greetings to Elise and Penny. Penny enjoyed the attention, Elise not as much. She wondered how much any of them knew about the problem between Cody and her. After they had gone through the gauntlet of curious people, Penny and Elise headed back to the office while Cody checked on things behind the counter.
Once they got settled and found a coloring book for Penny, Elise said, "I'm sorry that I left you, and I'm never going to do it again."
Without stopping her crayon, she answered, "I hope it's like that." She paused for just a moment as if thinking carefully about what she was about to say. "But even if it's not, I'm just happy right now."
The pragmatic attitude of the little girl made Penny smile at the same time it made her want to cry. Finally, she moved closer to the picture and said, "What can I do to help?"
"You can color the sky. I get tired of coloring that big part."
"Okay, but what color do you think it should be?" Elise asked.
Penny giggled. "Blue, you silly!"
"Don't you think a purple sky would be more interesting?"
"Elise, you're a nut!" The little girl giggled some more. It was a wonderful sound to Elise. "So if the sky is purple, this grass must be red," She grabbed a red crayon out of the box.
The two colored for a few minutes before Penny said, "I like coloring with you. Cody never stays inside the lines. And my mommy..." She was quiet for a moment before moving closer to hug Elise. "My mommy colors with me sometimes until she has to take her medicine, then she has to sleep."
This time, Elise moved closer and hugged Penny.
They were still embracing when Cody came in and asked, "Who wants pizza?"
"Me!" Penny shouted and ran to hug him.
With the little girl wrapped around his waist, Cody looked at Elise with a slightly-confused smile.
"Pizza sounds great," Elise answered, suddenly realizing how hungry she felt.
Cody set the pizza on the table and opened the box, revealing a steaming hot combination of pepperoni, sausage, and vegetables which Elise could not resist. She reached over and took a bit of sausage.
"Hey!" Penny exclaimed. "We're not supposed to eat with our hands."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Elise apologized with exaggerated seriousness. "I'm so hungry that I forgot my manners." She looked over at Penny and smiled. "It's so good!" She grabbed an olive off the pizza and put in Penny's mouth.
“Mmmm,” Penny cooed.
“Hey!” Cody interrupted with mock seriousness. “Elise, I had no idea you were going to be such a bad influence on Penny.”
Just as Cody finished, Penny stuck an olive in his mouth. “Here you go, Mr. Grouch” she giggled. “This will cheer you up.”
His mouth grew into a broad smile as he said, “Mmmm!”
The three of them had a great dinner with lots of laughter. By the time Elise even thought about checking her watch, it was after 10.
Cody got some school work for the little girl to do while he was walking Elise back to her car.
Penny made a show of protesting but it was clear that she enjoyed the exercises.
Once they were outside of the office, Elise said, “She can’t go back to that place.”
Cody nodded. “I thought Brenda was getting better. I really did.”
After a moment, she said tentatively, "Cody, I want to ask you something. You don't have to answer but..."
"You want to ask why I knew so much about that place and those people, right?"
"I know it's not my business," she replied. "It just made me wonder."
Cody surprised her by smiling. "Elise, if we're going to have a future, my past is definitely your business. We are going to have a future, aren't we?"
Elise smiled back. "That's what I want."
They were together in the next instant. The kiss was more powerful that either of them could have imagined. It was one of those kisses that wipe the cares of the everyday world away until the only thing that matter is the sweetness of the moment.
When the kiss had ended and reality returned, neither wanted to break the bubble by speaking.
Finally, Cody whispered, "It's a long story, and I don't want to get into it tonight."
Elise pulled him close and said, "There will be plenty of time later."
After another few kisses, Cody leaned back and said, "Okay, you've got to get home, young lady."
She gave h
im an exaggerated pout, and he asked, "Did you learn that from Penny?"
"She does do it well, doesn't she?" Elise chuckled. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Dinner?" Cody asked.
"Sounds great," she answered and, then with a mischievous grin, added, "And then maybe breakfast."
She slid into the car and started the engine before looking at Cody's face, which as expected showed surprise.
She had just pulled into her parking space at the apartment when Elise heard her phone buzz. She fished it out of her purse and smiled at Cody's name on the screen.
"Let me guess, you miss me already?"
"Of course," Cody answered. "But that's not why I called."
There was a pause and some muffled sound. "Hi, Elise," Penny said, sounding very serious.
"Hi, Penny. Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," the little girl replied. "But I wanted to tell you goodnight, sleep tight."
Elise started to respond but found herself choked up and unable to speak. After a moment, she said, "You too, honey. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Really?" Penny asked.
"Yes, I will see you tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that and the day after that!"
Penny giggled. "What about the day after that?"
This time, Elise giggled and said, "And the day after that and the day after that and--"
"Elise, you're so silly," the little girl laughed. "I have to go, 'cuz Cody is trying to grab the phone."
"Okay, good night, Penny."
"I don't think she's ever going to sleep now," Cody said. "Whatever you said got her worked up."
"I just told her that I would see her tomorrow and every day after that."
"Hmmm, she's definitely thrilled about that," Cody chuckled.
"What about you?" Elise asked.
"What about me?" He feigned confusion.
"I mean, how do you feel about seeing me tomorrow and every day after that?"
Without hesitation, Cody answered, "I don't want to have another day without you in it."
