Rebecca Little had always wanted to be a librarian, and she'd always liked working with kids. This was what made being a school librarian so perfect for her. The solitary existence of librarian combined with the childlike interactivity of schoolkids really made her happy, and she appreciated her career. Standing behind the counter in the school library, preparing to shelve a handful of recently returned books, she was surprised when she turned around to find John Reynolds standing there.
"Oh! Hi!" she said chirpily. "Hi yourself," he said, leaning on the counter, "Listen, you got any books about baseball? Cause, despite being the coach, I actually know very little about the sport myself." "I'm sure I could scrounge something up for you, sure," Little said, walking to the card catalogue and flicking through it, humming to herself as John watched. "So you're liking your tenure here?" he asked. "It's very nice, yes," Little said, "Everyone is very kind and it's a very well kept school. Principal Victoria is a little...high strung, to put it kindly, but she's alright otherwise. Do you enjoy being here?" "I actually do, contrary to what I originally thought I would feel," Reynolds said, "but I like the kids, and I like the school itself, and overall it's a very relaxing sort of gig, you know? Not too high pressure, very laid back, exactly the kind of thing I need right now in life. Last few years have been, uh, well...rough, to say the least." "I hear you," Little said. "Hey, listen, since we're both relatively new, I was thinking maybe, uh, if you were interested, we could do something sometime. I've been wanting to go to this cool seafood place but I don't wanna go alone, and I was hoping maybe-" "I'd actually love that," Little said, stopping her sorting and looking directly at him, "I...I hate being new and not knowing anyone, so that would be fantastic honestly." Reynolds smirked. He had no idea it'd be that easy to get back in the game. *** "Twist your wrist, twist it, that way your fingers will be able to reach the tip of the wrapper!" Gorey said as she and Hawley were knelt in front of a candy machine in an empty hallway. Reynolds walked up to them and looked down, watching besumingly for a moment until Gorey looked up and noticed him. "Oh, hey," she said. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Well, this machine stopped taking change, but there's enough stuff on the bottom that's close enough to just kinda grab, so we figure with Hawley's arms, cause she's smaller, that we can get it for free," Gorey said, "...where were you at lunch?" "Uh, I went to the library, got a book on baseball," Reynolds said, holding up the book Little had found for him for a second, "why don't you just go to a different machine?" "Why don't you mind your business and let us commit theft?" Hawley asked from the floor, making them all laugh. "So, I was thinking that I was maybe going to go to see a local band," Gorey said, "And I was wondering if you'd be interested in coming with me. It's at this absolutely awful bar where the drinks are way too expensive, the bartender only has one ear and the food is impossible to identify. Should be fun." "I appreciate the offer, but I actually have plans," Reynolds said, which got Hawley's attention as she pulled herself out from the machine and looked up at him. "What...what plans? You never have plans," Hawley said. "I'm taking the librarian out to dinner," Reynolds said, causing Hawley and Gorey to glance at one another unhappily; Reynolds raised a brow and asked, "I'm...sorry? Was I not supposed to socialize? I'm a single man whose life fell apart, I think I deserve to go on a date for once." "...you can't do that," Hawley said, "You...you can't go." "What do you mean I can't go?" Reynolds asked, chuckling, "You gonna ground me? For the record, I'm allowed to do anything I want, within the legal realm anyway, and even then that's not exactly a hardline because, let's face it, some laws are dumb." "No!" Hawley said, standing up and stomping the floor with her foot, sounding incensed, "No, you're not allowed to do that! That isn't how this works!" Reynolds furrowed his brow. "How what works?" he asked, just as the bell rang, and Hawley groaned, grabbing her bookbag and running off to class; Reynolds watched her go, then turned back to Gorey and asked, "The hell is she talking about? What did I do?" "You're ruining this delicate ecosystem we've created," Gorey said as they started to walk down the hall together, Gorey folding her arms, and adding, "we have a three person thing going on, with the team acting as background noise to it all, but by bringing a fourth person into the fold, you're fucking with the natural order." "Delicate ecosystem? Really? What're we, a coral reef?" Reynolds asked, making Gorey smirk but not outwardly laugh. "Kids, especially kids from broken homes, need stability, not change," Gorey said, "Hawley needs a family, and we're a surrogate family to her. I don't know how you can't see that. You bring someone new into this...thing...that we have, and you're upsetting the balance." Reynolds chewed his lip and marinated on this. Gorey wasn't wrong, but that didn't seem fair to him, either. He wanted to have a life. He wanted to go out with this woman, and try and start something new. He knew his marriage was over, he knew there was no going back to that, and it was time for something else. They stopped at the lockers and Gorey leaned against the lockers, slipping her hands into her jumpsuit pockets. "I just...I like this woman. She's smart, she's sweet, she's funny, not to mention incredibly pretty," Reynolds said, "wouldn't it be better for Hawley if I found someone that could be like a surrogate mom, like you just claimed? I mean, that'd be a real family." "Plenty of families are made up of single parents," Gorey said. "I know that, I'm not...ugh...I'm just saying that maybe it'd be good for her to have a female role model in her life," Reynolds said, which made Gorey raise an eyebrow. "Wow, thanks, what's that make me?" she asked. "Oh hell, you know what I mean!" "Yeah, I think I'm afraid I do, actually," she said sternly, "I need to get back to work. Puke doesn't clean itself up, and I have a score to settle with a vending machine." Reynolds watched her head back to her work, shaking his head as she left. He threw his arms up in the air and groaned. All he wanted to do was have dinner with a woman. Why was that so awful? He turned to see Victoria standing there, who had apparently seen the end of the conversation. He straightened his tie and ran a hand through his messy hair as she sighed. "Women," she said as she shrugged and went along her way. *** "I'm sorry I don't have a nicer car," Reynolds said that evening as he drove Little to the seafood restaurant, "I haven't really been having the best financial luck the last few years, so this is about all I can drive at the moment. But I'm hoping to eventually get something new. Maybe a bug." "I like a man who drives a bug," Little said, applying her lipstick in his rearview mirror, "Shows he's really in touch with his feminine side." "What's feminine about a bug?" Reynolds asked, laughing. "Come on John, only college girls and gay men drive volkswagon beetles, it's no secret," Little said, "And hey, if you're using me as a beard for your closeted homosexuality, I understand. I'm just happy to be getting a free meal out of the deal." Reynolds laughed again. He was surprised by how brash she was. He certainly hadn't expected that from her school demeanor, and he was happy for it. As he pulled into the parking lot of the seafood place and parked, he looked at Little, who smiled politely at him. "Okay," he said, "I admit it. I've never been with a woman. I've always been curious, and I was hoping you'd take pity on me and try and change me." "Oh, you poor thing," she said, touching his face, the both of them laughing now as they climbed out of the car and walked through the lot, heading into the restaurant, unaware that, from Gorey's car, they were being watched by Gorey and Hawley. Hawley passed the bag of chips to Gorey, who handed her the binoculars in exchange for the chip bag. "This feels wrong," Hawley said. "I know, I'm sorry, I forgot to get something to drink." "That's what it was. I knew were missing something," Hawley said, snapping her fingers. Once inside the restaurant, Reynolds and Little were led to their table by a perky teenage waitress, whom they thanked as she seated them and handed them menus. Once she was gone, Reynolds opened his menu and scoffed as he started looking through the items. "Holy hell, when did fish get so expensive?" he asked. "This is fancy fish," Little said, "but don't worry, I know what it's like to be on a teacher salary, even if we aren't exactly teachers. I don't mind helping pay." "...wow, so you're just an all around cool lady," Reynolds said, making Little nod. "Indeed I am!" she said. Reynolds laughed, and then went back to looking at his menu before glancing momentarily out the window and spotting Gorey's car as Gorey and Hawley quickly dipped out of sight. He sighed, stood up and excused himself for a moment. He headed out to the parking lot and stood by the car. He waited, then, hands on his hips he sighed. "Janice? Ellie?" he asked. Slowly the window started to roll up, and he couldn't help but chuckle as he put his hand on it and Gorey stopped rolling it up. She peeked over the top of the window and looked at him, Hawley also coming up from her hiding place. "How'd you even know where I was going?" he asked. "We didn't, we just followed you," Hawley said. "Well, that's not creepy at all," Reynolds said, "What are you doing here? Why are you doing this?" "It was her idea," Gorey said, jerking her thumb at Hawley. "I just agreed to it!" Hawley said. "Nice, pinning your bad ideas on a child, real classy," Reynolds said. "We needed to make sure she..." Hawley said, stuttering and stopping, making Reynolds furrow his brow as she sighed and continued, "We needed to make sure she wasn't going to hurt you or take our place. We're sorry." "I'm not. She doesn't speak for me, I'm not sorry," Gorey said. "Get out of the car, Ellie," Reynolds said, and Hawley did as she was told. She climbed out and came around the car, as Reynolds knelt in front of her and put his hand on her shoulder, then ran it up to her face, pushing her hair behind her ear and smiling at her as he said, "nobody is ever gonna replace you. Gorey, maybe, because she's a pain, but not you. Why did you think someone might replace you?" "...mom left," Hawley said, trying to choke back tears now, "and...and if mom left, maybe you'd leave too. I just wanted to feel like I mattered, and you were the only adults who made me feel like that. You're my best friends, and I don't wanna be replaced." Reynolds tried not to show just how much this broke his heart, so instead he looked away for a moment, then looked back at her and sighed. He ran his hand down her back, rubbing it comfortingly. "Hawley, believe me, nobody could be more important to me than you right now," Reynolds said, "No matter what, you're my number one priority, even outside of school. But I also need to start trying to move on with my life and that means finding other adults. Adults I can maybe be romantic with, you know? I'm a grown man, I need other stuff in my life. Not that you're not good enough, but, you know what I mean, right?" "I do," Hawley said, wiping her eyes. "Do you wanna come in and have dinner with us?" Reynolds asked, making Hawley smile and nod; he patted her back and said, "Alright, That's fine. I'm sure she won't mind. What about you?" he asked, looking back at Gorey, who just shrugged. "I don't...know..." Gorey mumbled. "Go inside and sit down with her, I'll be in shortly, "Reynolds said, as Hawley turned and started to head into the restaurant. Reynolds walked around to the passenger seat and climbed into the car, looking at Gorey and saying, "Janice-" "John, don't. Just...don't," she said. "You can come. I want you to come. You guys are part of my life, and if I want her to be part of my life, then I want you all to be together," Reynolds said, "Come on, you won't even have to pay, alright? I'll even throw in dessert." Gorey looked at her steering wheel and bit her bottom lip. "...I know how Ellie feels. I always feel like I'm not enough. Like I'm one minute away from being replaced. But for her, that's an understandable fear. She's a child dealing with abandonment. But me, I'm an adult, even with poor mental faculties. I shouldn't...I just..." She let go of the steering wheel and dropped her hands in her lap, starting to cry. "...i thought you liked me more..." she said. "I like you plenty!" Reynolds said, chuckling as he leaned in and pulled her to his chest, stroking her hair, "Hey, it's fine, you're still my numero uno buddy, right? We're still the dream team, baby. Come in. Come on, lemme get you dinner too. They have something called the Shrimp Explosion, that sounds awesome right?" "It does," Gorey said, half laughing, half crying. "You want the Shrimp Explosion?" he asked. "Mhm," Gorey said, nodding, laughing with him now. Together they got out of the car and headed into the restaurant, and, without any hesitation from Little, they all ate dinner together like a weird little family. They laughed, they talked, they even had dessert - just as Reynolds had promised - and afterwards Gorey took Hawley to the arcade while Reynolds took Little home. Once they reached her apartment, she invited him in for a drink or two, which he graciously accepted. "That was very nice of you to invite them," Little said as she poured a glass of wine for him in her kitchenette. "I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind. We're all basketcases," Reynolds said, chuckling as he took her glass from her. "No, I think it was very very sweet actually," Little said, "...but if I may ask, what exactly is the situation between the three of you? I asked Gorey this during your game of catch, but she couldn't really explain it well. Your didn't give much of an answer either when I asked you, and I really need to understand this because it's unlike anything I've ever seen." Reynolds sighed as he leaned against the counter and sipped the wine. "...I lost my career, my family, everything, about two years ago. Since then, I have felt rudderless, aimless, like I'm just drifting with nobody to look out for me. Hawley, she's got a messed up home life. Her mom ran out on them, her father is incredibly abusive and intimidating, and she needs someone to be there for her. I guess I've become that someone, which is nice because she's sort of like a stand in for the daughter I had to leave behind. Gorey, on the other hand...she's just fun to have around and I look out for her. She reminds me of my sister, honestly. She's funny, and she doesn't think she's smart because of an accident she had, but she is smart, and I feel like I need to be there to remind her to believe in herself." "That's all very noble," Little said, finishing her wine and setting her glass on the counter, walking towards him and grabbing his tie, pulling him towards her and kissing him; after the kiss broke, she added, "...don't meet guys like you often. Guess I'm lucky." "You sure are," he said, making her laugh as she kissed him again. All in all, not a bad night. *** "She's nice and now I feel bad for hating her," Hawley said, aiming the lightgun at the screen of the arcade cabinet and firing a few times before saying, "but I do hate her. She's taking him away from us." "mmm," Gorey said, looking away from the screen to her nails. "But he does deserve to be happy, right?" Hawley asked, "I mean, aren't we being kinda selfish?" "mmm," Gorey replied again, shrugging this time, still not looking at her. Gorey saw a couple standing at an arcade cabinet, playing together, and she felt her stomach churn. She had lost, and she hadn't even made an effort. Now what could she do, besides be in the way? At least being in the way was something she was good at, she felt. It's important to believe in yourself.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
About
GRAVE INNINGS is about A funeral home that has sponsored a local little league, the coach who is a disgraced reality show host, a young transgirl and the odd family they create for one another. Archives
May 2024
Categories |