Where did I take my last vacation? Who with?California, Matt
Where do I live?Toronto (Leslieville)
Where do I work?Jameson Porter Consulting, communications director
How long have I worked there?Four years
Do I exercise?I’m a runner!
Do I have any allergies?Not sure—ask Mom and Dad
Who was my childhood best friend?Nancy McPherson
Have I ever had a pet?Yes, as a kid. Rabbit—Marshmallow
What are my current hobbies?Ask Matt and Jenny
Favorite restaurant?Ask Matt or Jenny
Did I watchForksandOver Knives?Yes
Am I a vegetarian?No (because, bacon) *Jenny is vegetarian
Favorite TV show?
I had no idea what my favorite show was. I remembered watchingMad Menwith Daniel andBreaking Badwith Jenny, but I couldn’t recall how either of those shows ended (were they still running?) or what shows Matt and I had watched together. I was still on the no-screens protocol, but a quick Netflix history check couldn’t be a big deal...
I turned on the television as my phone rang. Glancing at the screen, I saw an unknown, though local, number. For all the hoping I’d done over the past few weeks and the fact I’d given him my number a couple of days earlier, it actually didn’t occur to me it might be Daniel.
But it was, and he was wondering,Was I free for coffee?He had some time between classes and would love to see me. “To catch up,” he added. I thought back to hisDidn’t we already do that?comment and cringed. But—perhaps too enthusiastically—I said I’d be happy to meet him, and he suggested Moonbean Coffee Company in Kensington Market, close to campus.
* * *
I arrived at Moonbean early and ordered a giant latte in a bowl before finding a table by the window, under the navy blue ceiling. Daniel arrived right on time, and my heart lurched when I saw him walk through the front door. There were still parts of him that felt alien—the facial hair, the fine lines across his forehead and fanning out from his eyes, the slightly unkempt look to his longer hair—but overall he was still the same Daniel.
This was a huge mistake.
Because no matter how hard I’d been working to let him go, to focus on my life with Matt, Daniel was comforting to me in a deeply significant way. I was scared by the weight of my longing when I saw him walk through Moonbean’s door, and the desire to have him recognize me in the same way.
My face must have displayed this convoluted mix of emotions, because the smile dropped from his face and he quickly sat across from me before even ordering anything at the counter. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked, removing his gloves and unzipping his coat without taking his eyes off me. I was mortified when I started crying.
Daniel took my hands in his and I stared at his ring, the tears dripping down my nose and onto the tabletop. “Lucy, what the hell’s the matter? Hey. Hey, what’s wrong?”
I shook my head, tried to speak but couldn’t. Oh, how I wanted to run out of there. Either that or to reverse time so I could avoid this scene entirely. But there was nowhere to flee. And besides, this was Daniel; heknewme. I would be okay with him, even with my mess of a life on full display.
He let go of one of my hands and passed me a napkin from the table. I took a deep breath, getting ahold of myself. “I’m so sorry. This is... Well, embarrassing doesn’t quite cover it.” I gave him a weak smile, wondered how blotchy my face was.
He smiled, squeezed my hand. “I’ll try not to take it too personally.”
“Can I get you a coffee? Something to eat?” I asked, rising from my chair, wanting to put some distance between my outburst and whatever came next.
Daniel rose, too. “I’ll get it. Want anything else?”
“I’m fine with the latte, thanks,” I said, then looked out the window as he went to the counter to order. It had started to rain, and people hurried by under umbrellas, walking around small puddles gathering on the sidewalks.
“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on or should we make small talk for a while until you’re ready?” Daniel asked, settling back into his chair with his coffee and omelet sandwich.
“Honestly, I don’t even know where to start. Things are a bit screwed up at the moment.”
