“One hundred and three,” she proclaims.
Her cheeks are pink from the cold, while her once tight curls appear frizzier at the ends. Yet despite her sad state, the ridiculous hat still remains atop her head. Her coat lies next to me, along with her bag. It would have served her better on her body. I tuck my book away and drape the coat over her shoulders.
“Come on then. Let’s get you warmed up.” I guide her toward a glowing coffee shop, just a block over, hoping to warm her from the inside out.
The sun disappears below the horizon, as I order two regulars. Sitting us at a high top, we watch as the street progressively becomes illuminated by orangey globes. Reds from the setting sun melt into deeper blues as night takes over.
An advantageous ending to a calamitous day.
At this point, she doesn’t argue about me paying. She is still for once. Calm. We sit quietly, enjoying each other’s company as the steam rises over our drinks. Mairead’s color returns to her face about halfway through her cup before she starts speaking.
“My mom’s name was Mary; she died a while back.” She shrugs off the jacket from her shoulders, letting it fall to the chair beneath.
“I’m very sorry,” I say, but it doesn’t come out quite as sincere as it should. “Losing someone is life altering.”
Her lashes are wet, but I witness no tears actively falling. All the while she looks upon the dark streets. Headlights are the only light I find in her eyes.
“Were you close?” I press, hoping maybe she can learn to trust me too.
She nods her head, chewing on her bottom lip. “She understood me. Trusted me to do the right thing. She believed I was perfect… just the way I am.”
I study her soft features. Button nose, light dusting of freckles, and long lashes. The kind of beauty that could never be bought. I’m at a loss for words.
“I just wish everyone else knew me the way she did,” she admits.
My heart rips at its seams. That I got. I rest my hand on hers.
“You're not what I expected, Cindel.” I turned my head slightly, unsure if she meant it to come off as it did.
“Thank you?”
She throws her head back with a startling, infectious laugh. The hat tumbles behind her, as if she wasn’t just discussing her deceased mother a moment ago.
I force a smile. I was getting ready to tell her about Theo, to share how I knew exactly what loss felt like, but she was past it. Much like the setting sun, the powerful moment had dissipated, and she was onto the next ‘exciting’ thing.
Leaping up from her seat, she retrieves her stolen accessory off the floor. Placing the eccentric hat on my head, she proceeds to stand like a flamingo before speaking.
“The night is young! Where to now?!” Her mood is as erratic as the wind is from the sea.
“Mairead… I’ve had a lot of fun. Thank you for the interesting afternoon, but I need to get to work.”
Her posture slouches slightly, becoming that of a child who needs to come inside and do their chores instead of playing.
“I have bills to pay. Not all of us have a rich family to help us out,” I tease, paired with a playful shove of her balancing leg. This was very much a move my brother would have done to me.
“Ugh. The Black Sheep blows! Come get a new job somewhere else with me!”
Though that did sound kind of nice, there’s something about the bar. When did I tell her about the bar? I must be forgetting things, I really need to get a good night's sleep. Maybe it’s just me being sentimental, but I feel like I’ve landed right where I belong.
“Ooooo! How about the arcade we passed today? Wouldn’t that be fun?!” She exclaims.
“No, thank you. Too many extra noises and the blinking lights would give me a migraine.” I pause. “Maybe this is a sign? A push for me to pursue my real passion.”
Mairead appears to be having trouble holding still. Back to her exuberant self, she rolls up on the balls of her feet before rocking back to the heel of her buckled shoe. Maybe caffeinating her was a bad idea.
We gather our items and head out, saying our goodbyes outside the coffee shop.
“There has to be at least one company looking for an entry level seamstress,” I accidentally wonder out loud.
