It translated to odd and sometimes long hours, but there’s always something going on. Fires, crime, robbery, occasional political explosions, hurricanes. It was a nice advancement, indeed, Chris thought. Plus, the money was much better.
Over the past couple of weeks, Chris and Erin had the occasional date, although they were a bit more measured. They cooled the engines, as they say. He didn’t know where this road might take them, but it was healthy and probably better for both of them to take it slowly and set healthy, nurturing boundaries for a while.
He still wasn’t sure that her feelings for Tim were gone and, perhaps, the past still haunted her from time to time. It surely haunted Chris. He’d always put pressure on Erin in the past and he’d determined that doing so didn’t work the first time, so it likely wouldn’t work the second time.
Chris spotted Marie across the street as she headed straight for them. He and Marie hadn’t spoken since the night at the pub.
"...Hey, I’ve tried to call you," Marie called out as she approached.
"Yep, I know. I’m still upset with you Marie."
"Chris, I’m sorry, OK?"
"Marie, I’m not ready to listen to it right now. Give me some time, OK? Chris begged, walking away with Bailey in tow.
She watched, as they inched down the sidewalk, staring, distantly. She wondered if their friendship would ever be the same. Her sorrow had slowly transformed to simmering anger.
"How could he claim to be a friend?" She wondered. Marie's resentment grew.
At the grocery, Chris passed through the deli department, pausing for a moment to eye the hot plate line. The turnip greens particularly caught his attention. He smiled and thought of Miss Joyce. She loved them greens at Rouse's, she always said.
The deli server approached with a beaming smile.
"Can I help you, sir?"
"Yeah, I’ll take two quarts of the greens," Chris replied.
He felt that it was time to go surprise Miss Joyce, figuring that a little chat with Joyce would do him some good and lift his spirits.
At the checkout, Chris placed the greens, a pack of gum, a pack of Black & Mild cigars, some dog treats and a bottle of Crown Royal on the belt. The clerk looked at the combination and then back to Chris.
"...It’s a complicated story," Chris assured the checkout girl about his grocery selections. The girl shook her head and laughed. "...I bet it is, baby, I bet it is."
Chris tapped on Miss Joyce’s door, turnip greens and Crown firmly in hand.
"Hey, my baby boy, what ya’ got there?" Joyce greeted.
"I brought you some greens, for later."
"Thank you Mr. Chris; I been wantin’ me some greens this week," Joyce beamed.
Chris revealed the other bag.
"And, some Crown and Black & Milds for right NOW," he announced, with a smile.
Miss Joyce laughed.
"I been wantin’ me some a THAT this week, too; come on in here."
Chris and Miss Joyce sat at the kitchen table, reviewing the latest family pictures that she’d received from her daughter. It was Miss Joyce’s grandson’s birthday party pictures.
"...He’s gonna be fat if his mama don’t put his ass on a diet. Ain’t no boy that young needin’ to be that big," Joyce scolded, as she stared at her grandson's photo.
Chris studied the family pictures and looked up at Joyce.
"Sometimes I feel like it’s too late for me to start a family," Chris lamented, regretfully.
"That’s a bunch a shit," Miss Joyce unsympathetically replied. "You not old at all, but sometimes you are the oldest young man I ever met." She laughed. "Ya’ think too much, my baby."
Joyce changed the subject. "...You and your girl gettin’ on OK?" She quizzed.
"I don’t know, Miss Joyce."
"Well, that’s a bunch a shit, too; you either KNOW or you don’t know," she chastised.
"I think so, but I’m not sure that we spent enough time apart...I don’t know, I could be rushing it. It was just so lonely when we broke up. We saw each other socially for a while but it wasn’t the same. I think I still hold sad thoughts in my mind," Chris confessed. "...Conflicted thoughts," he continued.
"You holdin’ sad thoughts from the past in your mind while you’re with her? Good Lord almighty! You DO think too much! She laughed.
"What’s so funny?"
"YOU are," Joyce replied.
"When me and Erin were apart, romantically, for so long, it was tough on me, Joyce. It seemed EASY for her," Chris sighed.
"Oh, and you know that for a FACT, do you?" Joyce interrupted.
"Do you know what it’s like to look at...I don’t know, a tree?" Chris began to explain his emotions. "...A tree that anyone else would look at and say, Hey, what a pretty tree, it must be a hundred years old. Then, they move on and never think anything else about it."
Joyce thoughtfully listened to Chris, nodding her head once in a while as he continued.
"I look at that same tree and think about how I sat under it with my girl while we wasted away a beautiful Saturday. The little things around me, that I took for granted, while I had my head up my ass. The little things held treasured memories for me when we split up," Chris explained.
Joyce finally offered her thoughts.
"...Me and George split for a while when we dated; that was a long time ago, but you know how the story ended. When we were apart, I could see him everywhere I looked; a whole bunch of things reminded me of him. A song, certain food, smells, the park; I know what you mean, my baby. I wouldn‘t even dare think about another man," Joyce explained. "...When we got back together, we compared notes...He did the same things," Joyce laughed.
Joyce contiunued. "...Baby, some people never get back together and that‘s cause’ both people gotta want it. Sometimes both people want it, but not at the same time. Then, there’s those people who both want it but it just takes a little longer than expected; it’ll all work out for the best. Always does, baby. You just gotta wait for the clock hands to line up."
"How do you KNOW, Joyce?" Chris eagerly quizzed.
"Cause’, I’m old as shit." Miss Joyce laughed.
Chris laughed along with her, hanging onto every word. "...Y’all just both young and stubborn," Joyce chided, mixing Chris a drink.
"Yeah?" Chris interrupted; "...there’s a little more involved than a fortune cookie slip, Joyce."
"I don’t care what’s involved, Chris, and I’m sure there’s some mean and bad shit, but, at the root of it all, love lasts, if it's REAL...Might not be on your time schedule, but it does, if it’s real. This ain’t for you to decide, my baby.
"...What if one of us falls for someone else while we take a break?" Chris asked.
"Then ya’ do; I ain’t gonna say it any other way than I already have. If you fall in love or LIKE someone else, who cares? You won't be worryin' bout gettin' back together, If it’s true love, then you’ll end up together, down the path. God knows. When he's ready? He'll let YA' BOTH know."
"That’s kinda shitty for the other people involved, don’t you think?" Chris flippantly pointed out.
"It sure is, but that’s the lesson they learn, too...Maybe they takin’ a break from someone, too. Baby, I’ve seen people be apart for 10 years and get back together and live happily ever after, right til' the end.
"Really??" Chris skeptically asked.
"Dear Jesus, in heaven, you THINK too much," Joyce laughed again.
"I know, I’m impatient, Miss Joyce," Chris admitted.
"Yeah? You blind, too," Joyce added.
"How SO?"
"While you frettin’ over whether this or that and one thing or another gonna work out, or not gonna work out? Shit, baby, there MAY even be OTHER people, another wonderful girl, out there, tryin’ to get your attention; you need to stop worryin’ so damn much, my baby. You're missing the moment when you worry too much."
"...Me and George split for a while when we dated; that was a long time ago, but you know how the story ended. When we were apart, I could see him everywhere I looked; a whole bunch of things reminded me of him. A song, certain food, smells, the park; I know what you mean, my baby. I wouldn‘t even dare think about another man," Joyce explained. "...When we got back together, we compared notes...He did the same things," Joyce laughed.
Joyce contiunued. "...Baby, some people never get back together and that‘s cause’ both people gotta want it. Sometimes both people want it, but not at the same time. Then, there’s those people who both want it but it just takes a little longer than expected; it’ll all work out for the best. Always does, baby. You just gotta wait for the clock hands to line up."
"How do you KNOW, Joyce?" Chris eagerly quizzed.
"Cause’, I’m old as shit." Miss Joyce laughed.
Chris laughed along with her, hanging onto every word. "...Y’all just both young and stubborn," Joyce chided, mixing Chris a drink.
"Yeah?" Chris interrupted; "...there’s a little more involved than a fortune cookie slip, Joyce."
"I don’t care what’s involved, Chris, and I’m sure there’s some mean and bad shit, but, at the root of it all, love lasts, if it's REAL...Might not be on your time schedule, but it does, if it’s real. This ain’t for you to decide, my baby.
"...What if one of us falls for someone else while we take a break?" Chris asked.
"Then ya’ do; I ain’t gonna say it any other way than I already have. If you fall in love or LIKE someone else, who cares? You won't be worryin' bout gettin' back together, If it’s true love, then you’ll end up together, down the path. God knows. When he's ready? He'll let YA' BOTH know."
"That’s kinda shitty for the other people involved, don’t you think?" Chris flippantly pointed out.
"It sure is, but that’s the lesson they learn, too...Maybe they takin’ a break from someone, too. Baby, I’ve seen people be apart for 10 years and get back together and live happily ever after, right til' the end.
"Really??" Chris skeptically asked.
"Dear Jesus, in heaven, you THINK too much," Joyce laughed again.
"I know, I’m impatient, Miss Joyce," Chris admitted.
"Yeah? You blind, too," Joyce added.
"How SO?"
"While you frettin’ over whether this or that and one thing or another gonna work out, or not gonna work out? Shit, baby, there MAY even be OTHER people, another wonderful girl, out there, tryin’ to get your attention; you need to stop worryin’ so damn much, my baby. You're missing the moment when you worry too much."
A moment of silence passed before Joyce continued. Her face turned rarely serious as she stared Chris solemnly in the eyes, almost to his soul. "...That prayer I said for you that night, many, many long months ago...do somethin' with it, this time. You surrounded by grace and angels, my baby." Joyce never broke eye contact, carefully twirling her western Carribbean rosary beads she'd received from her grandmother.
Chris' heart skipped a beat. Unable to speak; Joyce's facial expression tacitly revealed many mysteries to Chris. He fidgeted a bit and nervously smiled.
As Joyce mixed another Crown and Sprite, he wondered, again, how the two of them became such unlikely friends. He wondered if age and experience had afforded her sage wisdom, or if it was church, the Crown and Sprite or maybe a little of all three.
Nonetheless, Chris was thankful to have Miss Joyce in his life. Blessed.
copyright, Pontchartrain Press 2008
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