Chapter 3

Finishing her shower in record time, Jessica dries herself and wiggles into her robe. She throws a towel around her hair and opens the door to find Derrick with his towel draped around his shoulders. "Took you long enough," Derrick says pushing his way past Jessica. All she can do is roll her eyes. She closes her bedroom door behind her feeling like the bigger person for not engaging. 6:36 pm meaning 6 minutes were wasted on Derrick. That was how Jessica felt, wasting her precious time. She dried her hair and got into her pajamas, mentally preparing for her phone call with Tom. At 6:55 pm she would head downstairs to wait by the phone for his call. Till then, she would try to settle her nerves and keep calm.

She pulled the kitchen chair beside the phone on the wall and waited patiently for the phone to ring. She prayed that Derrick would leave her alone but suspected he might harass her at some point. 7:05 p.m., the phone finally rang. "Hello?" she asked eagerly waiting for his response. "Hey Becca," Tom said after sighing. Oh no, he never calls me that. Something must be wrong. Trying to take a more empathetic tone through her nerves, Jessica tries to keep cool. "Hey Tom, what's up?" She swallowed hard hoping he wouldn't see right through her. "Look, we. We need to talk." Tom was breathing hard, this made Jessica uncomfortable. "I think we should take a break over summer vacation." Jessica felt like she had just been struck with a ton of bricks, this news was so heavy, so upsetting. There were no words. Tears swelled in her eyes, making her vision blurry. He was silent on the other end as well. He knew he had caused her pain. She sharply got out the word "Fine," before disconnecting the call. Jessica ran up the stairs and straight into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Of course, Mom is working today. OF ALL DAYS! Jessica's mind was spinning, her thoughts getting the best of her. Absorbing her. Tears streamed down her face. Soft mews came from Mindy who desperately tried to comfort her and wipe away Jessica's tears.

"At least I still have you." She told her little fluffball and cuddled her until she fell asleep. Morning came faster than expected and Jessica hadn't done anything she had planned since hearing from Tom. She was feeling depressed and didn't want to do anything, but she knew that being around people might be helpful. Pulling the blankets off of her head, she notices the outfit hanging on the door just like yesterday. Black skinny dress pants, these ones were a bit shiny and they were paired beautifully with a sweetly textured blouse that was more matte. Seriously Mom, where do you get your fashion sense from? Jessica was so proud and grateful for her Mom, taking care of her even though she is eighteen now. She quickly gets dressed and makes her way downstairs. "Hungry?" Mom asks hearing Jessica barreling down. "Morning Mom! No, I'm okay I'll make something at the Café later. Thank you for the clothes, they fit perfectly! I love all of them!" She gives her Mom a big squeeze. "I'm glad you like them, sweetie," Mom tells her giving her a kiss on the forehead. Jessica debated about telling Mom about the news but decided to wait until later. No point in ruining her day too.

Hopping off the bus at the Café, Jessica noticed the homeless man making his way down the street. She instinctively waved to him and he waved back. She smiled and went into the Café. "Good Morning!" Erika called to her from behind the counter. Jessica smiled, actually happy to see her and relieved that she didn't have to share her news unless she wanted to. "Hey," Jessica said smiling. Unfortunately, Erika knew immediately that something was wrong. "Hey, is something the matter? You seem off today." Well, Erika knew immediately. Was there even a reason for hiding it now?" Tom broke up with me last night." The slam of the door closing behind the homeless man made the girls jump. "Good morning," they said smiling at him. Erika gestured her head back towards the stock room for Jessica to follow. Once in there, Erika asked, "Are you going to be okay to work today? Like, if you need time you certainly can take the day off." Jessica shook her head, "I'm fine. Honestly, I would much rather be around people right now than get stuck in my head." Erika smiled and put her hand on Jessica's shoulder. She then went to the front counter to help the man waiting patiently for his daily java.

Jessica took a few extra minutes to get ready, tied on her apron with care, and put her hair into a bun. With a deep breath, she walked out to the front. Already, the day felt like it was dragging on. There was plenty of chat about Tom, who was greatly hated throughout the Café that morning. By lunch, Jessica was no longer sad about the whole thing but instead was upset that she didn’t see it coming. "I guess we've been growing apart for a while. Like we can't even agree on movie genres, he only ever wants to watch the action. He hates comedies so I couldn't even share my favorite romantic comedy with him." Erika nods, "that sucks. I love comedies!" Erika left Jessica's side to give the homeless man a second refill and chat for a moment. Jessica cleaned up the counter space and went to stock the shelves so they were ready for the next rush. "Okay, so bad timing, but I'm curious. Describe your perfect date?" Erika holds a milk frother to Jessica's face like it's a microphone, wiping the other end with a towel patiently waiting for her response. Jessica chuckled and thought carefully about it. "I would want…" about to joke around, she hesitated and opted for a more truthful, heartfelt answer. "A candle-lit dinner, maybe not lit by just the candles, but candles on the table." She smiled, seeing it all in her mind. "At a table, on the beach." They laughed. "Maybe catch a movie after dinner. Something fun and then walking home under the stars…" Both girls sighed happily.

"That sounds like the perfect date." Jessica raised her eyebrows. "Oh, it doesn't stop there!" Intrigued, the older homeless man narrowed his attention on the girl's conversation, listening eagerly to what pleasures were about to spill out. "After he'd walk me home under the stars, we'd stop at like a bridge, or somewhere near water. Listening to the wind blowing the water, and the little waves crashing together. That would be the only sound we hear. He'd pin me against a rock or railing or something and look into my eyes." Erika leans in, eager to hear more. "And then?" Jessica lowers her voice a little and starts to blush. "Then, he'd caress my face with his hand and rest it on my neck, that's when he'd romantically kiss me, first gently, like he's asking for permission. Then more passionately, grabbing my body and pulling it into his." Jessica looks lost in fantasy. Suddenly, the older homeless man clears his throat at the counter and smiles at the two girls. Holding his empty cup, Erika grabs a pot of fresh coffee but he puts up his hand to stop her. "Please, you're always so good to me." He says returning the fancy clay mug Erika has for dine-in customers.

"You should write stories." He says to Jessica, who is now blushing after realizing he heard it all. He smiles and leaves the café. Jessica looks at Erika, and she returns the stare. "Did he hear ALL of that?" Jessica asks embarrassed. Erika laughs at her and says "It sounds like he did!" Jessica stares at the countertop, feeling a little silly for revealing so much information. "Hey, it's okay," Erika tells her, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Now we can get to the good stuff!" She says jokingly. "When does he ask you to marry him?" Jessica looks at her confused and laughs at her attempt to be funny. "It's not that kind of story," Jessica tells her. "That's a shame, I really thought this was a romantic comedy." Erika winks at Jessica before heading to the back to put the mug in the dishwasher. Jessica thought on that for a moment. Maybe it was, after all.