Ava
I made my way to the library that morning to check out some new books. Today was the first day I was going to show my father I meant business. Ever since our very heated discussion where I figured out my brothers were just as miserable as I had become, I was determined to stand my ground. My brothers looked up to me just like I looked up to them, and I figured starting with something small would make a good case. My father always checked the books I brought home from the library, but this time he would find a sack of books he didn’t approve of. Books on business and investments. Books on energy and gasoline. Books to educate me on the family business and books on sustainable energy.
I was determined to show my father that I could make a real splash in his world, whether he approved or not.
I spent the entire morning browsing the library. I walked around in sections I hadn’t visited yet and was excited at the material I pulled off the shelves. Educational material used in colleges around the nation and workbooks I could check out with case studies I could read. I found more books on human interaction and sociology books that gave in-depths looks into how people acted the way they did. I figured it could help me to understand my father more. To help give context into why he was the way he was.
I pulled it all from the shelves and filled my bag before I made my way to check them out.
I walked down the sidewalk, taking in the small ships near Kettle’s little public library. I loved spending my summers here. I loved walking these sidewalks. I could remember darting into all these shops with my mother as a child. Marveling at all the trinkets and wondering what sorts of crafts I could get my hands on. Felts and markers and glitter and glue. Things to make messes my father would get angry over. They were wonderful memories I had of my mother until I grew up in the world she lived in.
Those memories were all I had of the perfect world I thought I inhabited.
I walked by the coffee shop and decided to grab some. Walking in with a cup of coffee in my hand would surely send my father through the roof. Only adults drank coffee, he would say. Then he would point out that my mother’s beautiful complexion was because she didn’t take in any source of caffeine. She stuck to infused water and freshly-squeezed juices.
Yep. I drove home with a cup of coffee as well.
I walked into the coffeehouse and was flooded with memories. This was where I had gotten coffee with Travis that day. It was the day I had learned so much about him and his life. His family and how he was raised. Why he was the way he was and how his smile lit up his amber eyes. I smiled as I stood in line, ready to place my order. But a familiar voice wafted from the corner and it caused me to turn my head.
I smiled as Travis came into view, but he didn’t look happy at all.
I studied his interaction with the man he sat with. The stranger was in a suit and had a folder in his hand. The two of them seemed deep in conversation, and the more they talked the more Travis’ brow furrowed. Whatever the conversation was, it wasn’t going well. But I was excited to see him again.
Even if it was from far away.
“What can I get you?” the barista asked.
“Could I get a large coffee with caramel flavoring, please?” I asked.
“Room for cream and sugar?” she asked.
“Room for just cream, thanks.”
I stood there as the woman made my coffee. She handed it to me and I grabbed the creamer, pouring it in until my black coffee was a light brown in color. I grabbed a straw and made my way for a table so I could enjoy my newfound sense of freedom.
And maybe sit and watch Travis a little while longer.
But when I sat down, he was nowhere to be found. Just like that, he had vanished. The man in the suit was gone, Travis had left, and I sighed as my straw pierced the top of the cup.
“Fancy seeing you here.”
I jumped at the sound of Travis’ voice before I started to giggle. He sat across from me as I held my heart, trying to get my nerves to calm down. As frustrated as he had been only a few moments ago, he seemed relaxed now. His face was calm and his brow was smooth. There was a playful grin on his cheeks as he lounged back in his chair. My eyes scanned him with purpose, taking in the breadth of his shoulders and the strength of his arms.
“Everything okay?” I asked. “You looked frustrated in that meeting.”
“Ah, so you did notice,” Travis said.
“You don’t have to talk about it. I just want to make sure you’re okay,” I said.
“You’re a very sweet girl.”
“Girl?” I asked. “I think I’m hardly a girl. Young woman, maybe. But not a girl.”
“Sticking up for yourself already. I take it things with your dad went well?” he asked.
“If I talk about that, then you have to talk about your meeting,” I said.
“Deal. But ladies first.”