The Night We Met

Chapter Four: Imesso Espresso Visit

Saturday. 

The best day of the entire week. Salem worked in the morning so she could have the afternoon off. When she got into work, Amy was already there. She was a nice girl. Her curly, long, brown hair was always tied into a ponytail with red ribbon. Purple glasses sat on her nose and freckles dotted across her pale nose. 

"Morning, Salem," she greeted, handing a customer a cup of coffee and a cookie. "How was your night."

Salem laughed took her ponytail out. "It was Friday. I am so relieved it's finally the weekend."

Someone came up to the counter and Salem started to take their order. "Hey, welcome to Imesso Espresso. What can I get--"

"You can't get me anything." The girl's black hair hung around her shoulders. "I don't take drinks from witches."

Salem sighed. "Please don't give this to me today, Amanda. I'm not going to cast a spell of your coffee. And trust me, I wish I could, then I could turn you into a frog and you could ribbit your way around."

Amanda scoffed. "How dare you talk to me like that." 

"Like what?"

"Like I'm not important!"

Salem clicked her tongue. "So you want me to lie? That's not good. I don't lie."

Amy came over. "I got it," she said. She looked at Amanda. "Order or get out. You know Salem worked here and East Shore might be a small town, but there's more than one coffee shop. Which you know since your father owns the other one."

Amanda tucked her behind her ear. "Why are you standing up for Salem?"

"Because I'm a good person, that's why," Amy said. 

"Are you sure it's not something else?"

Atticus walked over. "Do we have a problem here?" he asked Amanda. "If you have a problem with my baristas, you can take it up with me."

"No," she said. "There's no problem." She glared at Amy and Salem. "I was just leaving." She turned to walk away and let the door slam shut on the way out. 

"What actually happened?" he asked once she was gone. 

Amy smiled and walked away. 

Salem sighed and brushed her hair from her face. "She said she wouldn't have a witch make her drink, and I told her that I wasn't going to put a spell on her coffee but I wished I could because then I could turn her into a frog."

He looked at her, then laughed. "Oh my God," he said. "You actually said that?"

She sighed. "Of course I did. I'm not going to let her disrespect me. I'm not helpless." She straightened her purple knitted sweater and smoothed her apron. "Now..." Her words died off as she looked towards the door as someone walked through it. "Oh... hell no," she whispered. 

Atticus followed her gaze and saw a woman with red hair and blue eyes, wearing a peacoat. The circles under her eyes were so dark they didn't look to be real. "Who is that?" he asked.

"My mother," she whispered. 

Atticus took off his apron.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" Salem asked. 

Her mother shifted on her feet and walked forward. "Salem..."

"No," she said. "I have nothing to say to you. You left me when I was ten. I was homeless until I was fourteen. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry."

Salem scoffed. "You're sorry?" she asked. "Why do druggies and abusers always think those two words will fix everything? You have no right to speak to me. You have no right to come in here and talk to me."

Her mother scoffed. "You're only seventeen. I still have legal custody of you."

Salem laughed. "I was emancipated. You have nothing." 

"Ma'am," Atticus said, stepping towards the mother, putting his hand out. "You are going to leave or I will call the police."

"You wouldn't."

Salem pulled her phone from her back pocket. "Let's see... Non-emergency line... What is it again? 439 or 493?" she asked, typing the nine-digit number into her phone's keypad.

"Fine, I'll leave," she said. "But you cannot run from me forever. You are my child, and a mother knows when to protect her child."

Salem rolled her eyes as her mother walked out. As soon as she was gone she began ranting. "Who does she think she is? Walking in here like I will just beg at her feet."

"Salem," Atticus interrupted. "Breathe. Do you need to take the rest of the day off?"

"No," Salem said. "I need something to keep my mind busy."

Even though she wanted to keep her mind occupied, she couldn't. Her mother's visit was the only thing that was on her mind. Amy had to snap in her face three times throughout the day. When five o'clock rolled around she gave up on working and left. Amy said she would cover the last of her shift. 

She went to the park once it was dark out. Pulling her destroyed journal from her bag, she sat on the swing. 

"Whatcha writing?"

Salem looked up and Tobias took the swing next to her. "What are you doing here?" she asked. 

"It's a public park." His green eyes seemed brighter in the dark and the moonlight shone on the side of his with a jagged scar.

"How'd you get that scar?" Salem asked. 

Tobias laughed. "For someone who a loner, you sure are really interested in other people's lives."

She smiled. "Not other people. Just yours."

"Why's that?"

She shook her head. "You keep showing up. Clearly it's you that's interested in me. Why are you even here, talking to me?"

Tobias smiled and his scar quirked. "Because I want to be."

Salem stood up and shoved her journal back into her bag. "Are you sure about that?" she asked. "Because I'm not sure if you got the news, but no one talks to me. Especially the star captain of the football team." She began to walk away. 

"Wait," Tobias said, standing up. 

Salem turned back and looked at him, her white backpack slung over her shoulder, her hair swept over her right shoulder. "What?"

"You have green eyes."

Salem laughed. "Points for you captain."

Tobias pursed his lips. "But you also have red hair. It's rare for someone to have red hair and green eyes."

She shrugged. "Guess you could say I'm one a kind then." She walked away without giving Tobias a chance to respond.