His Love

Chapter One: Café Star

As I drove down Westbury lane, I couldn't help but think; Life is great when you're in love. But I'm getting ahead of myself; let me explain my side of the story, from the beginning. 

It all started a year ago. It was June of 2014 and I was twenty one years old. I had the whole world at my feet, yet it felt like something was missing. Something really important, but I just couldn't figure out what. So, I went on with life as usual, and that meant visiting my mother.

I remember that hot June day like it was just yesterday. It felt like there were hot suns on my face, making sweat trickle down my back. Running late certainly did not improve the situation. I'd planned to go see my mother, like I did every summer. You'd think that after having lived in that town for the first eighteen years of my life, I'd be able to find my way around. Alas, this was not the case.

Finally I'd gotten myself out of the housing area and found Main Street. I still had no idea where I was, but at least I could stop at a coffee shop. Driving for four hours really makes you thirsty.

I pulled into "Café Star" at around 2pm that hot Thursday. After a quick bathroom break, I decided to get a coffee. That's when I saw her. She was absolutely the most stunning girl I'd ever seen. Her long, wavy, auburn hair was pinned in a low bun, with some strands falling out. Her piercing green-grey eyes stared into mine as it became clear that it was my turn to order. Obviously I had taken a long time to say anything, because she laughed nervously, looked down, and tucked a strand behind her ear.

"I- I'll have a, um. A medium, hm. Med- Medium coffee with, um, with two sugars and uh, some milk? Ha." I said, sounding like a stuttering idiot.

I hadn't had a lot of practice talking to girls, being homeschooled my whole high school career; I was a pretty shy guy. Being homeschooled wasn't so bad though, it made my mother and I very close. But it might've been nice to have had some friends during "high school".

"Hum, excuse me?"

I heard an angel practically sing to me. I looked up at the gorgeous barista.

"Your coffee is done? Here."

She handed me my coffee, with a shaky hand, I took it. And for a moment, just a beautiful moment, out hands touched. She's so soft, I thought. She smells like cinnamon, like sweet, sweet cinnamon. I think I'm in love.

I'd planned to drink my coffee in my car, but I just couldn't leave her, just couldn't take my eyes off of her.

After my coffee I knew I had to go see my mother. I wouldn't want her to worry. I saw that the lovely barista was leaving anyway, removing her green uniform from her slim body. 4pm, I guess that's when her shift ends.

Without thinking, I waved her over and with a trembling voice I managed to ask; "Do you know where Wilson Street is?"

She looked surprised. "Well Wilson Street is two roads back, off Highway 33."

"Oh, thank you for your help...?"

"Jen, my name is Jen." She said with a smile, "You know, you look really familiar."

My heart skipped a beat, we may have met before, how could I not have remembered her?!

"Oh yeah, maybe, I'm not sure." I said, "My names Timothy, but people call me Tim."

"Oh! I remember you." She said excitedly. I used to see you around town all the time when I was in high school. She paused. "Wait, why did I never see you at school?" She asked, confused.

"It's um, a long story, ha-ha." I said awkwardly.

"Well maybe we could grab lunch at the diner tomorrow and talk about it?" She asked.

I was shocked. I couldn't believe it; this amazing girl was asking me out. Me!!

"That sounds great; I can pick you up here at noon tomorrow, if that's okay." I said nervously.

"That sounds really nice, see you then." She said happily, as she walked out.

Wow, I thought, I'm going to marry that girl one day.

When I pulled into my the driveway, I felt a pang of deja vu. A pang of sadness, lonliness, and fear. It's safe to say, that my childhood wasn't the greatest. But I can't complain, my father hated that. I had a roof over my head, food in my belly (most of the time) and clothes on my back.

Anyway, I walked into through the door to immediatly be smacked by my very angry mother.

"You useless shit! You are 3 hours late! Give me some respect, I am your mother." She screeched at me.

"Mother I'm so, so sorry. I couldn't find my way, and then I had to go to a cafe to use the bathroom and-"

She had arleady gone into the kitchen, ignoring me. I don't know why I even bother coming, but I know that she needs me. Needs someone to care about her, and help her stock her kitchen, fix her appliances, etc. 

The thing is, she dealt with a terrible depression when I was a child.

I remember the first sign of it, the big, dark, angry monster that followed her around. At least, that's how I saw the depression, I was only nine years old when it started. My mother found out about my father cheating when she came home from grocery shopping to find me on the front porch, with all our stuff packed into suitcases. When my mother asked what was going on, I told her what my father had instructed me to say. "Daddy's got a new wife, and we have to leave."

What happend next, no one in the neighborhood had expected. Everyone knew about my fathers cheating, even my mother did, underneath. Everyone thought that she'd just catch him red handed, and not be able to be in denial anymore, that she'd just quietly leave. But no, oh no. My mother just about kicked the door in, and got into quite the fist fight with my father and his "new wife". When the police came I thought she was going to jail for sure, but my father and the police didn't have the best history, so they let my mother off with a warning. 

After that, after that last burst of hot, angry, passion, my mother was quiet. For months, she would only respond to yes or no questions, with a mumble or by nodding her head. She eventually ran out of money, so we would sleep in the car. After a few months of barely getting by, she got a letter and a child support check. I still don't know how my fathers wife had found us, but she did. In her letter she said she felt terrible about what had happend, and that she would make sure we got money somehow. My mother burst into tears, then suddenly, when I thought she was going to start sobbing, she lost it. In a fit of rage she tore up the letter, grabbed the money and screamed at me to get in the car. She sped down the highway and stopped at the nearest bar. She told me to stay in the car and she was in there for three hours. She came out hammerd, with no money and a man on her hip. 

They had sex in the car while I ate the cold chicken wings she brought for me.