The Life We Left Behind

Happier together

„Anyhow, we're good friends with benefits, but then he had been telling me how lately he started to wonder whether there could me more to this. Whether we'd have a shot at being happy... happier together and we were just being cowards by not trying. And that, both of us having been single and alone for so long, maybe it would just be nice to not be alone anymore for once. And", she smiled and shrugged again, „it actually is. I completely forgot how that felt like. So take this as my bartender-motherly advice, Henry..."

She leaned forward and reached for his hands while looking him in the eyes. „The only person standing between you and your happiness is yourself."

They heard the jingling of the door and Roni started to smile even broader when she saw her handsome detective walk in. Rogers reciprocated the gesture and greeted her with a gentle kiss, not caring at all about Henry sitting right next to them. Then she frowned. „Where the hell is your costume, you promised to dress up together with me? I need you to be Danny, otherwise no one recognizes me as Sandy."

„No worries, love, I have my leather jacket and hair grease at home, but for now I'm still on duty, and I can't stay for long anyway. I did want to show you one thing though."

He pulled his left hand out from behind his back and proudly presented her a cheap looking plastic hook on top of his stump instead of his usual fake hand.

„What do you say, milady, will you...", he theatrically raised an eyebrow, „hook up with me tonight?"

Roni wasn't really sure what to think of this. „What's that?"

„Well, it's a hook... get it? It's part of a pirate costume. I just need to figure out how to attach this thing properly because as it turns out, these are actually made for people WITH hands."

„You want to be a pirate? I thought we'd go as Sandy and Danny?"

„I can be both! I can be a leather-wearing one-handed pirate with grease in my hair and a hook. Isn't that cool?"

She sighed, shook her head with a smile and reached out to gently stroke his cheek. „No, honey... it's absolutely not. But if that's who you want to be, then I'm all for it."

She gave him another kiss. And even though his idea was ridiculous, it did make her proud and feel the butterflies in her stomach: she knew how sensitive and self-conscious he was about his missing hand. He had been like this for as long as she had known him, he had never told her how he had lost it, and she had never dared to ask him. He was casual about it when both of them were alone, she had seen him naked after all, many times, and they were frequently engaging in physical activity, so there was absolutely no way he would have been able to hide from her the fact that he was missing a hand. Without ever speaking of it, they had mutually agreed to not make a big deal out of it, but in public, like here in her bar, he was still very careful to pretend as best he could, with that fake hand of his, that there was nothing unusual about him in the hand department at all.

The fact that he now walked in here in front of Henry and the other guests, with a plastic hook for a hand, was a huge step forward for him, and she didn't fail to recognize the significance.

„And how about me? Do you like my costume? Do you like my hair?" She twirled around and ran her hand over the cheap blonde wig.

„You always look great, but I can't help it, I just don't have a thing for blondes. What can I say, I prefer brunettes."

After Henry had excused himself to give them some space, she served Rogers a ‚Poisoned Apple', this time with a dash of cinnamon. He took a sip and smiled. „Perfect!"

Then concern creeped up on his face and he looked down, absent-mindedly playing with the hook in his lap.

„What's wrong, honey? Is it that case of yours?"

„Aye... no... Roni, can I ask you something?"

„Sure!"

„And please don't take this the wrong way, this is not me being jealous, I'm just curious, you know... I'm a detective."

„Terrible way of starting this conversation, but please, hit me!"

„Who's Robin?"

„What?"

„Robin. You... you were saying that name in your sleep yesterday, multiple times, you sounded scared... terrified."

She diligently searched through her memory, then shook her head. „I don't know... I don't know anyone called Robin. I think... Are you sure that's what I said?"

„Loud and clear."

„I'm sorry, babe. I'm not trying to ditch a conversation about some tragic story with an ex boyfriend. I really have no idea! Maybe something in my subconscience, something I've read or some movie I've watched once? Please don't read too much into this, alright?"

„If you say so", he smiled, partly wary, partly with relief, then leaned over and kissed her, a little longer this time, until another customer, who was waiting next to them to place an order, audibly cleared his throat.

Roni whispered into her boyfriend's ear: „If you continue like that though, I'll be saying your name in my sleep soon, I promise!"

Then she pulled away, gave her guest an apologetic, but innocent smile and switched on the music – ‚You're The One That I Want' from ‚Grease' – before taking his order.