Splintered Illusion

» twenty nine - epilogue «

Five Years Later

"I'm worried about you, Polly."

I laughed loudly, startling a man sitting at a table across from me, his laptop in front of him. I sent him an apologetic look and took a sip of my coffee, playing around with the leftover crumbs of my banana bread.

"There's nothing to be worried about, Abigail," I said into the phone I held at my ear. "Trust me. Everything's going fine. I'm making good sales."

Abigail sighed loudly, and I could imagine the way her eyebrows were coming together right now. "If you say so."

"I do. How's Bo?" I asked.

"He's..." She trailed off, and her voice got muffled as she pulled away from the phone to say something I couldn't hear to Bo. "You want to talk to him?"

"Yes, please!"

I heard shuffling on the other side of the phone, and then a dog's bark, followed by another.

My face broke out into a grin. "Aw, I miss you too, Bo," I cooed.

The Labrador barked again.

"Yes, I love you very much," I told him. "I'll come visit soon, I promise."

There was some more shuffling.

"Don't tell me you didn't miss me," a new, male voice said over the phone.

I laughed. "Hi, Danny."

"What's up? You move to New York and forget about your family?"

"Well there's just so much to do here," I teased. "Hard not to get caught up in New York."

"Ohh," Danny said, "so you're that girl now."

"I am that girl," I confirmed, my cheeks hurting from all the smiling I was doing. "How is everything?"

Danny sighed. "Boring now that you're gone."

"I'll visit soon," I promised him.

Danny laughed. "Don't worry about it," he assured, though I could hear the slight sadness in his voice. "We're happy for you, you know. You work hard and get someplace, kid."

"I will. I miss you guys."

"We miss you too, and- Wooh, look at that. Shit." There was movement on the other side of the phone, and I frowned when I heard some curses. "Shit, sorry Polly. Damn dog barfed all over the floor."

"Not again," I groaned, concerned and exasperated.

"Yeah. I'll call you back, alright? Love ya, Polly."

"Love you too," I said, and then there was the beep that signaled he'd hung up.

Sighing, I put down my phone and returned to playing with my coffee cup. I still had an hour and a half until I had to go into the studio, so I was free to do whatever I wanted until then.

The coffee shop buzzed around me, and more and more people were starting to come in with each minute that passed. A line was starting to form at the counter, and I watched as people rushed in and rushed out.

A little boy with wild brown curls ran up to the counter and ordered two donuts breathlessly. His mom raced towards him, her hand immediately going to his shoulder. She was pretty, with long, brown curls, and a sun kissed complexion that said she hadn't been in New York long. Freckles dotted along her curved nose ridge, splaying onto her cheeks. I didn't realize I was staring at her until she caught me looking and smiled.