My Record Store Romance

The Sounds of Sadness, Bad Dreams and Our First Customer

"Oh, Marie." my dad said sadly, shaking his head and walking towards us. "I'm so sorry-"

"Save it." she spat, backing away from his touch. It was the first time I had ever seen her do that, the first time I had ever seen her look so hurt and full of resentment.

Then, my dad turned towards me. "Hailey-" he started, but I interrupted him too.

"I never, never want to see you, ever again." I said.

And with that, my family fell apart.

Life as I knew it disappeared before my eyes, replaced with the image of my dad kissing some other person than my mom.

Later on, my dad had tried to talk to me and tell me "There were things I just didn't understand, and I would when I was older."

But I understood. I was old enough to understand this, even if I didn't want to believe it, even though it had ruined a whole lifetime of love and memories and laughs.

I understood it all.

And so did my mom, because she got a promotion at the law firm and thought that maybe if she could somehow distract herself, even if it was only for a little while, that it would be okay. But it never got okay, and my mom never stopped working, because it was easier that way.

And as days and weeks and months passed, we molded into life without my dad. And even though she didn't talk about him, or act like she was hurting like I knew she was, it was obvious she was miserable. Because sometimes, really late at night, I would tiptoe past her bedroom when she thought I was sleeping. And I would hear the sad sounds coming from behind the door, of the sobs that wracked her body and the whimpers from the pain on the inside.

I never, ever forgot those sounds.

And after a long and painful divorce and a really disgusting custody battle, I never had to see my dad again.

Which was exactly what I wanted. Or had wanted. Now, I wasn't so sure.

I flipped off the TV, hugging the blanket on my lap tightly. I reached up and wiped the warm tears off my cheeks that I had no idea had fallen, left by the stinging memories that I wish I could forget.

Tonight was going to be a long night.

-------

The little bell rung above the door as I entered the record shop, my feet dragging behind me. They felt like they weighed a ton, like each step was difficult and exhausting.

My eyes drooped, a combination of the fact I had gotten no sleep last night and the feeling of painful recollections.

Soft sunlight shown through the windows of the store, reflecting all around the front room. The Beatles were still playing in the background, just like always.

I spotted Drew first. He was wearing jeans and a white v-neck, mushed in the corner of the shop, sitting on the velvet couch.

That was a first. Normally, he was organizing records or dusting shelves or behind the counter. So what was he doing on the couch?

I dropped my purse onto the counter and slowly edged towards where Drew was sitting, curious about what he was doing. He didn't even look like he knew I had come in.

As I got closer, I heard it. The shaky, shallow breathing mixed in with a soft snore. And that's when I noticed Drew's head was tipped back, his mouth hung open slightly and his eyes closed.

He was sleeping! On the job!

I couldn't decide if I should burst out laughing or be seriously pissed, because just the other day he had hounded me for wasting time.