Sidney Berry had her life planned out: after high school go to culinary school, become a world-renowned chef and marry her childhood sweetheart, Aiden. But after a tragic incident that shakes her world at the end of her senior year, her plans derail...
If eye-rolling and deep sighing paid, Sid would be rich beyond her wildest dreams. She scanned AJ, his stroller, and her grocery bags. Hauling this up nine flights of stairs would be a task. She wished she hadn't stopped going to the gym. She stood there throwing an internal tantrum for a moment before she sucked it up and started to unbuckle AJ from his stroller. She'd put him on one hip, maybe the stroller under her arm and the grocery bags in one hand. She'd stop to rest in between flights and hopefully make it to her apartment by the summer.
"I'll help." He was at her side in a moment easing the stroller out from under her arm. Her alarm bells were ringing loudly. She didn't know this guy. For all she knew, he'd push her into her apartment, beat her, and sell her baby on the black market. However, her cardiac system was not up for nine flights of stairs with baggage. He must have sensed her hesitation.
"I'm Phil. I live in 2D." He held out a hand for her to shake. She surveyed his angular face, the clean goatee that framed lips that were slightly darkened, likely from years of smoking. Despite that, his eyes looked clear--honest. His smile natural and not forced like she imagined a psycho's would be.
"Sid." She shook his hand. "I live on the ninth floor."
"Oh, damn. Sorry, I can't." His face grew serious and he began to hand the stroller back over to her. Sid's eyes widened in surprise.
"Just kidding." That smile played on his lips again.
"Man, you're just hilarious." She chided him. He took the grocery bags from her and led the way up the nine flights to her apartment. He mostly made small talk. She mostly tried to keep breathing as her lungs tightened and her quads ached.
"Have you lived here long? I don't ever remember seeing you." Sid managed to push out as they rounded the landing on the sixth floor of the dank and piss ridden staircase.
"Yeah, all my life. I see you though. You seem real busy. Always in and out mad quick." He said. Sid felt weird about being noticed. That there were other people clocking her comings and goings. She recalled vowing to herself when she left this neighborhood in her rear-view for college five years ago that she wouldn't go back. There would be no coming back to this place that was a time capsule of everything that could have been. A painful reminder of what was. The streets that she ran around with Aiden. The grocery stores where her Father carried her in and out of as they bought ingredients to cook his amazing meals. But she was back, had been for about a year now, with new pains on top of the old ones... and people were seeing her. It made her feel a way.
Or maybe it was just him.
She watched as he bounced up the stairs, only the balls of his sneakers touched each step before propelling to the next. Did he work out?
"Life of a single mom." She hated it the moment it left her mouth. It sounded like a pitiful ploy. Tell him you're busy but let him know you're single while you're at it. She switched AJ to the other hip and started up the next flight of stairs.
"I hear you. My mom did that shit on her own too. Gotta do what you gotta do." He said. She nodded. Sid tried to remember the last time she felt like someone actually got it. How hard it all was. It was a lonely boat to be in and she was happy for the moment to have someone who recognized her lonely boat out on the water.
Sid was grateful when they reached her floor and came to rest in front of her door. She put AJ down and took her items from Phil's hands.
"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it." She offered him. He waved her off.
"It's no problem. Hopefully they fix that tonight but if not...2D." He said.
"2D." Sid repeated nodding.
"Aight. Lil' man, take care of mommy alright?" He crouched down to AJ and poked his belly playfully. AJ giggled and hid behind Sid's leg. Phil turned and left. Through the door and back down the stairs. The experience of courtesy and understanding warmed her after the day she had. She pulled her keys from her backpack and opened the door to her apartment. She could still smell the faint poop odor from AJ's blow out this morning. His soiled clothes were still hanging in the bathroom. She thought about throwing them in the trash can and setting the whole thing on fire but voted against throwing away perfectly good clothes. Instead, she soaked them in a bucket filled with water and detergent, opened all the windows in the apartment and lit incense.
Patchouli scent had only just begun to permeate the poop smell when there was a knock at her door. Sid arranged some toys on the living room rug for AJ and put Baby Shark on the before she darted to the door and looked through the peephole. She thought her right eye had betrayed her so she switched and put her left eye up to the metal hole. She sank back from the door with a confused look on her face before slowly undoing the locks. Sid pulled the door and analyzed the familiar figure on her doorstep.
"Hey, Sid."
"Aiden, what are you doing here?"
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