Dad and Ray teamed up again. This time we played tic-tac-toe. Carmen played from our side and ended up losing to dad. We watched Life As We Know It.
On Monday, I went to work. The book release was three weeks away. We had adjusted the store to make space. The store was already more filled due to the advertising we did. Ms. Green was really happy.
"So, what do we have left to do for the book release?" I asked her.
"You have nothing more to do for the book release. I'm going to be visiting the author, Carter Wright more often to discuss details. You're going to completely manage the store when I'm gone." She said.
"Really?" I was shocked. Ms. Green never gave me full responsibility of the store.
"Yes. I can't afford to keep the store closed so much. I trust you to keep the store in good condition in my absence."
I hugged her. She was caught off guard but still hugged me back.
"Did I ever tell you that you're my favorite book store owner in the world?" I said.
"What about my dad?"
"My favorite female book store owner," I corrected myself.
"You're just trying to butter me up. Idiot. Now shoo. I have work to do." She smiled.
I was happy for the rest of the day. I got a text from Jennifer's number around lunch.
Hey. This is Jennifer. Do
you want to go out for lunch?
Hi. Sounds good to me.
Okay then. How about
the pizza place near the
college? Do you know that
one?
I know that one. It's great.
I'll see you there in an hour.
Cool. See you soon.
I still believed I had seen her somewhere. Her voice and her looks were so familiar.
I drove around the college campus and saw the pizza place. I had been there a couple of times with my dad. My mom and I never had the chance to go there since dad got this job after the divorce.
I parked my car and went inside the restaurant. It was a simple place with red colored furniture and matching walls. The waiters and waitresses wore black t-shirts and beige pants. I saw Jennifer sitting on a table, typing on her phone.
"Hey," I said as I went over to the table.
She looked up and smiled at me. "Hey."
"Am I late?"
"Nah. I'm just early. The teacher let us off five minutes early." She shrugged.
"Good afternoon. Do you know what you want to order?" A waiter asked.
"Pick anything you want," I told Jennifer.
"Okay," she looked at the menu and ordered the tastiest pizza available in the place.
"Good choice. That is the tastiest pizza in this place." I said.
"You've been here before?" She asked.
"A few times. I know someone here," I said.
"Who? Friend, girlfriend, boyfriend?" She smirked.
"My dad works here, actually," I said.
"Wait, is your dad Mr. Woods? Blake Woods?" She asked her eyes wide in surprise.
"He's the one. He teaches Finance," I said.
"I had no idea," she laughed.
"To be fair, you did meet me just yesterday. Do you sing often in that cafe?"
"It was actually my first time. I got a dare from my friends and I never back down on a challenge. Do you sing?" She asked.
"Sometimes. I used to sing in that cafe in high school." I said.
"So, you grew up here?" She asked.
"Yeah." I told her about my college and my job.
"You really work in a bookstore? That's so cool!" She said.
"No one's ever said that to me before, Jennifer." I said.
"You can use a short form of my name. Most people call me Jen," she said.
"No one calls you Jenny?" I asked.
"They're all lazy people," she answered.
"Do you mind if I call you Jenny?"
"Nope." The waiter brought in the pizza. We talked about ourselves while eating.
"Do you remember I told you that I have three brothers? Everytime we go out for pizza they all snatch the slices before I even get a good look. They're idiots, all of them."
"I was an only child until this month. My dad remarried and my stepmom and stepsister moved in. Her name's Ray. I was with her yesterday."
"She looked really cute in her outfit," Jenny said. I didn't remember what outfit Ray wore yesterday.
"I'll pass on the compliment." I said.
"You look really familiar to me."
"Please don't tell me I'm your distant cousin," she said.
"I don't have any idea about my distant family. That's not it. I've seen you somewhere before. I just can't put my finger on it." I said.
"You don't look familiar to me at all," she said.
"I might be mistaken." I said sipping a glass of water.
"You're a local right? Do you know any good place to throw a friend a birthday party?" She asked.
"How old might this friend be?"
"He's turning twenty-one. I haven't been around the city much and my other friends are lazy asses."
"There's this small club about twenty minutes away from the main market street. It's not that good but it's the only club in the whole town. I can send you the details," I said.
"Really? That would be awesome." Her phone buzzed. She looked at some message and said, "I gotta go. I'm planning the party and there's a lot of stuff to do. I'll see you around. Bye."
"Bye."
***
I sat on the couch, looking at the channels on TV. Everything was boring. I switched on a channel that played songs and started reading an article on my phone.
Ray tapped my shoulder. "I want to see your third favorite place," she said.
"Why suddenly?" I asked.
"Because I'm bored and my friends are busy."
"And I am not busy?"
"Come on. You said you'll try." She made a face.
"I was just kidding."
"Let's walk to the place."
"Why?"
"I'm in the mood for a walk."
"Okay," I raised my hands up in surrender.
***
"This is my favorite place in the whole town," Ray said when she ate the first spoon of her butterscotch ice cream from Antonella's.
"It's our favorite place too," Basilio said.
"This is the best ice cream I've ever had!" Ray grinned.
"I like your sister, Zack. She reminds me of when you were eight," Antonella said.
"What did Zack do when he was eight?" Ray asked, not taking any offense of the fact that she was just compared to an eight year old.
"He used to get ice cream all over his face and clothes." Basilio answered.
"You didn't need to answer her," I made an annoyed face.
"Delicious ice cream and your embarrassing stories. I'm definitely going to visit this place more often," Ray smirked looking at me.
"Ha ha ha," I said sarcastically. Ray, Antonella and Basilio laughed.
As we walked back to the house, Ray asked me, "Why do you like Antonella's so much?"
"My dad used to take me there when I was a kid. The owners Basilio and Antonella know me better than my mom does. It's somewhere I feel very... happy. Being there and talking to Basilio and Antonella fills me with energy and hope." I said.
"I didn't know you had these deep thoughts."
"You're the first person to know that," I said.
She took a bow. "I'm honored."
We both laughed and walked into the house.