Cast & Fall (9 page)

“
We
can’t really stand and talk here,” Becca whispered, as
soon as she saw someone coming out of the office. It seemed the mass
of crowd had doubled.

“
Lonnie
is a
hawk. She is nice but do not cross her or she will ax you.” I
was glad that Becca was working that night. She was training me from
behind the counter. I didn’t know any of the menus and I really
didn’t even know how to take any orders. It felt somehow
strange to finally know
his
name.

Tristan…Tristan
…
I
said his name in my head a couple of times before I gave up on the
idea that he was someone familiar. A couple of waitresses bustled
several times to catch his attention and threw dirty looks at me. I
was confused for a while, then, I suddenly realized girls and even
women had been staring at him from every corner of the room.

I
tried to study him longer, but my view had been blocked by the chaos
of the crowd. The restaurant was packed and I couldn’t really
focus too much into him without drawing too much attention to myself.

My
first night seemed fast and painful. We were so busy, I didn’t
realize where the time went. The only thing I knew was that my feet
hurt like it never hurt before. Before I knew it, we were helping
with cleaning and stacking chairs. I didn’t think this was part
of the job description, but if it was going to let us get out of here
sooner—

From
the corner of my eye, I focused on Tristan—my thoughts again,
thinking of the mysterious stranger. There was something about him
that was definitely more than
meets
the eye; he’s intriguing, mysterious, beautiful, looked very
much intimidating, and
desirably
dangerous. Not a
good combination in my book. My subconscious argued.

When
I noticed that he made no attempt to look in my direction, I suddenly
found the courage and I boldly stared at him, trying to possibly burn
him with my stare—I have to admit, it was a little juvenile,
but I needed to know if he remembered me. He didn’t seem to
sense anything, so I gave up on the whole thing and went to the
ladies room.

Once
again, thoughts of him began crawling and I suddenly found myself
worrying about the coincidences of our encounters—that for some
bizarre reason, he seem to turn up wherever I was at. A sudden wave
of anxiety continued to settle in me. I couldn’t seem to find a
way to calm my nerves.

Turning
the faucet on, I washed my face with cold water, splashing only my
forehead and cheeks to avoid ruining my make up. I gently patted it
with a paper towel. I noticed my eyes were red, needing sleep. I
threw the paper towel in the trash. As I was coming out, Tristan was
passing in my direction. If he was trying to avoid me, it would be
too late now. As our eyes locked, his glare was intense on me. I felt
blood drain from my veins, and I could only imagine the power behind
those eyes that could invoke such a deep emotion in me. It was such
an unfamiliar territory; there was something to those eyes that draws
me in and at the same time, a warning that made me automatically want
to avoid him at all cost.

A
briefest of moments passed before something strange started to form
inside my head, emerging at the edge of my mind again. But just as
quickly as it started to clear, it vanished in a puff of smoke and I
drew another blank. And as quickly as he walked pass by me, it was
enough to send shivers down my spine.

Cross
ing
the
Line

M
y
head was spinning as I woke, feeling the unknown mysteries of the
night before—the details of my nightmares that continued to
vanish, felt like a hang over—my mind clearing. Tears were
evident on my face. I wiped my eyes dry, still feeling the heavy ache
in my heart. I quickly concentrated my thoughts on the day that lay
ahead. Having a job and going to school was so much harder than I had
realized.

Unprepared
for what’s in store that day, I pulled a pillow on top of my
head and buried my face in it.
Oh,
how I just want to stay and cradle in bed all day today.
I
murmured to myself, waiting another second before I realized I had so
much to do today.
Crap!…Couldn’t
I just get a day off or something?…Of course I can…Oh
no, I can’t…Okay, Kat, get up!”
Groaning,
I dragged myself in the shower.

The
warm water felt amazing. I felt exhausted. The water woke up every
inch of my tired senses. After I completely felt coherent, I patted
myself dry and quickly changed to my usual jean and tee. I was
walking down the stairs when something startled me. I heard Steve
cough. “Oh Dad, you’re here! You almost gave me a heart
attack.” I was very surprised to see him still at home. It’s
unusual for Steve to be here this late. He’s usually gone by
the time I get downstairs to have breakfast. It’s also unusual
for him to miss work, if that‘s the reason he‘s still
here—
he
must be sick!
Before
I could ask him the question—

“
I’m
going in late today, thought it would be nice to at least see you in
the morning once in a while before you head out.” I grimaced,
not sure if I liked the idea of Steve checking up on me, though I
wouldn‘t mind knowing what he‘d been up to. I worried
about him too.

“
Well,
I also have a surprise for you!” Excitement shot from his tone.
Surprise?
My face was instantly brilliant. I love surprises, but I hope it’s
not one of those, good-news-bad-news, type of thing. I paced myself,
all of a sudden, I felt a little weary of the fact that he planned to
go to work late just to tell me. I kept silent.

“
A
friend of mine at the dealership gave me a good deal on a Cooper.”
A Cooper! I’ve been wanting to trade in my beetle for a Cooper,
but I knew it wasn’t really practical since I knew it will cost
more than what I really can afford. “Dad, I know I told you
that I kind of like that car, but really, it’s fine. I really
don’t want to spend the money and…”

“
Now
hold on before you turn it down, it’s not exactly new and
they’re trying to push out the old models. I crunched the
numbers and it looked pretty good. Tim, told me he’ll give me a
good price on your trade in and I’ll be putting a couple of
grand as a
down
payment so your monthly will be low. I don’t really like the
idea of your old car
stalling
in the middle of the road, so give your old man some piece of mind
and think
about
it.”

“
I
don’t know what to say! Thanks, dad. You’re the best,”
I said, wrapping my arms around him like a little kid as I kissed his
stubble cheeks. He smiled as he tapped
my
shoulder—my arms still wrapped around him.

“
That’s
what dads are for!” Steve had always been a generous father.
Even as a
single
dad, he’d always managed to give me things and thought of
things that he knew I needed and wanted.

One
time, as we were passing by a boutique shop, he caught me admiring a
beautiful sweater. I never asked for it, but a week after, he
surprised me. When I came home from school, a bag was on top of my
bed. He did things like that all the time. Sometimes I question why
Steve is still single. He is the most eligible bachelor with the most
amazing heart. Having to deal with my mother’s death, his wife,
I don’t really know how he coped with her absence.

“
So,
how’s your new job?” How was it working with
Becca?…what‘s the name of that place again?”

“
The
Blue Lagoon. It was a long night last night, my first day, I got some
good tips, though,” I said excitedly. He didn’t seem to
share my enthusiasm. If anything, he seemed glum. He sighed deep.
“You know, Kat…you don’t have to work. I mean if
you want to, you can. I just don’t want you to get overwhelmed.
Many times kids take in so much and end up not accomplishing
anything. I could take in extra shifts and pay for your car,
insurance and whatever else you need if any of the other resources
aren’t enough.”

“
Oh…I
know Dad, I thought I’d try to pay my own way for a change and
maybe save up.”

“
Okay,
just know that I’m here for whatever you need and make sure if
it gets too hard, your job has got to be the one that has to go. I
mean, it’s still your decision but know that school is too
important.”

School
is too important. I’d been going since I was four, how can it
not be important
.
Steve always reminded me that my education needed to match my
lifestyle and that my career should reflect what I value. It sounded
like a cliche and maybe it was, but it‘s still true. Many times
and I quote, ‘kids waste so much time thinking they have
forever to go to school, but in reality, you grow up faster than you
think. I don’t want you to regret anything, thinking I could
have done this, I could have done that. Time is precious. It’s
one of the most important things that you have. don’t waste
it.’ As much as it sounded like a lecture—he was right.
Steve would have been as happy if I decided to become a farmer or
even join the military if he knew that’s what I wanted, and as
long as I was happy with what type of life that would give me.

Which
is why I decided to go to pre-med. It really wasn’t a long and
hard decision. I really wanted to help people; It wasn’t one of
those, oh-I-just-knew-I-wanted-to-be-a-doctor-since-I-was-little.
This is who I had become and this is who I want to continue to
be—make a difference. I have volunteered two years ago at the
convalescent home. Needless to say, Steve volunteered me when a
friend of his, mentioned that they were in desperate need for someone
to spend time with the elderly. It all sort of took off from there. I
had always been involved with fundraising, but dealing one on one
with patients really connected me more with what I wanted to do.

“
Okay,
Kat…have a good day. Maybe we’ll go to the dealership
tomorrow if you're
free.”
Steve headed out bringing a brown paper bag with him. I remembered my
mother
packing the same brown bag for him and I. She used to write notes
with a happy face. Steve always brought that same brown bag even to
this day. It made me smile.

The
rest of the day had been relatively fast, and the following day, even
faster, but maybe because I didn’t have to work tonight—a
privilege that I took advantaged off. With my job taking most of my
week, I couldn’t afford to waste any time that I was free.
Well, technically I wasn’t really free. I decided to study at
the library at Andrews and meet Sam.

I
passed two buildings to get to the massive architecture that
resembled a medium sized castle. It sat across a beautiful lake full
of swans. Colorful and vibrant roses anchored in alternating rows,
snaking all around the perimeter. If I didn’t know any better,
I would have thought the backdrop looked like it came out of a fairy
tale story book.

Reaching
the front entrance required anyone to pass a short bridge made of
stone and bricks. I walked slowly and felt like skipping like a
little kid. It looked too cute to be a library. As I reached halfway,
I peeked to see the water from under the planks. As I stared at the
silhouette below, the cast of soft glow reflected back a smile.

Coming
in, warmth exuded from the soft lighting. A very inviting feeling
washed over me. The open space resembled a hotel lounge. It reminded
me of a very fancy ski resort; large patterned rug sat in the middle
room, brown leather sofa and chairs sat in the main lobby. The narrow
railing twisted and soared to thirty foot ceiling up to the third
floor of the library. I headed across to the two elongated
counters—one sign said, information and the other, check
out/returns.

I
flickered my eyes to the narrow stairs that led to the second floor
and decided to go upstairs to find a quieter area, I headed to my
left, feeling the heavy straps dragging in my right shoulder. As soon
as I got to the second floor, I passed rows of intricately carved
wooden tables with mini green lamps in each of them. I headed to the
right side, trying to pick the quietest corner possible. I passed
several tall book cases as well as computers on my way to the back.

Finally
I found a spot. I headed toward a smaller table on the left by the
window and laid my backpack on top. I took out my phone and texted
Sam that I was already at the library. I placed my phone on top of
the table and took out my notebook and pen. Flipping through my
notes, I heard disruptive giggling noises from across another table.
I looked at the offending students but they merely glanced at me and
went back to their disruptive behavior. I decided to block them out.
After half an hour, they finally left and was glad to have a quiet
time to myself.