After Olivia

21

The Wednesday dinner crowd at the diner had become a slow trickle of passers by stopping in for a coffee and a light snack. Matilda stood behind the counter filling saltshakers and wondering about the broken Tuesday evening date. She wasn't concerned when Bill called on Tuesday morning and told her that an emergency business trip meant he had to cancel their plans. It wasn't until that evening, when Sherry noticed she wasn't out on a date as expected, that a seed of doubt was planted.

That's how it starts, a business trip or he's working late!

Sherry's words, taken from her own experience, played on repeat in Matilda's mind. She would have dismissed it as another of many cruel torments if she hadn't heard the men in her mother's life make similar excuses before disappearing. Her father's absence from her life and her grandfather's steady stream of broken promises to be home for birthdays or Christmas watered the growing seed. She wanted to believe that Bill was different.

Matilda looked up from the counter and smiled as the door swung open. Emily walked in and approached the counter with a wide smile. After they exchanged pleasant greetings, Emily ordered four sandwiches for takeout.

"I'm glad to see you," Matilda said as she passed the order into the kitchen. "I'm such an idiot. I left my phone in my apron at the other place. I was texting Bill earlier and sort of left him hanging..."

"I'm always doing that, too. Or, I forget to charge it, which is why mine is on my desk, charging, right now," Emily explained. "When I get back to my office, I'll let him know you are without your phone."

Emily sat at the counter where Matilda was working and started to twist off the lids of the saltshakers to lend a hand while she waited.

"You're working late," Matilda said after a short period of silence.

"Yeah, a couple of us are finalizing some things on a bid we have to ship off first thing in the morning."

"Oh, okay. I guess that explains the four sandwiches," Matilda said shyly. "Uhm, I was glad you came in. I was kind of hoping I might talk to you for a bit; maybe ask a few questions. If you—"

Matilda was interrupted by a voice from the kitchen that called out, "Order!"

"You close at eleven, right?" Emily said. "I'll be done before then. I can pop in before I head home."

After Emily had left with the late dinner in hand, Matilda rushed through her tasks to free up her time before closing so she could sit with Emily. She knew she might have a few customers come in but didn't expect any large groups.

****

"Thanks for coming back," Matilda said as she prepared to sit across from Emily at a table. "Would you like a drink or some pie?"

"No, thanks," Emily replied as she settled in. "My sandwich was more than I should have eaten, but too good not to finish."

"It's the home-made chipotle mayo," Matilda giggled then started, "This probably sounds lame, but I really messed up when Bill asked me out—"

"He told me about it," Emily said. "He felt a little embarrassed, but it's nothing to worry about."

Matilda tipped her head forward feeling embarrassed about how she reacted to Bill's request, "I don't know. It was bad. I'm surprised he still wanted to go out with me after that. I just don't want to do anything like that again. When he told me about his wife, that she died, I felt so bad, and he looked... really hurt."

Emily paused for a moment then asked, "So, what do you want to ask?"

"I know this probably breaks some sort of, best friend code, or something, but I'd like to know, well, since you're his best friend you probably knew his wife, right, so, maybe you can tell me what happened. I just don't want to say something or suggest we go somewhere or do something and, you know... I don't want to make him feel bad again."