The Son and the Sparrow

Chapter Eight (v4)

Chapter Eight

Leon drew circles on the plaid tablecloth with the tip of his finger, waiting impatiently for Charlotte. The feeling vaguely reminded him of their second date. He was just as nervous now as he was then, fidgeting and hoping to all hell that he hadn’t been stood up. Some kid screamed in the background, throwing a tantrum.

               Shhh Clay, He thought to himself with his eyes closed. It’s alright. Daddy’s here. Everything’s fine.

               Maybe it was a sick game to pretend that another child screaming was your own, yet Leon couldn’t seem to help himself. For that brief second of time, he could almost believe his fantasy. The smell of fresh pizza dough settled between the wooden tables and daisies that decorated the restaurant. It smelled heavenly, and immediately brought him back to the many times he had been here with his family. Sunlight glowed through the wide windows, creating a nice comfortable warmth. Leon closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling on the sun on his skin.

               “Hello.”

               Leon’s head shot up to Charlotte, who was smiling warmly at him. Leon was overcome with emotion again. How could he ever have blamed her? Why did he blame her? Then he remembered. She was the one driving the car. He looked down and sighed mournfully.

               “Leon?”

               Leon looked up. “Sorry. I was lost in thought.” He smiled sheepishly.

               Charlotte smiled again, and sat down across from him. Leon was struck by how lovely her appearance was. Her skin was perfectly smooth with a lovely glow and her hair shimmered, reflecting blonde highlights. When she smiled at him her teeth were almost impossibly white. She was the perfect picture of health. “You look great.” He commented in awe.

               “Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself, considering…”

               Considering how he looked when she had kicked him out.  They ordered drinks, and settled in their chairs. The conversation began with avoiding the obvious.

               “So how’s counseling going?” He asked.

               “Oh, it’s going very well. It’s almost the end of the quarter, so of course kids are coming in more often to panic about their grades. In middle school they’re not really used to the stress and strain of an actual workload. But you know, there’s always the occasional one that comes in with some real problem, and then it makes it seem like what happened…” she drifted off.

               “What about it?”

               “I hate to be the one to bring it up, and ruin a good evening. Let’s just…relax for a little while.”

               Leon understood and regretted his tactless words. The waiter came by and they ordered a barbeque pizza to split. After the waiter left, he seemed to take all possible conversation with him. Nagging thoughts and questions that had been buzzing around Leon’s brain only a few minutes ago seemed to have evaporated. Charlotte was staring intently at the couple next to them, and while Leon wondered what she was thinking about, he was too scared to ask. He wasn’t sure how much time passed before she glanced at him and acknowledged him with a shy smile.

               “Have you found another job?” she asked.

“No. I haven’t really looked.”