When Summer Arrives (On Hold)

Tea with Roxxie

I was sitting in the passenger’s seat of Annaroxs’s vehicle, soft fuzzy material coating the seats and shiny plastic on everything else, everything was clean.  According to the sticker in the top right of the windshield the car was rented. 

She wasn’t from around here, she was visiting.  But for what or whom?  Was it solely for Sam? 

I doubt it.

I pulled down the sun visor and looked into the mirror.  I was a mess, my hair and clothes rumpled and a big pink spot on my left cheek.  I licked my lips there was a cut on the edge of my bottom lip.

I started running my hands through my hair, hoping to get it remotely presentable.

“Here.”  She said handing me her purse.  “There’s a pony in there you can use to pull your hair up, also there is a handkerchief for you know.”  She gestured towards her lip.

“Thanks.”  I ruffled through her purse.  Damn, did it ever end?  Finally, I found the pony and the handkerchief.  I ran my fingers through my hair once more and tied it into a high pony.  I hardly ever wear my hair like this, mainly because I liked it to fall all over me to cover me.  I dabbed the handkerchief on the cut and wherever else the blood had gone.

“So, um, where are we going exactly?”

“To this little coffee shop Sam and I used to go to when we were younger.”  She seemed taken aback by the thought of this shop.

“I didn’t know Sam lived here previously.”  It finally hit me how little I actually knew about him and him about me.

“Oh, he didn’t.”  She said matter-of-factly.  “My family lived here and his,” she pulled into a parking spot.  “lived elsewhere.”

“Oh.”  I wanted to push it I wanted to know more about him, but the way she finished that sentence told me to leave it alone.

Could I?

Should I?

 “My family doesn’t live here anymore, we’re all scattered around doing business and stuff.”  I guess she saw me checking out the rental sign.  “We’re here!”  She said grabbing her purse and hopping out of the car.  I followed.

The shop that we entered was a small building, one story high, with a window sign stating ‘Café Di La Belle’ was open.  A couple people sat in front of the store chatting with their drinks and waved as we passed.  Inside was decorated with deep browns and dark reds, but large windows lit the entire café, and a wall portrait painted with coffee beans and flowers in chalk brought the place to life.  Music played lightly in the back ground.

We got to the counter and Annaroxs rang the bell a man in his early twenties walked casually out of a store room.  Once he laid eyes on her he stopped and smiled.

“Well if it aint the wonderful Roxxie.  What can I do yer’ for?”

Roxxie was smiling along with the man behind the counter.  They were both leaning over it now. “Well, Annie, I’d like a strawberry bubble tea and my friend here would like…”

“Italian soda, hazelnut.”

“Coming right up.”  He moved to make our beverages and we both moved to a booth in the corner next to a window.

“His name is Annie?”

Roxxie started laughing.

“No, no, no.  His name is Andrew.  It was just something I came up with when I was younger.”

She looked back at Andrew and for a moment I thought she might have forgotten me.  Andrew soon came over to our table with our drinks.  Setting them down he knelt down and rested his head on the table.