Worlds Apart

Chapter Six

Time traveled quickly, and I soon fell into a routine of my own. Between orders, I would wipe the counters down, clean the mugs(we had ceramic), and sweep/mop the floors. There were hardly any customers, I came to realize, but this gave me the chance to meet and learn every customer's name. I greeted everyone with a smile, and although few returned the gesture, some did nod or wave, and I took mental notes on these few, hoping to make more friends. My Scottish friend-now employer- was named Maggie, and I grew to like her quite a bit. She had a kind and caring personality, and loved to talk with everyone. The boy with the headphones was named Asher, and despite our short conversations from time to time, I soon grew to like him too. We talked about everything, from video games to music, and even Rosewood. He was friendly, and I was sad when he left at the end of the day. 

After that, the cafe seemed empty and cold, and I longed for company. I thought of Jesse then, and my face warmed at the thought. What was she doing right now? Was she working at a cafe too? Probably not, I reasoned, and sighed. I would give anything to be back in the orchard I realized, and as evening drew closer, I grew more and more restless. I was anxious to tell Jesse about my day, and I stared at the clock ruefully, waiting for my shift to end. I wondered what we would talk about tonight, trying to distract myself from the loneliness. Would we talk about our lives again? What would she think of my new job? Will she talk about hers? I smiled, and checked my watch impatiently. The two arrow like hands displayed 4:50 with two long spindly arrow like hands. The watch was simplistic, which was exactly why I loved it. Staring at it transfixed, I stared off into space, until I finally realized what I read. I felt myself grow a smile that got bigger and bigger until it was ear to ear. Racing back to the break room, I ripped off my bright blue apron, clocked out of my shift, and bolted through the front door.

I ran, faster than I had ever before, down roads I never heard of before, past small boutiques and big restaurants, and houses filled with noise. I jogged past bicyclists, dog walkers, pedestrians, and even a few cars. I ran, legs pumping against the wind and shoes slamming onto the pavement. My shirt and sweatshirt fluttered like flags behind me, and my zipper snapped and twirled in the wind. My hair, being light as feathers, was being whipped around furiously, and I shoved it away quickly. Once I got to the orchard, I collapsed, weak from exhaustion. I raised my left arm, barely finding the strength, and checks my watch. 4:59. I sighed, relieved, and, pulling myself up, climbed into my normal perch.

Still breathing heavily, I stared at the sky, waiting eagerly. The sun had totally disappeared, leaving the sky a navy blue with an orange tint as nighttime rolled around. Stars started to dot the skies, but before I got too worried, I heard a faint rumble, and grinned.

"Good evening Jess-"

"I am so sorry I'm late!" I sat up, shocked. This is different, I thought, as Jesse is usually the calm, collected one while I run around.

"No no, it's ok! It's fine! I was almost late too..." I knew she couldn't see me, but I gave a sheepish smile, and I heard a loud WHOOSH! which I took for relief.

"Glad to know I'm not the only one... It's my fault. I got caught up at work; stupid computer wouldn't turn on, and my boss called me in for a a random meetin-"

"What's your job? What do you do?" I asked this curiously, as Jesse had never mentioned her job before.

"Oh, I'm an intern at an office. I just run around getting coffee for my boss and scheduling appointments. It's boring really..." She trailed off, and I eager to listen longer, inquired,

"What else do you do besides scheduling appointments...?" As she explained, I found myself drawn to her voice. It had calmed down now, and as I listened, I smiled brightly. Her voice had a nice, warming time to it, like the kind you could listen to for hours upon end. I gazed out to the other trees in the orchard, her soothing voice filling my ears gently. I listened along absentmindedly until I realized it had gone quiet.

"Jesse??" I called out, my voice, in contrast, was squeaky and panicky. I cursed myself for dozing off, and stood up quickly.

"Jesse where are you? Where did you-"

"Don't worry, I'm right here. Although, maybe some sleep wouldn't hurt..."

"No no, stay! I'll stay up, I promise! You can make me coffee, and I can stay up, and we can-"

"Sam. We both need to get our rest. We can't work well if we're tired tomorrow right?" I mumbled my approval, then yawned as my arms reached to the skies.

"Goodnight Jesse."

"Goodnight Sam. We'll talk more tomorrow, I promise." I stared at the sky wistfully, wishing we could've talked longer. As I sat in my apple tree, I wondered what had changed from our routine. In most ways, tonight had been typical, with Jesse talking and I listening. We would trade off stories, and even talk through the entire night! But as I sat in my apple tree, I knew tonight had been different. Part of me blamed my job. Perhaps I over worked myself at the cafe, and didn't have enough energy for Jesse. It sounded reasonable enough, I thought, and I almost accepted this as the cause. However, an even smaller voice in my mind crept forward slowly, and the answer was even more astonishing: I was falling in love.