Recreating History, Repairing Mistakes

Part 16

It's just past two o'clock, when hewalks into Pop's on his day off, making a beeline straight to thecounter instead of settling into a booth to wait. It's her third dayand her first morning shift that was supposed to end ten minutes ago.Saturday mornings are the hardest, but it's not like she's really newto all this, so Pop had not hesitated to schedule her in for it. Andshe looks so comfortable and thoroughly in her element, that FP can'tdeny that it has definitively been the right choice.

He used to only have his motorcycle,that being enough for him alone or on occasion his son, too, butshe'd kept her car, because it is * her's * and Hal has nothing to dowith that, so he'd dropped her off this morning an hour before hershift started. They'd walked in with his arm around her, handsentwined on her shoulder, both clad in their Serpent Jackets and, forthe first time in twenty years, the shirt she's wearing is showingbeautiful snake eyes inked onto her skin. He'd kissed her brieflybefore she slid into a booth and he followed right behind and thelooks alone would have been worth it.

It's not really a secret anymore, thatshe's divorcing her husband, even though they did not make it a habitof going around and telling people. But she and Hal don't livetogether anymore, they don't work together anymore and they don'tshow up in town together anymore – people are bound to noticethings like that. There had of course also been rumors circulatingabout just * where * she's living now, and a good amount of peoplejust * know * she's moved back to the Southside, back to FP butneither of the three had as of yet actually confirmed any of that.

Hal had surely not been telling he'dlost his wife to her High School boyfriend and Alice and FP simplywanted a moment for themselves, where there's just them and nojudging looks they were ignoring anyway. Then there's the businesswith the divorce itself and, while there's no question that it willhappen, they'd thought as long as she's still married they maybeshould take this a bit slower – at least in public that's not theWhyte Wyrm. Then came the day when they realized that this wasstupid, because there * is * already talk and she's also proudlywearing her Jacket. That's when they acknowledged that they * really* do not care what people say or think or that she's technically onlyseparated from her husband for just under two weeks.

She had, however, be kind enough to lether soon-to-be ex-husband know about this beforehand. She'd went tosee him Wednesday just after she left the diner, to talk a few thingsover and though Hal had not been happy with this development, he'dbeen surprised it took them so long. They had parted, with thingspretty much settled for the moment, fighting when she admitted they'dkept low for his sake and he'd told her that she should have thoughtabout that before sleeping with FP in the first place. She'd gone onignoring him for the last three days completely.

Alice and FP had breakfast thatconsisted more of flirting, teasing, laughing and kissing than actualeating and then he'd left her to work with the promise to pick her upwhen her shift's over. True to her word to keep her troubles out offthe diner, she stashed her leather jacket under the counter, wherethe few people that don't already know won't see it and maybe startsomething and met any scowl or snide remark with a smile and a politegreeting. She used to do that when she was younger and she's just asproud of who she is now, than she has been back then.

She's been dreaming of leaving theSouthside behind ever since she was thirteen but, thinking back on itnow, she can't seem to understand why. Because she * had * been proudof herself and of being a Serpent and of being the girl FP Jones fellin love with and growing up in a beat up house with parents that weremostly only interested in her when they needed something or whenshe'd been in trouble did nothing to change that. Who's to say sheand FP wouldn't have been able to make it work better for themselvesand their son than either of them had growing up?.