It wasn't as if Alice had any particular interest in attending the Andrews wedding in the first place. Hal knew that her new neighbours probably knew it too. That wasn't the reason why Alice was upset about the change of plans. She was upset because Hal knew exactly why she didn't want to attend a social function without him. The fact that she'd never truly gotten along with any of their peers in the first place, which had only escalated as time went on. It had been six years since graduation and Alice was very cautious about who she spent her time with. The Cooper's social calendar extended only to the right people of Alice's choosing, most of which were not in attendance of the senior class of '93.
The original plan was for the young couple to attend this wedding together, put on their brightest smiles and mingle like the good Northsiders they were. Alice would do her best to compliment the women on their attire, and the men on their achievements. Hal would monitor how many drinks it took her to remain sane, and they'd both do their best to avoid FP Jones if they could help it. Nobody had heard from the man for years. Not after he ditched their high school graduation, took off on a bus and never came back. Rumour has it he joined the army, but Alice was never sold on that. She didn't know what the serpent would be doing with his life, but she couldn't imagine him doing anything productive or worthy of respect like the military. She knew that her judgement was harsh, but that's just how she felt.
Hal was the one who changed the plan. He was the one backing out of this arrangement. The young couple were supposed to stand a united front at this gathering but instead Hal was packing up his suitcase ready to rush off to some journalism conference, for some event Alice was deliberately choosing to forget the name of. She didn't want his leaving to be for a valid reason. She wanted to mope and complain about it as much as she could. She sat down on the end of their bed and started unpacking every piece of clothing her husband had nearly stacked into his suitcase.
Hal let out a laugh as he watched her remove yet another collared shirt from his bag. She was in one of those moods. It was cute but borderline annoying. He would tell her off soon enough, but for now, he was just going to enjoy the fact that she didn't want him to leave. "Honey, I have to go. It's my job." He reminded her as he held up two ties, wanting her to make a choice between them.
Alice folded her arms over her chest and frowned up at him. "They both look terrible." She informed him childishly. Her eyes were lured to the one on the left and Hal knew her enough to follow her gaze and read what she was thinking. He wrapped the fabric around his hand to make it easier to pack before laying his neatly pressed shirts back into his bag alongside his tie. He zipped it up before his wife could start unpacking again and soon wheeled his bag over to the doorway.
"I promise I'll be at the next wedding, whoever it may be between." He told her as he walked back over to sit beside her. She refused to take his hand when he offered it, which made him laugh because she was in one of her moods again and there was nothing he could do about it. "Don't drink too much, you know you can't handle the hangover." He reminded her, wanting to be a good husband despite the fact that Alice viewed his leaving as some kind of abandonment. She didn't respond so he kept talking. "And make sure your heels aren't too high because you'll hurt your feet." He continued, watching her pretend not to listen. "You can survive one weekend without me, Alice." He said sincerely, smiling across at her. She turned her head to meet his eye and let out a sigh. She knew he was right and that was what she hated the most. She would survive, and she would hate every second of it.
•••
Stepping foot into Pop's Diner after a long absence felt like coming home to FP Jones. He hadn't had a place to call his own in quite some time but Pop Tate knew how to create a welcoming atmosphere, which was the entire appeal of the establishment. He walked inside the building unsure of what to expect. The diner appeared to have had a facelift, although not much had changed apart from a fresh coat of paint on the walls, and maybe a few new pictures hanging on the walls. It was mid-afternoon and most of the booths were occupied by teenagers getting their afternoon shakes and burgers. He hesitated before walking further inside. Pop Tate himself spotted him before FP could make himself invisible. "My, my if it isn't FP Jones." He said in disbelief.
