Tabitha Todd

Untitled Part 1

                                                                                         TABITHA TODD

           Tabitha had dropped the phone when she had gotten the news. Dead. How could that be? She had just seen him. They had been each other's world. It had to be a misunderstanding. There's no way he could be gone...

                                                                                                   ***

          Before her girlfriends called it a night, they cleaned up for Tabitha after their dinner party.  She headed off to bed thankful for their love.  She realized she had been spending a lot of time with them lately.  Tabitha also realized she didn't take the opportunity to tell them about the young man she'd met a couple weeks ago.   She was working the M15, aka The Track, when her bus started having problems and she had to call for the maintenance truck.   Of course her passengers weren't happy about having to wait for the next bus which was not a limited like hers, but one guy didn't seem to mind.

           "Man, I hate when that happens."

           "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about it." Tabitha tried to keep the irritation out of her voice.

          "No, I mean I hate when that happens to me when I'm trying to finish my run on time.  I work out of Queens Village."

         "Ooh; you're an operator.  I hate to tell you, but I know nothing about Queens."

           He stretched out his hand.  "I'll have to take you around so you can check it out.  I'm Brendan."

           Tabitha shook his hand with a sly grin.  "So this is what you Queens' guys do on your RDO's?  Try out chicks from other depots?"

          "You were gonna let me try you out?  I'm not that kind of brother.  Maybe on the third date."  He told her with a wink.

          Tabitha laughed.  Brendan followed her back onto the bus as she contacted dispatch again.  She sucked her teeth when she was told the maintenance truck broke down on its way to her location and she had to wait for another one to become available.  "That's some bull."

          "You've been with TA a long time?" Brendan asked.

          "About fifteen years.  You look like you just graduated high school so how long have you been on the job?"

          "I'm not THAT young.  I got five though.  No longer a rookie."

          "Do you live in Queens?"

          "I'm kinda of back and forth between there and Manhattan.  I'm out on a disability claim so I come out here to see family while I have some time to kill.  I have an apartment that's been in my family since forever so I crash there when no one else is using it." Brendan explained.

          "I see." Tabitha tried not to stare.  Brendan was satiny black and wore his hair cut low.  Low with intricate designs shaved in.  It gave him a majestic air that was throwing her off guard.

          Brendan however was very straightforward and openly stared at her.  "Is red your natural hair color?"

          "Now what kind of question is that to ask a woman you don't even know?" Tabitha pretended to be offended.  She was often asked if her coppery locks were real.