forgetting me

29

New York City
August 26th, 2002

The best thing William was able to do while in New York was work, something he felt kind of pressured to not do back in Boston. He had gotten a job at a café not long after he had moved, and the hours allowed him to ignore the fact that Lainie refused to acknowledge the fact that William wasn't her brother anymore.

William loved working at the café, and he enjoyed having small conversations with customers and his co-workers. He especially enjoyed speaking to a young woman named Amanda, who came in every day with a journal tucked under her arm. She always greeted him with a smile and kind words. William couldn't help but want to know her inside and out. He wanted a real, human connection with someone who wasn't his father or his daughter. But his connection with Lainie wasn't the same anymore, and he felt saddened by that.

"Hey, what's with the face?"

William glanced over at Jacob, one of his coworkers. William was sitting at a table, a cup of coffee in his hand, taking full advantage of his break. William shook his head.

"I'm just thinking," he replied.

Jacob sat down across from him.

"About anything in particular?" he asked.

William shrugged and nodded. "Lainie. My dad." His gaze wandered back to where it was before. Jacob followed his eyes to another table across the café.

"Ah. Her," he said.

It was no secret to the employees of the café that William had developed a crush on Amanda. They constantly teased him about it, and they made sure William was the only one behind the counter when she walked in at ten thirty every day.

William turned his attention back to Jacob. "I'm on break. Can you not tease me right now?"

Jacob smiled, showing the dimple on his right cheek. "Well, I'm on break, too, you see."

"Well," William imitated, "I have other things bothering me right now."

Jacob laughed and put held his hands up. "Alright, then. I'll just sit here quietly."

William shook his head. "No, that wasn't entirely true. I want to talk to someone right now, just not about that."

Jacob nodded and leaned back in his chair, balancing on the back two legs.

"So, what's up?"

"Life." William studied the man opposite him. "Don't ever graduate, Jacob. Real life is hell."

Jacob laughed. "I'm a college student. I think I have a pretty good taste of 'real life'."

"I thought so, too. And then suddenly, I didn't."

Jacob fell silent. None of his coworkers knew about Diana, but they all knew about Lainie, and the fact that she had thought William was her brother until a month ago. When William looked back up, he realized Jacob was studying him.

"What's the story behind the tattoo?" He pointed to William's wrist.

William touched the tattoo, the bluebird with the daffodil. He'd gotten it a year ago, when he decided he was going to leave Boston.

"When I decided I was going to get myself out of the situation at home, I got it. The bluebird means that happiness is waiting, and daffodils symbolize new beginnings. It makes me smile when I look at it."

Jacob nodded. "That's really cool."

William smiled. "My dad didn't think so, at first. I didn't tell him, and he freaked out. Ultimately, it's my life. This bird and flower makes me happy." William glanced at the tattoo again, thinking back to how excited Lainie had looked when she saw it. "And that's all that matters."