Coffee's For Closers (And Also Romantics)

Chapter 6: Toni

Toni's phone weighed heavily in her pocket as she walked home from work. She had spent the whole day since seeing Cheryl wishing that she didn't have to be so busy. She had better things to do than clean tables, like text Cheryl.

Though it might be a good thing she had been forced to wait- what would Cheryl think if she had texted her ten minutes after they saw each other in person? Should she even text now, or should she wait until tomorrow morning?

Then again, Cheryl couldn't be too busy herself, other than just settling into her new house, wherever she lived. Toni wondered where Cheryl's house was. Probably some suburban building that looked exactly the same as the ones next to it, with a manicured lawn and a paved street, without potholes. Cheryl was definitely the kind of person that would be living on the good side of town. Or, as Toni liked to put it, the boring side.

And then she reached her own home. Back at her little trailer, set up on the grass with a dozen other trailers dotted around it not too far away. The trailer wasn't dirty or broken down- just in a very minor state of disrepair. The outside needed to be power washed and the tiny porch needed to be cleaned. But those projects never seemed that important when she was prioritizing her free time.

Toni sighed and decided to walk around the edges of the trailer park again before going inside. After all this time, there was no way Roxy would be that close, or come to her call, but she wasn't ready to stop trying yet. She realized it was completely useless, but it was the only thing she could do.

She walked along the border of the trailer park, where the grass gave out to the trees and brush, and called Roxy's name quietly as she went. Several of her neighbors had known Roxy and were on the lookout for her- Toni certainly wasn't the only one who loved that cat.

But she got all the way around the loop without seeing so much as a squirrel, so she headed inside, spirits sinking again. She bit her lip, trying to console herself. Roxy would eventually come back, right? She probably just found an old lady who put out more expensive cat food than what Toni could afford.

Toni tried to clear her mind of any cat related thoughts- they would only serve to make her more sad. She picked out some clean clothes and went to the bathroom to take a shower. She didn't really need a shower in the middle of her day, but it was the fastest way to relax that she could think of.

She undressed and turned on the water, steaming hot, and climbed in. She felt the almost scalding water wash over her body and relax her muscles, letting the tension fade from her limbs. She wished she could keep this feeling of calm in her bones all the time.

Toni stayed in the shower until the hot water faded to bitter cold, and then got out, her fingers turned to prunes. She dried off and dressed and then left the steamy bathroom, shutting off the light as she went.

She flopped down on the couch, atop a nest of blankets and pillows, and picked up her phone. She opened to the new contact Cheryl had created for herself and stared at the page. A number and a name. That's all that was there. But her red hair and bright smile flashed through Toni's mind. And her eyes. They were calculating and clever, but not even a bit cold. At least, not when she had been looking at Toni. They had been more thoughtful; curious.

Toni suddenly realized how long it had been since she'd really talked or hung out with one of her friends. She'd spent the last few months studying for exams and working her two jobs and maneuvering around child labor laws to squeeze the most she could out of her paychecks. She had no idea what Sweet Pea and Fangs were doing, or had been doing for a while.

She missed it. She missed lazing around and hanging out with friends and doing nothing in particular, but enjoying every minute of the time that she spent so easily. Some people would consider that time wasted, but Toni thought that that was the best possible way to spend it. Because life just snatched every good and easy and enjoyable moment away from you before it can happen, in the name of productivity and success. And money. Toni had begun to hate money.