After Olivia

10

A lite drizzle wet the city from a depressed grey Tuesday sky. The rain had let up by mid-morning, but the clouds lingered in the cool air. People went about their noon hour business and walked through the park and streets with umbrellas beneath their arms. A few fearless joggers had set out from their offices empty handed as if to challenge the sky to break their routine.

Bill held open the door of the diner on the North edge of the park and allowed Emily to enter ahead of him. The owner, Lou, greeted them with an inviting smile and a gesture towards an empty booth. Bill's eyes scanned the restaurant as he moved towards his seat. Matilda would normally have welcomed them in with menus, that would likely go unused, tucked under her arm. Her auburn hair and bright smile would have been a dose of sunlight on a dull and colourless day. After a year and a half of being in the diner every time he visited, it was bound to happen, she would have a day off or work a different shift. Not seeing her this one time made him realize how much he looked forward to seeing her.

Emily watched Bill's head and eyes move about and she smiled knowingly. For longer than Bill had even known himself, she knew the young waitress had grabbed his attention. She had seen the way his eyes would fixate on her for a moment then dart off in some other direction to avoid detection. She noticed the way his expression would change as soon as he entered the diner, no matter how rough things were on the other side of the door.

"Isn't Matilda working today?" Emily asked Lou.

"Oh, yes, she's just in the back at the moment. She will be right out," Lou replied.

Emily looked back at Bill and saw a familiar smile take its place. It wasn't the smile he wore for just anyone or any occasion. It wasn't even the one that greeted her. It was dynamic and didn't only reside in the lower portion of his face. It encompassed his eyes and forehead, widened his cheeks and straightened his back and shoulders. It was unique in many ways but still similar to the full body expression she saw in him years earlier, when he looked at Olivia.

As if on cue, Matilda passed the table from behind Bill, "Hey, sorry about that. I had a little tomato sauce incident and had to change."

"That's okay," Emily replied.

"I think I will need a menu today," Bill said with confidence.

Matilda looked at Bill for a moment then smiled as she pulled a menu from under her arm. She turned her eyes towards Emily and mouthed the word, "Wow!"

"Okay, it's been a while since I've used one of these. No promises, but I'll have a look. How do you work these things?" Bill joked as he frantically turned and studied the menu with the curious expression of a chimp discovering a new toy.

"Okay, baby steps. First, you open it like so... then there are these words inside," Matilda said with a giggle as she turned the menu upright and opened it in front of him. "No pressure. If you can't decide, I can make some suggestions, or you can always fall back to the Tuesday special."

Matilda ran her fingers through her hair and tucked a few strands behind her ear. Her eyes drifted towards the table where she noted the engagement ring on Emily's finger, then turned towards the wedding ring on Bill's hand.

"While he's getting acquainted with the menu, did you have something in mind?" Matilda asked as she turned her focus towards Emily.

Bill's eyes darting between the menu, Emily and the waitress and spent equal amounts of time lingering on each of the women but not actually reading the menu on its turn for his attention. He listened as the young woman described various dishes she thought Emily should consider. He took in the words for a while before he became lost in the soft tone of her voice while his eyes hovered over the sandwich selection in the menu. He looked towards her and noticed her gaze was fixed on him, her brow peaked into a puzzled expression. Still lost in that moment, he was wandering through the iris colour and pattern of her eyes, as she asked, again, if he was ready to order.