Page 6 of January

“Good. Good.” He went to enter their order on his old-timey cash register.

The old man had refused to upgrade to the newer models that had wireless payment options. He took credit cards, and that was as far as he would likely ever go.

“Hi, Mel,” HenryJr. said as he walked out from the back.

“Hi. How are you?” She offered him a polite smile.

The owner’s son, HenryJr., had just turned twenty-two, and as Jill constantly pointed out, he had a massive crush on Melinda, which made her feel bad for the guy since she was a lesbian. Had she been at all interested in men, she might have gone on a date with him. He was lanky like his father but had bulked up a little in his arms and chest. His brown skin was darker than his father’s and his mother’s, which gave him some Hollywood-star vibes, and his smile lit up any room. She remembered him telling her that when they’d shot a film nearby, he’d had not one but two people from the set ask if he was an actor or a model. He preferred the simple life, though, just like Melinda, which was another reason why, had things been different, she might have considered going on a date with him.

“I’m good. One more semester of school left,” he said.

“And then, you’re done with studying,” she joked.

“And then, it’s back here to help take over for the old man.”

“Hey!” Henry lightly punched his son on the shoulder. “This old man has a lot of years left in him. Besides, someone’s got to teach you how to make Mel’s order right because you always mess it up.”

“I do not,” HenryJr. argued.

“He’s so in love with you,” Jill whispered to her. “Look. He’s all embarrassed now.”

“Leave him alone,” Melinda whispered back.

HenrySr.’s father had been the one who had opened the sandwich shop, which had been more of a window back then, and HenrySr. had since expanded it a bit, but it was still only three indoor tables and the window that allowed people to buy even if they didn’t walk inside. On busy days, Melinda could call ahead and walk past the window, and they’d hand her the order. She’d always pay them for it later, but having that kind of relationship with the local business owners was yet one more reason why she loved it here.

After grabbing their sandwiches, they decided to sit at the last empty table and eat before going back to the office, where they both knew they’d just end up eating and working instead of taking a real break. Jill got them both bottles of water, and they sat down, unwrapping their food and looking out at the street through the window.

“So, what are you doing tonight?” Jill asked.

“I don’t know. Why?”

“I was thinking about staying in and watching a movie or something. Want to come over? We can make popcorn.”

“Oh, shit,” she said. “I forgot. I’m supposed to hang out with Bridgette tonight. She’s single and, apparently, ready to mingle now.”

“I thought she was still getting over her ex,” Jill noted, taking a bite.

“Me too. But she told me yesterday that she wanted to go out and was at least ready to rebound. Do you want to come with us? I’m sure having both of us there to help her find someone would be better than just me.”

“Nah. I’m not really in the going-out mood. I think I’ll just do the movie-and-popcorn thing alone. Text me if you need me to walk you home if she ends up meeting someone. That, I can do.”

“We’ll be three minutes from my apartment. You know how safe I am.”

“I do. Idon’tknow how safe everyone else is, though.”

“I told her that we could go out, and if she doesn’t meet anyone, she can at least get drunk and crash at my place. So, we’ll be fine.”

“You so lucked out with that apartment,” Jill noted.

“I did.” Melinda smiled. “If it had been you who started working at the company years ago, maybe she would’ve let you rent it from her instead.”

“I doubt it. You’re like the daughter she never had. You know that NOLA Guides will be left to you when she goes, right?”

“She’s only sixty. Let’s not talk about that, okay?”

Their boss had bought the tour company from someone who had left before Hurricane Katrina and hadn’t ever returned. It had come with the office and two apartments above it. Those two apartments hadn’t had any damage from the hurricane, and after a few years of them being rented out individually, they’d been combined together with an added staircase, making the two units into more of a one-unit townhome instead. Melinda hadn’t ever even seen the space, but when she needed a new place after her lease ended, her boss had walked her up the stairs behind the office and showed her the unit. Melinda had fallen in love with it instantly but hadn’t understood why she was being shown it when she’d been about to be homeless if she didn’t find something she could afford.

Her boss, the woman who had hired her all these years ago, trained her up and, yes, treated her very much like the daughter she’d never had, giving Melinda the keys and telling her that she’d remodeled the place just for her. The rent was more than reasonable, too, and came out of her paycheck. Making jokes about Melinda paying her rent was something special between the two of them, and Melinda often wondered if she’d ever move out of the place. It was old and beautiful, and, thanks to the stonework, it was relatively soundproof, so she rarely heard the goings-on down on street level. It had a back balcony overlooking the courtyard shared by all thebuildings surrounding it. She’d made it her own, but she’d also hardly had to do anything to it to accomplish that goal. It had always just felt like it had been built for her.

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