Page 21 of Redemption
“Sophia? Are you in there?” Henry's voice came from outside my door. I froze, I was so distracted I didn't hear him coming up the creaky stairs.
“Um, yes, I’m here. I'm getting ready.”
“I thought I heard the shower.” The locked doorknob wiggled. What was I supposed to say to that?
“Yeah, I showered.”
“Can I come in? I have something for you.”
His shadow shifted nervously in the gap under the door.
“Just a moment.”
I finished my lip gloss and opened the door. Henry stood there with a plate of waffles and a wide smile.
“You had a long night of work. I figured you would need to recharge your batteries. There is no better way to do that than with my waffles.”
“Thank you, Henry. It was definitely a long night.” I reached out to take the plate from him.
“Ah ah, the plate is way too hot.” He looked around my shoulder at the small spot on my desk that wasn’t cluttered and squeezed past me toward it. After setting the plate down, he turned towards me with his hands clasped together.
“So, what have you got planned today, Sophia?”
I was about to go eat with Gabriel, but I didn’t want to make Henry feel bad about not eating what he made for me.
“I’ve got a meeting with my new boss.” I gestured to my outfit. “It’s pretty casual, I think.”
Henry nodded. “Well, don’t be nervous. He probably noticed you are a good worker and wants to reward you, especially after last night.”
“That’s sort of what I was thinking.”
He smiled and nodded before letting his eyes wander around my room, landing on my pile of dirty clothes in the corner. The silence stretched on as we just stood there.
“So, I’m going to finish getting ready and enjoy these amazing waffles! I’ll see you when I come downstairs in a few minutes?”
“Yes.” He snapped his fingers. “I’ll be in the gallery to see you out.” He quietly closed the door behind him, and I plopped down on my bed, anxiety creeping up. I was finished getting ready; I just needed a minute to be alone, to let my mind be silent.
I creaked down the stairs, where Henry waited at the end of the long hallway. “I bet you're ready for the day now,” he said confidently.
“I just hope this meeting goes well.”
“I’m sure it will, Soph. The most beautiful thing in this gallery could never disappoint anyone.”
I knew what he meant, but I wasn’t about to miss this opportunity. “Oh, I’m just a thing, huh?”
Concern flashed across his face. “No, that’s not what I meant, I?—”
“I’m messing with you, Henry. I know what you meant.” He forced a laugh, but his head glistened in the fluorescent lights of the gallery with fresh nervous sweat.
“Well, let’s get you to your meeting.”
With a warm smile, I walked past him. “That’s okay, I’m just going to walk. It’s right down the street.” The sad look on his face revealed he took it personally. But he took everything personally. I learned years ago to ignore it.
“See you later, then,” he said as he walked with me to the front door.
I was grateful for the hair tangling breeze after a few minutes of walking under the scorching sun. It was peak tourist season, and the two-lane streets were packed with cars, filled with people angrily on their way to enjoy the day. The restaurant was just across the street now, but no one was letting me cross at the four-way stop. Each car that forced its way through the stop sign before its turn was an out-of-state visitor. They were preventing me from crossing my own street, all to save a few seconds. I never took part in the negative conversations about tourists, but standing there for more than a minute watching each selfish face give me a “Fuck you, me first” glance before speeding forward wore my tolerance down, one car at a time.
The next car slowed to a stop at the stop sign. I crossed my arms and stared narrowly at him. He smiled at me from inside his obviously expensive yellow sports car. His smile looked warm, but there was something dark about it. With a wave of his hand, I finally crossed the street. There was something familiar about him that I couldn’t place. I looked at him again as I crossed. He wasn't smiling anymore, but the darkness remained etched on his face. Thankfully, it wasn't directed towards me. I followed his irritated gaze to the restaurant parking lot, where Gabriel had parked his car. That's what it was. He kind of looked like Gabriel in a way, but his expression was so irritated, soangry. This guy was letting his envy for a car that looked just as nice as his ruin his day, despite having one most people couldn't dream of affording. Ridiculous.
