And Good Will To All-5
857 Words
It was Monday afternoon, and Jenna was about to leave for the day when she gushed, “Charles, did you hear? Lonnie McDaniel is back in town!”
That’s right, I haven’t told her yet.
I’d been too preoccupied with the business and trying to figure out the puzzle that was my new night manager. Apparently, the rumor mill was still alive and well in town.
“Yes, I know. He’s working the night shift here now. I hired him on Saturday.”
Her eyes widened and then she got the dreamy look I used to see on the girls’ faces in high school, when they’d lusted after Lonnie, star running back, handsome as sin, voted most outgoing student and likely to succeed our senior year.
“Ohmigosh, really?” She practically squealed. “Oh, man, he was the hottest guy in school! All of us girls wanted him, but he only had eyes for you, damn it. Wait a minute.” She narrowed her eyes on me. “Are you guys picking up where you left off?” she asked, eyebrows raised.
I was stunned. I thought no one had known about us. “How did you know we—”
She waved a wand. “Please! We all knew. I mean, you were discrete and all, but the way you made eyes at each other said everything. So, will you?”
I was still trying to come to grips with the fact that the whole town had been witting to our relationship back then. And no one had let on, or apparently cared. Hell, we had an LGBT club here now, but still.
I took an unsteady breath. “Nope. This is all business. He was qualified for the job, and that’s all. I don’t know how long he’ll stay.” I tried not to sound bitter, or on the opposite side of that, hopeful.
“Yeah, but you guys were thick as thieves, sweethearts…”
God, twist the knife.
“That was a long time ago, Jenna, and he left so—”
“Yeah, yeah, but hear me out. You know this is the last place anyone would come back to. Most folks who leave, stay gone. Maybe he needs something here, something he couldn’t find in all the places he’s been, wherever they were. Who knows? Maybe he came back for you. He just doesn’t know it yet. Think about that, all right?”
I thought it unlikely. The man barely remembered me, after all.
Jenna left, and I tried to recover my equilibrium. I thought about her words. It was odd that Lonnie would come back here, of all places. I didn’t have time to dwell on that, though, since a prospective customer walked into the office right then.
By nine that evening, I was ready to go home. Lonnie had arrived while it was still light out, and I’d watched him go through the gates toward his storage unit before he came into the office to start his shift.
He wore a thick black beanie covered in lint on his head, and a different Henley under his usual winter jacket. No gloves, I noticed. In fact, I didn’t remember him wearing any at all since he’d first walked into this place.
He greeted me. “Hey, boss. Things go okay today?”
“Fine. Someone moved out of a unit, but we got a new renter, so…”
“Good.” He went over to the coffee pot and filled a cup.
I thought I should inform him about the town gossip. “Uh, you may not remember Jenna, but she’s my assistant, works half days during the week. She was a year or two behind us in high school.”
He shrugged his shoulders and gulped down the coffee. Jesus, how he didn’t burn his throat, I had no idea.
“Long story short, the rumor mill has been busy. Pretty much everyone who’s still around from high school knows you’re back.”
I watched him wince and rub a hand over his whiskers. “I was afraid of that. I thought I recognized a few people at the fast food place in town, but I wasn’t sure. It’s been years, after all.”
I got up and walked over to where he stood. “Why are you back, Lonnie? Really. You’ve always hated it here. You wanted the big city lights—”
“Does this have anything to do with my job, man?” he snapped.
I stepped back. His anger was surprising. “No, it doesn’t.”
He closed his eyes, apparently in an attempt to calm himself down. “Sorry.” He breathed deeply. “I’d rather not go into it, if it’s all the same to you.”
When he looked at me, I saw something like tired resignation in his eyes, as if he’d seen everything the world had to offer and had found it wanting. I wished I could get him to talk to me, but I doubted he would let me in, and I had no right to expect otherwise.
“Sure, no problem. But if you ever want to unload…”
Lonnie cut me off. “Hey, it’s Christmas in a couple of weeks, right?”
I raised an eyebrow at the segue. “Yeah…”
“So, uh, you…do anything? Party…friends?”
“It’s just another day to me. I’m usually working, so I don’t think about it much.”
His expression turned thoughtful. “You mean, you don’t…do you have a tree up, or people over? Someone to come home to?” That last part was mumbled as he looked away briefly, then focused on me again.
“Nope.”
“Oh.” His stare unnerved me.
Time to go home. “Guess I should let you do your thing.”
“Yeah.” He threw away the paper cup and walked over to the chair I’d just vacated. “You have a good night,” he said.
“You, too,” I replied as I left.
What was all that about?
- Writer
