AFTER

Natalie and Triss sat next to each other at the bar, where their now empty plates of food sat waiting for staff to come pick them up.  Natalie had gone for an eggs benedict with sides of hash browns and a fruit cup.  Triss had gone for a simpler plate, with two scrambled eggs, two pieces of sausage, and a slice of toast.  She ate the toast plain.

“So,” Triss started.  “Are we ready to get the check and leave yet?  Dallas awaits.”

Natalie mulled it over.  “Hmm, no, I don’t think so.  What about a milkshake?  You like milkshakes, right?”

Triss rolled her eyes.  “Let me guess.  ‘The leasing office has all day to deal with us’?”

“Exactly,” replied Natalie.  “Besides, you’re the one who chose the local place with a menu full of goodies.  Did you really expect me not to want dessert?”

“Breakfast does not usually come with its own dessert, no.  But fine, order a milkshake, and have them bring an extra straw.  I want to try it.”

Natalie smiled.  “Sure!  Sounds like a plan.”

The next few minutes were spent looking around at the other customers, trying to avoid making eye contact.  Their waiter, who had spent the last half hour conspicuously at the end of the bar within easy eyesight, seemed to have vanished as soon as they wanted his attention.  As they sat in the silence, Natalie became more and more aware of something nagging away at her.  She felt like she desperately needed to tell Triss something, but whatever it was, she couldn’t say.

“So, eggs benedict?” Triss asked.

Natalie tried hard to pretend that she didn’t jump a little bit at being jarred from her thoughts.  “Um, yeah, I like them.  A little bit sweet, a little bit savory, and a poached egg is hard to beat.”

“Well, yeah.  I just didn’t think you liked them.  What changed?”

Natalie paused for a second.  What did change?  Had she not always liked them?  She tried to think back to when she first had them, what her opinions had been, but nothing came to mind.

“Hey, y’all still doing okay?”  Their waiter materialized to check on them, for the second time nearly scaring Natalie out of her seat.

“Um, yeah, could we get a milkshake please?  Vanilla please.”

The waiter nodded and asked, “is that going to be for here or to go?”

Natalie replied, “for here,” at the same time that Triss said, “to go.”  Natalie turned to Triss and gave her her best puppy dog eyes.  “Fine,” Triss added.  “For here please.  And with an extra straw.”

The waiter nodded, and walked back to the window to put the order in.  “I guess I’ve always liked them,” she finally answered.  “Maybe you just didn’t know.  I don’t think we’ve been out to breakfast very much.”

Triss paused, then replied, “no.  I suppose not.  You are just full of surprises.”

Natalie didn’t know what to respond to that, so she elected not to.  She started looking around at the other customers again.  One couple seemed to be celebrating something, while a book club in the corner ordered their second round of mimosas.  The book they were discussing was one Natalie had never heard of, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore the possibility that it, like everything else, was a lapse of memory rather than experience.

“I’m sorry,” Triss blurted out.  “Look, I didn’t mean to make it weird, I just thought I had to say something, and so I did.  I’m sorry if I made it weird.”

Natalie chuckled.  “No, it’s all good.  Truth be told, I don’t think I slept well last night.  I feel like I’m thinking through a fog.”

“Oh, well that’s not good.  Why don’t I--”  Triss stopped herself mid-sentence and glanced away.  “Why don’t you let me take over driving the next stretch?  You can catch a few winks, maybe you’ll sleep better.”

“Okay, sure.”  Natalie handed the keys over as the waiter set their milkshake in front of them.

“Enjoy,” the waiter said, and walked away again, leaving two straws on the table.  Natalie and Triss both unwrapped their straws and pushed them into the milkshake.  Natalie leaned in to take a drink, and the book club behind her burst into an uproar over something she couldn’t quite make out.  She flicked her head in that direction but kept moving towards her drink.  One person stood at the head of the table holding his glass, looking sheepish.  He stumbled through the first few words of a toast, then stopped and tried again.  Natalie’s mouth reached the straw, and she began to take a drink.

She flicked her eyes back straight, only to find Triss’s face mere inches away from her own.  Triss was still watching the toast and hadn’t seemed to notice Natalie yet.  This close, Natalie could see the tiny flecks of gold in Triss’s makeup.  She wanted to look her best for her first in-person meeting with the landlord, and it showed.  Natalie couldn’t help but wonder if part of her hurry wasn’t to avoid having to reapply anything.

Then Triss’s eyes flicked back and caught Natalie staring.  Triss coughed, only barely managing not to spray Natalie with milkshake.  She coughed again and fell into a coughing fit, while Natalie very quickly swallowed her own drink and backed away.  Natalie put a hand on Triss’s back, trying to stabilize her a little bit.  After a few seconds, the coughing died down, but now Triss seemed flustered and wouldn’t make eye contact.

Natalie pushed the milkshake over to her, but Triss just pushed it back, mumbling, “no, I just wanted a sip, thanks.”  Natalie took it back and sipped it, suddenly desperate to be anywhere else.

“Do you want me to go ahead and get the check,” Natalie asked.

Triss nodded profusely, still refusing eye contact.  “Yeah, please, let’s get on the road.”

Natalie flagged down their waiter again.  As he walked over, her mind wandered back to the image of the gold flecks on Triss’s cheeks.  Later, as she drifted off to sleep in the passenger seat, that same image dominated her mind and pushed into her dreams.