These Days

Tye worked for eight days straight followed by three or four days off, typically. Most of his schedule depended on the contracts accepted by his work and the number of employees they currently had. Because of that he had the next four days off after having put in eight ten hour days and one extra five-hour shift; a fact he was particularly happy about when he woke up at noon the next day feeling like a freight train had chosen him for rail tracks the night before.



Groggy, and still siffering from his late-night job, he moved himself to the bathroom to begin his “morning” routine. This had been the one thing that remained unchanged from his life in the city. Despite living as a gritty, manly woodsman, he refused to look or smell like a ruffian. First came his teeth, where fresh cinnamon toothpaste erased the night’s grit and tang, then he scrubbed his face with a tangy wash that carried off the thick layers of oil accumulated in sleep. That was followed by a careful shave to smooth out his chin and cheeks, leaving only the neat edges of his short sideburns. Finally he quickly scrubbed deodorant under his arms – something he suspected many of his fellow woodsmen and other villagers failed to include in their own mornings – and ran his fingers through his now longish hair.



He had visited the barber once to trim the ever-growing locks but when the man had swung around to greet a custormer, scissors still in hand, and had nearly taken off one of his ears, Tye found he could like the longer style. Though at this point it wasn’t hard to tie at least half of it into a small ponytail behind his head.



Tye returned to his bedroom to get dressed in slacks and a t-shirt and despite the hollow ache in his chest he was contented with his life, such as it was. And what right did he have to ask for more than that?



The gloomy mood refused to leave him as he moved about his house but as there was nothing to be done about it he ignored it altogether. After all, it happened on all his days off and this one would turn out no different.



*



Smiths’ stomach growled insistently as he broke through the door to the kitchen early in the afternoon. Maggie was stirring something delicious in a pot while patties sizzled with a bit of oil in the frying pan.



Waiting until she was safely away from the hot stove, Smiths clapped his arms around her with a kissed to her soft, wrinkled cheek. She let out a loud squeak but quickly recovered enough to smack him hard on arm across her shoulders, “Boy! What are you doing sneakin up on your ma for?”



“I’m just saying ‘Hello’.” He paused a minute before kissing her cheek again, “Hello.”



“Hello. Now get off of me. You’re heavy!”



Smiths laughed but obeyed and slunk off to the pantry to snitch a pack of peanut butter crackers.



“Don’t go filling up now!” Maggie shouted as he slipped from the hot kitchen.



Smiths munched on the light snack while he meandered through the town, stopping occasionally to greet old acquaintances or peek into shop windows. He was through with his snack and considering how mad Maggie might be if he bought a muffin when his attention was drawn by a clunky trunk pulling up to park right in front of the bakery he was currently slobbering in front of. The guy who hopped from the passenger side was at complete odds with the monsterous truck he drove. Petite of frame, and though clearly not a girly-man, Smiths couldn’t reconcile his very neat appearance with dirty, rusty truck or even with the rustic town around him. However the man moved with the ease of familiarity as he pulled something from the truck and shut the door behind him before moving to the post office that occupied a small building next to the bakery.



Though he felt like something of a stalker, Smiths pulled out a smoke and sat on a bench outside the bakery to watch for the man when he came back out to the street. He was rewarded halfway through his cigarette when the man returned with a handful of small envelopes and two larger packages obviously retrieved from his P.O. Box. Smiths feared he would have to give up his watch lest he turn truly stalkerish but the man didn’t return to his car. Instead he entered the bakery without so much as a glance at Smiths.



Taking the moment to separate their actions and debating how creepy he was being, Smiths followed him into the shop and ordered a delicious looking muffin and coffee and taking a table near the center of the shop. He had to be more subtle about his spying activities here but it gave him a clearer line of sight to the man who had selected a table near the window and also made his occupation of the shop seem much more casual.



He was caught up in amiably staring out the window and surreptitiously sneaking peaks at the man when his coffee and muffin arrived. The girl, a part-timer, dropped off the order briskly with a quick inquiry to any further orders before taking the other man his own food. She set down the tall glass of amber liquid and a paper wrapped package before accepting a seat across from the object of his current spying. Something he said had her tittering with laughter before she leaned in slightly and said something else. Then she was gone as quickly as she had arrived to continue kneading and baking, or whatever baker’s assistants did.



Smith felt an irrational surge of anger towards her and took a fierce bite out of his muffin before he said something stupid. The warm, sweet blueberry bread calmed him and washed down with coffee it made a soothing combination. Focusing on his small meal he tried to continue watching the man who was slowly opening and reading his mail. Twenty minutes later the man still hadn’t touched the two bigger packages.



It was illogical, but he was growing anxious to know what was in those two packages. But the man continued to move at a leisurely pace to read and analyze his mail.



The man was just reaching for one of the big packages when a shrill ringing filled the shop. The man scrubbed a hand over his face and called an apology to the shop owner before flipping open a sleek sliver and black cell phone. He held it to his ear as he tried to gather the papers together around him.



When the person on the other line began to talk the man stopped and abandoning his mail and drink he moved pasted a new group of customers to make it outside.



Smiths would have followed him, despite how it may have made him look, except the group that had just entered spotted him and gathered around him congenially.

“Smiths! Heard you was back in town, just got in today?”



“Ah, yeah. Real early. The old man nearly kicked me out.”



“Ha ha, I would too if you’d woken me up at that hour. The lumber business has had no respite but thanks to those liberalists we have to replant the forests, and though it kinda sucks when you do it, we haven’t had to move with the business, we can just keep harvesting that same lands.”



“Well that’s good. I was half afraid this place wouldn’t last my leaving.”



“Aw, we almost didn’t, brok’n hearts, you know.”



Smiths smacked the speaker and they continued to sit around and shoot the bull for a while before one of the proposed a party at the bar later that night. They’d get the word out, they promised. He just had to show up.



*



Tye mailed off the printed versions of his completed projects as well as a formal proposal and CD copies of the files. The post office was familiar with him now and it was easy to get the package organized and sent off. There were two new commissions for him to look over, along with varying mail from letters from friends to bills to more official letters from customers and companies. Deciding he didn’t want to stay in his empty house reviewing letters and working he went to the bakery to grab a bite and start opening the mail. The commissions could be left till he got home because he knew generally what they contained. The rest was easy enough to peruse at a small table with a tall glass of cold tea.



The waitress at the bakery was sweet and he enjoyed her company, however she propositioned him at least once every week or so. Just a friendly roll in the hay, she would say. He endured it valiantly and eventually it turned to a kind of joke between them. Today she had also told him that there was a man watching him across the store.



It could have freaked him out and made him paranoid but a quick glance revealed a husky man focused on a hot blueberry muffin and coffee. The girl was probably just worried about competition. A ridiculous idea, that there would be competition over him.



The amusement from her worry carried him through most of his mail. It would have been an easy mood to hang on to. An easy, light feeling that dispelled the strain of his normal train of thought. But a sharp ring form his cell phone insisted on his attention.



He didn’t glance at the name or number, just pressed it to his ear and spoke quickly, “Tyler Armond here. Who may I ask is speaking?”



“Tye? Baby? Jesus, where have you been?”



Tye felt the tightening in his stomach and hoped the sweet tea was not about to go to waste, “Jacq.”



“Tye, I’ve tried talking to everybody. I didn’t even know you’d left the city.”



Now Tye knew he was going to be sick. Unconcerned for his mail he rushed out the door, past some fellow woodsman, and into the side alley beside the post office where hot stomach acid and swilled tea rushed up through his throat and onto the cement.



Jacq’s panicked voice continued to rush through the phone that Tye hadn’t thought to pull away, “Tye! Tye baby! Are you ok? Where are you? C’mon I’ll come get you and we can talk about this ok?”



Tye wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and leaned against the wall of the post office, “No Jacqs, I’m sorry. I’m fine now. I’ll talk to you again later, ok? Bye.”



Tye clapped the phone shut ending the conversation. Almost immediately it began ringing again but Tye just turned it off, refusing to deal with the bastard anymore. He had his life together for once, he wasn’t gonna fuck it up now for a whore like him.



Taking a deep breath and spitting once more on the already messy sidewalk, Tye slipped back into the bakery and grabbed his mail and the fresh apple bread he had bought. The bakery was much busier now with several of the young guys from the town shouting and joking. No one noticed as he left again, the taste of vomit lingering on his lips and tongue.



The drive back to his house was quick, he might have been speeding a little bit but there weren’t any coppers to notice or stop him.



Toothpaste and mouthwash rinsed his teeth and mouth of the sick residue and a scrub of cool water over his face and neck calmed him down considerably. He popped in a movie and stretched out on the couch with a plate of apple bread and heavy chocolate milk. Slowly, Jacq bled from his forethoughts as Jimmy Stewart amicably introduced Harvey to his family’s guests.



Though his mood was alleviated by the movie and the sweet food a niggling worry of doubt and pain continued to irritate him. He began opening one of the commissions from work but dropped it before the file was completely free. He couldn’t stand being here along, letting his mind wander and run wild with his imagination. What if Jacq’s found him here? Would they get back together? Did Tye still feel anything for him? Why was Jacq’s looking for him again? What if he was in trouble? Maybe he just wanted to reconcile?



Tye shook his head fiercly, refusing to give into the thoughts. Grabbing his keys and wallet, he stormed from the house. It was past dark now but the bar would still be open so he headed there. It was almost nine when he arrived.



Parking off a little ways, Tye moved inside the dark, still building. Mostly just the local drunks and some new 21 year olds were in at this hour. The more casual drinkers arrived around ten or so. Tye found a secluded spot at the bar close to a wall that would provide him some protection. A call to the bartender had a beer in his hand in short order. The first sip sent shudders through him, reminding him that he hadn’t touched alcohol in nearly a year.



His body seemed to remember quickly however and his first beer was cleared with another halfway done when a large party of boisterous lumberjacks and locals came rumbling in. They were singing loudly, though Tye couldn’t make out the song. The bar quickly filled with partygoers and followers with beer sloshing around on the floor and counter.



Tye pressed two fingers into his eyes but didn’t leave. Even with the new disturbance, the bar was a far better place to be than his own house where he felt insanity might truly set in if he spent another night isolated from the world.