at the end of the street

 

Poppy did her best to take Amira's advice, look elsewhere for a boyfriend.

Not that she had any standards in that sort of thing. She didn't know what to be looking for so she guessed it was best not to look at all. And as foolishly as that sounded she began to wonder if somebody had found her.

He was definitely handsome. She knew the moment she met him that she talked too much, but he didn't seem to mind. He was hungry and he'd eat whatever she suggested down out the diner where she worked.

Naturally, on occasion, she was a bit rude being overwhelmed with customers, but that didn't really bother him. He would just wait. So they were short-handed due to the pandemic. He knew where the utensils were and occasionally wiped down tables if she didn't have time. It was true, this stranger was making himself at home at the diner.

And then he was gone.

Gone. She never knew his name. It drove her crazy. There were weeks, they'd had conversations about places going out of business and what they'd taken for granted that was something they did every weekend last year. Like a movie or a show at the local bar.

Poppy was afraid she'd never ever see that guy again. He was pleasant and didn't act like he knew he was even good looking. Actually, she'd worn a mask the whole time as if she might be hiding something.

She was certain he wouldn't like what he saw. There was always something to worry about in the dating world. Even if she was far from that ever happening.

At least, there was Alfie who liked to cook and go out on occasion. They were good roommates. Much better than she ever anticipated. He didn't bother her much. She did her best not to bother him. Maybe this was the way it was supposed to be.

But, thinking about that guy she'd met at the diner kept her awake occasionally. What was he doing? Where did he go? Did he live in a faraway place and was only passing through? She couldn't think he'd have family here. But what if he did. What if he had a kid and maybe he wasn't such a super nice guy after all. He was some sort of natural flirt who had a waitress in every diner.

Nothing shocked her anymore.

And then out on a walk one day to the nearby grocery she saw him in a blue uniform. He was wearing shorts too. She couldn't imagine it to be him. 

There she was in her old gray yoga pants and strappy black tank, with the worst of bed hair, but she needed coffee filters. She came closer wondering if he'd ever turn around because he walked fast and was efficent with the mail.

"Hey!" It sounded as if she might start a song. But he kept going and she ran behind him to get on the other side of his path. "Hey!" She smiled as if this was possibly her last chance.

"Oh, it is you," he smiled back. "Wouldn't know you without a mask."

She nodded.

"I didn't know you were a mailman," Poppy said.

"I wasn't one until a week or so ago," he shrugged with a load of mail in his arms.

She nodded thinking this was a certain dead end.

"You live around here?" He asked.

"Oh, just in those apartments," she pointed up the hill.

"You know, I missed our conversations," he told her his name was Jory. Before she knew it, he reached for a pin and jotted down his phone number. "Maybe we should go somewhere where we don't have to eat."

Poppy wasn't sure what that meant. He only smiled.

"I hear the Pumpkin patch is in full swing," Jory bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing. "Have you been there?"

She said she'd worked there years ago.

"Great, then we could go some weekend when you aren't working," he told her this was the first job he'd had that didn't include weekends. "Guess, I'm moving up in the world."

"Just let me know," he was on his way to deliver more mail.

"OK." She held on to his phone number.

"You can text me right now, see if my phone works," Jory looked back at her. "Nobody ever texts me anymore."

She smiled back. She'd text him right now.