thinking out loud

 

Poppy wished Alfie wouldn't worry so much about her, but maybe he was right. She was staying in her room an awful lot.

"This COVID is scaring me too," Alfie said he worked at a drugstore and he was always afraid he wasn't washing his hands and sanitizing enough. But things were quiet there too. Flu shots and Covid tests were done curbside these days. Nobody was buying makeup even if the holidays were coming. But he thought she was staying in too much. What was going on with her and Jory?

"We..we see each other," she shrugged. They texted mostly. She just wasn't sure what to do about him. He hadn't asked her over and maybe he was waiting for her to ask him out. She didn't know. His living conditions were bothering her and there was nothing she could do about it. She finally told Alfie.

Of course, he looked at her as if living out of motel was crazy. He went to make coffee as if they needed to figure out a solution. Naturally,  he got out the Halloween candy and made microwave brownies. He really knew what she needed right now. 

"What else do you know about him?" Alfie wanted to know.

"I've already told you," Poppy said while they were waiting for the brownies to cool.

"And you still like him?" He made it sound Jory wasn't worth the effort.

"Well, yeah." She looked at him blankly as if he had no idea what it was like to really love someone.

He sighed as he crossed his arms.

"You said he has a sister?" Alfie put a dollop of cream in his coffee and took a sip as if they could sit here all night and talk about Jory.

Poppy nodded. She said his sister was going to have a baby next year. "And she works at the library, but she doesn't know he lives in a motel."

"Do you know her name?" He asked. Poppy shook her head no.

"What if I tell her," Alfie leaned back in his dining chair, hugging himself. 

"Well," Poppy winced, hoping that was a good idea.