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No Gutter. No Gutter. No Gutter.

12/27/2024

Sarah grinned as Leo brought her a chocolate chunk muffin and a Peppermint White Cocoa. “Thank you. Can we split the muffin? I can’t possibly eat all that.”

“If you’d like.” He spun the chair around and sat down.

“What did you get?”

“The Christmas Crumpet Sandwich. It smells good.”

She leaned in. “It does. Can you cut me off a piece? It will help to balance all this sweet stuff.”

“You are what you eat.” He sipped his cappuccino.

She blushed. “Who needs cocoa and muffins when I’ve got you saying stuff like that?”

“Do you work tonight?”

“Nope.” She squinted mischievously over her cup of cocoa.

“This weekend?”

She pursed her lips and shook her head before taking another sip of cocoa.

“Are you done for the season?”

“Santa’s back at the North Pole.” She shrugged and picked off a piece of her muffin.

“Doesn’t that mean you’re unemployed?”

“Technically, I guess.” Her incredulous smirk struck him oddly.

“You don’t seem upset about it.”

“Why should I be? I knew it was only from Black Friday to Christmas. It was fun while it lasted.”

“And now?”

“I take my costume to the dry cleaners and they’ll pack it up until next year for me.” She picked off another morsel of muffin.

He cut off a piece of his sandwich and slid it over to her. “But…”

Her eyebrows raised as she swigged her cocoa.

“How do you live, only working one month a year?” He perched his head on his hand.

Her nose crinkled gleefully as she drank more cocoa. “Better and better all the time. Leo, you’re so sweet to be concerned. Don’t worry about me.”

“Of course, I’m concerned.”

“Why? Did you think I bought all of those clothes for church from what I was making at Maslov’s?” She giggled. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

“I’m so confused.” He looked around the café. “How does that work?”

“I have a trust fund. My lawyer has been managing my finances since I was sixteen.”

“So…”

“I don’t know the details. She pays my bills and gives me spending money. I don’t live extravagantly. Everything is taken care of.”

“But what about Maslov’s?”

“Dr. Hu wanted me to get out of my apartment and interact with people. I wasn’t up to it until November. I had a lot of healing to do before I could manage that.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“Me, too.” She picked up the piece of sandwich he had given her. “Ew.” She laughed. “How can you eat this? It’s dreadful.” She winced as she choked it down.

“I didn’t think it was that bad. I kind of liked it.”

“I’m worried for you. Do you know that? I’m actually worried about you now.” She took a big swig of cocoa.

“What? It’s nothing Mom would make, but it was edible.”

She giggled as she picked off another chunk of muffin. “Do you actually have taste buds? That was ghastly.”

He looked at the last bite of his sandwich and studied her reaction. “You’re just trolling me. Aren’t you?”

“Maybe a little, but it is pretty awful.” She grimaced and gulped down the rest of her cocoa. “What are you having?”

“It’s a cappuccino with a shot of eggnog syrup.”

“Okay, all trolling aside, you really worry me.” She rolled her eyes. “Cinnamon? Sure. Pumpkin Spice? Definitely. Eggnog?” She gave him a thumbs down.

“Somebody is feeling ginger spicy today.”

She giggled at that and tore a large piece from her muffin. She sneered at him as she chewed the morsel.

“So, what shall we do when we’re done here?”

“No taste buds and no patience.” She rolled her eyes. “Maybe I should take you to a spa. You’re wound way too tight, Leonard.”

“Leonard? You’ve been hanging out with Mom too much.”

“Paranoid tendencies, too. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I think you could use a seaweed wrap and hot stone therapy.”

“Sounds like some kind of exotic torture. Help, help, I’m being sushied.”

She laughed until she cried. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

“You’ve tried being wrapped up like a California roll?”

“It’s so peaceful and relaxing.”

“Hmm, I don’t think I’m ready for that kind of relaxation.”

“Suit yourself. I’m just trying to help.” Her eyebrows knitted.

“Now what’s the matter?”

“I’ve got all this muffin and nothing to drink.” She pouted. “I’d drink yours, but you polluted it.”

“First world problems, girlie.”

“Better guard those ears, smartypants. You’ll never see it coming.”

“Do you want another cocoa?”

“Too much of a good thing. Can you get me a small cappuccino with cinnamon syrup?”

“If it will get me off of the firing line, gladly.”

“You’re such a good boy.” She pinched a tiny piece of muffin and waved him away.

“Funny finding you here.” Chris took Leo’s chair. “Do you hold stock in this outfit?”

“Probably. What are you doing here? I thought you had a real job.”

“They let us out at lunchtime occasionally.”

“Gotta love those perks.” She smiled. “How’s Mandy?”

“She loved that sweater you picked for me.”

“Lucky guess.” She picked a tiny piece of muffin. “You’re going to have to get to really know her so you can pick your own presents. Right?”

“Naturally.”

“So?”

“It’s just hard to talk to her.”

“Really? Why? She seems fun.”

“She’s great. I get tongue-tied.”

“That’s because you don’t see her as a person.”

“Of course, I do. She’s obviously a person.”

“No, I mean, you don’t see her. She’s like a movie star or a supermodel to you. Once you calm down and see her for who she is, you’ll be able to talk to her more easily.”

“You think so? She makes me so nervous.” He stood up to let Leo reclaim his chair.

“What are you nervous about?” Leo handed Sarah her cappuccino.

“Mandy.”

“Why? She seems nice.”

“Well, of course, she’s nice.” Sarah sipped her drink. “It’s hard to get to actually know her if you’ve got her up on a pedestal.”

“Nice view, though.” Leo shrugged.

“I wonder how an earful of cinnamon cappuccino would feel.” She glared at him. “Look, she’s pretty. I get it. There’s more to her than her looks.”

“Deep down, I know that’s true.”

“But you can’t get over the infatuation.” She pulled out her phone.

Hey

Amanda felt the rumbling in her drawer.

Working now
What’s up?

She sat it in her lap and went back to the spreadsheet she was working on.

Up for bowling?

‘Bowling?’

Who?

She looked around to see if anybody noticed.

Leo, me, Chris

She could feel her cheeks warming. She swallowed her geeky smile.

Okay
After six
Send details
TTYL

Sarah held up her phone. “See? Simple.”

“Bowling?” Chris rubbed his chin.

“Yes, bowling. Trust me, nobody is an unapproachable goddess in those dumb rental shoes. It doesn’t matter who wins or if she even hits the pins. You’re going to have a good time with a fellow person who has interests and flaws and aspirations. Okay?”

He sighed.

“Now what?” Leo chuckled.

“Look, if you’re going to shatter my delusions, I need to spend the next couple hours enjoying the euphoria.”

“Boy, I thought you were a hopeless nerd.”

“Wow, she’s like the queen of sick burns.”

“That was definitely a twofer. Do you even know how to bowl?”

“Yes, Leo. I have bowled occasionally, and I have seen it work wonders for breaking the ice or for shattering illusions. You’ll be better for it, Chris.”

‘I can’t believe it.’ Chris watched Mandy searching for a suitable bowling ball. ‘There is no glamor in those shoes.’

She found a bright pink ball and took some practice swings to ensure it wasn’t too heavy.

‘Seems to know what she’s doing.’ He watched her place her ball in the rack. She pulled a band from her wrist and used it to draw up a ponytail. ‘That makes sense. Don’t want your hair hanging in your face when you’re bowling.’

“Chris, you’re first.” Sarah called out over the music and the dozens of conversations in the alley.

‘Nuts, I get to embarrass myself right out of the gate. She’s going to have second thoughts about me, for sure.’ He took up his blue ball with the gold glitter swirls. She was smiling at him. He nodded and stood at the end of the lane. ‘No gutter. No gutter. No gutter.’ He delivered the ball to the lane with a smooth motion and turned away to return to his seat. ‘It’s going to go right in the gutter.’ He heard the clatter of pins and took a quick peek over his shoulder to find the pin sweeper brushing away all the pins. He looked at Mandy. She had her hands up over her smile until his eyes met hers. She clapped for him and slid over to make room for him.

“Oh, now it’s on.” Leo grabbed his ruby red ball.

Mandy leaned over to Chris. “I didn’t know you were a ringer.”

“Pure luck. I promise.”

“You don’t have to apologize for being great.”

‘Whoa.’ He smiled at her. ‘She’s as geeked out about me as I am about her. How crazy is that?’

“So.” She lingered a moment before getting up to take her turn. “My turn.”

“Yeah.”

She took her pink ball and set it loose. Four, seven and eight went down. She looked miffed and hurried to the ball return while the pin setter arranged for her second roll.

They were returning their shoes at the counter when Chris took notice of her whimsical red socks with little snowmen on them. It wasn’t until then that he noticed she’d been wearing the sweater he had given her for Christmas.

“So, who’s up for some dinner?” Chris asked.

“I ate before I came, but I wouldn’t mind some pie.” Mandy slid one arm into her coat before Chris could help. “Oh, thanks.”

“Hearth and Hollow?” Leo asked Sarah.

She fiddled with the collar of his coat so she could whisper in his ear. “Maybe we should give them some room.”

“Staś thinks we’re going to take advantage of you. If we go with them, you can tell Elka you were Mandy’s chaperone, and she was yours.”

“And we can have pie. Good idea.”

He kissed her cheek and winked.

“Did you have fun, dear?” Elka poured water from the kettle into Sarah’s mug.

“I don’t think it’s possible not to have fun bowling.”

“It’s not my thing, but I’m glad you enjoyed yourself” She stirred her water and pinned the teabag down beneath her spoon.

“It was nice. I think Chris is finally done treating Mandy like a divine apparition.”

“I don’t know if that’s good or bad. At least when he thought she was an angel, he’d be too scared to touch her.”

“He likes her. She likes him. They had to get over the infatuation stage to have any chance of becoming serious.”

“Serious is what I’m afraid of.”

“Fear not, as the angels say. Besides, she’s already Catholic. He can pop the question whenever he drums up the nerve to.”

“That’s not all there is to it.”

“Please explain.”

“The Murray boys are not mature enough to propose to anyone.”

“John?”

“He’s different.”

“Not from what I’ve seen. They were all brought up the same way. They’re all following in their father’s footsteps, more or less. They’re all employed.”

“Except for Leo.”

Sarah reached into her purse and pulled out Leo’s business card. “He’s working his way through school as an interior decorator.”

“That’s not–”

“Not exactly what he’s studying. He’s going for Interior Design. You have to be licensed for that because it’s very technical, just like being an engineer like Joe or an architect like the rest of them.” Sarah got up and paced. “They’re smart, serious, devout and kind. Any girl would bless the day a son of Murray’s popped the question, just as any girl would consider herself blessed to catch Josh’s attention.” She stopped to look at a potholder with a Currier & Ives print on it. “I think you’ve gotten used to seeing them all as rowdy children, Elka. They’re grown. They’re mature and they deserve the same happiness that you and Dad share.”

“Even so.” Elka jabbed at the teabag at the bottom of her mug. “It would be best if you two kept your hands off of each other.”

Sarah pulled her red curls over her eyes and sighed. “Do you seriously think Mary brought her boys up to take advantage of the girls they want to marry? Is that something she’d tolerate for one minute?”

“Why not? She did.”