stopped, waiting for a change in tone. "You do?”
"As long as I'm making enough money to send home to Thomas." David stopped for a moment, shaking his head. He leaned heavily on the edge of the counter. "I really don't have anything keeping me in the city.”
"You said your sisters-in-law will watch your son?”
David took a sip of his coffee and nodded his head. He coughed, trying to dislodge the frog he could feel in his throat. "It'll at least be a stable upbringing. That's more than I can give him."
"Can you leave tomorrow?”
"I don't have much more than this. I could leave today.”
"Are you sure?" Alexander asked, looking him over with a cautious eye.
"I know what you're thinking. Trust me, the sooner, the easier." David was putting on a strong face. He didn't want to say what he was actually thinking. Any delay in his exit could seriously shake his resolve to leave the city.
David stood up, "I'll be right back." He took a look around the diner, trying to locate a telephone. Not seeing one in any particular corner of the narrow room, he moved towards the bar.
"Can I help you, sir?" Another waitress asked. She smiled at him as she tucked her pencil behind her ear.
"Can I use a telephone?”
She looked him up and down quickly, thinking for a moment before nodding in the direction of the double doors leading to the kitchen. "It's in the back. Through the doors and you'll see it on your left.”
As David walked through the double doors, he was suddenly swallowed in the sounds and smells of a greasy diner. Somewhere, he could hear men calling out in an Eastern European language, is sounded vaguely Polish.
"Operator, can I have Greenpoint 6378?”
"Conlon residence." The voice on the other end of the line belonged to Katherine.
"Katherine, it's David. Can you put Anna on the phone?”
“Just a moment." Her tone was clipped and icy as she set the ear piece on the mantle.
"David," Anna answered the phone after a moment of icy silence. "If you could make this quick. I have Thomas' dinner on the stove…"
"I'm going to be joining up on the crew of a yacht. I'm going to be leaving the city tomorrow for Havana.”
"What about Thomas?" Anna asked, taken aback.
"What about Thomas?" David snapped. "I thought I explained that this is what is best for him.”
"Are you going to come back and see him before you leave?" Anna asked. Her voice momentarily lost the harsh and icy undertone usually present when she spoke to him. "He's been asking for you.”
"It's probably easier for everyone if I don't," David replied, swallowing the pang of regret bubbling in his stomach.
"Maybe for you, but not for that baby.”
"He's two," Thomas replied. "He'll forget about me in a few weeks."
“Is that really what you want?”
"I'll send you the money as I get it," David said, picking at his thumbnail. The pesky hangnail was throbbing. He drew this thumb into his mouth, sucking at the blood building under the nail.
"I promise. He won't put you out.”
"Christ David, he's our nephew. I just-“
"You just-what?" David asked, trying to fight off the hostile tone in his voice. He ran a hand through his hair. He closed his eyes against the mental image of Anna in his head, a hand on her hip, her narrow eyes boring into him, judging him.
"I worry about him," Anna replied, a hint of emotion rang through her usually cold voice. She let out a soft sigh. She sounded tired as she continued. "Despite everything you seem to think, the boy needs his father.”
Clicking the earpiece back into the receiver, David paused for a moment and stared out the backdoor, which looked onto a dank alley. Heaps of trash from the restaurant were waiting for the street cleaner. Puddles of stagnant water pooled on the pavement, hidden from the sun which rarely got between the two buildings.
David closed his eyes, and pushed out a
"As long as I'm making enough money to send home to Thomas." David stopped for a moment, shaking his head. He leaned heavily on the edge of the counter. "I really don't have anything keeping me in the city.”
"You said your sisters-in-law will watch your son?”
David took a sip of his coffee and nodded his head. He coughed, trying to dislodge the frog he could feel in his throat. "It'll at least be a stable upbringing. That's more than I can give him."
"Can you leave tomorrow?”
"I don't have much more than this. I could leave today.”
"Are you sure?" Alexander asked, looking him over with a cautious eye.
"I know what you're thinking. Trust me, the sooner, the easier." David was putting on a strong face. He didn't want to say what he was actually thinking. Any delay in his exit could seriously shake his resolve to leave the city.
David stood up, "I'll be right back." He took a look around the diner, trying to locate a telephone. Not seeing one in any particular corner of the narrow room, he moved towards the bar.
"Can I help you, sir?" Another waitress asked. She smiled at him as she tucked her pencil behind her ear.
"Can I use a telephone?”
She looked him up and down quickly, thinking for a moment before nodding in the direction of the double doors leading to the kitchen. "It's in the back. Through the doors and you'll see it on your left.”
As David walked through the double doors, he was suddenly swallowed in the sounds and smells of a greasy diner. Somewhere, he could hear men calling out in an Eastern European language, is sounded vaguely Polish.
"Operator, can I have Greenpoint 6378?”
"Conlon residence." The voice on the other end of the line belonged to Katherine.
"Katherine, it's David. Can you put Anna on the phone?”
“Just a moment." Her tone was clipped and icy as she set the ear piece on the mantle.
"David," Anna answered the phone after a moment of icy silence. "If you could make this quick. I have Thomas' dinner on the stove…"
"I'm going to be joining up on the crew of a yacht. I'm going to be leaving the city tomorrow for Havana.”
"What about Thomas?" Anna asked, taken aback.
"What about Thomas?" David snapped. "I thought I explained that this is what is best for him.”
"Are you going to come back and see him before you leave?" Anna asked. Her voice momentarily lost the harsh and icy undertone usually present when she spoke to him. "He's been asking for you.”
"It's probably easier for everyone if I don't," David replied, swallowing the pang of regret bubbling in his stomach.
"Maybe for you, but not for that baby.”
"He's two," Thomas replied. "He'll forget about me in a few weeks."
“Is that really what you want?”
"I'll send you the money as I get it," David said, picking at his thumbnail. The pesky hangnail was throbbing. He drew this thumb into his mouth, sucking at the blood building under the nail.
"I promise. He won't put you out.”
"Christ David, he's our nephew. I just-“
"You just-what?" David asked, trying to fight off the hostile tone in his voice. He ran a hand through his hair. He closed his eyes against the mental image of Anna in his head, a hand on her hip, her narrow eyes boring into him, judging him.
"I worry about him," Anna replied, a hint of emotion rang through her usually cold voice. She let out a soft sigh. She sounded tired as she continued. "Despite everything you seem to think, the boy needs his father.”
Clicking the earpiece back into the receiver, David paused for a moment and stared out the backdoor, which looked onto a dank alley. Heaps of trash from the restaurant were waiting for the street cleaner. Puddles of stagnant water pooled on the pavement, hidden from the sun which rarely got between the two buildings.
David closed his eyes, and pushed out a
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