to, that helps. Anyway, I should probably be getting home now, the llamas need feeding.”
Ben scurried back to his desk as noiselessly as he could and started tidying the papers on it. Jillian came into the pool of light cast by his desk lamp, clutching her purse to her chest. She froze when she saw Ben standing there.
“Oh! Jillian, right? Sorry, didn’t know anyone was still in here. Find what you were looking for?” He smiled gently, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He knew she would be mortified if she knew he’d been listening.
“I—yes and no. Silly claim from earlier. Was sure there was nothing, and I was right.” She took two steps towards the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Ben shook his head as she bolted, leaving the warehouse door open. She was an odd duck, but no more so than anyone else he’d met here already, or himself, for that matter. He finished shutting off the lights and headed toward the front door. As he stepped out of the warehouse, he almost ran into Sylvia.
“Oh, for God’s sake.” He steadied her with his free hand. “Doesn’t anyone ever leave this place?”
“I might say the same to you. Making more copies were you?”
“Yes, but if I’m here this late doing illicit copying, and Jillian’s here to talk to Uncle Shem over in the corner about her conspiracy theories, what in the world are you doing here?”
“Talking to old ashes, huh? Well, she’s always enjoyed their chats.”
He hitched his bag farther up his shoulder and planted himself in her way. “I’m waiting.”
She pouted. “You are no fun. I want to know what’s going on.” She leaned forward and poked him in the chest, hard. “For real this time. Enough pussy-footing around.”
Ben sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He still felt like he shouldn’t be sharing his story around at work where he had to see the pity in people’s eyes everyday, but talking that little bit with Celine hadn’t been as off putting as he thought it would have been. “Fine. But not here, can we go someplace else?”
“Sure. There’s a great bar just down the road.”
“Perfect. I could really use a drink right about now.”
They were ensconced at a back table at JR’s Lounge shortly thereafter, Ben with a Peachtree and Sylvia with a Guinness.
“Interesting place.” Ben was trying to look around without being obvious. And stall. He didn’t know how to start since most people he talked to about this already mostly knew what was going on. “You wouldn’t even know this place was back here if you didn’t know about it.”
“That’s the best part; the party boys don’t know about it. You can come drink here without anyone bothering you. Now. So far I know that your boy is missing and that you and your wife have split. Not surprising really. A lot of marriages have trouble after their children have died. Not that he’s dead,” she hastened to add. “Missing. There isn’t any reason to think he’s dead, is there?”
“No, no, but let me tell this at my own pace. I haven’t had to…most people in Savannah just knew. Now I have to explain it all again. And, unlike most people, you aren’t content with ‘My son’s missing, what else can I say?’”
“No, no I’m not. Besides, I know it helps take the sting out of things to get them into the open air, no matter how much it hurts to do it.”
He wasn’t sure about that bit of colloquial wisdom, but he had decided to tell her and he would follow through on that. It was also a sure bet she wouldn’t let him leave without a fuss if he didn’t tell her. Ben drained half of his beer before he figured out where to start. “I guess I should start at the beginning. Well, when he disappeared at any rate.” Ben flagged the bartender and gestured for another beer before draining the rest of the bottle.
Blank Letters
You don’t see many of these now, but they used to be fairly common. Lazy office clerks don’t notice that an
Ben scurried back to his desk as noiselessly as he could and started tidying the papers on it. Jillian came into the pool of light cast by his desk lamp, clutching her purse to her chest. She froze when she saw Ben standing there.
“Oh! Jillian, right? Sorry, didn’t know anyone was still in here. Find what you were looking for?” He smiled gently, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He knew she would be mortified if she knew he’d been listening.
“I—yes and no. Silly claim from earlier. Was sure there was nothing, and I was right.” She took two steps towards the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Ben shook his head as she bolted, leaving the warehouse door open. She was an odd duck, but no more so than anyone else he’d met here already, or himself, for that matter. He finished shutting off the lights and headed toward the front door. As he stepped out of the warehouse, he almost ran into Sylvia.
“Oh, for God’s sake.” He steadied her with his free hand. “Doesn’t anyone ever leave this place?”
“I might say the same to you. Making more copies were you?”
“Yes, but if I’m here this late doing illicit copying, and Jillian’s here to talk to Uncle Shem over in the corner about her conspiracy theories, what in the world are you doing here?”
“Talking to old ashes, huh? Well, she’s always enjoyed their chats.”
He hitched his bag farther up his shoulder and planted himself in her way. “I’m waiting.”
She pouted. “You are no fun. I want to know what’s going on.” She leaned forward and poked him in the chest, hard. “For real this time. Enough pussy-footing around.”
Ben sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He still felt like he shouldn’t be sharing his story around at work where he had to see the pity in people’s eyes everyday, but talking that little bit with Celine hadn’t been as off putting as he thought it would have been. “Fine. But not here, can we go someplace else?”
“Sure. There’s a great bar just down the road.”
“Perfect. I could really use a drink right about now.”
They were ensconced at a back table at JR’s Lounge shortly thereafter, Ben with a Peachtree and Sylvia with a Guinness.
“Interesting place.” Ben was trying to look around without being obvious. And stall. He didn’t know how to start since most people he talked to about this already mostly knew what was going on. “You wouldn’t even know this place was back here if you didn’t know about it.”
“That’s the best part; the party boys don’t know about it. You can come drink here without anyone bothering you. Now. So far I know that your boy is missing and that you and your wife have split. Not surprising really. A lot of marriages have trouble after their children have died. Not that he’s dead,” she hastened to add. “Missing. There isn’t any reason to think he’s dead, is there?”
“No, no, but let me tell this at my own pace. I haven’t had to…most people in Savannah just knew. Now I have to explain it all again. And, unlike most people, you aren’t content with ‘My son’s missing, what else can I say?’”
“No, no I’m not. Besides, I know it helps take the sting out of things to get them into the open air, no matter how much it hurts to do it.”
He wasn’t sure about that bit of colloquial wisdom, but he had decided to tell her and he would follow through on that. It was also a sure bet she wouldn’t let him leave without a fuss if he didn’t tell her. Ben drained half of his beer before he figured out where to start. “I guess I should start at the beginning. Well, when he disappeared at any rate.” Ben flagged the bartender and gestured for another beer before draining the rest of the bottle.
Blank Letters
You don’t see many of these now, but they used to be fairly common. Lazy office clerks don’t notice that an
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