The Past Belongs In The Past
Chapter Twenty Two- Empty Rooms
“Mummy! The phone is ringing!” Madison screamed from her bedroom.
I threw down the basket of laundry I had been holding and rushed to find the phone. I found it crammed between the couch and the bookcase.
“Hello?” I said breathlessly when I answered.
“Anna? Hi it’s Adam.” Replied a tunnel ‘cell phone’ voice of Adam Lazzara.
I paused for a moment to compose myself before replying “Oh hi, I was wondering where you’d been, I haven’t seen you at the kindergarten since…the incident.” I trailed off. “Jackson was back bringing Jamie in.”
“Oh yea, I didn’t get the chance to tell you I’d be out of town for a week with work.”
“With your band.” I said pointedly.
“Yea…” he said sheepishly. “I’m sorry again about not telling you…”
“That’s okay. We all have little secrets.” I muttered.
“Anyway I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight?”
“Tonight…I have to work.”
“I thought you worked at a coffee shop?” Adam sounded confused.
“I’m also a cabaret singer there.”
“Oh really? Another hidden occupation.”
“Yes, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stay in said occupation if I don’t show up tonight.”
“Meh, I’ll handle it.” He said off-handily “I’ll call you in five.”
“You’ll what--?” I began but he’d hung up already.
As promised the phone began to ring five or so minutes later.
“So apart from your previous work necessity you are free to come out on a romantic date with this desperate wooer?” Adam’s voice asked before I could inquire as to whom was calling.
“What do you mean ‘previous’?” I asked suspiciously.
“You are off the hook.” He said triumphantly.
“What did you do?”
“I called your manager, told her who I was, name dropped a bit, mentioning how I had been given a recommendation to the café by a Miss March and I would be sure to pass it on to some of my ‘associates’. She ate it up, now I just need to become friends with all the people I said I was.”
I frowned. “I’m not sure that’ll actually work--” I was cut off by the sound of my cell phone ringing. “Hang on Adam,”
“Hello?” I said into the brick of a mobile phone.
“Hey Anna it’s Cat. Look it’s really quiet in here tonight, you don’t need to come in, we’ll just have Jay play a few things.”
I was stunned. Never in all my years of working for Catherine had she ever let me off for something not related to Maddie. I’ve sung to many empty rooms.
“Adam I--” I began into the other phone.
“Pick you up at 8.” He said simply and hung up again.
---------
For Amanda.
I threw down the basket of laundry I had been holding and rushed to find the phone. I found it crammed between the couch and the bookcase.
“Hello?” I said breathlessly when I answered.
“Anna? Hi it’s Adam.” Replied a tunnel ‘cell phone’ voice of Adam Lazzara.
I paused for a moment to compose myself before replying “Oh hi, I was wondering where you’d been, I haven’t seen you at the kindergarten since…the incident.” I trailed off. “Jackson was back bringing Jamie in.”
“Oh yea, I didn’t get the chance to tell you I’d be out of town for a week with work.”
“With your band.” I said pointedly.
“Yea…” he said sheepishly. “I’m sorry again about not telling you…”
“That’s okay. We all have little secrets.” I muttered.
“Anyway I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight?”
“Tonight…I have to work.”
“I thought you worked at a coffee shop?” Adam sounded confused.
“I’m also a cabaret singer there.”
“Oh really? Another hidden occupation.”
“Yes, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stay in said occupation if I don’t show up tonight.”
“Meh, I’ll handle it.” He said off-handily “I’ll call you in five.”
“You’ll what--?” I began but he’d hung up already.
As promised the phone began to ring five or so minutes later.
“So apart from your previous work necessity you are free to come out on a romantic date with this desperate wooer?” Adam’s voice asked before I could inquire as to whom was calling.
“What do you mean ‘previous’?” I asked suspiciously.
“You are off the hook.” He said triumphantly.
“What did you do?”
“I called your manager, told her who I was, name dropped a bit, mentioning how I had been given a recommendation to the café by a Miss March and I would be sure to pass it on to some of my ‘associates’. She ate it up, now I just need to become friends with all the people I said I was.”
I frowned. “I’m not sure that’ll actually work--” I was cut off by the sound of my cell phone ringing. “Hang on Adam,”
“Hello?” I said into the brick of a mobile phone.
“Hey Anna it’s Cat. Look it’s really quiet in here tonight, you don’t need to come in, we’ll just have Jay play a few things.”
I was stunned. Never in all my years of working for Catherine had she ever let me off for something not related to Maddie. I’ve sung to many empty rooms.
“Adam I--” I began into the other phone.
“Pick you up at 8.” He said simply and hung up again.
---------
For Amanda.