Coffee and Cigarettes

As soon as we passed the threshold in Libby's front foyer, Jane practically shoved us out again. "I'm expecting company and no offense girls, but I don't really want you in the house with your muddy shoes since I just cleaned, bye!"

She'd said this with the speed of a cheetah on cocaine, so we just looked back at the closed door in front of us with confusion.

Libby scratched her head. "Uh, okay," she said puzzled. "I didn't know she was expecting anyone..."

"Hmmm," I pondered. "Hey, Libby?" I asked with a slight grin on my face.

"What is it?" she asked, still puzzled.

"Do you remember when we were like, ten and wanted to become spies when we were older, so we would dress up in all black and camouflage into things and spy on people?"

Silence. "Uhh....yes."

"I've got an idea," I said slyly. "Let's go to my house and prepare. Your mom was still wearing sweats, so that means we have at least twenty minutes to prepare for our little stake-out."

"Why are we doing this?" Libby whined. "What if it's just my mom's garden party?"

I rolled my eyes. "Does she have friends who are honestly that snooty? In Jersey, no less?"

Libby smirked. "Duly noted. Let's do this."

We crept over to my house (well, not really crept, more like jogged off giggling in the distance) and bounded up to my room. Bob, who was sitting on the couch, knew better than to ask.

I don't know why I had them, but I took out my two pairs of dark green camouflage pants and black turtleneck shirts with dark green fingerless gloves and black beanies. Oh, and a pair of binoculars just in case.

"You'd think you were a spy in your spare time," Libby smirked.

"Don't ask," I grinned. "I like to pretend."

We got dressed and ran back downstairs. Bob didn't even look away from the television.

Libby checked her cell phone. We had five minutes to position ourselves and wait.

"Maybe we should've worn white," Libby called from up in the tree she sat in. "I mean, it is winter and everything is covered in snow."

I sighed. "Maybe you're right. Well, no time now, just stay up in that three with the binoculars, I'm gonna go hang around the bushes by the side of the house. Text me if you see anything."

Libby nodded in agreement and poised herself up in the tree with the binoculars in her hands. Anyone from a distance would've noticed her right away, had she not decided to lie down on one of the larger branches to camouflage herself even more.

I crept over to the bushes and dusted the snow off of them in order to fit in with the shrubbery a bit more. I felt like a five year old playing pretend again and I loved it!

Libby and I had both set our phones to vibrate, so as not to "compromise our position". We sat there, still as the wind that day. Suddenly, we saw a car coming down the road.

My phone buzzed and I read the message. It read:

Suspicious black car 2 ur left. Keep a lookout.

I texted back and said:

10/4. idk what it means but im on it.
The car drove noiselessly against the icy pavement and pulled up in Libby's driveway. I peered through the branches as the door opened, but the man was wearing a hood over his head. I couldn't get a good look at his face.

He rang the doorbell and Jane let him in with a smile. I couldn't help but notice her eyes shoot from side to side as she closed the door, however.

Once we were sure that she was gone, Libby hopped down and I came out of hiding.

"Did you see who it was?" she asked when we were reunited.

I shook my head. "No, he had his hood up. Did you see anything?"

"Other than that neat car he's got, nothing at all," she answered. "I've got a bad feeling about this whole thing, Morg."

I nodded. "Me, too. Come on, let's change. We still have to wrap up those presents, tomorrow's Christmas."

We walked back to my house in pure silence and as we came through the door, Bob finally reacted. "Were you spying on someone?" he asked immediately.

"What gave you that idea?" Libby asked. Bob must've assumed that her question was rhetorical because he just laughed.

"Change, you two. And stop snooping around other people's affairs."

"Hypocrite," I said jokingly.

"Yeah," Libby agreed. "Hippo!"

Bob just rolled his eyes and went back to his television set.

Libby and I got dressed again and went back downstairs to wrap the gifts. As we were doing so, Libby said, "My mom's having an affair with that guy. I just know it."

"I kind of got that feeling too," I admitted. "But we can't just accuse her of having an affair. We need proof."

Libby sighed. "I really wish that my parents would just work things out. Have another kid or something, anything to bring them back together. I'm sick of all this shit that's happening, it isn't fair!"

Then all of a sudden, she burst out crying. I immediately went to her side and hugged her tightly as she sobbed into my sweater.

"I mean," she hiccuped, "it's one thing to get a divorce, but to have an affair while you're still married? I didn't know my mother was capable of anything like this."

I didn't say anything. I couldn't. We just sat there in silence as she cried.

Then out of nowhere, Blair (who had justcome home) came bursting through the door, her frail body shaking with anger.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" she demanded, her eyes aflame with fury.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, clearly confused.

"Him," she seethed. "Jon Bishops. His car is parked in Libby's driveway."