When they entered the café, Solene picked a booth, which looked out over the street. A waiter came up and gave them the menu card. Solene ordered black coffee and a pint of malt coffee cream, plus a slice of pumpkin pie. Justin got a chicken sandwich, plus French fries and a Coke. On a small rostrum set in the back, a band comprised of five eclectic young men, was hard up wrestling, chugging, and panting through a cool musical performance.
“What do you think of the music?” Solene asked Justin.
“It’s alright, I guess.”
“It’s ridiculous!” She said, looking offhandedly across the room at the band. “And the place itself isn’t so hot.”
“We can go somewhere else, if you like…” Justin said, checking out the cozy modern interior design of the café, the flamboyant menu board, the clean marble slabs, and the hard maple partition walls. There was even an aquarium sided against the back wall.
“No –– That’ll do it.” Solene said as the waiter brought their orders and deposited them on the table.
They started digging in.
The café was two-thirds full. And everywhere Justin’s eyes landed, people in their smartest clothes were either blabbing, eating, drinking, or doing all three at once. Sometimes, there were shouts across tables when acquaintances were recognized.
Because of the rumbling of the cars outside, the street noise seeped through the front plate glass. Justin reckoned that maybe he should’ve been the one to pick their seats. He’d have preferred a quieter spot, where he could speak his heart – or at least try to – without distraction. Next time he’d pick; and he bookmarked that resolution somewhere in his brain, where there were registered oodles of other resolutions.
Suddenly Justin eyeballed Solene. She was slicing through her pie, and with steady lightness, forking it into her mouth, her lips lapping delectably over each other. Those lips… Justin quickly cast his mind back to something less provocative, but his mind was no longer obeying. It was really weird the way perception worked. You could look at something a hundred times as a whole, but the moment you started paying attention to the details, that thing you thought you knew from looking at it so often, appeared differently to your eyes.
Her lips, her nose, her chin... those parts had always been on Solene whenever he had seen her. But now, in the special light of the café, Justin couldn’t look at them and keep a straight face. They just wonderfully stood out.
So that’s what love does to you, he thought while sipping his Coke. It opens up your eyes. Love isn’t blind like they sing in the songs.
“See those girls over there?” Solene said. She was looking at a trio of young giggling uptown girls on the other side of the room. “Do you know them?”
Justin took a discreet look. Those girls promoted the rainbow season or something with their hairstyling color: A blonde, a redhead, and a brunette. They looked terrific altogether in their fashionable finery. But you could tell they were fashion junkies, and that they were proud of their projected vintage identities.
“I’ve never seen them in my life,” Justin replied. “Why do you ask?”
“The one with the beret, she keeps leering at you.” Solene added with a playful grin. “Maybe she finds you attractive.”
Okay, she was teasing. Justin could tease, too. Slowly, he began to relax; the nervousness he had felt till now was releasing its bind over his body.
He said, trying to load his voice with charms:
“And you –– Do you find me attractive?”
Solene chuckled. Justin thought maybe the way he’d said it was all wrong. He wished he could find a hole and hide.
“It’s not like you to be so… corny,” Solene finally cared to say. “And just for the record, I think you’re alright; more than alright actually.”
Justin didn’t know how to place her words. And he didn’t have time to dwell on that either because Solene was doing something surprising. Out of her purse she hauled a pack of cigarettes, shook one stick out, and lit up. It was only when she put away her satin blue lighter that she realized Justin was gaping at her.
“What?” Solene said. “Never seen a cigarette before?”
Justin played for time. “When did you start smoking?”
“I don’t know,” she said, crossing her legs and puffing a light blue smoke. “Three, four months ago. I was in a pretty bad place.”
Solene blew at him, sort of shamelessly, and he sucked it up in spite of himself. Justin was having a hard time reconciling his knowledge of the old Solene, the one who’d been sitting opposite him one minute ago, with this new version. The witchy creature in front of him was an unfamiliar, mysterious femme fatale... Her impudent girly beauty was vanishing by the second, just like smoke vanishes in the air. And in its place was the confident face of a woman in charge of her own fate. Even her movements had upgraded to a sensuous sophistication. Justin realized that Solene was playing in another league. And that just made her more desirable.
“Are you even allowed to smoke inside?” Justin asked, trying to ignore the smoke, which was stinging his nostrils.
“Nowhere does it say it’s not. And in any case, we’ll find out if someone complains.”
She grinned at him invitingly and, in an all-or-nothing kind of gesture, held out a cigarette to him. “Here,” she said. “Want to try one?”
Justin studied the proffered cigarette as if it was some dubious chalk he was getting sent with to resolve a tricky math equation on the blackboard. His lips drew back from his teeth in defiance.
What was this? A test? He took the goddamn thing and poked it inexpertly between his lips. Solene lit him up.
In his mouth, the cigarette winked on and off without measure. Justin let out a rasping grunt. He was feeling a searing smoke smother his virgin lungs like the dark clouds smother the sky. His face turned purple. And like a madman, he coughed that poison out of his system and knocked back the rest of his Coke to recuperate. Solene was laughing her ears off the entire time.
“Don’t smoke yourself to death,” she said, taking the cigarette out of his hand and putting it out on her pie plate. “It gets easier the second time.”
“Probably” Justin said between two jagged breaths. “I know I can do it and not look like a fool…”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, yeah. It was just a rookie mistake.”
“Alright,” Solene said. “But it’s not for everyone… Are you okay now?”
Justin kept coughing…
A look of mild concern flowed from Solene’s eyes. Justin felt as if she was appraising him with those eyes…those hypnotic eyes that now belonged to a smoker.
Smoking was usually a big no-no with him. But because it was Solene, he figured the fact that she smoked wouldn’t be too much trouble for him to bear. But damn, how he wished she hadn’t taken up smoking. He’d have to do it to stay on her level.
To answer her question, he said, “What brand was that? It kinda tastes like burnt cardboard.”
She chuckled again and jauntily grabbed the cigarette pack and showed him the brand.
“They also have the mint flavored one,” she said. “But I don’t like those. They always leave me feeling queasy. You feeling better?”
“Better, yeah… But not so hot anymore.”
She smiled and shook her head and took another pull on her cigarette. He looked at her, right through her eyes. He really sunk through them. And for a clock less moment, he stripped Solene bare of all her complexities, and all her imperfections, until she was nothing but naked and elemental. That was it, Justin realized; smoking was another act of rebellion. Just like when – a long while ago – she had gone on the unholy crusade to light garbage cans on fire. He knew because he had been there. He had spilled the lighter fluid.
This too shall pass, Justin thought. I know you Solene Greaves…
Troubled by Justin’s penetrating gaze, Solene blushed and looked away. She vaguely looked around the room to give herself some be
aring; then she glanced at her watch. Justin gladdened to see her getting coy and insecure like that. It meant something about him was making her lose her wits.
“Sorry about the cigarette thing,” Solene said when she was able to hold his gaze again. “I shouldn’t have; that was stupid.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that.” Justin said after a last cough.
“Are you all right now? I mean, you’re to blame too; I didn’t think you’d actually want to smoke one.”
“Oh really,” Justin said. “But I coughed all my lungs out on purpose just so you could have your laugh.”
With a covert smile, Solene said, “Well, thank you. I had a good laugh.”
Then an awkward silence befell them. That was something common on first dates, wasn’t it?
Justin shoved his hand inside his pants’ pocket and produced a small, velvet jewelry pouch. Solene’s eyes shifted towards it.
“I have a little something for you,” Justin announced, while pushing the gift towards her across the table. “I hope you’ll like it.”
“What is it?” Solene asked all toothy.
She looked like a young girl again.
“Open it and you’ll see.”
She put down her cigarette and loosened the drawstring to open the pouch. Inside was a silver bracelet with leather style cords. Some initials were engraved upon it. They were very thin: S.G. from J. D.
“Happy birthday,” Justin said.
“You want me to wear this?” Solene asked. Though she seemed happy about the bracelet and all, you could tell she was a little bit in disarray.
“Of course –– For what other reasons would I be giving it to you?”
Solene snapped the bracelet on her wrist, and Justin had to help her latch it close. She then put her arm out to judge the intrinsic value the piece of jewelry was adding to her. Anxious, Justin awaited her verdict. But she was taking her time. He thought she’d go mad over it, but all he registered was her lukewarm response.
“So do you like it?” Justin asked, unable to wait any longer.
“Well –– it looks swell.”
“I know it looks swell, but do you like it?”
Tilted against the edge of her pie plate, the cigarette was burning down. She picked it up and sucked on it. Her femme fatale persona was springing back up in her.
“Yeah, sure,” Solene said after puffing away. “I think it’s good for all occasions.”
“You wouldn’t lie about it, right? I mean, you’d tell me if you didn’t like it…”
“I like it… I want it… I’ll wear it henceforward!” Then she added good-naturedly, “But really, you shouldn’t have bothered. Now I’ll have to think of a birthday present to give you.” Justin smirked. Solene said again: “When is it, anyway?”
“April 23rd.”
“Oh – Well, when the day comes, I’ll try to surprise you.”
Again, Solene’s eyes raked over the bracelet. They were sparkling with contentment. Justin was happy like never before in his life.
Then something flashed through Solene’s mind, and she looked up at him.
“You didn’t steal it, did you?” She asked in what sounded like a joking tone.
Justin had to laugh.
“You really have a way of spoiling the moment, you know?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Solene said. “I’d still keep it even if it was shoplifted.”
“Huh-uh, I’m done with that… I emptied out my piggy bank, if you must know. Six months worth of savings. I can show you the receipt if you like.”
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have even brought that up.”
She batted her eyelashes like a sorry puppy dog to get herself excused.
“It’s okay –– I was getting out of hand anyway. I was going crazy.” Then Justin added because he felt it was necessary. “Not crazy like you.”
Solene forced a smile.
“It was my fault.” Then right after that she said with a different tone, “It is my fault.”
Justin wanted to say otherwise, but couldn’t. Solene was right. In a sense she was the catalyst to many of his misdemeanors.
He wondered how different a person he would’ve turned out to be, had he never crossed paths with Solene five years ago…
Chapter XII
GOOD BOY MEETS BAD GIRL:
THE END OF THE AGE OF INNOCENCE