12-04-2019, 03:02 PM
Karen stormed away from Joe; or she tried to. Joe was a couple feet behind her, trying to tell her she was over-reacting; which, of course, had the opposite effect of getting her to stop. Troy was buying a bag of popcorn from a cart and learned their names the same way everyone else in the vicinity did: By Joe repeatedly asking Karen to just stop and listen to him and Karen shouting at Joe to fuck off. Troy popped a couple pieces of popcorn into his mouth and moved to intercept her.
"Everything all right," he asked Karen, seeming to fill her entire field of vision. Not in a scary way, Gina thought; but like in movies where someone's lost in the desert and passes out and when they wake up, their rescuer is looming over them. He held the bag of popcorn out slightly as if he were offering, though he hadn't actually said the words. Like Karen was an old pal and he didn't have to say the words "Here, bought some popcorn, want some?" If she'd felt like taking some, she thought that this strange man would be completely ok with it.
"Fine," she sputtered before the unusualness of the moment hit her and she was back to anger. "Hey, this isn't any of your business!"
"Well, my name's Troy and I'm guessing you're Karen and the guy trailing after you is Joe based on the yelling that I and everyone in earshot heard, so the bits that you saw fit to shout out in the middle of a crowded park are sort of my business in a way. But I'm guessing there's more to it. Why don't you sit down and tell me about it?"
Karen's anger seemed to melt away as if the idea of being upset at this man who was stepping forward and offering to help in a park full of people who'd tried their best to ignore the argument didn't exist anymore. She couldn't think of any reason NOT to sit down with this man she'd just met and tell him everything that was going on in her life. As they sat, Joe stomped up to them.
"Oh, and who's this," he accused her. "I can't thank a waitress for a compliment but you can just walk up to some guy and start talking?" Troy looked over at him.
"Joe, is it? Hi, I'm Troy. You two are obviously having a problem; the kind that might benefit from talking to someone who's not emotionally involved and can see something from the outside that you can't. So, I'm going to have a word with Karen here. Why don't you go sit on that other bench across the way and I'll come see you in a moment." It wasn't a question, but Joe felt what Karen had felt in his presence and decided that he couldn't think of a reason not to wait patiently over on the other bench while this stranger had a private conversation with his girlfriend. He walked over to the other bench, sat down, and looked over at them as Troy turned to face Karen.
"Now, I know some of the story, Karen; something about a waitress. I'll be listening to Joe's version too, but I'd like to hear yours first. Why don't you tell me what's going on?"
Karen took a deep breath and, feeling no need not to tell Troy, began.
"We went out for breakfast and the waitress said something about his shirt being nice and he's all 'Thanks, babe, wore it just for you!' All right in front of me." Her outrage at the situation started to fade as she heard herself tell the story out loud to this incredibly nice man.
"I can see that being a little upsetting. My girlfriend was a waitress for years and she's told me how they learn to do that for better tips. Eventually it just comes without thinking. She got a better job last year; but when it was her turn to make the coffee the other morning, she brought it to my desk, set it down, and actually gave me a 'here ya go, hon; anything else I can get for you, sweetie' without noticing that she was doing it until afterwards. We laughed at that."
"Yeah, that IS pretty funny," Karen said with a smile that faded quickly. "But he didn't have to respond," she replied, realizing that her anger wasn't going to stand up in the light of reason, but still trying to defend her position.
"Well, has Joe gone there before without you?"
"I don't know. I don't think so."
"And was he checking her out before this happened?"
"No. I don't think he was, anyway. I wasn't looking right at him the whole time."
"I see," Troy said, offering the bag to her, but making it clear that's what he was doing this time. She took a bit as he continued. "So, there's nothing but your own suspicions to support the conclusion that it was anything more than 'She flirted with a customer hoping for a better tip and he tried to deflect it with a cute little joke?' That's all it really was, wasn't it, Karen?"
Karen looked down at the ground and shook her head yes. "That's all it really was." Troy leaned in a bit closer, but not close enough to touch.
"I admit, Karen, that I've only known Joe for less than two minutes; I don't have the kind of long, rich history with him as the two minutes and fifteen seconds that you and me go back." Karen looked up and smiled at that. "But based on what I've seen, he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who'd try to hurt you like that. Is he?" A nod in the negative came. Troy bent down to look her in the eye and continued.
"Everything all right," he asked Karen, seeming to fill her entire field of vision. Not in a scary way, Gina thought; but like in movies where someone's lost in the desert and passes out and when they wake up, their rescuer is looming over them. He held the bag of popcorn out slightly as if he were offering, though he hadn't actually said the words. Like Karen was an old pal and he didn't have to say the words "Here, bought some popcorn, want some?" If she'd felt like taking some, she thought that this strange man would be completely ok with it.
"Fine," she sputtered before the unusualness of the moment hit her and she was back to anger. "Hey, this isn't any of your business!"
"Well, my name's Troy and I'm guessing you're Karen and the guy trailing after you is Joe based on the yelling that I and everyone in earshot heard, so the bits that you saw fit to shout out in the middle of a crowded park are sort of my business in a way. But I'm guessing there's more to it. Why don't you sit down and tell me about it?"
Karen's anger seemed to melt away as if the idea of being upset at this man who was stepping forward and offering to help in a park full of people who'd tried their best to ignore the argument didn't exist anymore. She couldn't think of any reason NOT to sit down with this man she'd just met and tell him everything that was going on in her life. As they sat, Joe stomped up to them.
"Oh, and who's this," he accused her. "I can't thank a waitress for a compliment but you can just walk up to some guy and start talking?" Troy looked over at him.
"Joe, is it? Hi, I'm Troy. You two are obviously having a problem; the kind that might benefit from talking to someone who's not emotionally involved and can see something from the outside that you can't. So, I'm going to have a word with Karen here. Why don't you go sit on that other bench across the way and I'll come see you in a moment." It wasn't a question, but Joe felt what Karen had felt in his presence and decided that he couldn't think of a reason not to wait patiently over on the other bench while this stranger had a private conversation with his girlfriend. He walked over to the other bench, sat down, and looked over at them as Troy turned to face Karen.
"Now, I know some of the story, Karen; something about a waitress. I'll be listening to Joe's version too, but I'd like to hear yours first. Why don't you tell me what's going on?"
Karen took a deep breath and, feeling no need not to tell Troy, began.
"We went out for breakfast and the waitress said something about his shirt being nice and he's all 'Thanks, babe, wore it just for you!' All right in front of me." Her outrage at the situation started to fade as she heard herself tell the story out loud to this incredibly nice man.
"I can see that being a little upsetting. My girlfriend was a waitress for years and she's told me how they learn to do that for better tips. Eventually it just comes without thinking. She got a better job last year; but when it was her turn to make the coffee the other morning, she brought it to my desk, set it down, and actually gave me a 'here ya go, hon; anything else I can get for you, sweetie' without noticing that she was doing it until afterwards. We laughed at that."
"Yeah, that IS pretty funny," Karen said with a smile that faded quickly. "But he didn't have to respond," she replied, realizing that her anger wasn't going to stand up in the light of reason, but still trying to defend her position.
"Well, has Joe gone there before without you?"
"I don't know. I don't think so."
"And was he checking her out before this happened?"
"No. I don't think he was, anyway. I wasn't looking right at him the whole time."
"I see," Troy said, offering the bag to her, but making it clear that's what he was doing this time. She took a bit as he continued. "So, there's nothing but your own suspicions to support the conclusion that it was anything more than 'She flirted with a customer hoping for a better tip and he tried to deflect it with a cute little joke?' That's all it really was, wasn't it, Karen?"
Karen looked down at the ground and shook her head yes. "That's all it really was." Troy leaned in a bit closer, but not close enough to touch.
"I admit, Karen, that I've only known Joe for less than two minutes; I don't have the kind of long, rich history with him as the two minutes and fifteen seconds that you and me go back." Karen looked up and smiled at that. "But based on what I've seen, he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who'd try to hurt you like that. Is he?" A nod in the negative came. Troy bent down to look her in the eye and continued.
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