He was standing alone by the duck pond, just where he said he’d be. He nervously ran his fingers through his greasy hair as she approached. Dark circles ran under both of his eyes, and his face looked drawn and haggard.
“You look like shit, Tommy” she said by way of hello.
“I told you on the phone that I haven’t slept for three days,” he said.
“Sarah’s been looking for you. She said that you haven’t been to work. Or home,” she accused.
“Something happened,” he said, running his fingers through his hair again. “And I can’t figure it out.”
“What happened?” she asked. “Did something happen with Sarah?”
“There’s a bistro about a half-mile up the road. They have outdoor seating. I keep saying I want to eat there, but I never do. You know the one I mean?”
He waited for her nod before continuing.
“A lady is having lunch there with her younger sister. They haven’t spoken in years. They had a huge falling out one year at Christmas. The other day while the lady was gathering things for a garage sale, she came across a picture of her and her sister, and she decided to give her a call. Now they’re having lunch. Isn’t that magical?”
“Are you high? If you’re high, I’m leaving and calling Sarah.”
“I’m not high,” he said with impatience. “Is that magical?”
“Touching, maybe,” she said with a sigh of impatience. “But I wouldn’t call it magical. What does it have to do with you?”
“The sisters are having such a good time that they’ve all but forgotten why they were fighting in the first place,” he said. “The older sister offers to pay. She’s got some extra money, from her garage sale, you see. In her change, there’s a quarter that’s got two heads. It’s not really worth as much as you’d think--maybe five dollars. But definitely worth more than a quarter. It’s been in hundreds of pockets, and nobody has given it a second look even though it’s special. Different. And now, she’s left it for the waitress. Would you call that magic?”
“No, I wouldn’t call it fucking magic,” she said angrily. “What the hell are you even talking about?”
“There’s a lot of crows out today,” Tommy said, looking dreamily off into the distance.
“That’s it. I’m calling Sarah.”
Tommy grabbed her wrist, yanking her hand away from her purse. She tried to pull free, but his grip was a like a vice.
“Stop it, Tommy,” she said. “You’re freaking me out.”
“A crow jumps onto the table when they leave,” he said, his voice rising. Madness burned deep within his eyes. “It grabs the quarter and flies off. Why did it choose that one? Why did it leave the other coins behind? Was that when it happened?”
“Let me go!” she screamed. People in the park were looking at them, but nobody was coming to her aid. Tommy twisted her wrist painfully, locking her elbow, her palm pointing upward. She had to stand on her tip-toes in order to relieve the pressure on her joint.
“You’re hurting me,” she cried.
“The crow likes the quarter,” he continued, his voice taking on a hard edge. “It likes rubbing its tongue across it. And then, the coin shifts in the crow’s beak and falls. The quarter is gone.”
Something landed in her open hand, and she closed her fingers on it reflexively. Tommy let go of her wrist, the instant release of pressure causing her to fall backwards into the grass. He stared at her, his eyes wide with terror, as if he was as afraid of her as she was of him.
“I’m calling the fucking police,” she said as she scrambled back to her feet. But instead of reaching for her purse, she opened her hand to see what had fallen into it.
It was a quarter. Shaking, her heart beating a mile a minute, she slowly turned the coin over in her hand. It had two heads.
“When did the magic happen?” Tommy asked, his voice cracking as he reached for her. Pleading. “I can’t figure it out. When did it happen?”
She dropped the coin and ran.
* * *
She was sitting in the food court, a half-eaten piece of pizza in front of her. Her mascara was a mess.
“Hey Angie, I tried to call you back, but it went straight to voicemail,” he said. “The police are looking for you.”
“The police?” she asked quietly. Her eyes looked at him, but it was as if she were seeing something else, far in the distance.
“Yeah. You know after Tommy hung himself, they went through his phone. You’re the last person he called. They want to know if you know anything.”
“Tommy hung himself?” she asked, still speaking as if in a daze.
“Yeah, I thought you knew already,” he said. “You look like you’ve been crying.”
“Something happened,” she said. “I can’t wrap my mind around it. I haven’t been sleeping.”
“Did Tommy say something?” he asked. “What the hell happened?”
She reached out to take his hand, locking his gaze with hers. Her eyes were wild and bright.
“You know the shoe store across the mall?” she asked, and he nodded.
“There’s a little boy there, playing with a broken yo-yo. His mother is buying him new shoes. It’s his first day of school next week, you see. She said that he could pick out any color he wanted, even his favorite. Isn’t that magical?” she asked, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes.
“You look like shit, Tommy” she said by way of hello.
“I told you on the phone that I haven’t slept for three days,” he said.
“Sarah’s been looking for you. She said that you haven’t been to work. Or home,” she accused.
“Something happened,” he said, running his fingers through his hair again. “And I can’t figure it out.”
“What happened?” she asked. “Did something happen with Sarah?”
“There’s a bistro about a half-mile up the road. They have outdoor seating. I keep saying I want to eat there, but I never do. You know the one I mean?”
He waited for her nod before continuing.
“A lady is having lunch there with her younger sister. They haven’t spoken in years. They had a huge falling out one year at Christmas. The other day while the lady was gathering things for a garage sale, she came across a picture of her and her sister, and she decided to give her a call. Now they’re having lunch. Isn’t that magical?”
“Are you high? If you’re high, I’m leaving and calling Sarah.”
“I’m not high,” he said with impatience. “Is that magical?”
“Touching, maybe,” she said with a sigh of impatience. “But I wouldn’t call it magical. What does it have to do with you?”
“The sisters are having such a good time that they’ve all but forgotten why they were fighting in the first place,” he said. “The older sister offers to pay. She’s got some extra money, from her garage sale, you see. In her change, there’s a quarter that’s got two heads. It’s not really worth as much as you’d think--maybe five dollars. But definitely worth more than a quarter. It’s been in hundreds of pockets, and nobody has given it a second look even though it’s special. Different. And now, she’s left it for the waitress. Would you call that magic?”
“No, I wouldn’t call it fucking magic,” she said angrily. “What the hell are you even talking about?”
“There’s a lot of crows out today,” Tommy said, looking dreamily off into the distance.
“That’s it. I’m calling Sarah.”
Tommy grabbed her wrist, yanking her hand away from her purse. She tried to pull free, but his grip was a like a vice.
“Stop it, Tommy,” she said. “You’re freaking me out.”
“A crow jumps onto the table when they leave,” he said, his voice rising. Madness burned deep within his eyes. “It grabs the quarter and flies off. Why did it choose that one? Why did it leave the other coins behind? Was that when it happened?”
“Let me go!” she screamed. People in the park were looking at them, but nobody was coming to her aid. Tommy twisted her wrist painfully, locking her elbow, her palm pointing upward. She had to stand on her tip-toes in order to relieve the pressure on her joint.
“You’re hurting me,” she cried.
“The crow likes the quarter,” he continued, his voice taking on a hard edge. “It likes rubbing its tongue across it. And then, the coin shifts in the crow’s beak and falls. The quarter is gone.”
Something landed in her open hand, and she closed her fingers on it reflexively. Tommy let go of her wrist, the instant release of pressure causing her to fall backwards into the grass. He stared at her, his eyes wide with terror, as if he was as afraid of her as she was of him.
“I’m calling the fucking police,” she said as she scrambled back to her feet. But instead of reaching for her purse, she opened her hand to see what had fallen into it.
It was a quarter. Shaking, her heart beating a mile a minute, she slowly turned the coin over in her hand. It had two heads.
“When did the magic happen?” Tommy asked, his voice cracking as he reached for her. Pleading. “I can’t figure it out. When did it happen?”
She dropped the coin and ran.
* * *
She was sitting in the food court, a half-eaten piece of pizza in front of her. Her mascara was a mess.
“Hey Angie, I tried to call you back, but it went straight to voicemail,” he said. “The police are looking for you.”
“The police?” she asked quietly. Her eyes looked at him, but it was as if she were seeing something else, far in the distance.
“Yeah. You know after Tommy hung himself, they went through his phone. You’re the last person he called. They want to know if you know anything.”
“Tommy hung himself?” she asked, still speaking as if in a daze.
“Yeah, I thought you knew already,” he said. “You look like you’ve been crying.”
“Something happened,” she said. “I can’t wrap my mind around it. I haven’t been sleeping.”
“Did Tommy say something?” he asked. “What the hell happened?”
She reached out to take his hand, locking his gaze with hers. Her eyes were wild and bright.
“You know the shoe store across the mall?” she asked, and he nodded.
“There’s a little boy there, playing with a broken yo-yo. His mother is buying him new shoes. It’s his first day of school next week, you see. She said that he could pick out any color he wanted, even his favorite. Isn’t that magical?” she asked, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes.
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