Are You Sleeping With Your Own Ghost?

Hugh can’t say that he is a big culture person. It’s not like he can afford a hobby… but music does help when he tries to sleep. The trouble is, he doesn’t know what’s what, and he just picks random vinyls from the shop and hopes for the best. Hugh goes through the records absentmindedly, and without much thinking, he alphabetizes the ones that are out of order. He doesn’t notice that the owner was standing next to him for a few seconds. “Huh?” Hugh lets out a dumb sound, which is not the kind of things people expected from him back at the city hall. But outside of the office, Hugh Stewart is barely a functional human. Especially when he hasn’t refueled for caffeine in an hour. “Uhm, some of your records were out of order.” He replies, awkwardly putting down the random record in his hand. “…I might’ve taken liberty to rearrange them. Hope you don’t mind.”

Jackson was still stuck in his head as he tried to put the right thing’s in order. It occurred to him that the trio might need to hire some extra help around the store if it meant things were going to look better. “Hmm?” Jack replied glancing back up at the figure. He was shocked someone else wanted to help him. “ Honestly I don’t mind the help. This whole thing is a mess and I’ve spent the last half hour trying to fix this one section” Jack replied gestured to just one section of the store. . 

Damien’s birthday was in a couple of weeks and the nymph had already begun her hunt for a good present. She was still debating between getting him some good books, or perhaps some iconic record. Or maybe just a whole lot of candy to poke fun at the way they met. Since Peter first brought her, TriBeCa had become her favorite spot to search for good literature or some music. “Hey Jack” she said with a little smile as she found Damien and Peter’s dad fighting the usual troubles of clients who didn’t put things back in their place. “Uh, no. You know me, I was just looking around” Nora said as she gestured around the place. “But maybe I can give you a hand with that” she told him as she walked over to the vinyl section he was trying to get organized again.

Jack felt a bit foolish for not immediately recognizing it had been Nora standing right next to him. He had seen her a lot around the house and thought her and his son were a good match, despite not really knowing her outside of that. “Nora. Sorry I didn’t realize it was you. This mess really threw me off. How’s it going?” Jack chuckled before glancing back over at her. “ Only if you want to. i wont make you do anything if you have plans. “ He added before pulling a stack out of the vinyl sections. “When did the Spice Girls become death metal?” He chuckled trying to make a joke out of how huge of a mess this was. 

TriBeCa was a little busier than usual and he had to admit while staff was small he appreciated that maybe the business was finally paying off. What wasn’t paying off was how people seemed to constantly mess up the vinyl records section of the shop. He let out a sigh, wondering if he did this because organizing was a way to deal with his anxiety or just because he hated when people messed with music. Either way he was in the zone while he worked. “ This isn’t even a record?” He replied making a face as he pulled out a book from the section. “ At least try. “ He added before realizing that someone had walked over. “ Sorry I was in my own world. Was there anything I could help you with?”

Ricki watched him as he spoke, nodding gravely. She definitely understood the need to finish the first drink so fast. “Wow. That’s…  I can’t imagine.” She wasn’t sure what else to say so she finished her own first drink instead. Emotions and vulnerability with other adults weren’t her strongest suit. “I have to say I agree with that.” She had only met people with checkered pasts one way or another, they were the only people her father had really allowed in her life. “Ah. Well, it’s a nice place. I couldn’t believe it when I saw Forest there.”

Jack wasn’t normally this open with people who weren’t family or his family of choice. He didn’t open up to strangers but for some reason he felt the need to be honest in front of Ricki. Despite how odd it all was, he wanted to explain his life to someone, because in his head it all sounded too insane to be real and yet it was.  “ I can’t either. You couldn’t make up this stuff” Jack replied shaking his head. He really needed another drink and before he knew it another one was placed in front of him. “It’s probably one of the more comfortable places I’ve spent my time. Maybe, but then again I feel like Forest could be anywhere and it would seem like an obvious place to be. “

Ricki blinked back at him in surprise. Forest had never offered details and she had never asked. It was simply not her business as far as she was concerned. But once he started telling her, she did start wondering, even though she wasn’t one to charge into someone else’s story. “Shit, that’s… Plane crashes are rough, I’m sorry. It’s a miracle you all made it.” Even if they were separated. They weren’t now, right? That had to mean something. “You’re probably right,” she said finally. “Don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone who had it all so black and white.” Part of her thought that she was one of the many who had it hard, but did she? What was her pain exactly? Parental issues? There was probably a club for that. She let out a relieved breath, glad to not be the only one in need of liquid courage. “So, uh, you work at Tribeca?” She almost cringed at the words because they had pretty much already covered this. As soon as the waitress came, she ordered herself two drinks quickly, knowing she could use it.

Jack thought alcohol would have help him loosen up, but he was still incredibly nervous. He didn’t know what he was so bad at this, considering how he never had a problem getting a date long before. He nodded his head , feeling like he had said too much earlier about surviving a plane crash. “Yeah I don’t even know how it had happened, I was barely breathing when they found me, but they claimed I had died and that was how I got separated from them” He rambled, mentally kicking himself for bringing up even more. The reveal caused him to finish his first drink quickly as it came. This was not the right first date kind of talk. “ No and if they had, I don’t think they’re  people I’ve ever met” He explained. “ Yeah, I mean it was Milo’s baby first and Forest and I just sort of joined up recently. “

Peter watched him curiously, glancing at the book. He slowly rounded into the room properly and sat down at the other end of the couch, his heart pounding in his chest with the anxiety of being so close. I wasn’t all a bad anxiety either, it was sort of good, maybe something like hope. “Yeah, it is. I’ve read it…I read it probably twice every year. I have a highlighted copy in my room, all color-coded and stuff.”

He perked up at the words of the book, what was probably his first genuine smile with Jack pulling at his lips. “I love that part. You know they did a movie in the 80′s and the actors totally nailed that scene. I see it perfectly still.” A tearful reunion between family, just like with him and Damien and Jack, except for Peter hadn’t been able to be happy. guilt and frustration gnawed at him again and he had to push it back. “Do you have any thoughts about what might happen? Who are your favorites?” He glanced at his father’s finger in the book. “Do you want a bookmark? I have thousands.”

There was something about the energy of the room that made Jack smile so much, both internally and literally. He was at a point now where he was able to talk to his son in a way that he had only hoped would happen, but didn’t know he would ever had. The transition to reconnecting with Damien had been so much easier and he never wanted to take it for granted. He was still happy to have this breakthrough. “Really? After I finish I would love to see that copy. “ He asked curious what parts Peter had considered important. 

Jack nodded his head at the mention of the movie. He had been a kid when it had come out and admittedly he was not huge into movies but he knew it existed. “ Yeah I’ve heard. It has Patrick Swayze in it right?” He asked, trying to think of the only actor he knew of to jog his memory. “ I try not to predict books, cause  worry I could set myself up for disappointment, but I imagine Ponyboy would be back home at some point? His siblings care a lot about him. Darry and Dallas are in the top so far, but that could change in a few pages. “ He mused. “ Oh? Sure, I tend to dog ear the pages usually, but I know people have hated that I did that” He chuckled

Ricki nodded slowly, fingers rubbing at her knee under the table uncertainly. She really needed a drink. “That’s great that things are getting better. I’m glad to hear it.” She shifted in her seat thinking about the moment she had found Forest by simple coincidence. “Not much. He said you were separated from an accident,” she said quietly, giving him a soft and almost apologetic smile. “That you almost died, but you ran into each other when you got to town. I cannot imagine what that must have been like.” Even not knowing the details, it seemed terrible. after all, her own father had spent his life searching for his daughter (she thought that part with some bitterness). The pain must be unbearable to not know where your children were. “Yeah, mine’s always been business mostly, I guess.” She nodded and then sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m bad at this and I really need a drink. Want one?” she asked, flagging the waitress down.

Jack went very quiet at the thought of others talking about what he’d been through. He trusted Forest and knew he wasn’t going to just tell random people about the pain he had been through. I was still weird to hear someone say back to him what he’d experienced. “ It’s getting there. It’s been a long time so it’s still a process. “ He admitted, knowing thing’s weren’t perfect but they were far better than his life had been years ago. “ Yeah a plane crash” He admitted again. He didn’t know why he admitted to what had happened but maybe it was just his nerves making him blab. “ I mean everyone has their thing. I doubt anyone has had it easy” He explained trying to not say too much about himself and feeling nervous again. Jack had once had a way with girls when he was younger. He was also a dumb teenager with nothing to lose who hadn’t fallen in love yet. Now he was  far cry from that person and he realized it the more the awkward silence passed between them. “Must be hard to get to know people in that business”  He nodded knowing that there was no way it was easy. “ No it’s fine. I can use one too. I’m way too nervous without one or three to be honest”