" Don't Just Be Another Brick In The Wall "

       cole had a nasty habit of looking and memorizing the faces of every patron that walked through the door just to get a good read on them. it was for his own anxiety, really. anyone who seemed unfriendly or scary to deal with in his own view he stayed away from. but, sometimes, people who looked different caught his attention and that was exactly what cyd had done the first time she walked through those doors. 

so, when she stepped through again ( albeit looking slightly different with a new hair color ) he instantly remembered her face. it took him a bit to finally make his way over to her, at the cost of telling one of the other bartenders that this was a patron he should leave to him, but when he finally got to her she was greeted with a friendly smile.  “ hey you. ”  he started.  “ fancy seein’ you here. ”

Patiently, she waited until she was noticed, making herself comfortable in the meantime. A quick look around told her the place hadn’t changed much in the past year; it was still cozy and warm inside, with a good ambient and some people about, drinking, eating, smoking... just living. There weren’t many establishments like this in Detroit, and it was a shame.

        cole’s never been a social butterfly, probably never would be. he’s friendly enough, sure, but he doesn’t seek the social craving that most of the world does. along with that, he’s never really traveled for the sake of travelling. sure he’d been in the states for a little while but it never stuck long and… well, he had a reason for doing so that wasn’t as spontaneous as saying ‘fuck it i wanna go to a new country!’ not that he was mocking people who did! it just wasn’t his style.

while his anti-social lifestyle overcame him at times, he still enjoyed the work environment brought by being a bartender. busier nights gave him stress beyond belief but there were always moments with each day that made the job worth keeping. especially considering the people he had the pleasure of meeting while on the job. 

The hunt didn’t take very long at all, thanks to modern technology. Plus, Cyd had a pretty good spacial memory; she could visit one place once and still remember small details about it years later. When she got to the right street, her phone was put away since she still recalled what the entrance of that bar looked like. It was late in the afternoon and snow flakes descended from the sky in little spirals, slowly but steadily covering the whole world in a white blanket. Somehow, the snow in Edinburgh seemed more pure than the one back in Detroit (the trash covering the city could be a good explanation for that).

The days after Christmas were the worst, in Cyd’s opinion. The excitement passes and the rush of travelling to Chicago to be with her parents, cooking for the Eve and then exchanging presents quickly drains away. Then it’s the wait for New Years. It’s just boring. Summer vacation was better because at least she could take a trip to the coast and bake at the beach or visit new places. Christmas holiday was nothing but day after day shut at home trying to ward off the cold. Not this year, however. This year, Cyd decided to do something different. If she was going to be cold, at least she would be so somewhere interesting.

       “ somethin’ like that. ”  he chuckled.  “ i think i just give in too easily sometimes she doesn’t even have t’ make a face. ”  with a shrug, he took a look at some of the more boring options for cereal.  “ think it’s just ‘cause i want her to be happy. i tend to spoil her a bit. ”

      “ nah, she’s at day care. asked me to get her some cereal when i got off work and here i am. ”  he gave one last glance at the ingredients before giving up and tossing the box in his cart.  “ loaded with sugar but i think i’ll let her have it just this once. she’s got me wrapped around her finger. ”

        when you’re a kid, you don’t care what you put in your body. this also stands true when you’re a twenty three year old adult. however, when you become a twenty four year old adult with a baby to take care of now, you start to read the labels on things. that hasn’t changed in all the five years eli’s been alive. by the time cyd came up to him, he was well into the ingredient list of that cereal box.  “ oh, ”  at least she didn’t scare him. he gave her a smile with a greeting.  “ hey. didn’t expect to see you again so soon. ”

         he wasn’t kidding when he mentioned he was in the store all the time. such was the life of a single dad. there was always something he either missed the last time because eli distracted him or something he had to go pick up because he ran out faster than expected or eli made a special request for it. today it was the latter of the two. she saw a new cereal on the tv and just had to try it. this time, however, he was without the toddler so he was having a peaceful shopping trip at least.

      “ aye, i do shop here a lot. ”  he laughed while taking the rest of his bagged groceries and putting them in the cart so they were easier to take out to the car.  “ thank you again for your help. ”  and with a sort of shy wave, cole took eli and their groceries out of the line and made his way out of the store, hoping just a bit that they would see each other again. 

      “ no, it’s okay. ”  he assured quickly, waving her apologies away. everyone always apologized. it didn’t do anything but he understood why people did it.  “ you didn’t know. ”  thankfully, eli didn’t look upset in the slightest. sure, moments like these confused her but she knew by now to just let them happen.  “ it’s not a big deal, i promise. ” 

      cole had a smile on his face that still remained, though much more faded, when cyd brought up eli’s mother.  “ actually – ”  cole started a bit somberly but eli, still as cheerful as a little girl could be, interrupted.  ‘ i don’t have a mommy. ’  it was spoken rather casually because it was normal to her now. all she had was cole, who now brushed down some of her wild hair.  “ aye, she’s not… around. ”

       “ what do you say to cyd, eli? ”  cole asked once they were done putting the groceries up.  ‘ thank you. ’  she spoke gently while looking up at at cyd with a beaming smile. the kid sure looked a lot like her dad that was for sure. especially that smile.  “ atta girl. ”

      ‘ yes, please! ’  eli happily smiled over at cyd when she said that. get done even faster with a little bit of extra help? she was smart enough to say yes to that. cole gave cyd a small smile.  “ thanks. ”  all he gave before continuing to get the groceries checked out and bagged.

       as eli picked up whatever she could lift, cole watched her carefully up until he heard the familiar voice.  “ oh, ”  he smiled as he held onto eli and glanced over at cyd.  “ i’m surprised you’re still here. you look like you were goin’ for way less than me. ”  he laughed. his daughter tugged at his sleeve to ask for help with the last few items they had to buy.  “ she’s been buggin’ me to go home so gotta hurry up and check out. can’t blame her, really. ”

        it’s hard shopping with a five year old, honestly. eli is a good girl and cole praises her for being well behaved most of the time but she isn’t perfect and she has her difficult moments. especially when she’s declared how sick of shopping she is.  “ we’ve got a few more things to get. ”  which she only pouted about until they were checking out. then she was all about helping her dad get everything on the counter.

         to the wink, eli managed a small giggle before burying her face away on her father’s shoulder again.  “ aye, damn shame it won’t, huh? i should get goin’ too. ”  he spoke, taking a step away from her.  “ hopefully you won’t have any more toddlers tryin’ to run you over. ”  with that last joke given, he turned away and as he did, eli gave cyd a tiny wave goodbye.

        “ she’s very firm on her nickname. doesn’t like when people get it wrong. ”  which was alright, as long as she stayed well mannered about it.  “ nice to meet you too, cyd. i’d shake your hand but if i let go of this one i’m scared she’ll dart off again. ”

         “ ah, okay. fair ‘nough. ”  he nodded while giving eli a little bounce so she wouldn’t get too uncomfortable while her dad had a chat with a stranger.  “ i’m cole by the way. ”  seemed he wasn’t going to give cyd that lecture she was expecting.  “ an’ this is elisabeth. ”  eli turned her head a bit more towards the woman she’d nearly collided into.  ‘ eli. ’  she corrected in as stern of a tone as a sweet little girl her age could.  “ right. sorry. eli. ”