Gary was eating a muffin. He went and stood at the garbage can near the entrance to the restrooms. It smelled like urine there. He was watching Teebe behind the counter and eating the muffin slowly. He lifted it to his lips with one hand, while the other hand stayed in the pocket of his beige parka. He took small bites, not taking his eyes from Teebe. The muffin crumbs were falling down the neck of his parka and some crumbs were falling onto the floor. People stepped around him to get to the restrooms. Teebe looked over at him twice. Both times they made brief eye contact. Gary finished his muffin.
“Excuse me,” said a man.
“Excuse me,” said a man.
"Yes," said Gary.
He stepped aside to let the man pass. He crumpled his muffin paper, paper bag and wax paper and pushed them through the swinging door of the garbage can behind him. He walked back over to the counter and went to the front of the line.
“Excuse me,” he said.
Teebe looked up slowly.
“Yes,” she said.
“I just wanted to let you know that it smells like urine over there.”
Some people in the line looked at him. Teebe did not respond.
“I just thought you would want to know. It smells like someone took a piss there.”
“That’s where the washrooms are,” said Teebe.
Someone in the line laughed. Gary was quiet.
“I know that,” said Gary.
Teebe went back to her work while Gary continued to stand before the counter, hands in his pockets. He was blushing. He looked at the other people in line. They were not looking at him anymore. He made a low noise in the back of his throat. No one looked at him. After a few minutes he walked towards the door. He opened it and went into the glass vestibule. The door closed behind him. It was warm and windy there. He turned and looked back through the glass in the direction of the counter and line of people. Teebe saw him. He raised his hands and said something, but no-one could hear what it was.
One night, on his way home, Gary took a detour through the parkinglot of the plaza where the Coffee Time was. He was holding an LCBO bag containing a plastic bottle of Alberta Pure. It was almost dark. A smell of cinnamon mingling with cigarette smoke and citrus floor cleaner came out of the rotating ventilator on the roof of the Coffee Time. Gary stopped walking and sniffed the air. He stood between two parked cars looking at the large windows of the Coffee Time. There were people sitting inside at tables under the bright lights.
He stepped aside to let the man pass. He crumpled his muffin paper, paper bag and wax paper and pushed them through the swinging door of the garbage can behind him. He walked back over to the counter and went to the front of the line.
“Excuse me,” he said.
Teebe looked up slowly.
“Yes,” she said.
“I just wanted to let you know that it smells like urine over there.”
Some people in the line looked at him. Teebe did not respond.
“I just thought you would want to know. It smells like someone took a piss there.”
“That’s where the washrooms are,” said Teebe.
Someone in the line laughed. Gary was quiet.
“I know that,” said Gary.
Teebe went back to her work while Gary continued to stand before the counter, hands in his pockets. He was blushing. He looked at the other people in line. They were not looking at him anymore. He made a low noise in the back of his throat. No one looked at him. After a few minutes he walked towards the door. He opened it and went into the glass vestibule. The door closed behind him. It was warm and windy there. He turned and looked back through the glass in the direction of the counter and line of people. Teebe saw him. He raised his hands and said something, but no-one could hear what it was.
One night, on his way home, Gary took a detour through the parkinglot of the plaza where the Coffee Time was. He was holding an LCBO bag containing a plastic bottle of Alberta Pure. It was almost dark. A smell of cinnamon mingling with cigarette smoke and citrus floor cleaner came out of the rotating ventilator on the roof of the Coffee Time. Gary stopped walking and sniffed the air. He stood between two parked cars looking at the large windows of the Coffee Time. There were people sitting inside at tables under the bright lights.
He saw Teebe open the inner door of the Coffee Time and enter the glass vestibule. She was wearing winter boots and men's Coffee Time uniform trousers under a robe of fine silk-like fabric, the hem of which hung below her overcoat and wafted on the air behind her. She pushed open the outer door of the Coffee Time vestibule. She stepped out on to the sidewalk. Gary saw that she was wearing a backpack and carrying a stack of library books under her arm. Garystepped forward from between the parked cars. He waved at her. She did not appear to see him. Teebe turned and passed swiftly in front of the bright window of the Coffee Time, silhouetted for a moment there. Gary watched her.
He followed her out of the parkinglot of the plaza onto the sidewalk. She walked down the sidewalk toward some brown highrise apartment buildings and Gary followed her. She walked alongside the hydrofield and at an opening in the fence she turned in and walked along a gravel bikepath that went through the hydrofield, underneath the towers. Gary walked after her. They walked toward some grey buildings that were grouped together on the top of a slight rise to the right of the hydrofield, across the grass. Gary slowed. Teebe got farther away. At the edge of the path where Teebe turned off to walk through the grass, Gary stood still and watched her go. He watched her get smaller as she got farther away. She disappeared between two buildings.
Gary received the cup of black coffee from Teebe's hand. He received it without saying anything. Teebe didn't say anything. She put his money into the till. He walked to the back of the Coffee Time holding the cup carefully with his fingers on the ridged edge of the cup’s underside and his thumb on the rim of the plastic lid. He looked around the Coffee Time at the faces of the other patrons. Some were seated at tables, some were standing in groups talking and drinking coffee. He went and stood by the garbage can with the swinging door on in it. On top of the garbage can there was a copy of that day’s edition of the Toronto Sun.
He put his cup down next to the newspaper. He bowed his head, as though in contemplation of the picture on the cover of the Toronto Sun, but his eyes were looking to the side, to where some people were sitting at a window table, drinking coffee and watching television. He took a small plastic bottle of Alberta Pure out of the pocket of his parka. He uncapped it and drank.
He followed her out of the parkinglot of the plaza onto the sidewalk. She walked down the sidewalk toward some brown highrise apartment buildings and Gary followed her. She walked alongside the hydrofield and at an opening in the fence she turned in and walked along a gravel bikepath that went through the hydrofield, underneath the towers. Gary walked after her. They walked toward some grey buildings that were grouped together on the top of a slight rise to the right of the hydrofield, across the grass. Gary slowed. Teebe got farther away. At the edge of the path where Teebe turned off to walk through the grass, Gary stood still and watched her go. He watched her get smaller as she got farther away. She disappeared between two buildings.
Gary received the cup of black coffee from Teebe's hand. He received it without saying anything. Teebe didn't say anything. She put his money into the till. He walked to the back of the Coffee Time holding the cup carefully with his fingers on the ridged edge of the cup’s underside and his thumb on the rim of the plastic lid. He looked around the Coffee Time at the faces of the other patrons. Some were seated at tables, some were standing in groups talking and drinking coffee. He went and stood by the garbage can with the swinging door on in it. On top of the garbage can there was a copy of that day’s edition of the Toronto Sun.
He put his cup down next to the newspaper. He bowed his head, as though in contemplation of the picture on the cover of the Toronto Sun, but his eyes were looking to the side, to where some people were sitting at a window table, drinking coffee and watching television. He took a small plastic bottle of Alberta Pure out of the pocket of his parka. He uncapped it and drank.
On the wall above the garbage can was a framed picture of a pond with swans and lilies. In the reflection from the glass he could see Teebe at the far end of the Coffee Time mopping the floor under the tables. He stood for a long time facing the framed picture and drinking Alberta Pure. He went into the bathroom and locked the door. He vomited into the toilet. He vomited again on the wall beside the toilet and then sat on the floor. He lay down on his back.
A while later he heard voices outside the door. He heard a man's voice. He heard Teebe's voice but it was too quiet for him to understand what she was saying. Someone knocked on the door with what sounded like their knuckles. Gary rolled onto his side. He heard the jingle of keys on a keyring. He heard what sounded like someone searching for a key among many keys on a large keyring. There were murmuring voices. He heard what sounded like someone striking the door with the side of their fist and calling out. At first there was the sound of only one fist, then a pair of fists striking the metal door.
"Sir, the police are coming," said Teebe.
Gary got up and stood.
"Sir, are you still there?"
"Why?" said Gary.
There was no answer. He took the empty Alberta Pure bottle out of the pocket of his parka. He threw it and it glanced loudly off the wall and skittered along the tile floor. He looked at his fingernails. He went to the sink and ran some water from the faucet, splashing some on his face and the back of his neck. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, leaning against the wall, face toward the ceiling, eyes closed. 9/30/2011