The Harmony Tales
Jonathan’s hands fiddle with the lanyard hanging from his pocket. He keeps looking back at his girl, Elizabeth, as if she will turn into a balloon and float away. It’s their first date. Poor Jonathan is nervous even though it’s not his first date. Emily told him last week that enough was enough and moved on to another fish; one who played piano in cafés and bars. He buys his and Elizabeth’s coffee, incredibly thankful it’s $1 night at the old coffee house. Don’t misunderstand, he’ll buy anything his girl wants; he’s not as bad as Emily says.
Elizabeth sips at her coffee; warmth soaks through her. She feels lighter even though the weight of school is crushing her. She starts rambling about the lovely little band, the delicious mocha, her pathetic minimum wage job, the crushing school debt, complications with her mom: she stops short of the barely noticeable scars on her wrists. There’s no need to bother Jonathan with that. Instead, she smiles and says she likes the music.
He watches the couple at the table. He knows the girl, Elizabeth, but his eyes are on the boy he doesn’t know. His fingers falter on the piano but stay on beat as if nothing happened. He glances over at Emily, smiling at him and clapping. They’ve been together a week now, but he knows it won’t last. He looks back at the boy and sighs, wishing for courage.
Emily noticed Jonathan the moment he walked in. Her heart rose for a moment until she remembered they weren’t talking anymore. Her sadness hit an accent when Elizabeth-miss-perfect followed him in. Emily gritted her teeth and sighed. Why did she ever give him up? Hadn’t they been happy together? Couldn’t she forgive him one little mistake? She rubbed her hand over her stomach. She needed to find a bathroom.
Jonathan’s smile slips when he sees Emily cross the room. He didn’t realize she was here. He looks from her to her boyfriend, Michael, on the piano. Michael keeps appraising him or maybe he’s just imagining things. He couldn’t be jealous, surely. He must know that Emily wouldn’t speak to Jonathan ever again, not after what he’d convinced her to do. A tear stings his eye; he could’ve been a father.