Ripples

Lilly Baker stood outside a bar in the Bronx, she was trying to come up with the courage to go inside. Why am I doing this? She asked herself. Her best friend Jen, that was why. She had been trying to make her go to one of these ‘speed dating’ things for months. She had a weak moment yesterday and finally caved. Jen jumped on the chance to sign her up, then called her multiple times to make sure she was actually going. Lilly was pretty sure that Jen just wanted her coupled up so she wasn’t always the third wheel with Jen and her girlfriend Allison. She hadn’t dated in a couple years, not since Richard. She was just enjoying her own thoughts again. The freedom to do and be whatever she wanted. Plus, her business kept her busy.

She was lucky and proud, that her cozy little café had survived the last few years after the world had gone to shit. Jen accused her of using it as an excuse to hide from social interaction. She protested that she interacted with people all day long, but Jen said it didn’t count when it was with customers. The truth was that she really liked being alone. She was 50 years old but looked 35, a cat named Nemo, a thriving business and a cute apartment. What else could she ask for? Ok, it got lonely sometimes, she admitted, but not all the time. She took a deep breath and walked inside.

---

She gave her name at the registration table. The woman checked her in on an iPad and told her to pick a seat on the inner ring of the circle of tables set up for the event. The host would explain how it works. There were 3 tables that were empty so she sat at the closest one. The server came over and she ordered an old fashioned. It was her grandfather’s favorite and it always reminded her of him. If she was going to get through this night, she needed to feel like he was still around to cheer her on.

The host was a young guy, probably in his mid-twenties Lilly guessed. She looked around as he tried to get the crowd’s attention. Everyone looked on the younger side as far as she could tell. Older dating sucked, she thought, trying to stay positive.

“Ok welcome to Speed Dating at O’Shea’s!” the host said enthusiastically. People around her clapped and cheered “Here are the rules! As you can see the ladies are all sitting in the inner ring” Lilly rolled her eyes at the way he said ‘ladies’. “Guys when you hear the bell, you will find a seat on the outside of the circle! Then you will have 5 minutes to get to know the lady across from you. When the bell rings again, everyone will stand up and move to the table on their right!” he walked up to a young blonde girl and said “Do you know which way is right darling?” she giggled and pointed to her right “Good job!” Oh, fucking hell, Lilly thought. “Ok are we ready? 1, 2…” Ding, the bell rang out.

Lilly prepared herself by taking a big gulp of her drink. A young man sat down across from her. He was cute, in a boyish way.

“Hi! I’m Josh!” he said cheerfully “I’m 24 and I just graduated NYU. Whoo!” he held up his fists “I’m from Florida originally, and came here for college. I think I’m gonna stay here for a little while anyway, even though my mom is hassling me to come home. What about you?”

“Oh, my mom is dead so she doesn’t care if I live here.” He looked at her confused “My name is Lilly and your mom and I are probably the same age.”

“Cool” he nodded “I like older women” he winked at her.

“Really, what’s the oldest you’ve ever dated?” she said as she thought to herself ‘beat it pipsqueak’

“When I was a frosh I dated a 28 year old” he looked proud of himself

“Cool” she said trying not to say something sarcastic and make him cry “What was that, 10 years older?”

He nodded “older women are hot”

“So, what’s your life plan Josh? Do you want kids? Are you looking to get married soon? Do you have good job? What’s your yearly salary?” she spit out rapidly. She knew she was being a bit rude but she was enjoying the panic wash over him.

“Oh, um, I…” he swallowed hard.

The bell rang. She moved to the next table. The next guy was 34. He was nice enough, but no connection. The bell rang and she moved to the next table.

“Hey” the next guy said “I’m Brett. I’m 48. How old are you?”

“I’m Lilly. I’m 50”

“Oh, 50? I’m just gonna be straight forward. I don’t date anyone over 35, so we don’t need to waste time talking. We can just sit here until the time is up.”

“Awesome” she said and signaled the server for another drink.

The bell rang and she moved to the next victim. He was intense. She was pretty sure he was a serial killer. When she made a joke, he just stared at her blankly then licked his lips suggestively.

The bell rang finally. She quickly moved to the next table.

A man sat down in front of her. He was good looking and somehow familiar. Probably a customer at the café, she thought. She gave him a small smile in greeting. He stared at her for a few seconds and smiled, barely. Oh no, another one, she thought.

“Hi” she said trying to sound cheerful

“Hi” he replied, still staring. She noticed how blue his eyes were.

“So, what do you do for a living?” she was grasping at conversational straws at this point.

“I uh, was in the military for a while, and I work for the government now.” He said frowning.

“Oh” she looked around, his intense eye contact was making her a little uncomfortable. He noticed her eyes were a golden brown.

“How about you?”

“Oh, I own a small café, slash, specialty bookstore, a few blocks down.”

“What kind of books?” he looked interested

“Um, used mostly. There are a few new ones, but a lot of classics” she shrugged

“I like classics. Do you serve food or…?”

“Coffee and tea and pastries. Nothing too intense.” She sighed after a period of awkward silence “Look, let’s just be honest. This is really…” she tried to think of a polite word.

“Stupid” he finished for her.

“Yeah, thank you. I was trying to think of a better word than fucked.” She relaxed in her seat.

“No, yours was better” he smiled an actual smile.

“I don’t know why I let my friend talk me into this.” She shook her head “I’m obviously the oldest person here.”

“I bet you aren’t” he raised an eyebrow. “I was forced into it too.”

She went to grab her drink but missed and it spilled towards him. “Oh shit. I’m so sorry” she said getting up grabbing the napkin that was under her glass. “Let me,” she reached for the glass at the same time he did and ended up grabbing his wrist. It felt cold and solid, not like someone’s wrist usually felt.

“It’s ok I got it.” He said pulling back his arm quickly.

“I’m pretty clumsy, I’m so sorry.” She sat back down. Suddenly it came together in her brain. “You’re Sergeant James Barnes” it was a statement not a question.

He sighed “Bucky” he pressed his lips together tightly.

“Right, I’ve heard a lot about you” he frowned “from my grandfather.”

It caught him off guard. He thought she was going to say from the news. He was speechless.

“Yeah, my grandfather he was in the 107th with you. Robert, um corporal Robert Baker. Wait I have a picture of him” she started looking through her phone. Bucky sat stunned he knew exactly who he was. “Here” she turned the phone towards him “This is him right before he shipped out”

Bucky nodded slowly, a flood of memories coming back. “Um, yeah. I remember him.” His throat suddenly dry.

“He passed about 10 years ago” she said sadly “I miss him a lot”

“I’m sorry. He was a good man”

“He really was. He didn’t talk about the war a lot but when he did, he would tell us funny stories about you guys. My cousins and I had a favorite one about you all going to a café in France. He would get up and dance like the women he said were there. He always told us how you all drank coffee and respectfully watched the show.”

Bucky looked down suppressing a laugh.

“Yeah, then as I got older and learned about things like cabarets and dance halls and bars. I figured he had cleaned it up for the grandchildren.” She raised her eyebrows at him.

“Ah, yeah, I don’t remember that” he said trying not to smile “Brain wipe, the memories are spotty”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure.” She said sarcastically “Convenient.”

“No not really” he laughed. He was really good looking when he smiled, she thought. “It’s not convenient at all.”

“Mmmm-hmmm” she smiled at him. She has a beautiful smile, he thought. “When Captain Rogers was found after so many years, my grandfather was so happy. He wanted to see him and talk to him about the old days. Someone who would understand what he went through, again. Most of his friends from that time we’re gone. He told me how Captain Rogers had saved you guys from some Hydra prison.”

“He did, yeah. Did he get a chance to talk to him?”

“He wrote him a letter, I helped him. We didn’t think he would even get it, but then, one day I went to go check on him and he was laughing, talking to someone on the phone and it was him. Grandpa was teasing him about how neither one of them looked a day older than the last time they saw each other. It was really nice to see him so happy.” She smiled at the memory “He actually wanted to know if Captain Rogers had any information on your family. He was hoping to get in touch with them.”

“My family? Why?”

“Because you saved his life. He couldn’t thank you, but he thought maybe if he could thank someone from your family, show them everything that he had accomplished, and the family he was able to create, maybe it would somehow be enough.”

The bell rang for the next round. She smiled at him and stood up “Time’s up, I guess. I’m really glad I got to meet you.” She hesitated for a second, then leaned in and kissed him on the cheek “Thank you for saving my grandfather. Thank you from both of us. He was the best man I’ve ever known.”

“Wait” he stood up as she turned to walk away “What’s your name?”

“Lilly. If you ever want a coffee, come by, it’s on me.” She handed him a card. He watched her walk out of the bar, then looked down at the card ‘Baker’s Café’ was written in big swirling letters. He put it in his pocket and walked outside.

---

The next morning was a busy one at the café. Lilly was busy trying to make the list for ordering more supplies but kept getting interrupted to help out front. She loved her staff. They were all so kind and knew what to do without her having to babysit them. She treated them well, paying them more than the average café job, benefits, sick days, the whole thing. She had learned from her grandfather that when you had good people who are capable of doing good work, you treat them right.

When the rush had finally calmed down, she went back to her list. She was hoping to get it done and ordered before noon, because there were a few things that were getting dangerously low. If she didn’t get it in on time, it would be 2 days before it came.

Bucky walked the few blocks to the café. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to show up so soon after meeting her. Sam had given him a bunch of dating tips like waiting to call for 3 days and not to text back right away. He told him things had changed since the 1940’s, he couldn’t just grab a girl and drag her back to his cave. Sam was an ass, but also his family. He had thought about it a lot during the night. He wasn’t a good sleeper. The nightmares were less and less, but he still had a hard time relaxing.

He finally decided to just go with his gut. All the new dating rules were too confusing anyway. He was 108 years old for god’s sake. He should be able to ask out a woman without a flowchart. He walked inside and immediately felt comfortable. There was just a welcoming, calm, homey vibe to the place. It was the same vibe he felt when she had kissed his cheek. It radiated from her like a beacon. He walked up to the counter and looked at the chalkboard menu hanging behind it.

“Hi! What can I get for you?” a young pretty girl smiled at him.

“Uh, I’m not sure” he looked at the menu intensely.

“Oh, no worries. Take your time. If you have any questions just ask.”

“What is a flat white?” he asked completely confused

“That’s ristretto shots of espresso with steamed milk” she smiled

“Ok what is it in English” he said shaking his head

The girl laughed “why don’t you tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll try to help you pick out the best choice?”

“Coffee” he said confidently

“Ok, well that makes it easy. How about a basic drip coffee to start.”

“Yes” he sighed relieved

“What size do you want?” she pointed to the different sized cups on the counter

“That one” he pointed to the large

“See you’re almost a pro at this already” she grabbed a large cup from the dispenser “Do you like anything in your coffee, like cream or sugar?”

“Um, depends on the coffee”

“Got it” she said turning around to the coffee maker. She handed him a small sample cup. “Try it and see what it needs for you.”

He looked in the cup and smelled the coffee, smelled good. He took a small sip. Then a bigger one. “Nothing” he said shrugging “it’s perfect”

“Awesome!” she smiled wide “how about something to eat with that?”

“Oh, um.” He looked at the case “what’s that one?” he pointed

“Oh, that’s my favorite! That’s called a sfogliatella, it’s a flaky pastry with ricotta cheese and little fruit bits in it. It’s really good!” she nodded at his frown “If you don’t like it, you can bring it back and we’ll find you something else”

“Ok, I’ll try it” he said unsure

“No judgement if you don’t like it” she crossed her heart “Do you want it on a plate or to go?”

“A plate”

“Very cool. Anything else I can get you?”

“I think that’s enough decisions for now” he ran his hand down his face “Thank you for helping me”

“No worries! It’s what I’m here for. You did great” she rang him up on the register

Lilly came out of the back with a clipboard in her hand and a pen behind her ear. A serious look on her face. She looked at him and stopped “Hi” she said surprised to see him.

“Hi” he said nervously

“I’m so glad you decided to come by” she smiled at him “Oh wait, Summer, it’s on me” she went to the register and cleared the charge. “This is a family friend; he always gets whatever he wants on the house”

He started to protest but she shook her head and waved him off. “I insist” she said sternly

“Thank you” he smiled “Thank you too, uh, Summer?” she nodded. He waited for Lilly to turn around and he handed Summer a $5 bill. “For you” she smiled at him.

“Who’s the hot guy?” Summer asked following Lilly to the back

“His name is Bucky, he’s an old friend of my grandfather.”

“Please tell me you are going to go talk to him” Summer side-eyed her

“I will as soon as I get this order done”

“Oh no” Summer took the clipboard from her hand “Jay!” she called to the back of the room

“Yeah?” Jay called back coming around the corner

“You watch the front for me, I’m going to do the order, and Lilly is going to go talk to the hot daddy who just came in.”

“Oh! I wanna see!” Jay walked out front and came right back “Change of plans, Lilly does the order, you watch the front and I go talk to the hot daddy.”

“No!” Summer said lightly smacking the back of his hand “Lilly has dibs.”

“I don’t have dibs” she protested

“Were you looking at the way he was looking at you? Get your ass out there, girl! Shoo! I got this handled”

Jay took her by the shoulders and guided her out front. He gave a push when she hesitated.

“Hi” she said walking up to the table he was sitting at “Sorry I had to do something in the back real quick. Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, everything is amazing. This is really good” he pointed to the plate

“Sfogliatella, it’s one of my favorites”

“Do you have time to sit?”

“Sure. I have a little time” he jumped up and pulled out a chair for her “Thank you”

“I was hoping to get a minute with you.”

“You were?”

“Yeah” he smiled shyly “I was hoping that I could take you out to dinner.”

“Me?” she pointed to herself

“Yeah. I mean if you want to.” He felt nervous and a little out of practice

“Um, yes” she took a deep breath “I would really like that”

“Good. It’s a date.” He chuckled shaking his head “I really used to be good at this. I’m a little rusty”

“You did perfect” she stared at him biting her bottom lip. He felt his stomach flip over. “When?”

He looked around the café “well I guess you’re busy right now, so I’ll have to wait until you close?”

“I get done around 6 usually”

“Ok, I’ll be here at 6 then.” He felt the old confidence start to build “That good with you, doll?”

“Yes” She stood up, he stood up with her “I guess I’ll see you then” he held out his hand, she put hers out to shake it but he grabbed hers and pulled her to him, kissing her on the cheek.

“See you then, doll”

She turned to walk into the backroom, Jay was standing behind the counter, eyes wide. She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. Jay followed her to the back and did a happy dance, silently cheering.

“What happened?” Summer whispered

“His kissed her on the cheek” Jay whispered back “I almost fainted for you”

Lilly put her face in her hands, then looked up at them “he asked me to dinner. He called me ‘doll’.”

“I told you!” Summer said “He was looking at you like a glass of water and he hadn’t had a drink in years.”

Jay nodded “He got up and pulled out her chair and everything” he fanned himself “I swear to god, you better sleep with him on the first date.”

“No” Lilly shook her head “He’s a gentleman”

“He’s a gentleman now, but tonight, rrrrrrraaaaawrrrr!” Summer teased her.