Chapter 8- Yellow Eyes

I felt nervous as I rode the train to work today. It seemed like any other Monday, with the one difference of Tracy's surprise visit to my place Saturday morning. My mother's words kept hanging in my ears "...there's something odd about this..." I realized that I never told her where I lived. How did she find that out? It IS rather odd to show up at someone's house at 7am, especially a co-worker who has practically been a stranger to you. I can't say there's not a connection between us, we've had our casual conversations here and there, the brief "hi" as we pass in the hall or meet at the copy machine, but until recently I hadn't even thought of her much- she had that "girl next door" look: attractive but not in a noticeable way, confident but not boisterous, and always really humble. She was a hard worker, I knew that, and the Managers and executive team all respected her opinion, even though she rarely offered it. She didn't seem ambitious, but went about her work content to do her best. In fact, the more I thought about it the more I liked her. I wonder what her reaction would be when she sees me today. Will she act like we're best friends, causing all kinds of surprise and scandal in the office? Will she pretend we never hung out, like she's ashamed of our Saturday morning jaunt? It made me nervous just thinking about it, not knowing if how I might react would embarrass her. I thought of how she yelled at Jeff in front of everyone. Very uncharacteristic of her us usual demeanor. Perhaps that's why she seemed so embarrassed when our eyes met.

I was so lost in thought that I missed the announcement that we'd arrived at my station. I jumped up from my seat just as the doors closed. As the train slowly pulled away I noticed something outside on the platform- police were struggling with a man in an overcoat- homeless by the look of it. He was struggling violently and I saw him try to bite the shoulder of the cop in front of him. Another used his stick to pull back on his neck, and for a brief moment I saw his eyes- yellow and empty. The train picked up speed and I pressed my head against the glass in time to see the officers thrust him to the ground. He disappeared in a haze of blue and badges as the train pulled into the tunnel.

I got off at the next station a little rattled. As I walked up the stairs I overheard the two women next to me talking. "Did you see his face?" one said in shock. "It was... damaged...
I could see his jawbone inside his mouth." The other postulated about mouth cancer, and about someone named Johnny who apparently died of oral cancer from RedMan chewing tobacco. Their conversation changed and I emerged from the stairway into the Monday morning light.

It was 2 blocks to the office- no big deal when I had on my jogging shoes the other day, but in my work loafers I found the walk a little clumsy. If I hadn't missed the station I would have already been inside, hearing about Jeff's latest conquests of dwarf clans or the ice dragon as I checked my e-mail. Not a bad day for a walk though, and the morning sun on my back warmed the chill of the early air perfectly. I arrived at our building about 10 minutes late, and popped into the bakery next door to pick up a dozen doughnuts. Anytime I'm late I buy some sort of snack for everyone, so I can use the excuse of "I was waiting in line, that's why I wasn't here." It's worked pretty well so far: I've never once been in trouble for tardiness.

I walked up the stairs to the office and greeted Kelly, our receptionist. Offering her a doughnut, I asked about her weekend. She talked about some baseball game her kid played in and how her husband was building a bookshelf. I realized that almost all the men I encounter have some kind of shop where they make things. I wondered if I was missing something by not being more crafty. Maybe I need a hobby. I walked past our Manager's office and poked my head in. "Brought doughnuts this mornings want one?" He waved me away with a smile as he talked on the phone. See? Works every time!

I tossed the doughnuts on the table by the copier and laughed as Jeff and Darryl descended on them like ravenous wolves. I glanced toward Tracy's desk but it was empty.

As I sat down and booted up my Mac I noticed a small card sticking out from under my keyboard. I looked around but no one was watching me. I pulled it out and saw my name written by a female hand. Opening the envelope I read "Thanks for the jog Saturday. I enjoyed it! -Tracy" I smiled and put the card back in the envelope and slipped it into my bag. "Hmm" I thought to myself.

I didn't see Tracy until after lunch- I guess she'd been in some staff meeting with the executives. I was getting something from the printer when she walked back to her desk. "Hey there! Great run on Saturday. We should do it again soon! You're not too sore, are you?" I smiled back. She had really pretty eyes. I never noticed it before, but they were blue. Rare on a brunette. "A little, but not too bad. Thanks for inviting me." She smiled and sat down at her desk. No weirdness, no awkward conversations. I think I might be in trouble.

Lucas walked by with his cart, emptying the recycling into separate bags he had hanging around the edge. "Hey, Lucas!" I noticed he had a big sore on the corner of his mouth. "Wow, what happened? You okay?" Lucas didn't even make eye contact. "Cold sore," he said, and walked away rapidly. He's normally a lot more cheerful. I glanced over at Jeff who was eating his 3rd donut and talking on his headset to someone. "...a guy on Facebook said it kills the part of your brain that lets you think and reason..." he glanced at me and held up the powdered doughnut in a reverent salute and continued his conversation. "...yeah, Overlord and I are watching it closely. We'll keep the clan informed..." I walked away. Maybe one of these days he'll get a girlfriend. Maybe one of these days I will too.