May We Never Be Sorry Again
March finished up his work laying aside the menus he’d worked out for the rest of the week and glanced at his watch, it was after nine and aside from the bowl of soup and bread no other orders had come into the kitchen in the last hour. He picked up a bottle of his own wine and took it out to the dining room. He was in a particular blue mood and news of Molly’s engagement had made it worse.
Nonnie pushed away the soup bowl and smiled at Nell, “sorry to keep you.”
“You’re not keeping me at all I don’t leave until every last customer does and you’re not the last one.” There were still a few tables occupied.
“I’ll keep this,” Nonnie picked up her drink glass. Scotch and soup, she mused.
He saw her sitting alone at one of the back tables and walked over, “Hi Nonnie, were you the soup?”
“I was…the soup. How are you March?” she eyed the bottle in his hand.
“Do you mind if I join you or are you waiting for the solicitor?”
“I don’t mind and he isn’t coming.”
He sat down and poured his wine out in a water goblet “I would offer you a glass but with the scotch?” he raised a brow.
“Wine and liquor don’t mix, thank you for the thought.” She looked around the dining room. “Where is um…?”
He shook his head slightly and took a drink from the glass, “she isn’t coming either.”
Nonnie looked at him a moment, “That sounded rather final.”
“I’m afraid it is.”
“I’m sorry…or should I be?”
He looked up and smiled a little, “I don’t know…I really do not know,” he shrugged.
“Limbo…we’re all in limbo neither here nor there and not sure…not sure,” she took another drink.
“You…but you’ve…I thought you’d moved in with Richie everything was good?”
“Nothing is good, March and you’re behind Jessup must not have been in today…I’m back in my flat.”
“Ah Jessup I do not listen to…you and Richie you break up?”
“I don’t know…”she looked away. “You heard about Libby?”
“Yes.”
“He’s in Sydney at her bedside. I, like a fool, went after him and I came home empty handed.”
“She is very bad, Miss Peeg told me and I was sorry to hear.”
“I’m very sorry for what happened to her, don’t get me wrong. I told Richie he had a choice to make, guess my timing was out.”
“Timing who is ever to know when the timing is right. You know Jean and I have been seeing each other for some time, I really liked her you know, we have a good time together and I do not know what she is thinking. She tells me she has picked out a wedding dress and I have to tell her the truth about me. I am married already to a girl in Italy.”
“Richie told me about that how you’re trapped and can’t get an annulment. He said he was looking into it for you, not that he goes about discussing his clients, I want you to know that but we’re all in each other’s pockets here.”
“It is not common knowledge you know I don’t think it is anyone’s business.”
“No, no it isn’t. Well I guess that put a stop to her plans.”
“Yes it put a stop to everything. This all happened last night and today I come in to work and one of the waitresses, Molly is showing off an engagement ring…timing you know?”
“Your situation is really…I am sorry. We’re both a sorry lot; I’m sorry-he’s sorry-you’re sorry-she’s sorry, let’s drink to sorry and may we never be sorry again.”
March met her eyes, “I will drink to that.”
