Dark Obsession

Chapter 13: The sixth table

Group chat "Little Mouse Forever Table Squad" had 47 new messages by 1pm, all about sixth table, ring table.

Jaxon at 12:36pm: "Ring table must have secret drawer for ring, like in movies, drawer pops, ring inside, table proposal part 2"

Kai at 12:37pm: "Ring table should be where she keeps miniature fifth table, fifth table needs home, small home, so sixth table is home for fifth table"

Luca at 12:38pm: "Ring table should be where we put contract for her gallery, NYU gallery, her own gallery, because gallery needs table for signing"

Ethan at 12:40pm: "Ring table should be where I give speech, brother speech, about sister who ate on floor and now has five tables, I need table to stand on for speech, tall table, speech table"

Damien at 12:42pm: "Sixth table is not speech table, not home table, sixth table is ring table, I ordered ring, but ring needs table, because she loves tables more than rings, so ring will be presented on sixth table, not in box"

I read messages on balcony, three tables, pizza cold, miniature fifth table in middle holding salt, sun out after snow, Park Avenue bright, Central Park white, but balcony warm because heater.

"Sixth table is ring table?" I asked, holding miniature, small, perfect, two coffees forever promise in palm.

Damien nodded, black sweater, dusty hands from fourth table building, perfect wood drawing table for students, now finished, standing next to crooked tables, perfect among crooked, like students among billionaires.

"Yes, sixth table, ring table, but ring table is not for today, ring table is for tomorrow, because today we have fourth table to teach students, fifth table to celebrate forever coffee, sixth table needs more wood, special wood, walnut like fifth miniature but big, life-size ring table."

"Tomorrow?" I asked, latte new cup, heart foam, vanilla.

"Tomorrow 7am, sixth table, I will build alone, like second table, but this time no crooked leg, perfect leg, because ring table must be perfect, like fifth miniature, because ring is perfect, forever is perfect."

At 2pm, students arrived, three little girls from NYU art class, scholarship girls, who eat on floor in walk-up like I did, thrift sweaters, holes, not blue but gray, brown, green, but same hole.

I taught them on fourth table, drawing table, perfect wood, perfect leg, no crooked leg, because students deserve perfect.

"Draw floor," I said, charcoal in hand, "Draw floor where you eat cereal, like I did, floor drawing, sad floor."

They drew floor, charcoal, crying, because floor sad.

"Now draw park, not floor," I said, showing my park drawing from second table, Central Park lights on, not floor. "Draw park you want, not floor you have, because park is future, floor is past, fourth table is future table, drawing table for future."

They drew park, smiling, park with tables, not floor, park with snow, park with pizza, park with family.

At 3pm, Damien watched from third table, black sweater, holding miniature fifth table, watching me teach, eyes soft, not CEO.

He texted even though three feet away: "You teach little girls to draw park not floor on fourth table you wanted for them, you are fourth table, you are future - D"

I replied: "Fourth table is perfect, students love perfect table, no crooked leg, because future must be perfect, unlike past which was crooked but held - little mouse"

At 4pm, students left, hugging fourth table, saying "Thank you for perfect table, we will never eat on floor again, we will draw park."

I cried, after they left, on balcony, three tables plus fourth perfect, miniature fifth in hand.

"They said never eat on floor again," I whispered to Damien, "Like I promised on fifth table, forever table, two coffees forever."

"Yes," he said, taking my hand, small, charcoal, "You gave them fourth table, I gave you fifth table, tomorrow sixth table will be where you put ring that says never eat on floor again, but with diamond, because diamond is forever, table is forever, ring is forever, all forever."

At 5pm, pizza again, third table, family, but now with fourth table next to it, perfect, holding student drawings of park, not floor.

Jaxon said, "Tomorrow ring table, do we get to watch? Because ring table building is like second table, but perfect, not crooked, we want to watch boss build perfect table for little mouse."

Kai said, "Ring table should be built in lobby, like third table, family builds together, but boss said alone, like second table, alone is romantic, alone means he built with love, not with help."

Luca said, "Ring table needs secret drawer, I will help build secret drawer, because ring needs secret."

Ethan said, "If sixth table is ring table, I need suit tomorrow, not hoodie, because ring table is wedding table almost, wedding table needs suit."

Damien said, "No suits tomorrow, just sweaters, because ring table is not wedding table, wedding table is seventh table, ring table is sixth, ring first, wedding later, slow burn, like we waited six years."

Seventh table, wedding table, future.

I smiled, in black t-shirt, jeans, white sneakers, miniature fifth table still in palm, small, perfect.

"Sixth table tomorrow 7am," I said, "Ring table, perfect leg, secret drawer, ring inside, two coffees forever becomes diamond forever?"

"Yes," Damien said, "Two coffees forever becomes diamond forever, but diamond on table, not in box, because you love tables more than boxes."

At 6pm, sun set, Park Avenue lights on, Central Park snow melting, balcony three tables plus fourth perfect, all holding pizza boxes, student drawings, miniature fifth, family.

I texted D at 6:15pm, on balcony, family around third table: "Sixth table tomorrow, ring table, I will wear blue sweater, not black t-shirt, because blue sweater has hole memory, hole in sweater story, ring table should see hole memory become diamond memory"

Reply in one minute, next to me on floor around third table: "Wear blue sweater, hole in sweater story ends tomorrow on ring table, hole becomes diamond, floor becomes forever, little mouse becomes Mrs. Blackwood, but still draws park not floor - D"

Mrs. Blackwood.

My heart stopped, pizza falling, blue sweater tomorrow, hole to diamond.

Group chat at 6:16pm:

Jaxon: "HE SAID MRS BLACKWOOD IN TEXT, DID YOU SEE, HE SAID MRS BLACKWOOD, RING TABLE IS MRS TABLE!"

Kai: "Mrs. Blackwood table, sixth table is Mrs. table"

Luca: "Seventh table wedding table confirmed, we need suits for seventh, not sixth, sixth is Mrs. promise, seventh is Mrs. party"

Ethan: "My sister Mrs. Blackwood, I need speech, I need suit, I need to cry, I will cry tomorrow on ring table"

I laughed, crying, on floor around third table, miniature fifth table in palm, fourth table perfect with student park drawings, second table kiss table with snow memory, third table family pizza, and tomorrow sixth table ring table, perfect leg, secret drawer, diamond, Mrs. Blackwood.

To be continued...