The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven

We drove past the bus terminal in silence. Teddy’s demeanour became more relaxed, he reached forward to turn on the stereo to let soft classical music into the room. If he felt triumphant he did not voice it aloud. I watched a single finger tap against the steering wheel as he listened to the tune, enjoying the song that put him in a better mood. It could be my imagination, but it seemed that his mood lifted the further he drove away from his home. There was lightness to his face, a particular glow that seemed to capture my attention. I do not know how long I was staring at him, except that when he turned his head in my direction I could feel heat come over the sides of my cheeks in embarrassment. A look transpired between us, but he said nothing to solidify the gravity of our unspoken words. Teddy looked back onto the road, and decided to let the silence speak for itself.

***

Teddy’s car was parked outside of my apartment building. He let his hands relax over the steering wheel before turning an earnest gaze towards me. “Here you are,” he declared. “Safe and sound.”

A shy smile escaped me, while I tried to ignore the nervous butterflies that fluttered in the pit of my stomach. His gaze was unyielding, so focused on my visage that I feared he could read every expression.

Rain was pouring down over the windshield, but with the engine off it allowed water to cover the whole of the glass until you could barely see past it. My fingers curled together in a ball over my lap, while I let my eyes fixate on the curve of my wrist. “Thank you, Teddy.”

I never heard a sound from him, although I had the sense that he took my gratitude rather well. When I finally looked up he was still gazing at me, his eyes full of a strange enchantment that he could not hold back. I found my teeth biting down on my bottom lip, twisting it cruelly before I forced myself to speak up. “Would you like to come inside?”

His eyebrows shot upwards in surprise.

“For coffee,” I continued. “I might have some lemon poppy-seed loaf left. Although, tea would pair nicely with that.”

“Are you sure?” he asked through barely parted lips, for he was caught off-guard by my suggestion.

“It’s the least I could do.”

“Then I accept.”

I broke my gape from him to retrieve my bright yellow raincoat. I handed Teddy his carefully folded jacket as well, ensuring the water droplets did not drip all over his lap. The umbrella was retrieved next. Water sprayed over the front of my pants from the dripping wet umbrella that was longer than I was accustomed to. “Should we go?”

“Yes,” he said with confidence, and with a certain grace that only he could possess, Teddy opened his car door wide and stepped out into the pouring rain. I watched him move in front of the hood of the car and only when he was in front of my door was I willing to push it open. He took the umbrella from me, only to open it wide enough to block out the rain. His free hand was used to close the door, and then he laid a light hand in the center of my back to lead me to the front door. Rain splashed hard against the smooth pavement; the blaring horns of the bustling town was a stark contrast to his own settings. Teddy was looking across the city block while I was retrieving my set of keys from my small purse. You could hear the roar of the engines down the street, the heavy pounding of shoes against the pavement as people tried to outrun the rain. My key was finally placed into the lock, allowing me to open the first set of doors before I could enter the second one. A short whizzing sound was heard behind me, a peculiar sound Teddy’s umbrella made when he shut it closed so abruptly. I watched him shake out the long umbrella to make it less wet before I stepped through the open doorway. He followed me as quick as he could, stepping into the small area where I opened a second set of doors. We entered the main lobby in no time at all, and once we were there we shook out our raincoats and tried to get as dry as possible.

“I am on the fifth level,” I told him, and then motioned my hand towards the elevator. He followed my sure footsteps, only stopping once we reached the main area where I could press the button to bring the elevator down to the main level. A metallic scent lingered in the air, coming from the machinery that was in front of me. We could hear the faint splashing of water against the faded grey floor where a custodian was mopping the tiled surface. Teddy let his eyes linger over the middle-aged woman for a moment, while I stared blankly at the closed elevator door. “I don’t really have visitors,” I nervously stammered.

“I know the feeling.”

finally brave enough to turn my gaze towards him. “Driving me home and

he assured me. The elevator made a sharp binging noise, before it swooshed open. “Ladies first,” he exclaimed. His hand was raised upwards to direct me forward, encouraging me to step into the elevator door

place is very

you comparing your place

I feebly explained. “Mine feels more like a closet in

would not judge you,

with nervousness, hoping it was not a mistake to invite a man I barely knew over to

gratitude,” Teddy continued. “That you should

was

in perfect unison, though Teddy looked at every door we passed by as if he expected me to open it. “I am all

“I see.”

“Near the stairwell.”

“Better than the elevator.”

late at night,” I nervously chuckled. “Nightmare. You would hate

me mad,” he

“No.”

other comment. We eventually reached my door, letting me pull out another set of keys to place it into my lock. I knew my flat would be in a bit of a mess, not as nearly as clean as Teddy’s, so I hoped he would not judge. “Here we are,” I announced, after I turned on the living room light. “You can place your shoes over the mat here. I

black coat at once. “Perhaps, I could head there. I want a

was free of it, I pulled off my socks and went on the tip of my toes as I headed towards the bathroom. The floor

that would let the water naturally drip itself into the tub. I was holding two sets of towels, silently grateful for his help. “Thank you,” he hushed, after I handed a towel to him. “My shirt is a bit damp.” He looked around

clothes lying around,” I told him in truth. “But I should have a baggy shirt or

my bedroom I threw off my work clothing and put on a comfortable long-sleeved cotton shirt, a long rosy pink cardigan for extra warmth and skinny jeans. I found a baggy shirt that my younger brother mailed to me once, a classic “I love N.Y.” t-shirt that was two sizes too big for me.