The Ring
by Sarah Anne Carter
Chapter One
Amanda woke up and instinctively rolled over to Lucas’ side of the bed. He wasn’t there, and loneliness washed over her once again. Her eyes teared up a little, as they seemed to easily do when he was gone. It had been almost three months now. She heard her alarm go off and rolled back to her side of the bed to turn it off. Her thumb brushed against her ring finger as she touched the alarm button and realized her wedding ring wasn’t there.
“No!” she yelled as she sat up, remembering, and let the tears flow freely.
Her wedding ring wasn’t just a piece of jewelry bought from a store. It was a unique band created by her husband that blended all aspects of their lives. Three rings were twisted together to make one: There was a gold band from Washington State where she was born, a silver band from Charleston where Lucas grew up, a white gold band from Turkey where he said he was when he realized he was absolutely in love with her. A few months after the wedding, they got the engagement ring soldered to her wedding ring so that it was one ring. She wanted to make sure she didn’t lose either one.
But, last night, she was so mad he wasn’t there to help her with the move that she had taken her ring off and flung it into their closet, which was full of boxes stuffed with his things. She would have to find it today. Yet, today was the last day she had to sort through the house before the packers came tomorrow. She still had the kitchen and office to sort through. She pulled herself together by taking some deep breaths. This time next week, she’d be back in Washington State where she knew the people, places, and streets – the place that felt like home. She just had to get through this move. She had done it once before when the military had sent them from Tacoma to Charleston and thought she knew what to expect.
“Okay, Amanda, you can do this without asking for help. Two more days and you can leave this state. Make coffee, do the kitchen, do the office, and then find the ring tonight,” she said out loud to herself and got out of bed. A few last tears escaped and then she shook her head. The rest of her tears would have to wait.
A few years earlier ...
The morning rush was over, and Amanda was cleaning her glasses off on her maroon smock when the bell above the door chimed the arrival of another customer. Her co-barista, Jodie, had just gone to the back for her break. They took turns, and today was Jodie’s turn to go first. Amanda put her glasses back on and looked up, ready to smile and greet the customer with the usual “Good morning! Welcome to Coffee First,” but paused for a moment when she saw a man her age. She normally saw older men in their suits, khakis and polos, or military uniforms stop by the shop and a lot of women, but not young men. He looked like a college student, but he was wearing a military flight suit.
Coffee First was located just a few hundred yards from an entrance to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma. The greater Seattle area was the land of coffee shops, and there was a drive-thru one right across the street and another one even closer to the gate. However, both of those were known to have baristas who wore revealing outfits while they served coffee. Many married men knew better than to get their coffee at one of those places. Some even made sure to get receipts from her to show their wives where they got their coffee that day. About twice a year, the city council threatened to shut down those risqué coffee shops, but they never seemed to go away. They just moved from one location to another.
Amanda got her bearings as the man got closer to the counter.
“Good morning! Welcome to Coffee First,” she said with a smile.
“I’d like a large coffee with room for cream and a blueberry muffin to go,” he said. “Are the muffins good here, Amanda?”
As a reflex, she looked down at her name tag. It always felt odd when strangers knew her name. She then looked at his chest to find his name tag. Two could play this game.
“They are, Lucas Weston. The owner, Mrs. Connelly, makes them fresh every morning.” He glanced down at his name tag, too, and she smiled. “That will be $7.32.”
He handed her his credit card, and she could feel his eyes on her while she ran it. She looked up and handed him back the card and the receipt.
“Here you go,” she said and then turned to pour his coffee and wrap up the muffin.
“Thank you,” he said. Then he stepped closer to the counter instead of going over to the side where most people waited under the “Pick Up Orders Here” sign. There was only one other customer in the shop – Timothy, an older man who came every morning to read the newspaper, drink coffee, and eat a cranberry oatmeal muffin.
“So, Amanda, are you from here?” he asked while her back was still turned.
“Yes. I grew up in Spanaway. My parents are teachers,” she answered as she walked back to the counter with his coffee and muffin.
“I just moved here six months ago. It’s so different from South Carolina. Do you have any ties to the base at all?”
“No, just work close to it. My uncle used to work as a civilian doing office work somewhere out there, but he retired a few years ago.”
Lucas looked at his watch, glanced at the door, and then looked back at Amanda.
“I have to be at the office in 10 minutes. We’re supposed to fly today. I better get going. It was nice to meet you, Amanda,” he said.
“Hope you have a good day,” she replied. He started walking to the door and she turned back to start cleaning up from the morning’s work. Her shift would be over in two hours, and then she would head to her college classes. Her work shift at Coffee First was from 5 to 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday so she signed up for afternoon and evening classes.
“Amanda, can I have your number?” Amanda heard a voice say as she was washing out the frothing cups. She looked up and saw that Lucas hadn’t left the shop yet. She was slightly shocked. She had specifically chosen to work at this coffee shop to avoid being asked out. She really wanted to focus on school and getting her teaching license before getting into any kind of relationship.
“What?” she asked, wanting to make sure she had heard him correctly.
“I would really like to take you out to dinner sometime. Could I have your number, and I’ll call you later to figure out details? Please?”
Maybe it was because he was in uniform. Maybe it was because it had never happened before. Or maybe it was because he said please, which made her smile. Amanda didn’t really know why she decided to do it, but she grabbed a pen and a small, square napkin and wrote down her number and gave it to him.
“Thank you, Amanda. I’ll call you soon,” he said, and she watched as he finally walked out the door. As soon as the bell chimed announcing his departure, she smoothed her ponytail and shook her head. She caught Timothy glancing at her with a smile on his face.
“Did you actually give him your number?” Jodie said, putting her arm around Amanda’s shoulder.
“How much did you hear?” Amanda asked.
“Enough. I’m proud of you. He was cute,” Jodie said. Her short, spiked hair was blue today. It had been green yesterday.
“He probably won’t even call. Maybe it was a bet with some pilot,” she replied, shaking her head. “Even if he does call, there’s no way I’d get serious with anyone in the military. I’m not moving around the country every few years. I’ve got two years left until I’m done with school and then I can go teach up in Seattle.”
“Be careful with making firm plans. Life has a way of keeping us on our toes. Just look at where I am – I was the tomboy who was going to play sports. Now, I do the girly-girl stuff by doing hair and nails at a salon, and I’m a barista for a coffee shop,” Jodie said shaking her head. Then, she smiled big. “The thing is, though – I love it!”
“I know. Life may not turn out exactly as planned, but I can at least make sure I get my teaching degree, and I can make sure I don’t fall in love with anyone in the military.”
The bell chimed, and a group of eight people walked in for what looked like a breakfast meeting. Amanda and Jodie got back to work. It was busy until the end of Amanda’s shift, and she never got her break.
“Let me know if he calls,” Jodie said as Amanda got ready to leave for the day. Amanda pulled her phone from her purse and looked. There wasn’t even a text from anyone.
“Nothing yet,” she said and then she walked out to her car.
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