Ten Moves Ahead (Part 9)

As more time passes, it seems like Cornelius starts to get more uncomfortable, awkward around me.  He's still nice, friendly.  He even talks to me, answers questions, jokes around from time to time.  But he doesn't answer the question I ask every once in a while, "What's wrong?"  Well, he answers it, but not fully.  He says something about how I shouldn't worry about it and that everything will be fine.  I feel like he doesn't make eye contact with me as much as he used to either, like he's afraid of something he sees when he looks at me.

And then, one day, he just seems to snap out of it.  He seems like his old self, optimistic and helpful.  We help people and then even go out to bowling again in the evening, this time without interruption from any drunk girls.  At the end of the night, I ask him what changes and he says, "You're going to see her again soon."

I feel my heart skip a beat.  "Clara?" I ask.

He nods.  "Clara."

"When?  Can you tell me when and where?"

"Four days," he says.  "In the bar.  You know which one."

I nod.  He's already told me which one.  I'm almost afraid to ask, but I find myself saying, "Which ending?"

He smiles, but a weak smile.  "The one that we need," he says.

I feel a little nervous.  "That we need?" I repeat.  "What does that mean."

He reaches out and pats me back in that same caring way I'd missed.  "You'll see," he says.  "There's just one thing we have to do first to make sure it happens."  There's a pause as I consider whether I should ask him what he means and then he says, "See you tomorrow."

I nod.  "Okay, you have a good night."

"You, too," he says, "You, too."  He sounds strangely sad, a tone like he's lamenting something, but before I can decide whether I should ask him if he's okay, he's already walking to his car, so I just get in mine and drive home.

I don't sleep very well that night.  I wake up the next morning still feeling tired and with the feeling that I had some sort of disturbing dream that I can't remember.  I try to shake the feeling that something is wrong, but through the whole morning at work, I find myself having trouble focusing.  I decide to call Cornelius to see if he wants to have lunch, as I suspect he probably knows what's going on, but he doesn't answer.  I try to tell myself I'm just nervous about seeing Clara again, and that does enough to calm me down to finish the day without getting absolutely nothing done.

I try to call Cornelius again after work, thinking I'll ask about Clara, but still no answer, so I order take out and eat alone while I watch the news.  Then finally around 7:30, just as I'm finishing up my dinner, Cornelius calls me.

"Want to get a drink?" he asks.

"Sure," I agree, deciding not to ask about the missed calls from earlier in the day.  "Where?"

"The bar," he says.

I feel myself feeling nervous again.  "You said she wasn't going to be there for another three days," I say.

I feel the sympathetic smile in his voice as he says, "She isn't.  I just want to meet there tonight.  We haven't been there in a long time and I'd like to see how it's going there."

"Do we need to prepare or something?" I ask.

"Sort-of."

"Okay, I'll be there in 30 minutes."

---

Thirty minutes later, I meet Cornelius at the bar and it looks like he's working on his third beer.  He looks a little nervous, but seems happy to see me.  "How are you?" he asks.

"Good," I say, "well, okay.  I think I had a weird dream or something last night."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, but I can't remember it."

He smiles and fidgets with his half full beer glass.  "Don't worry about it," he says.

There's silence for a moment and then I say, "You know what's going to happen."

He nods.  "I know what's going to happen."

"Well then, what's wrong?"  I feel my heart beating faster.  "Is something bad going to happen."

"It might seem that way," he admits, not looking up at me, "but believe me, it's all for the best."

I feel sweat building on my neck.  "We're not going to be together forever, are we?" I ask.

He looks up at me suddenly, a look of surprise on his face, and then after a couple seconds of him just staring at me, he says, "Oh, you and Clara.  No, that's not it.  Clara will tell you she loves you and she wants to spend her life with her."

I suddenly feel like a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders, not to be cliche, but it really feels like the weight of the world has been lifted off my back.  I smile, I feel like it's the biggest smile I've smiled in a long time, and I almost laugh.  "Well then what's the problem?" I ask, my hands up in the air.

He smiles softly.  "There is no problem," he says in a much more toned down voice than the one I'm sure I just used.  "Not really.  And I want you to remember that.  There is really know problem.  I know exactly what's going to happen and I accept it."

I start feeling a little nervous again.  "What are you talking about?" I ask.  I feel like Cornelius doesn't really want me to be with Clara for some reason.  Is he afraid he'll lose me as a friend if I get back together with her?  He doesn't seem like the type to worry about that kind of thing, but maybe he is.  After all, he's told me he doesn't really have friends, hasn't really had friends.  I don't want him to think I'll abandon him just because Clara comes back into my life.  I don't want that to happen any more than he would.  "I'm not going to stop being your friend when I start dating Clara again," I say.  "And I won't stop helping either.  We'll always be friends, and I believe in what you do for people."

He smiles, probably the most sincere smile I've seen from him in a long time, and I almost think I see a tear forming in his eye.  He wipes away what may or may not have been the tear and says, "I know.  That's not it."

"Well then what?"

He sighs.  "Let me buy you a beer," he says.  "I'll tell you everything you need to know later."

I nod.  "Okay," I agree, knowing better than to protest.  I smile as the waitress comes over to take my order and Cornelius says exactly what I wanted.  I watch him watch her walk away over to the bar and see her smile at the bartender who smiles and her and then at Cornelius.  


"They make a cute couple, don't they?" Cornelius asks.


"Are they a couple?" I ask.


He nods.  "If things go as I see, they'll be getting engaged in a few months."

"Well good for them!" I exclaim.  "I guess he didn't need that original waitress after all."

Cornelius shakes his head in agreement.  "No, he didn't," he says.

The new waitress brings out my drink and Cornelius gives her a generous tip.  No sooner have I picked up my glass than Cornelius raises his glass to mine.  "A toast," he says, "to fulfilling destiny and carrying on a legacy."

I'm not sure quite what he means still, but I decide not to ask.  "To friends," I say.

He smiles at me as he clinks his glass against mine.  "To friends," he agrees, and we take a drink.