Page 28 of The Reverse Cinderella

“Excuse me?” Piaget couldn’t absorb the words. Surely not.

“Max used to come in here all the time when he was looking for work. We have a jobs board at the back. Anyhow, his brother would come in to check up on him. My parents own the place which is how I met Noah,” she was sympathetic. “Max is homeless. I thought he would have told you. You’re the first girl he’s brought here.”

Piaget looked at Max in stunned silence.

“I was going to tell you. Just not quite yet,” he gave Elle a tight look and reached for Piaget’s hand which she pulled away. “Piaget?”

“I think I need a moment,” she looked at Elle. “How much was the breakfast?”

“It’s covered,” she said, pity in her eyes.

“I’m buying,” Max said at the same time.

Piaget fumbled for her purse. This woman pitied her. This beautiful, pregnant woman who was married to Max’s brother Noah and had a home with a spare room to offer. Of course, she would pity Piaget. She was the one who had been going out with Max, the homeless brother. Another step down from her post-Gary era. She felt so dumb. Did she have gullible stapled across her forehead? Or was it in a blazing neon sign? “Excuse me.”

“Piaget, you don’t need to go. I can explain,” Max rose to his feet as Piaget did.

Piaget walked away before she could start to cry. There was time enough for that later. She could hear Max follow her, but she stared resolutely ahead. He circled around until he was in front of Piaget, walking backwards.

“Piaget, please stop so we can talk about this,” Max pleaded as Piaget simply walked around him.

“I said I needed a moment,” Piaget was surprised the words came out steady because she didn’t feel steady at all. She wondered if it was too much to expect from a man, any man, that he be honest. Completely and totally honest.

“Why?” Max persisted. “Because I’m homeless?”

Piaget hurried her steps. “Because you lied to me.”

She could see Max’s frustration, yet it didn’t make her feel any better. “I didn’t lie. I just didn’t choose to tell you yet.”

“Please get out of my way,” Piaget said. The sidewalk had narrowed and there were a lot of people crowding it.

Max grabbed her hand and kneeled in front of her. A few people cheered, thinking there was a proposal going on. Most just simply walked around the two, intent on going about their daily business. “Piaget, the key word is yet. I didn’t tell youyet. I fully intended to. We’ve just started dating and it’s not exactly something I lead with, ‘Hi I’m Max and I don’t have a home.’ I sound like some dog from the pound. It usually turns people off. I know because I’ve been doing this for a few years.”

“Please let go of my hand,” Piaget whispered furiously, her face turning red. It was humiliating to have people staring at them this way, some blatantly eavesdropping.

“It’s not a permanent thing. I am just saving the money that I would put in rent and utilities toward a debt that I have. Once it’s paid off I fully intend to find a place which is going to happen soon,” he explained. “Please, Piaget. I believe we have something special here. Don’t walk away from us.”

Piaget shook her head and could feel hot tears well up behind her eyes. Max rose and tried to cup her face in his hands, but Piaget jerked back, putting her hands up to ward him off and shakily said, “Don’t touch me!”

Gary had always tried that move with a smooth ‘Babe’ in it to try to convince her of whatever lie he was brewing. Like when she found some other woman’s panties in his suit jacket. Piaget was never going to fall for that move again.

Max dropped his hands, looking down at her with sad eyes. “Piaget, I don’t want this to end. Please, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Piaget held up a hand to forestall any further talking from him. The crowd thinned at the crosswalk and she took the opportunity to get by him.

This time, he didn’t follow.

She spent an hour staring at the tap that they had just fixed that morning, willing it to drip but it didn’t. She spent the next hour crying in the shower then she had to use a sweatshirt to dry herself with because she only had wet towels.

Piaget didn’t know what to think. She didn’t appreciate not knowing and having Max’s situation sprung on her in that sort of way. She never liked being the last to know anymore because she had learned the hard way that being last to know something usually meant it was bad news for her. How Piaget wished he had told her sooner. Then again, he was probably right. She wouldn’t have gone out with a homeless man. She wouldn’t have trusted him. How often weren’t people told that homeless people had mental health issues or were on drugs or psychotic or something? Max seemed perfectly normal but normal people didn’t choose to live on the streets. Did they?

In retrospect Piaget could see some warning signs. He hadn’t told her his address. He wasn’t exactly the cleanliest but that had improved. He’d been skimming free drinks from the college crew. He liked to do free activities.

Piaget liked free activities too. She was poor, she reasoned.

What if he did have some sort of mental health issue that caused him to like living on the streets? How do you date a homeless man?

Finally, Piaget sighed and got ready to go to work. It was going to be a really, long day and she wished she could afford to call in sick. Dix was already there when Piaget got to the café. She set her purse under the counter and wrapped an apron around herself.