The Covenant - Chapter Twenty-Two

"How do you like it?" asks Elliot taking another rather large bite of pizza as the cheese hangs and pulls away from him .

"It's delicious!" agrees Annie enjoying the mixture of spices and then taking another bite of dough with a crispy crust "I'll definitely have to get this again while I'm here!"

"I can take you around to some of my favorite places.  We need to go to Little Italy so you can have some of the best pasta in the country" suggests Elliot grinning at her with a twinkle in his eye "There are so many places in the city that I think you would like".

While finishing up their lunch together, Elliot shares a few comical stories of his childhood and openly laughs with full gusto. Annie intently listens and enjoys his humor and his eloquent way with words.

As they get up to leave, Elliot helps Annie put her coat on and pushes in her chair.  She smiles back at him enjoying being treated so well.

"Are you up for a walk?" asks Elliot leaning in close to her and putting his arm gently around her.

"Sure!" confirms Annie tying her colorful pashmina around her neck and places her hands into the pockets of her coat "It looks like there a few interesting shops along this way."

Elliot leans over close to her and nudges her arm with his own, "We'll make it an adventure and see how many unusual things we can find."

"Sounds like a bit of a challenge" agrees Annie feeling the best that she has for weeks since saying goodbye to Rick before he returned to Peru. 

"Excellent!"  excitedly exclaims Elliot "Let's go into this tourist store, they're bound to have something that fits our qualifications."

As other customers enter the store, Elliot holds the door open for her as Annie heads towards the t-shirts looking for a gift for Jennings to bring back home with her.  Elliot checks out the lady liberty sunglasses, the yellow taxi cut-out playing cards, the NY Yankees baseball caps, and the other snow globes holding miniatures of famous monuments in the city.

As Annie contemplates what bargain t-shirts to buy at 3 for $10, Elliot stands next to her and shows off his chocolate M & M  earmuffs "What do you think?" modeling them for her.

"I think they are definitely 'you'!" giggling Annie grinning back at him while he heads towards the counter in a overly dramatic runway walk, posing and then glancing back at her every two or three steps with an instant cheesy smile.   

A few minutes later, Annie has finally made a choice and decides it is time to check-out.  She watches Elliot leaning on the counter with his ankles crossed flirting with the pretty clerk who appears to be barely out of high school. The girl giggles in response to his remarks and leans forward on the other side of the counter giving him a clear view of more than is necessary.

As their conversation continues Elliot laughs but then sees Annie and moves towards her direction placing his arm around her shoulder while leaning in very closing touching her arm and shoulder to see what she is holding, "So how many did you end up getting?"

"I think that I ended up with six for the boys and a couple for Jennings to wear" explains Annie slightly uncomfortable but not exactly sure why "I don't want to buy my gifts all in the same place."

"You're right.  There are some great shops still to come" encourages Elliot grabbing her hand but waving goodbye to the cute clerk with the other one.  She waves goodbye to her chatty customer and then places her chin on the palm of her hand resting on the counter and sighs.

As they walk, Annie manages to free herself from his grasp for a moment as he points to different artistic buildings along the way.  The architecture varies from all different periods through the last century. Balconies, alcoves, window frames all tells their own intimate stories of a former time and place. The neighborhood shops are close together as the locals carry a shopping bag that can easily be taken up a few flights of stairs to their small apartments.

The sidewalks are full of people headed to their determined destinations.  An occasional dog wagging his friendly tail on a leash joins their exhausted master after a long day of work.  Many strollers with other toddlers in tow, lead the way with their nannies as they chat for a minute to exchange their schedules to meet later after their duties are done at the end of the day.

The yellow taxis honk and swerve to be the first to greet a new customer impatiently waving their hand while taking a step into the cluttered street gutter for a clearer view.

Stepping onto the next busy street as the crosswalk light warns her of exactly how many seconds she has left to accomplish her task, Annie can see various fresh colorful vegetables and fruits lined in neat rows under the forest green canopy of the local corner grocery store.  Just around the corner, beautiful flowers of all kinds, carnations, roses, daisies, are neatly arranged in buckets and other arrangements for purchase outside the shops.

Street venders have set up tables lined with merchandise along the side streets.  Annie peruses the 'almost' designer purses and faux leather wallets, the exquisite scarves and hats, examining all mediums of artwork, framed photos of famous celebrities and places, and considering a few used books at very discounted prices among the mixture of tables as they walk down Broadway.

"I don't think I've seen so many people all in one place before who are all headed in different directions rather than being there for one purpose" considers Annie "At home there isn't much traffic so even that is quite different.  I'm glad that we decided not to drive here this time".

"Here, you want one?" offers Elliot handing her a hot dog smothered in one too many things from a food truck parked next to them on the corner "They are the best!"

"Mmmm ... they are really good" enjoys Annie taking another bite "I didn't know a hot dog could taste so good!"

"Let me get that for you" states Elliot taking the napkin in his hand and wiping a sliver of mustard from her lip while pausing to stare into her eyes for a moment and then looking back to her lips while moving closer to her.

"Thank you" nervously Annie replies taking her own napkin and wiping her face for any other imaginary mustard or ketchup that might be evident. "Is it all gone?"

"Yes, I think so" states Elliot moving closer to her face to inspect any errant condiment making Annie feel slightly uncomfortable but excited at the same time.  He smiles at her and then pauses before backing away "Yes, it looks like I got it all."

As they continue to walk down the numerous blocks, Elliot touches her arm or her shoulder every time he finds something that is interesting or amusing to him. "Would you like to sit down for awhile and grab a snack?"

"A break sounds like a great idea.  I don't recall the last time I've walked so much in one day" explains Annie feeling the intense ache between her toes and right heal.

As Annie finds a booth for them to sit in, she observes Elliot as he heads to the counter to order a serving of sweet baklava. A short brunette stands in line behind him and they strike up a quick conversation.  He is quite animated and cheerful while talking to the young woman who laughs with each phrase and shows him the bag of items that she has been shopping for that day.  The conversation ends when Elliot orders his food.  Elliot flashes a rather large smile at Annie as he carries the tray of hot chocolate and dessert towards her.  Annie smiles back but contemplates his skill level to charm everyone around him.

"So, what are you doing tomorrow?" asks Elliot relaxing in the booth and propping  his feet up the bench across from him on her side.

Taking a big sip leaving a trace of whip cream on her upper lip, Annie explains  "I don't know.  I have to check with my family first.  My friend from college lives on the outskirts of the city.  She had a car accident a few years ago and is in a wheelchair.  She doesn't travel much so it would be really nice to see her soon."

"Oh,  maybe if we talk Beth and Ariel Gray into joining us, they'll let you free for the day" sarcastically jokes Elliot knowing that his comment is closer to the truth than not.

"Yes, that might work" agrees Annie wondering if they will have enough time to meet up with Beth and Ariel tonight while peering down at her watch "I think we should go, they're probably already waiting for us".

"What if we told them that we made other plans?" suggests Elliot nudging her thigh playfully with his foot "What do you think?"

"I think that Beth's wrath would be more than I could tolerate right now" sighs Annie enjoying her day alone with Elliot but feeling slightly uneasy but sure that there will be more days to come.

"I suppose if you think so, but we need to make another plan for just the two of us for another day, if that's all right with you" suggests Elliot flirting back with a sparkle in his eye getting up to leave but waiting until Annie catches up with him before walking out the door.

They continue to walk down the street passing family owned bookshops, jewelry stores, local deli's  whose aroma carries throughout the neighborhood, trendy clothing stores, and other shops of various interests.  The city is loud but the residents are friendly and polite as long as you keep walking on one side and not too far side by side.  Elliot moves slightly behind her but very near still so they can continue to chat with each other.

 In the chill of the air, Elliot interlocks Annie's arm with his own when they reach a clearer and open space to walk together.   Annie smiles at him but a little ill at ease unfamiliar with so much attention.   He laughs and jokes with her. 

As they arrive at the shop to meet up with Ariel and Beth, Annie looks into her purse for a breath mint.  She pulls out a braided bracelet that Karina made for her at the children's home.  Her thoughts flow back to memories of Rick and her heart aches wondering if across the world Lauren is captivating his attention tonight.  A sense of sadness fills her thoughts as Annie places the homemade bracelet on her wrist sighing as she gently brushes it with her other hand.

"We're all here now!" announces Elliot walking first through the automatic glass door with the other two young women trailing along behind him.  "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I think so" replies Annie giving one last glance up at the moon in the night sky and then picking up a couple of small bags of items she purchased earlier in the day that were resting on the ground next to her.

"This way ladies!" points Elliot with a charming teasing look resting on each of them for a moment before moving next to Annie and taking her bags to carry without her asking.

Noticing Elliot's attention drawing to an opposing favorite, Beth squints her eyes at his calculated move, "Well, if you want to be a servant today, you can carry my bags too!" handing him four more rather large bags of her own and giving him a feather kiss on the cheek "It's always nice to have a real man around ..."