Lunch break

[Jackson DeWitt]

The second shift help came in, and the head barkeep nodded to Jackson, for him to take his break. Jackson smiled in a wash of relief, walking quickly to the back to deposit his apron, before walking out in the open. He sat at a table by himself, with an apple and a glass of water. From his pocket, he removed a pack of well-worn playing cards, and began to shuffle them up, before setting them down in a neat pile in front of him.

"Okay...here we go again."

Taking a bite of apple, Jackson inhaled deeply...and drew a card.

...He exhaled, and lowered his head.

"Well, fifty-one more tries...."

[Emma Harvan]

Wu-bump!

A tiny figure, not watching where it was going, tripped over it's own shoes and bumped into the table. The little girl landed on the floor in a spectacular heap, playing cards raining down on her. Tears welled up in her eyes and slowly, very slowly, she lifted her head to look at the man sitting there. Her lower lip trembled and she covered her face.

"I didn' mean t'! I'm sorry! I didn' mean t' break your game!"

[Jackson DeWitt]

"Its ok, its ok..."

Jackson dropped to his hands and knees, helping the girl up to her feet.

"You okay?"

Only after he ensured she was okay did he begin to pick up his deck. Midway through the recovery, he found his apple, which had also fallen. Shrugging, he threw it away.

[Emma Harvan]

He wasn't cross? He wasn't cross! Oh, it was better than candy... Well, not quite but for the moment it was the brightest thing in her day. Eager to fix her mistake, just in case the man changed his mind, Emma hurried to scoop up cards. She was actually scattering them farther but it escaped her notice. The four year old smiled and put three of the cards in Jackson's hands and then leaned forward to get another one. As she was leaning forward, she slipped on an ace of spades that had been hidden under her knee. Emma fell forward, her foot kicking the man square in the face as she did. Before the child even hit the floor the words were out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry!"

When she landed, Emma kept her eyes closed tightly. She didn't even want to look at him now. What if she'd killed the man!

"I sh'd jes' get deaded!"

[Anbira Hicchoru]

.

[Jackson DeWitt]

Jackson leaned back, laughing a little as he did.

"Its okay."

He reached up to his lip. A bit swollen, but not bleeding. Helping the girl up to her feet, he put a hand on her shoulders.

"Why don't you wait right here for a sec. I'll get the rest."

With a wink, Jackson crawled along the ground, picking up the remnants of his deck.

[Emma Harvan]

Emma nodded, curls sproinging, and looking embarresed. She clambered up onto Jackson's seat and crouched up on it, looking under the table. She watched him gathering the cards from her front row seat and pointed others out.

"There's one. I'm real sorry. There's one! I didn' mean t'. There's one!"

She caught sight of his lip and hers started to tremble again.

"I c'd a killed y'! Ohhh.... I'm jes' a stupid head."

She plunked her head into her hands and rolled off the chair, landing on the floor with a thump. Her voice was muffled.

"Y' can kick me if y' want t'."

[Jackson DeWitt]

Setting the cards back onto the table, Jackson reached down, hefting the little girl into a booth seat, across from him.

"Now why would I do that?"

He smiled at her, his face reflecting in her tear-saturated doe eyes.

"I'm Jackson, what's your name?"

[Emma Harvan]

She shrugged as he lifted her into a seat. Who wouldn't want to kick her? Didn't she deserve it? Shyly she looked across at Jackson.

"I'm Emma."

She looked at his lip and frowned.

"Does it hurt bad?"