Saving Grace

In hindsight, it was clear that finding Tommy had saved her. Grace was adrift and nearly without hope by the time they first encountered each other. The air was cold and the sky a pale grey that morning. Grace stepped outside, her yellow scarf jumping in the wind. It was Thanksgiving Day, and she was miles away from her childhood home and its inhabitants. There would be no turkey or warm pumpkin pie on her table that night. After graduating in June, she had caught the first bus out of Missouri to New York City, embarking on the same path of dreams traversed by so many hopefuls before her. Grace’s mother was heartbroken to see her forfeit the stable, quiet farm life that she had planned for her. If only Grace had succeeded in defying her mother’s doubts.

Grace wandered forlornly through the city most days, searching for work of any kind, anything other than her barista post at Cassandra's Cafe. She had long since abandoned any hope of securing an audition with a theatre company. Every rejection had plunged Grace deeper into her melancholy, until finally she had been forced to give up. Now, Grace was biding her time, trying to scrape by in the city as she pondered her next move. She vowed not to return to Missouri for anything longer than a visit, a jaunty pit stop en route to her next great adventure. It was not only to delay her mother’s triumphant “I told you so” that Grace remained in the city. In truth, she was ashamed to face her father, champion of her dreams, the sole member of her who believed in her talent. For her, the city had become both a prison and a refuge.

Grace sighed as she observed couples and families strolling through Central Park. Her job search had led her in this direction, but she abandoned the futile pursuit and instead walked into the park. Kicking rocks wistfully like a child, Grace looked up and saw Tommy running down the paved path in her direction. As he approached, a smile began to spread across her face. He was lean and muscular, with shining brown eyes and bright white teeth. He stopped in front of Grace and appraised her, catching his breath.

“You’re cute,” she announced. There was a sense of serendipity about the pair. Both alone and unattached in the big city, Grace and Tommy felt at ease with each other immediately. They strolled until the day began to fade, and then watched the sun go down over New York City. In a few short hours, Grace and Tommy had become inseparable.

Grace’s walk-up apartment was practically microscopic, but Tommy didn’t mind the tight squeeze when he moved in with her. Grace made the appropriate rearrangements of furniture to accommodate him. It was a challenging feat, but Grace was excited nonetheless to open her home after months of seclusion. Fearing their reaction to her impulsive behavior, she put off informing her parents about Tommy. She could already imagine her mother’s disapproving tone.

Though their cohabitation was, for the most part, cohesive, Tommy’s presence demanded that Grace make adjustments to her routine. He urged her to get out of the apartment, often early in the morning when the sun was barely risen, and late at night to walk around the chilly city. Despite some initial reluctance, Grace soon found she enjoyed this time spent with Tommy. Sometimes he even coaxed her into running with him, ignoring her protestations. She found herself shopping in specialty stores and exploring grocery aisles that she had never previously entered, in efforts to suit Tommy’s particular tastes. Grace didn’t mind the extra chores required to keep the apartment orderly with another occupant. In fact, she adored Tommy and overlooked every ounce of trouble that he caused her. As long as they could snuggle together every evening on the couch, watching her favorite show - one thing that she did not have to change for Tommy - Grace was content. It soon became natural and simple, having Tommy in the apartment.

But not all was well. Late at night while Tommy dozed, Grace lay awake, held hostage by a nagging worry. The contents of her bank account were shrinking steadily. Grace’s modest paycheck could not be stretched any further, especially with the new addition to her household. It wasn’t as if Tommy could work. He was only depleting her already limited supply of funds, and the bills and expenses were accumulating rapidly. Still, in Grace’s eyes, Tommy was the one source of happiness in her bleak world.

It was a Tuesday when her mother discovered him. Grace’s weekly video call with her parents was playing out smoothly. Her father informed her of a new lamb born on the farm, and her mother showed off her knitting progress. All the while, the three of them skirted around the issue of Grace’s dimming prospects in the city.

“It’s snowing here, too. I almost slipped yesterday,” Grace said. “Is Grandma’s knee alright?”

“Oh, she’ll be as good as new in no time,” her father replied. “I’ll be back in a minute, better go check on the roast.” He retreated from Grace’s view, leaving her mother alone in the pixelated space.

It was then that Tommy entered Grace’s room unexpectedly. Trying to shield him from view, Grace tilted the laptop screen downward, but it was too late.

“Sorry, mom,” she said quickly. “I’ll call you back in a bit!”

Grace’s mother wasted no time in calling her back; the phone was ringing shrilly a moment later. She kicked Tommy out of her bedroom as she answered the call.

“Hello?” she mumbled.

“Grace. You can barely support yourself. Is this really something you can handle right now?” she probed.

“I’m not a child, mom,” Grace protested.

“Well, you’re acting like one. This is irresponsible,” her mother scolded. “This is ridiculous.”

“Tommy’s brought so much happiness to my life,” Grace countered. “Isn’t that important?”

“Tommy?” her mother scoffed. “That’s his name?”

They continued to argue until both Grace and the subject of Tommy had been thoroughly exhausted. Grace remained adamant that Tommy was not going anywhere. She had given up on securing auditions, on making something of herself in New York, but she was not about to give up on him.

“Maybe when you’re here in December, you’ll see why I need him,” Grace suggested finally.

“Need him?” Grace could envision her mother’s eyes rolling.

“Please, Mom.” Grace implored, “Just give him a chance.”

Her mother agreed, frustratedly, to meet Tommy when she visited.

It was late at night on December twenty-third when the yellow taxi pulled up outside Grace’s shabby building. Grace opened the door and threw her arms around her mother.

“We miss you back home,” said her mother. “It’s been too long, Gracie.”

As she unbuttoned her black pea coat, Grace’s mother saw Tommy bounding off the couch. When he reached her, she knelt down and scratched the fur between his ears.

“Well, he is adorable,” she conceded. “But how can you possibly afford him, Grace?” Tommy wagged his tail, seemingly without a care in the world.