 Friends         |  windham296: Hello my name is Anthony and I am from Windham CT text me please eight six o two three o one four six flags four years and still sexy 4 years ago • Report • Link 0  jocedeserai: I dont come on here much anymore, and I don't really have any friends here either, so I thought this would be a good place to vent, feel free to stop reading unless ur interested or care lol. So im sitting at my boyfriends house again, and thinking more deeply than is probably healthy right now. He cheated on me for the entirety of the beginning of our relationship. well technicialy i was the other woman. I alerted his... cougar. I never thought about this until this moment, if hes only been interested in cougars, what am i doing here? Its like im playing the game, which one of these things doesnt belong. It's me. I want to talk to him about these things, but at the same time, i have been cheated on in every relationship and I feel like I should just be used to it by now. I just want to move forward, but I cant stop looking back and wondering if or when it will happen again, and the next time will I be the one who's getting left behind? Anyway, if you wanna hear more interesting stories then go ahead and message me, talking is a good distraction and I need one right now. abandoned soul: the 2015 christmas poem is done, i hope you like it CHRISTMAS 2015 Give your mummy and daddy a big christmas hug look up if there if thats where there at there thinkin of you and KNOW that your a loved soul never be too old spend the best of your soul pick a fight where ones needed be the last soul standing A loved, true, happy, good, soul. by michael empathy CHRISTMAS 2014 MAY your love remain Precious , boundless , true YOUR soul , a thing of beauty , shrinking infinity YOUR joy , a thing found in a small flower amongst weeds YOUR friendships , a thing of love , infectious laughter , endless joy YOUR smile , a thing of freely given beauty YOUR heart , a thing of bravery , never saying no to the good fight YOUR understanding's , a thing of truths , empathy , contentment YOUR loved ones , a group getting your very best , giving theirs YOUR life , a thing of amazing wins , small and great YOUR mind , a thing of constant wonder , endless discovery YOUR love of people expand to generosity for the poorest LASTLY may you KNOW your a loved soul by Michael empathy. CHRISTMAS 2013 may your soul be a slayer of evil your empathy stronger than your fear your fear without hatred your love pure … and true by michael empathy. I want to marry a vegitarian abandoned soul: : … … twelve days & twelve Christmas wishes … … christmas 2014…………………………………………………………………………………........................... MAY your love remain Precious , boundless , true YOUR soul , a thing of beauty , shrinking infinity YOUR joy , a thing found in a small flower amongst weeds YOUR friendships , a thing of love , infectious laughter , endless joy YOUR smile , a thing of freely given beauty YOUR heart , a thing of bravery , never saying no to the good fight YOUR understanding's , a thing of truths , empathy , contentment YOUR loved ones , a group getting your very best , giving theirs YOUR life , a thing of amazing wins , small and great YOUR mind , a thing of constant wonder , endless discovery YOUR love of people expand to generosity for the poorest LASTLY may you KNOW your a loved soul by Mick E. may your soul be a slayer of evel your empathy stronger than your fear your fear without hatred your lone pure and true xmas 2013 ………………………………………………………………………………........... . ..MASTERPIECE OF THE.. .. YOUNG GIRL.. . ..theres a little girl.. ..laughing out of my window.. ..two floors down.. ..somones sending her nuts.. ..with screems and laughs.. ..over n over n over .. ..with stop for abit.. ..then more.. ..theres a voice activated toy.. ..making her laugh.. ..shes screaming.. ..the damanding voice.. ..calling for somthing..more..anything.. ..then laughter .. ..and on and on..then back.. ..and screem and hail of laughter.. ..and scrrreeeeeeeeemmssssss.. ..and hails of high pitch.. ..and her loving the sound of her own sounds.. ..her own voice..and of course ..screamsssssss ..and laughter.. ..and later more squeals forever.. ..and then loud.. ..and high pitch saying somthing.. ..unknowable.. ..mystery.. ..blured voices.. ...performance ends ... By anonymous young girl. and me copying Beautiful in my opinion has nothing to do with looks, its how you are as a person, and how you make others feel about themselfs. Anonomous jocedeserai: CHAPTER 4 againnnn Days pass and the weekend arrives, surprisingly slower than last week. On Tuesday Mr. Barnes figured out where the money came from, a very simple explanation. There were not anymore errors that I noticed while doing finances and I was glad of that. One I could easily believe was a mistake, but if there were mistakes every couple weeks like before with money mysteriously appearing, my paranoia might start pestering me and causing me to doubt the trustworthiness of my boss. Friday night, Marcus and I planned to go out to dinner; unsure of whether or not this counted as a date, I was having difficulty finding something appropriate to wear. If I were interpreting things wrong, and he only wanted to go out as friends, then I wouldn’t want to make him uncomfortable, embarrass myself, and create problems in our friendship. But, on the other hand, if I was right and this was supposed to be like a date, then he was on the same page as me, wanting to be more than friends. I wonder where that would lead us too, I thought to myself while getting ready. We were supposed to go to the Silver Swan, a very elegant place, with meals costing about 30 dollars. It was seven when I finally showered and decided on what to wear. It was a dark purple dress with black swirls on the top half. I used very little makeup, just eyeliner and mascara, and then put my hair into a tight bun. After checking myself in the mirror from different angles, I left my bedroom and met Marcus who was ready and waiting, “Looking good.” He complimented me. “Likewise.” I replied as he opened the door very politely for me. Is this a sign that it’s a date, I wondered silently to myself. The car was pleasantly warm when we got there, and already running, courtesy of my lovely roommate. It was filled with the smell of pine from his two car air fresheners which were dangling from the inside mirror. The ride to the Silver Swan was sweet and short, filled with music from bands Marcus and I liked most. We parked close to the entrance, and Marcus opened the car door for me. Very gentlemanly, I thought to myself; aloud I said, “Thank you.” With a gracious smile displayed upon my face that showed true gratitude for the nicety. We walked in and asked to be seated at a table for two. The man who seated us was Timothy, and he said he would be our waiter this evening, “Is there anything I can get you to drink?” “I’ll have a coke.” He looked at me, waiting for a decision. “Do you have cherry cokes?” The waiter responded quite quickly, “Yes, we do. I’ll be back soon with your drinks and to take your orders.” “Thank you.” Marcus said to him as he walked quickly away, avoiding the tables and other waiters and waitresses who were walking with trays stacked full of foods and drinks. We picked up the menus and looked through the pages of it. Everything looked delicious, but I decided upon shrimp alfredo. This was a favorite of mine since I was a child, but I haven’t had any in a couple years. “So you’re probably wondering why I wanted to bring you to such a fancy restraint, right?” “Yes, I’ve been wondering all night.” I replied with a smile and a light laugh which. To my own ears, sounded a bit higher pitched than my normal octave. “Well, it’s two reasons, and I’m not sure which to say first.” He paused and seemed to be a bit nervous but excited, “You know how I’ve been searching for a job recently?” I nodded and said, “Yes.” I smiled, excited for him and anticipating him telling me that he’d succeeded in his search. “Well, I got a job at the red wave, I work in the kitchen preparing food.” “That’s great! It’s a nice place, I hang out there on the weekends sometimes.” “Wow what a cool coincidence” He slowed down and got more nervous, and this caused me a bit of confusion. We sat silently for a few moments, and I waited for him to continue and tell me the second reason why we were here. “You said there was another reason, do I get to know what it is?” I asked in a teasing manner. “Yes,” He said slowly, and unsure. A few moments after that he cleared his throat and said, “we’ve always been good friends, and I was wondering… have you ever, you know, thought about being more than friends?” The ending came out slow and I was shocked, not only was I right about my suspicion that this was a date, but he was asking to… to what? Go steady, or just to date and see where we go? I sat there stunned for a few moments and he started talking, and stuttering this time, “Or not, I mean we are good as friends and I don’t want to ruin that…” He was going to continue when I cut in and said, “I’m sorry I think you took my silence wrong, I was just surprised. Yes, I’ve been wondering that, recently a lot.” I blushed and looked down getting nervous and embarrassed. “Oh,” He paused, shocked at my response, “so do you want to try.. I-I mean do you want to go out Meghan?” “Yes Marcus, I would.” I smiled at him reassuringly, knowing that he was way more nervous than I was at the moment, and trying my best to convey that all was well and he doesn’t need to be afraid. The waiter came back with our drinks and placed them in front us before asking, “Have you decided what you want to order?” Marcus looked to me to speak first and I said, “Yes, Shrimp alfredo please.” “I’ll have a steak, medium rare, and potatoes and corn as a side please.” “Would you like any sauce for the steak?” “No, thank you.” He left, taking our menus, and Marcus and I went back to our previous conversation. I begun, “So, where do we go from here?” “I don’t know, I guess we’ll just see what happens, how we feel?” “That sounds like the best idea.” I smiled brightly at him, happy about how tonight was going. We chatted for awhile about us and his new job, but within about twenty minutes, the waiter arrived with our food and to refill our drinks. He must have been working for a long time, but his white dress shirt was still as white and crisp as ever, and I couldn’t find a spot of anything on it. This place was impeccable, with staff that were careful and polite. Now that I wasn’t busy wondering what to call our venture to this high class restaurant, I could focus even more on how beautiful this place is. There was a glass swan in the center, with circular tables surrounding it. Along the edges were square tables, and longer rectangular tables, and every single one was covered in a white tablecloth that felt like satin. The lights were beautiful, small, glass chandeliers, and there was one directly above our table, creating a beautiful cascading light effect. The side of the restaurant facing the lake could be seen through the glass window which stretched the length of the wall. It was positioned so you could see a portion of the lake, as well as the sunset which looked like it was out of a fairytale. All of these things added to the feel of the evening and transformed it into an unforgettable and perfect evening. We left at nine, which meant we had dined for two hours. It was dark and a bit chilly, so Marcus lent me his jacket which was extremely sweet of him. It was draped over my shoulders, and once again he opened the car door for me. I was in an ecstatic mood and the romance of the evening left me with a feeling of bliss as well. All I could think about was cuddling up on the couch when we got home and watching a nice movie. I didn’t care what, but I didn’t want to just go to bed, I wanted to keep the evening going. We watched a comedy, Mrs. Doubtfire, and at some point I must have fallen asleep, because the next morning I awoke tucked into my bed with no idea how I ‘d gotten there. jocedeserai: CHAPTER 4 continued again The twenty minutes seemed to fly by and before I knew it my legs were carrying me toward my bosses office. I turned left past the front desk and knocked on his door hesitantly. “Come in.” I opened the door and walked in, ignoring the seat that awaited me in front of his desk. He looked at me curiously, and asked, “Can I help you Meghan?” “Yes I would hope so Mr. Barnes. There seems to be money we have received that hasn’t been accounted for.” He looked at me for a moment with an expression I recognized as puzzlement and something else, “How much money exactly?” “$300, Lawrence and I double checked it, and we are baffled as to where it came from.” “Hmmm, well I can look into it for you, I’m sure I’ll have an answer by tomorrow.” “Thank you, that would be appreciated.” “Can I ask a favor of you as well?” He asked me cautiously, and I was a bit surprised at this request. What type of favor, I wondered? I nodded my head for him to carry on and explain what he meant. He continued, “If you come across something like this again, would you mind coming to me right away and not bothering the other staff?” “Of course Mr. Barnes, I wasn’t trying to be a bother. Lawrence offered his personal assistance when I first arrived and we tend to ask each other questions and double check our math.” I explained this to him, curious as to why he didn’t want me to work with the staff, specifically others who were working with finances and budgets. As far as I was concerned, working with each other was crucial. “Alright then, I can understand that. Is there anything else Ms. Noble?” “No that was it sir, I’ll check in with you tomorrow about the money. Thank you.” He dismissed me with a smile and said, “You’re welcome, have a nice evening.” “You too Mr. Barnes.” I said brightly while I strode confidently out of his office, and was just about to leave the premises all together when I remembered that my thermos was still inside. I walked toward room A5, and saw that my cup was exactly where I’d left it. I found my car in the parking space which I use every day, and unlocked it to leave. The drive home was just the same as any other day, and I didn’t have a problem with that. Marcus was waiting in the living room when I got home, painting on the coffee table with some art supplies he must have picked up while he was out today. He waved to me when I walked in and held up his partially finished and still wet piece of art work. “Like it?” he asked me ecstatically. “It looks great! What are you going to do once its finished?” I said with just as much as enthusiasm as him. He thought for a moment and put a finger to his chin comically, “I’m not sure yet.” He laughed, “Maybe someone will want to buy it.” “Maybe!” I said. He was a good artist, and paired with his bright personality he had a pretty good chance of getting something for his work. I took my phone out and turned around while saying, “I’m going to call the cable company and get something set up over here.” I googled the number and dialed it. I decided upon Charter, and soon enough I had figured out a time for them to come set it up. I was going to get over 125 channels, but the downside was it wasn’t cheap. Sixty bucks out of my paycheck every month for this, it was definitely going to take me longer to save up for a new matching couch and chair set. “We’re getting charter, they’ll be here tomorrow at about four.” I informed Marcus. He nodded and continued on his painting which was almost finished. “Please don’t get any paint on that, put paper down under everything?” “There already is, don’t worry.” He turned and flashed me a smile. He must be very determined to finish that today, I thought to myself I walked to my room to relax and read the rest of my Sherlock Holmes book. I was at the end, and he was pulling everything together, and I was definitely intrigued. How can a mind connect so many things that seem to have little or no relation? If only I had that ability, who knows where I would be right now. An hour later I was finished, and I put this book aside, reminding myself that I needed to return it to the library. I was the queen of overdue books, and that needed to change. This was going to be one of the many changes that I decided to make when I started this career. I changed my whole demeanor, no longer would I be the quiet person, the one in the back; starting two weeks ago I changed myself in this aspect and many more, for the better. Not sure about what to do for the remainder of this Monday night, I stared at my ceiling and daydreamed. I was off in my own small world for maybe ten minutes before Marcus came running in, “I finished!” He squealed like a child, and I thought it was positively adorable. He was holding his painting directly in front of his chest, resting his chin on the top edge while seeming to jump up and down slightly with excitement. “It looks amazing” I said with enough enthusiasm to match his own, “Why don’t we hang it up somewhere, at least until someone decided to buy it?” “Where?” His smile broadened to stretch across the length of his face, becoming the most prominent feature. I walked by him, “How about over here?” I said, pointing to the piece of wall beside the window in the living room. “Hmm” he analyzed the wall for a moment and comically stroked his chin to show deep thought, “Perfect!” He exclaimed three strokes later. “Good, Let me get you something to hang it with.” I grabbed him a nail, hammer, and string and he hung it up beside the window where I had indicated. We hung out and chatted about nothing in particular or of much interest; it was really just more small talk and catching up. jocedeserai: CHAPTER 4 continued Lawrence was, of course, already sitting down and working when I walked into the room. He smiled at me, checked the time, and said, “Well looks like someone is just on time today!” “Yeah I started waking up about fifteen minutes earlier, it makes a big difference.” “I bet, ready to get to work, we are finishing up this month’s finances and double checking on expenditure this week, because September starts this Thursday” “Oh yeah, I’d nearly forgotten, joy.” Double checking was never a favorite of mine, not in high school, not in college, and not at work either. Lawrence, understanding my sarcasm, replied, “Awe come now Meghan, it’s not that bad, is it?” “Hmmm, well if I were to make a list of least favorite tasks, this would be under cleaning up a litter box.” He stared at me stunned for a moment before laughing, “You would rather clean a litter box?” “Honestly, yes, I would.” I said matter-of-factly. I sighed, “But this is part of the job.” I sat down next to him and he patted my shoulder, “Don’t worry, you’ll make it through the week, I promise.” I laughed and said, “Thanks for the reassurance Lawrence.” We got to work and cut the chit chat, trying to get through the last of our financial responsibilities for the month so we could get to the dreaded task of checking over our work for the past month. Lunch came and went like it usually does. We had a bit of friendly banter, talked about how well the company was doing financially, how a lot of privately owned companies like this were going down the drain and that it was fortunate we were doing so well. We got back to work as the conversation dwindled, and that was when I noticed something strange. We started rechecking it, and it seemed like I must have done some math wrong. I redid the math of course, but came out to an extra $300 dollars that I couldn’t account for. Where did it come from? I turned toward my trusted partner, “Can you take a look at this?” He took my work from me, and squinted at it for a few moments before punching numbers into his calculator. He did it a few more times, “How did the extra money get here? There’s nothing wrong with the math, I mean the money is here, everything is here, I just don’t see where it came from?” “Me either, what do you think we should do?” “I think you should go talk to Mr. Barnes, maybe he knows where it’s from.” “Yeah, I think I’ll go do that before I leave,” I checked the time on the wall clock and continued, “in twenty minutes.” He nodded and we both went back to work, me feeling uneasy about the randomly appearing money. jocedeserai: CHAPTER 4 The alarm went off, just as loud and harsh as it ever was, but this time I was more concerned about it because I did not want to wake up Marcus who was only separated from this disturbing noise by a thin wall. I heard no yawn or movements from the living room so I hoped that the noise hadn’t aroused him from his sleep. I got ready by showering, and today I chose to be a bit daring in what clothes I wore. I put on some red jeans, a white shirt, and of course my black signature jacket which finished the look off. I brushed through my hair quickly and decided to simply let it hang over one shoulder today. I did makeup quickly as well, just eye liner, mascara, and red lipstick. I snatched up a black pair of small heels from my closet to wear, and walked into the kitchen to quickly make a bagel and coffee. When I got there, the coffee pot was already on, and the bagel was just popped out of the toaster. I looked around, and couldn’t figure out how Marcus did this without making a sound. He was sleeping, or looking like he was sleeping still. I wrote “Thanks Marcus, you’re a life saver.” I placed the paper I’d written this on, on the fridge, hoping he would find it when he awoke to get ready for his own day. I put butter on my bagel today, and once again drank my coffee black from the thermos I had cleaned last night while doing dishes. I checked the time, 7:20, and left the house a bit earlier than usual. I arrived at work and immediately saw Janice with a strange look on her face which was directed at me. She spoke in a somewhat frazzled tone, “The boss wants to speak to you again, right away.” I nodded, figuring this would happen, and deciding that if anyone should be questioned about what they were doing at The Red Wave, then it should be him. I know I’ve only worked here a couple weeks, but there’s no reason to try and control where I hang out at. Laura was right, she knew her law pretty damn well, being a lawyer and all. I walked straight to his office door, and just as I had my hand poised in a fist to knock on the door Rory called, “Come in, Meghan.” I opened the door, fully aware that his voice actually sounded strangely friendly, at least more friendly compared to how I saw him last night. “Hello Mr. Barnes, how’s your morning?” I said with the brightest smile I could muster. I sat down in the same seat I had sat in not too long ago, and folded my hands in my lap as if this were an important business exchange. “Oh it’s been good. I saw you last night again, I was wondering if there was a miscommunication the other day. Did I not make myself clear to you?” “Oh you were perfectly understandable Mr. Barnes, but I was thinking and wondering as to why you are so keen on hanging out at this club, asking me to avoid it.” I could see the man I had seen last night start to peek through as his anger rose. This was not a smart move, I told myself sternly. You have a good job here, are you really going to do something to jeopardize that? Yes, I decided, just because he’s the boss doesn’t mean he has the right to control where his employees go outside of work. He got his composure together the best he could and said, “Ms. Noble, why are you so adamant about going there?” Change of subject, obviously he did not want to speak about his own reasons for going to that club. “Well Mr. Barnes, honestly, I was talking to a good friend of mine who is a law student, you may have seen her with me last night?” I said this showing that I knew what I was taking about, “According to her, it is up to me, and me alone to decide what places are appropriate, and it is outside your control. Last night I had a good time and I heard some interesting things, and I met some interesting people. I hope you can understand that I in no way intend to offend you or upset you, but this is the closest place to meet new young people my age.” “I can understand where you are coming from, I just thought that you could have shown me some respect.” “I respect you greatly Mr. Barnes, and I love working at your company. But like I said, sometimes I hear some interesting things at The Red Wave, see interesting things.” I enunciated the last sentence carefully, hoping he understood what I meant. The blood drained from his face and I could see a momentary glimpse of fear. Fear of what? I wondered silently to myself. He said, “ Sometimes what we hear can be deceiving or misinterpreted. I would hope you are not one to start gossip.” I wasn’t sure, but this sounded like he was asking me not to say anything. “Mr. Barnes, I work with numbers and facts.” This was not a straight answer, and there was a reason for that. Normally, I do not participate in gossip, that has always been on Laura’s side of things. However, What I heard last night did not sound normal. It sounded strange and that situation and conversation completely altered my bosses personality. All this whizzed through my head while Mr. Barnes thanked me for talking with him, and sent me back to work. Once the door to his office was closed I blew out a sigh of relief from the breath I didn’t know I was holding. I could only be grateful that I had not lost my job. One thing I got out of this was that I still maintained my freedoms to go where I pleased outside of work hours. I walked by the front desk and waved to Janice, hoping that she would realize everything was fine and that there was no need for her to worry. jocedeserai: CHAPTER 3 end. I walked into my room and turned the light on so I could see enough to set my alarm for tomorrow. Earlier, I reminded myself. It was now set for 6:30 which seemed plenty early. That gave me an hour, and I could definitely get ready in an hour. I turned the light off, moved my nicely made bed covers out of the way, and got myself comfortable all huddled up under the blankets. I rolled over a few times, trying to figure out which side was more comfortable to lay one, but once I chose, I fell right to sleep. jocedeserai: CHAPTER 3 continued We arrived back at my apartment and by this time it was seven at night, and a bit late for dinner if you asked me, but Marcus insisted on cooking and said it wouldn’t take long. He was so persistent about doing this for me as a thank you that nothing could dissuade him. I swept off to my room to read some Sherlock Holmes at his request. Well request wasn’t the right word, it was more like he forced me to relax away from view of the kitchen so I wouldn’t have any way to figure out what surprise food he was preparing. The time passed and I managed to read about forty five pages before Marcus barged in without knocking, singing, “It’s ready!.” He was so excited and happy with himself that I didn’t have it in me to address the lack of knocking tonight. He stood in the doorway and watched me walk towards him, once I was about to step past him, he put up his arm, “One minute, close your eyes!” The last thing I saw before I closed my eyes was Marcus’s huge grin. He took my hand and led me to the small table I had between the living room and the kitchen. I could smell something, I wasn’t sure what, but the aroma was wonderful. “Open.” He said as he sat down in his own seat across from me. He had already gotten both of our plates, and poured a bit of red wine in each of our glasses. I had two nice wine glasses that I had gotten from Laura, and I was very thankful for them right now. Everything looked so fancy, even the lovely spiced chicken breast, the bright peppers and onions sitting atop it, the sauce swirled around it like at a five star restaurant. Next to it were scallop potatoes, and atop that was what I thought to be a bay leaf, for looks. I had high hopes that it would taste even better than it looked. “Try it!” He said with enthusiasm. I took a bite of the chicken first, dipping it in the mystery sauce he used, and it was delicious. I made an mmm sound in delight, “It’s amazing, thank you so much!” This was a really nice thing for him to do, “Where did you learn to cook like this?” “I took culinary classes in college. My teacher always said that the decoration was an art. You know I was always good at art.” “Oh I know,” I said with a smile, “I envied that, my drawing and coloring skills end with stick figures.” We laughed and chatted a bit more about what we’ve been doing, and old times we had in high school. It was nice to be able to reminisce like this, I hadn’t in a long while. I dropped almost everyone I knew, it wasn’t because I was anti-social or had a problem with them, I just moved away. I was closest to Marcus, so we still stayed in contact and hung out from time to time, but most people just moved on with their lives, and only stayed close to a few select people. It’s just how things are, as we grew up, we grew further apart, moved, changed; it’s the natural order of things. The sky was dark now, and it was nearing nine ‘o’clock. Marcus looked wiped, and so I insisted upon cleaning up and doing the dishes. I basically had to shoo him out and tell him he should move the living room around so he could pull out the couch and get everything ready for bed. It took a few minutes of persuasion, but eventually he gave in. It was nine fifteen by the time I had all the dishes and pans in the drainer to dry, and I was prepared for an early night. I wanted to tell Marcus about tomorrow, before I went to bed, “I’ve got to be up early for work, I leave by half past seven.” “That’s fine, I’m a heavy sleeper. I was planning on waking up reasonably early to apply at a few places.” “Oh that’s great! Where were you thinking of looking?” “Well,” He said slowly, “I was going to check out some restaurants and bakeries. Maybe apply to Laurie’s Lattes too.” “That sounds like a great idea,” I said enthusiastically, “Good luck tomorrow! I’m going to bed, but I’ll see you when I get back from work?” “Yeah I’ll be back by then I’m sure, thank you, goodnight.” I guessed that he was going to bed at the same time I was, he must be tired too after the stressful day he’s had. I will admit, it got better and he seemed to be doing alright now, but I know he’s still upset and will be for a while. jocedeserai: CHAPTER 3 Continued “Well I think it’s time we get back to my place. I can show you where things are and we can get your stuff inside.” I smiled at him and stood up, waiting for him to follow suit. “Sounds good, everything is in my car already.” He stood up too, and took both of our coffee’s to the counter, placing them on the black circular tray. A worker took them to wash them out, and we left the latte shop together, heading to the same destination. We each got in separate cars, and I drove ahead of Marcus, asking him to follow behind me until we reached my apartment on Cheyenne Drive. About ten minutes later we arrived, parked, and got out of our cars. He had four boxes, two of which were quite large. “I can carry the bigger ones if you don’t mind helping out by taking a smaller box.” I smiled at him, thankful that he wasn’t asking me to carry anything heavy, “Of course I’ll help.” I picked up one of the smaller boxes he had specified and heard the sound of something rattle or clink inside, “What’s in this box?” “I don’t know, I haven’t gotten the chance to look yet.” He looked down, and I was immediately worried that he was getting upset again. “Oh that’s ok, we’ll have plenty of time once we get them inside!” I said with feeling, hoping that by being cheery myself I could help to keep his spirit and mood from dropping down to where it was when I first saw him this morning. We were quiet as we carried the boxes up the one flight of stairs that were in this building. The elevator was out of service, so we couldn’t use that, but I was grateful that I lived in a two story apartment. It would be a lot more difficult if I lived on the top floor of a four story apartment, I thought to myself. I turned to the right, apartment number 6, and unlocked the door, it still smelled of cleaners. The scent of ammonia and bleach hit me right away, although it was faint, it was still noticeable. I guess I picked a very good day to clean up, now that I had a visitor who was staying indefinitely. “Where should I put the box?” Marcus said from behind me, still standing at the threshold of the door. “Living room, plenty of space for unpacking.” He nodded at me with gratitude and went to place the heavy box on the floor. There were marks and indents on both of our arms from the short time we had the boxes, and when we each went down for the last two, we would accumulate another set of marks. We walked quickly downstairs, grabbed the two boxes, closed Marcus’s old cars trunk, and lugged them back upstairs to my apartment which we had left open to make it easier for us. We deposited them in the living room, closed the door to my apartment, and began unpacking the two larger boxes first. These two big brown boxes were stuffed to the brim with his usual colorful array of clothes. There were certain clothing items I wish I didn’t see, but it is a bit hard to forget pairs of thongs covered with designs. I looked away embarrassed when I came to this part of the box, and I pushed it towards him, “You can take over from here.” I laughed while blushing, and once he titled the box to look inside at its contents, he figured out why. Marcus burst into an outrageous fit of something like laughter that probably hadn’t been heard before since there was no way to describe it. I think he snorted at one point, which just made him laugh harder, this time with a dark blush in his cheeks. I was laughing with him, and eventually we both stopped. Once he was able to take a breath and speak he cracked a joke, “There are some things even friends shouldn’t know about, and I think this is one of them.” I nodded in full agreement. He could talk to me about anything, but his underwear preferences were better kept private, for both our sakes. Too late now, I thought sarcastically to myself, you already know this embarrassing and unnecessary piece of information. I was wary of opening the other two boxes, I did not want to find anything else strange and weird. What could be next, chains? That would be even stranger than the underwear, and it’s pretty damn hard to be weirder than a cow spotted man thong. Stop thinking now, I warned myself. My head was going in all sorts of weird directions that it truly ought not too. “Well here goes opening this box.” I took the small box which I had brought up first, the one where I heard the clinking noise. I opened it and saw an assortment of belts, some bright and thick, some pastel and thin, and some with really snazzy looking designs which I couldn't imagine would match anything. Under the belts were three lime colored plates made of glass, and three cups and bowls that matched it. Inside of the cups were three spoons, three forks, and three knives all with black handles. “Well looks like this stuff should be moved to the kitchen for the time being.” I said as I moved his belts over to where he put his nicely folded clothes. “Oh, she left me some of the dishes that I brought over. I can bring them to the kitchen, it’ll give me a chance to see where everything is.” I nodded and he took the box from my hands and went to figure out where to put them in the kitchen. It was small, and pretty empty, but I did have one cabinet for all the bowls, plates, and cups, and just one drawer where all the silverware went. It would be easy for him to remember, I knew he’d figure it out pretty quickly. I slid the next box in front of me and opened this one like I did the last. Inside of this box was a bed sheet and a blanket, both were the same shade of lime green as the plates. Interesting, I guess I knew Marcus’s favorite color now. I dumped out its contents and folded them up nicely for him. I didn’t have a bed, but my couch did pull out into a full sized bed which was quite convenient. While thinking about this I looked around the living room and realized it might be difficult to fit it as a full bed. The end table and coffee table would need to be moved, probably against the wall, but I’m sure Marcus will figure out where to put them when he decides to get to bed tonight. The coffee table itself had doors in the under part, it was a very nice gift, once again from my mother. This was from our own living room, a little piece of home to take with me, she said. I opened the doors up and put Marcus’s clothes inside. His stack of pants and shirts fit nicely, and there was just enough room to shove socks into the side if he wanted too. I wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his other things so when he walked back over I asked, “Your clothes are in here,” I pointed to the tables doors, “but I’m not sure where to fit the rest of your things, any ideas?” “Well there��s not still left on the floor, I can just keep it in one of the smaller boxes and slide it under the end table if that’s okay?” “Good idea, works for me.” He smiled and thanked me again for letting him stay here; I was more than happy to oblige, especially since we haven’t gotten to see each other much since high school. We both went different ways, attended different colleges, and lived in different towns. Now that I think about it, this lull in contact might be why he thought he was so lucky. After putting away the rest of his clothing, as well as a couple pictures he had found at the bottom of one of the boxes, we went out to get groceries. I didn’t have much food in the house, and I insisted we get things. The way I saw it, it was alright for me to eat unhealthy and boring foods every day, but it would be unfair to subject another person to my bad habits. We got a bag of chicken tenders, and quite a few freezer meals. Marcus had a bit of money, and insisted on getting something for dinner, which he would cook himself as a surprise and thank you. Funny, I thought, the first time my kitchen is being used, and I’m not the one who’s using it. I grabbed a few more items, including rice and instant potatoes, and then made my way toward the shortest checkout line. It was number six, and a few moments later Marcus showed up behind me with a basket in his hands. He was keeping its contents out of view, “Don’t even think about looking Meghan.” He laughed, probably remembering how much I dreaded surprises. I didn’t turn around, even though it was all I could think about in the store. All the food items I had bought came out to $63.74 and I was satisfied. There was enough food here for the both of us for about two weeks I’d say. “I’ll meet you by the car.” I said as I headed out to the parking lot to search for the red car which I had already misplaced in this crowded area. We parked somewhere in the middle, I knew that much. I continued walking, and I saw it one row down from where I had initially started, not too bad, I told myself. I was only off by one row, close enough. I unlocked the car and loaded the groceries into the back seat of the car, making sure to put the heaver juice and milk containers on the floor in case they tipped over. I put the eggs, freezer, and box items on the seat, and sat in the front to start the car. I was just about to pull up to the doors to make it easier for Marcus to find the car, but he clearly remembered exactly where we had parked, because he started walking directly toward me without pausing to look down any other rows. Unlike me, he must have paid better attention to the space in which we parked as well as the aisle. They were numbered for the convenience of the customers, yet most of the time I neglected to pay attention. jocedeserai: chapter three I awoke with a slight headache and achy legs, I could only hope it would lessen as the day went on. It was a bit quiet for this time of day, I thought to myself. There was the sound of birds, some light traffic outside, which seemed strange because it was ten on a Sunday, and if I recall correctly that’s when church service usually ends. I stood up on legs that did not want to support me, and fixed the covers on my bed. I moved the pillows, straightened out the sheets, and tried to flatten out my thick purple comforter. It kept some of its creases, but it still looked nice. Today would be a cleanup day, I decided. I grabbed a black tank top and some stretch shorts, mostly because they were comfortable and if I stained them it wouldn’t be a tragedy bed cause they were easily replaceable. I hopped in the shower and made sure all my makeup was washed off, and my hair was properly conditioned. I used a lot of my sweet smelling pomegranate scented soap to get rid of whatever smells might still be lingering on my skin from last night. Once out of the shower, I felt fresher, cleaner, awake, and ready to start cleaning up my apartment. I went into the kitchen to see what I had in stock from the cleaning department; there was bleach, ammonia, Windex, Lysol, and Scrubbing Bubbles. My mom had gotten me all these cleaning solutions when I moved in as well. She went with me to pick out rags for cleaning, towels, and a bunch of other things, including a pair of bright yellow gloves which I would never wear. I took out the scrubbing bubbles and decided to clean the bathroom first. I covered the shower and watched the foam appear there, cleaning the surface. I did the same with the inside of the toilet, and within seconds all the foam had changed color, indicating that everything was clean. I wiped everything down in the shower, and flushed the toilet, satisfied with my glistening bathroom. I wiped the counters down with a bit of bleach which I diluted in water, and then moved onto wiping the floors quickly. The rag I was using went from white to black pretty quickly, but I just rung it and rinsed it to get out most of the dirt. I moved onto the kitchen, cleaning everything until it shined, and then I went to the living room and started vacuuming the carpet. By the time I was finished cleaning my apartment, it was three in the afternoon and I was exhausted. My muscles still ached because I hadn’t given them any recoup time, that was definitely a mistake on my part, and I was feeling it all now that I wasn’t busying myself. I closed my eyes and leaned back against my mismatched couch, relaxing and hoping that my legs and arms now too would stop aching. My mother would be proud, I thought to myself, she always loved a clean house and the smell of cleaners. My phone started vibrating from the table, just twice, meaning I got a text. I didn’t want to stand up, but I forced myself to check my phone. It was Marcus, what a surprise. I smiled to myself, glad he had gotten back to me. Can u get 2 Laurie’s Lattes? I need someone 2 talk to. Sure, is everything ok? No. it isn’t. Alright, I’m on my way. Thanks, you’ve always been a great friend. I was on edge, nervous, worried, and wondering what happened. He was really upset, he usually didn’t come right out and say he wasn’t okay. I grabbed my keys and half jogged, half ran to my little red car. I unlocked it before I got there, and jumped right in before speeding away. Laurie’s Lattes was right by where I got ice-cream at the park, so it would only take me ten minutes or so to get there, was Marcus already there, was he waiting? These questions ran through my head and I knew all it would take was a text to find out, but I wasn’t willing to risk taking my phone out while I was driving. I got there quicker than I thought, and once I walked in I noticed Marcus sitting in the back corner looking small on the flower patterned loveseat, already with two steaming lattes, I was assuming one was for me. I sat down in the chair next to him, and noticed he wasn’t wearing the flamboyant colors that seemed to match his personality so well the last time we had seen each other. He was wearing a dark gray t-shirt and plain straight legged jeans. His hair was messy, as if he’d been tugging at it, and his eyes had dark circles under them and looked strange. He looked strange, not like the happy excited Marcus I’d always known and loved. “Marcus,” He looked up with a lost look on his face, “Sweetie, are you okay?” His eyes filled with tears that looked like they were about to spill over like a damn breaking. He shook his head and bit his lip trying to hold them back. He attempted to speak, but nothing came out so he looked into his lap again, at his hands around the cup, and took a sip. “She left me.” He choked on the words. “Oh, Marcus I’m so sorry” I moved over and hugged him tightly, “You’re going to be okay, I’m right here to help you through this.” “I don’t want to get through it, I want her back.” He started crying on my shoulder, and that was when I realized I had left in my crummy clothes, no makeup, and messy hair. That’s not important right now, your friend’s upset and your worrying about looks, how selfish can you be, I chided myself. “Sweetie you’re going to be ok, have you tried texting or calling her to work things out?” “She won’t answer, I think my numbers blocked.” He sobbed and added, “She found someone else anyway.” That bitch, I thought to myself silently. She left for someone else, and now its Meghan to the rescue, here to pick up all the pieces. I took him by the shoulders and moved him so he was looking at me when I smiled reassuringly and said, “Whoever it is, isn’t half as good as you. I’ve known you for a long time, and she’s going to be the one missing out on everything.” He gave me a small smile through the tears, “Thanks Meghan, that means a lot. It’s not going to bring her back though.” A few tears continued to stream down his face; you could see the imprint of every tear as it left a trail down his cheeks. I wasn’t sure what else to say, or how I could help, so I was quiet and waited for him to continue. In a few moments he started up again, “I got home from work today, and she had all my things packed up in boxes. She just told me to get out. Who does that?” He was getting increasingly upset. “Someone cruel. That’s horrible Marcus, I had no idea.” “It’s okay, neither did I.” the tears stopped and he just looked lost again and took another sip from his latte. I drank some of mine as well, relishing how good it tasted. He continued, “We’ve been together a year now, and I moved in with her about six months ago. I have nowhere to go.” This, was something I knew I could help with, “Marcus as long as I’m here you will always have somewhere to go. Please stay at my place, at least until you can get back on your feet. You can stay as long as you want.” “Thanks Meghan, but I don’t want to intrude. Don’t you have like a boyfriend that would be upset by that anyway.” “Nope, there’s no boyfriend to worry about, and you wouldn’t be intruding. My apartments kind of empty and I feel lost in it, it’d be good for both of us!” I smiled encouragingly, crossing my fingers under the coffee table for good luck. “Well,” He paused, thinking about it, “If you’re sure.” He still looked miserable, and unconvinced that I was honestly okay with him staying on such short notice. I smiled and drank my delicious latte, “Of course I’m sure, you’re always welcome to stay with me.” He smiled with a bit more emotion and replied, “Thank you so much Meghan, you’re such a great friend.” Not being used to compliments, blushed a bit, which only cheered up Marcus a bit more. He would be okay, I knew it. We finished coffee and chatted about our jobs and new things we got into. I learned Marcus started playing tennis and was quite good, strange because I remember him being quite awkward with sports of any kind. jocedeserai: chapter 2 (end) The night continued, nothing worth mentioning happened, except I now had someone’s phone number on a piece of scrap paper in my purse, probably Aiden’s but there wasn’t a name. I punched the number into my phone, threw the paper onto the floor of my car, and decided that I would text whoever it was, at some point in the near future. I had stayed at the Red Wave with Laura for a couple more hours, but I didn’t drink anymore because I needed to be able to drive home later. I only had a slight buzz to begin with, so I sobered up pretty quickly. I got home at about eleven thirty, twelve, and decided to skip the shower. Sure, I was a bit sweaty from dancing, and I should probably get the makeup off my face before it gave me pimples, but I was too tired to care. I stumbled into bed, not bothering to turn the light on. I moaned when my heels clanked against the beds legs, and sat back up without enthusiasm to pull them off my size six feet. Much better, I thought to myself, before my head hit the pillow and I drifted off to sleep. jocedeserai: Chapter 2 continued further Aiden looked at me, put his hand on my elbow lightly, and asked, “Wanna go try out the dance floor?” I nodded and he led me right to the middle, where we danced for what felt like an hour but was realistically only about half an hour. Bonnie, Lexie, Laura, and Jordan joined us on the floor as a faster beat started to play through the speakers which were surrounding the whole area. At some point during the night I walked back to bar and ordered another drink, this time it was a martini, same one I had started the evening off with. I wanted to feel a buzz, and this would definitely get me there. I took a few sips and looked around at all the dancing bodies, circling and moving in so many different ways, creating whirls of color which seemed to blend together if you squinted too much. Through the crowd I thought I saw a face I recognized again, just starting to come in through the entrance. Rory, it was Rory, again. What was he doing here? I put down my half-finished martini and sped toward Laura, who was still dancing with Bonnie and Lexi. I grabbed her arm, “Laura my boss is here again, we need to go.” I was prepared to abandon ship, I didn’t want to risk anything, not tonight. “Oh, we aren’t going anywhere, except to confront your boss. Right now.” She pulled her arm away to grab mine because she knew the only way we were going to confront Rory was if she dragged me there. “let’s go.” By this point my boss had managed to get more than halfway across the floor. He weaved between people and stools quickly, without bumping into anyone or anything. We followed his path quickly, but just before we reached him he disappeared behind a door which said, “Employees only.” We could not go any farther, and so Laura and I stood there dumbfounded. “You’re sure that’s your boss?” “Yeah, I’m sure. As far as I know he didn’t work here, this is strange.” “Well obviously. Okay, lets figure this out.” “How are we supposed to do that?” I said exasperatedly. “Listen.” She put her ear by the door and pulled me over, so I did the same and listened in on whatever was going on in the room. I heard Rory’s voice first, “Did they come in yet?” “No, three days late.” This was a rusty voice I didn’t recognize, and it sounded like whoever spoke must have smoked two packs a day for who knows how long. “That’s not acceptable.” “I know sir, we’ll figure something out I’m sure. They probably just got held up somewhere.” “I don’t care if you THINK that’s what happened, unless you know for sure then I want all communications with them dropped.” “Will do sir, should I send a cleanup crew? I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” The voice replied nervously. There was a slight pause in the conversation before Rory said, “Do whatever you can. Don’t get in touch with me, no matter what happens, until I talk to you. Any communication will begin and end with me, I take the initiative, understand?” “Yes sir.” I heard footsteps and I could only guess by their conversation that it was Rory leaving. I jumped backward quickly, pulling Laura with me into the shadowed area behind where the door would open. The door flew open and Rory walked out, without the confident demeanor I had grown accustomed to seeing. He looked around, taking in the area, and noticed me. He looked straight at me and I saw a coldness in his eyes that I was not ready for. He seemed so warm, friendly, and confident, so what was I seeing now? He noticed Laura, standing by my side, and stocked off in the direction of the exit. I could only imagine what I’d be in store for when I got to work Monday morning. I was dreading it already. jocedeserai: Chapter 2 continued I stared back at myself in the mirror, my eyes showing a bit of excitement, a spark of something which brought my face and the overall look to life. I was confident, and I was definitely seeking a night to remember. I checked the clock and calculated that if I left now I would get to the Red Wave fifteen minutes early, which was fine by me. The car smelled of oranges, thanks to my new air freshener, and the seat was comfortable and reassuring against my back as I sat down in the driver’s side. I placed my purse next to me, and drove down to the club in high spirits. The sun was starting to set, and through the blanket of clouds layering the sky I saw the most beautiful shades of orange, red, and pink. Purple was just starting to show through, and would lead the way for the darker colors of the night to emerge. The drive went by quickly, and I found myself automatically parking in the same space I had parked just two nights ago. I slung my dark purple purse over my shoulder, made sure my wallet was closed and inside the front pocket, and then strode into the club like I owned the place. I walked up to the guard at the entrance and waved hello, while flashing my ID which I had ready in my hand. He flashed me a smile and said, “Have a good time.” I nodded, “Oh, I definitely will.” I was exuberant and ready to have a fantastic evening. I found a seat at the bar and ordered a martini, figuring that I would drink it slowly until Laura got here. I didn’t want to look like a loser, being here all alone on a Saturday night. I checked my phone and it definitely said eight, and at that exact moment was when Laura seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Guess who it is!” She sang from the side of my chair. I jumped up and hugged her, “It’s so good to see you!” I smiled brightly as she laughed and looked down, “Already started drinking have you? I’ll have to catch up.” She motioned the bar tender over and asked for a martini, the same one I had. She downed it quickly and said, “Alright, now we’re even. Wanna go say hello to those lovely people over there?” She pointed to a group of two girls and three guys who were hanging out around a table close to the entrance. “Sure, why not?” We walked over and said hello, introducing ourselves. We had to yell over the music to be heard, but once they knew our names they told us theirs. Bonnie was in blue jeans and a cute white tank top, and her boyfriend Nick was wearing something quite similar, except he was wearing a white American eagle short sleeved v-neck instead of a tank top. Lexi was Bonnie’s new roommate, and she was wearing a cute orange dress that really popped out because it wasn’t a color you would normally see; I immediately liked her. Aiden was single, and gave me a flirtatious wink when we were walking over; he was wearing black shorts, a blue t-shirt, and a black jacket. The last, and most quiet was a guy named Jordan, He was wearing jeans and, like many young guys, a band t-shirt, this one a bit Disturbed. Laura started talking to everyone right away, while I was a bit more quiet. I angled myself towards Aiden, hoping he would notice and start talking to me. He spoke up, “Hey,” He smiled and pointed behind me, towards the bar, “want a drink?” I nodded, “Sure, whatever you’re getting!” He gave me a thumbs up, and headed off, getting lost between the crowd of people dancing, and the bar. I saw him emerge from the crowd, two drinks in his hands. “Jack on the rocks, I hope you don’t mind” “No that’s great thanks!” I reached for the drink in his left hand but he moved that just out of reach and handed me the one from his right instead. Strange, I thought to myself. I was just about to take a sip when I got a glimpse of something atop the ice. I pulled it away from my mouth and took a closer look. “Aren’t you going to drink it?” He laughed slightly and then continued, “Or were you planning on staring at it all night?” He eyed me and I started to feel a little nervous. I didn’t know him, and he was pushing me to drink, something was not right here. “I think something got in the drink while you were coming over here, I’m going to go ask the bar tender for another.” He got a strange look on his face that made me even more uncomfortable, and I decided that I would ask Laura to come with me to get another drink, I could talk to her about it on the way. It was probably just my paranoia acting up anyway, I calmed myself. “Laura, wanna go to the bar with me again quickly? Something is it my drink, I’m going to get a new one.” She paused and left the conversation with Bonnie and Lexie by putting up a finger and yelling, “I’ll be right back!” she turned to me, grabbed my arm and said, “Let’s go! What did you say was in your drink?” “I’m not entirely sure,” I replied slowly, “I’m just gonna order another one.” She eyed me cautiously and as we arrived at the bar she took the jack from my hands and yelled to the bartender, “Hey, there’s something in my friends drink!” The bartender rushed over nervously, and the people surrounding us turned their heads in order to look at the commotion that Laura had just managed to create. The bartender looked at the, got some of the substance onto his finger, and licked it off, “I’m sorry, I just started working and I guess I must have gotten some sugar in it.” I shook my head and looked down, knowing that it truly was just my paranoia earlier. It’s better to be safe than sorry though, right? I cut Laura off because I saw she was just about to go off on a rant to the bartender about his mistake, “It’s fine, can I have a fresh one, and one for my friend too?” I smiled, and in return got a gracious smile. He looked relieved that I was being so easy going with it, but it was just a newbies mistake; everyone’s been there before. Laura looked down at me, “You could have gotten free drinks for the rest of the evening if you had blown it up.” I sighed, “You know that’s not how I work. I would feel like a thief, it was just a simple mistake anyway, no need to freak out over it.” “Yeah” she said, as the bartender came back over with our two fresh drinks. I said thanks and we walked back to the table with the group we had newly acquainted ourselves with. I walked straight too Aiden and said, “New bartender got sugar in it, no worries” He nodded with acceptance of my explanation and said, “Ah, glad to see you’ve got one without sugar then.” I smiled, “yeah, me too.” I sipped it slowly and decided to steer the conversation somewhere, “So how’s your night been?” “Better since you showed up.” He said this, laughed at himself and continued, “That sounded smoother in my head.” “Sounded good to me.” I smiled, glad with how the night was turning out. We were quiet for a few minutes, just sipping our drinks casually. The music had a pulse, a beat to it that really made you want to move. I couldn’t just stand still while listening to it, so I started swaying my hips from side to side. jocedeserai: Chapter 2 I awoke to the welcoming sound of birds, as well as the unwelcoming noise of Saturday morning traffic, which was too close to my apartment building. I stood up to stretch in front of the sunlight pouring in through my window, and immediately regretted it when the light nearly blinded me. It may be beautiful, but don’t look at it, I reminded myself. I turned away from the window and walked toward the small closet in my bedroom to pick out a cute dress to wear this evening when I go out with Laura. Deciding on a black dress that accentuated the few curves I had was just the first decision, now I had to choose something comfortable to hang around in until this evening, which was something to look forward too. I love my new job, but having time to relax was a rare commodity now that I was working, and I looked forward to it like a child looks forward to ice-cream and a day at the park. Actually, ice-cream and a day at the park sounded perfect and could be nothing short of calming in conjunction with the lovely weather. Going to the park alone didn’t seem like a bad idea, but, I thought to myself, why not call up my old friend Marcus and see if he wanted to catch up today? I checked the time, realizing it was only quarter past eleven, and dialed Marcus’s number with a tinge of hope, and some other emotion I wasn’t all too familiar with. He answered on the third ring with a friendly, “Hey, who’s calling?” “That would be an old friend, guess who?” I said with a smile on my face which he couldn’t see but could probably hear from the tone in my voice. I heard an intake of breath and then a loud, “Meghan, is it really you? It’s been so long!” “I knew you’d recognize my voice,” I laughed with joy and the knowledge that he must have missed me as much as I missed him, and continued, “That’s the point of me calling, Want to catch up today?” “I would actually, but,” I heard a voice on his end of the phone cut him off, asking who he was talking to. He answered that it was his old friend Meghan. “Is it okay if I call you back later, rain check?” “Yeah of course.” I replied, a bit discouraged with the outcome of the situation. “Thanks, later.” The phone went silent in my hand and I put it down, hoping that he would call back and whoever I heard on the other end wouldn’t chew him out. By the snippet of their conversation I managed to hear, it seemed like she was a jealous girlfriend, whom I didn’t know he had. I decided against going out for ice-cream alone, and changed my plans to checking out the library for any new books, because I was nearly finished with the one I had started last night. The one in Shrewsbury was small, so I drove to the next town over because I recalled they had quite an expansive library filled with a numerous number of books in every genre. The librarian at the front desk was very helpful when I walked in, and easily directed me to the mystery section of novels. She said she was a favorite of Holmes, and had read them all. She was younger and had bright red hair, probably still in high school, I thought to myself. I smiled and thanked her warmly before deciding to take a Sherlock Holmes book, specifically her favorite that she had unknowingly volunteered when she let her hand linger on its binding. I checked out and said goodbye, thanking her again for the suggestion and adding that I couldn’t wait to read it, and then drove to the park. I would go today, even if I looked like a bit of a loner sitting there by myself. I had put the book I had started reading last night in the car on a whim, and luckily I did because I knew I would be able to finish the last sixty pages while sitting on one of the nice, newly green painted park benches. The sun was still shining and it was a bit noisy when I arrived, however, once I started reading the rest of the world seemed to fade away. Everything I read played through my mind like a movie, and I quite enjoyed the turn of events causing an almost undeterminable outcome. I looked away from my book and closed it for the final time before turning towards the street. On the other side were a few small clothing boutiques, a couple trinket shops, one pizza place, and a small ice-cream shop. I was determined to get a double scooped cone with Moose Tracks, a childhood favorite of mine. The day, being as warm as it was, reminded me of the catastrophe when I was younger. I had eaten ice-cream on an eighty degree day, mid-summer, and was being exceedingly stubborn; refusing napkins or a bowl to hold one of the three large scoops that were piled onto my cone. I was wearing my Sunday dress clothes for the last time, because the top scoop fell and covered my dress with dessert stains that mom couldn’t get out no matter how many times she washed it. Once in the shop, ice-cream in hand, I went to sit down at one of the small booths so that the sun outside wouldn’t cause it to melt faster. The place was a bit overly air conditioned, but that’s to be expected because of what they sell, so I didn’t mind. By the time I got in my car to leave this lovely area of town, it was three in the afternoon, which to me indicated that I needed to get my butt home to find something substantial to eat so I could actually hold some alcohol tonight. The Red Wave, although a cheap place to hangout, was definitely one of the more popular areas in this town, and every girl who showed up seemed to be competing to be the most beautiful or well dressed. Some girls showed up in the skimpiest clothes imaginable, others wore things that seemed extremely expensive, made by designers for the wealthy who walked along Hollywood avenues and boulevards. It wasn’t unknown to me, this competition for beauty or recognition in being the best in something, or the richest. Once home I realized there really wasn’t much to eat between my cabinets and refrigerator. I had milk juice, a few eggs, toast, and canned vegetables and soups. Deciding upon eggs and toast as a breakfast for dinner, I started cooking. I scrambled the eggs and used my toaster which was probably the most useful and used appliance in my small apartment. The smell floated through the house causing me to remember waking up to that exact aroma nearly every Sunday throughout my childhood. My mom used to cook the best breakfasts every Sunday morning, before we left for church, that is until she lost her faith. It diminished the moment her husband, my father left. I refuse to call him that, he doesn’t deserve the title after what he put mom, my two sisters, and I through. The memory, the anger, started building up all over again, which is to be expected considering those are the emotions that get triggered with any memory involving him and my previously untorn family. My mood rocketed downward, but I did my best to put those thoughts out of my mind; I was determined to have a spectacular night, and nothing was going to change that. I ate my breakfast for dinner, and went to go take a nice, long, relaxing shower. I must have stayed in the shower for close to an hour, shaving everywhere twice, to give myself something to do. When I finally got out and dried myself off a bit, it was nearly six, and I was ready to get into my sexy black dress. It was short, about mid-thigh and tight enough under my bust to accentuate the curve that, sadly, begins and ends there. I checked myself out in the mirror and adjusted the way it fit me by pulling and moving certain parts of the dress in different directions, and once satisfied that I had done my best I sat down and began working on my makeup. We had decided to meet up at the Red Wave at nine, but it was still quite early, and I was nearly done getting ready for the occasion. I shot Laura a text, Hey, any chance you’re already ready for tonight? Not yet, but I can be, y? Want to meet up earlier, 8? I can do tht, see u then, can’t wait! I put my phone back down, happy with the outcome of hanging out sooner. I still had another hour to blow before I could leave, and makeup doesn’t usually take that long. I decided to go all out with the makeup to take a bit more time, and applied some foundation, which I normally don’t do. I put on lipstick, eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara, and was very pleased with the look I had managed to pull off. |
