lunch, and I'll double our next water order."
"Thank you, Ho."
Hearing that nickname makes me jump a little, thinking Sophie has somehow appeared. I wonder if Jen can see that I'm being haunted by a girl who's still very much alive.
Scene 22 ~ Sophie
When I get back to Lisa's apartment, she's already home, sitting on the couch. And she doesn't look like she just came back from a joyful shoot where she made lots of money.
"What happened?" I say. I sit next to her and put my arm around her shoulder. She's trembling, which means the waterworks are imminent. She doesn't cry often, but when she does, she makes it memorable. It's those superhuman lungs of hers.
"Tell me what happened, Lisa."
She covers her face with her hands and lets loose a low-key wail. I wait. If I push her, she'll cry that much harder. She surprises me, though, by standing up and pacing in front of the couch instead. Her face is one shade lighter than a ripe tomato, but she's in control of the tears.
"That sleazy asshat!" she blurts out. "How could I be so stupid!" She flings her long arms out for emphasis.
"Uh, oh," I say. "I thought you went on a catalog shoot."
Lisa stops pacing and looks at me. "I lied." She makes a frustrated sound in her throat and goes back to pacing. "I knew better. I fucking knew better."
"Oh, Lisa, did you—"
"Yes, OK? Yes. I answered an ad from the back of the Spectator. When I got to the place, it looked like a filthy garage. I should have turned around right then. So fucking stupid."
"What happened?" I say.
"The guy was so slimy, it turned my stomach. I kept reminding myself that this was a five-thousand-dollar shoot. For that money, I could do anything for a few hours."
I want to laugh, but I know she'll kill me if I do. I work hard to keep a straight face.
"The first thing he said to me was, 'Take your clothes off. All of it. I gotta see what we're working with here.' There was no screen or dressing area. He wanted me to strip right there as he and his so-called crew watched."
"What did you do?"
"I kicked him in the crotch and told him I didn't see much to work with there."
Now, I can laugh. We crack up for the next ten minutes as Lisa acts out the scene. She then goes to the kitchen and pulls a bottle of wine from the fridge.
"I know it's kind of early, but I'm ready for a drink. You in?" Without waiting for my response, she uncorks the bottle and pours two glasses.
I want to be in, but I shouldn't. It's just wine, though. One glass can't ruin my life. I had three shots of tequila without anything bad happening. It's just wine, and it's only Lisa here.
I can't be scared of everything.
I watch Lisa drink half her glass in one gulp, and then I stand up and claim my glass, too.
Scene 23 ~ Mark
I tell Shirlene that I have no one to pick me up from the hospital. She doesn't believe me at first, but when the big day comes, I ask her to call a taxi.
"You're serious you don't have anyone? Cute guy like you?" Shirlene says.
I hold my hands up. "That's what I've been saying."
I don't know what's going to happen when I get home. No matter how much I try to ignore it, I know that I'm weak. It pisses me off to admit I'm a little scared of being in the house by myself. I guess it will just be Nicole, sitting at the kitchen island with her laptop.
Nicole. I forgot about Nicole. I give Shirlene her number. She comes back a few minutes later and says, "See, I told you someone would come for you."
My actual discharge takes hours. Notes, prescriptions, rehab schedule, a referral to a cardiologist—I'm not going to keep up with half of this shit. No one seems to remember that I'm in my twenties. They want to treat me like a frail, old man. Yeah, I went a little nuts with the coke. Yeah, it gave me a fucking heart attack. It was a cross between a mistake and bad luck. I won't even remember this horrid week six months from now. I'll be back on stage. That's all that matters.
Finally, Shirlene wheels me down to the
"Thank you, Ho."
Hearing that nickname makes me jump a little, thinking Sophie has somehow appeared. I wonder if Jen can see that I'm being haunted by a girl who's still very much alive.
Scene 22 ~ Sophie
When I get back to Lisa's apartment, she's already home, sitting on the couch. And she doesn't look like she just came back from a joyful shoot where she made lots of money.
"What happened?" I say. I sit next to her and put my arm around her shoulder. She's trembling, which means the waterworks are imminent. She doesn't cry often, but when she does, she makes it memorable. It's those superhuman lungs of hers.
"Tell me what happened, Lisa."
She covers her face with her hands and lets loose a low-key wail. I wait. If I push her, she'll cry that much harder. She surprises me, though, by standing up and pacing in front of the couch instead. Her face is one shade lighter than a ripe tomato, but she's in control of the tears.
"That sleazy asshat!" she blurts out. "How could I be so stupid!" She flings her long arms out for emphasis.
"Uh, oh," I say. "I thought you went on a catalog shoot."
Lisa stops pacing and looks at me. "I lied." She makes a frustrated sound in her throat and goes back to pacing. "I knew better. I fucking knew better."
"Oh, Lisa, did you—"
"Yes, OK? Yes. I answered an ad from the back of the Spectator. When I got to the place, it looked like a filthy garage. I should have turned around right then. So fucking stupid."
"What happened?" I say.
"The guy was so slimy, it turned my stomach. I kept reminding myself that this was a five-thousand-dollar shoot. For that money, I could do anything for a few hours."
I want to laugh, but I know she'll kill me if I do. I work hard to keep a straight face.
"The first thing he said to me was, 'Take your clothes off. All of it. I gotta see what we're working with here.' There was no screen or dressing area. He wanted me to strip right there as he and his so-called crew watched."
"What did you do?"
"I kicked him in the crotch and told him I didn't see much to work with there."
Now, I can laugh. We crack up for the next ten minutes as Lisa acts out the scene. She then goes to the kitchen and pulls a bottle of wine from the fridge.
"I know it's kind of early, but I'm ready for a drink. You in?" Without waiting for my response, she uncorks the bottle and pours two glasses.
I want to be in, but I shouldn't. It's just wine, though. One glass can't ruin my life. I had three shots of tequila without anything bad happening. It's just wine, and it's only Lisa here.
I can't be scared of everything.
I watch Lisa drink half her glass in one gulp, and then I stand up and claim my glass, too.
Scene 23 ~ Mark
I tell Shirlene that I have no one to pick me up from the hospital. She doesn't believe me at first, but when the big day comes, I ask her to call a taxi.
"You're serious you don't have anyone? Cute guy like you?" Shirlene says.
I hold my hands up. "That's what I've been saying."
I don't know what's going to happen when I get home. No matter how much I try to ignore it, I know that I'm weak. It pisses me off to admit I'm a little scared of being in the house by myself. I guess it will just be Nicole, sitting at the kitchen island with her laptop.
Nicole. I forgot about Nicole. I give Shirlene her number. She comes back a few minutes later and says, "See, I told you someone would come for you."
My actual discharge takes hours. Notes, prescriptions, rehab schedule, a referral to a cardiologist—I'm not going to keep up with half of this shit. No one seems to remember that I'm in my twenties. They want to treat me like a frail, old man. Yeah, I went a little nuts with the coke. Yeah, it gave me a fucking heart attack. It was a cross between a mistake and bad luck. I won't even remember this horrid week six months from now. I'll be back on stage. That's all that matters.
Finally, Shirlene wheels me down to the
Similar Books
