A Half Dozen Fools (25 page)

Laden as she was with her handbag on one shoulder, her big satchel on the other plus carrying the bag with extra shoes, she had quite a time pulling the heavy glass door open. She was trying to squeeze through from a bad angle and hadn't opened it wide enough. Increasingly angry and frustrated, she started seeing red. Then the satchel slid off her shoulder and caught the inside of her elbow, pinching the delicate skin there. She winced in pain and caught herself. She would not let them see her cry.

She finally managed to heave the door wide enough to get in the vestibule just outside. The door closed faster behind her than she'd expected, however, causing her plastic bag of shoes to whack her on the butt. Pushed rudely from behind thrust her forward. A silent scream caught in her throat as she lurched against the outer door and the bag bumped her in the butt yet again.

Finally, she made it outdoors burning with embarrassment. She let out a big, "Harrumph!" on the sidewalk, but when she stopped and thought of her inharmonious exit, she broke out in giggles. And she laughed all the way up Fifty-Fifth Street to Seventh Avenue.

By the time she'd reached the subway stop, however, her mood had swung to the extreme and she was all-out crying. Mercifully, most tears were hidden by her sunglasses. Gurgling with anger and frustration at the Demented Duo who had just let her go, she fought for self-control at least until she got home.

* * * *

Buzzing from her afternoon binge, Elyse emptied the last drops of chardonnay from the bottle into her glass. Propped up on an elbow by her living room window, she watched an L.L. Bean-clad couple across the street below. She chuckled when they finally managed to jam tennis rackets into an already overstuffed roof rack atop a fat SUV. Her chuckles gave way to tears when she thought how lucky they were to have each other to go away with this weekend.

The aftermath of her pride wounded by the ungracious Hoffenzimmers had given way to an almost unbearable loneliness. The task of finding a new job after the Fourth of July also weighed heavily upon her. Temporarily immobilized, she sipped her wine and stared at the city street outside, where activity had all but vanished.

Watching the couple start up their SUV, the notion of moving back to Connecticut occurred to her. Maybe she'd move home to the shoreline for the summer and get a job. The comfort of living at home would help her past the feeling of failure that currently plagued her.

Hmm, this might be a plan to consider...

But, then again, there were plenty of reasons why this was
not
such a great idea.

She'd either have to sublet her apartment or break her lease, if she went back to Connecticut. If she broke the lease, moving back to the city would be all the more difficult, later on. But, sub-letting it would be tricky, too, since it was illegal to do so, according to the fine print. If she let her place go, she'd be hard-pressed to find a rent she could afford when she was ready to return, with the inflated cost of rentals in the city. Of course, more jobs would be available in the fall, and she would have saved money by living at home. But, then again, she'd sold her car.

Mother Wazinski's I-told-you-sos were also a strong opposition to this plan.

Her thoughts twisted and turned like noodles inside her brain, growing increasingly complex and leading nowhere. Helpless to do a thing at the moment, she decided to let it all go.
The only thing that really matters, right now, is the rest of my wine.

An unexpected blast of sound gave her a jolt, and she almost knocked her wineglass over.

That would have been a travesty!

When she realized it was the ringing of her telephone, she let the answering machine pick up and gazed back out the window. But Keb's voice made her straighten.

"Hey, I got a little break," he was saying. "Tried your cell, but no answer. I just thought--"

She flew across the room and grabbed the receiver.

"Keb! So good to hear your voice!"

"Hey, you're there--I wasn't sure if you'd be at work or not."

"Well, actually, I was."

"Did they close early for the holiday?"

"Well, they closed, yeah..."

"You going to Connecticut?"

"Yes. Tomorrow morning. Big family picnic there."

"Right! What--staying in town to watch fireworks from somebody's rooftop, maybe?"

Elyse's throat constricted with emotion. "I...I..." As tears welled, she lost the fight to rein them in.

"Elyse? You okay?"

"No," she said meekly. "I'm not okay."

"What's the matter? What's going on?"

"Oh, Keb..." The floodgate for tears opened again and she started to cry. Between sniffles, she explained.

"So, I, I went to work this morning. Not like I wanted to, because I knew it was going to be dead with the holiday weekend. But Rod said we'd get tourist traffic in, so, okay, I go to work. Then, when I get there, he and Judy are both in, which is really weird. And then he tells me how they have to cut costs, and that means letting me go!"

A gush of tears threatened to cut her story short, but she forged onward. "Which, I guess Carla tried to warn me about, only I didn't quite get what she was saying. But, apparently, they've done it in the past, and now--they did it to me!"

Having told her terrible tale, she felt relieved, but cried, nonetheless.

"So, wait a minute," Keb said. "They fired you? With no warning--Fourth of July weekend?"

The outrage in his voice made Elyse feel better. She sniffed, swallowed, and let out a little snuff of laughter. "Yeah."

"Oh, that's nice," Keb flatly. "Very nice. Fuckers!"

Elyse chuckled. "I know. Right?"

"Some people... Okay, so, hey, look at it this way... It's Independence Day, right? So, you're now free of those numb-nuts. They weren't the sharpest knives in the drawer anyway, right?"

Elyse wiped her nose and let out another little laugh. "No, they weren't."

"Okay, so, you're free of them. Happy Fourth of July, kiddo!"

"Yeah, sure. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

"Right. Exactly."

Having gained perspective for the moment, she calmed down.

"So," she asked, "how're things with you?"

"Good. Great! It's intense, though, a lot of work. After this weekend, it's gonna kick into high gear. I'll be completely consumed--which is hard to imagine, since it's practically all I think about now."

"That's so good for you!"

"So, but, wait--what are you gonna do, Elyse? Find another job?"

Heartburn seared her chest as mild panic threatened, again. "Shit, Keb, I have no idea! I was just thinking about running home to my family for the summer. So not my style, but I don't know what else to do. There's not much in retail cosmetics here this time of year. 'Course, you never know. I'll have to look around."

She heard a beat of silence on the other end of the phone. If she wasn't mistaken Keb's mental wheels were turning almost three thousand miles away and she could sense it!

"Okay, Elyse, I have a proposition for you."

The hairs on Elyse's arms and neck stood.

"Yes, Keb?"

"Now, listen... I can get you work on set. You can start making connections that way. Learn what you have to do and all that."

"Right, okay."

"I can't get you on as a makeup artist yet because it's all union. But I can get you in to assist and help out."

"Like, a gofer?"

"No, more like an apprentice. I can get you on the payroll, and you can start to learn the biz. If you can be flexible, I can get you on as a PA. Production assistant. Keep you employed for a while if you don't mind doing that kind of thing."

"Oh, Keb, that'd be wonderful--I'd love to! Whatever you need, I'll do it. I don't' know what to say--besides, 'Thanks for saving my life!'"

"Just say you'll be on time and help me, around the clock, when the going gets rough."

"Of course! But where will I stay?"

"With me, of course. I have room."

Elyse forced back a scream of joy, then yelped anyway.

"So--I'll have a job--and I can stay with you, too?"

"Yup." Keb laughed. "I hope we know what we're doing here."

"We do, Keb, we do! You know I work hard. I'll do whatever I can, whatever you need it. This is what I've wanted... Oh, this is awesome. I can't wait!"

"You're lucky I love you, girl."

"You love me, Keb?"

"Hello? Why else would I be doing this?"

"Whoa...I
am
lucky then."

"From the first time I saw you."

"Is that true?"

"Yes." He waited a beat, then snuffed out a little laugh.

"What?" Elyse asked.

"Okay, so, maybe you'll feel the same way, too, in time."

"Oh, but, Keb--I already do! I do love you, too."

"I wasn't forcing you to say it, Elyse."

"You didn't. I just--I get afraid, sometimes. It's a shortcoming of mine."

"A shortcoming?"

"I can't say it unless I really mean it."

"I don't see that as a shortcoming."

She laughed. "Guess not since, luckily, I mean it now."

She was grinning so wide, her face ached. She sensed Keb smiling, too, through the phone wires.

"And let me just say this, Keb."

"Yes?"

"Love's a funny thing. I haven't always trusted in it. But you know what?"

"What, beautiful?"

"I trust you."

"Well, that's a relief. 'Cause if you didn't, we'd be in trouble."

"So--it would seem we're starting out on the right foot, then--right?"

"So it would." He cracked up laughing. "You tickle me, Elyse. You're one in a million. I can't wait to see you."

"Oh, Keb, me, too--I can't wait to see you! Geez, I have a lot to do. When am I coming out?"

"Well, we need to work out the details fast."

And just like that, they set about making plans for Elyse to move out to LA.

As the plane took off from LaGuardia Airport, Elyse yawned to pop her ears. From the air, New York City took on a surreal aspect, its collection of mighty structures and spires so uniquely entwined. As the aircraft veered westward, Elyse swallowed an unexpected swell of emotion. It had been her lifelong dream to live there and now she was leaving it behind.

She worried about making new friends out in LA. After all, she was a northeast girl who had heard plenty of tales about its inhabitants smiling in your face while ramming a knife in your back. But wasn't that a potential problem, everywhere? After all she'd been through the past two years, Elyse had learned she'd better listen well and read between the lines if she wanted to avoid the crappier experiences in life.

As she thought about how everything had shifted so fast, she took a deep breath to stave off yet another panic attack. Across the board, everything had changed in a heartbeat--her residence, her relationship and her job!

At the thought of her world turning topsy-turvy with this move to LA, tremors set in and she began to shake. Looking out the window, she rubbed her heart in an effort to stay calm.

The plane was soaring higher, and the city had disappeared from sight. The sky was filled with majestic cloud formations haloed in golden sunlight. Honey-colored light streams danced through the gossamer sheets of seemingly weightless wisps that now enveloped the plane.

Elyse grew light-headed viewing so many clouds that seemed to be lit from within. But then the memory of that spring day with Keb at Riverside Park sprang to mind. And the image of cherry blossoms and clouds in the sky, along with Keb's arm around her waist, served to soothe her fears. The resurgence of hope offered by love pushed away her doubts. Even the clouds outside the window seemed to gather in support of her newfound opportunities. When they suddenly swelled with sunlight, tranquility quelled her fears. Her heart started beating on a new frequency, and her doubts evaporated into the gold-tinged light streams against the bold, blue sky. She offered silent thanks to the powers that seemed to be flying alongside her.

The airplane interior smelled of new upholstery, and the seat cushions reflected this with their sharp, clean appearance. A sense of newness ignited Elyse's eagerness. The moment she sat back and took a deep breath, the flight attendant rolled the drink cart to the end of her row.

Elyse looked at the woman in her crisp uniform and wondered if she'd started her run back in New York, perhaps having spent the night at Rick Giordano's flop house. When her shoulders shimmied with giggles from her facetious thought, the attendant shot her a look.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

"Have you got splits of champagne?" Elyse asked sweetly. "I want to celebrate."

The attendant served her a small bottle with a plastic cup and moved on to the next row. Elyse poured out the bubbly and raised her cup toward the clouds.

Just as she was about to sip, however, something Joel Lebanthal had said at his wrap party popped into her head. She remembered how he'd toasted to her in his bedroom during the party within a party that strange night, which now seemed like a lifetime ago.

He'd said, "The world is your oyster, Elyse."

Now she believed this was true. No, she
knew
it was true.

She sipped and thought about Keb. Then she thought about meaningful work and new opportunities. And then she laughed, ready to down that oyster in one great slurp.

After earning her degree in French and Spanish literature, Susana Falcon embarked on a career in entertainment. As an actor-singer-dancer she toured Europe, Scandinavia, the eastern United States and Caribbean in Broadway musicals and revue shows. She later moved to NYC where she acted onstage, as well as in commercials, films and video productions. In the city, she also began writing, using the screenplay format.

In addition to contemporary novels, Susana has written sixteen erotic romance novellas under penname Shara Bloodstone.