Page 2 of Lucy
“It’s five somewhere,” I shrugged.
“Meet me for lunch after you sleep it off,” he sighed.
“Sure. Fine. Whatever.” Before we hung up, I opened my eyes and called his name.
“What is it, Hell Raiser?”
“You think you could lend me the money?”
“Goodbye, Lucy.” He hung up and I threw a tantrum on the couch complete with legs flailing. I really shouldn’t have though because it made the room spin violently. I calmed down the moment colors began to blur and took a few deep breaths.
I would be okay.
I was always okay.
Getting evicted now was no different than any other time. Before I stumbled upon the little gem of an apartment I was staying at, I got kicked out of a shitty spot near the city because I was a few months behind and I had way too many parties. Before that I stayed with my parents, then Nora, then Abel.
Abel put me out because I ran off all his little girlfriends. That, and he got a great job that required him to take trips all over the country and he didn’t want me fucking up his house. Nora felt the same way. When we graduated from college we moved in together and quickly realized it wasn’t going to work.
I let thought after thought spill out of my memories and into the air. I sat on the couch, watching them like home movies before passing out two glasses of Jack Daniels later.
**
When I woke up from my mini-drinking binge, my mouth felt like sandpaper. I rifled through the fridge, knocking aside old Chinese food containers and leftovers from months ago until I found a couple of water bottles stashed in the back. Sweet, sweet water.
I chugged them both in two seconds flat.
I tossed the empty bottles to the floor and went into my room. Abel probably wanted to go somewhere fancy for lunch. I had no idea what to wear. After a few minutes of getting frustrated looking through mountains of clothes piled on my chair, I decided to wear what I had on. There was nothing wrong with a flowy white tank and a pair of denim shorts, right?
I fluffed my hair a little, slid on a coat of lip-gloss, and walked out of the door. My gas tank was nearly on empty and I crossed my fingers that I’d get across town in time to ask Abel to fill it up for me. “Come on you little piece of shit, let’s go.” I rubbed my palms together and threw the little yellow Volkswagen Bug in drive.
I was at Abel’s office in fifteen minutes flat.
It had to be some kind of record. It usually took me thirty minutes to get there but I was going about eighty down the highway. Maybe that had something to do with it.
When I walked in, the secretary at the front tilted her aquiline nose up at me like she thought I was walking contamination or something. I rolled my eyes and kept strolling until I found Abel’s office.
Everything was glass. The door, the walls, and the windows. Well, they wouldn’t be anything but glass, but the effect of it all made me feel like I was in a damn fish tank. I watched him on the phone while I stood outside. His back was to me but I could still make out the strong lines of his shoulders and his chiseled profile.
I ran my fingertips over his name.Abel M. Waterswas etched in bold letters on a silver plate fixed to the door. When he swiveled around in his seat, he locked eyes with me and motioned for me to come in. I pushed the heavy door open and stood near his desk while he finished up the call.
“Luce, what’s up?” He flashed me a smile then stood to hug me. I jumped into his strong arms, burying my face in the crook of his neck. It had been a while since we saw each other because he was always busy working and jet-setting and I was just busy working.
We liked to hang out at least once a month but sometimes that wasn’t enough for me. Abel sat down and I sat on his lap. “What do you want for lunch?” He asked, mindlessly playing in my hair.
“Wings.”
“I know a great spot. It’s new and it’s downtown, you’ll love it. Then maybe we can figure out this situation you’ve gotten yourself into.” He poked my side and I laughed a little. As pissed off as I was about getting evicted out of the blue, I was happy to see Abel. He was my security blanket.
We walked out of his office with our fingers locked as usual. The secretary shot us a few dirty glances and when Abel wasn’t looking, I flipped her off with a smile. She got so flustered she started moving pictures and plants around on her desk to look occupied.
“I don’t think your secretary likes me, Abel.”
“Lauren? She’s fine. She’s new so she doesn’t know you yet.” We walked past my car in the parking lot and Abel slowed in his stride, eyeing the old beetle. “Luce, why is your car such a goddamn dumpster?”
“What? It’s not. Okay…maybe it’s a little junky but it’s fine.” I looked inside and spotted a Fruit Rollups box that I needed to take in the house with me. They were my favorite.
“Yeah, okay.” Of course, he’d make fun of my car. His Audi was in perfect condition and it smelled like leather and oak. Not one speck of dust anywhere. I was afraid to put on my damn seatbelt.
