VIN (a.k.a. "Untitled") Pt 2

What do you do after an exit like that? Nothing much. I continue scribbling and decide that the handsome Spaniard doesn’t have to be as tall as I originally pictured him. Average height is okay for the Spaniard. He is handsome after all. I sip on my coffee for a bit and wonder what a woman does with a handsome Spaniard. Is finding oneself alone with a handsome Spaniard any different than finding oneself alone with an action hero, a prince, or the funny, sweet man that lives down the block? Yes. Adventure...there has to be an adventure when one meets a Spaniard.

“What are you doing today?” Kelly asks. She’s standing in the kitchen entry as she puts on her coat.

“There’s a new exhibit at the museum that I was going to check out. Paintings, windmills, I think.”

Kelly nods but does not respond. She doesn’t get my fondness for a good art exhibit but she respects it. There’s a knock on the door.

“I’m late.” She says as she hands me her empty mug. “Pizza and binge watching later?” She asks.

“That was our plan.”

It was our last Saturday night binge. Next Saturday she’d be cuddled up with Tulio, his kids, and the latest from Walt Disney.

“Feed Don Quixote for me?” She asks.

I nod. There’s more knocking, urgent this time.

“In a minute.” Kelly calls. “No “Masterpiece Theater” this time.” She says, looking at me.

“That’s what you get for your “Call The Midwife” marathon.” I respond with a grin.

“‘Call The Midwife’ is an excellent show.”

“Not for anyone who’s planning on breeding anytime soon.”

“What are we watching?” She asks.

“I haven’t decided yet.” It isn’t a lie. I haven’t decided yet. It’s a toss up between an old series about Henry VIII’s wives that explores each individual marriage. One hour per marriage and the most in- depth documentary to date on Vincent Van Gogh with special emphasis on the events leading up to as well as including the ear incident. It’s a little bit mean, I know, but that’s what she gets for abandoning me to lead the life that everyone is supposed to be working towards. Home, family, dog in the yard, white picket fence. Dog poop kind of stinks. I hope she knows that. If she doesn’t know it, Tulio’s in for a really bad day.

One last burst of knocking.

“I’m coming! Keep your shirt on.” Kelly calls. “I’ll see you by eight? Bye.” She says as she opens the door.

“Okay bye.”

I hear Kelly as she enters the hallway. “Tulio, what are you doing? Put that back on.”

“I thought that you said to get undressed, you were ready for me.”

“Why would I say that? You know that I don’t do those things in public places.”

“There’s a first time for everything?” He offers.

“Put your shirt on!”

Have fun Tulio. You picked her.

It’s Saturday. It’s supposed to be an easy day. Today is one of the most difficult Saturdays that I have had in a long time. The pending loss of my roommate and my therapy cat, my inability to get a raise that would cover the rest of the rent so that I could keep the apartment on my own...did I mention that? Now, the empty day before me...it all feels like too much. I’ve worked so hard to do all of the right things. It’s not fair!

“It’s not fair!” rings through the diner. Did I mention that I’m in a diner now? I left the apartment and walked four blocks to my favorite diner while I was rattling on about my problems.

“Whoever told you that life was fair?” A tallish man asks a dark-haired boy sitting on the stool nearest the cash register. He looks to be about ten. The kid, not the man. For a moment I’m irritated. The man is being mean.

Mean Man hands the waitress cash, looks down at the kid, and says, “Life says ‘no’ to you now, so it can say ‘yes’ to you later. The ‘yes’ you get later is usually better than whatever you lost the chance to have to begin with.”

The kid looks up at the man who’s accepting his change from the waitress, he looks down at his comic book before the man notices.

Mean Man leans down and whispers something to the dark-haired boy. I can’t hear what it is, it must have been funny because the kid, the Not-Necessarily Mean Man, and the waitress all smile and laugh. For a moment, I wish that I could have heard him too. I spend most of my time shutting other sounds out, not letting them in. I smile at their happiness in spite of myself. I’m hoping that I’m giving the usual non-committal ‘you can’t tell if I’m smiling or not’ half-smile; I must have slipped and smiled more because the man turns his head, looks right at me, and smiles back. That was an accident right? Yes, an accident. It’s just a piece of the smile remaining from the moment that came before.

I look down and begin writing something. Anything. Quickly. V-I-N.

“Vin.” Not-Necessarily Mean Man’s voice reads from behind me. “What’s Vin?”

He’s looking at my notebook, he’s talking to me? What the hell? Okay, it’s fine. Breathe deep and answer calmly.

“Vin is my name.”