My Musical Cowboy

The sun bit his face, but he didn’t mind. The town noise brought him back from heaven, and he walked briskly to his car. He drove all the way to Humphrey & Charles on 5th Street where his wife was and parked just near the exit. She’d be ecstatic about this new opportunity and picking her up from work would give them their own private celebration.

A soft rap on the window roused him from his slumber as he looked up to take in the stranger’s face. But a smile etched the corners of his mouth as his wife stared down at him. He turned the air conditioner on as he gestured for her to take the passenger seat.

“Hey, baby, sorry I couldn’t leave early,” she said as she unlocked the door. “But what’s the news? You were terribly excited over the phone. C’mon, let it out!” she insisted as she settled on the passenger seat, eager to hear his story.

“I love you, baby. You know you mean the world to me, and I just want to say thank you for your support.” He pulled her close to him and sunk his lips so deep into hers that she was startled. He hadn’t kissed her so passionately lately, and she was clearly taken aback.

Lilies was an African-American young woman in her late twenties who like many girls had moved from Boston to Casting City for independence and a step up in her career. Her father was a deputy in the Boston PD while her mother managed their cake business that had branches all across Boston. She was the most beautiful of her three sisters, and it was evident that they didn’t like how easily she got what she wanted from the numerous guys who would have given anything to have her. Lilies was a high achiever, and Boston seemed to limit her abilities, hence why she had wanted out so badly. Being a daddy’s girl, she was surprised at how fast her father agreed to her leaving when she finally told him of her plans. He even gave her $10,000 for upkeep until she found a stable job. The separation was painful especially to her mother who had tried her best to protect her from the world ever since she had been born. But she had just had to leave, and her mother had reluctantly given in.

Her law degree in hand, Lilies traversed every inch of Casting City looking for a job. Two months and two weeks later, she still hadn’t found a job. Just when it had seemed impossible to get a job, she received a call from a secretary at Humphrey & Charles informing her that they were hiring. The job didn’t turn out to be what she expected, but it was a start. She was to work at the front office for a couple of months before a much lucrative position opened up. Humphrey & Charles was also a start-up company, so she didn’t have much to bargain with considering the company’s position and her dire need for a job.

After work, she used to unwind at The Stallion, a nice garden setup on the fifth floor of her building with a beautiful view of the city. The live band at The Stallion was especially a welcoming feature since she had grown up with an appreciation for music. She didn’t care who played what as long as the guitar strums soared high and brought her closer to home. On one of her Friday strolls, she had walked into the bar a bit earlier so that she could get a seat at the balcony. She meandered through the small seats and made her way to the balcony where a waiter was serving a single guest next to her favorite spot. She sat down oblivious of the stranger and went on to give her order. She’d had her fair share of man-trouble, and this just didn’t seem to be the spot that could land her the nice hot evening that her body had been aching for. After the waiter was gone, she casually turned toward the stranger, and their eyes met. He turned his head away from her and emptied his glass. He must’ve been taking one strong brew because Lilies noticed the creases on the corners of his eyes as he struggled to down the drink. Lilies instinctively turned away but not before she noticed his guitar whose nose was peeking at her from the seat adjacent to his. She glanced across the balcony, but no one else was there to entertain her. So she sank in her chair and forced her attention to the small people darting about the city with their suits on and briefcases in hand. From up there, she felt apart from the city. She suppressed memories from back home and forced herself to concentrate on the very reason she was here: to relax and cool down away from the bustle of the office. People seemed so adept at destroying each other through lawsuits every single day that she at times wondered why they bothered to do it legally. All manner of cases from land to property streamed in, and every day there was more than the previous day’s count. But her work wasn’t to question their clients but to process their requests. She took a long deep breath as she sat there enjoying a Heineken, taking in the cool breeze that seemed to clear her mind every time she found her favorite spot on the balcony. People were beginning to stream in, and for a moment she ached for some company. The DJ turned the volume a bit up, and she turned to face the counter in protest. No one had seemed to notice the change. She caught a glimpse of the stranger’s smile beside him and turned to face him. His cologne wafted toward her, and she took it in.