Some Things Never Change

“Sure no problem.” She replied. Not very far from the auditorium was a small pub that catered mostly to soccer fans. No one paid them any mind, too glued to the television to notice the new arrivals. The hostess put them in a dark corner away from the crowd which suited them both. They found that they could relax and hear themselves talk despite the deafening noise that cheered or booed depending on how the match was going down.

“What would you like to drink?” Wayne signaled to a waitress.

“I’ll have what you’re having.”

“We’ll have a round of beer and some nachos please in the meantime until we decide what we want to eat.” The waitress brought those items in under five minutes.

“Help yourself to the nachos Lou, I guarantee you’re gonna love this.” The nachos tasted real good and came with your choice of salsa or a spicy cheese dip that was so hot it scorched their tongues. It was freshly made and the crunchiness was a winner in both their eyes.

 “I think our chef was too busy watching the soccer match to realize that his hand was heavy with the pepper.” Lou giggled.

When Lou was relaxed she looked younger and carefree. She sat across from him with her legs crossed and whenever she laughed her legs brushed his calf and caused a knee jerk reaction that travel all the way up his spine and heightened his senses to her every movement. She took a swig of the beer and tapped her feet to the music playing on the nearby speakers. One swig led to another and he marveled as she took her tongue and slowly licked the froth off her upper lip. She had really nice plump lips that were wide and showcased even white teeth whenever she smiled.

He like that she found the beer enjoyable and ate the nachos with gusto. She wasn’t one of those nitpickers that felt they had to watch their weight or ask how many calories was in the cheese dip. They hadn’t even noticed they waited over forty five minutes for the food to arrive as they were so deep in conversation.

“Why did you decide to try acting Wayne?” she asked.

He responded. “All my life I have to be many things to different people. Sometimes I feel like I don’t even know myself anymore because I’m so good at being whoever you want me to be. So when I saw this paper I thought this was the flyer to my dreams. I could finally get paid to do something I’ve been doing all my life. Does that make sense?”

“Sort of.”

“Look at it this way, in this world we are all actors on a stage. Each person affects another whether positively or negatively. When the curtain call falls I don’t want to be standing on the wrong side. Life is short, if you get my meaning. All my life I’ve lived in this city and followed other peoples’ whims and fancy. Now I feel like it’s my time to do my own thing, work on bettering myself, and put me first for once in my life. So when I saw this audition, I went for it.”

Slightly embarrassed, Wayne realized that he had just summarized his entire life to a complete stranger. Normally he kept everyone at a distance, no one ever knew the full deal about him. What was it about this woman that caught him off guard and made him susceptible to her wiles? That he would want to bare his soul and share his most intimate details about his existence. Lou continued to sip her beer lost in her own little world and oblivious to his inner turmoil. He liked that she didn’t look down on him or sat in the judgment seat.

She just listened without any interruptions or objections to his way of thinking. At certain parts of his rambling she would nod her head in agreement as if to portray that they were two peas in a pod. They had led similar lives and shared the same kind of thinking and mentality about life. She too wanted to get out of the rat race and find her own niche in life. Wayne finally felt that here was a woman, who would look past his physical appearance and outward trappings and see deep down to the realness inside that was hidden. He wondered if once she knew everything about him would she stick around or abandon him like everyone else eventually did?

Then she asked that dreaded question. “So, what do you do for a living?”

He gave her the evasive response he gave most women. He couldn’t exactly find the words to tell her that he sold party drugs for a living. So he said the next best thing. Technically it wasn’t a lie.

“I’m the ultimate party promoter, with me around you won’t have to worry about anything on your special occasion. If you need radio/internet/television advertising, sponsorship, consignment for liquor I’m also the man for the job. I have friends in all the right places and guarantee decent crowd support. You were at my hookah party, you saw the type of crowd we draw, we are a part of a network of promoters that tell their friends to join in the fun so that news of your party always gets around.” He handed her a business card while he talked.

“Parties are work, don’t just look at the outcome and think it’s an easy road. The path to a successful party, if not handled right can lead to debt, headaches and stress if not handled correctly. I can provide a safe environment for you to fulfill all your desires and have a grand time. Don’t keep this to yourself, tell all your friends and let them partake in what I have to offer as well.”

She couldn’t help but be impressed by his business acumen. He had gone over into full sales pitch mode. As if he was always this aggressive about the business. It would explain his expensive taste in clothes, jewelry and the car, it all made sense. Maybe she should look into this promoting business if it paid so well. She was impressed and smothered her suspicions about his apparent wealth.

“What about you, where do you work?” he asked.

“Up until today I worked at Big Benny’s Burgers, that fast food joint just around the corner from here. I would also go to school at night.”

“That’s really cool, what are you studying?”