Howie and I brought clothes with us to the venue and after the show we showered there and went out to a club. Colleen was with us and was sitting next to me,
�So, have you seen our show before?�
�Well what did you think of the show?� I guess I put her in an awkward position, I mean what was she going to say to me, that it sucked?
�Overall I think it was pretty good but�I don�t know, it was good.� The �but� got the best of me and I had to know what it was for,
�No, say it. But what?� She shook her head, she didn�t want to but I was persistent,
�I�m not going to get upset. If I didn�t want your honest opinion I wouldn�t have asked.� She played with her fingers and nodded,
�Ok, just the phone thing with you and that girl. Other than that it was cool.� I could understand that. We wanted to be respected but we did remember that some of the cheese contributed to our success. I smiled at her and put my hand on her thigh,
�That�s cool, I agree with you.� Her relief was evident in her smile and I hoped she was no longer uncomfortable,
�Tell me something about yourself. Do you have any brothers or sisters? Where are you from?� She seemed to like the swing of the conversation,
�Well, I have a little brother. He�s not really little, he�s twenty and he�s in the Air Force.� I wonder what their parents are like, both the kids seemed to have good heads on their shoulders,
�What does your brother do?� She smiled,
�He repairs the fighter jets.� That seemed like one of the coolest jobs in the world. Sometimes I think about other jobs and wish that I wasn�t an entertainer. To be a firefighter, work in the FBI, be in the military; all those exciting jobs where you truly were making a difference made me envious of those who did them for a living.
�What do your parents do?� She shook her head,
�It�s just my dad. Our mother walked out on us when I was five, I�ve never seen her since.� Once again I find myself thanking God for my mother and father. Like I said before, they might not be the best examples of parents but they were all I had and compared to others they were pretty damn good. No matter what people said, my parents didn�t go out of their way to be less than stellar parents, it wasn�t part of some big devious plan to screw up their kids; they did the best they knew how. They love my siblings and me and that was something I never questioned.
�I�m sorry.� She shook her head,
�Don�t be, I�m not. I figure if that�s something she could do then she wasn�t a good mom and we were better off without her. Everything happens for a reason. I stopped wanting to be the Huxtables at twelve.� She and I think alike when it comes to family. I bet she gets tired of people feeling sorry for her, wishing she had better or even different parents for her and her brother�s sake, just like they do for me, and I hate that shit.
�So where is your brother and your dad?� I looked over and saw Howie looking out the window; this was something he couldn�t understand,
�My brother is stationed in Turkey and my dad works in a garage back home in Vermont.� I smiled,
�Vermont, people actually live there? Anytime I think of Vermont, I mean it isn�t often, I think of cabins, resorts and inns.� She smiled,
�You�re like most people but it was hardly glamorous for us.� I didn�t want her to think of her struggling past, I remember those rough days of eating the same cheap meals over and over again and I don�t want to think about them tonight, I just want to have a good time,
�Tonight is going to be great because I want to have a good time so no more thinking about the past, we�re going to just have a great night. Deal?� She nodded and smiled,
�Deal.�
�I�ll just have a Sprite.� I frowned and shook my head at the waiter,
�No she won�t. In fact let me get the most expensive thing you got.� The waiter smiled,
�Cristal?� I nodded,
�Send over a bottle.� She smiled and winked at Colleen,
�You�ve got a keeper.� She walked off and I smiled over at Colleen,
�See? I�m a keeper.� She nodded,
�I heard.� I started playing with her fingers and leaned into her,
�So when do you finish school?� She watched my fingers intertwine with hers as she answered,
�Two more years.� I don�t know what I was doing but I felt so close to her, it felt so right,
�Cool, so there will be someone I can visit and hang out with when I come to Boston. I come here a few times a year.� I know she didn't know what to say, I didn�t know what I was saying but it was all coming out of my mouth before I could think,
�Well, I�ll be here.� I looked around VIP and I didn�t see Howie anywhere, he was probably out on the dance floor surrounded by girls or sitting somewhere in a corner, surrounded by a bunch of girls. The waitress came back with the champagne and poured our first glass,
�Anything else I can get you?� I shook my head,
�That�s all for now thanks.� I pointed at her glass,
�You ever had this before?� She shook her head,
�No.� I nodded,
�Go ahead and try it.� I watched her and I could tell right away that she wasn�t that into it,
�How is it?� She smiled slightly,
�It�s ok.� I laughed,
�You don�t like it do you?� She shook her head quickly,
�No, no it�s fine. Hey, I always wanted to live like P. Diddy.� I laughed,
�Me too.� I took the glass from her hand after she took another sip,
�You don�t have to drink it.� She shook her head,
�I�m sure that cost a lot.� Most girls I�m around never think about money at all,
�I can handle it.� I knew why she did, she was accustomed to sacrificing and not letting things go to waste, I had to grow up the same way. The more she talked the more I liked her.
I sat down next to her on the couch once we were alone in my room,
�You�re very pretty.� She looked down at her lap and I began to play with her hair,
�Thank you.� I leaned in and she backed away quickly,
�Nick, I�m not like that. I can�t sleep with you if that�s what you want.� Yes, it was what I wanted and part of me didn't want it. I can�t explain it, she�s a pretty girl and I would love to have sex with her right now but at the same time she�s like someone I�ve known forever. Maybe it was the childhood she experienced but I felt comfortable around her.
Chapter 40
Stranger Than Fiction
Stories
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