Status: Hiatus
Or What You Will
I Like Tea
“Henrie, wait!” I didn’t slow my pace. I felt him run upto me.
“Jeez, what’s so wrong with talking to me?” I sighed.
“What do you want, Adam?”
He looked down the street, “Are you on your way home?”
“Yeah, where else would I go?” He looked at me incredulously.
“Anywhere else, you’re in the city!!” I waited for the light. And damn, was it taking a long time. “Come out with me. Let’s get a coffee.” I turned to look at him for the first time.
“I like tea.”
“Tea it is, then.” “Adam.” What was meant to come out as a stern refusal came out as a plea. “Say it again.” “No. If you want to get someone to do whatever you say, you can do that for $75 down at Sapphire’s.” He laughed.
“So I could contract some fatal disease? Look Henrie, a couple off hours is all I want. I’ll drive you home.” I sighed. Well, it’s better then walking, that’s for sure.
“Fine. Okay, fine.”
“Yes! Thank you. Okay let’s go. My car is this way.” He pulled me into the direction of his Accord.
He opened the door for me. I got in. The car smelled of cigarettes. The driver’s seat was covered with tons of paper. He threw them into the back seat and hopped in, closing the door behind him. “Ready?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
“We gotta wait for the car to warm up.”
“Wow, then why did you-”
“How about a little Q and A to pass the time?” His smile was so charming. I bet he got away with plenty when he was a kid. I nearly chuckled. Instead, I shrugged.
“Yeah, okay. You first.” I would not be revealing anything right away. He laid his head back onto the headrest. He looked into my eyes. “Okay….um…my full name is Adam Burbank Lazzara, and I use to be a waiter. Um….how about you give me a question?” I thought about it for a moment.
“How did you get into to doing this play?”
“I started acting when I was little”, he put his fingers together to emphasize how small, “but then I stopped.”
“Why?” I was curious now.
“One question per turn.” I scoffed.
“Fine.”
“So, bottom line: I came back.”
“Why?” Screw turns. He turned to me. “Have you ever felt like something was missing? Like there was a hole, not to big but bothersome, inside you?”
“Often.” I had said too much from the way his eyes widened slightly. They smoldered in the dark. I broke the silence first.
“Okay, your turn.” He backs the car out of the parking lot. We turn onto a red light.
“Okay, Henrie”, he smiles as he says this, “do you find me attractive?” He wiggled his eyebrows. I chuckled at this. “Yeah, sure.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Why would I lie?” The light changed.
“Are you planning on doing something about it?” I knew what he meant but played dumb.
“Like what?”
“Like, I don’t know, persuade me, pursue me, and dream about me, at least.” I smirked.
“Nope.”
“You’re breaking my heart, Henrie.”
“You’re breaking me, Lazzara.” He smiled.
“Soon, you’ll be putty in my palm. I think that’s how it goes.” I shook my head, and then looked outside of the window. I watched the people walk down the streets. I could hear the beeping and the sirens for miles, and I could smell the exhaust from the cars. It was city life.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been out. It’s beautiful. It’s a big place for adventures.”
“Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint, there will be no rock climbing, just a drink.”
“Of tea?”
“Yeah, right, tea.” He turned on the radio. Pictures of You by the Cure drifted into his speakers. I immediately turned it up on instinct. Adam stopped at a red light.
“Did you just touch my radio?” I shrugged sheepishly.
“Sorry, it’s just the song…..”
He smirked. “You’re lucky I didn’t take your hand off.” I laughed. Adam began to sing softly to the song. “Remembering you standing quiet in the rain, as I ran to your heart to be near, and we kissed as the sky fell in holding you close. How I always held close in your fear…”
“Remembering you running soft through the night; you were bigger and brighter than the snow, and screamed at the make-believe, screamed at the sky and you finally found all your courage to let it all go….” I sung behind him.
He smiled at me. We sung all the way to the tea spot. We walked around the corner.
“So, is it like a café?” He nodded as we walked toward an underground door with an elaborate design on the front. He opened it and ushered me in. I could hear an acoustic guitar playing gingerly in the background.
“Jeez, what’s so wrong with talking to me?” I sighed.
“What do you want, Adam?”
He looked down the street, “Are you on your way home?”
“Yeah, where else would I go?” He looked at me incredulously.
“Anywhere else, you’re in the city!!” I waited for the light. And damn, was it taking a long time. “Come out with me. Let’s get a coffee.” I turned to look at him for the first time.
“I like tea.”
“Tea it is, then.” “Adam.” What was meant to come out as a stern refusal came out as a plea. “Say it again.” “No. If you want to get someone to do whatever you say, you can do that for $75 down at Sapphire’s.” He laughed.
“So I could contract some fatal disease? Look Henrie, a couple off hours is all I want. I’ll drive you home.” I sighed. Well, it’s better then walking, that’s for sure.
“Fine. Okay, fine.”
“Yes! Thank you. Okay let’s go. My car is this way.” He pulled me into the direction of his Accord.
He opened the door for me. I got in. The car smelled of cigarettes. The driver’s seat was covered with tons of paper. He threw them into the back seat and hopped in, closing the door behind him. “Ready?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
“We gotta wait for the car to warm up.”
“Wow, then why did you-”
“How about a little Q and A to pass the time?” His smile was so charming. I bet he got away with plenty when he was a kid. I nearly chuckled. Instead, I shrugged.
“Yeah, okay. You first.” I would not be revealing anything right away. He laid his head back onto the headrest. He looked into my eyes. “Okay….um…my full name is Adam Burbank Lazzara, and I use to be a waiter. Um….how about you give me a question?” I thought about it for a moment.
“How did you get into to doing this play?”
“I started acting when I was little”, he put his fingers together to emphasize how small, “but then I stopped.”
“Why?” I was curious now.
“One question per turn.” I scoffed.
“Fine.”
“So, bottom line: I came back.”
“Why?” Screw turns. He turned to me. “Have you ever felt like something was missing? Like there was a hole, not to big but bothersome, inside you?”
“Often.” I had said too much from the way his eyes widened slightly. They smoldered in the dark. I broke the silence first.
“Okay, your turn.” He backs the car out of the parking lot. We turn onto a red light.
“Okay, Henrie”, he smiles as he says this, “do you find me attractive?” He wiggled his eyebrows. I chuckled at this. “Yeah, sure.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Why would I lie?” The light changed.
“Are you planning on doing something about it?” I knew what he meant but played dumb.
“Like what?”
“Like, I don’t know, persuade me, pursue me, and dream about me, at least.” I smirked.
“Nope.”
“You’re breaking my heart, Henrie.”
“You’re breaking me, Lazzara.” He smiled.
“Soon, you’ll be putty in my palm. I think that’s how it goes.” I shook my head, and then looked outside of the window. I watched the people walk down the streets. I could hear the beeping and the sirens for miles, and I could smell the exhaust from the cars. It was city life.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been out. It’s beautiful. It’s a big place for adventures.”
“Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint, there will be no rock climbing, just a drink.”
“Of tea?”
“Yeah, right, tea.” He turned on the radio. Pictures of You by the Cure drifted into his speakers. I immediately turned it up on instinct. Adam stopped at a red light.
“Did you just touch my radio?” I shrugged sheepishly.
“Sorry, it’s just the song…..”
He smirked. “You’re lucky I didn’t take your hand off.” I laughed. Adam began to sing softly to the song. “Remembering you standing quiet in the rain, as I ran to your heart to be near, and we kissed as the sky fell in holding you close. How I always held close in your fear…”
“Remembering you running soft through the night; you were bigger and brighter than the snow, and screamed at the make-believe, screamed at the sky and you finally found all your courage to let it all go….” I sung behind him.
He smiled at me. We sung all the way to the tea spot. We walked around the corner.
“So, is it like a café?” He nodded as we walked toward an underground door with an elaborate design on the front. He opened it and ushered me in. I could hear an acoustic guitar playing gingerly in the background.