You and Me Together

Piper spotted Anthony sitting at the bar. With his cigarette limply falling into the ashtray from his left hand and his right hand propped aside his head of tousled hair, he was the personification of loneliness.

“Can I get you something?” she asked in her sultry Cuban accent.

His eyes shot up to see her. She was quite a vision to behold. Her long black hair hung loosely in curls along her broad shoulders and showcased her perfect visage. Large eyes almost as black as her locks flirted effortlessly under her long lashes. Her long legs stemmed from cropped jean shorts, and a tight orange tank top barely covered a flat stomach of perfect caramel skin. She could see that her fellow bartender had already served Anthony a couple, but since she had not had the opportunity to make a tip, she figured she’d give him a try.

“Just another…” he paused, trying to remember what exactly it was that he had been drinking, “Another of this.”

She poured him another rum and coke and reminded him of his order. “No,” he replied.

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“This is not a rum and coke. This is artificial happiness.”

“Oh, so it’s that kind of evening for you, eh?”

“It’s forget-it-all juice,” he said.

“Well, whatever it is, it’s your last.”

“But I’m not done!”

She pulled a chair behind the bar and sat in front of him. “You can’t smoke in here, either, you know,” she said, pulling the cigarette from his hand and tossing it into the wash sink.”

“Then why do you have an ashtray?”

“That’s not an ashtray,” she smiled politely. “That was the nut bowl.”

“Yeah, well you’re not supposed to throw cigarettes in the wash sink,” he stammered. “Whad’ya say to that?”

“I say I can do whatever I want,” Piper replied with a smirk. “This is my bar.”

“You own it?”

“I do.”

There was silence between them for a moment. Finally Anthony gulped the last bit of his drink and said, “So where are all the people?”

Piper looked around at the decent-sized crowd. “I don’t know,” was her simple answer. “So, you seem lonely.”

Anthony responded with only a glare.

“I mean, you’re obviously sad. And every time someone in here is sad, it’s either a job or a woman.” She looked sarcastically at the large tattooed man beside him. “Unless this is you’re date I’m guessing it’s a woman.”

“No comment.”

Piper was very good at conversation just as every bartender should be. But she wasn’t just making conversation anymore. She was drawn to Anthony for some unknown reason. She could see a sadness in him. And it wasn’t the usual post-breakup dejection. It was a deeply-rooted, secret sadness. She knew alcohol has a way of bringing out the innermost thoughts of some people, and she decided to take advantage of that.

“Talk to me,” she said in her smooth whisper. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“What isn’t on my mind?” Anthony asked rhetorically. “I lost my best client, I just got dumped, and now I don’t think I can afford my rent now that he moved out.”

“So your roommate moved out and you lost your biggest client? And on top of that, you got dumped.” She was actually trying to figure out just how bad-off this poor guy was. “And what is it exactly that you do?”

“Well, according to a diploma and some license hanging in my office, I’m an agent. You know, movies and stuff.” He tapped his glass, implying that he would like another drink.

Without responding to his beckon, Piper simply removed the glass and placed it under the bar. “Your client – was he a big deal?”

“He was. To me, anyway. I mean he was a TV star, and he moved on to Hollywood, and I couldn’t move with him. So he dropped me for an agent out there. A big-name type, you know. And I don’t blame him.”

“Why couldn’t you move out there? Business is probably pretty good.”

He shook his head, and then held his forehead as if the shaking had made him violently dizzy. “Too much competition.”

“But you had one big client,” Piper reasoned. “He probably could have gotten some business for you out there.”

“You are very inquisitive for someone who won’t give me another drink.”

Piper smiled devilishly. “I can give you a drink of coffee,” she teased, “Or water.”

“You are a wicked woman,” he sneered, then laughed at his own joke, which was only funny because he was drunk as a skunk and everything was funny. “And you wanna know the irony of the whole thing?” he motioned with his finger for her to come closer, as if he was telling her a secret. She stayed still as he said, “I stayed here mostly because I was in a very serious relationship, and I couldn’t think of breaking that off.” He stared distantly at the wall behind her. “And turns out, I get dumped anyway, so I should’ve just gone.”

“Did you try getting him back?”

“Who?”

“Your client. Did you call him and tell him you could come out there after all?”

“Oh,” he backed up and unbuttoned his top shirt button, loosening his tie. “I did. Thing is, I was too late. These guys, they find new people right away, you know. Guys like me are a dime a dozen.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Piper said smoothly as she noticed he was getting ready to leave, and she desperately wanted a good tip. “You seem like a sweet guy. You’re not complaining too much, haven’t cussed once, and let’s be honest, you’re not hard on the eyes.”

He flashed a smile as he stood up, grabbing his jacket from the back of the bar stool. “You’re great, too,” he said as he flashed an adorable, albeit drunken, wink. “And you are honestly the most beautiful woman I have met personally.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash, laying it on the bar. “You ever think about acting?”

Piper smiled sheepishly at the floor as she counted the bills. “I’ve done some modeling,” she replied. “But I haven’t ever really thought I could act very well.”

Anthony continued to smile at her as she gave him his change. “For what it’s worth,” he started as he gave her a generous tip, “You did a fine job acting like you thought I was cute tonight.”

He turned to walk out, and Piper was left wondering why he thought she wasn’t attracted. He was a pleasant guy, in spite of his issues, and he really was cute. Not her type, but she thought she could possibly make an exception. He had a fair complexion, hazel eyes, and light brown hair he wore in a shabby fashion that night. He was built well, and as he walked out, Piper could see he had a rather fine behind.

“Wait!” Piper called as she ran outside after him. She caught him about to get onto his car. “You can’t drive like this,” she said, pulling his keys from his hands. “I’ll hail a cab.”

She led him to the corner as she began the difficult process of flagging down a cab on a busy Saturday night in Chicago. Needless to say, they were there for some time.

“I’m serious about that acting stuff,” he said after several moments of silence. “With looks like that, you don’t need to have talent.”

She tried to ignore him as she waved to 3 more taxis.

“You wanna move in with me?”

Piper froze and looked at him in surprise. “Um, thanks, Total Stranger, but I think I’m okay.”

“Not ‘Total Stranger,’” he said, extending his hand. “Hi, I’m Anthony Modelski. I’m a 28-year old agent. I live at 329 W. Fairfax Court, apartment 12-G. If you would like to come over tomorrow, I would love to give you a tour of the place, and if you’re interested…” he stopped, forgetting instantly what he was talking about.

“I’m Piper Zuniga,” she replied, shaking his hand. “And I’m glad you know your address, because you’ll need to tell this guy where to take you.”

She opened the cab door and Anthony half-fell inside. Still holding her hand, Anthony kept looking at Piper. It wasn’t in the usual, creepy way some of her customers had eyed her. It was almost as if he didn’t want to be alone. It was like he wanted to spend as much time as possible with her, a complete stranger. She chalked it up to a case of over-friendly drunkenness. “329 W Fairfax,” she told the cabbie.

“Good memory,” Anthony smiled at her. “Another thing that would make you a fine actress.”

“Good night, Anthony,” she smiled as she pulled her hand from his and closed the door. She saw him lean back, and she walked into her place of employment once again.

“Hey,” her friend said upon her return, “I was about to check on you. That guy treat you okay?”

“Yeah, she smiled. “In fact, he invited me to move in with him!”

The friend laughed. “Ah, drunks. They’re the best, aren’t they?”

Piper smiled in response, but she kept thinking about him. Something was different about him. She glanced at her hand and the keys she still held. She realized he’d need his key to get into his home. Running outside, Piper drove Anthony’s car to the address he had named as his, and waited to meet him at his door.

It was only seconds before she found him making his way up the back stairs. “I figured you’d take the elevator,” she said.

Anthony looked about him, wondering how she had beaten him there. In fact she hadn’t, but 12 flights of stairs gave her the time she needed to get there first. “Where the hell did you come from?”

“I took the elevator,” she said as she handed him his keys. “Sorry, I should have given them to you once I put you in that cab. I drove your car here – hope that’s ok.”

“How are you gonna get back?”

“Cab,” she answered, not bothering to remind him that that’s how he got there himself just moments ago.

“Right,” he said back to her. “Well, while you’re here, you want to check the place out?”

“I really shouldn’t. I’m not looking to move,” she lied. She’d been looking for a decent place for months. But living with a stranger – a male stranger at that – was just not something she considered to be a wise idea.

“Okay,” he said plainly as he played with the lock. He couldn’t quite get it, so Piper intervened. “Well, I’m home. Thanks and… and thank you.”

As the door opened, Piper peeked inside, simply out of curiosity. Before he flipped on the lights, she could smell a combination of dirty laundry and old take-out. Once illuminated, she could see why. There was a mess everywhere. Clothes, food, dishes, trash, and papers were strewn about in haphazard fashion. It was like someone had purposely tried to ruin the place.

“You, are you, um, okay?” she said as he stepped inside. She didn’t know what to say to him about the mess. Maybe nothing. But it was so bad. She was actually afraid for his health.

“Oh, this?” he explained as he hung his jacket on the back of a chair, “This was a gift from the ex. Came home to find it this way. And of course the note. That’s how I got dumped. A mess and a note. Nice, huh?”

“Oh my gosh,” she sighed as she entered hesitatingly. “What the – what are you gonna do about this?”

“I don’t know. Hire someone to clean, I guess.”

Piper stood in disbelief as Anthony poured himself a shot of something or other. For several minutes, he just continued to drink and pace, eventually removing his shoes and placing them neatly in a corner. She didn’t know what to do. She felt that she couldn’t leave, compassionless and leaving a man to wallow in a filth heap. But she didn’t know him. Maybe this was his mess. Maybe the ex thing was a lie.

“Look,” she said finally, “I actually am looking for a place, okay? I need to get out of that bar I’m living above. I’m there 24/7 and I hate it. I will consider living here, but here’s the deal – I clean this place, and in return I pay no rent my first month. Also, before I commit, I’m running a full background check on you. Ok?”

A smile traced across Anthony’s pink, chapped lips. “You mean that?”

“I do.”

“Ok, but not completely free. Pay half your usual.”

“One-fourth.”

“One-third.”

“How much is one-third, exactly?”

Anthony did some drunken math, and gave up. “How about just give me $400. The usual would be close to $1200… does that work? I think that’s one-third, right?”

“Okay,” Piper answered. “You’ve got a deal, Mr. Modelski.”

“Move in whenever,” Anthony smiled. “Mi casa es su casa.”

Piper walked out just then. She couldn’t believe she’d just made such a commitment. It was almost 2 AM, and she had just agreed to move in with a drunken stranger. Had she just made the biggest mistake of her life? Or was this perhaps the big chance she had needed to take?

Had either of the parties involved known the secrets the other held, perhaps neither of them would have decided such a thing. But that’s the thing about secrets. Sometimes what you think is unacceptable is the very thing some people need in their lives. Sometimes opposites attract. And sometimes someone you think you can not relate to at all turns out to be the best thing to ever happen to you.