“No,” Rae said. “I tell them I’m a singer. That’s it. Just like your talent guy upstairs. Who knows what he actually does.”
“So everyone just lies to each other to have sex?”
“If it gets the job done…”
“What if the guy up there is really an architect?” I asked with a grin.
Rae grabbed my shoulder. “Then I feel bad for your clit if he starts talking about math.”
“What’s wrong with Abby’s clit?” Sasha asked.
“There’s nothing wrong with my…” I shook my head.
“It’s got dust on it,” Jess chimed in as she smoked a cigarette.
“What?” I yelled.
Jess nodded to me. “You know I’m right.”
“See?” Rae asked.
“I quit the group,” I said.
“You can’t quit,” Sasha said. “Valerie would kick you out of the apartment.”
True.
“Whatever,” I said. “Are we done here?”
“Yeah,” Sasha said. “I’m going to rush home and get changed. I have a meeting tonight. Trying to line up some gigs. For us. And for myself.”
“I’m going home to sleep,” Rae said. “I’m taking some sleeping meds and I’m done.”
“Big plans,” I said.
“And what are your plans?” Rae asked.
“I don’t know yet,” I said.
“Have a smoke with me,” Jess said. “It’ll give you that sexy, raspy voice.”
“I’m good,” I said.
Jess winked at me.
Out of the entire group, Jess was the only one who knew a little of my past.
When I was kind of a rock star myself.
“Okay, I’m out then,” Jess said. She flicked her cigarette to the curb. “See you all later. Or never. Whatever works.”
“I’m gone too,” Rae said.
Soon it was down to me and Sasha.
I was always jealous of her tanned skin, her bright blue eyes and the freckles on her cheeks. And when she let her hair down, it was kind of curly. She looked straight out a magazine for surfers. A surfer chick… who couldn’t surf.
“You should come to Ungro,” Sasha said to me. “I know you’re not into all of this…”
“I am,” I said. “Believe me, I am. I love singing, Sasha.”
“I know you do. You’re really good. You’re better than all of us.”
“I think we’re all amazing,” I said. “We should just do something on our own. On the side.”
“We will,” Sasha said. “But seriously think about Ungro.”
I nodded.
Sasha’s phone started to ring, which ended our conversation and time together.
She walked away.
I turned to face the street.
I looked around at the busy city. The suits and ties looking for their big deal. Or steal. Then the artists. Dressed messy, living the same, some poor as anything, others with more money than they’d ever spend.
In such a big city, it was nice to be able to hide.
And for me, hiding was a good thing.
I met Valerie through an ad in the paper.
Well, that was only partially true.
She ran an ad in the paper looking for a roommate and then she put a copy of that ad on a cork board at a store.
I saw it, called the number, then I had a place to live.
Valerie was twenty years older than me and had no problem trying to slip into a motherly role in my life.
Which I didn’t need.
I had a mother.
She lived in Arizona.
And while she did support me, there was always a tone of disappointment when I talked to her. My brother Joe went to law school and worked in Arizona, so he was not only successful, he had money, and had also stayed local.
With Valerie, she loved to preach and give advice that I didn’t want or need.
I listened and brushed it all off.
The only good thing about Valerie was that she spent her entire career teaching music so she was all for me becoming a famous singer.
She was retired though.
And that meant she sat around the apartment and stuck her nose in everyone’s business.
All the time.
Each day when I got to the apartment I would stand at the door and take a deep breath before going inside.
I opened the door and walked through the foyer area in peace.
The apartment was actually really nice.
It had an old feel to it with more rooms than I thought an apartment would have.
It even had a second floor.
It was a strange setup, but it fit Valerie’s personality and fit my life.
I heard Valerie’s feet hitting the steps as she came rushing down.
I didn’t even make it to the kitchen to get a drink before she was right there to greet me.
“How was your day?”
“Great,” I said.
“Really?”
“Yeah. It was a great day.”
“Anything big happen?”
“No,” I said.
“You look tired,” she said.
“I am. It was busy.”
“But great.”
I stared at her. She had salt and pepper hair that was always pulled back. I had never once seen Valerie with her hair down. And every morning she did her makeup like she had a full day of things to do. She had big, brown eyes and a bit of a big nose. She had no problem picking on herself either, which I kind of didn’t go for. I wondered if her being single was part of that. Not that I was innocent of ever doing the same, but Valerie was a good person with a big heart.
Really, Abby? This is what’s on your mind right now?
“Oh, before I forget, someone called for you,” Valerie said.
“Called for me? Here?”
“Yeah. I took down her name and number.”
Her?
Valerie was also one of the last people in the world to pay for a landline. She had a cellphone but believed it was emitting dangerous stuff into the air and into our brains.
I didn’t bother arguing with her over that.
“I’m hoping it’s a gig for you,” Valerie said. “How exciting, right?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I better call back.”
I walked to the table and looked at the piece of paper.
Clementine.
That was the name.
I didn’t know a Clementine.
I took the piece of paper and went to my room.
I needed a shower. I needed food. I needed a drink.
But first, I needed to call Clementine.
I dialed the number on my cell.
“Hello?” a woman’s voice asked after the second ring.
“Clementine?” I asked.
“Yes… who is this?”
“It’s Abby…”
“Please hold,” she said.
Hold?
A second later I heard the sound of laughter.
A deep voice laughing…
I hung up the phone.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
I turned and looked at my closet.
Panic set in hard.
Really hard.
I ran to my closet and packed a bag.
I threw out Clementine’s number and hurried out of my room.
As I passed through the apartment, I called out, “I have somewhere to go, Valerie. I’ll be back tomorrow.”