Mano A Womano!
Man to Woman
Part 5
By: Kate Maxwell
"Hey Miche, wake up. The phone is for you." James said, trying to wake Michelle from her deep sleep.
"Okay, okay. I'm up." Michelle said as she took the phone from her cousin. "Hello?" she said sleepily.
"Hi Miche. I didn't wake you, did I?" a voice asked, sounding concerned and slightly excited.
"No," Michelle replied "I had to wake up to answer the phone anyway."
"Okay then; that's good."
"Who is this?" Michelle asked rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Don't you recognize my voice?"the person on the other side of the line asked.
"Not really." Michelle admitted.
"It's Duo."
"Oh, sorry. I'm just a little tired." she said, almost falling back asleep.
"That's okay. Anyway, I was wondering if you have a tour guide for today?" Duo asked, sounding slightly nervous.
"Actually Duo, I have to leave tonight. But a tour sounds like a great idea."
"Your leaving tonight!?! Why?"
"I have work to do. I shouldn't even have visited." Michelle said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Duo asked, voice filled with concern.
"You know what, nevermind. I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay then. Oh, and I have someone I want you to meet." Duo announced.
"Who?" Michelle asked. "I'm not going to tell you. And, I have a suprise."
"What kind of suprise?" Michelle said suspiciously. I wonder if I should tell him I hate suprises. She thought, I will, but not just yet. Michelle smiled, laughing silently to herself.
"So meet me at the pizzeria in an hour, okay?" Duo suggested.
"Got it!" Michelle replied.
"Later then." Duo said and hung up. Michelle was excited; Duo wanted her to meet someone important to him.
Michelle waited at the entrance of the pizzeria for Duo and his surprise guest for about fifteen minutes. In boredum, Michelle looked around and saw, a definite surprise. Duo was walking with a german girl on his arm. A girl. His surprise is a girl. Is this his idea of a joke, or what!?! thought Michelle with a hint of disgust on her face. She smiled a fake, but reasurring, smile when she caught their eyes. "Hey Miche," Duo said with a smile, "I want you to meet Hilde Schebeiker, my surprise!"
"Duo has told me so much about you." Hilde said, sticking out her hand.
"Really, very interesting. He hasn't ever mentioned you." Michelle said innocently, taking Hilde's hand and shaking it. Michelle looked at Duo and smiled sweetly. Duo just looked back, confused and perplexed at Michelle's attitude. "Shall we go in?" Michelle asked. "Yeah, I'm starvin'." Hilde said.
Good for you. Michelle thought.
(Inside the Restaurant)
"I'll have a Mega Burger with everthing and Super Fries with extra ketchup and a Jumbo Coca-Slush." Duo said, giving his order to their waiter.
Hilde smiled, "That sounds good, I'll have the same." she nodded to the waiter
That's sounds good I'll have the same, Puh-lease, does she have no mind of her own. Can't she even count how many calories are in that. We're talkin' Blimpoid in 5 seconds flat. Michelle thought.
"And for you?" the waiter asked Michelle.
"I'll have the garden salad, with a light, ranch dressing." she said politely. The waiter left, slightly confused.
"Miche, can't you try to live a little." Duo said as he draped his arm around Hilde's shoulders. Michelle could feel her skin burn as she saw an odd, red colour appear on Hilde's cheeks.
Michelle just held her tongue, smiled and said "I'm not that hungry, I had a big breakfast."
"Really, what did you have?" Hilde asked.
"Absolutely nothing." Michelle said sarcastically.
"Well, you should have ordered more, Duo's paying so don't worry about the cost." As Hilde said this, Duo made a strange face as if he actually didn't have enough money to pay for the meal if Michelle had ordered more.
Michelle saw this out of the corner of her eye, then said to Hilde, "I'm just not really hungry right now."
Michelle's a life saver. I could not have afforded it if she'd ordered more. Duo thought, looking very relieved.
"Great, the food's here! So, Hilde, quick 'get-to-know-you' quiz." Michelle said. "Sure! Shoot!" Hilde said stuffing a french fry drenched with ketchup in her mouth. "How long have you been together?" Michelle asked, curiosity starting to take over. "About a year." Hilde replied, her mouth now filled with hamburger.
"That's . . . great. Um, any big plans?" Michelle said, thoroughly grotesqued by Hilde. "Well, we're workin' on the bathroom right now. The toilet overflowed last night." Duo said, then took a big swig of his slushie.
"You have a toilet?" Michelle asked, confused.
"Well, yeah. You can't have a bathroom without a toilet. Anyway, The kitchen floor's gotta go, then we have to get a new bed..." Hilde explained.
"Bed??" Michelle asked.
"Yeah, it's kind of hard without a bed." Hilde said.
"Really!?!" Michelle replied, A little too much info there, Hilde.
"To sleep, I mean. Duo needs a new bed. Then he's going to work and remodel the whole downstairs and he's finally going to be able to pay his half of the rent." Hilde finished. "Okay then. That's always good to know." Michelle replied nervously.
"It was nice meeting you, Miche. Maybe you can come by and see our place sometime." Hilde said, since she had finished her meal.
"Great. Always nice to have an invite." Michelle said sarcastically.
"Great. See ya at home, kay Duo." Hilde said, kissing Duo on the cheek, and left. "Well Duo, your girlfriend seems nice." Michelle said.
Duo spit out some of his slushie, "What!?!"
"Isn't Hilde your girlfriend."
"NO. She isn't my girlfriend, she's just my roomate. Gross, that's like kissing my aunt; if I had one."
"Okay, let me get this straight. You two live together, but you're not going out." Michelle said, trying to get the story straight.
"Exactly."
"Okay then. Now I'm positive I don't want to know anymore." said Michelle, leaning back and resting on the back of the booth.
"Oh right, I have another suprise for you." Duo said, then he started rummaging through his pockets looking for something.
"Oh great. I hate suprises." Michelle muttered under her breath.
"What didja say?"
"Nothing, just that I hate suprises." Michelle said in a manner of slight depression.
"You do? How can anyone hate suprises?"
"You know, it's funny you should say that, right after you intoduced me to Hilde."
"I didn't know you dislike suprises so much."
"I hate them."
"That's what I said."
"No. You said I dislike them. That would mean that I could tolerate them. But, since I HATE them, I could just about rip someone's head off." Michelle said sourly, standing up and getting ready to leave.
"Oh, and here. I'm paying for my part of our little lunch get- together." she added.
"Miche, come on. Don't be mad. Miche, Michelle wait up." Duo called after, leaving the money on the table and chasing after her.
"I didn't know you'd take it like that Miche."
Michelle stopped walking. When Duo caught up to her she turned around. "What are you talking about? You'd thought I'd have taken this differently!?! After you putting your arm around her and her kissing you. For all I know, you two could have been at it like squirrels since the you first met."
"Like squirrels?" Duo laughed.
Michelle spat, "Give me a break, I was thinking on the spot."
"And that upset you, thinking that me and Hilde were going at it like squirrels?" Michelle was shocked. She couldn't admit that it made had her upset, she was leaving in a few hours. And, she had found what she thought was the perfect guy. Guess I was wrong again. Man, I hate being single. thought Michelle. "Yes Duo. That upset me. That's allowed isn't it?" she asked.
"Yeah, but you don't have to spaz and make a scene."
"I can make a scene if I want to."
"Oh great. Is it that time of the month for you?"
"What did you say?!? You inconsiderate asshole. Just because women get mad, guys like you always assume that we're pms-ing." Michelle stated, enraged. "My gawd Duo. I thought you were this nice, funny, sweet, smart, thought-ful, hot guy, not to mention a lot of other things. Now, I think you're an inconsiderate, rude, stupid, moronic, heart-less bastard who couldn't tell a joke to save his life."
"What? What's with you? I was trying to introduce you to people and make you a part of this shitty country and now, you're bitching at me as if I had killed your pet squirrels. If there is anyone being a heart-less bastard, it's you. Do you always act like this when someone is being nice to you?"
"Leave me alone, I just want to go home. I shouldn't have come." Michelle said. She turned and started walking again. She just wanted to leave and get her stupid job over with.
"There it is again. What do you mean you shouldn't even have come?" Duo asked. He couldn't understand why Michelle was acting the way she was. It confused him. But he was normally confused about a lot of things. He wasn't stupid, but he did have a tendency to lose interest in a boring subject or two. Not that Michelle was boring. He didn't think that at all. Duo thought she was an intriguing person. She was definately odd, yet intriguing and fascinating and so much more. He felt somehow drawn to her. He didn't know why. Maybe it was because Duo thought he had found someone remotely like him.
Michelle stopped walking. Why does he care? He doesn't even know anything about me. I wish people these days weren't so persistant. "Duo, I told you it's not important."
"Then why can't you tell me?"
"Because it doesn't concern you! Just leave me alone."
"What??? It concerns me now since you just walked into my life the other day. I would like to know why you came before you leave." Duo said truthfully. Michelle's stubborness reminded him of Heero, almost.
Michelle just looked at him. "Okay," Michelle said sternly, "you want to know, I'll tell you. But you must promise never to tell anyone or I'll have to take 'care' of you." She walked over to Duo and leaned towards his ear. She whispered, "My name, my true name, is Alliana Winner. Quatre is my twin. I was here on a special assignment to moniter and watch out for him until the assigned agent arrives. I'm supposed to be up in space on a reconisence mission but I was side-tracked. But since the agent arrived today, I'm leaving tomorrow." Michelle stood straight, and started to walk away.
Duo just stood there, mouth draping so low it almost touched the floor. How could this be? Michelle was acutally not Michelle, but Quatre's twin?
To Be Continued
Man to Woman
Part 5
By: Kate Maxwell
"Hey Miche, wake up. The phone is for you." James said, trying to wake Michelle from her deep sleep.
"Okay, okay. I'm up." Michelle said as she took the phone from her cousin. "Hello?" she said sleepily.
"Hi Miche. I didn't wake you, did I?" a voice asked, sounding concerned and slightly excited.
"No," Michelle replied "I had to wake up to answer the phone anyway."
"Okay then; that's good."
"Who is this?" Michelle asked rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Don't you recognize my voice?"the person on the other side of the line asked.
"Not really." Michelle admitted.
"It's Duo."
"Oh, sorry. I'm just a little tired." she said, almost falling back asleep.
"That's okay. Anyway, I was wondering if you have a tour guide for today?" Duo asked, sounding slightly nervous.
"Actually Duo, I have to leave tonight. But a tour sounds like a great idea."
"Your leaving tonight!?! Why?"
"I have work to do. I shouldn't even have visited." Michelle said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Duo asked, voice filled with concern.
"You know what, nevermind. I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay then. Oh, and I have someone I want you to meet." Duo announced.
"Who?" Michelle asked. "I'm not going to tell you. And, I have a suprise."
"What kind of suprise?" Michelle said suspiciously. I wonder if I should tell him I hate suprises. She thought, I will, but not just yet. Michelle smiled, laughing silently to herself.
"So meet me at the pizzeria in an hour, okay?" Duo suggested.
"Got it!" Michelle replied.
"Later then." Duo said and hung up. Michelle was excited; Duo wanted her to meet someone important to him.
Michelle waited at the entrance of the pizzeria for Duo and his surprise guest for about fifteen minutes. In boredum, Michelle looked around and saw, a definite surprise. Duo was walking with a german girl on his arm. A girl. His surprise is a girl. Is this his idea of a joke, or what!?! thought Michelle with a hint of disgust on her face. She smiled a fake, but reasurring, smile when she caught their eyes. "Hey Miche," Duo said with a smile, "I want you to meet Hilde Schebeiker, my surprise!"
"Duo has told me so much about you." Hilde said, sticking out her hand.
"Really, very interesting. He hasn't ever mentioned you." Michelle said innocently, taking Hilde's hand and shaking it. Michelle looked at Duo and smiled sweetly. Duo just looked back, confused and perplexed at Michelle's attitude. "Shall we go in?" Michelle asked. "Yeah, I'm starvin'." Hilde said.
Good for you. Michelle thought.
(Inside the Restaurant)
"I'll have a Mega Burger with everthing and Super Fries with extra ketchup and a Jumbo Coca-Slush." Duo said, giving his order to their waiter.
Hilde smiled, "That sounds good, I'll have the same." she nodded to the waiter
That's sounds good I'll have the same, Puh-lease, does she have no mind of her own. Can't she even count how many calories are in that. We're talkin' Blimpoid in 5 seconds flat. Michelle thought.
"And for you?" the waiter asked Michelle.
"I'll have the garden salad, with a light, ranch dressing." she said politely. The waiter left, slightly confused.
"Miche, can't you try to live a little." Duo said as he draped his arm around Hilde's shoulders. Michelle could feel her skin burn as she saw an odd, red colour appear on Hilde's cheeks.
Michelle just held her tongue, smiled and said "I'm not that hungry, I had a big breakfast."
"Really, what did you have?" Hilde asked.
"Absolutely nothing." Michelle said sarcastically.
"Well, you should have ordered more, Duo's paying so don't worry about the cost." As Hilde said this, Duo made a strange face as if he actually didn't have enough money to pay for the meal if Michelle had ordered more.
Michelle saw this out of the corner of her eye, then said to Hilde, "I'm just not really hungry right now."
Michelle's a life saver. I could not have afforded it if she'd ordered more. Duo thought, looking very relieved.
"Great, the food's here! So, Hilde, quick 'get-to-know-you' quiz." Michelle said. "Sure! Shoot!" Hilde said stuffing a french fry drenched with ketchup in her mouth. "How long have you been together?" Michelle asked, curiosity starting to take over. "About a year." Hilde replied, her mouth now filled with hamburger.
"That's . . . great. Um, any big plans?" Michelle said, thoroughly grotesqued by Hilde. "Well, we're workin' on the bathroom right now. The toilet overflowed last night." Duo said, then took a big swig of his slushie.
"You have a toilet?" Michelle asked, confused.
"Well, yeah. You can't have a bathroom without a toilet. Anyway, The kitchen floor's gotta go, then we have to get a new bed..." Hilde explained.
"Bed??" Michelle asked.
"Yeah, it's kind of hard without a bed." Hilde said.
"Really!?!" Michelle replied, A little too much info there, Hilde.
"To sleep, I mean. Duo needs a new bed. Then he's going to work and remodel the whole downstairs and he's finally going to be able to pay his half of the rent." Hilde finished. "Okay then. That's always good to know." Michelle replied nervously.
"It was nice meeting you, Miche. Maybe you can come by and see our place sometime." Hilde said, since she had finished her meal.
"Great. Always nice to have an invite." Michelle said sarcastically.
"Great. See ya at home, kay Duo." Hilde said, kissing Duo on the cheek, and left. "Well Duo, your girlfriend seems nice." Michelle said.
Duo spit out some of his slushie, "What!?!"
"Isn't Hilde your girlfriend."
"NO. She isn't my girlfriend, she's just my roomate. Gross, that's like kissing my aunt; if I had one."
"Okay, let me get this straight. You two live together, but you're not going out." Michelle said, trying to get the story straight.
"Exactly."
"Okay then. Now I'm positive I don't want to know anymore." said Michelle, leaning back and resting on the back of the booth.
"Oh right, I have another suprise for you." Duo said, then he started rummaging through his pockets looking for something.
"Oh great. I hate suprises." Michelle muttered under her breath.
"What didja say?"
"Nothing, just that I hate suprises." Michelle said in a manner of slight depression.
"You do? How can anyone hate suprises?"
"You know, it's funny you should say that, right after you intoduced me to Hilde."
"I didn't know you dislike suprises so much."
"I hate them."
"That's what I said."
"No. You said I dislike them. That would mean that I could tolerate them. But, since I HATE them, I could just about rip someone's head off." Michelle said sourly, standing up and getting ready to leave.
"Oh, and here. I'm paying for my part of our little lunch get- together." she added.
"Miche, come on. Don't be mad. Miche, Michelle wait up." Duo called after, leaving the money on the table and chasing after her.
"I didn't know you'd take it like that Miche."
Michelle stopped walking. When Duo caught up to her she turned around. "What are you talking about? You'd thought I'd have taken this differently!?! After you putting your arm around her and her kissing you. For all I know, you two could have been at it like squirrels since the you first met."
"Like squirrels?" Duo laughed.
Michelle spat, "Give me a break, I was thinking on the spot."
"And that upset you, thinking that me and Hilde were going at it like squirrels?" Michelle was shocked. She couldn't admit that it made had her upset, she was leaving in a few hours. And, she had found what she thought was the perfect guy. Guess I was wrong again. Man, I hate being single. thought Michelle. "Yes Duo. That upset me. That's allowed isn't it?" she asked.
"Yeah, but you don't have to spaz and make a scene."
"I can make a scene if I want to."
"Oh great. Is it that time of the month for you?"
"What did you say?!? You inconsiderate asshole. Just because women get mad, guys like you always assume that we're pms-ing." Michelle stated, enraged. "My gawd Duo. I thought you were this nice, funny, sweet, smart, thought-ful, hot guy, not to mention a lot of other things. Now, I think you're an inconsiderate, rude, stupid, moronic, heart-less bastard who couldn't tell a joke to save his life."
"What? What's with you? I was trying to introduce you to people and make you a part of this shitty country and now, you're bitching at me as if I had killed your pet squirrels. If there is anyone being a heart-less bastard, it's you. Do you always act like this when someone is being nice to you?"
"Leave me alone, I just want to go home. I shouldn't have come." Michelle said. She turned and started walking again. She just wanted to leave and get her stupid job over with.
"There it is again. What do you mean you shouldn't even have come?" Duo asked. He couldn't understand why Michelle was acting the way she was. It confused him. But he was normally confused about a lot of things. He wasn't stupid, but he did have a tendency to lose interest in a boring subject or two. Not that Michelle was boring. He didn't think that at all. Duo thought she was an intriguing person. She was definately odd, yet intriguing and fascinating and so much more. He felt somehow drawn to her. He didn't know why. Maybe it was because Duo thought he had found someone remotely like him.
Michelle stopped walking. Why does he care? He doesn't even know anything about me. I wish people these days weren't so persistant. "Duo, I told you it's not important."
"Then why can't you tell me?"
"Because it doesn't concern you! Just leave me alone."
"What??? It concerns me now since you just walked into my life the other day. I would like to know why you came before you leave." Duo said truthfully. Michelle's stubborness reminded him of Heero, almost.
Michelle just looked at him. "Okay," Michelle said sternly, "you want to know, I'll tell you. But you must promise never to tell anyone or I'll have to take 'care' of you." She walked over to Duo and leaned towards his ear. She whispered, "My name, my true name, is Alliana Winner. Quatre is my twin. I was here on a special assignment to moniter and watch out for him until the assigned agent arrives. I'm supposed to be up in space on a reconisence mission but I was side-tracked. But since the agent arrived today, I'm leaving tomorrow." Michelle stood straight, and started to walk away.
Duo just stood there, mouth draping so low it almost touched the floor. How could this be? Michelle was acutally not Michelle, but Quatre's twin?
To Be Continued