"I could go for a cup of coffee, how about you?" Stan asked on the other side of the phone line.
"A cup of tea, maybe," replied Maria unsurely.
"Of course, whatever you want, I know a quiet café on the corer of 8th street. We can have a cup of whatever you want and talk."
Stan told her the directions and Maria wrote down on a small piece of paper and agreed to meet him at the café in around twenty to thirty minutes. She had wondered at first how he was going to recognize her amongst all the people. But, she remembered that he had a picture of her when she was younger and minus the crows' feet by her eyes and her smile lines she looked nearly the same. Same smile and short hair, but of course he couldn't see her hair because she had on her habit in the picture.
She head out and locked her apartment door and went over to the elevator. She waited a little while after she had pressed the down arrow to the elevator. The elevator would go to a floor stop and then go to the next floor up and stop. The people on already kept doing this and it was only on floor three. Growing impatient Maria decided that the stairs would take less time then waiting for these people. Five flights of stairs is nothing she kept trying to remind herself as she stood at the foot of the first step.
Her heart was pounding as she made it down the last flight of stairs panting. Once she reached the bottom she searched through her pursue for her small pocket mirror and began to groom her hair before she would even think of setting foot out in public. Declaring to her self that it was as good as it was going to get she started her walk towards 8th Street.
Maria looked up at the street signs she was at the corner of 6th Street right now, just two blocks. Her legs were already tired from the five flights of stairs that she had to go down so she hailed a taxi and climbed into it. It had a stench of a thousand people, she felt sorry for the cab driver in the front seat.
"Where to miss?" The cab driver asked sneaking a peak back at Maria through his mirror.
"The corner of 8th Street," replied Maria.
"That's only two blocks down ma'am," the cabby looked confused.
"Yes, I know," said Maria setting her pursue in her lap and trying to stay close together so the stench of the cab wouldn't stick to her.
"You're call," and he began to drive towards Maria's destination. "If you don't mind me saying ma'am," he started a light conversation, "but you look familiar."
"Do I?" said Maria nonchalantly suspecting he must have seen her picture in the days newspaper this morning.
"Yeah, you look like that missing nun," the cabby proclaimed sneaking another peak at Maria again through his mirror.
"Postulant," Maria corrected him.
"I'm sorry?" The cab driver asked, he really wasn't a bright man, he was lucky to have this job. He could hardly sound out the word Maria just said let alone spell it.
"A nun in training," Maria put it in simpler terms recognizing the cab drivers disability.
"Oh," the cabby nodded his head in agreement, "Yes, you two favor each other."
"Really?" Maria said trying not to sound as if she knew what the cab driver was talking about too much.
"What's your name? If you don't mind me asking that is," he started to pull the cab over to a stop as he said this.
"How much do I owe you?" Maria asked as she opened up the door.
"It's on me ma'am, I would hardly call that a ride," the cabby gave Maria a smile. She noticed that he was missing a front tooth.
"Thank you!" Maria exclaimed "It's Maria by the way." She gave him a wink and closed the door. The cab driver took off with a grin still on his face as Maria started walking to he café which she noticed quicker then she had figured. For the cab driver had parked nearly right beside it.
Stan was right it was a small café, nothing much to it. She liked it though, sitting down in an empty booth a waitress came to her right away and she ordered a cup of tea as she waited. Maria was waiting a good twenty minutes before a man came up to her. He was clean looking, suit and tie, and young. His face looked tired as if maybe from a long day.
"Maria?" The man asked looking and analyzing her face.
"Yes, you must be Stan," Maria said extending her hand to him. He took it graciously and then sat down on the other side of the booth from Maria.
"I see you've started without me," said Stan eyeing Maria's cup of tea.
"Well… Yes."
"Let's see, I think I'll just have a cup of coffee the next time the waitress comes,"Stan said mostly to himself then Maria, "What you say we get started."
"Alright, where shall I start?" Maria asked taking a sip of her tea.
"Let's start from the very beginning that seems like a very good place to start" he leaned back and pulled out a cigarette and lit it, he offered Maria one but she declined. She found it to be a terrible habit.
"I was wondering… Why do you need to hear my story?" Maria asked.
"Just so I can have a background of what's going on during the show. I need to know if you and Georg are going to duke it out," Stan smiled letting out a puff of smoke.
"Oh, it's quite the opposite of that," Maria smiled reminiscing of Georg.
"Well, I think this ought to be and interestin' story! You going to get on with it?"
"Yes I guess I will," Maria smirked as she began her story from the very beginning.