THE MILLSTONE
"MILES!" said Natalie. "What do you think you're doing?"
She ran to Rory. Rory wasn't much hurt; he had caught himself with his hands. Still . . . OUCH. But Rory had been through a lot of wild adventures; he was also, as Ethan and Benny could point out, both literally and figuratively hard-headed.
The guard himself struggled not to fall down. It was obvious he had too much to drink. He smelt of beer and black coffee.
"Come on, Natalie" said Miles, trying not to slur his words. "AND Stay away from my sister! I can't believe how sorry I am for helping this bastard get a date with you."
"What?"
"This bass . . . dude" said Rory, pulling himself up and away a few paces from Miles, "didn't get any help in getting a date with her."
"Who told you that the best girls were on the slots, and who told you that you should buy her a drink!"
"Why did you do that?" asked Natalie.
"It's your favourite group, the guy's an engineer. I didn't like you alone dateless while I was stuck at the door. I thought the man was a half-decent guy, and be a safe date for you. I didn't know the bastard'd use you like a whore!"
"Miles!" said Natalie. "He did no such thing. Besides . . . let me remind you. I'm 25 years old and your older sister. You're not the boss of me."
"I didn't treat Natalie like a . . . what you said!" said Rory who now turned crimson in anger. "Look . . . around . . . you. I . . . I want to see her, and as long as we . . . date I want the best."
Rory was not going to abandon his proposal plans because a drunk engineer had to butt-in.
"So you work for McMurdo Abbott and you have money" sneered Miles. "If Natalie hadn't texted me not to worry, I'd still be home drinking myself into a stupor. Sending some guy after my sister . . . who gets her wasted and then . . . .
That was too much. Rory's eyes bugged out something fierce from the accusation.
"Who the frack do you think you are!" started Rory. "W-what do you think I am?
"Natalalaie" slurred the guard. "Stand back while I beat this guy to a pulp!"
"That's not true" said Natalie, putting up a hand to her brother. "Rory had more to drink that I did."
Natalie seemed confused as what else to do, and stood there surprised. She looked at if she wanted to stop the fight, but had been too slow to step forward stop the blows. The situation was weird and embarrassing.
"This is straight out of an old movie" added Natalie, annoyed. "Only it should be Dad, not you, coming to defend my honour."
The fight that ensued would not go down as the most exciting in history. Rory started by giving Miles a black right eye in return for the sucker punch; it takes surprisingly little effort to give a black eye if your aim is right. Miles was more powerful but slow. Rory was quick and able to dodge, but as energetic as he was . . . Roy just wasn't much of a fighter with his fists.
So you had a slow, top-heavy man trying to punch a quick dodging one. Rory finally scored a lucky punch and gave Mile a bloody nose. Rory recoiled to have blood on his fist; Miles now had a lucky punch and gave Rory a bloody nose.
"Oh man" grumbled Rory. "I hate the smell of blood"
Rory honestly hated that smell. Whatever intoxicating appeal the odour had for him as a vampire, the sick, heavy smell dripping down his face summoned a host of bad rat-biting memories. And possibly worse, remembrance of being hopeless entranced by the fragrance.
Rory was angry, and put his full force into the next punch. Rory had been mainly aiming at the guy's chin. This time Rory aimed lower, and hit Miles in the solar plexus.
Natalie's brother gasped for breath, doubled over and started to retch.
"He's out of condition" said Natalie. "He's been gorging on beer and pizza since he's moved here."
"He's not going to puke?" asked Rory wide-eyed, as he retreated.
"Rory'll have to pay for the damages" Natalie reminded Miles. "You don't want to be in his debt."
Miles either didn't care, or couldn't help himself. Barfed-up black coffee, beer and pizza on hotel carpet was a sickening sight.
"I do have to pay for it" said Rory, alarmed. And angry.
"You'll pay for making me hurl!" gasped Miles, as he stumbled up again.
"Stop it!" said Natalie. "Both of you."
She now stepped in, stopping both combatants and looking at her brother.
While Miles was gasping, Natalie pushed him into a chair.
"I know you're sexting with your girlfriend" Natalie told him as she handed him a tissue. "And I know how you love to show her off."
"It's different" said the brother sulkily. "I have her permission."
"She's a bartender at a strip club" Natalie reminded him. "You told me the last time you had too much to drink. That is, Thursday morning."
"Sit down Rorster" Natalie told Rory. "Before you get blood all over the room. If this stuff stains you'll really be in trouble."
"Natalie, I'm okay" said Rory fervently.
"There's a time to be practical" said Natalie, with some relish after having been relegated to the background during the fight. "I don't think we want to pay for a new carpet."
A few minutes before Rory had been cool, suave, romantic (in his mind) sitting across from Natalie. Now he had a bloody nose looking across the table dagger-eyed at Natalie's baby brother.
"I'll go and get housekeeping" Rory volunteered, but looked suspiciously at Natalie's brother. As if he would steal Natalie away.
"You can go to hell" Miles retorted.
Rory involuntarily shuddered. He wiped the blood from his upper lip, but only succeeded in smearing it on his face.
"I'll do it" said Natalie.
Rory feared his standing with Natalie was shrinking every second as she went to the hall to find the maid. And now he had to sit across from this guy who might have ruined his future . . . .
"Fracking doofus" Rory spluttered as he again wiped off his nose.
"Geek" said Miles.
"Warp 10 Butthead. Warp 20 barfbrain."
"Nerd"
"Dough-head" said Rory, shifting from Sci-fi insults to Classic Canadian.
"Dweeb"
"Hoser"
"Keener"
To Miles' surprise, Rory burst into laughter. Miles watched incredulously as Rory, smirking, gulped down the $16 orange juice.
"Keener's actually my name. Rory Ransom Keener. And it's an awesome one."
"You're too much a keener on my sister" said Miles. "Just because you have a damn near six figure salary . . . ."
"I don't" said Rory who began to get angry again. "Not yet. Besides . . . if this weekend went right I was going to propose. I am going to propose to her. And I don't care what you think."
Miles was quiet a moment.
"She can do worse than you" Miles said tersely. "If nothing else, you have a good job. Lucky bastard."
Miles reached into his wallet, and ripped up the card Rory gave him.
"I don't want any help getting work from you or your friends."
Miles dizzily stood up
"But if my sister comes to me saying you've mistreated her . . . ."
"I'd never be gnarly to her" said Rory. "Whatever happens. And not just because you're saying you'll beat me up."
Rory looked at the carpet.
"Even though I won the fight."
Miles didn't reply. He walked out. Bloody face, puked on uniform, and all.
"Warp 20 barfbrain" Rory repeated.
But at least Miles had left.
It remained for Rory to go to the bathroom sink and wipe the rest of the blood from his face.
When Rory returned to the hotel room proper, a smile from Natalie seemed to tell him that Miles' visit hadn't changed a thing.
Rory was right.
"I'm sorry about my brother" said Natalie right off. "He does honestly care for me and want me to have the best."
"No problemo" joked Rory, as he put his arm around her. "I won the fight anyway" Rory bragged, but his smile waned. "But . . . it might be a pyric victory. That's gonna cost a thousand bucks. Especially if OJ costs $16."
The Cessna kept flying further away. But in Rory's mind Natalie was worth 100 Cessnas.
"Housekeeping thinks they can handle it" said Natalie. "I don't know why I didn't stop him sooner."
"Superman loves Lois Lane, not Wonder Woman" Rory replied, with a shrug.
"You're not Superman" Natalie reminded him.
"Well then I'm more Jimmy Olsen . . . a more grown-up version" Rory admitted. "But then you can't be Lois Lane. You've got to be an original character because Jimmy wouldn't take Superman's girlfriend."
Natalie and Rory shared a moment of laughter.
They stared at each other and shared another kiss.
It was awkward when the heavy-set middle-aged maid came in. "Rose", read her nametag. She was nice enough, but everything she did seemed to embarrass Rory and Natalie.
"Don't worry kids" Rose said, as she pushed in her cleaning materials on a little cart. "This isn't the first time I've cleaned up after some guest who couldn't hold his liquor."
Rory felt like objecting, but Natalie shook her head.
"Isn't Miles enough of a millstone to me than to gossip about him to everyone I meet" she whispered.
"Do you need help Rose?" Rory offered eagerly.
"No, just sit right back" she said.
It was incredibly awkward sitting there at the table while the woman scrubbed. Rory felt like a little kid who had spilt a glass of milk and gotten cookie crumbs all over the floor. And now here was his Mom cleaning up after him.
"Thanks a lot for doing this" said Natalie.
"No problemo" said the maid, while Rory cringed a little.
"Do you want some coffee?" said Rory guiltily. "Some orange juice?"
"No" said the maid. "I know it's $16 for fresh squeezed. And the coffee . . . I get as much of it as I want. It's really Maxwell House under the house label . . . there kids . . . I've got it out."
Rory and Natalie were grateful. But they each breathed a sigh of relief when the maid left the room, and left them to their plans.
