Chapter One
Listening to the laughter of her friend, Catherine, Hilde couldn't help but think, people are cruel. The laughter at her expense eventually lapsed to a chuckle. "You done," Hilde sneered.
"It's pretty funny," Catherine managed to say before bursting into another fit of laughter.
Hilde wished she could find some humor in Cynthia and Duo's bathroom birthday surprise; however, she found their actions to be as amusing as taking inventory—the only part of working at a scrap yard she hated.
"It's not funny, and I'm not taking it anymore," Hilde declared.
There was only one solution, she thought. One she knew Duo would hate—she hated it herself. So much so, she dare not speak it out loud until now.
"Duo has to move out." There she said it.
"Move out," Catherine exclaimed. "You don't mean it. You guys have been together for forever. You guys are like pasta and sauce, beef and potatoes, pie and ice-cream.
Now Hilde laughed "I do like pie and ice-cream." She liked Duo too, but things had changed since…
"This is about Cynthia. You hate her," Catherine said. Of course, she hated her. "And you're jealous." Of course, she wasn't jealous!
"Jealous?" She had perfectly valid reasons for hating Cynthia and jealousy wasn't one of them. "She's just too…Perky!"
"That's a reason to hate someone," Catherine scoffed. "Sure it's not her perky everything hanging all over your pie?"
"My problem is not her with the pie. My problem is where she eats the pie—like my room. My problem is walking in on her eating the pie," Hilde explained.
"You don't mean you've seen them doing the deed," Catherine asked surprised, but sinfully interested. Hilde tried to suppress images of Duo and Cynthia doing the deed from flashing through her mind—she failed. "I'll take your silences as a yes."
"How dare she eat pie on my bed," Hilde fumed.
"We're still talking about Cynthia and Duo in your bed doing stuff, right?"
Hilde felt like a middle school girl, talking in code with girlfriends about boys they like. Not that she liked Duo—strictly platonic.
"Why don't you, I don't know, tell Duo how you feel," Catherine asked.
"I don't have feelings for Duo," Hilde exclaimed.
"I mean tell Duo to take Cynthia somewhere else, other than the apartment and your bedroom."
"With all the money Cynthia makes at her law firm, she probably owns a huge condo or something." Hilde couldn't understand why Cynthia wanted to spend all her free time at their cramped rat hole anyway.
"Well, tell Cynthia and Duo to go there," Catherine said.
Easier said than done, Hilde thought. "I can't just—"
"I'm coming." Catherine's voice sounded distant to her.
"Hey, are you still there," Hilde asked.
"Sorry about that. I've gotta go help set up the tent. We'll talk soon, 'kay."
Then, just as the phone eased away from Hilde's ear, she heard Catherine shout, "Wait!"
"Still here," Hilde said.
"The circus will be coming to your town soon, which means I'll be in town," she announced as though she were advertising. "You're coming, of course." She clearly was.
"Of course."
"Seeya then, girlfriend."
With a sound of a click, their conversation ended. Hanging up the phone, Hilde continued standing alone in a small run down break-room; however, she never took her breaks here—no one did. Everything in the break-room—if you could call it that—was either in need of repair or deteriorating: The broken refrigerator, the flickering lights, the peeling wallpaper, and the wobbly table steadied by two old magazines; each added to the room's unappealing atmosphere. She'd avoid the room completely, but it held the only phone available to employees for social calls.
Taking social calls meant taking your lunch break, and hers was almost over. With no time to eat, she decided to take a seat and rest her head on the wobbly table's surface.
As she closed her eyes, her thoughts drifted to Catherine—beautiful and confident.
She felt envious. After all, Catherine was living the dream. She traveled everywhere; she received applause each night from an adoring audience—as well as the dozens of flowers, she received from male admires; and who could blame them, when she wore that sexy pink outfit?
Hilde imagined herself in the pink circus getup and laughed. She didn't have a slender figure, bright blue eyes, or long wavy brown hair like her friend: Her figure was lanky; her were eyes a dull violet, and her hair was a plain short boyish cut.
All these years and you're still a tomboy, she thought.
She heaved a sigh of despair, and wonder why she hadn't run away to the circus when she was a kid; after all, she had wanted to be a tightrope walker.
Smiling, she remembered practicing on the roof with a long stick held across her chest; it was thrilling and exciting. She'd imagined the faces of the crowd filled with wonder and amazement, as she crossed the rope. Hilde also remembered falling—not so fun; however, the fall didn't kill her dream—time and war did.
She still loved the circus, even though her dream of becoming a tightrope walker ended.
Hilde remembered when she first took Duo to the circus. He clearly wasn't a fan, but she remembered how much fun they had; they were so young then and he wasn't such a pain. When did he become such a pain, she wondered. When did things become so tense—so complicated—between them?
Unintentionally—but, like the answer to her question—Cynthia entered her thoughts. Deliberately, she pushed Cynthia from her mind; it wasn't Cynthia's fault—not completely, anyway. So, whose fault was it? Was it Duo's or hers? She didn't have the answers.
All Hilde knew was that thing couldn't stay the way they were now. She had to talk with Duo. No biggie, right? She would simply tell him to give her some space. Surely, they could work everything out. But, what if they didn't? Hilde would have to tell him to leave the apartment.
What a fun conversation that would be, she thought sarcastically. Why did life have to be so difficult?
Maybe it's not too late to join the circus, she jokingly thought.
Her stomach growled and she frowned. I'm starving.
"Shouldn't you be working," a familiar voice questioned.
Raising her head, Hilde looked across the table into the eyes of her roommate, Duo Maxwell.
Duo knew she wasn't expecting him, and he knew he should have called ahead. He knew all this, but Duo couldn't help himself—he loved to surprise her. He loved watching Hilde's eyes widen and her face beamed with delight—not like yesterday's disaster; Hilde appeared more shocked than surprised.
Earlier, Hilde had been upset. She gave him the silent treatment all morning, but he wasn't worried. He knew how to make Hilde forgive him. She may have already, he thought grinning at her from across the table; she genuinely appeared pleased to see him.
"Speak of the devil," Hilde said.
"Thinking of me," he asked seductively.
"Always," she joked. "But seriously, why are you here?"
Bending down and taking out a container and placing it on the table he said, "Bringing you desert." He open the container revealing a large slice of fudge cake. Wagging a spoon in her face, he teasingly said, "Want a taste." Duo was surprised by her quickness; She snatched the spoon from his hand and plunged into the cake. "Brought something else."
"Milk," she managed through her cake filled mouth.
Duo laughed and pulled a plastic cup and a jug of milk from his sack. He poured her a cup and she snatched it as quickly as the spoon, gulping the milk down. "I brought something even more important than cake and milk, though just as sweet." He could read the confusion, but interest on her face. "I brought an apology." He had surprised her again. "I completely disregarded you feelings, trust and space. I'm an idiot, I'm sure you know that by now. But, I'm a really sorry idiot. You don't have to forgive me Hild."
Silence fell between them. A long silence and he wondered what she was thinking. Was she actually considering not forgiving him? Suddenly he wasn't so confident that Hilde would forgive and forget. Maybe he had screwed up one too many times? "Hild…"
"I forgive you," She said with a coolness that made Duo worry.
"I'm really sorry Hild," Duo reiterated. "What do want me to do?"
"I have to get back to work," Hilde said getting up from her chair and heading for the door. Duo stepped ahead of her obstructing the exit. "Move."
"You haven't forgiven me," Duo said.
"Duo, I do forgive you," Hilde said. She meant it. "It's just...I need some space," Hilde added. She meant that too.
"What do you mean," Duo asked.
"I mean I would like some privacy. I would like to open the doors to my apartment and not find you and Cynthia sprawled together all over the place," she explained. He flushed. Duo knew exactly what intimate moments she meant, and he was just as uncomfortable by her sudden intrusions as she was. "Do you think you guys could, I don't know, hang out at her place or somewhere else?"
"NO," he stated bluntly. He watched her eyes blaze with anger. Due felt her shove passed him. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her into a firm hug. He loved messing with her. "I was going to say no, unless you give me a hug and a kiss." He gave her forehead peck and squeezed her tightly. "You know I could hold you like this forever," he said.
"Then I wouldn't get any work done," she replied.
He could feel her try to squirm away, so he held her tighter. Duo felt her relax and rest her head against his chest. Then, laying his head on hers, Duo shut his eyes. How nice, he thought, just to hold her. Just to be near her, he felt safe. Hilde made him feel this way. From the moment he met her, he knew there was something special about Hilde. She was just so…so Hilde.
"Duo," She said.
"Yes Hilde."
"Work." Blushing, he released her.
"Oh yeah," Duo said apologetically. This time he let her pass.
Watching her sprint down the hallway he yelled to her, "Goodbye."
She didn't turn back. She didn't return his goodbye with a goodbye of her own. She just waved her right hand in the air and kept walking, and that was enough for him; she forgave him.
Hilde heaved a sigh of relief. Everything had turned out fine; Duo and Cynthia would take there love fest somewhere else and she would finally have some space and privacy. And she wouldn't have to tell Duo to pack his bags and leave. Looks like I won't have to runaway to the circus after all.