J
"I love you for getting me real soda," Lisa said enthusiastically. The can hissed when she cracked the pull-tab. "So how was your day, Honey?"
I turned and shoved a taco chip in her mouth, stifling her sarcasm. She smiled and cracked me on the butt.
"I got a birthday card for your mom. It's on the table."
She grabbed another chip and dipped it in the salsa. "Oh, cool! I completely forgot to get her one." She read the card quietly to herself. "Awe! She's going to get all mushy on me after she reads this."
Lisa wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me from behind.
"Thank you," she whispered, kissing me on the neck.
I turned in her arms and slid my hands over her shoulders; I was waiting for my proper hello and was relieved I didn't have to wait a second longer. She tasted salty and tangy, just like taco chips. It made me hungrier but not for food.
"Thank you for defusing your legion of followers," I said warmly. "I really appreciate what you did, and I was surprised to see how many of them left once they got a chance to meet you."
She crunched into her taco. "Mmm! Just like I imagined it would taste. I was so hungry for this; I was thinking about it all day." She had apparently moved on mentally from her previous business mode.
"I got you a present today." I pulled my purse off of the back of my chair. "Here."
"Keys?" she asked with a mouthful of food, and then it dawned on her what they were.
"Back kitchen door is silver and the gold one is the apartment door. Now you have your own set." I tried to hide my smile as I bit into my dinner.
She quickly leaned over the table and gave me a kiss. "Thanks! So what else did you do today?" she asked.
"My bank teller wanted to know if I'm really dating you," I snickered.
She looked surprised. "What did you say?"
"I told her that we weren't dating; I said we're just having unbelievably incredible hot sex with each other instead." I figured that would make her laugh.
"You did not say that!"
"Oh and I also told her how sweet and considerate you are and how you always make sure I have a mind-blowing orgasm first. I thought that would make her day."
She smiled at me while she chewed.
"She didn't seem too happy when I dropped my pants to show her your autograph. I could tell by the way she slapped my deposit receipt down and told me to 'have a nice day' through her teeth that she wasn't pleased."
"Now I know you're full of shit!"
I smiled back at her. "She told me she could keep a secret and I told her so could I," I corrected. "And how was your day, Honey?"
"I killed Mina several times today. I thought after I stabbed her mentally with a big knife that she'd die, but that bitch kept on getting back up! So I got the pick axe and slammed it into her forehead, you know, right here?" she pointed. "But she wouldn't stay down!"
"Babe, did you not learn anything from me? Did you try the poison?"
"Poison?" she scoffed. "Takes too long and I wasn't in the mood to wait. I put real silver bullets in my gun. She took twelve in the chest." She shoved the last bite of her taco into her mouth.
"And? Did that do it finally?"
"I wish! I don't believe there is any way to kill the anti-Christ," she laughed.
After we were finished eating, she helped me clean up the kitchen and put food away. I was glad that she didn't expect me to be her servant or housekeeper. She took a few extra minutes to inspect the inside of the refrigerator, checking out all the items I gathered at the store.
"Look in the pantry, too. I hope I got the right chocolate chip cookies. You weren't specific."
"Ah, look at this!" she said excitedly. "Just like home!" Lisa ripped open the cookie bag, shoving one in her mouth and palming one for later. "Did you have enough money?"
"Your contribution was about half," I muttered. I started washing the dishes.
"Liar!" she breathed in my ear. Lisa turned the sink water on for me so I could rinse a plate.
I smiled. She was right, I was fibbing. I spent almost four hundred today getting all this stuff.
"Maybe we can bang out the finer details later? Come to some mutual agreement?" I wondered aloud.
"You want to negotiate the terms of our contract?"
"Contract?" I questioned. "I didn't realize I was under contract."
"Well of course you are. I've already signed on the dotted line back here." She brushed my rear with her long fingers. "I'm locked in. It's an iron-clad contract, by the way."
"Question? Is there a no competition clause written in this contract?"
"Absolutely! There is no competition either. None." She took the wet plate from my hand to dry it.
"I'm not sure. There was quite a line forming today. All of them so willing to negotiate."
Lisa's eyes narrowed on me. "Honey, in all seriousness, tell me. Did that, what happened tonight, bother you? Tell me the truth!"
"No," I answered immediately. "The fan appreciation didn't bother me at all. What bothered me was some of the comments that were made. I mean I think it's public knowledge why you're holding court in my pub and why they all knew they could find you here. But when these girls are sitting on the other side of my bar, talking about wanting to have sex with you right in front of me, it's a little aggravating. It's sort of like a slap in the face," I admitted. "I don't know how to explain it."
"I understand. I'd feel the same way if a bunch of guys were talking about you that way. But since Seaside, I've come to realize that this world is full of cruel, ruthless people – all ready to knock you down the minute you show the slightest bit of weakness."
Lisa rubbed my arms. "I at least have a few years under my belt dealing with it. I know it's all new to you and it's going to affect you in many ways, just like it's affected me. We need to be strong together. It's you and me against the world, Honey."
"That sounds like it's from a movie!" I joked.
"Probably. But it doesn't mean we can't use the same line in our story." She softly kissed my lips.
"Are you going back to work?" she started digging in her bag when she asked.
"Yeah. I told Hyunji I was going to have dinner with you and that I'd be back. What's that?" she had a few blue colored papers in her hand.
"It's tomorrow's call sheet. It's like an agenda. What scenes we're going to shoot, times, my lines… all of that fun stuff. I was going to go…" she motioned over her shoulder, "read." She smiled impishly.
"Do you want your love letters too?" I teased, knowing where she was headed.
"Don't you have a pub to run?" she groaned. Her phone started to play some really cool music again. I could make out the words 'home, home.'
"My dad," she answered my look.
"Hey Dad, what's up?" Her smile disappeared. "What do you mean they cancelled your flight? Oh, so when are you coming then? Wait, let me write that down." She motioned for a pen. I introduced her to the junk drawer.
Lisa wrote down Flight 1560 Newark 10:30 a.m. "I won't be able to make it 'cause I'm scheduled to be on set. You don't need a rental car, just take a shuttle over to the hotel. Well, I was going to come to the airport to get you but I can't do ten thirty, Dad. No, I haven't been staying at the hotel." She took a deep breath and looked at me.
"I've been staying with Jennie. She's willing to put up with me." she smiled as she spoke. "Yes, she is a wonderful woman! You'll see.
"Dad, you and mom only need to stay at the Lexington Thursday and Friday... because we're taking you somewhere for the weekend."
I flagged her attention. "I can pick them up at the airport," I mouthed.
She held one finger up for me to wait. "Dad, hang on."
"I can pick them up if they need a ride to the hotel. I don't think there's a shuttle from Providence all the way to Seaport."
She covered her phone with her hand. "I was going to see if I could get one of the limo drivers to go get them. Hang on," she groaned.
"What Dad? I was going to see if I could get one of the set drivers to come get you but Jennie just offered to pick you up. No, she owns her own business, remember?" she talked over her phone to me. "Do you mind getting my parents at the airport?"
"No, I don't mind," I answered her.
"Lexington Hotel, Dad. That's where you'll be staying," Lisa informed her father.
"Why don't your parents just stay here?" I suggested.
"Here?" she contemplated, a dent formed in her brow.
"Guestroom?" I pointed towards the hallway.
Lisa couldn't wait any longer; she hurried out of the kitchen and I headed for my pub.
Most of the fanatics had vacated the bar by the time I returned. The crowd was thin and very manageable for Hyunji and Asahi. There were maybe twenty women still lingering in the bar.
"That was a smart thing Lisa did," Hyunji stated. "After you both went upstairs, most of the women left. Look out front."
I walked closer to the windows and looked outside. The sidewalks were surprisingly empty. There were a few greasy paparazzi still loitering, but the horde of women was gone. Apparently it was known that Lisa Manoban was in for the evening.
"So what are your thoughts about managing the bar in my absence?" I wanted to make sure Hyunji was okay with me taking off for a few days, especially considering what happened tonight with her fans.
"Jen, you haven't had a vacation in years. This is a huge step! Go, have fun with her and her parents. Who knows, maybe you'll come back married or something wonderful like that."
"Yeah, like that will happen!" I kidded. "But in all honesty, I have been thinking about stuff like that. This place has been my whole life. Now - not so much, you know."
"Your priorities have changed," she stated.
"Yeah, I'll say!" I nervously admitted.
Hyunji pointed to the ceiling. "Her schedule is so different. She's going to expect you to travel and be with her wherever she is. And I tell ya, if I was you, I'd follow her anywhere!"
I smirked at her.
"That's not what I mean! Well, it is what I mean, but that's beside the point. Before I knew her, I had this mental picture of her as a celebrity. But she's more than that, I know that now. That's why you're head over heels in love with her. She's just a really great guy! And it seems like she is ready to settle down with someone. She's not playing the field, that's for sure!"
"Yeah, I'd have to agree… considering she sort of moved in with me yesterday," I muttered, bracing myself for her reaction.
"What?" Hyunji gasped from the shock.
"We had her clothes delivered so we could get her laundry done and well, she asked me if she could stay with me." I took another deep breath, anticipating her elation. "All of her stuff is upstairs now. That's why she's up there. She wants to stay here."
"Are you freaking kidding me?" She beamed in amazement and then pulled me in for a congratulatory hug while jumping up and down.
"No! I'd never kid about that!" I whispered as we hugged. "That's why I have a lot to think about, because this pub is what I do for a living."
"It's not all you do," she reminded.
"I know, but it's my primary income. I don't want to be solely dependent on my partner's income, even if she isn't the one I end up marrying. I want to have a strong, equal part in this relationship. And I'm not going to repeat my mistakes and give up who I am. "
"You've been a shrewd businesswoman so far. I'm sure you'll make smart choices."
My pocket started to play Lisa's ringtone.
"Hey, what's up? No, I'm not knocking on the door. Let me check." I held the phone to my ear and rushed over to my stairwell. I was instantly pissed when I saw two girls at the top of my steps giggling and knocking on my apartment door.
"Whoa! What the hell do you think you're doing?" I shouted, surprised to see them up there. They both looked at me like I was disturbing them.
"This is Lisa Manoban's apartment, right?" One of the tramps sneered at me.
"No, that's my home and private property! Get the hell away from my door!"
"Jeez, what's your problem?" one of them snipped. I was so tempted to run up the steps and come back down dragging her by the hair. "She's in there, isn't she?" she giggled, like she was in on the secret.
"It doesn't matter who is on the other side of that door! What gives you the right to think you could just barge on up there?" I snapped my phone shut. I just hung up on Lisa, but it didn't matter; I knew she could hear me screaming at them through the door.
"Relax! We just wanted to meet her; party a little." The other girl shook her boobs at me.
Hyunji was standing behind me with my baseball bat in hand. I flipped my phone open again.
"You have two seconds to get down here before I call the police. ONE…" Fortunately I didn't have to count to two. "Collect your things and leave, now!"
"Bitch!" the one girl mumbled on her way past me. I could not believe she actually had the audacity to call me a name!
"Excuse me?" I snapped. "Step foot in my bar again and I'll have you arrested for trespassing." I slammed the door behind them. I turned to walk back to the bar, still fueled by the encounter.
"Who's next?" I said to Hyunji, but loud enough for the rest of the lingering women to hear. I was so mad I could have thrown them all out.
"I need to get a lock," I muttered, standing in front of my stairwell door. But what good would that do? Just one more key and one more speed bump to getting Lisa upstairs unnoticed. I walked into the kitchen and stared at the wall behind the useless counter. I tapped on the drywall, thinking about how I could move the entrance to my apartment. I hoped to one day have a simple home in the woods with my prince; no longer did I think about living above the bar for the rest of my life. If I ever wanted to rent the apartment out, the tenant would be bound to enter and exit during bar business hours.
I flipped open my cell phone and called Fred. Home renovation was what he did for a living and I knew he would have some suggestions. I unlocked my apartment door just as Fred answered. Lisa was relaxing on the couch, blue papers in one hand, television remote in the other, stripped down to comfy sweats and a T-shirt.
I sat down next to her and she put her arm around my shoulders when I finished my phone call. I leaned my head on her chest.
"Jennie, this obviously isn't a good idea. Maybe I should just stay at the hotel."
I felt my happiness drain right out of my heart. "NO. Absolutely unacceptable."
"I knew this was gonna happen but I let it happen anyway. Me being here is causing a lot of trouble for you and your pub."
She was feeling remorseful. I could hear it.
"Lisa, it doesn't matter where you are. Like you said, this stuff follows." I sat up and looked her in the eyes. "I want a life with you, if you truly want a life with me. Your fans caught me off-guard today, but I can tell you it won't happen again. I'll be better prepared next time. I want you here with me, where I can protect you from the nonsense."
"Who's going to protect you? Isn't that my job?" she glared at me.
"And what? Your solution is to stay away from me to protect me?" It wasn't meant to be a question.
"I brought all of this to your fucking doorstep, Jennie! I did this!" Lisa argued, stabbing herself in the chest with her finger.
"So what? You think I didn't know that stuff like this could happen? I'm not some naïve, little girl who's star struck and oblivious, Lisa! There is no way I'm going to allow you to feel guilty about shit you have no control over! I have to learn how to deal with your fame too! And I will!"
Lisa slumped back, defeated.
"Do you really love me, or was that something that accidentally slipped out?" I asked.
Her eyes narrowed. "I meant every word, every time I've said it. I love you."
"Then it's you and me against the world, and we don't deviate from that course. That's our story, remember?"
She tossed her blue papers onto the coffee table and reached for me, hugging me tightly.
Fred and Tammy arrived fifteen minutes later. Fred had his toolbox in one hand and was wearing his tape measure as an attachment to his belt.
Lisa greeted them when she slipped into the kitchen. We talked about how we could seal off the original door that opened into the pub and relocate the door to open into the kitchen. It was the quickest fix.
"But that means if I ever try to rent the apartment out, the tenant would have to still come through the kitchen to get in. Ahh, I'm not so sure I like this. What would keep them from going right out into the bar?" I said, pushing the kitchen swing door with my fingers.
"That certainly is a problem," Fred added. "These old buildings were never meant to be businesses; they were all homes. And if we seal off the kitchen then you'll have safety violations for not having an emergency exit."
I looked around the kitchen. There was just no good way of relocating the stairwell. Fred and Lisa ran back upstairs to deliberate. I could hear them tapping on the inside of the stairwell wall.
"I spoke to my brother," Tammy whispered. "Does Lisa know about the restraining order?"
"No." I shook my head. "I'd like to keep it that way for now." I didn't want to add any more stress to Lisa's life. "What did you find out?"
"He said you could get one if you feel she is stalking you. But you'd have to go to the police and then file papers at the courthouse. You'd also have to appear in court. It didn't sound simple."
"Nothing's ever simple. But I did get her name today though," I said proudly. "She came into the bar earlier and I carded her."
"No way!" Tammy said in surprise.
"On Monday she slipped a card for her through my mail slot and she signed it 'Angel' but when I carded her, her license said her name was Angelica. Angelica Staunton, all the way from Brooklyn."
"Write her name down for me. I'll see if Tony can run a background check on her."
I had just slipped the paper with her name on it to Tammy when Fred and Lisa came back into the kitchen.
"Jen, I think we've solved your problem," Fred boomed happily. "Here, look at this."
Fred was smiling at Lisa, like they just solved world hunger.
"What's this line?" I asked, looking at their drawing.
"That's a new wall. Lisa, let's measure it. What you got?"
"Thirty two and a half," Lisa said.
"That's going to be a long-ass wall! It's going to go straight to the back wall there." Fred pointed. "You'll have a separate outside entrance from the alley and then we can cut a door here in the middle so you don't have to go outside to get up to your apartment. One day if you decide you want to block it off, it's an easy fix."
Fred tapped his finger on the drawing. "The stairs would stop there and then I'll put in two steps to reach the floor. You'll only end up losing four feet. That counter there would have to go.
"Lisa, hold the tape measure again. See, you were right. We wouldn't even have to move the back door; it's fine where it is. The new wall will come here – six inches away from the frame."
Fred's metal tape measure snapped back in the casing. "Taking out the brick wall will be a pain, but it's doable. You'll need a new steel door… and a construction permit."
"This is brilliant!" I was quite excited. "Fred, you're so freaking smart!"
"Don't look at me - it's her design." He pointed a thumb at Lisa.
"At least my two years at Pitt weren't a total waste," Lisa said confidently, twitching her head like it was no big deal.
I secretly added one more trait that I loved about her to my list.
"Lisa, can I get you to re-draw this rough sketch? Then I can attach it to the construction permit application," Fred asked.
"Yeah, sure. No problem. Tammy, how big of an oven would you need back here? I guess this stove has to go too; it looks like a fire hazard."
"Lisa, I can't get a permit for that until I update the fire suppression system for over the stoves," I muttered privately. "All the water lines need to be replaced. That alone was over twenty grand."
She wrapped her arm around my shoulders and whispered in my ear. "Let's figure out what it will cost and we'll talk about it."
It sort of bothered me that she was so willing to part with her money. She reminded me of some kid who had twenty dollars burning a hole in her pocket.
Fred and Tammy left shortly after Lisa gave him a new sketch of the construction, and Asahi and Hyunji were well in control of the bar, so I stayed in my apartment with Lisa.
"So Ms. Kim, since we've come to new agreements, are you ready to renegotiate the terms of your contract?" Lisa raised a questioning brow, smirking hopefully on our way to the bedroom.
"That all depends on what you're offering."
"How about two for the price of one on Tuesdays?" she snickered, pushing the door closed with her fingers.
--
Lisa was so sound asleep she didn't even budge the first time the alarm clock chimed. She was lying flat on her back, spread out on the bed in the same position she was after our incredible night. I figured I'd give her a few more minutes, so I went out to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.
"Ouch," I muttered walking to the door with a slight limp; my hip was hurting from how she maneuvered me last night. I smiled inside, remembering how I got in this much pain.
"Babe, time to wake up." I rubbed my hand across her chest.
Our morning felt like it could quickly become routine. While she showered, I made her coffee – poured in one of those Styrofoam to-go cups that looks like you got it at the convenience store, and then brushed my teeth while she informed me of her schedule.
We were just like any other normal couple getting ready to go to work. I set out a new pack of gum next to her keys and organized her blue papers so she wouldn't forget them. Her cell phone was plugged into the charger so I readied that for her too.
"You are the best assistant I could have ever hoped for!" she wrapped her arms around my waist and kissed me goodbye at the back door. "I love you. I'll call you later."
I trudged up my steps, now wide-awake in the wee hours of the morning. Bored, I turned my computer on with the original excuse of checking on my bank statements, but instead I searched her name.
After I checked her one fan-made blog site, I returned to the news results.
Today's news headlines showed the following:
Lisa Manoban autograph signing
Fans make Lisa's new love jealous!
"What the?" I clicked on the link that referred to my jealousy.
Beware ladies! Fans make Lisa's new girlfriend see Red!
Fans lined up inside her new hangout, the rustic Kim's Pub in Seaport, RI to see their favorite star as she held an impromptu meet and greet Tuesday night. A few lucky ladies who happened to be at the right place at the right time got to meet the sexy actor as she posed for pictures and signed autographs for her die-hard fans.
A few ladies who happened to be there when she arrived shortly before 7:00 p.m. said that she was happy and friendly as she greeted her fans.
"We only had to wait for twenty minutes, so it wasn't too bad. It was worth every second!" one lady reported. Other women who waited over an hour reported that Lisa's supposed new love, bar owner Jennie Kim, was furious as she watched her sign autographs. "She told women to get out and then she yelled at everyone inside – we just laughed."
But a friend of the actor isn't surprised, reporting that Lisa's new girlfriend seems like the jealous, controlling type. It won't take Lisa long to get tired of her. She even tells her who she can hang out with. Lisa has cut off most of her friends from the set and is only allowed to socialize with her new girl friends. Lisa doesn't stay on set any longer than she has to. She's always sneaking off to check in with her when she is there. It's like she has to tell her everything she's doing.
Another insider reports that Lisa has been completely controlled by Jennie. She's even insisting that Lisa move in with her, pushing the relationship into fast-forward. "Her luggage was removed from the hotel on Monday."
I felt like I could pass out. This report took everything out of context, and now the entire world thinks I'm a controlling hell-bitch!
Would she ever get tired of me like the story said? Does she want someone tending to her needs or will she think I'm crowding her one day? I remembered what happened when I dated Dean. He didn't want someone to take care of him. Every time I tried to be a doting girlfriend, he pulled further and further away.
Am I already ruining this relationship? Have I stepped onto the wrong path and didn't even know it? I don't think I'm controlling her. Am I? Would she think that I was trying to smother/mother her by setting out her phone, keys, and a pack of gum? Maybe I shouldn't do that anymore.
Ten minutes ago I was blissfully happy and now I was a complete and utter mess inside. I curled up under my quilt on the couch and tried to distract myself with television. It didn't help; my mind raced and a few tears of uncertainty and insecurity dripped down onto the pillow.
Why do I hear music playing? I pondered in my dream. I suddenly woke, hearing my cell phone play in the kitchen. I was a little disoriented. How long had I been sleeping? I looked at the clock on the DVD player – it was a few minutes before ten.
I tossed the quilt off my legs and plodded to the kitchen. My cell phone showed two missed calls – both from Lisa.
I called her back immediately.
"Are you okay?" she asked loudly.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I fell asleep on the couch. I'm sorry, I didn't hear the phone ring."
She breathed out a heavy sigh. "I got worried when you didn't answer."
"I'm fine," I repeated, rubbing my eyes. "How's your day going?"
"It's tolerable. We just took a break. Hey, I was wondering if you could do me a favor? Remember the other day we talked about taking my mom out for her birthday but we never looked up restaurants. Jaehyun told me about a restaurant someplace outside of Providence called Sabatinis or Salatinis, something like that. I tried to find it on the net but I can't locate it."
"Let me look." I bumped the mouse on my computer to get the screen saver to clear. The cause of my mental breakdown earlier was still on the screen. "I'm searching for Italian restaurants Providence," I informed. I paged through the results.
"La Scalatini's? Does that sound like it?" I asked. "It's located in Wyndham which is outside the city." I clicked on the link to their website.
"Jaehyun, can you come…La Scalatini, was that it? Excellent! Honey, is there a phone number?" I read the number to her.
"Great! I'm going to make a reservation for Friday. What time do you think? Eight-thirty or nine?"
"What time are you getting off of set Friday?"
"Seven. What do you think?"
"Let's shoot for nine, then we have extra time in case we need it," I replied.
"Sounds good. Are you going out today?"
"No. I have things I want to do around here." I thought about cleaning the apartment and finishing the laundry. "I have to wash our dirty bed sheets," I snickered.
"Yeah, you did make a mess of things last night!" she teased.
"I had help," I giggled.
"I actually think I sprained my hip!"
"You? I've been limping around here all morning," I admitted.
"Have you really? Huh, that's too funny. And here I thought I was the only one hurting. Guess we put a hurting on each other!" she growled. "Jaehyun asked me why I was moving so slow."
"You were asleep about five minutes afterwards… in the same position." I laughed.
"You wore me out with all of that good loving. I have to stop thinking about it. I'm going to make those dinner reservations and I'll see you around seven. I love you."
"I love you too!"
I smiled as I tore the sheets off our bed and carried the pile to the laundry room. I heard my phone ring again, but it wasn't her ringtone.
"Hey Hyunji, what's up?"
"Jennie?" I could tell by her voice that she had been crying.
"Hyunji, what's wrong?" I panicked.
"Gary's mom died this morning."
"Oh my God, Hyunji. I'm so sorry." An old memory of me calling Hyunji to tell her my mom had died flashed through my mind. "What happened?"
"She must have had a stroke in bed last night. Gary's dad couldn't wake her. And we just saw them a few weeks ago."
"How's Gary?"
"He's a mess." She sniffed. "First time I've ever seen him cry. He's already called off work and well, it's the other reason I'm calling. Please don't be mad…" She pleaded, "but he got us tickets to fly to Tampa tomorrow. He wants to be there – help make arrangements with his dad. We're flying out at eight twenty in the morning."
"No, I completely understand. Don't worry at all."
"Jen, we're going to be gone for a couple of days. I don't think we'll be back until Monday or Tuesday. I hate to do this to you."
"Hyunji, don't worry about it. Family is first, always first. Is there anything I can do? Do you need anything?"
"No. Just your understanding and love, that's all we need. I really hate this. I know you wanted to spend the weekend with Lisa's family; I feel like I'm sticking you. I feel horrible. I'm so sorry."
"Hyunji! Please! It's okay! I'll figure something out. Just give Gary and his family our condolences."
I turned the washing machine on and added the soap. Shit. What was I going to do now? I had just unloaded the dryer when my phone rang again. All of a sudden I was popular.
"Hi Fred," I answered glumly.
"You okay?" Fred asked.
"Yeah. No. I just got off the phone with Hyunji. Gary's mom passed away this morning."
After a few minutes of filling him in on what little information I had he got to the reason for his call. He had calculated the cost of the materials to do the stairwell remodel. The steel door alone was several hundred combined with drywall and wood studs came to almost two thousand dollars. That didn't include his labor.
Fred figured once he got the work permit Thursday morning he could start later that day, but it would be loud with all the banging and he'd have to cut through the brick wall to make the new outside door.
"I can start the demo of the drywall tonight and get that out of the way. Tammy is going to be busy making food for a luncheon she's catering tomorrow anyway. Oh, and before I forget to tell you, she booked a party for Saturday, so she can't work Friday and Saturday nights," he said.
That put the icing on my cake. I was hoping that Tammy would be able to lend a hand to manage the crowd but now that option was gone too.
I snapped my phone shut and sat for a while. I couldn't handle the crowds on my own. I was already looking forward to a weekend off with Lisa and her parents. Lisa had just made diner reservations for Friday. Her parents already cancelled their hotel stay. Damn.
I let out a big sigh. I couldn't cancel on Lisa nor jeopardize meeting her parents for the first time. I wandered around the apartment, trying to figure out what to do.
I was leaning on the washing machine when I thought I heard someone scream, instantly grabbing my attention.
"No freaking way," I groaned, looking out my front window. I could clearly see the line of girls forming on my sidewalk. They were waiting for me to open, and it was obvious that they weren't here to drink. The line was so long, there must have been forty or more of them.
I hurried down my steps to get a better look at the situation. I peeked through the blinds, shocked at what I saw. Girls were leaning on my walls; some were sitting on the sidewalk. I looked in the other direction to confirm that the line started at my door. Un-freaking believable!
Right then I made my final decision. I walked to the kitchen to get a piece of cardboard. In my office, I grabbed a fat, black magic marker and wrote in big letters:
KIM'S PUB WILL BE CLOSED
FOR CONSTRUCTION UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
I could hear the anger from the waiting crowd when I put the sign in my window. They certainly let me know how they felt about it, but I ignored them and went back upstairs. I had phone calls to make and bands to cancel. There went my Halloween weekend income.
--
"I'm on my way," Lisa said when she called from her car. "How's the crowd? Everything all right there?"
"There is no crowd. Most of the girls left after I put the closed sign in the window, although a couple of them pounded on my door," I sighed.
"Closed? Jennie, what's-"
"I had no choice," I muttered. "Gary's mom died this morning. He and Hyunji are leaving for Tampa tomorrow morning to be with his dad. Hyunji is staying home with him tonight; he is pretty distraught."
"Jeez, why didn't you call me?"
"For what, Lisa? To give you bad news while you're having a stressful day as so as it is? I figured I'd fill you in when you got here."
"What about Asahi? Isn't he supposed to work tonight?"
"I cancelled him. I cancelled the bands I had scheduled to play this weekend too. Actually I've been on the phone most of the afternoon it seems. Oh and Fred called. He's coming here tonight to start tearing down the drywall on the steps. That was another reason – Tammy has catering jobs this weekend so she can't work either."
"We just turned into the alley. I guess I get to try out my new keys. I'll see you in a minute."
A few minutes later she sprinted up the steps and through the apartment door. "Jen?" she yelled down the hallway.
"Kitchen."
"Hey you." Lisa hugged and kissed me. "Are you okay?" Her fingers drifted down my cheek.
"Yeah, just a bit out of sorts I guess." She kissed my forehead when I looked down at her feet.
"I'm sorry you had a crappy day." Lisa hugged me so tightly it kind of hurt.
Deep inside I was marveling that she actually cared what kind of day I had. She was the first in my history of dating for that emotion.
She sniffed the air. "What smells so good?"
"Pork chops?" I pointed a finger at the glass dish that I just took out of the oven. "Fred is on his way; I figured I'd make him some supper too, since Tammy is busy baking for tomorrow."
"Jen, what's wrong? I can tell you're sad."
"I'm thinking about Gary. I just have a lot on my mind." I set out three dinner plates on the kitchen table, trying to suppress the memory of my own mother's funeral by trying to figure out what account I was going to move money from to cover Fred's costs.
Lisa filled three glasses with ice and water. "Did Fred call you with an estimate today?"
"Yeah."
"And?" she sounded perturbed.
"He said two grand for the materials; that didn't include his labor."
"That's not bad. I thought it would be more."
Easy for her to say... I was trying to figure out how I was going to manage taking a thirteen thousand dollar hit this weekend. If I put off the stairwell remodel, then I'll only be down ten thousand in income, minus having to pay for two bands that weren't going to play. It made me edgy to lose that much income from the bar. Halloween was one of my biggest cash nights.
--
Fred was starving. "That was delicious Jennie!" he complimented. He scraped his plate with his fork. "I've forgotten what it's like to eat home-cooked meals. Tammy only cooks for other people now."
"It was delicious. Thanks for cooking, Honey." Lisa smiled and gave me a quick kiss. She put her dirty plate in the sink and rinsed it off. "Are you ready to tear down some drywall, Fred?"
"What? You helping?"
"Hell yeah! I'm hoping you have an extra sledge hammer 'cause I have some pent-up Mina aggression to get rid of. Oh, and before I forget..."
Lisa trotted back to the bedroom and returned with her checkbook. She dug in the junk drawer for a pen.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Writing Fred a check."
"For what?"
"The renovations." She looked at me like I was missing the obvious.
"No, I can't let you do that," I stated directly. "My building… it's my responsibility."
"Who said anything about you paying for it? I'm paying Fred." She wrinkled her nose at me.
"No! I can't let you do that," I stated firmly.
"I don't really care what you say. I'm paying for the construction and that's that. End of discussion," she said sternly.
Fred was smiling at her for some reason.
"That's way too much, Lisa. No! I can't let you pay for it."
"Jennie, please don't argue with me." She looked back at her checkbook and continued writing.
"Fred, I'd appreciate if you would contact the security company and get a separate system added to the new doors. I'd like a sensor put on the roof door as well."
"Okay, will do." I presumed Fred could see the tension growing in the kitchen. He pulled the keys from his pocket. "I'm going to go get my tools. I'll see you downstairs."
Frustration coated with anger started to well up inside me as I washed the dishes. Lisa stood behind me, placing her hands on the edge of the sink counter to keep me in place.
"I know you're pissed at me," she whispered in my ear. "But if I wasn't here with you this fix wouldn't be happening. It's because of me that we're doing this. And when I'm not here, I want to know that you're safe. So please try not to be mad at me for long." She nuzzled her face next to mine.
"Besides, I still owe you for the chocolate chip cookies." She swept my hair to the side. "And the card you got for my mom… and all of the other stuff you bought for me." She drifted her lips down my neck.
"And the cake I see you're going to bake since all of the ingredients are laying out on the counter. I'm guessing that's for my mom?" Lisa wrapped her arms around me. "I take care of you, you take care of me. That was the deal you signed last night."
I leaned back on her and turned my head to look up into her eyes.
"I love you," she said, softly kissing my lips before departing for the door.
An hour had gone by and after I took the cake out of the oven, I went to check on the guys to see how much progress they had made. The hammering had stopped so I presumed they were finished with the demolition.
I could not believe how different the view was from the top landing with one of the stairwell walls removed. Sandwiched between the layers of drywall was an old layer of plaster and thin strips of wood. I picked at a loose piece of drywall that hung from the corner, trying to even out the jagged line they had made at the top of the landing.
"Jennie amazes me," I heard Lisa say. My body became rigid after hearing my name mentioned. I held my breath in my lungs so I wouldn't make a sound.
"I can't believe how obstinate she gets when I offer to do anything nice for her. I bought her earrings, but she refuses to wear them. She said I spent too much money. I guess I have to take them back to the jewelry store." Lisa sighed. "I thought it was genetically impossible for women to turn down jewelry, but not her."
"She's one of a kind. But then again, I think you already know that," Fred replied.
"I've never met anyone like her. First girl I've gone out with that hasn't wanted anything from me. I'm not quite sure how to react. Has she always been like this?"
"Yeah," Fred answered her. "As long as I've known her, she's always been a giver, not a taker. Jennie has helped us out so many times over the years; that's why I'm here whenever she needs me. I could do something nice for her every day and it wouldn't be enough."
Fred laughed lightly. "Just like tonight. I come here to try and do some work, pay her back somehow, and yet she's up there cooking dinner to make sure we're taken care of. And it's not just me now - I'm talking about you too. She'd go out of her mind if you didn't get a hot meal in your stomach."
"I want to take care of her, believe me. But she fights me when I try. I'm not sure what to do." Lisa sounded defeated.
"Here," Fred said. I heard the hiss of a cap being twisted off a bottle of beer.
"I don't know what to tell ya, Lisa. She just needs to be loved. You know, real love. She was hurt really bad a few months ago; I thought she'd never let another person touch her again."
"What do you mean? What happened?"
"Ahh, don't say anything to Jennie, but she was dating this guy… I couldn't stand him actually," Fred admitted. "He was an asshole. I used to think she put up with his crap because it took her mind off of dealing with the pain of losing her pop... I don't know.
"We all suspected he was cheating on her, but when she'd confront him about it he'd always have an excuse. Then he'd turn it around on her, making her feel like shit for even saying something.
"I thought she had just about enough of him, and then one day out of the blue the son-of-a-bitch has an epiphany; tells her he loves her and wants to marry her – even got her a piece of shit ring."
"Then what happened?" Lisa whispered.
I heard Fred clear his throat. He had lowered his voice to the point that it was almost hard to hear him. "She went over to his apartment one afternoon and caught him in bed screwing some girl. That was that. She finally saw it with her own eyes. Took all that I had within me not to go over there and crush his fucking skull."
"She said something about some guy and how one woman wasn't enough. Now I understand. She never told me she was engaged though."
"Does it matter?" Fred questioned her.
"No. Not one bit. I just don't know why she didn't mention it to me."
"Well, it's pretty obvious to me. You're not just some guy, Lisa! You've got girls lining up all around the world for you. You don't think something like that isn't going to make whatever girl you're with a bit insecure?
"Jennie is up there just hanging on by a thread, waiting for you to bolt the minute you find someone else. Tell you the truth, we're all kind of preparing for that day."
"I can tell you that that isn't gonna happen. That woman up there is mine. I'm never going to let her go. In my mind, there is no one else," Lisa declared.
I felt a slight rush in my chest and gasped from hearing her say that.
"Well, I hope what you say is true. I mean you've only known her for a couple of weeks," Fred stressed, a hint of doubt etched his voice.
I heard a glass bottle clink on the counter.
"You want to know why she's fighting you?" Fred asked somewhat harshly. "Because she is smart enough to know that the day will come when you're not here every day. You've got more opportunities than most person could ever dream of to meet anyone. You don't even have to try to get laid - there's a whole selection waiting and willing right out there on her sidewalk!
"Jennie is an intelligent, attractive woman. Let me tell ya, she's not without opportunities of her own. You should see how many guys drool over her every day."
"I know. I've seen plenty of them hit on her," Lisa admitted.
"Yeah, they do. But she's not like that – she never was. And when some dirt bag from Seaport didn't think enough of her not to cheat on her, what's to say you won't do the same?" Fred asked.
"When you're out there doing your thing and some hot model climbs on your lap and sticks her tits in your face… you gonna be able to resist that?
"This is her life here, Lisa. This is her stability. It's the only thing she can count on in this world. She struggled and suffered for every bit of it. And you come in here, taking that over.
"When you break up with her, every time she looks at that new wall or that new door…
"Ah, just do us all a favor - if you aren't one hundred percent in love with Jennie and ready to make a life with her, then stop. Don't do what you're doing. Please don't hurt her like that."
"Fred, I don't want to take anything over or hurt her," Lisa said somberly. "I want to share everything I have with her. My life, my money… I want her to be the mother of my children one day."
I flinched back from the shock of hearing her admission.
I heard Lisa sigh loudly. "Fred, I know you don't know me that well but believe me, I'm done with the meaningless shit. I've been crazy about Jennie since the first…"
Since the first what? I leaned closer to the wall to hear her.
"Huh. I just realized something. She has been taking care of me since the first day that I met her. Not even - from the first ten seconds of me setting foot in this place. Knowing Jennie, she probably never told you the real story of how we met.
"She stopped the fans that were chasing me. She shut this whole place down for me, and here she is… doing it again. No wonder she's so sad today. I'm messing with her safety net. Oh fuck, how do I fix this?"
"I don't know," Fred muttered. "Marry her? Never leave her for some Hollywood slut? What kind of answer are you looking for?"
"Fred, I'm so in love with her and I've told her that already. I've never felt this way before, about anyone. I know what I want. I want a life with her."
"I know Lisa. I can tell just by the way you look at her." Fred sighed heavily. "Oh, man, well, just treat her right 'cause I'd hate like hell to have to break that nice jaw of yours if you ever break her heart."