Rainy Day Out -part 4

A little short story about a woman and her man during a rainy day.

Characters:

-Paula Porter -AGE 24

-Richard Rhodes -AGE 28

-6:00PM-

 

After the bookshop, Paula led Richard through a few more clothing stores before coming to a music shop she liked.

Paula was digging through some CDs in the bargain bin, once in a while she picked out one and scanned the songs on the back before tossing it back in, sometimes she would grunt at them and other times she would give a little laugh. Her taste in music changes every few years, she always had a love for jazz but she also has an ear for classic rock, mellow pop and at times grunge. However, these days she’s had more interest in folk music, more specifically Bob Dylan.

“The poet of the people.” She would often say when describing him.

She had a wide knowledge of music and would recognize various bands and musicians that flew completely over Richard’s head. In fact, the first time he met her she was listening to some weird band he didn’t know and when he tried to spark a conversation with her she was becoming very impatient with him and his “lack of understanding” as she put it. That was the time he went to a little basement party in the city, some place was hosting a little music jam and he knew a few people there that invited him along. It was the usual who’s who of outcasts and dope smokers just hanging out, chatting about junk and drinking cheap liquor.

And there she was, sitting on a beaten-up couch wearing a long black sweater-dress and a silk scarf tied on her head, smoking a cigarette, reading a magazine and listening to some CD from a little boombox on the ground. She looked like the most sociable woman in the world, the way she ignored everyone around her, puffing her smoke sitting crossed legged as she stared holes into a magazine as her own music blared loudly. After chatting with a few people here and there, he finally made his way to her and tried to strike up a conversation. He figured that given their surroundings that she was obviously into music, so that’s what he led with. Honestly, Richard didn’t care too much for her music at that time, he was more interested in her features. She was the prettiest girl at the party, not only that but her personality caught him. He always had a thing for moody outcast girls, a problem that bit him in the a*s sometimes.

Their first conversation went horribly as he remembered, she wasn’t giving any good signals, questions led to dead ends and he could hardly hear anything with all that crap playing on the speakers. And nothing happened that night, the talk lasted only about ten minutes until Richard gave up and walked off, learning nothing from her except her name, that she was a musician, she liked a band he couldn’t remember and that she was living in the city.   

As he walked around the store, he couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as he took a quick glance at her from far away as she dug through the bin. During that first encounter, he didn’t think that he’d be seeing her again, let alone dating her.

He just flipped through CDs, half mindedly scanning the covers and listening to whatever was playing on the store speakers. He was mostly looking at covers with cute girls on them, Paula would probably get a little annoyed at this, Richard noticed over time that she got jealous quite easily. It’s never been a problem to him, in fact he thought it was a little cute, but at times it made him wonder what was happening inside her head. Did she have trust issues with him or a poor perception of herself? Those were things he thought about sometimes when he spent more time alone with her and around other people; over time he got to know her better. He would pay attention to the little things she did, like the way her eyes would stare off into nothing when her mind would think of something when she was bored, and she would never tell him what she was thinking of. She still had plenty of mystery to her, she rarely talked about her family or how she grew up, but then again, he didn’t press too hard on it. They were still discovering things about each other, like all couples do at this early stage. At least that’s how Richard saw it, every woman he’s dated were different and Paula sure was different.  

Best thing to do in his mind was to let things play out as they play out, don’t try to push things around to hard. This is something he learned from experience.

Across the store, while Richard was wandering around with his eyes focusing on whatever, Paula caught a glimpse of him while digging around her CDs. She watched him walking around looking at stuff, obviously not noticing her watching him. Paula was looking at him like he was a stranger, like he was some random person wandering around the music store that she never met before, paying close attention to his subtle body movements, the way his legs would lift his feet when he walked and keep one hand in his pocket with the thumb hanging out. He would nod at the men he would make eye contact with as he passed by and give a quick smile at the girls. Then when he was looking at something, his eyes would have this relaxed look to them, he would be staring daggers into something with those eyes. Those eyes of his were as cool and calm as anything she would ever and she would wonder, at any second, that those eyes would turn over and burn holes into her, give her a look that only he can give. Something she wouldn’t allow anybody else to do, only him. 

As intimate as they both have gotten over the months since they’ve been together, she was still puzzled by him at moments. There were a few nights that she lied in bed and wondered what was going through his mind, what made him tick, and what he was thinking about. She sometimes wondered why they were even dating, it’s not like they hit it off the first time they met. In fact, it was terrible, at least that’s what she was told far after the fact, she couldn’t really remember the first time she met him. But, funny enough, the second time went much better somehow.

The second time they met was almost a month later at what would become their favorite club, at least it was Paula’s favorite, Richard never much cared for it. She had a gig there with her band and on that day, things were not going so well for her.

She was already soaking wet from the rain that morning and was in the middle of moving into an apartment with Jean, something that was both a relief but a headache at the same time. Nobody was really helping her move and Jean was busy getting her crap together. Moving out of the house she was already in was hectic, drama started up between her and the other girls and it was a big pile of garbage that she had no interest in dealing with. Jane was there, but she was of no relief to her. Not only that, but she had to pick up a shift at the diner she worked at because someone decided to fake being sick that day, which was always a fun thing to do when you’re already pressed for time. Above that, during all of this she was also attempting to quit smoking but that wasn’t doing her any favors.

Nobody offered her any kind of help, it was all just hollow talk, just kind dismissive words that meant nothing. That was the worst of it. It felt like she was stuck in a city with no one to rely on. Sure she knew dozens of people, but over time she came to realize that most of them were deadbeats that had no real ambitions in life or even worse, couldn’t even handle the simplest of responsibilities, like work or following a schedule or even cleaning their damn apartments. On that day she was really feeling the nails getting hammered into her head, she was reflecting on her life while feeling like she couldn’t do that much about it. She was moving out yes, but she wondered if it really meant anything.

Maybe my parents were right, she thought. Growing up, her folks weren’t that supportive of her musical interests. Usually it wouldn’t get to her, but sometimes when she was lying awake at night by herself at two in the morning, those thoughts would pierce her mind like nails. Sometimes she would yell and hit her pillow, other times she would cry and hold onto it; it was no way to spend the nights of your adult life.      

The band played a few sets that night with her playing jazz flute, although she felt a little out of key in some parts, and afterwards when they finished up, she hung out at the bar tried to relax. All she wanted was to wind down a bit with a drink before she would head off and catch the bus to go home, she didn’t hang out with the band at all; that was the last thing she wanted. Her head was in her hands massaging her temples when of course somebody tapped her shoulder. She was not in the mood to mingle when she turned around to look at the stranger, coming face to face with a tall man wearing a worn-out leather jacket, a white shirt, blue jeans and worn out black boots. His shirt had New York written on it. He introduced himself and stated that he recognized her when she was on stage performing. She had no idea how he knew her until she finally remembered and became partially embarrassed at her behavior from before. He laughed it off.

“It’s alright, you weren’t so bad.” He shrugged as he sat down beside of her.

“No, no…” She chuckled in embarrassment, face in the palm of her hand. “I was not… feeling great that entire week… so I was just ignoring everybody.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Richard reassured her, giving a wave of his hand. “By the way, you were great up there tonight, playing that flute.”

“You don’t have to say that.” Paula shook her head; she didn’t want any half-hearted pity.

“No, no, you were great.”

“You mean it?” Paula asked looking at him, trying to pick apart whether or not he was lying. Sometimes guys would do that to her.     

“Absolutely.” Richard nodded.

Paula smiled. It was weird, maybe it was because of all the crap that was happening, but it was honestly so nice to hear a genuine compliment from someone, even if it was from this half-stranger. She let him buy her another drink and the two began talking more and more about things. He would ask her questions, genuine questions about her life, like where she was from, what she enjoyed, what her family was like and such. She didn’t answer all of them, but it was the thought that counts.

She noticed how handsome he was, not just physically, although he didn’t look bad at all, but the relaxed way he would talk and the way he looked into her eyes. He wasn’t like other guys she dated, he was a little quiet but not meek, he was gruff but not a brute. A few times she would have to giggle and look away for a moment, his gaze had that effect on her, or maybe it was the drinks. Occasionally he would crack a sly joke and make her laugh, it helped her feel better. He sort of reminded her of James Dean, which wasn’t a bad thing.    

Months later into their relationship Paula would wonder how she didn’t notice him at all that first time they met and how she basically brushed him off. Richard never found out why, but Paula remembered during that time she was sort of having a falling out with another guy before him. They weren’t really dating, she had known him for a year from the music scene, but they mainly just hung out with their usual clique and kissed a few times, nothing deeper than that. After a few weeks of that, Paula began getting annoyed by his pestering, it was obvious to her that he was just another one of those guys that never really grew up and acted like a child whenever he didn’t get what he wanted. So, one day during a little party one of her friends was having, Paula laid it out for him and broke things off. It was so damn dramatic; Paula did not want to deal with any of it. In fact, Paula didn’t want to deal with anything for at least the next week. The next night was when she first encountered Richard at that music jam her group was having. At the time she didn’t care about anything, all she wanted was to relax and indulge in her music. She was wearing a silk scarf tied around her head because she had a headache and was smoking like a chimney that week, later that month she would attempt to quit but she was in no hurry.    

While talking to Richard, she learned that he was a construction worker and worked all over here and there, but they didn’t talk much about work as they did about random mundane junk that happens to them, which would sound boring with anybody else but with him it was kind of pleasant. They talked about how expensive things were in the city, how stuck-up and obnoxious people could be, and he even listened to Paula rant about how awful the bus system is. She gotten tired of listening to her friends talk about either music and art or parties and drama, so it was a bit of a relief talking to somebody that was different than that for a change.

She loved music and making music with them, but she learned over the years that most of the time that was the only thing she had in common with those people. Sadly, she just stopped caring about half of them. Even though she was tired from everything that day, she honestly felt better talking to Richard, maybe it was because she was annoyed at everyone she knew or maybe it was because he was actually good company. Either way, she allowed herself to just relax and enjoy it.

A couple hours rolled by as the night was getting pretty late and Paula was getting tired and ready to run off home.

“You want a ride? I got a car.” Richard offered.

Normally Paula wouldn’t just hop in a car with a man she just met, well it was their second encounter, but still. However, after such a day she didn’t feel like riding the bus and sitting next to some degenerate that might be skulking around at midnight, so she threw on her jacket and took him up on his offer. Besides, she was beginning to like the guy.

He drove a black Toyota Corolla. It had some mileage and a few scratches, he told her he bought it from a friend, and it showed. If he had money, he didn’t flaunt it, she thought. It didn’t matter to her though, after spending twenty-four hours on your feet and dealing with so much crap, the seat of a beaten-up Toyota will feel like heaven. She hopped in gave him her address. While they were driving, he pulled out a cassette tape and plugged it into his radio.

“You like Roy Orbison?” He asked.    

Paula had no idea who that was but didn’t protest. The song that started playing was Roy Orbison’s In Dreams.

 

      I close my eyes then I drift away

      Into the magic night, I softly say                               

      A silent prayer like dreamers do

      Then I fall asleep to dream my dreams of you

 

Usually, Paula thought that cassette tapes had horrible sound and preferred vinyl and CDs. But this time, the scratchiness of the sound gave the music an old mystical quality which went beautifully with the lyrics and music. She watched the city lights pass by in the night and for once in a long time felt at peace. Richard didn’t say anything as he drove, just enjoyed her company.

After a while he got her to her new apartment safe and sound, they didn’t talk too much on the ride there, she was already half asleep as she got into his car. She thanked him for the ride, and he thanked her for the company.

“You gonna be safe driving home?” She asked him, peaking her head into his passenger window.

“I’m just gonna get a hotel room and crash, I’m not driving that far tonight.” He yawned.

If it was Jane that night instead of Paula, she would have offered him her bed. Paula didn’t do that though. Before he drove off, he somehow got her phone number, though she said she couldn’t go on a date until she got moved in, but he had no problems with that, he worked a lot anyways. He drove off into the night and she watched him disappear. She made her way up the stairs and into her new home, finally collapsing on her bed, surrounded by boxes full of her belongings. She quickly went to sleep and despite the day she had, her mind was clear of all of that. The only thoughts she had before falling asleep were of Richard, wondering a few things about him.

Wondering if he was thinking about her.    

For the time being there were plenty of phone conversations between the two as time went by, sometimes lasting a few minutes and sometimes an hour. Just like before, it was great talking to Richard and having someone like him to vent to, someone that would actually listen and someone that wasn’t some snob or ditz or a person that just used her for whatever. It wasn’t always a great big conversation, there were times she was too tired to talk and vise versa, sometimes it got deep but most of the time they talked about nothing. It wasn’t awful nothing, not a negative or awkward nothing, it was a pleasant nothing, it was just nice knowing he was there speaking to her or just listening. He could be playful when he wanted to on phone, like he would ask her what she was wearing and every time he would say that it was cute, even when she was wearing ugly baggy clothes. That always made her laugh. Then she would purr and tease him on the phone, that always made him laugh.      

He was a person that she felt safe with and made her feel like somebody cared.   

The first time they had sex was a few weeks ago, almost a month. They fooled around a bit before that of course, nothing too dirty but nothing to chaste either; she was no stranger to his hands that’s for sure. The sex wasn’t bad, in fact it was quite the passionate night, then the next morning they went out and got breakfast, giggling and teasing each other all throughout. But it was odd now; this was the part where you see what a man really is, in Paula’s opinion. Once you open up to them and do the deed, you’ll see whether he’ll stay or leave. It happened to her friends and it happened to her a few times. Maybe she was a bit paranoid and maybe a little bitter from past relationships, but Paula didn’t like the feeling of an aching heart; nobody did.

The hardest part was that she didn’t know what she truly wanted, she enjoyed being with him and all, but what will happen next? Is she going to move in with him? Is he someone that she can see living with for the rest of her life? And what about her music? And the life she has in the city? And her family? Oh God, she thought.  She was not ready for that yet.

Those various thoughts made her shiver, she was getting too far ahead of herself. They only just had sex recently for God’s sake! Things are going slow and that’s just how she likes it, her life was moving too fast for the past few years and now she’s going to try to enjoy it a bit. And she has been, with Richard at least. She liked his company and at times he would make her laugh and feel like life wasn’t so rough. Most of the time they would just enjoy their shared company, whether in person or on the phone, they would just relax and find some solace in each other. They didn’t need to make every night they were together a big event; Richard didn’t mind much either way and Paula enjoyed just hanging out wherever doing whatever.

Although, it was a little hard to find a lot of things that they can enjoy together, aside from food. He wasn’t huge into music so it was a little awkward bringing him to one of her jam sessions or a band show. He never complained much, except for the price of drinks and the noise.     

That was another bad thing about him she had issues with, his lack of artistic interests. He enjoyed listening to anything that’s easy listening and his favorite show was probably Baywatch, well those were the things he talked about whenever she asked what he liked. She had no idea what he would talk about with the other guys, usually about boring plain stuff or whatever, at least that’s what she thought.

Well, not everybody is cut out to be an artist, she understood that. But truth be told, she just didn’t know too much about him, about what he enjoyed. Most of the time she would be the one talking, mainly about herself, and he’d just sit back and listen or ask questions which prompted more talking. This happened especially on the phone, she’d tell him about her day or how her week has been, various things that happened to her, the different kinds of music or whatever else she enjoyed, and he’d just listen. The most he talked about was his day, but he’d always say that it was “same, same”. He’d talk about what he ate and various things he saw. Another thing he’d talk about were all the freaks he worked with and encountered, all the drunks and druggies that had the same job as him and always caused him problems. That was something they had in common, always dealing with freaks. But aside from that, not too much else.    

Her music was very important to her and she wasn’t sure if she can spend her personal life with someone that didn’t understand that. The few times they hung out they would watch a band that she knew or just stay at her apartment together listening to her CDs, but every time he would just nod along as he listened. He never criticized her taste in music and he never made a fuss about listening to it, but most of the time she could tell he didn’t care about it. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either.

It didn’t feel like he had any grand ambition at all honestly, it just felt like he lived life day after day, which is fine but what purpose did that have? She couldn’t just live like that, living for nothing it seemed.

 

The only thing he had a strong fascination for was the beach, he would always talk about taking a couple weeks off and driving to California with his car roof down and the music playing loud. No doubt he would spend plenty of time watching the local girls in their bikinis she would imagine. It made her a bit jealous thinking of those kind of girls, running around in neon colors and showing off their bodies for everyone to see, for guys that would do anything for them and guys they would do anything for. And guys like Richard.

But something she found interesting though was one time when they were all alone in her apartment late one night, she asked him what he enjoys in life. This was early on, during their first or second date and she was expecting him to say something like parties or girls or something generic like that. Then to her surprise he talked about sitting on the beach and spending the days watching the tides roll in and roll out, feeling the warm sand on his skin, smoking a cigarette as he watched the sun slowly go down past the coast.

She would ask him why and he wouldn’t give a clear answer, he just said he loved the feeling of it.

She always kind of liked that about him, it was very romantic and even angsty. Richard could be direct, but still mysterious, which she found very attractive. Maybe she became a little numb because of the kind of men she dated before, but he wasn’t like them. He was a man made of flesh and bone, but he was not empty, he had a soul in him. His vague musings spoke volumes to her, she thought it was almost poetic in a way, but she would never admit that to him.

Sometimes she would wonder what he was thinking, what he was really thinking. Was he thinking about the past? The future? Was he thinking about his work? What will he do next year? But most of all, what did he think about her? Did he think of her when they were apart? Or when he was alone? Did he ever dream of her?

Sometimes when she was alone at night she dreamt of him, always vivid dreams that would stay in her mind for days. Did he have such dreams about her? She would always wonder.

How long would it last? She thought.

That was something else that crept into her mind from time to time, from the very beginning it was there. She didn’t think too much about it, she suspected she developed this way of thinking from her past romantic failures, as if every relationship she developed was on a clock. She wasn’t quite sure if this was good or bad to have this mindset, but at times it caused her a little pain in her chest, so she concluded it was probably bad. But nothing lasts forever, especially these days. That was some crap she and her burnt out friends would feed themselves to feel better, as if they understood the world more than they did. All those thoughts and memories would play in her head over and over again on certain days until she became so frustrated that she needed to shut herself out from the world.

She didn’t know exactly why she felt this way and as she stared over at her man, she had no idea how to tell him these emotions. What good would that do? She thought, what would he say?

Her eyes looked up at a clock and it was already eight. She was getting hungry and it was time to get going. She came walking towards him, hips swaying side to side, holding a CD in her hand.

“Are you hungry?” He asked.

“Yes.”

“Wanna get some pizza?”

“Oh God, no!” She shook her head.

“What’s wrong with pizza?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I’m cutting back on bread.”

“How come?”

“I’m trying to lose some weight and bread is very fattening.” She shrugged.

“You look fine.”

“That’s not the point, I’m trying to get healthier.”

“You’re already healthy.”

“I can be healthier!” She huffed. “Besides, I thought you were trying to lose some weight too? I mean, that’s why you’re drinking black coffee, right?”

“Yeah.” Richard nodded.

“Pizza is very fattening.”

“Well… I’m starting small.” Richard shrugged.

Paula just closed her eyes and dramatically opened them with a very unamused look on her face as she slowly looked up at Richard. He could tell this wasn’t an argument that he was going to win anytime soon, and he was getting hungrier by the minute.

“Where do you want to go then?” He asked.

She thought about it for a minute. “We can go to our usual club and get some wings?”

“We can get wings somewhere other than the club.”

“I want to dance a bit.”

“Okay.” He was not happy.  

Paula smiled as she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Richard wasn’t really in the mood to dance with people, but he doesn’t mind watching Paula dance for a bit, especially in those nice white jeans.

“Can I have this?” She asked with a sly smile, holding up a CD.

“What’s this?” Richard asked as he pulled it from her hand, examining it. It was Bob Dylan’s album Bringing It All Back Home. The price tag was four dollars.

“Bob Dylan.” She answered.  

“Oh yeah, he’s that harmonica man.”

“He is the harmonica man.” She replied with enthusiasm.

“I thought you had this one?” He asked, trying to think. Paula had so many CDs that he never bothered to keep track, he doubted she did either.

“I did but it got scratched up.”

“I wonder why?” He chuckled.

“Can I have it?”   

“It’s only four bucks? Sure.” He answered as he handed it back to her, who was giddy with glee.

“Also, I want this!” She exclaimed as he pulled out a small, silver harmonica from out of nowhere it seemed like, holding up with wide eyes and a small smile.

“I thought you played flute?” Richard asked as he looked at the instrument.

“Yes, but I want to play harmonica too.”

Richard let out a chuckle as he took it from her hand, examining the thing with half a mind. “Just like Bob?” He chuckled.

“Just like Bob.” She smiled.

Richard shook his head at her, slapping the harmonica on his palm and giving her a thoughtful look as he contemplated about it. “I don’t know…”

“Come on…” Paula shook her head and rolled eyes.

“Awful lot of money…”

“Come on!” Paula huffed becoming more irritated.

“Well… Okay.” He said as he was about to hand it back to her, only to snatch it back at the last second, causing her to flinch but to quickly scowl back at him. “But! You have to do something for me.”

Quickly picking up on some signals she read, she scoffed at him. “You pervert…”

“No, not that. Although that would be nice…” He replied, his eyes taking on a serious note.

She wasn’t quite sure what was going through his head.

“You have to tell me what’s been eating at you today.”

Paula was surprised, blinking a couple times as she stared at him. Richard was direct and she didn’t enjoy being backed into a corner. He picked up on this quickly, and while not wanting to back down, he knew that a CD store is probably not the place she wanted to talk about her feelings in, so he gave her a bit of a break.

“You don’t have to do it right now.” He said, surprising her again. “Later tonight, or whenever. But, you gotta tell me eventually. Deal?”

Paula looked down at the ground, contemplated for a few seconds and then looked back up at him and nodded. “Deal.”

She reached out her hand, expecting her instrument back. Richard examined the harmonica one last time before placing it in his mouth and playing off a fast but impressive little tune, much to her surprise. After he was done, he kindly handed it back to her while she was still in shock.

“You play harmonica?”

“A bit.”

“H-how?”

“I don’t know, maybe I got a little song in my soul.” He shrugged and chuckled. “Just like Bob.”

He began to walk away towards the cashier, leaving Paula behind. There were rare moments when Richard left Paula speechless, this was one of those times, the entire time she’s known him he has never shown any kind of skill or even great interest in music. She would never have guessed that he could play an instrument, let alone a signature instrument of one of her idols.

She would never admit it to him, but she had a little smile and a blush on her face as she followed him.

 

~TO BE CONTINUED...