We stood at the entrance of the club as we waited for Stacey
to get off the phone. She was having
another argument with her boyfriend and this time it seemed brutal.
The security at the door was beginning to get impatient he
may have to turn us away, Donna was trying to will Stacey off the phone with
the crazy “c’mon already” look she does.
It is five of us, NYU students, out on a girl’s night celebrating
Stacey’s 21st birthday. Of
all days Steve chooses now to pull one of his bull headed acts, originally he
was supposed to be taking her out to dinner but never showed up. After waiting two hours for the jerk we
kidnapped Stacey to make sure this night was awesome.
But Steve chooses now to return her call, he completely
forgot, surprise, and found a way to blame her, another surprise. Albeit Stacey is furious, she is a simple
chic, but my gods she has quite the temper.
Donna is Stacey’s childhood friend, they were buddies in
since birth, and they lived in the same apartment building one floor
apart. If it wasn’t for Donna black with
a rich dark chocolate skin and Stacey a pasty while red headed Irish gal you
would think they were identical twins by their mannerisms, how they complete
each other sentences, and almost have a psychic connection to know when the
other is in trouble.
I would not believe it myself if I have not witness this
phenomenon in action.
Sue and Mary joined us, all from the same dorm floor we
quickly started our own clique from freshmen year. Now three years later we are standing in
front of Sha-Bang, the hottest club at the moment, looking all sexy about to be
let in and the patience of the bouncer only can go so far on our looks.
When Stacey started drifting toward the corner, Donna
followed suit. The three of us gave up
our spot, who are we kidding they’ll let us in when we flash the big guy our
ruby red smiles, and moved to catch up with the other two.
Stacey was about twenty feet ahead of Donna about to turn
the corner when she screeched at her iPhone in rage obviously hanging up and
stomped off disappearing around corner.
Whenever she gets furious enough she prefers to be left alone, most of
the time stomping off and reappearing and hour later cool as a cucumber. However although the club is exclusive, the
neighborhood is iffy and Donna, as well as she can in her tight skirt and six
inch heels, attempted to speed up to
catch Stacey before getting to far.
Donna stopped at the corner looking confused, when we
arrived we found out why. Stacey managed
to disappear. Donna called out without
success Mary and Sue moved across the street to see of she was sitting on a
stoop there as Donna and I moved down the one side.
“Out of all the fucked up times for her to pull this shit”
Donna commented with apparent anger, but I could hear the underlying concern.
“I think we should wait back at the corner” I respond, “In
case she returns, there is a couple of alleys here and a side street she can
easily take to come up the other side of the club.”
Donna nodded and we turned around. I looked over to the others and they were
already taking our hint.
“What the hell?” Sue asked as the two approached.
Donna shook her head, “She wouldn’t do something this dumb
unless Don seriously pissed her off.”
We all shifted in place looking away uneasily. For some time we suspected that Stacey’s boyfriend,
Don, was cheating on her, never admitted it.
Donna had attempted to broach the subjected with her best friend, it
ended up causing a rift in their friendship for two weeks. She was in love, blinded by what they shared
for a week in the Catskills. He was too
sweet to her, in a romantic cabin stuck in a power outage due to Sandy hitting
NYC, surrounded by candles, still caught up in the moment.
Donna looked obviously concerned, not only was her friend
distressed about a serious relationship issue, now she is wandering the streets
of New York. I stepped beside her and tentatively
placed my hand on her back. Sue and
Mary instinctively moved in closer. All
of us peering down the block.
At this point Donna slipped her iPhone from her pocket and
speed dialed Stacey.
“Dammit” she exclaimed when the call obviously went straight
to voicemail. Without waiting for the
greeting to complete; she forcibly thumbed the red ‘End Call’ button and
slammed the phone to her side.
Not knowing what to do next she took a half step toward the
block, I moved my hand to her shoulder to stop her.
“Donna wait” I said “I will look for her, you wait here”.
Without responding she stepped back. Sue and Mary looked to me, I shook my head
slightly as to say stay with her, and made my way in the direction I guessed
Stacey took.
The block was short and I was at the other intersection in
less than a few minutes, I peered over my shoulder and saw Donna on the phone
again this time waving her free hand franticly.
It seems she changed gears and called Steve, tearing him a couple of new
ones. Seems like I the safe decision to
seek out our lost girl friend, Donna’s wrath can be a bit uncomfortable, I feel
for the ones I left alone with her.
A shuffling noise around the corner at this end of the
intersection caught my attention.
Looking over I spy two men jogging off around the next corner. Something of that scene seemed real
suspect. The men seemed to be trying to
catch up with someone.
Hoping that someone was not Stacey I cautiously made my way toward
the direction they were headed.
As I made my way around the next corner I already see the
three men at the other end about to turn the next corner, they are joined by three
more making them a group of five. Almost
completely out of sight two hung back, moving back down the block, toward me!
My heart pounding I ducked into the doorway of a now closed
drycleaners, the inset of the entrance way before the door giving me enough
cover. Great place to keep from view,
but a horrible trap if I were spotted making an easy prey.
After a few breathless moments, nervously my hand made its
way my necklace. Whenever I get agitated
I always fiddled with charm around my neck.
A gift from my mother with a simple note that it was a family heirloom.
Grasping the jewelry I dared to peak from my cubby
hole. Relieved the two men didn’t notice
me, but were more interested with something down a nearby alley way.
Or someone!
Quickly I started to feel sick, the worst came to mind that
Stacey may have been hiding down the alley and these to animals were in
pursuit. I felt sick, my legs were
cemented to the ground. Screaming in my
head to move forward, to run down the alley, but what if?
What if Stacey was nowhere near here? What if the other
three decide to return? What if…
It was all I can do to keep from hyperventilating, I held
onto my necklace, feeling the smooth side of the back of the jade as the figure
carved on front bit deeply into the palm of my hand. All I can do is close my eyes, clasping the
figure, the necklace threatening to break off, I counted to ten attempting to
bring calm.
One, my heart beat so fast I shook with terror
Two, I hear only the blood rushing to my head
Three, my mouth clamped shut I wanted to cry out to my
mother
Four, attempting to control my heart rate I slowly drew in
my next breath
Five, released
Six, I drew in the next one even slower
Seven, sound slowly returned from outside
Eight, released the bad air
Nine, heard a slight scuffle come out from the alley
Ten, this time I easily took my next breath with control
With complete serenity I opened my eyes, looking at an ad on
the other side of the doorway for an underground rave from long ago, I released
my amulet. The jade monkey figure almost
stuck to my palm fell away back between my breasts, leaving an impression of a
face with its eyes covered.
I left the alcove ignoring that once feared alley and walked
back to the club.
As I turned down the corner where my group waited I caught Stacey
sitting at the curb hands to her face as if trying to hide from the world. A dark figure was stepping away from her.
Donna broke my trance as she cried out upon seeing her best
friend, looking at them for a mere millisecond, I quickly looked back for the
stranger, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Donna.” Stacey called out and her friend responded by
bending over and hugging her. Sue and
Mary moved in the tension melting away, I moved in closer as the two on lookers
giggled.
I in turned smiled, the idea of a dark figure melted away.
©2013 Kinse, My Sweet Hero
