"I'm staying at the Tumbleweed Motel. Just up there." Billie said.
"Ah yes. Max's place." Gabe said.
"You know the owner?" She asked.
"Yeah. Used to work with his son. I do construction." Gabe said.
"Ah, nice." Billie said. He pulled up to the stairs and parked. "Thanks for the ride." She said.
"Anytime. It was really nice meeting you." He said and he went in for a kiss. Billie moved back and away and opened the door.
"I really appreciate it. Really. Have a good night." She said, closing his door and walking up the stairs. He watched her until she was safely in her room.
"Well, she's definitely not like the other girls I meet, that's for sure." Gabe smiled and said to himself as he drove away.
Billie closed the door and sighed. He was hot. Like super sexy hot. But she couldn't be anywhere near him right now. She was in no place to be acting like a foolish schoolgirl right now. She had come this far and needed to keep her head straight. She put on her yoga pants and took her clothes to the downstairs laundry room. She washed them and stayed up, waiting for them to dry. It is been a long day and she was ready to get some sleep.
+++++++++++++++++++
"Lily! Glad you're here. We have been slammed all morning." Paula said, running by her. "I'm
Thinking tomorrow I might need you a little earlier than 9." She said.
"Ok, no problem." Billie said, and got to work. She was so busy that she was turning tables every half hour for at least 6 hours straight. She couldn't believe how much business the place got and with only two of them working, she had more than 10 tables in her section all day. Things settled around 8 again and Billie sat down for the first time all day. Her feet were killing her. She took off her apron and plopped it on the table. She counted her tips. Two hundred and fifteen dollars. She was floored. She smiled and said a thank you prayer.
After tipping out the cooks, she gathered her things and walked home. She stopped by the motel office and paid Max another hundred and fifty dollars.
"You're month is paid in full." He said, smiling.
"I'm glad. I really like it here." She said.
"We like having you." He said and looked back down at the book her was reading.
"Dickens. Great expectations. One of my favorites." She said, smiling and opening the door. He looked up and smiled at her.
"Mine too." He said.
She walked up to her room, took off her clothes and laid on the bed, exhausted. A knock at the door woke her out of a dead sleep.
She looked at the the time. 10 pm. She woke up and walked to the door, still half asleep. She looked through the peephole and saw Gabriel standing there. She grabbed her yoga pants and tank top. "Coming." She said. She looked in the mirror and fixed her hair the best she could. Picking up her mess and throwing it all in a dresser drawer, she opened the door.
"Gabe. What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Well, I figured that it's Saturday night, you're new in town and I have no plans, so, I brought some beer and thought maybe I could show you around a little?" He said, holding up and six pack of the light beer she had ordered the night before. He was wearing black jeans and a Led Zeppelin tee with a flannel over it. He looked adorable.
"Um, actually, I had a long day today and I have to work earlier than usual tomorrow morning so I don't think I'd be much fun on the town tonight." She said.
"Ok. We'll stay in, then." He said, walking past her and into her room. He walked to the table set and put down the beer, opening two and handing her one. He took a drink and looked around.
"This room is actually pretty bad ass." He said. He looked over at the sideboard and noticed her books. She hadn't brought many, only what she could carry. Her favorites. Illuminations by Arthur Rimbaud, De Profundis by Oscar Wilde, Ariel by Sylvia Plath and Love is a Dog From Hell by Charles Bukowski.
"Rimbaud, Charlie B... good stuff." He said, picking up the Plath and thumbing through it. She felt a little exposed. That book had kept her alive after her last suicide attempt a few years back. She had taken an entire bottle of her psych meds with a pint of Jack. It didn't kill her but it put her in the hospital for a few days and then therapy. After what Sean had done to her, she was surprised she didn't try it again. The first two tries had also been unsuccessful. Not because she hadn't tried, but because of outside factors. Mostly physics and her body's strong will to live. She noticed the page he had opened to. It was one of her favorites.
"I am your opus,
I am your valuable,
The pure gold baby
That melts to a shriek.
I turn and burn.
Do not think I underestimate your great concern.
Ash, ash—
You poke and stir.
Flesh, bone, there is nothing there——
A cake of soap,
A wedding ring,
A gold filling.
Herr God, Herr Lucifer
Beware
Beware.
Out of the ash
I rise with my red hair
And I eat men like air."
She quoted the last few lines of Lady Lazarus. He looked up at her and they shared a moment of eye contact. He nodded and put the book down.
She took a drink of her beer and sat down. He looked over to the corner and saw her guitar. He smiled at her and she smiled back.
"May I?" He asked.
"Sure." She said. She was nervous though. It was her baby.
He opened he case and lifted the lid. "Holy fucking shit." He said. "What is this? 1965, 66?" He asked.
"63." She said. He looked like he had seen the holy grail. He picked it up and pulled a chair out. He strummed it. It sounded like heaven, like slow molasses and clean linen. A robust and big sound for an acoustic guitar. Her father had given to her. It was his first guitar. He played in bands his entire life and wrote one of the most popular and covered songs of the 20th century and hardly anyone knew his name. He was a song writer, never a performing musician.
"Do you play?" He asked.
"Yes." She said. He handed her the guitar. She shook her head. She hadn't played in front of anyone since she was in her teens. Sean had told her that it was basically forbidden. But she still played when she was alone. She had written many songs and poems and not playing would be death for her.
"Please." He asked, still holding out the guitar. She took it and propped it up on her folded leg. She took a deep breath and finished her beer and began to play a song she was working on.
"On my own
I am all that's around
I am free now
No longer bound
To a life that wasn't mine
A dream frozen in time
I am mine.
I am mine."
she sang as she strummed the melody and hummed. She played for while longer, adding other melodies she had written. She stopped playing and looked at Gabriel. His face looked like he was absolutely awestruck.
"Holy shit, Lily. That was really beautiful. You play really well. Like really well. Pete would be crying right now at how bad he is compared to you." He said, smiling and covering his mouth. "I'm more than pleasantly surprised. Wow." He said.
She smiled and thanked him. They talked for a little while and around midnight, he told her he would go and let her get some sleep.
"There's an open mike night at Johnny's on Tuesday and Thursday nights that Pete and I sponsor. You should come out and play for it." He said as he opened the door.
"I might do that." She said. He turned to her and smiled. "I had a great time hanging with you tonight. Thank you." He said. She smiled and watched him walk to his car and drive away. She closed the door and smiled. He was nice. And he was a gentleman. And she was tired as hell.