Chapter Four
Pairing: W/T – I’ll get there eventually.
Rating: PG – watch chapters for changes.
Disclaimer: I in no way, shape or form own the characters from BtVS. I’m not making any kind of profit; this is simply for my own amusement – and hopefully the people reading it. This is completely AU, and there may be some dialogue stealing on my part here and there. There’s no hellmouth, no oogly-booglys, and the only magic is the magic of luuurve.
Email:
riverwillows@me.comFeedback: Of course I want it – is it a requirement, no but it is most definitely appreciated.
Author’s Note: Hmm, beer, pizza and the ear of a good friend do the soul good, just like chicken soup. A broken heart too.You Want Me To Do What?
Over the next couple of weeks I didn’t do much of anything other than get my ass acquainted with Erik’s couch. I didn’t cry, I didn’t cut heads out of pictures or burn things. Erik helped me sort through everything I had in the U-Haul; pack up the reminders of all the things that hurt too much and put all into a storage unit.
After that I became a lump. I slouched around the house in sweatpants, bunny slippers, and my lovely snarky t-shirts that
so fit my mood, while I ate ice cream and Oreos most of my days. I didn’t go anywhere, I didn’t do anything, and I didn’t take any phone calls from anyone.
Only a few close friends even knew I was back in town and staying with Erik, much less why. So, I was pleasantly – in my opinion – making a cushion on Erik’s couch all my own. I watched far too much Oprah and Judge Judy. I hate Doctor Phil… smug bastard.
As I was enjoying my new found “lump-hood”, unbeknownst to me, Erik had taken it upon himself to sic my good friend Brenda on me. Let me tell you a little bit about Brenda. When I was first coming out, there was a bar called “The Penthouse” (we regulars loving referred to it as the “PH”), that from 1am-3am was all ages and you could go dance. It was your typical gay bar. Drag shows were done regularly, and one queen named Stephanie took me under her wing.
Well, I was not quite of age to drink, but after getting to know the guys at the door – via following in Stephanie’s swishing gait – they would let me in early so I could get my drink and dance on. One night after a few drinks, I decided I wanted to play pool, but there was only one pool table in the bar. I laid my quarters down cockily, and the next thing I know I’m faced with this linebacker of a woman – Brenda. She politely – that’s code for intimidating by the way – informed me I would have to play the winner for the table – her.
Now, let me just tell you I played pool maybe four times a year then, so Minnesota Fat’s I was
not – hell, I’m was not even qualified to carry his pool cue. Filled to the gills with artificial courage, I grinned up at her, ready to take her on. The “Pool Gods” smiled down on me. Brenda let me break out of the kindness of her own inebriated heart, and undoubtedly the security of her own prowess, and by miracle of miracles I sank the eight ball off the break.
It has NEVER happened again. I’m also
pretty sure it saved me from getting my ass handed to me by a very big, inebriated butch woman, and made me a friend in the process.
Ok, so now that we’ve made that little trip down memory lane, let me get back to Brenda showing up on Erik’s doorstep. With a twelve pack of beer, a “Big Red” (Canadian ham & tomatoes) pizza from Fargo’s, along with a very disapproving glare – directed at me. We sat on the couch, with Judge Judy on mute while we talked for a long time. Drinking beer and eating pizza, we skirted the very large pink elephant in the room.
Just what exactly was I going to do now?
Let me tell you a little more about Brenda, her father had owned a gallery in Manitou Springs where he made gorgeous – well pretty much anything. He did sculptures, and his medium was bronze. Some graced parks, some graced libraries and buildings downtown, homes – inside and out – for fun he even did what could be considered lawn ornaments with the scraps.
From a young age Brenda played in her Daddy’s workshop. She learned to cut, polish, prepare and even weld the metals. He was also quite prolific, and when he passed away Brenda had been left the gallery. Brenda herself never seemed to have a desire to create like her father, so she created a workspace to artists like him and did their grunt work – that she enjoyed. The physicality of it, the way the metal looked when it was polished like glass, etched, and so many other things – in her own way she does create art.
During the course of our beer and pizza bonding session, Brenda offered me job. A job working for her, as an assistant, I looked her like she was nuts. I’d cut and polish metal for the workshop, and do other odds and ends. I had no idea how to use a saw, much less a blowtorch and wasn’t exactly a weight lifter. Then I thought about it for a moment.
In Vegas I had dealt blackjack because it was more lucrative than a desk job and far less sleazy than the “gentleman’s” clubs. So why not make one more change? Why not turn my mind off, turn my pain off and just do? I’m a smart girl, and I can learn whatever I put my mind to. Let’s see if my body will do the same.
I looked at Brenda hard through slightly buzzed eyes. “I think you’ve had too much to drink, hon,” I said.
“Naw, I’m serious as a heart attack. I lost an assistant in the shop, so it’s not like I’m
just handing you a job out of the kindness of my heart. Besides, you need to get your ass off this couch. You also need a job. You’ll feel better once you’re out of the house, and then you can
really start to move on,” Brenda said sagely.
“But I like it here, Erik like’s me here. Besides, I pull my weight around here,” I pouted.
“So you
like playing the "little missus"? When’s the wedding? Ordering out for food Erik can do on his own, hon. He’s a big boy. It’s not that he doesn’t love you and love having you here either. I just… it’s just…you need to feel strong again, stand on your own two feet. And it just so happens I can help you with that,” she said with a shrug.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “He put you up to this didn’t he?” I asked.
“I will neither confirm nor deny…” she began.
“Yeah, yeah,yeah,” I said as I got up and went into the kitchen.
I grabbed two more beers and another slice of pizza for myself. I stuffed the slice in my mouth as I carried in our beers, and handed one to Brenda. I began to pace as I chewed, turning over the offer in my head. I glanced at her every so often as I paced, and tried to look at the offer from multiple angles.
Ultimately, I knew she was right. I couldn’t stay with Erik forever, and I
did need a job if I was ever going to get out of Erik’s guest room. I shoved the last of my slice in my mouth, and plopped down on the couch next to her.
“When do I start?”
TBC…