Chapter 66

Alan
"Who can tell me the story of Romeo and Juliet?"
I wait for the snickers to stop.
I don't know what it is with kids and the story of Romeo and Juliet that have them snickering, laughing and blushing all at once. My previous class was the exact same way. I ask the question again once the class has settles down, and a girl raises her hand first.
"Yes, Merith."
Merith lowers her hand and answers with a shy voice.
"Um, I think it's a love story. Romeo and Juliet love each other but their families don't like each other so they go behind their families backs and kiss." My lips turn up at her description.
A few boys look at one another in the back corner with their mouths turned up in disgust. Ah, to be the age where you think all girls are absolutely discussing. Hard to believe in a few years those boys will be chasing these girls down instead.
"That's pretty accurate Merith. It's a tragic story derived from William Shakespeare." I begin telling the class the story of the doomed lovers and lose myself in the story.
I have always loved the story of Romeo Juliet. It reminds me of Anna and me. Though we didn't have the feuding families or an impending death right around the corner, it appeared that destiny had other plans for our love.
I spend the rest of the day going over Romeo and Juliet's love and send the kids home with an assignment about the story. I'm getting ready to head out of the classroom when a knock at the door stops me. I walk over, assuming it's the school principal and am stunned silent when Anna appears on the other side of the door.
It's been a few days since I've seen her, not since the night where I had to calm her down from her mysterious caller, but she looks completely calm now.If anything, she seems lighter. I don't know what the shift could be, but I can't say that I hate it.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" I ask and lean against the doorframe.
Keep it cool Alan. Don't let her know you have been obsessed with your phone thinking she could text you at any moment.
"Thought I would come and treat you out to some dinner. You got any plans?" She asks. I take in what she is wearing. Long black slacks that fall over her heels and a black and white stripped blouse. Her hair is long and wavy today and she has some heavy make up on. I can always tell when she is coming from work.
"Yeah, no. Yes." I huff at my inability to complete a sentence around this golden goddess.
Anna giggles at my response and pulls my tie to bring me closer to her. My heart hammers in my chest faster and faster as my body moves closer to hers. I can feel her heat radiating off my body.
"C'mon Alan. It will be fun. You and me and some greasy food. Yeah?" I nod my head at her and she pulls me all the way out of the room. I turn around and lock my room and the two of us walk hand and hand to my car in the parking lot.
"So where were you thinking of going?" I ask her once we are on the road.
I look over to Anna and she is staring at me. Okay either I have something in my nose and she is just waiting until we are public to tell me, or she is high off her ass.
"Anna?" I ask and that snaps her out of her stupor.
"Huh? Oh um, I don't care. I'm starving. I'll let you pick, you were always good with those kinds of things."
I smile at her and head to a local deli. Anna has always been a sucker for quick foods. She is not a restaurant person, more of a sandwich and chips kind of girl. This deli isn't too far from my school and I've had it before, so I know it has good food. We pull up a few minutes later and once she sees where we are, she smiles.
"Did you know?" She asks.
"Know what?" I open the door for her and together we walk inside.
"Hey Anna. What, no Laynie today?" The man I met the other day, Luigi, asks.
I look over to Anna with a smirk. Of course Anna visits this place often enough to know the owner. Anna shakes her head at Luigi, answering his question. We take a seat at the far corner table and she asks me again.
"Did you know this was my favorite deli?"
"No. I didn't even know you were familiar with it, although I should have guessed. You always did love your whole in the wall deli's." I say with a light chuckle.
"And do you know why this is my favorite deli Alan?" She asks me in a sultry voice and for once I wish I had all the answers in the world, just so she could keep that voice.
"Um, No." Nice one Alan. You're a teacher right?
"It's right down the street from my salon." She explains.
I have a stunned and shameful face, I know this because Anna just laughs her ass off at it. I feel guilty that I've been here a few days and have yet to come by and see her salon. It's always been a dream for her and I'm proud that she was able to achieve it.
"Shit. Sorry Anna. I guess I haven't been that great of a friend lately huh? I haven't even come by and seen your salon and you've already helped me decorate my classroom."
"Don't feel sorry Alan. You're busy with the kids and if it helps Laynie did all the decorating. I literally put some frames on your desk and sat on my ass the entire time."
I laugh when an older man looks over at us in disgust due to Anna's language. Anna and I have always had an interesting friendship. Laynie is more reserved and because Jared is so infatuated by her, he always held his tongue, but Anna and I are quite the opposite. I have never had a problem holding my tongue and she hasn't either. I blame my crazy rambunctious family for that.
"So how is everything going with the salon?" I ask her when our food arrives. I ordered a burger and fries and Anna got her sandwich and chips. Told you so.
"Really well, actually. I was nervous about the holidays coming. I figured it was like back home. No one goes anywhere when December hits. Trying to save up money for gifts and all that, but instead I have been even busier. I even had to hire a new girl yesterday." I stare at her mouth while she talks.
I've always been obsessed with Anna's lips. Pouty and teasing but not too big. They are perfect. Perfect for my lips and other places of my body. I've also always been obsessed with Anna's passion. She has always known what she wanted to do, and like me, she never gave up on that dream.
Back in high school she was the cheerleader and I was the football player, but we never let the title get in the way of us just being us. She may have been the cheerleader, the pretty one in school, but that's not what she wanted people to remember her by. She was also on the school's academic decathlon team, she volunteered a lot at children's hospitals and absolutely despised bullying. She was a role model and it made me fall even more in love with her.
"What about you Alan? Is New York everything you thought it would be?" I can hear the genuine curiosity in her question.
When I first told my friends that I was moving out to New York, I got a lot of the same responses. Well, from Laynie and Jared anyways. They both figured I was coming out here for Anna, and although she was a large part of it, perhaps larger than I'd like to admit, the real reason I wanted to come out here was I wanted a new start.
"Yeah actually it is. Much better to be honest. I wish I could see you all more, but I suppose that's life huh?"
Anna remains quiet for a while after I say that. After all these years, I know her mind is working overtime when she's quiet. She is usually one to shoot off at the mouth at anything and anyone, so when she is quiet that's an indication that her brain is telling her mouth to wait.
"Alan?" She whispers.
"Hmm?"
"You want to hang out on Saturday? I know you're probably busy, but I thought maybe we could go see Laynie's restaurant and then head to a club or something. A new one, Club Mist, just opened up."
Anna has her head down the whole time she asks me. Very unlike her, but I suppose this is the first time she has really ever asked me out. Every part of my body wants to start pounding my chest at the fact that this girl wants to spend time alone with me, but I tone down my caveman and ask her something that has been bothering me for a while now.
"Won't your boyfriend hate that?" Okay so maybe not so much ask, as to patronize.
"Huh? I don't have a boyfriend." She twists her lips in confusion at my statement and it makes me want to kiss the absolute hell out of her, that and the fact that she just told me she was single.
"Oh, sorry, it's just that Laynie mentioned you being a little taken back these last few times we all hung out and thought it might your guy you told her about." I attempt to tone down my jealousy. Anna and I are just friends, but I won't lie and say it doesn't sting that she might have someone on the side.
"Oh, that. Um, no, we broke it off. Turns out he was a douche tool. You know those kinds." She says waving her hand around.
I nod my head then laugh at the old man's face turned towards Anna once again. After we finish lunch I lay some cash down on the table and grab Anna's hand before she can chop my dick off for assuming she can't pay for her own meal. We reach my car and I open the door for her then laugh when I hear her mumble that she could have gotten it and that she's not a damn damsel in distress.
Anna has always been an independent woman and it's one of the many things I respect about her, but I want her to know that she doesn't always have to be in control, I just want her to know she can lean on me. Plus, my mamma would bust my ass if I didn't do the gentleman thing.
"You know I think this is the first time I've ever been asked out by a woman before." I can't help the smile my lips are forming watching her expression turn from serious looking towards the traffic, to looking at me like she wants to melt me with her eyes.
Teasing Anna has always been a favorite hobby of mine. She's so damn easy to rile up. Anna has many secrets, ones that I may never know, but other than her past, she is a pretty simple person. We all have that one friend that will always be the sarcastic, protective one that instead of calling the cops if you come bleeding at her door, will grab a shotgun and ask where the fuck they should bury the body.
"I'm starting to wonder why." She states sarcastically. God this woman is made for me in every way.
"I mean, I'm flattered really, but I don't know, I mean, how would it look if I come to a club with a blonde? Would that mean I'll be stereotyped as one of those guys that are only into blondes? I'm into all kinds of women. Hell, bald women are sexy too."
"I'm going to fucking hit you."
"And what about the restaurant? What if we go in there and Laynie sees us together, and does that weird shrilly scream, where she starts dancing and clapping and everyone turns around and assume we got engaged or something? What if there are hot women in that restaurant Anna?"
"You got one more chance Alan."
"And what if…" before I can continue I feel the pinch at my arm and nearly crash the damn car.
One of my biggest pet peeves is to be pinched and thanks to having four younger sisters, saying that out loud caused me to be pinched immensely growing up, even by dad. Once Anna, Jared and Laynie started coming around, Amelia told Anna about my pet peeve and now she uses it to aide her power of evil.
"Fuck." I yell, then straighten the car out. I hate New York's traffic and small streets. Hard to believe anyone would get used to this.
"Warned you." She states, and I turn to her with a smile, which only grows when I see her smile matching mine.
We arrive at the school parking lot and I do the 'annoying deed' of walking Anna to her car. Her words not mine.
"So what time should I pick you Saturday?" She throws her bag in her passenger seat and turns around, crossing her arms as she does.
"And what makes you think I want you picking me up? It's not a date, I can just meet you there." She's so stubborn and cute.
"Anna, it makes much more sense for us to drive one car. Let me have this, what time should I pick you up?" I see the smile forming on her lips and it's taking everything in me not to lock my lips onto hers, but again, I like my junk where it is.
"Fine, asshole. Pick me up at seven. We'll go dinning at Maggie's then head to the club."
"Yes ma'am." I solute and stop myself form skipping back to my car.
Once Anna pulls out, I get in my car and head home. I feel like a teenager again and I for one, cannot wait until Saturday.

"You look happy." Delilah says, as I put my key in the knob of my apartment door. She may or may not have caught me singing Saturday Night's Alright by Elton John.
"Oh, hey Delilah. How are you doing today?" I ask.
She is wearing another dress, this one designed for a man to take great pleasure in checking her out. It's dipped far in the front and stops right after her hips. It's a deep purple and she has tons of gold bracelets on. She is a beautiful girl, it's obvious, but she just isn't the one I want my attention on.
"Doing good, Alan. How was work?"
"Work was good. I think I'm finally getting used to everything in New York."
"Good for you, Took me a few months." She says moving towards me in a seductive way.
I'm a pretty forth coming guy. I don't usually tend to string women along if they are interested in me. With Delilah however, I feel like I haven't ever had a woman like her after me. I can't read her. It's as if she could take me or leave me, but when she decides to dig her claws in, I'm toast.
"Yeah, I can see that. You heading out?" I ask as she advances. Nerves hit me as my back hits the door to my apartment.
"Yeah, meeting up with some friends."
"O-okay, that's nice. Well, have fun then." I'm pretty sure my eyes are closes as I say this.
"Have a good night Alan." She says giggling and when I open my eyes she is walking down the hall.
Shit, that girl is bold.
I get inside the apartment and walk to my office to put my briefcase away. I have a lot of work to do tonight but after the afternoon I had with Anna, I couldn't care less about any of it. My phone starts ringing from the other room and I leave my office to answer it. When I see dad's crazy face on the display I smile and answer.
"Dad."
"You know what the best thing about not having you home is?" I hear loud noises on the other end of the phone and a car honk.
"What's that?"
"Me and your mom have bene having a lot more quality time, if you know what I mean."
"Ugh dad, I didn't need to hear that, and why the hell would that have anything to do with me being in New York? It's not I was living there and stopping you two from being gross."
"Oh, I know, but sometimes your mom worries about you, and I have to help her through such tough times." Instead of focusing on his disgusting conversation I focus more on mom being worried about me.
"Why is mom worried?"
"Oh, I don't know son, could it have anything to do with you being out there a couple weeks and she hasn't heard from you once?" I look down in shame. Dad's right, I used to call mom almost every day and I lived two miles away from her. Since I've been out here I haven't called her once.
"Sorry dad, it's been pretty busy, but it's no excuse. I know I need to call her."
"It's okay son, besides, I'm sure there is another way you can make it up to her." I kind of see where this is going and now the background noises I've been hearing so far are beginning to make sense.
"Um, and what's that dad?" Before he can answer there is a knock on my door that echoes through the phone's speaker.
I stand there waiting for the knock to start again and when I hear laughter coming from the phone and the unmistakable sound of my mother's giggle, I smile, shake my head and walk over to the door.
"What are you two doing here?" I say as mom pulls me into a bear hug. Jesus did she get stronger since I've been gone?
"Oh, Bean. Is that anyway to greet your parents, it's been so long honey." I roll my eyes at my mom's dramatics but a part of me doesn't care that she is being so clingy. I have really missed my family.
"We had to be in New York for a few days and I thought it would be a good idea to come surprise you." Dad announces as he walks into the apartment and pats me on the back with a one shoulder hug.
"Well come in, you guys are right in time, I just got home from work. Sit on the couch and I'll make you guys some coffee."
"Such a good boy my Bean."
"Darling, stop calling him that. Now that he is in New York, he needs a more city boy nickname. Let's call him something like, espresso, or mocha." Mom laughs at dad's idiotic nicknames and they both go back and forth a few times on what my new nickname should be. As soon as I hear the name sex and the city, I stop the conversion.
"Okay, that's enough. So, tell me dad, what the hell has Donaldson have you doing in New York?"
Dad tells me about the dinner for the homeless. It's a fine and classy night full of rich individuals, mostly members of congress, getting together and donating for the 'feed the homeless' program for New York, Los Angeles and other large cities around the United States. Dad sounds really excited to be a part of it but hates the idea of using the dinner as a scheme to rub some noses.
"I didn't sign up for that shit you know? I ran to help people, and as cliché as that may sound, I really want to do that. I wish I could just go down there, talk to the people of the committee of the shelters and ask them what they really need. I mean, that money is mostly going to go towards food, and it helps, but that's not all they need."
"Well, dad, I hate to sound like a flopping dead fish here, but why don't you? I know your campaign manager wants you to do the usual things like, shake hands with the presidents and kiss babies, but the people want something different. They are sick of the typical politician."
"But sweetheart, his rival will just tell the press he is being unpatriotic and untraditional by your father not following the typical campaign. He will be perceived as arrogant."
"Not if he stays on top of it. Think about it dad, get Donaldson to bring some press and take pictures of you meeting up with the committee of the 'feed the homeless program', have photo ops, speak to them, do everything you normally would. When they ask you about why you are there and not at the dinner, tell them the truth. People will be able to tell if you are being genuine or not."
Dad clasps his hands together in front of him and stares at the floor for a while. Mom wraps her arms around his forearm and lays her head on his shoulder. After a few minutes of silence, he stands up, walks over to me and grabs me in a bear hug. Shit, apparently dad got stronger too.
"Thanks son, I needed to hear that. I'll get with Donaldson and see if he can set up some meetings with the committee members. I do have a favor to ask though." I await dad's request and want to laugh when mom rolls her eyes behind his back at his dramatics.
"I need you to help me with the campaign." I look at my father with shock.
"What?"
"Now here me out. I need someone on my side. Someone that will remind me of who I am and what I can do. I also need someone young, like you, that will help me see the younger voter's opinions. I don't trust anyone except you and your sisters and most of this fuss is going to be in New York."
I want to tell him no, tell him a big part of the reason why I wanted to move to New York is so that I wouldn't be in the spotlight. I love what my father does, and wants to do, and I couldn't be prouder of him for it, but I just don't see how I could help him.
"Dad, I have my students, and…." Before I can finish he is talking over me.
"Son, you can still do that and if it gets to be too much I can get your sisters to help, but how great would it be for us to do it together huh?"
His smile is contagious. This man wants to change the world. I would be selfish to say no to him. Especially when it comes to his dream. After all, he always supported mine.
"Uh, yeah dad. Of course, I'll help. Just let me know what day for the committee meeting and I'll be there, promise."
Dad nods his head enthusiastically and he tells me he and mom have to go meet with a few people that he has to 'shake hands with and kiss babies'. I hug him goodbye and kiss mom on the cheek. Mom whispers something to me while dad is grabbing the car to pull it around that has me looking at her in surprise.
"Your father is an amazing man Alan. But he is also human. You can come to him about anything. You know that, right?"
I nod my head and with one last goodbye, I close the door. Just when I thought this week was on a good path.