Sometimes, a hobby is more than a hobby. Dominic reflected on this truth while absently rustling through his pockets for whatever change he could find to pay for the bus. Sometimes a hobby is a means to an end. A subconscious expression of deepest feelings. Sometimes a hobby sets you free. The rain seemed to grow heavier as the evening wore on, and as night gathered her skirts and prepared to saunter onto the sky stage, the bus finally came down the street. He straightened his shirt and got up from the bus bench, brushing dust, splinters and a rusty penny from his pants. Tonight was going to be a very special night, for a multitude of reasons. The concert was the linchpin in his plans, and it was imperative that he be on his best beh-
His thoughts were interrupted by a flood of warm water dousing his body. Leaping back, a string of well-worn curses falling from his lips, he stumbled and sat down hard again on the edge of the bench. The bus he had been waiting on had rolled through a puddle in the gutter, leaving him awash in rainwater. He looked down, dreading the sight that gleefully awaited him, and sadly was not disappointed. The lower half of his body, formerly light blue denim, was now dark and wrinkled...and made him look like he had peed his pants for about four hours. The initial burst of rage subsided, and he grabbed his phone to let her know that he was going to be late. As he pulled it out of his pants pocket, he briefly thought of what he would say. This was not a good start to the night.
Then his brain managed to get through to his consciousness what it had been gently nudging him about up until now. The phone had been in his PANTS.
"Ahhhhhh shit," he drawled disgustedly as he looked at the device dripping wet in his hand. Whether it would ever work again was up to how well he could dry it out, but he could almost guarantee it would no longer work tonight.
"You know, you could just dunk it in a bag of rice for a day or so, take the battery out, it'll be fine. Rice absorbs the water," a helpful passerby observed.
"Yeah, I know, but as of right now my rice supply is nonexistent," he responded wearily. His mind was in different places though. This might be the last bus down to the venue until maybe 9 pm. Should he take the chance of running home to change, or just go? He knew that if he were to miss this, the probability of a billing like this that they could both get to was astronomically small. He sighed and squished onto the bus steps, digging out the moist quarters.
Sometimes, a hobby is a way to see just how foolish you are willing to look for something you want.
I had some problems
And no one could seem to solve them
But you found the answer
You told me to take this chance
- DeBarge, All This Love
The line was thick, and well out onto the sidewalk. Anne stood under the flickering yellow streetlight and took in the scene. "You have got to be kidding," came out under her breath. The line wound itself way out front of the auditorium and well onto the sidewalk. Some fans had come early, and despite the headlining acts, she could smell the telltale fumes of strong liquor already. Not that she was particularly against such things, but they had their place. Parties, bars, Slipknot concerts. Not a Sade and Foo Fighters concert. Even Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters had said that they were going to be playing some of their softer cuts from their "In Your Honor" double album. So why did these guys have the look of obvious troublemakers? She sighed and scratched a nail down the back of the cell phone in her pocket, conspicuous in its silence. Why hadn't he called? It was strange of him, he knew how important this night was going to be for them. Could it be that he wasn't able to come?
With a start, she realised two things, one being that she was now maybe four spaces from being checked in. As she grabbed for her purse, she also realised that while she had been daydreaming about where Dominic was, she had been staring at one of the guys in the group of drinkers, who was now eyeing her intently. Damn it. Now is really not the time...
He started over.
Oh, God.
"Hey, girl, you looking for a goo-"
"A good time? Really? That's how you're gonna start in? Can't you even be original? Get out of my face."
The guy blinked twice rapidly, letting her get a closer look at his eyes. Sea green....and dilated far beyond the size of any normal person. A junkie. Awesome.
Clearly, once he had gotten over the shock at his initial rejection, he was determined to succeed. "Come on baby...this is a concert for loversh," he slurred, looking to his left and right. His friends got up and joined him, albeit with resigned looks, and her problems had compounded. As the sound of air brakes filled the street, she could see the ticket holder struggling in vain against the tide of people entering the arena and knew that she was on her own. Rubberneckers surrounded them in a loose circle, curious as to how this was going to play out.
The guy closed in again, aiming for her arm. No one ever got to find out what his plan was going to be past that point. Anne shfited her weight to her left leg and swiveled. The front of the open toed Christian Louboutin shoes sank with a satisfying thud into the guy's crotch, and for a moment he hung there in front of her, seemingly paralysed, choking sounds coming from his throat. He finally started to fall, and his friends raced forward to grab him before he fell to the floor. They both looked up at her, eyes darting between two of them, and started to smile. She was feisty, and she knew how to aim. They still outnumbered her, and their drug addled minds cared nothing for where they were. No one was coming to help, after all.
A series of squishing sounds interrupted the tense moment.
"How about we not take this any further, and just say we did, huh?"
Dominic was standing next to her, clearly wet clean through from the waist down, and very stern. The guys started to laugh, seeing his soaked pants, but then looking at his eyes and realising that the worst possible scenario now presented itself (a fair fight) they withdrew, muttering. Dominic turned to her, his glare already dissolving into a sarcastic smile.
"Good thing they left....I would have looked pretty ridiculous kicking people and making a squishing sound. So this is what you get up to when I leave you unattended, eh?"
"Well you know me, always have to get into something. I had it covered, though."
"So I saw. Bus pulled up right as he started coming toward you. I was gonna run across the street but you punted his dreams into next year, so I took my time."
"Ah, so you were gonna let me hang out and do it all myself, eh? What happened to chivalry?" she teased.
"Practicality took it out behind the woodshed. But....we should get inside. The show's about to start."
She led him to the stunned ticket taker, who no doubt had expected a much tamer showing from the line at a Sade concert, and then inside.
so matador
so calm
so oil on a fire
