Melissa looked out the window in disbelief as her driver rolled along the dingy, litter-strewn streets. Her heart sank when he came to a stop in front of an ominous looking alleyway.
"Okay. This is it, Miss Rauch," the driver said gruffly.
Melissa looked at the driver with concern. "Are you sure?"
"157 SW Reno Ave. Yes, ma'am."
"Um. Well. Okay. Thank you," she said hesitantly as she stepped out of the car.
The car pulled away and she looked down the alley, then at the piece of paper in her hand.
157 SW Reno Ave. Suite E
What brought her here was a pair of shoes. More specifically, a pair of Kaley's shoes. Kaley said to go to this address. It was a private little shop hidden away down this alley. He only made shoes "for the stars" and didn't want the general public just walking in ordering shoes. Kaley told her to go down the alley and it would be an unmarked door, the fifth door on the left. She took a deep breath and walked into the dingy alley.
The further into the alley she went, she worse the smell got.
If she gave me the wrong address, I'll kill her!
Melissa thought to herself.
She walked deep into the alley. She passed the fourth door.
Almost there!
Ahead she saw a fence blocking the rest of the alley. Just on the other side of the fence was another door. The fifth door.
Her face went red. "You've
got
to be kidding me!"
Just to her right there was an alcove. She rounded the corner and stepped into it. It was littered with trash even though there was a dumpster, albeit overflowing, to the left. Along the back wall was a couch. Much to her surprise, there was a man on the couch reading a magazine.
"Um, excuse me," she said meekly. "I wonder if you could help me find an address."
The voice startled the man. "Gah! Holy hell!"
His reaction startled Melissa. "Oh! Geez! I'm sorry. I...I didn't mean to..."
The man's jaw dropped. His eyes bounced between the magazine and Melissa.
"Holy shit! You're...you're...you're Bernadette!"
She was a little shocked he knew her character. "Well, I
play
Bernadette," she said with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah! You're Melissa Rauch!"
She nodded. "Yes, that's right."
He held up the magazine and spun it around so she could see the page he had it opened to. It was her Maxim issue.
"It's you!"
However, by lifting up the magazine, he revealed the stiff rod in his hand. Melissa had failed to realize the pair of shorts that were down around his ankles.
Her eyes flew open wide. "Oh my God!"
"What?!"
She pointed at him. "That! That...thing!" Any other time she would look away. But she couldn't take her eyes off of it.
He's huge!
"Oh! Yeah. Geez. Sorry." He covered himself with the magazine again.
"It...it's fine."
"I'm your biggest fan!" he said with excitement.
Judging by the size of that thing, that's entirely possible!
"Oh really? Gee, thanks."
"You're way prettier than Kaley!"
"That's very nice of you to say." She looked around. "So, um, you've seen the show?"
"Oh yeah! It's my favorite!"
"If you don't mind me asking, where do you watch it?"
"Oh!" The man chuckled. "The appliance store around the corner leaves a TV on in the front window so me and the guys can watch TV."
"Oh, well that's nice. You can hear it through the window?"
"Nah. But we've become pretty good lip readers."
"So you've never heard our voices?"
He shook his head. "Not until just now."
"Would like to hear Bernadette's voice?"
"Oh! You mean this isn't it?"
She shook her head. "Nope." She smiled. "This is what Bernadette sounds like," she said in the character's squeaky voice.
The man fell back into the couch roaring with laughter, once again exposing himself. "That's awesome! That's amazing!"
"Gee, thanks. I'm glad you like it." She paused. "But, um, you're, um..."
"Oh geez!" He covered himself again. "Sorry about that."
"So, do you live here?"
"Home sweet home! Me and three other guys."
"Oh. Gee. That's, um, nice." She remembered why she was there. "So, um, do you know where Giordo's store is?"
"Giordo's? You mean that shoe guy?" Her heart leapt. She nodded with excitement. "Yeah. They're way over on the other side of town."
"Huh? The other side of town?"
"Yeah. He's off of Northwest Reno. You're on Southwest Reno."
"Huh?!" She looked at the piece paper in her hand again.
Kaley!
"Oh! Well, um, gee. I'm...I'm so sorry I bothered you. I guess I'll call my driver and be on my way." She turned and started to walk away.
"Wait!" She stopped and turned to see him holding up the magazine. "Would you mind signing this?"
"Um, yeah, sure, of course."
"Sweet!" The man jumped off the couch and shuffled towards her with his pole bouncing and leading the way while his shorts were still down around his ankles.
When he reached her she noticed his smell. She nodded down.
"Would you mind, um, putting that thing away." It was even bigger now that he was standing next to her.
"Oh! Yeah, okay." He reached down and pulled his shorts up. The tip was still poking out of the top, but she didn't say anything.
She pulled a black Sharpie out of her clutch and pressed the worn magazine against the brick wall.
"So, um, who do I make this out to?"
"Mark! Make it out to Mark!" She began to scribble on the page. Mark rubbed his hands together. "Oh, man! The guys won't believe this!"
She handed the magazine back to him. "Here you go. Is there, um, anything else?"
"Would you mind taking a picture with me?"
"You have a camera?" she asked surprised.
"Oh yeah!" He pulled an old cell phone out of his pocket. "You won't believe what you'll find dumpster diving!" He stepped next to her, held the phone up, and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Cheese!" The camera clicked and he released her. "Oh man, look at that!" he exclaimed looking at the image. Mark looked like a child at Christmas and Melissa looked thoroughly uncomfortable.
"Okay. Well, I guess I'll be going now," she said as she gathered herself together.
"Yeah, of course. Thank you! Thank you so much!" Mark stared at the page as he walked back to his couch.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mark."
"You, too!" he said as he fell back on to the couch. Without hesitation, he yanked his shorts down to his ankles and went back to work.
Melissa took a step, then turned back to the man. "So, um, do you do, you know, that often?"
He looked up. "Do what?"
"You know.
That
."