It had been just over six months now, since Chris walked out. I would like to say it was for the best and we had worked things out but that would be a lie. Chris had moved back to Florida, he moved in with his mom for a while but then he found a new girl and moved out with her. Roxy his ex girlfriend moved out of the apartment two weeks after Chris had left. I saw her now and then, she worked at the rock place we had all went out to for dinner. It seems like yesterday we were all together in this apartment. But that's how memories are right? We can remember things that happened years ago, just as vivid and just as strong as if they happened just moments ago. I blamed myself a lot for Chris leaving, if I hadn't talked to him about setting himself straight maybe he would of stayed and maybe our friendship wouldn't have fallen apart. But that's a lot of maybe's and I have to deal with the present. My job at the firm had gotten a lot better, so much in fact that I am able to afford to move out and get a better apartment for myself. Maybe this is for the better a fresh start, there it is again that word, maybe. I know there are a few things I must do before I leave though. One of which is to return some of Roxy's things. She had left in such a hurry that she left a lot of stuff. Some of which was Chris's but I could ship those down to him. I could just leave a note at her workplace to come by and pick them up. I know she still has the key, she comes by when she knows I am not home so she can pick up any mail that hasn't been forwarded to her new address yet, but that's about it. No its better to do it in person, leaving a note would probably be as bad as Chris leaving her with just a note for a goodbye.
I picked up the large bag holding the two boxes in it and walked out the door. It was not that long of a walk to her workplace. She should be working it's a Friday night. Slowly I walked down the streets of New York thinking of things I can say, trying to play out the conversation in my head. Before I knew it I was outside of her workplace. Taking a big sigh and shaking my head of any negative thoughts of how this will go down. I walked inside, as usual the girl by the door took my coat and pointed me to a chair or sofa that wasn't taken. I pointed to a chair and table by the window and walked towards it. I scanned the area, no sign of her yet. Taking a seat I saw the band making their final test of the equipment. Hearing local rock talent is quite amusing, you can see their fears, their thoughts and hopes in their eyes. I saw her coming out of the kitchen area. She had not spotted me yet maybe I could get out before she noticed me. I pushed the thought out of my head and stayed where I was. She looked my way and for a second she has the deer in headlights look. I fear for a second she will go back into the kitchen and have someone else wait on me. But then she moves towards me.
"Hey." I say as she sits in the chair opposite me.
"Hey." she replies, her long red hair still as radiant as the first day I saw her. Her eyes not as bright, she was not smiling.
"I came to drop off a few things that you had left." I said breaking the silence. I pushed the bag over to her to which she took a quick glance inside and smiled.
"Oh thanks, I meant to come by and get them but.. you know." she replied which I knew meant she was waiting for the right time.
"Yeah I figured as much. But I didn't want to just leave them behind." I began to say before I realized what I was saying.
"Your moving?" she asked with a very surprised look on her face.
"Yeah, I'm getting a bigger place closer to my job. Its in Manhattan." I said trying not to sound like a total asshole.
"Ah making that big money now huh?" she said with a smile.
"You can say that." I replied looking at the band as they introduced themselves to the crowd.
"Well I wish you luck." she said as she began to stand.
"Hope we can stay in touch." I said knowing what everyone knows. No one really stays in touch slowly the communication slows at first then it just stops.
"Yeah of course." she says with a smile and her head cocked to the side. She begins to turn away.
"Wait." I said shaking my head. She looks back. "Not like this ok?" I say pointing to the chair. She takes a sigh and sits back down. "Not going to do this again, I have done it way too many times." I said shaking my head.
"I know so have I." she said sitting back crossing her arms under her huge chest. Her black shirt did nothing to hide them. We sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity.
"I am not keeping you from working am I?" I asked finally.
"No I just clocked out, waiting on Charlie, to get off so he can drive me home." she said pointing to one of the guys working the soundboard by the stage.
"Ah. I Thought you lived a few blocks from here?" I asked knowing the answer already. In fact she did live just a few blocks away. But it was in a bad neighborhood. It wasn't the worst but definitely not the type you wanted to be walking in alone.
"Yeah." she hesitated. "You want to walk with me?" she asked. I was actually surprised, it wasn't what I expected.
"Sure." I said I had grown accustom the streets of New York. I always thought of it like this, every state has its natural disasters. Florida had its Hurricanes, California had earthquakes and New York had its high crime. Once you thought of it like that, it was almost comforting. We began to walk out and the conversation picked up. She told me about living with her roommate, who she hated but the rent was cheap, she stated how much she hated the fact that the roommate was almost like a low budget prostitute always having different guys every night, they bought her stuff and she slept with them. I talked about my job and how I was being promoted again. I had already seen the two men approaching us from behind and knew that one of them had a gun. But I had not made any sign to her. She gave me a nudge as she had acknowledge them as well. We kept talking as I rounded the up coming corner. I turned around very sharply as they came around I quickly turned and flipped the tables.
"Hi!" I said grabbing the one closest to me and shoved him into the wall. The other pulled out the gun. I smiled. "your friend here, should talk a bit quieter." I launched myself at him shoving the gun out of his hand. "It's not loaded." I said to him.
"But this is." the other one had quickly grabbed Roxy and held a knife to her. But she grabbed his wrist and span it, just like most women in violent cities she had taken self defense classes. He let the knife go and they both ran away. I stood there shaking, my heart was beating a mile a minute. Roxy did not look any better. Kicking the gun down a sewer, I grabbed her hand and ran for it.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." I said as we reached a bar that was still open. She nodded and walked inside.
"No you shouldn't have." she said sitting in the nearest seat. I could see she was visibly shaken. It had become instinct. Every time I had been mugged, I always fought it, I had gotten stabbed once and shot at twice. But I still did it.
"Chris told me about the first time." she said as the waitress came by, we ordered two drinks mainly just to take the edge off. Chris and I had not been in New York more than a week before we were mugged at gun point. We gave up all our money and whatever else we had of value on us. I never forgot that feeling of being helpless and lost after it had happened. I swore that night I rather be dead then feel like that again.
"Yeah still bugs me to this day." I replied. She nodded.
"I understand." she said with a smile. "But next time give me a heads up?" we both laughed. The drinks came and we both began to relax a little.
"So how is he doing?" she asked putting her beer down. I knew this was coming.
"Good." I said trying not to answer fully. "Moved out of his mom's" I said nodding my head.
"Found a girl then huh?" she asked. She knew Chris very well. He would never live on his own. I looked up at her. "Take that as a yes." she half smiled. "Good for him." she said looking up at one of the many TV's that were showing sports.
"Well lets get you home." I said taking out my phone. I called the local police station. "Hi. I just heard some shots fired down the block, and heard screeching tires." I said. Roxy smiled as I was putting on a different voice. I was trying my best to sound like Chris, who had always did this when he wanted to go somewhere. I gave the address for a random street corner. They never actually looked into it. They would just would send a patrol car around the block, if they spotted something worth investigating then more would show up. We sat talking about other things that came up, particular her not getting enough hours at work to pay her half of the rent. And a guy she dated that dumped her after finding out that she didn't give blow jobs. It was one of her things, I never asked why or cared. Soon we saw the patrol car make its way past the bar.
"That's our Que" she said as we hurried out the door. As if most of the people in the bar heard us, a lot of people left the money on the table and hurried out the door. Any thieves or muggers for at least four blocks would have seen the car and cleared out for at least a half hour or more. "We can't get to my place, without going back." she said looking back the way we came. Chances were the two had seen where we were heading and were waiting for payback with friends.
"My place?" I asked. She nodded. We hurriedly walked the other way towards my place. Which was a longer walk but much safer. As we got close to the door she reached into her pocket and took out the keys.
"Instinct." she said smiling as she opened the door. Walking in she saw most of the boxes lining the floor.
"Sorry for the mess." I said as she stepped over boxes.
