Madeline
Billy zipped up his black leather jacket, took out his gray beanie from his pocket and pulled it over his ears. He looked at Allison from behind as she zipped up her puffy light pink jacket. He put his hands on either side of her arms and rubbed them up and down hoping the friction would cause some heat. She was only an inch or two shorter than him but he liked her height. She fit him just right.
Allison dug into her jacket pocket and held the gold packet of Marlboro lights and a green neon lighter over her shoulder to him.
He took the pack and pulled out two cigarettes as he positioned himself to face Allison. He handed one stick to Allison and put the other one into his mouth. He lit her cigarette first and then his own. They both blew out smoke simultaneously and then he grinned at her as he held out the pack and the green lighter for her to take.
They met at a rock show the night before. She asked for a light for a cigarette from him while standing in front of the venue. It had been in between bands and the venue was comparatively quiet. Under her black jacket, she wore a red polka dot dress. As they chatted Billy could not stop thinking about what she looked like under the jacket and promised himself to take a peek the second they went back inside.
But when they went inside, they did not go their own ways as Billy had expected. They ended up spending the rest of the night taking shots of cheap tequila, dancing, and ignoring the friends they had come with. He kissed her in the middle of the dance floor. And she kissed him back and then immediately threw up her hands and motioned him to dance with her. He could tell, she was a fun girl. When she went to use the restroom, Billy obediently stood outside the women’s room door holding her purse.
Not wanting the night to end, they stopped by a late-night hot dog shop and had a bite to eat. It was there she admitted to having a lighter all along and just wanted a reason to talk to him. When they were done with the food, they were not yet done with each other.
She claimed she lived nearby and had a single roommate. Which was much more appealing than going home to Billy’s place where there were six guys in a three-bedroom loft.
He had woken up in her bed and invited her to a nearby sports bar he knew about to watch the Browns game. He wasn’t sure if she liked football, but when she said yes, he was excited. If she knew about football, they could talk about the game. If she didn’t, he could teach her. It was a win-win in Billy’s eyes.
Now they stood out in the crisp and bright day, illuminated by the snow all around them. As he looked at her now he realized she was a little more plain looking than he remembered. But it was the fun they had had that made him excited about her, not her looks.
“Good game, huh?” He asked.
Allison nodded, hugging herself and jumping up and down a little. White clouds came out of her mouth. Billy couldn’t tell if it was smoke or breath, but it looked sexy against her red-painted lips.
“It’s not every day the Browns put up this good of a fight.” He added. She smiled and nodded again. Bill took another drag and looked down thinking of what to say next.
He looked back up and added, “I started going to Browns games when I was little. Like really little. My dad sometimes took me. It just became a ritual after that. Every Sunday, Monday, and Thursday, we watched the game on tv. On a few special occasions, he would take me. I never miss a game. Especially a Browns game.”
Allison blew smoke out of her mouth and added, “My dad was never into football.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
Allison shrugged and bounced a little more.
“When did you move here?” Billy asked recalling a mention of her living somewhere else before coming to New York.
“A few years ago,” Allison took another puff from the brown end of her cigarette and looked out onto the empty street.
“Me too. I moved here right at the beginning of COVID. I was just let go from my retail job. And I decided I wanted a new beginning. One that didn’t include living in my parent’s house. Although I do miss my mom’s cooking. Not sure why I chose New York. I guess it was where the first electrician school I found was and thought the city sounded fun so I went for it.”
Allison nodded, “Yeah, New York is pretty cool.” She looked down at her shoes and then out at the street again.
“So, where was it that you grew up?” Billy asked.
“Oregon,” She nodded as she spoke then took another puff.
Billy tightened his lips. Allison was not the same girl he met last night. That Allison was full of chatter. That Allison’s mouth was always doing something, smoking, drinking, eating, singing, talking, kissing. How could this be the same girl?
“Why did you move here?” Billy asked, hoping she would give him a good explanation.
Allison shrugged, “I guess I just needed out of there.”
“But why?” The frustration in Billy’s voice was starting to show.
Allison shrugged again.
Billy put his cigarette in his mouth holding it with his lips. He patted himself down looking for something. Allison watched him. Finally, he found what he was looking for and dug deeper into his black leather jacket pocket. He pulled out a wad of cash and started flipping through it. He pulled out a $20 bill, put the rest of the bills back in his pocket, and handed the bill to Allison. “This is for my beer.” He looked her in the eyes stone-faced, then he turned around and walked down the sidewalk. Away from Allison.
Allison stood there in her puffy light pink jacket. Alone. Arms at her side. A $20 bill in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other.
“What did I do wrong?”
