Big Bright Lights

Scott reached up to fiddle with his hearing aid as someone was approaching him. This move gave him a bit of a cold and with only fully functional ear feeling clogged, he had to put the usually unused item to work. A ringing echoed in his head but he saw lips moving. More of a pro at such a thing, again, he was rendered off his game from the distracting noise till he’d fixed the volume of it. “I’m so sorry, could you repeat yourself again?” His finger tapped to the clear, almost invisible looking item that his head then turned for the person to catch a glimpse of for his reasoning. “Didn’t quite hear you.”

It was a beautiful day out. Sure, it was cold as hell. New York always was terribly frigid at this time of year. But the way the snow seemed to shine with the littlest bit of sunlight, it was enough to get Zelda out of her little abode, and out to get a cup of coffee. When she entered the shop, she all but hugged Ben, the man behind the counter. She didn’t even need to order, they knew exactly what she wanted. A hot cup of coffee and a few rugelah. She went to claim a seat, when she noticed a few scrolls of paper on the ground next to a table. At that table sat a perfectly beautiful stranger. Maybe they were his? She didn’t mean to bother, but she could have easily walked on one, and she could imagine if they were his, he wouldn’t want footsteps all over them. “Excuse me! Are these yours?” She asked, pointing at the ground. But he couldn’t hear her. “Oh!” She exclaimed. “So sorry. Didn’t mean to bother, I just think you might have dropped something. Maybe not, but I wouldn’t want to ruin these sheets of paper with my heels.”

“Think so?” Cameron asked as he took a very long sip of his drink. What she was saying made sense to him-he’s human dammit, and he can make a million mistakes. He’ll just keep on living, keep on drinking, till the pain numbs the hell outta him.

“I know so.” Life was full of ups and downs. That much, Zelda knew to be true. And the downs could make you feel especially low. But the world never ended, it always moved on. Even when it hurt. The bad things always passed, one way or another. She took another sip of her drink. “To clean slates!”

“Sounds like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other the next couple weeks. Which is great, because the place you work sounds incredible, we have a big home stand the over the next 15 days or so, and I can’t beat company as talented or as beautiful as you,” Jimmy smiled. “Perfect. How does 6:30 work? Oh, and, what’s your drink of choice. I’ll bring a bottle of whatever you like.”

“Hey, I’m not mad about it.” She winked, laughing joyfully. “You don’t know that I’m talented yet. At cooking or singing. But, I’ll take that I’m beautiful. You’re not too bad yourself, Harvard.” She grinned, nodding. “A nice dry gin, if you’d please. Martinis are practically my calling.”

“I’d love to. You could even come to a game if you want. I always have a few comped tickets floating around. I think you’d enjoy it,” Jimmy smiled. “I didn’t even know that you could be like a singer in residence at a hotel. That’s pretty cool,” he replied, nodding his head a bit. “How about Friday? I have the night off and that sounds like exactly what I want to be doing.”

“Well, hey! I might just take you up on that. Always happy to try something new. I’d cheer extra hard for you, too.” There was a glint in her eyes. “It’s a wonderful place. It’s kind of a performance venue, actually. Not an operating hotel. A bit hard to explain. But a brilliant place. A real 20’s speakeasy feel. Absinthe Bar, and a cabaret set up, fully stocked.” She really loved her work - passion drove her, above everything else. “Friday works for me. It’ll be grand. I’ll let you know in advance that I live in a little, bohemian space. A bit petite- probably not as lavish as what you’re used to. But I assure you, it’s fabulous.”

“Hockey’s not that hard to understand, really. Playing it takes time and devotion to master, but at the end of the day, pretty much anyone can do it. Being a musician? Absolutely not. You’d never, ever, wanna hear me sing or really do anything musical. I might break your eardrums or something,” Jim replied, shaking his head. “But seriously, when can I come see you perform?”

“Well, hey! Maybe you could teach me about it sometime.” She grinned. He was cute. This.... this whole thing, was fun. “Well, you can see me most nights at the Manderlay Bar, at the McKittrick Hotel. I’ll even bring you backstage as my extra special guest! But I’m free for that home cooked meal, and a private show, any time you’d like.”

He sighed once his drink came, taking a sip of it. “I saw my ex-fiancee to invite her to the opening of my wine bar…and that turned into me telling her the truth of why I cheated on her, and when I did, I felt more guilt then the day I actually did cheat on her. And I’m not a cheater, but in that one instance that I did, I felt terrible about it.”

“That is rough with a capital R. Oh man. But hey, guess what? You’re human. You’re human and that means you make mistakes. You regret things in your life. And that’s just the experience of living. Keep on drinking. That normally helps drown the pain and guilt out. And it will feel better with time. Forgiveness is always something to work for.”

“Yeah, yeah. There’s three teams in the tri-state area, though, so don’t say that too loudly or some Islanders fans will come after you,” Jimmy chuckled. “I can’t say that I’d know any showtunes or Broadway songs to even request. I’m sure whatever you pick will be wonderful, though. I can’t sing to save my life, so anyone who can… well, that’s really cool.”

She giggled, just a touch. Sports really weren’t her strong suit, and here she was, flirting with a professional hockey player. Life certainly was ironic. “Don’t worry, I know nothing about hockey, so we’re quite even on that. I’ll pick something extra special, just for you.”

Cameron needed a stiff drink-and on a Monday night sounds like the perfect time for him to get one. He slipped in the bar and ordered a White Russian and took a very long and deep sip of it when he heard the question. “Lot’s of things-think you got the time?” he asked her.

Zelda grinned at the man, over the rim of her own drink. She took another sip. “I’ve got all night. Lay it on me.”

“I’m sick of it. I already have to explain that I’m not his dad almost every time we’re out. Then I have to get the questions about if he’s a ‘ladies man’. No, he isn’t. He learned what a mirror is maybe a week ago. He doesn’t know what a ‘girl’ is.” He sighed. “…Anyways. Yes. Humanity is disappointing. That’s… very true.”

“Jeeze, Mars. I don’t know that saying sorry will ever be enough, but I’m really fucking sorry. Life is dealing you a rough hand, right now. But I’m always here for a glass of wine or cup of tea. And of course, some spiteful words about the jackasses who ruin your days. Just call, and I’m there.”

“What am I not allowed to be out and about on a Monday night?” Lincoln asked curiously as she looked at Zelda. “A friend invited me, although now I feel really awkward with all these people around.” Lincoln nodded as she combed her fingers through her hair. 

“No! That’s not what I was-“, she paused. Took another sip of her drink. “It’s just a peculiar day to go out. But I’m also here. So, certainly no judgment here.” She gave the woman a small smile. “Understandable. People are intimidating creatures. We’re all probably feeling a bit uncomfortable, truth be told.”

“Link.” She helped with an encouraging nod. “Yeah, the game is really more about him. Being him, experiencing the world as him and only a small portion is about Zelda herself, so you would think the game might be named after him. Probably was avoided because Zelda just sounds far more epic than Link.” She gave a puff of visible breath meant to be a laugh. She was trying, to some degree. Her dark brown eyes took a second to take in the woman more at her statement. She did seem a little behind the times but in a retro chic sort of way. It was refreshing. “So, first minute and we already know more about each other than our names. I’m a gaming nerd and your a vintage nerd.” Her direct flow of words not letting it register how some people might take offense to her ‘nerd’ labeling.

Zelda grinned, hearing the woman speak about the video game. She didn’t have anything the play video games on, just a small tv in the corner of her studio. No consoles, no nothing. But that didn’t matter. Hearing someone else’s passion on the subject was lovely- it almost made Zelda ask more. She figured she’d hear other little bits of passion spill out, anyhow. She’d wait to see it come out naturally. “Just a pair of nerds! I love that. Say, would you like to see some of the animals? It’s surely cold today but I’m sure seeing some of the little ones will warm us right up!”

“Well, it helps if you get a hockey scholarship,” Jimmy chuckled. “You mean kids from all faiths hate religious obligations? I think we could almost cobble together a chance at world peace based on that alone,” he added, rolling his eyes a bit. “I’d like that a lot, actually. Dinner and a show. What do you usually sing?”

“A hockey player, huh? Is that your line of work? For... the Rangers? That’s the New York team, right? I’m afraid hockey was not big in my upbringing - but then, not many Jews play hockey.” She chuckled at his observation on religion. “All sorts of things. Mostly showtunes and old Vaudeville type songs. I don’t know if you noticed, but I have a bit of a vintage style. Some say it’s all a part of my charm - but I certainly would take requests.”

“Was it a long day or something?” Kaya sat down next to the woman, “I just didn’t want to go home yet, so now I’m here.”

“Well, it’s always a long day for me. I don’t tend to relax - a bit of a nervous affectation, I’m sure. It’s best to keep busy, I think.” She grinned, taking a sip of her drink. “That I understand. It’s so much more fun to be out and about!”

“I guess I really did drop the Charlestown accent at Harvard like everyone says,” Jimmy chuckled. “My stereotypes definitely proceed me. My family is big and loud, when I lose something my aunts tell me to pray to St. Anthony, my uncles have these really grand ideas about being pseudo-members of the IRA…” he added, rolling his eyes. “But yeah, at the end of the day, I’m an Irish Catholic from Boston, whether I like it or not. I suppose you probably have similar stories, you probably just didn’t have ham at Easter… or, well, celebrate Easter,” he replied. “Wait, wait… you’re beautiful, you cook and you sing? And you want to cook for me? How did I get so lucky?”

“Harvard? Smart too? Why, you’re quite the catch, aren’t you?” She grinned. “Well, we didn’t celebrate Easter, rather Passover. But also big and loud. I had to attend synagogue from a very young age, which I loathed. And my parents always wanted me to make the pilgrimage back to Israel. Still hasn’t happened, somehow.” She blushed, just a touch. He had called her beautiful. “I’m a cabaret singer. Maybe if you’re even more lucky, I’ll sing for you.”

“Mmmm…” Kaya looked around, trying to decide if the question was directed at her or not, “Pretty much nothing other than it’s Monday and I couldn’t think of anything else to do. What about you?”

The woman looked a bit confused, but Zelda gave her an unrelenting smile. “Night off. Thought I’d check out this new place. In need of a little distraction.”

It was going to be a long night of paperwork for Alice, having little to no time for much else. However the professor made time for a little drink at a local place. She settled her papers on the bar, careful not to disrupt others around her, and ordered herself a mojito. Catching a friendly grin while waiting on her drink, Alice showed a smile back. “Oh, papers to grade. What about you?”

The woman was grading papers. At a bar. How curious? It was a little bit odd, but in a delightful way. “It’s my night off. And though my career is in the realm of late night entertainment, I always enjoy a drink out. I’m Zelda, by the way. What do you teach?”