Authors Notes: I don't know why, I just felt like updating this. So yeah, I may work on this with my Scootaloo story.
As we drove, we idly talked about random things. Everything was fine, until Octavia asked a certain question.
“So Michael,’ she asked; “what do you do?”
“Um……I kinda work for Goldman Sachs.”
“Kinda?” Vinyl asked; “What does that mean?”
“Well,” I started; ‘My division is under some surveillance right now. So we can’t work. So they mail me a pay check for me sitting at home because technically I’m working, but I’m not.”
The girls looked at me puzzled.
“It makes no sense I know. But I ain’t complaining.”
Vinyl’s eyes lit up, “That’s the greatest job ever!”
“But if that’s the case, what do you do all day?” asked Octavia.
“Well I don’t have a set routine.” I stopped at a red light and turned to look at them. “I eat, sleep, jog, hang with friends, and do whatever work I can on computer, and so on.” The light changed to green and I turned left.
“So, do you have any family?” Octavia asked.
“My brother, he’s out west working on some scripts or something. We don’t keep in contact much. But as long as he’s ok, that’s fine.” I turned my head to her, “You?”
“None. Well except for Vinyl and she barley can be called that.”
“Oh come on Tavi!” Vinyl shouted from the backseat, “You know you love me! Don’t you?” She said with mock sorrow.
“Ugh.” Octavia put a hand to her face.
“Do you love me Octavia?”
Octavia’s hand grasped her face tighter; “Vinyl please.”
This might be getting awkward.
“Can I put on the Radio?” I asked; “I need the traffic.”
“Sure.” Octavia said.
I switched on the radio, hoping to calm her down before the restaurant.
“This is 1010 Wins.” The radio began; “You give us Twenty-two minutes, we give you the world.”
The drive continued in silence.
We pulled up to the restaurant and I don’t think my jaw could have dropped any farther.
The place was on the waterfront, had chauffeurs, the clientele looked like they were the best of the best. This place had everything going for it.
“Impressive isn’t it?” Vinyl asked from the back.
I turned to her; “That’s an understatement.”
“Believe me,” She leaned back as she talked; “These kinds of places are way too uptight. Only reason I go is because Tavi here says it looks good for my image.”
“Stop making me out to be the bad guy! I’m just trying to help you!” Octavia snapped.
Both Vinyl and I reeled back in fear as Octavia realized what she did.
“I’m-I’m sorry.” She began; “Lets’ just get inside ok?”
We both agreed and all of us stepped out of the car together. A chauffeur approached me and asked for my keys. I gave it to him and he drove it over to some parking complex. I watched him enter the complex and the hurried inside with the girls.
As we entered the building, once again I was taken back from the sheer elegance of the restaurant. But, the inside is a different type of elegance. On the outside, everyone is looking in wishing that they were as good as the people inside. But on the inside, the people know that their better then all of those people on the outside. Just listening to the people in the waiting/bar area, you could feel the smug coming off of them. Talking about their 401K’s and their Miami condos, it made me wonder why people would ever want to become something like this.
It appears Vinyl sensed the same thing I did, as she seemed to be uncomfortable in the bar area as well.
“Are you ok Vinyl?” I asked
“Oh!” She jumped at my question; “Yeah I’m fine….I just don’t like these places that much.” She confessed. “The desserts and booze might be the best, but the people are the worst. I……you wouldn’t understand.”
“Believe me,” I started; “I understand. I may be getting along with Octavia over there,” I pointed to her as she was talking to the waiter trying to get out table; “but these people are not my group. I’m just the kind of person that can move from group to group unnoticed.”
She looked up at me and smiled. Not a devilish or a seductive smile, but a smile that just said “thank you.”
We didn’t wait long and the three of us were taken into a large dining area. The room was covered in paintings, a couple of plants, fancy light fixtures, and a large chandelier. We sat at a table near the center and were given our menus and glasses of waters.
We sat down and the girls got to looking at their menus, but I had something else on my mind. And Octavia saw this.
“Something wrong?” she asked
“Can I ask you two something?”
“Shoot” Vinyl replied
“Why are two really doing this? I mean I just helped out Vinyl, no big deal.”
The two girls looked at each other and Vinyl nodded her head.
“Vinyl told me about what happened at the bus stop.” My eyes shot wide open and I stared at Vinyl.
“I wasn’t completely out of it. I heard everything.”
“We were going to take you somewhere casual, like olive garden or something.” Octavia confessed.
“I suggested we still go there,” Vinyl interrupted; “It’s like eating in the private kitchen of a delightful Italian Stereotype. Plus I haven’t been there in for-ever!”
“Anyway,” Octavia continued; “After she told me the story, I wanted to thank you even more. Vinyl is a close friend of mine and she owes her life to you.”
I started to blush at this.
“Yeah, I owe you a lot.” Vinyl said this as a waiter came over with some wine.
Octavia held up her glass over the table. “I propose a toast,” she began: “to Michael and everything he did to help a stranger he just met earlier that night.”
Vinyl and I raised our glasses, my face still blushing, and clunked them together with Octavia’s.
But the night was still young.