the insolence of abstinence, part one

it was a quiet sunday evening and she laid on the couch wearing a brown nightgown. there were more than enough cheesey movies on the tube, and she was better off writing her own drivel than watching more if it. one swift click and the room fell dark and silent. her freshly whitened teeth ached and she ran her tongue over each one. she remembered how her ex had stressed the importance of whitening her teeth. it may have been one of his fetishes, come to think of it now. but that was years ago. somehow, certain aspects of fallen relationships stick with you, and this was no exception. the surround sound roared to life and she pushed the play button without picking a track. the house echoed suddenly with flamenco guitar, and she thought back to the man who had played the music for her on her birthday. oh, fuck. i might need a glass of red with this, she thought. she recalled his foot resting on the seat of a chair, his long nails scratching and plucking the strings of a beautifully inlaid guitar. from under a leather brimmed hat he looked at her cautiously, playing the most incredible music she'd never before heard. someone in town had told her he was a friend of yanni's...and later she began to realize that a private in home concerto was nothing to discount. but we are getting ahead of ourselves.

it was hard for her to feel truly impressed. fame, fortune, beauty,immense wealth...all the key ingredients did not phase her. it would be nice, but it was the poets and writers and composers and artists and entrepreneurs...it was the real person who caught her attention. like attracts like, they say. in this case, he saw her before she even knew what was coming. his music spoke to her before she had heard it.

ironically, it was her birthday and he was a part of her present. her friend had wanted to introduce them and after a fine dinner the three of them met at the most fascinating bar in all of old sedona. (wink). he bore an uncanny resemblance to johnny depp, and this pleased her more than she cared to admit at the time. it certainly pleased him, for he played it up with pirate quips and a pinky ring emblazened with a bone skull. what a character, she thought. it's been done already, dude. her imperviousness melted after he brought her a shot of jagermeister and ordered himself a "bloody pirate". inwardly rolling her eyes, she later laughed aloud when his drink arrived in a foofy glass and was alarmingly "pink". it's more like a "bloody princess", wouldn't you agree 'mate'? they immediately roared with uncontrollable laughter and the wall of pretention fell without notice.

in fact, the only one who noticed was the third wheel who had before their meeting considered herself the copilot. suddenly there was an awkward silence coming from her friend, and then a further shock when she started singing opera in the middle of the bar patio. the pirate looked from woman to woman and then quickly decided to order another drink. the singing was indeed beautiful, but it was a ploy for attention and she listened carefully as she picked up her purse. i'm gonna get another drink, she said softly. the pirate watched her go and turned to the songstress. as she left the patio she didn't hear what he told her, but she gathered her friend was uncomfortable. now is the perfect time to leave them alone, she thought somewhat discontentedly. after all, he was supposed to be her birthday present.

she plunked down inside the bar and ordered a shot and a beer. the old man sitting next to her looked at her with interest, but so did all old men in bars. the band playing was actually quite good, as she was surprised sedona had so much musical talent. it was a perfect place to reflect on what was important. before she was consumed in her thoughts the old man extended his hand and offered a name. they struck up a conversation and she mentioned the fact that her town was burning down. all the freeways are shutting down and the fires are expected to burn to the coast. they are close to my home and all of my loved ones are there...she started to get teary eyed. the old man signaled the barkeep with a wiggle of his finger and more shots appeared. the familiar licorice flavor rushed to her head and the slight burn delighted her senses afterwards. thank you, sir. now what is it that you do?

he paused as if to drunkenly appropriate his thoughts, and then resigned to the truth. i make ears, he said. what? yes, i make prosthetic ears. and limbs. so you're a prosthetist? he blinked uncertainly. how did a drunken artist thirty years his junior know his profession? don't worry, she assured him. i went on a blind date with a doctor who made fake feet. that's as far as we went, but halloween will be fun for his next date! they both laughed, and she took a long swig of the brown ale in her hand. it was an old standby, and it was doing the trick. what a birthday, she thought. i am all alone in a bar with an old man who makes fake ears and i am drinking....just as her thoughts turned south a hand slid around her waist. mon amour, a voice said low. lips pressed deep into her neck and left with a slight nibble. shivers ran down her core and he pulled away and she looked at the pirate. uh,oh, she said.

part deux to follow