Chapter Four
I wanted us to go as Wonder Woman and Batgirl but Dom put her foot down because we had done that twice already and she hates her Batgirl costume. She wanted us to make new costumes and go as Green Eggs and Ham but I put my foot down on wearing food costumes which are neither cute nor sexy. Besides any literary reference, even one to a children’s book would be lost on the bar crowd. In the end Dom’s mama came up with Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf—sexy versions of both, of course. It was the perfect solution. I got my cute red dress with boob-enhancing corset and Dom got to be BAD in her wolf costume.
I put myself in charge of creating our agenda. Ever since our first Halloween as over twenty-ones, Dom and I have had a goal of spending nothing all night. It sort of just happened the first year, but we figured out a system (my analytical issues rearing their ugly head) and have it down to an art now. Step one is carrying no cash on us, just our IDs and cell phones strategically placed in our costumes.
Then we start at the Corner Bar near my apartment, home to lots of skeezy old men and no contest but extremely cheap drinks. It’s my dad’s old hang out so I rarely have to pay there anyway. Someone who remembers Big Mike will sit and reminisce about him with Dom and me over a couple of three-dollar drinks. Once we have some liquid courage in us, we will have Dom’s fiancé, Luis, pedicab us downtown to hit as many costume contests as we can. Even if we don’t win the contests, drunk people buy us drinks because they like our outfits. When Luis finishes his pedicab shift at midnight he will bring his car, meet us, and drive our drunk asses home—free and safe.
The costumes Dom’s mom, Lucca, made are awesome. She’s the one who taught me to sew…and knit, crochet, macramé, and bake. She’s a true Jill of all trades and my organizational idol. She found a tutorial online for making a wolf face with makeup and Dom sits patiently while Lucca and I touch up details and freeze the edges of her long black hair into a frame around her face. She looks evil and hot. Luis should be expecting serious scratches on his back later tonight.
We can walk to the first stop because it’s close and, well, we can still walk.
The old dudes at the Corner Bar don’t disappoint. They buy us cheap shots and throw cliché lines and jokes our way about our costumes. We call for Luis at ten so we can head downtown and catch the first contest at the BarBar. Dom catcalls her fiancé as he peddles. “Hell yeah, babe. Look at that ass—dimpled with the promise of pleasure.”
Luis is laughing and I have to admit Dom is right. His job definitely has body benefits, the man has some beautiful legs and a butt I don’t mind watching for ten blocks.
BarBar is normally a little too young and goofy for my taste, but I need immature and stupid tonight. I love Halloween because being in costume lets me be someone I’m not, someone silly, laid-back, easy-going and fun. Tonight I’m not Vivienne, over-organized control freak, I’m Red, walking trouble.
Dom and I place third in the costume contest behind a girl wearing pasties as a top and some guy dressed as a used tampon (yeah, they keep it classy here). All we win is a bunch of swag from the liquor companies, but it’s cool. We trade it for drinks from the college kids who want it for their dorm rooms. While I’m more focused on executing our free-drink, hit-every-contest plan, Dom is focused on finding me a Danny replacement. She keeps pointing out any guy who looks even remotely like he might be my type.
The next bar is more touristy so there are very few people there in costume which works to our advantage. We win this one and walk away with $100. Technically this could be drink money but I tell Dom we need to stick to our plan and put this in her wedding fund. I know she’s getting pretty tipsy because she hugs and kisses me and keeps telling me what a great fuckin’ friend I am.
She doubles down on her search for my next obsession and focuses on a bunch of businessmen who are more than happy to buy us premium drinks on their expense accounts. They’re definitely not college boys and one does look particularly good in his suit, but there’s just no spark there. At Dom’s urging, he gives me his card and I see he works for one of JetStream’s vendors. I’m glad I’m in costume and calling myself Red because he is someone I might call for my job.
Dom doesn’t hide her frustration. “He was cute!” She yell-slurs at me as we walk to our final contest.
“I know but he works for HighTel. I have to call them for Bob sometimes.”
“So!”
“So…” I don’t have an answer because she is starting to make sense. There are no rules against me dating a vendor. I change the subject because I really don’t want to go back there. The guy was a good match for me. His only fault is that he isn’t Danny and my defenses are down enough for me to admit that I still want the lying bastard.
“Next stop you have to at least kiss whoever I pick for you.”
I open my mouth to protest but she shuts it with a glare. She has great taste and knows me well enough that I’m game. “Fine, I’ll do it.”
“Hell yes you will.” She’s dragging me toward The Rail, our favorite Irish pub, and the place Luis will meet us. As we wait in line to get in, Dom makes some needed adjustments to my costume. I’ve gone from boobilicious cleavage to my nipples almost popping out and I try to stand still as she adjusts the laces on the front of my corset but the cocktails are kicking in. We get into a giggle fit as the guys behind us encourage her to play with my boobs. I start to play with her hair, stroking it and we move toward each other, looking like we might kiss. They’re chanting “kiss ” and we’re laughing and none of us sees that the line has moved on. The bouncer yelling, “move on,” breaks our little show. I turn to face the bouncer, fishing my ID out of my top and I stop.
Danny is sitting on a bar stool in the doorway of The Rail carding people and looking anything but amused. He holds his hand out for my ID. I’m too stunned to speak. Dom isn’t.
“Oh, fuck me!”
She gets several offers from the group of guys behind us. Danny gives my ID a cursory glance because he knows how old I am and does the same to Dom’s, never saying a word to us. He hands them back and looks past us to the next group in line.
“Danny, I..” I start to speak but he ignores me and talks to the guys behind us.
“Oh, NO WAY!” Dom won’t go through the door now. She’s turned Puerto Rican, she-wolf crazy. “Yolo, you think you can treat my girl this way?” She shouts.
She’s in his face but Danny just looks up at her slowly and calmly replies, “Get inside Dom. I don’t have time for this right now.”
I push her through the door because my heart is pounding and my head is spinning and my drinks are threatening to come up and out all over Danny and the front steps. We retreat to the ladies room to regroup.
“Why would you ever want that asshole,” Dom says angrily. “I don’t care what he looks like, he’s a fucktard and a loser.”
I only half hear her tirade because my fuzzy brain finally pulls the missing pieces together so I can form a thought and sentence. “He didn’t lie.”
That stops her cold. “What?”
“He didn’t lie.” I repeat both to myself and Dom.
“What are you talking about? So he didn’t lie, he just snubbed you, AGAIN!” She shouts the last word like she’s using it to wake me up.
“No, Dom, he was going to work the other night. He was going to work here.”
I can tell from her look that she is too disgusted with me to grasp the enormousness of what I just figured out. I push myself away from the sink I’d been leaning against and pull on the rickety door handle.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Dom pushes the door shut. There is a loud groan from the girls waiting in line outside the bathroom.
“To talk to him.” It’s obvious that I have to now that I know he’s not a liar. Why can’t she see this? I pull on the door again and she holds it closed with her hands.
“V, wake up. Whether he lied about the job or not he just totally snubbed you.”
“He’s working. He couldn’t talk right then.”
“And you think he wants to talk now?”
Damn she makes more sense drunk than I do. I stew for a minute then say, “Fine, whatever, let’s just get out of here.”
I pull her toward the front of the bar where I can see Danny from where we perch on a window ledge.
Dom follows my line of sight. “You’re killing me, V, let him go.”
I shake my head “no’”and she settles in. She knows I never give up easily.