Chapter 5: The First Five Minutes

Harley slid into the chair across from Marian, smiling and with an expression on her face that looked slightly out of place without the blushing. “I’m Harley,” she said.

Marian’s smile was real this time, and she almost reached out a hand, but thought better of it, not wanting to have to explain why her skin was still cold even after they’d been inside so long.

“Bon soir,” Marian replied. “I am Marian.”

“You have a gorgeous accent,” Harley said, her smile pulling at the corners of her lips. “Where are you from?”

“Anjou,” Marian said, pronouncing it the more modern way with a little bit of effort. “A bit southwest from Orleans.”

“Do you miss it?”

The question made Marian do a bit of a double take, but she dismissed it as being an innocent enough question. “At times. I have not been home in a lifetime. This is my home now.”

Harley nodded. “Yeah, I’ve only lived in the twin cities for about five years at this point, but I feel the same way. So. How did you get roped into this tonight?”

“What do you mean?” Marian asked.

“You look like you don’t want to be here, but you came anyway. So at someone else’s behest. Is it a friend? Are you someone’s moral support?”

Marian smiled, her eyes fluttering a little bit. “Yes, in fact. I’m here with my friend. He’s actually sitting right behind me. Probably going to grill you about our conversation when you meet.”

“Grill me?” Harley laughed. “I suppose I have to make sure I have something good to say to him, then. So I guess I’ll just be forward, right? Um. As moral support, are you still open for, you know, success?”

“Is that forward?” Marian laughed. It was a real laugh, and the sound of it made Harley smile. “Seems to me you are as stumbling on your words as I expect to be.”

Harley smiled and tried to raise an eyebrow. But she didn’t have the muscle control for the move, and so instead she just made a strange face and then laughed at herself. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m trying to do that sexy eyebrow raise thing you do, and I’m failing miserably. Why would you expect to be stumbling on your words?”

“You think it’s sexy?” She couldn’t help it; Marian’s eyebrow raised and a teasing look crossed her face.

Harley bit her lip. “Yes,” she said. “And yes, I noticed you before. I felt like we shared a bit of a moment there. While trying to avoid the conversations we were stuck in at the moment.”

“I suppose we did,” Marian said. “Those other times all seemed to take forever, didn’t they?”

“When I was forced to talk to someone that wasn’t you?” Harley asked. “Yeah, that really dragged.”

“Now, see? THAT was forward.”

“When did you move to town?” Harley cleared her throat, looking down at the table and trying not to think too loudly about the effect Marian’s smile was having on her. “No, that’s a boring question. Forget I asked.”

Harley scrunched up her face, then remembered the article she had googled before coming out that night. “Okay,” she said. “How about this: what is your favorite black and white movie?”

“Pi,” Marian said, smirking. “But you probably meant an old movie. So I’ll go with Casablanca.”

“I love Casablanca,” Harley agreed. “But for my money, the best Bogart movie is Maltese Falcon.”

Marian nodded. “I remember seeing that in the theater,” she said. Then she remembered how long ago that was. “At a revival festival. It was a wild experience.”

“I saw Never Ending Story in the theater at a midnight showing. The theater near me used to show older movies on the big screen. Only chance a lot of people ever got to see them in the theater.”

“Going to the movies used to be a favorite activity of mine,” Marian said, a wistful smile on her face. “But I have not been in years.”

“What would you do with a thousand dollars?”

“I would take you to a movie,” Marian said. “Then somewhere quiet where we could talk about it.”

Harley smiled again. “Good answer,” she said. “Wish I’d brought my checkbook.”

Marian’s eyes flicked over to the timer counting down. “I don’t want to run out of time,” she said. “I’d like us to be able to talk more.”

“Maybe we could grab a table? Or should I meet your friend first?”

“I think we can safely just leave this little game and meet on our own. Walter will join us when he is ready. And you will get questioned then,” she said with a playful grin.

“You sure you don’t want to talk to anyone else first?” Harley asked.

“Quite certain,” Marian said, idly nibbling her lower lip. “I don’t want to risk waking up.”

“What do you mean?”

“What if you go away and don’t come back?” Marian asked. Then she looked at her hands. “Pardonne moi,” she said. “Now I am the one being too forward.”

Harley reached across the table, putting her hand on Marian’s equally cold skin. “Don’t apologize,” she said. “Not even in French. I, um. I quite like how forward you’re being.”

“What about you?” Marian asked, unsure what to say next but determined to make good use of her time. “What would you do with a thousand dollars?”

“Probably buy shoes,” Harley said. “I know, boring answer. But no way I’m going to top yours. Also, I like shoes. I didn’t grow up with money, and shoes have always been a luxury for me. So when I have spare cash, I usually indulge in new shoes. Boots, primarily.”

“Do you have money difficulties?” Marian asked. “Even still, I mean.”

Harley shook her head. “No, no. Not anymore. I’m not rich or anything, but I don’t want for anything either.”

“What do you do?”

Harley took a breath. This was one of those questions. The questions that led to other questions. A first lie that would have to be supported by further lies down the road. It needs to be a good lie, one that can hold up to the weight she’d need to put on it.

She needed something that would excuse her not being available during the daylight hours, but was otherwise flexible enough that she could do as she wanted during the night without needing to go home to ‘get some sleep.’

“I’m a writer,” she said. “I do a lot of consulting internationally, so I have to keep odd hours. But it pays well enough that I don’t really worry. And I can definitely spend time going to a movie with a long conversation afterward. How about you? What do you do?”

“I am retired,” Marian said, smiling. It’s been her response for some time now. Few people seem to question it or her nearly unlimited funds. “Being a writer sounds like quite an adventurous life.”

“Oh, it’s not,” Harley said with a smile. “Mostly it’s just editing what other people write to make sure it makes sense. It pays the bills and it keeps me in shoes.”

“You have to do something to fill the time, no?”

“Exactly, that too. The future is too long not to have something to do, you know? Someone to spend it with?”

“I could not agree with you more,” Marian said. “So long as you find the RIGHT person.”

Harley grimaced. “Yeah. Spending time with the wrong person is … not a good way to spend your time.”