Chapter 1

Mel

I picked up my phone to check the time for the fifth time in less than an hour. It was still too early to leave. Dammit. I threw it back on the couch. I shouldn’t have agreed to this, and now I would be stuck with some dumbass at a fancy hotel the whole evening.

I glanced at the box of weed standing on the bookshelf. I could smoke another spliff, but it probably wasn’t a good idea. Too early for another one. I picked up the phone again. Still too early, but I might as well get this over with.

I picked up the jacket hanging over the chair, rounded the easel with my nearly finished painting, and cast one last glance at the room to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. It really did need a clean-up, but I would worry about that later. Or not at all.

I opened the door just as a neighbour passed down the stairs. He didn’t see me and only continued down the stairs. At least that was lucky. I waited another minute to make sure I wouldn't run into him downstairs, then stepped outside and locked the door. Man, I couldn’t get this over with this fast enough. All the stupid questions that always came from these evenings when someone finally had the chance to ask the controversial painter whatever they wanted. They were all so predictable, just like the rest of the bastards around.

I headed down the stairs and out to my small car parked on the street. I halted. Someone had spray-painted it. Bastards. I scrubbed it with my hand, but it was long since dry. Idiots. Maybe I should go with my long-standing plan to move to a posher area. I could afford it, that wasn’t the problem, but it would bring me even closer to the jerks. I couldn’t stand the thought of having to socialise with them in my free time as well.

I got in and was happy the car kicked in on the first try this time. Another thing I should fix, and Brian could probably help me if only I got off my butt to do it. I turned out onto the street, then immediately stood on the brakes when an idiot turned out in front of me. He didn’t see my raised middle finger as he continued down the street. I waited until he was gone, then checked behind me and continued. The hotel wasn’t far, but it took me longer than I had expected because they were doing roadwork on the way. By the time I arrived, it was almost time.

It was a fancy-schmancy hotel, but at least they served good drinks. I parked in the spot they’d given me, being a frequent guest had its benefits, and I walked inside. Wednesday night. It was almost empty. I sat down in one of the chairs in the lobby, and the receptionist gave me a shy wave. I nodded at her. I’d been here often enough to get to know them, and she was exceptionally cute. I should get her number in case I got bored one of these days.

I resisted the urge to pick up the phone and instead sat staring out the glass doors, waiting for the manager to arrive. Tomorrow I would meet the director to finalise the last steps before my exhibition. If I was lucky, there would be time to get down to the bar in the evening, and with some more luck, Gabi would be there. Maybe I could convince her to spend the night with me. It had been a while.

My phone suddenly rang. Idiots… What did they want now? I almost decided not to pick it up when I saw it was the manager who called. I accepted it.

“What you want?”

“Mel, I’m really sorry. The winner has not arrived, and we can’t get hold of them on the phone”

“What? So it’s cancelled?”

“Yes. I—”

I ended the call. Bastards… Had I come all this way for nothing? I could have had my second spliff by now, maybe even watched a compilation of Mike Tyson’s best knockouts. Idiots. I instinctively took out the pack of tobacco from my purse. At least I could smoke. I had already had my daily allowance of cigarettes today, but I deserved it. I paused. Damn. I’d forgotten they’d made the entrance smoke-free, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they’d put up a smoke alarm. Venturing any further out on the street would just put me at risk of bumping into some jerk. Stupid shit… I paused. They had the rooftop. They couldn’t have put up an alarm there, too, could they? Screw it. If they had, I would take the suck.

I got up, and I saw the receptionist hesitantly wave goodbye at me, but I couldn’t be bothered this time. I found my way to the stairs and began to climb.

It took too long, and when I finally saw the exit door, my fingers were itching to roll a cigarette. Idiots… I grabbed my tobacco package from my bag, pushed the door open and halted. A woman was standing at the edge of the roof, watching the street below. What the… Could this day be any worse?

I stared at her for a moment. Should I call the lobby? No, it might be too late by then. She hadn’t heard me, so I slowly made my way to her to not startle her. When I was close enough to grab her, should she move, I pocketed the tobacco and said,

“You’ll let the bastards win if you jump”

She startled backwards, ending up safely on the roof, and swung around. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw me.

“Don’t let them win”, I repeated.

She looked down, staring silently at the roof. She was younger than me, and I wondered what had happened to her because her face was scarred from what must have been burns. What was she doing here? She must have been dressed up to go somewhere because her clothes were all fancy. Should I call someone? Nah, what would they do? Get her checked in somewhere, and I’ve heard of those places. I took out the tobacco and offered her, but she shook her head. I rolled myself one and finally took a deep drag.

“Why are you here?”, I asked.

She whispered something I couldn’t hear. I took another drag of the cigarette.

“Speak up”

“They said it was cancelled”, she whispered, still barely audible.

“Cancelled?”

She nodded, almost unnoticeably.

“What was cancelled?”

“The dinner with you”

I stared at her.

“With me?”

Had the winner come after all? The bastards… She nodded, and I threw the cigarette on the ground and pulled her from the edge of the roof and down onto a bench.

“What did they tell you?”

She hesitated for a moment before whispering,

“Only that it had been cancelled”

So a disfigured girl wouldn’t be good content for their marketing campaign. Idiots. I stood up.

“I’m the freaking one to say if it’s cancelled or not”

I grabbed her arm and pulled her up.

“Let’s go. We’re having dinner.”

She stared at me, surprised.

“You won the raffle. You’ll have the evening to ask me whatever you want”