• Home

The Pinup

Posted on August 28, 2007
Filed Under The Stories |

They passed each other like they had already done a few hundred times before. She was hot, not just because she had been sweating away at her twice-weekly cardio workout but because she was blessed with a genetic distillation of what her father put in her mother designed to elicit envy and catcalls in equal measure throughout her adult life. Though it had taken time she had become used to the fact that he ignored her. So when he nodded and said, “Hey,” she stopped and turned around. He kept going of course so she had to use a leash of words to pull him back, “We’ve worked out in the same gym for three years. You’ve never said one word to me before today.”

He turned around for the last part of her statement, “What changed?”

He took a step towards her, measuring his words like he measured his step and said, “My mother always told me to mind my own business.”

She clearly didn’t understand.

“She said, ‘Mind your own business and there will always be food on the table. Mind other people’s business and you will have to rely on scraps people toss under the table.’”

It was proving to be a curious enough exchange that she remained interested. Even though she didn’t understand a word of what he was saying, “So what changed?”

“I sold my business.”

“Meaning…?”

“I don’t know why I’m telling you this but for the past three years I’ve been focused. On my business and growing it. Me and my people worked hard to make it the best it could be and yesterday the end result came through.”

“What do you do?”

“As of today? Nothing. I sleep in late, see what I’ve been missing on TV. Work out because I want to instead of because I have to. Go on a few dates…”

“And that’s why you thought you could finally speak to me?”

“Yes.”

“Because you’re ready to date.”

“Yes.”

“Are you retarded or something?”

“No. Why?”

“Not one word for three years and now you want to go out with me?”

“I told you. I was working.”

“So? You couldn’t say hello?”

“Distractions can seriously kill productivity. For example what do you do?”

He didn’t know why but she looked like she took that as an insult. After a moment she remembered she hadn’t answered the question so she said, quietly, “I’m a model.”

“Oh. Nice. What kind?”

“Print mostly but some TV too.”

“Ever do any pinup work?”

“No…”

“Would you like to?”

“I don’t know. What’s pinup work?”

“Y’know…posters. That people, men…women, I don’t know…put up on their walls and wherever.”

“You think I could be a pinup?”

He took a step back and looked at her, actually made it apparent that he was ‘looking’ at her and gestured with open palms, “Of course. Look at you. You’d make a great pinup.”

“You’re not just saying that because I’m mad at you for ignoring me for three years?”

“Like I said, I couldn’t have any distractions,” he cracked his first smile, as far as she could remember she had never seen him smile, and said, “and you’ve got to admit, you would have been a pretty big distraction.”

She looked suspicious, “What business were you in?”

“Computer-related.”

“Would I have heard of it?”

“I don’t know. Herd Mentality? Have you heard of it?”

Her eyes went wide in a way that forced him to resist throwing his hands forward, palms up to catch the eyeballs that were certain to pop out, “Oh my God, the server farm company? That was yours?”

He straightened slightly, out of a combination of pride and surprise, “You’ve heard of us?”

“Are you kidding? Who hasn’t?”

He looked proudly skeptical, “Really? I didn’t think we did anything that sexy.”

“Are you kidding? You guys are like the Apple of server farms. The name, the idea, the advertising, the packaging! You know the impact you’ve had on the way people think about…wait a minute I read a number. Oh shit! Sorry! Oh my God, you’re rich! Like these-people -have-no-clue rich.” She was pointing at the door through which some of the really well-to-do people in the city worked out. Another thought occurred to her and she asked, “Am I the last person here to know who you are and what you do?”

“Actually, no. You might be the first.”

She took a step back and covered her mouth, “I’m sorry. I can’t go out with you.”

“Why not?”

“I know who you are.”

“So?”

“You’ll think I’m only dating you for your money.”

“Oh. I…hadn’t thought of that.”

She raised both her hands to her face, “And now that’s all you will be able to think of.”

“Listen, no! It’s, I’ve wanted to ask you out for a long time but as you may have guessed this has been a long process and I had to make sure I didn’t lose focus. I’ve barely seen my parents in three years and I don’t think I have any friends left. There was no question of dates and even sleep has been at a premium. This place was my only respite. And so I kinda got used to you. Seeing you here, catching glimpses of you working out…it’s sort of been my only relationship with a girl.”

“I’m sorry but that’s a little sad.”

“No. I knew what I had to give up to make this other thing happened. I made a choice.”

“And now you think you’re ready to catch up on all the sex you missed?”

He smiled, “Baby steps. I think a meal, a movie, some conversation about stuff that does not involve specifications of any kind or debating the effect of conflict in mining regions from where the metal for cabinets comes…that is what I’m looking for. I’ll deal with sex when the possibility occurs.”

“That’s…refreshing.”

“What?”

“A suddenly rich guy who doesn’t feel like he can buy whatever he wants.”

He didn’t know how to respond to that so he didn’t. She looked at him as if she was running a complex equation through her head and then she said, “Okay. One date. No promises. We’ll see how to take it from there.”

“Sounds good. And thank you.”

“For what?”

“If I’ve pissed off a hot girl who could be a pinup by simply minding my own business, who knows what else I’ve inadvertently messed up. I should watch out for falling pianos in my near future.”

“A geek who believes in karma. How interesting!”

“In case you didn’t notice, I’m also a geek who works out.”

“Is that innuendo for suggesting I should see you with your shirt off?”

“What? No!”

She laughed and touched his arm, “I’m kidding.”

He managed a sheepish grin of his own and said, “So, can I call you?”

“Give me your phone.”

He did and she punched her number in, handed it back and said, “Call me. I’m Sherry by the way.”

“Vincent. Hi.”

“Hi.”

With an exchange of smiles and a suddenly-rediscovered shyness they went their separate ways.

Comments