LA Modern Noir: Chapter 7c - Allison

Link to previous Chapter Allison - 7b

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Chapter 7c - 1609 words

A business whose contract Allison had bid for a few months previously called Friday. The person they’d gone with instead of her had been in an accident and would be unable to work for an unknown number of months. Could she take over and complete it? That they offered to pay the rate she’d pitched told her something of the panic they were in.

She was deep into the files they sent over when the doorbell rang. It was the third of Earl’s parcels. An hour later the fourth arrived and, within thirty minutes, the fifth – all through different couriers. She stacked the last two on top of the first three and they were beginning to look like some bizarre construction blocks like you might see in a remodelled café in West Hollywood. While getting ready to go up to the University Shonda had speculated what might be in them, and why they were sent here.

‘He’s stealing reams of paper and intends to open a stationers’ was the guess which made them laugh the most. ‘He’s robbing banks in Cleveland and is sending the takings back bit by bit’ had been Allison’s funniest attempt in the midst of their prepping for the day.

She opened Earl’s wardrobe, moved some of his sneakers and shoes out and stacked the parcels in the space, piling the footwear back and closing the door. Her phone rang. It was Earl.

‘I got notification the last package arrived,’ he said.

‘Oh, yes, just a little while ago. I’ve stacked them in the bottom of your wardrobe.’

‘I told you to stack them against the wall.’

‘I, I did, but I thought they’d be better tucked away until you get back. Then we can take them to-’

‘Whatever,’ Earl interrupted. ‘So long as you managed not to root around in them.’

‘They’re all intact.’

‘They’d better stay that way. What are you doing today? Wait, doesn’t Shonda come today? DON’T tell her about the packages, keep them out of sight.’

‘I’ll not say anything, and now they’re in your closet they can’t even be seen. If that’s all, I need to get back to work. I got a rush commission to work through and I want to get a good look at it before Shonda and I go for drinks later.’

A telephone rang on Earl’s side of the call, a landline, not a cel. Earl said, ‘I need to take that call. See you Wednesday.’

Avoiding any thoughts of what might happen if Earl discovered her lie about Shonda’s early arrival, Allison made a drink and sat herself back at the computer. The screen opened back to the graphic she’d been looking at. It was off, wrong, in a way she’d been unable to quantify previously. Now things clicked together. There was mismatch between the color scheme, typeface, and (other part). Identifying the problem opened the route to solving the issue and she began playing around with the palette. The original had gone with grays and greens which were in vogue, but the product and brief really needed softer, warmer, tones.

She was deep into changing the feel of the project, lost in tracking a myriad of edits which would need to be harmonised throughout everything. There was knocking at the door. The first couple didn’t register, but then they broke through.

‘Coming,’ she called. It was Corrina. Allison opened the door and waved her neighbor in. ‘Hey, I should probably be taking a break. Come in and I’ll put some coffee on. How you doing?’

‘Fine. I’m here to see how you are,’ Corrina said. ‘I’ve been away for work and, well, you’d said Earl was away this week.’ She closed the door and followed Allison into the apartment. ‘Oh, Allison, did you paint that? The water looks like I could dip right into it.’

They both stood and looked at the painting on the easel.

Allison said, ‘I sketched it a few weeks ago, this week I got the oils on and, well, I’m glad you like it.’

‘Like it? It’s wonderful! You said you painted, but this, this could be in a gallery.’

‘It’s hardly a Blum, or Kordansky, type painting.’

‘Maybe not, but it’s fantastic. And not everyone wants an eight by six canvas filled with blobs of color or unidentified shapes.’

‘Oh, it’s okay. Take a seat. You know, it’s Friday afternoon and past five on the East Coast. I’ve got wine in the fridge if you’re interested.’

‘You know, that sounds terrific.’

Allison got the bottle and glasses. She poured them both a glass and handed Corrina hers.

‘Thanks,’ Corrina said. ‘You said you’ve got a friend coming this weekend, when does she get here?’

‘Shonda arrived last night. She said she only had a couple of hours work this morning but I’m guessing things at the University ran over. You guys should come round tomorrow and meet her. We’ll have cocktails and get some food in.’

‘That sounds good. I’ll ask the guys what they’re up to. This is good wine!’

‘It’s a vineyard somewhere up state. Thanks for dropping in. I’m fine.’

‘That’s good to hear. I hope you stay fine, stay healthy.’

Allison said, ‘His work’s doing better. He’s getting less stressed.’

‘There’s no amount of stress that should leave you like I found you the other week.’

‘It’s not often and, he’s not a bad man.’

‘Sorry, I don’t mean to press or pry. Tell me about your friend. Have you known each other long?’

‘We shared a room in the first year of Uni, and then for the next two years. We’ve been friends from that first meeting. She’s from (place) and full of life.’ There was a rap at the door. Allison looked at the clock, it was a little past three-thirty. ‘You might get to meet her right now, I’m not expecting anyone else.’ She got up and answered the door. It was Shonda. She shot in, and sprinted for the bathroom, not noticing Corrina.

Allison closed the door and came back through to the front room. She got another glass, poured wine for Shonda, and topped up Corrina and her own glass. She said, ‘I swear she has the smallest bladder of anyone on the planet. She’ll have gone to the loo before leaving the University.’

‘Who you talking to?’ Shonda said, coming round the corner. ‘Hey, I’m Shonda.’ She stepped towards Corrina and held her hand out.

Corrina stood and shook her hand. She said, ‘Hi, Shonda, I’m Corrina. I live next door. It’s great to meet you, Allison’s been excited about you coming to visit.’

‘Oh, she said she had some nice folk move in next door. I love your hair. Allison, you’d look great with your hair that color!’

Allison passed the glass of wine to Shonda and said, ‘Sit down, drink your wine, and leave my hair alone.’ She turned to Corrina. ‘Since college Shonda has been trying to get me to color my hair. Of course, ten years ago she thought it should be blue, green, yellow, or purple. At least she’s toned down to a vibrant red.’

The other two women laughed. Shonda said, ‘I still reckon that physics guy would have asked you out if you’d colored your hair.’

Allison shook her head. ‘He did ask me out, you just never remember that. And let’s not bore Corrina with our college stories. We can swap those when the cocktails hit later.’

‘Where are you heading for cocktails?’ Corrina asked. ‘Have you tried Bar Lubitsch on Santa Monica West? Friday nights they have comedy.’

‘I’d thought of Bar Next Door on Sunset,’ Allison said, ‘but comedy might be fun.’ She looked at Shonda. ‘What do you think?’

‘I’d be happy getting a bottle of gin and vermouth and do our drinking here. But if we go out, let’s get some laughs.’

‘Let’s do that then,’ Allsion said. She looked at Corrina. ‘Would you like to join us?’

‘Oh, I’ve got stuff to do and I don’t know when I’ll be finished. And I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your catch up.’ She finished her wine, put the glass down, and stood up. ‘And if I don’t go get the stuff started, I’ll definitely not finish. Thanks for the wine, Allison. Shonda, it was lovely to meet you and, unless you’re already booked, why don’t you come round tomorrow and we’ll have some nibbles, and maybe some gin and vermouth.’ At the door she gave Allison a little hug. She said, ‘And be careful tonight. Watch out for the (location) cannibal.’

When Allison closed the door and had sat back down Shonda said, ‘She seems nice. Does she often feel the need to check in on how you are? Is he still hitting you? You said it’d stop when he was working again.’

Allison bit her lip and looked out the window, tears welled in the corner of her eye. After a few moments she said, ‘It’s fine. Corrina’s just a good neighbor and I think she likes having a friend who isn’t housemates who really need their own place.’

Shonda said, ‘Girl, do you want to talk about it?’

Allsion shook her head. Her computer pinged with an incoming email. She said, ‘I had some work come in and though I’ve done most of what I wanted today, I need to check that. Why don’t you have a chill while I finish up and then we’ll go eat, get some cocktails and listen to some comedy, and enjoy the evening?’

‘Sure, I’ve got some emails I can deal with. Let’s do that.’

Chapter Break

I wrote this post about a story where I had a first chapter written. I'm trying to push on and finish a first draft in 2024.

If you'd like to be tagged in for future chapters, let me know.

Thanks

Stuart

Link to collated chapters HERE

Link to the short story which is the seed for this is HERE

Any LA based or knowledgable folks who want to pitch in on local things I get wrong, please do. I've never been and there's only so much I can learn on the internet.

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words by stuartcturnbull pic by igorelick on Pixabay