The Allowance
The Allowance
"Well, that was fun," Richard finally mumbled in the dark.
It was around two'o'clock in the morning. He had been standing there staring at the lights in the dark.
A few months ago and on another beautiful night, he had been staring at the city lights yet again when he found himself interrupted by a beautiful blonde girl who walked out of the bar.
"Do you have a cigarette?" she had said with a smile.
"You have a pretty smile," he said. "No, I don't smoke."
"Do you have a lighter?"
"No."
"Matches?"
"No," he finally laughed. "How about I buy you a lighter from the store across the street?"
They walked close to each other to the store.
"The matches are free," the old Asian storekeeper said. She smiled as if she approved of the two of them.
It was unclear when exactly Richard started referring to Jeanie as his "Honey", but I suspect that it was right around hour number four into their first impromptu date.
"Do you live in the city?" he asked.
"No, I'm in Pittsburgh," she said.
"Pennsylvania!"
"No, there's also a Pittsburgh in California."
He had been sitting there watching her eat her burger, and then he suddenly said: "I need to buy you a dress. I'm used to women wearing black dresses around me."
"Maybe," she said. "I'm more a hipster kind of a person."
"Just try it sometime."
When summer finally came to San Francisco, she finally agreed to put on a white summer dress for him.
"Am I turning into your sugarbabe or something?" she asked him as they sneaked into the fitting rooms.
"No," he would mumble as he would zip her up. "I think this is strictly platonic."
"You know what's funny?" she said.
"What?"
"I'm surprised a guy like you is into a girl like me."
"What does that even mean?" he said as they held hands in the city.
"It means I'm from a lower social class than you."
He gripped her hand tightly and finally kissed her, and then he took her to her favorite hole-in-the-wall Chinese place in Little Italy.
"It's the best fried rice ever, isn't it?" she said.
"Who would have eaten Chinese in Little Italy?" he wondered.
"You're not lower class," he said. "Don't ever say that, my dear. Quite frankly, you wear that Prada dress better than anyone I've ever kissed."
They laughed.
Then the other day he sat with his friend Darren. Darren disapproved of the short commune.
"She's going to hurt you, man" he said. "Have you even slept with her?"
"No," he said. "We're literally on just date three. Plus, I don't really know if I want to sleep with her. I just like that she makes me feel old-fashioned."
"You are old fashioned, Richard," Darren said. "This whole thing sounds like you're living another Manic Pixie Dream Girl Fantasy or something. Or was it "My Fair Lady"? Stop being a masochist."
"Thanks, Dad."
"What's her story?" Darren asked.
"Runaway. Little to no contact with family. No job. Lives in some house in Pittsburgh."
"Pennsylvania?" Darren asked.
"No," Richard said. "There's one in California too."
Darren looked back at Richard with skepticism.
"Look! I like taking care of her!" Richard finally said. "All you ever do, Darrenm is pull their hair and slap their bottoms. What's wrong with me being nice to a girl instead?"
Richard made sure that the fourth date was special.
They began with lunch, then there was shopping, and then there was dinner at another Chinese place.
"You look sad," he said. "Is everything all right?"
"Yes," she finally whispered.
"What's wrong?"
"I need help," she finally said.
"How much?"
"Just a couple."
"It's not a problem, honey."
"And I need a place to stay," she said.
He held her close to him.
"You can stay here as long as you want. In fact, I might be getting a second apartment soon. We could move into the bigger one, if you want a view of the Bay."
She smiled.
"My ex-roomate will be coming over tonight," she said. "I don't have a lot of stuff. Just a couple of bags. I'll ask him to bring them with him. I want to move in tonight."
He laughed.
"Let's do it," he finally said. "Life is too short."
He held her until he dozed off again.
A little before 2 am, her phone rang.
"He's here," she said. "I'm going to get my stuff from the car."
He rolled over and took out cash from his wallet.
"Here you go," he said.
"Thanks, baby," she said, and then she kissed him softly on his lips.
He felt something.
"Let me walk you outside," he said.
"No," she said. "It's all right."
"It's okay," he whispered. "I don't want you walking outside alone."
He put on his hoodie, and then he walked out to the front door. He felt his chest tighten as he held her hand.
In the distance, before the twilight, and in the glimmer of city lights, he saw an old hatchback parked in the corner. A large black man sat in the car.
"I'll be right back," she said.
And then she was gone. The car accelerated, and he stared silently as he stood there and watched it recede into the lights of the city.
He reached into his pocket, and took out a cigarette, and then lit it up using the lighter that he had bought for her.
"Well, that was fun," he mumbled.
He stared at the city lights. The minutes turned into an hour, and then he finally laughed and felt relieved. He hadn't felt this happy in years.
"Naughty girl," he finally laughed. "I thought you'd never leave."
"Well, that was fun," Richard finally mumbled in the dark.
It was around two'o'clock in the morning. He had been standing there staring at the lights in the dark.
A few months ago and on another beautiful night, he had been staring at the city lights yet again when he found himself interrupted by a beautiful blonde girl who walked out of the bar.
"Do you have a cigarette?" she had said with a smile.
"You have a pretty smile," he said. "No, I don't smoke."
"Do you have a lighter?"
"No."
"Matches?"
"No," he finally laughed. "How about I buy you a lighter from the store across the street?"
They walked close to each other to the store.
"The matches are free," the old Asian storekeeper said. She smiled as if she approved of the two of them.
It was unclear when exactly Richard started referring to Jeanie as his "Honey", but I suspect that it was right around hour number four into their first impromptu date.
"Do you live in the city?" he asked.
"No, I'm in Pittsburgh," she said.
"Pennsylvania!"
"No, there's also a Pittsburgh in California."
He had been sitting there watching her eat her burger, and then he suddenly said: "I need to buy you a dress. I'm used to women wearing black dresses around me."
"Maybe," she said. "I'm more a hipster kind of a person."
"Just try it sometime."
When summer finally came to San Francisco, she finally agreed to put on a white summer dress for him.
"Am I turning into your sugarbabe or something?" she asked him as they sneaked into the fitting rooms.
"No," he would mumble as he would zip her up. "I think this is strictly platonic."
"You know what's funny?" she said.
"What?"
"I'm surprised a guy like you is into a girl like me."
"What does that even mean?" he said as they held hands in the city.
"It means I'm from a lower social class than you."
He gripped her hand tightly and finally kissed her, and then he took her to her favorite hole-in-the-wall Chinese place in Little Italy.
"It's the best fried rice ever, isn't it?" she said.
"Who would have eaten Chinese in Little Italy?" he wondered.
"You're not lower class," he said. "Don't ever say that, my dear. Quite frankly, you wear that Prada dress better than anyone I've ever kissed."
They laughed.
Then the other day he sat with his friend Darren. Darren disapproved of the short commune.
"She's going to hurt you, man" he said. "Have you even slept with her?"
"No," he said. "We're literally on just date three. Plus, I don't really know if I want to sleep with her. I just like that she makes me feel old-fashioned."
"You are old fashioned, Richard," Darren said. "This whole thing sounds like you're living another Manic Pixie Dream Girl Fantasy or something. Or was it "My Fair Lady"? Stop being a masochist."
"Thanks, Dad."
"What's her story?" Darren asked.
"Runaway. Little to no contact with family. No job. Lives in some house in Pittsburgh."
"Pennsylvania?" Darren asked.
"No," Richard said. "There's one in California too."
Darren looked back at Richard with skepticism.
"Look! I like taking care of her!" Richard finally said. "All you ever do, Darrenm is pull their hair and slap their bottoms. What's wrong with me being nice to a girl instead?"
Richard made sure that the fourth date was special.
They began with lunch, then there was shopping, and then there was dinner at another Chinese place.
"You look sad," he said. "Is everything all right?"
"Yes," she finally whispered.
"What's wrong?"
"I need help," she finally said.
"How much?"
"Just a couple."
"It's not a problem, honey."
"And I need a place to stay," she said.
He held her close to him.
"You can stay here as long as you want. In fact, I might be getting a second apartment soon. We could move into the bigger one, if you want a view of the Bay."
She smiled.
"My ex-roomate will be coming over tonight," she said. "I don't have a lot of stuff. Just a couple of bags. I'll ask him to bring them with him. I want to move in tonight."
He laughed.
"Let's do it," he finally said. "Life is too short."
He held her until he dozed off again.
A little before 2 am, her phone rang.
"He's here," she said. "I'm going to get my stuff from the car."
He rolled over and took out cash from his wallet.
"Here you go," he said.
"Thanks, baby," she said, and then she kissed him softly on his lips.
He felt something.
"Let me walk you outside," he said.
"No," she said. "It's all right."
"It's okay," he whispered. "I don't want you walking outside alone."
He put on his hoodie, and then he walked out to the front door. He felt his chest tighten as he held her hand.
In the distance, before the twilight, and in the glimmer of city lights, he saw an old hatchback parked in the corner. A large black man sat in the car.
"I'll be right back," she said.
And then she was gone. The car accelerated, and he stared silently as he stood there and watched it recede into the lights of the city.
He reached into his pocket, and took out a cigarette, and then lit it up using the lighter that he had bought for her.
"Well, that was fun," he mumbled.
He stared at the city lights. The minutes turned into an hour, and then he finally laughed and felt relieved. He hadn't felt this happy in years.
"Naughty girl," he finally laughed. "I thought you'd never leave."