original - better days
In celebration of Mighty Kate's birthday, I'm reposting the stories I wrote for the fan scrapbook we presented on the night of her CD release party.
This story is based on the song Better Days. If you like what you hear, think about buying her CD!
***
Better Days
***
She puts the ad on Craigslist the same day she sells her engagement ring to pay the next month's rent. It's enough money for two months, if she cuts down on groceries, and as soon as the ad is sent, she clicks over to the employment section of the site.
The words blur after an hour. She turns the heat as low as she can stand it and goes to bed.
***
"Hi," the woman in Starbucks says. "You must be Maddie." She has long auburn hair pulled back into a bun. Her nails are short and unmanicured. Her cotton jersey dress looks stretched out and well-loved. She has an easy smile. Maddie decides that as long as she's not a serial killer, she can have the room.
"Yeah," Maddie says. "Cherry?"
"That's me," the woman--Cherry--says. "So, do you want to talk about--"
"As long as you're not putting bodies in the fridge, you can have the room."
"--references?" Cherry blinks at her. "Um."
"The freezer is negotible," Maddie says. Cherry stares at her for a moment, biting her lip.
"That broke, huh?" she finally asks.
"Indeed," Maddie says. "Sold my engagement ring last week. It should last me two months."
"Your engagement ring?" Cherry asks. Her eyebrows disappear beneath her bangs. "How's your finace feel about that?"
"If you can find him, you can ask him," Maddie says.
Cherry winces.
"Right. Well. I don't have any bodies to stash, but how do you feel about pastry?"
***
Cherry is a good fit, something that Maddie thanks god for every day. She doesn't mind Maddie's late nights, as long as she's quiet. She doesn't mind paint brushes in the bathroom sink as long as Maddie doesn't mind piping bags and decorating tips cluttering the countertops. Maddie gets all the day-old baked goods she can eat (more money saved on groceries) and Cherry gets to watch Maddie work. It's not something Maddie would consider a fair trade, but Cherry insists it's enthralling.
"You're fun to watch, Gorgeous," she says, putting her feet on the coffeetable and scratching at dried frosting on her shirt. Her eyes drift back to Maddie's latest canvas. "What's this one called?"
"Portrait of a Roommate in Flour," Maddie says, gesturing towards her own hair until Cherry gets the hint and shakes the flour out of her ponytail.
"Great, thanks, subtle, that." She grins cheekily. "Keep at it. I'm going to go take a shower."
Maddie watches Cherry go and returns to her canvas. It was going to be a landscape, but Cherry's inspired her, and she starts to sketch out a figure and a garden instead.
***
Cherry was dumped by her ex-girlfriend in a way not entirely dissimilar to Ben's abrupt departure. Cherry seems more broken up about it than Maddie was, although that could be because Maddie was more mortified about losing her job than the disappearance of her fiance.
"That probably means he wasn't the one," Cherry comments.
"I figured that out when I woke up and all his stuff was gone," Maddie says.
Cherry's ex-girlfriend is an enigma. Cherry won't talk about her and the photos have all disappeared from Cherry's albums and from her Facebook account.
"She was in the closet," Cherry says. "It wouldn't have worked anyway."
That doesn't stop Maddie from wanting to know about her, from wondering how anyone could look at Cherry with anything other than overwhelming affection.
"You didn't need her anyway," Maddie says as Cherry tries to throw her fourth empty beer bottle in the recycle and misses. "If you had stayed with her, you never would have met me and I wouldn't have started this series." She gestures with her own bottle to the half finished canvases covering the tables and floors. "When I get famous and I give you a cut of the profits, you'll be so fucking glad you left her, Cherry."
"Already am," Cherry slurs. She leans her head on Maddie's thigh and falls asleep. Maddie doesn't even mind that she drools.
***
Cherry thinks Maddie doesn't notice that she's paying more than her share of the rent, but the truth is she's too embarrassed to call Cherry on it. She's almost done with this series, though, and she actually has a gallery showing.
"Your big break," Cherry says, leaning against Maddie's back as she finishes another painting. "God, remember me when you're famous and you can afford to move out of this place, yeah?"
"You're not easy to forget, Cherry," Maddie says, leaning back into the warmth. "I wouldn't worry about it."
***
(Sometimes, at night, when Maddie can't sleep and can't watch teevee for fear of waking Cherry, she tries to let herself imagine a future where she's hit it big. She tries to imagine her paintings in a real gallery somewhere. She tries to imagine someone paying money for her work. It's easier to imagine a life spent in this dumpy apartment watching teevee on the sofa with Cherry. She doesn't examine that too closely.)
***
"Can I bring a date to your gallery show?" Cherry asks casually a week beforehand.
"I'll see if I can get a ticket," Maddie says.
She tells herself it's nerves making her stomach rumble. She almost believes it.
***
Maddie wears a dress to the gallery show. It's new and a little itchy, but she wants to look nice and Cherry says she looks good in red. She also drinks a little too much wine, but that's only because she's nervous and she's out of Xanax and she can't afford to go back to the doctor.
She drinks wine and she straightens her dress and she looks around the gallery frantically. She smiles at potential buyers and answers questions about the abstract gardens and interpretations of harvest.
She's edgy, and when Cherry corrals her into the back room, she does the only thing she can think to do.
***
Cherry's the first one to pull back from the kiss, her hands gentle on Maddie's face.
"Um," she says. "I didn't bring a date."
"Fuck," Maddie says. She covers her mouth with her hands.
"Just so you know," Cherry says.
"Oh my god," Maddie says.
"And... it's possible the date thing was a test," Cherry continues, looking away.
"Shit," Maddie says.
"I didn't know if you liked girls," Cherry says.
"Wait, what?" Maddie says.
"So," Cherry says.
This time, Cherry kisses first.
This story is based on the song Better Days. If you like what you hear, think about buying her CD!
***
Better Days
***
She puts the ad on Craigslist the same day she sells her engagement ring to pay the next month's rent. It's enough money for two months, if she cuts down on groceries, and as soon as the ad is sent, she clicks over to the employment section of the site.
The words blur after an hour. She turns the heat as low as she can stand it and goes to bed.
***
"Hi," the woman in Starbucks says. "You must be Maddie." She has long auburn hair pulled back into a bun. Her nails are short and unmanicured. Her cotton jersey dress looks stretched out and well-loved. She has an easy smile. Maddie decides that as long as she's not a serial killer, she can have the room.
"Yeah," Maddie says. "Cherry?"
"That's me," the woman--Cherry--says. "So, do you want to talk about--"
"As long as you're not putting bodies in the fridge, you can have the room."
"--references?" Cherry blinks at her. "Um."
"The freezer is negotible," Maddie says. Cherry stares at her for a moment, biting her lip.
"That broke, huh?" she finally asks.
"Indeed," Maddie says. "Sold my engagement ring last week. It should last me two months."
"Your engagement ring?" Cherry asks. Her eyebrows disappear beneath her bangs. "How's your finace feel about that?"
"If you can find him, you can ask him," Maddie says.
Cherry winces.
"Right. Well. I don't have any bodies to stash, but how do you feel about pastry?"
***
Cherry is a good fit, something that Maddie thanks god for every day. She doesn't mind Maddie's late nights, as long as she's quiet. She doesn't mind paint brushes in the bathroom sink as long as Maddie doesn't mind piping bags and decorating tips cluttering the countertops. Maddie gets all the day-old baked goods she can eat (more money saved on groceries) and Cherry gets to watch Maddie work. It's not something Maddie would consider a fair trade, but Cherry insists it's enthralling.
"You're fun to watch, Gorgeous," she says, putting her feet on the coffeetable and scratching at dried frosting on her shirt. Her eyes drift back to Maddie's latest canvas. "What's this one called?"
"Portrait of a Roommate in Flour," Maddie says, gesturing towards her own hair until Cherry gets the hint and shakes the flour out of her ponytail.
"Great, thanks, subtle, that." She grins cheekily. "Keep at it. I'm going to go take a shower."
Maddie watches Cherry go and returns to her canvas. It was going to be a landscape, but Cherry's inspired her, and she starts to sketch out a figure and a garden instead.
***
Cherry was dumped by her ex-girlfriend in a way not entirely dissimilar to Ben's abrupt departure. Cherry seems more broken up about it than Maddie was, although that could be because Maddie was more mortified about losing her job than the disappearance of her fiance.
"That probably means he wasn't the one," Cherry comments.
"I figured that out when I woke up and all his stuff was gone," Maddie says.
Cherry's ex-girlfriend is an enigma. Cherry won't talk about her and the photos have all disappeared from Cherry's albums and from her Facebook account.
"She was in the closet," Cherry says. "It wouldn't have worked anyway."
That doesn't stop Maddie from wanting to know about her, from wondering how anyone could look at Cherry with anything other than overwhelming affection.
"You didn't need her anyway," Maddie says as Cherry tries to throw her fourth empty beer bottle in the recycle and misses. "If you had stayed with her, you never would have met me and I wouldn't have started this series." She gestures with her own bottle to the half finished canvases covering the tables and floors. "When I get famous and I give you a cut of the profits, you'll be so fucking glad you left her, Cherry."
"Already am," Cherry slurs. She leans her head on Maddie's thigh and falls asleep. Maddie doesn't even mind that she drools.
***
Cherry thinks Maddie doesn't notice that she's paying more than her share of the rent, but the truth is she's too embarrassed to call Cherry on it. She's almost done with this series, though, and she actually has a gallery showing.
"Your big break," Cherry says, leaning against Maddie's back as she finishes another painting. "God, remember me when you're famous and you can afford to move out of this place, yeah?"
"You're not easy to forget, Cherry," Maddie says, leaning back into the warmth. "I wouldn't worry about it."
***
(Sometimes, at night, when Maddie can't sleep and can't watch teevee for fear of waking Cherry, she tries to let herself imagine a future where she's hit it big. She tries to imagine her paintings in a real gallery somewhere. She tries to imagine someone paying money for her work. It's easier to imagine a life spent in this dumpy apartment watching teevee on the sofa with Cherry. She doesn't examine that too closely.)
***
"Can I bring a date to your gallery show?" Cherry asks casually a week beforehand.
"I'll see if I can get a ticket," Maddie says.
She tells herself it's nerves making her stomach rumble. She almost believes it.
***
Maddie wears a dress to the gallery show. It's new and a little itchy, but she wants to look nice and Cherry says she looks good in red. She also drinks a little too much wine, but that's only because she's nervous and she's out of Xanax and she can't afford to go back to the doctor.
She drinks wine and she straightens her dress and she looks around the gallery frantically. She smiles at potential buyers and answers questions about the abstract gardens and interpretations of harvest.
She's edgy, and when Cherry corrals her into the back room, she does the only thing she can think to do.
***
Cherry's the first one to pull back from the kiss, her hands gentle on Maddie's face.
"Um," she says. "I didn't bring a date."
"Fuck," Maddie says. She covers her mouth with her hands.
"Just so you know," Cherry says.
"Oh my god," Maddie says.
"And... it's possible the date thing was a test," Cherry continues, looking away.
"Shit," Maddie says.
"I didn't know if you liked girls," Cherry says.
"Wait, what?" Maddie says.
"So," Cherry says.
This time, Cherry kisses first.