She had a painted face. I’m not talking about makeup. I’m talking about the kind of designs seen at festivals and fairs. Circus type paint. She was a circus type girl. That’s what attracted me to her. A crooked smile, torn clothes, and a no bullshit sensibility. What wasn’t to like?
She smoked Marlboro… I breathed in and deeply. Finally with the courage of a deep breath… I approached.
“What do you want?” she said.
“They say we make up our minds about people in 7 seconds.” I said “I must be slow.”
She said “I’m not.”
Looking for a reason to stay there I asked for a cigarette, even offered to buy it. She just handed me one, she said she liked my eyes. I told her I’d sell them to her, it would only cost a light. She handed me her cigarette. I lit up.
‘Neath a veil of smoke I said “I like your face.”
She said “I’ll sell it to you… for the price of my cigarette back.”
As I handed it to her she said “and one more thing?”
My face puzzled.
“You never answered the question.”
I said “they say people do what they can get away with, I just take what I can get?”
She looked at me with twisted head. “No, not what you wanted… Have you made up your mind about me yet?”
I chuckled “I don’t remember you asking. But I haven’t made my mind up about myself yet… but I like you…”
She said “Do you believe in palm reading?”
I said nothing.
She said “give me your hand.”
I said nothing. But I looked her square in the face. She looked me square in the palm. She tossed back my hand and said “I don’t believe in palm reading either.”
I laughed and asked where she got the paint from. She said she had a friend that had been practicing. Presumptuously, I asked her what kind of art she did.
She thought for a while and said “the art of living.”
I said “I’ll have to try that sometime.”
She said “there is no sometime, there is only now.”
I said “...deep…” with a smile.
She rolled her eyes, playfully. At least that’s how I saw it.
I said “Do you like coffee? There’s a joint near here that has some really terrible coffee. Perfect for a day like this.”
She looked at me, then behind me.
I said “well, it’s been more than 7 seconds, you’re still here, what’s the verdict?”
She said “this is for making me late and trust me, it’s for your own good.” Then she slapped me. Not hard, but not soft. Then she reached in her breast and grabbed a business card and handed it to me as she began to walk away.
She turned back and whispered “I’m free at 8.”
I just stood there stupid. “What lesson was I supposed to learn from this?...”
I looked at the business card… I realized… I asked her out, but I never asked her name. She wasn’t going to make it easy. Que Sera, Sera I guess. I don’t smoke Marlboro anyways. We’ll just have to see how it goes.