Wall Street Hearts

You won't believe what I look like right now. Sitting on the couch, a disheveled mess in my dirty gray T-shirt and ripped sweatpants, I'm a far cry from my usual self. I'm Lucas Bennett, and this isn't the real me. In my everyday life, I'm impeccably groomed. My chin is always clean-shaven, and my black hair is slicked back, giving me a dangerous yet professional vibe. I wear tailor-made suits and shoes that cost more than most people's rent. But right now, in this apartment, the shades are drawn and the only illumination comes from the bluish glow of the TV. The furniture is strewn with beer bottles, pizza boxes, and empty ice cream tubs. This is not my real apartment. The one I usually reside in is a haven of cleanliness, thanks to the girl who comes by twice a week. It's equipped with all the modern conveniences and big-boy toys a man could dream of: surround sound, satellite speakers, and a jaw-dropping big-screen plasma TV that would make anyone drool. The decor is sleek and modern, with lots of black and stainless steel, clearly indicating that a man with refined taste lives there. But today, I'm just a mess on the couch, a far cry from my usual sophisticated self. What happened to me? It's a long story, and not one I'm particularly proud of, but hey, everyone has their off days, right? So, like I said—what you’re seeing right now isn’t the real me. I have the flu. Influenza. Have you ever noticed some of the worst sicknesses in history have a lyrical sound to them? Words like malaria, diarrhea, cholera. Do you think they do that on purpose? To make it a nice way to say you feel like something that dropped out of your dog’s ass? Influenza. Has a nice ring to it, if you say it enough. At least I’m pretty sure that’s what I have. That’s why I’ve been holed up in my apartment the last seven days. That’s why I turned my phone off, why I’ve gotten off the couch only to use the bathroom or to bring in the food I order from the delivery guy. How long does the flu last anyway? Ten days? A month? Mine started a week ago. My alarm went off at five a.m., like always. But instead of rising from the bed to go to the office where I’m a star, I threw the clock across the room, smashing it to kingdom come. It was annoying anyway. Stupid clock. Stupid beep-beep-beeping. I rolled over and went back to sleep. When I did eventually drag my ass out of bed, I felt weak and nauseous. My chest ached; my head hurt. See—the flu, right? I couldn’t sleep any more, so I planted myself here, on my trusty couch. It was so comfortable I decided to stay right here. All week. Watching Will Ferrell’s greatest hits on the plasma. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’s on right now. I’ve watched it three times today, but I haven’t laughed yet. Not once. Maybe the fourth time’s the charm, huh? Now there’s a pounding at my door. Frigging doorman. What the hell is he here for? He’s going to be sorry when he gets my Christmas tip this year, you can bet your ass. I ignore the pounding, though it comes again. And again. “Lucas! Lucas, I know you’re in there! Open the goddamn door!” Oh no. It’s The b***h. Otherwise known as my sister, Alexandra. When I say the word b***h I mean it in the most affectionate way possible, I swear. But it’s what she is. Demanding, opinionated, relentless. I’m going to kill my doorman. “If you don’t open this door, Lucas, I’m calling the police to break it down, I swear to God!” See what I mean? I grasp the pillow that’s been resting on my lap since the flu started. I push my face into it and inhale deeply. It smells like vanilla and lavender. Crisp and clean and addictive. “Lucas! Do you hear me?” I pull the pillow over my head. Not because it smells like…her…but to block out the pounding that continues at my door. “I’m taking out my phone! I’m dialing!” Alexandra’s voice is whiny with warning, and I know she’s not screwing around. I sigh deeply and force myself to get up from the couch. The walk to the door takes time; each step of my stiff, aching legs is an effort. Frigging flu. I open the door and brace myself for the wrath of The b***h. She’s holding the latest iPhone up to her ear with one perfectly manicured hand. Her blond hair is pulled back in a simple but elegant knot, and a dark green purse hangs from her shoulder, the same shade as her skirt—Lexi’s all about the matching. Behind her, looking appropriately contrite in a wrinkled navy suit, is my best friend and coworker, Alex Fisher. I forgive you, Doorman. It’s Alex who must die. “Jesus Christ!” Alexandra yells in horror. “What the hell happened to you?” I told you this isn’t the real me. I don’t answer her. I don’t have the energy. I just leave the door open and fall face first onto my couch. It’s soft and warm, but firm. I love you, couch—have I ever told you that? Well, I’m telling you now. Though my eyes are buried in the pillow, I sense Alexandra and Alex walking slowly into the apartment. I imagine the shock on their faces at its condition. I peek out from my cocoon and see that my mind’s eye was spot on. “Lucas?” I hear her ask, but this time there’s concern woven throughout the one short syllable. Then she’s pissed again. “For God’s sake, Alex, why didn’t you call me sooner? How could you let this happen?” “I haven’t seen him, Lex!” Alex says quickly. See—he’s afraid of The b***h too. “I came every day. He wouldn’t open the door for me.” I sense the couch dip as she sits beside me. “Lucas?” she says softly. I feel her hand run gently through the back of my hair. “Honey?” Her voice is so achingly worried, she reminds me of my mother. When I was a boy and sick at home, Mom would come in my room with hot chocolate and soup on a tray. She would kiss my forehead to see if it still burned with fever. She always made me feel better. The memory and Alexandra’s similar actions bring moisture to my closed eyes. Am I a mess or what? “I’m fine, Alexandra.” I tell her, though I’m not sure if she hears me. My voice is lost in the sweet-scented pillow. “I have the flu.” I hear the opening of a pizza box and a groan as the stench of rotting cheese and sausage drifts from the container. “Not exactly the diet of someone with the flu, Little Brother.” I hear further shuffling of beer bottles and garbage, and I know she’s starting to straighten the mess up. I’m not the only neat freak in my family. “Oh, that’s just wrong!” She inhales sharply, and, judging by the stink that joins the putrid pizza aroma, I’m thinking she just opened a three-day-old ice cream container that wasn’t as empty as I’d thought. “Lucas.” She shakes my shoulders gently. I give in and sit up, rubbing the exhaustion from my eyes as I do. “Talk to me,” she begs. “What’s going on? What happened?” As I look at the troubled expression of my big b***h of a sister, I’m thrown twenty-two years back in time. I’m six years old and my hamster, Mr. Wuzzles, has just died. And just like that day, the painful truth is ripped from my lungs. “It finally happened.” “What happened?” “What you’ve been wishing on me all these years,” I whisper. “I fell in love.” I look up to see the smile form. It’s what she’s always wanted for me. She’s been married to Michael forever, has been in love with him for even longer. So she’s never agreed with the way I live my life and can’t wait for me to settle down. To find someone to take care of me, the way she takes care of Michael. The way our mother still takes care of our dad. But I told her it would never happen—it wasn’t what I wanted. Why bring a book to the library? Why bring sand to the beach? Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free? Are you starting to see the picture here? So, I see her beginning to smile when, in a small voice that I don’t even recognize, I say, “She’s marrying someone else. She didn’t…she didn’t want me, Lex.” Sympathy spreads across my sister’s face, like jam on bread. And then determination. Because Alexandra is a fixer. She can unclog drains, patch dented walls, and remove stains from any rug. I already know what’s going through her head at this moment: if her baby brother is busted, she’ll just put him right back together again.