Girl Wears Those Shoes

"HOUSTON IS NOT THAT BIG"

“HOUSTON IS NOT THAT BIG”

Hanna slipped out of bed. It was still dark outside. A little drizzle, just another regular dawn in London. She lit up her Nespresso machine. Her apartment faced Green Park on Piccadilly St. It was an old building, about the same age as central London, elegant with a brush of patina. Hanna had all of the interior remodeled since she bought it 10 years ago. The place was echoed with asymmetrical white, gray, and black color scheme which made a rich humble background for her retro colored furniture of coral, royal blue, red and bright yellow. She stood in front of the large window and looked out to Green Park. She could almost see the guards at Buckingham Palace as the sky started to lighten up. She would need to pack in a few hours and head back to Houston.

Houston made her heart flutter.

She always loved Houston. Yet of all those years she worked there, she never felt so tender until she met those eyes of Gigi O. Such a beautiful creature. Hanna felt love striking the moment she saw her. Those legs and that face . . .

But she knew that love meant unconditional. When one loved somebody, one wished all the best things for that person regardless of any selfish desires. She wanted to cherish her. Gazing at the world outside, the air and grass were moist from the rain. Hanna could vision Gigi running around the Park, laughing. Her laugh . . . was like a match that lit up a fire in her heart.

The sound of water running in the bathroom pulled her back in reality. Laura started the shower. She wondered if Laura was still upset about last night. They got into another fight. It seemed like they fought a lot lately. It was serious this time. Hanna found out Laura got back on track with her addiction to Xanax. She kept on telling Laura to seek help. Besides, Laura consumed just a little bit more Vodka than she should have. That was why she let Laura stay at her apartment last night. It was torment.

“Want some coffee?” Hanna asked.

“All right.” Laura was already dressed.

“About last night . . .”

“Hanna, listen, I know you care about me. But I have my way of living. I don’t need anybody around me to approve anything I do. I have a stressful job. So I do a little recreation to relax. What’s the bloody big deal?”

“You need to get help. It’s not good for you. It’s not good for anyone around you.”

In a snap, Laura got up. She slammed the door behind her.

When Gigi showed up at the Spiral Top restaurant in downtown, men sitting around couldn’t help looking her way. She was dressed in a black jumpsuit paired with black platform pumps with ring stones. Her long dark hair made her face look like an illuminated halo. Hanna let out a sigh. She knew the whole world of men would wish Gigi sat at their table at this moment. She would look gorgeous even in a potato sack. Hanna admired Gigi with her fashion eyes. Gigi looked breathtaking even in her cheap outfit, Hanna thought, though she was praying to dress Gigi for the world one day.

The server came over and opened a bottle of Veuve Clicquot. They sipped Champagne as Gigi was babbling about her first-day adventure in the office and how she got her first listing.

“I read my script, Hanna, until then I was out of words. Can you believe that Amara went to the fortune teller?”

Hanna’s blue eyes seemed darker in the candlelit ambiance. She was completely smitten by the aura of Gigi. The restaurant was turning slowly and quietly in the downtown skylight. The stars twinkled in Gigi’s eyes.

“Ed said to move it in three months may be tough,” Gigi further explained. “But we don’t know until we try, right?”

“Absolutley!” Hanna encouraged. “It’s a great neighborhood. I believe you’ll have some great showing traffic.”

“I’ll put it on tomorrow. It may sound crazy but I kinda have an idea of moving it fast. But I’m thinking still . . .”

“Let me know what I can do to help, baby girl. Send me the fliers. I’ll pass them out for you in my world too.”

Hanna scooped some crab meat and shrimp in creamy white wine sauce and put it on Gigi’s plate.

“So, how’s Laura? Are you still seeing her?”

“We’re off and on . . . not getting along very well lately. What about you? Still seeing that guy?”

“Ronny? Not really sure what’s going on. Saw him here and there. But it’s getting difficult. His marriage is one thing and his unavailability is another. He supported me to go into real estate, and now that I am in the business, he seems . . . huh, just weird about it. Sometimes he spoke like a jerk. I don’t know why. And it’s been too long of this hidden relationship. I was a dancer and he wouldn’t show me around. I get it. I was not good enough. Now, I got into real estate and start to build a career. I think I’m . . . well, I wish it could change the situation like I’m not just a girl toy on call, you know?”

“Nobody should make you feel like that, Gigi!” Hanna always despised Gigi’s relationship with Ronny. She thought it was a toxic relationship. Ronny would never get divorced, unless the wife, Sally Turner, the one and only with those mélange green eyes, would ever make that decision. Sally was the second generation of a wealthy family who founded the top fashion franchise BChic. She was a former barrister turned into one of the most well-known socialites in Houston after she got married. And, needless to say, she was one of Hanna’s A-list clients. But she didn’t want to tell Gigi what she knew. She didn’t want to comment much neither. Gigi would figure it out herself. Let her go around more and soon she would find out that, Houston, after all, was not that big of a town.

“Well, there’s nothing a glass of wine won’t cure. Let’s see what you feel like eating, doll.” She causually flipped the page of the menu.