The Boundary

Chapter 2-3

“This round is on the house.”

Sneaky placed a beer and a shot of tequila in front of me. I hadn’t had a shot of anything in a long time, and when I lifted the glass, I almost gagged at the smell. Getting drunk wasn’t my usual way of coping with stress, preferring the comfort of junk food and mindless television.

“f**k it.” I said, then slugged back the shot. It burned going down and my eyes watered. Sneaky slid a finger bowl of cut up limes in front of me. I bit into one and shuddered. “Jesus, I’d forgotten how awful tequila tastes.”

Sneaky laughed. “Trust me, your second shot will go down a lot smoother than the first.”

A customer at the other end of the scratched-up wooden bar waved in Sneaky’s direction and she went to take their order. I was seated at the end of the bar next to a beat-up pool table. I swiveled my head around to get a good look at the place. There was a row of booths on the opposite wall, and they looked to be in the same condition as the pool table. The exposed brick walls were covered in artwork though, and some of it was superb. I’d only been here once or twice before and guessed she was displaying the work of a VCU art student.

“Excuse me young man, is this seat taken?” A woman’s voice drawled with a thick southern accent. I turned my head to see a large woman with vibrant, burgundy hair piled on her head, held in place with a pair of rainbow-colored chopsticks. It was an odd question since it was early in the afternoon and there was only a handful of customers. I shook my head no, and then she sat next to me.

“Sneaky, darling, Josh and Serge will be here any minute. Would you mind setting us up with our usual adult beverages?” Sneaky gave her a thumbs up and the woman turned to me.

“My, what a handsome fella.” She cooed, and I’d swear that she batted her (false) eyelashes. “My name is Onnie Belle.”

“Pardon me?” I asked, wondering if I’d heard her correctly.

“Onnie Belle. It’s unique, just like me.”

I saw two tall men heading in our direction. One was a redhead and had a huge smile while the ebony-haired man scowled, jamming his phone into the pocket of his suit jacket. Onnie Belle noticed me noticing them, swiveled her head toward them and waved. Then she leaned toward me and whispered, “It’s a shame they only have eyes for each other. They’re so damn hot.”

For the first time in what felt like forever I laughed. This bizarre older woman was a trip. Maybe it was a good thing that Sneaky had dragged me here after all?

Sneaky placed their drinks in front of them, beers for the boys and a glass of wine for Onnie Belle. Seconds later she picked up a bottle from behind the bar and held it up to me with a c****d eyebrow.

“No, I really shouldn’t…” I began, then Onnie Belle placed a hand on my thigh. “On second thoughts, why the hell not.” I sighed, wondering how I’d gone from being accused of s****l harrassment to being harassed myself.

“Good boy.” Onnie Belle said, then removed her hand. “What’s your name?”

I hesitated for half a second. “Gray Wyatt.”

“Matches your eyes, though I detect a hint of blue.” The older woman said leaning into me. The redheaded man next to her began laughing.

“Jesus, Onnie Belle. You will scare the dude off.” Then he reached a hand past her for me to shake. “My name is Josh, and you must pardon my friend. She suffers from PBD.”

“PBD?” I had no idea what the hell that was.

“Poor boundary disorder.” He laughed, then Onnie Belle swatted at him. I shook his hand, and then he pointed to the man next to him. “This is my husband, Serge. He’s normally a little friendlier, but work is driving him nuts right now.”

The dark-haired man gave me a curt nod. Then reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell and got to his feet. “Excuse me.” Serge grimaced and went to the other side of the room and began pacing while talking on the phone.

“Did he get the singer?” Onnie Belle asked Josh, who rolled his eyes.

“Almost.” Josh replied, and tilted his head toward Serge who was now chopping a hand through the air with an air of impatience. “According to Serge, he’s being a bit of a prima donna. Who knows? Opera singers are demanding as hell.”

“And he’s not?” Onnie Belle raised an eyebrow and she and Josh laughed. “I bet that whoever the singer is that they’ve met their match with our conductor.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” The sound of Serge’s voice cut through the air like a knife. Then he jammed his phone back into his pocket and stalked over to the bar. “f*****g Rémy wants his own personal assistant. Hell, even I don’t have one and I’m the conductor.” He drummed his fingers on the bar and glanced in my direction. “That guy has the right idea. Sneaky, pour me a shot.”

As Sneaky poured, Serge began laughing. “Oh, and Thom Grady put in his notice. Angela will also have to deal with finding another makeup artist. We’re stretching our budget already and…”

“Gray,” Sneaky interrupted him, “is a makeup artist. Aren’t you?”

I nodded and opened my mouth to speak, but Serge cut me off.

“Do you know theatrical makeup? You know, special effects and stuff?”

“Yeah, I studied at Tom Savini’s school in Pennsylvania. He…”

“Oh, I know who Tom is.” Serge’s face brightened. “I went to the Curtis Institute in Philly, and some of his students freelanced with our productions. If you studied with him, you are exactly what we are looking for.”

For the first time in days I felt a flicker of hope. I had only sold makeup at a department store to make ends meet. Theatrical makeup was my passion.

“Are you available? Oh, and just to let you know, I am not in charge of… wait a minute. This could work.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Well, are you?”

“Available? Yes, in fact this is…” Serge cut me off again.

“I’m not who you would interview with, though I am in charge of the budget. You’d have to audition with our stage director. But… let me make a quick phone call.” Serge leapt to his feet and walked outside where I presumed he was making the call.

My limbs tingled, and I realized I was holding my breath. I shut my eyes and exhaled. When I opened them again Sneaky was in front of me waving the bottle of tequila over my glass with a smile. I nodded, and she poured. Maybe everything would work out after all and losing my shitty job was meant to be.

Onnie Belle and Josh began talking to me but all I could do was mutter yes or no to their questions. I’d gone to Tom Savini’s school hoping that one day I’d get to work in Hollywood. But, I’d fallen in love with a man from Richmond, Virginia and ended up here, and like so many others before me, once you lived in RVA it was hard to leave.

The door to the bar swung open and Serge strolled back in, his white teeth split into a smile.

“You might have solved at least one of my problems.” Serge lifted his beer in my direction and winked. “Let’s talk business.”