ANNA’S DILEMMA
Anna sat still on her living room sofa; it had been the first moments of a reprieve since coming home last night. Her mind, though, was a different story. All morning, she was over every inch of her apartment looking for that business card from the record executive she had met the night before. It was still a bit of a fog, but as Anna sat again, she could recall moments coming back to her. As she recalled her steps to where that business card could have ended up, you’d have to understand her situation.
A boyhood friend of hers had let her know he was coming to town, and his name was Jake. He and the rest of the crew from Van Owen Street, where they all grew up, were scheduled to meet up for dinner.
This would include Anna’s brother Brian, her roommate Tim, and two other male friends, Daniel and Bronson. Anna would be the only girl in the group, which would be fine with all of the fellas, but at some point in each of their coming of age, Anna had fulfilled a fantasy they had developed.
Each of them had designs on reigniting that, as they had all planned to meet up. Anna had thought twice about the event but rationalized that it had been eight years since they had all spent time together, and she was sure things had changed.
Anna racked her brain some more as she sat on the sofa. The morning light from the quickly passing day poured through her apartment’s partially drawn blinds. At that moment, Tim walked out of their bathroom butt-ass naked, sat next to her on the sofa, and turned on the television.
Without a word, Anna barely even noticed. They had been a longtime couple, but now, each deciding to be single for nearly two years, they stayed roommates to save money. The walking around naked had returned with the change from Winter to spring, getting everyone a little rowdy.
That may be the case, but for Anna, it felt like it was the dead of Winter, and her mind was still set on finding that business card. Then again, she wasn’t that wholly dressed either, wearing a tank top without a bra and a pair of expiring gym shorts.
They formed quite the scene, sitting next to each other as Tim watched a basketball game on TV. She dared not ask Tim where she put the business card, seeing the green-eyed monster erupt in him as she took the card from the well-dressed man who had met her at the bar.
The entire Van Owen Street crew had shown up and ventured out to dinner and drinks, which were followed by a few drunken rounds of karaoke. Anna’s dream was always to be a singer, yet with doubting parents and some bad choices on her own, the vision she had for herself stayed put. As they were out that night, everyone reminisced about living on Van Owen Street together and how these memorable moments had shaped their lives.
At one point, she caught Jake looking at her with desire. Who could blame him? Anna, who had maybe gained a few pounds over the years, was wearing a black low-cut top that exposed a great deal of cleavage and a pair of high-waisted, light-washed denim jeans that hugged her full curves rather well.
Throughout the night, she caught lingering glances from each of the now men, which she ignored, knowing the flirtatious gazes she would send in return. She then began playing each guy against the other, taking the stage and belting out Madonna’s song “Secret,” which got the attention of the well-dressed man at the bar.
Not recalling his name at the moment, on her sofa, she saw glimpses of him as he walked up to her at the bar, getting another round, introduced himself, and directly handed her his card, claiming her karaoke performance had moved him and he would like her to audition.
Anna was beside herself with a naked Tim still sitting next to her. So she asked him if he knew where she put that executive’s business card. Tim replied, “Oh, I took it out of your purse and threw it away; he was just some creep trying to get in your pants.”
Anna was appalled, yet it had been gestures just like this throughout her life by people around her that had kept her here stuck in a situation of convincing. She wondered if this was a good thing or a bad thing as she continued watching the game with her naked roommate.