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Meeting
Julian
Moving
had been harder then I expected.
You quickly forget the sweat, tiny cuts on your hands,
broken possessions and heavy grunting from the last time you
endured the task. However
my new “across the hall” neighbour, Julian, at least
provided entertainment by way of hilariously directing all
furniture to the wrong rooms, then directing them back to the
right rooms. Strangely,
the men hired to move the furniture did not seem as amused as
we were.
Once
ensconced inside my new residence, I opened some wine, turned
on the radio and gingerly tried to sit on the edge of my new
couch, covered in unopened boxes.
As my mind began to create pictures of a finished
result within the unit, loud but muffled voices caught my
attention. Vaguely
startled, I opened my door to the sounds of a fierce argument
across the hall at Julian’s place.
In
the next second, Julian’s old-fashioned, wooden door opened
to release a red faced, crying woman into the hallway.
Stammering something incomprehensible, I tried to shut my door
but the woman quickly jammed her red stiletto heel into the
opening.
“So,
you must be the one!” She glared at me with eyes full of
insane anger.
Smiling
nervously at her, I replied, “I just moved in today, could
you please move your foot?”
The
woman turned abruptly and stomped down the hall towards the
lift.
Some
time later, after much frenzied unpacking to keep my slightly
bewildered thoughts busy, there was a knock at my door.
Julian appeared shamefaced and apologetic for my less
then enthusiastic welcome to the building.
As this was only my second meeting with him, I assured
him I wouldn’t let it affect me so he needn’t worry about
it further. I
awaited an explanation for his guest’s behaviour, but none
was forth coming. Julian
simply bade me goodnight and closed the door on my bemused
expression.
The
next day I took my place within an up-and-coming theatre
company for a week long trial.
I met many of the back stage crew on my induction, read
through lines on the newly built stage with the acting coach,
and waited for an hour to greet the company director and lead
actors … to no avail. I
was potentially taking the place of an actress who had been
dismissed from the company so I hoped its crucial members were
not viewing me as a “usurper”.
Feeling slightly affronted, I left and walked back to
my new home.
An
invitation had been slipped under the door requesting my
presence at a dinner party, hosted by Julian.
My spirits rose a little at the thought of company as I
hurried around my cramped apartment getting ready.
I was intrigued by my dark haired, ruggedly
good-looking neighbour already. Outwardly, he had been open
and friendly from the moment he saw me lugging a chair down
the hallway, however he seemed to be surrounded in an
unidentifiable aura of mystery.
“Good
evening, Jucinta, welcome to my humble abode,” Julian
grinned impishly as he ushered me into his unit.
Breath
caught in my throat as my eyes rushed frantically to capture
the onslaught of visual images in front of me.
Dark purples, pinks, greens and blues swirled
throughout a space void of furniture.
In its place were oversized cushions placed randomly
over the floor, huge paintings full of mystical colour
covering the walls, and wrought iron holders ablaze with light
from the numerous flickering candles.
The
three people lazing around on the floor escaped my notice at
first; they seemed to blend into their exotic surroundings.
A gorgeous woman, with black, shiny hair, introduced
herself as Adele. Her
accent was tinged with French as she presented her friends,
Miranda and Leo. I
smiled brightly at the trio to hide my slight discomfit at
viewing them all entwined in a tangle of arms and legs on the
floor.
Throughout
dinner, conversation circled mainly around art, the media, and
interesting cultural events in the area.
I was entertained, despite becoming increasingly
confused as to the varying relationships between my hosts.
Julian and Adele, sitting close together appeared a
stunning couple, however their continual, light-hearted
bickering over every topic was more reminiscent of sibling
rivalry. Miranda
seemed to exchange seductive glances with Adele, while Leo
stroked Miranda’s back and gazed at Julian.
In
between the excessive affection with each other, they gave me
their undivided attention whenever I spoke about myself.
This was usually only after being prompted to do so.
I was flattered beyond belief to be considered such
interesting company by my new acquaintances, yet slightly
bewildered as to their all-consuming curiosity.
Breathing
in the fresh, autumn air, I strolled to work the next morning
feeling like a strange, television drama was being played in
my mind. I
envisaged, and just as quickly discarded, different scenarios
including the characters from Julian’s apartment last night.
It became very apparent that although I had offered
information about myself, they had not, leaving me overly
curious and unable to concentrate on the day ahead.
I
opened the door to the theatre with my eyes on the ground,
unaware of anything but my over-active imagination.
The pain in my head registered first, then the face of
a woman with eyes full of insane anger, clutching her nose in
agony as blood started to trickle onto her white shirt.
Recognition pierced my brain as those angry, green eyes
focused on me. “It’s
you again!” The
woman yelled at me and ran out into the corridor.
Before
I could think about the throbbing lump swelling on my
forehead, Julian appeared before me.
Now completely flabbergasted, I stared at him open
mouthed.
“Hello,
I’m Julian, the company director.
You must be Jucinta?”
Nodding to himself, he directed me towards a chair.
“Perhaps you should sit down.
I’ll get you some ice … and, so you can eventually
close your mouth again, I guess I should explain?”
As
Leo, Miranda and Adele, the lead actors, joined us, a story of
lust and anger was told with such drama and enthusiasm, we all
rolled on the floor in fits of uninhibited laughter.
Julian’s exceptional charm, usually saved for Leo
alone, had unintentionally worked wonders on the unsuspecting
actress, Michelle. Apparently
becoming increasingly violent in her passion for Julian, the
company was forced to dismiss the misguided actress for
obvious reasons.
I
stared around the group, baffled still, teary from so much
laughter, head throbbing and stomach aching.
“We
really are sorry, Jucinta.
You must think we’re strange, to say the least.
We just couldn’t afford to hire another 'highly
strung' actress, to put it nicely, so we decided to check you
out first,” Miranda
squeezed my hand in apology as she spoke, “It was a stroke
of luck to be able to set you up in Julian’s apartment
block. We just
couldn’t have imagined you’d run into Michelle at all.
I’m sure she thinks you’re his new lover … we
could not convince her, Julian only has eyes for Leo!”
Miranda,
Adele, Leo and Julian were all staring at me.
Seductively, I felt myself drawn into the group like a
long lost family member, heading towards an unpredictable
future surrounded by deep, mystic colours and indulgent,
exciting emotions.
Stage
Door
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found this short story very entertaining and well written and would
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on a dramatic, colourful and entertaining piece of work. I felt
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Nicole!!! "
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