Renting Love

by: Jason Nimersheim

An unwanted surprise brought them together, but tradition led them to Mike and Ted’s Excellent Video Adventure on this cool autumn night. Although it had been a few months since Alex had seen Zoe, nothing seemed odd about the early Friday morning phone call that had now brought them to the rows of Technicolor boxes. He rationalized that she had started college almost a month earlier than him and was probably coming up on her autumn break. To be honest, he hadn’t really been able to keep their schedules straight since high school graduation and it seemed that, once she made it to school, she had cut off almost all communication, much to the dismay of Alex. He missed her, and wasn't afraid to admit it. So when that phone call had come, he was quick to agree to the late night silver screen sortie.

Entering the shotgun store from the front, the new releases were on their left, with boxes carrying some dust on their right and the dustiest through a small portico straight ahead. Zoe locked elbows with Alex and led them toward the New Releases.

“We wouldn’t want to miss anything,” she said with a sly smile.

The first movie on the shelf was 28 Days Later and it seemed appropriate for the season, so Alex picked it up to have a look, only to have it practically knocked onto the shelf and out of his now-empty hands. His hands didn’t stay empty for long, however, as they were quickly filled by Juno. Alex vaguely remembered reviews for the movie being good, but was surprised that Zoe had snatched it up so quickly; it didn’t match her style. Shaking his head, he placed it back among the ‘J’s. Next came the ‘K’s and, with them, another box to the face. This one was Knocked Up, a comedy that he’d seen panned worse than a gold miner’s stream. Alex gave Zoe an odd stare. Something didn’t quite sit right, “Had she put on weight?”, “What was with the look in her eyes?” and, more importantly, “Why was she thrusting second-rate movies into his face!?” The answers to those questions eluded him. Shaking them off, Alex returned his thoughts to the subject at hand…

Alex and Zoe had known each other since grade school, but like many grade-schoolers, the boys didn’t hang out with the girls, and more often than not, Alex had been part of the group who taunted the girls at recess. But time changes things, and as they grew up, internal revolutions beget external attraction. In middle school, they were playmates and by high school they were friends. This was when the Friday Night Flick tradition had started. At least once every month, and sometimes (when the calendar allowed it) five, they’d venture to the video store in search of a few hours of entertainment. Sometimes they were joined by friends; other times, they were the lone watchers. It was around senior year that they first noticed how close they had become.

“More than friends but less than lovers,” Zoe had so eloquently put it.

It was an accurate description. Although there were definite romantic feelings between them, they never felt the head over heels puppy love that most high school relationships burn through. Theirs was always a special one and, as they approached graduation, their close friendship faced the realization that they would soon be separated by many miles.

Zoe had initially reveled in the distance. Not so much from Alex, but more from her life in general. She was ready to dip her fingers in the pool of life outside of their small high school, and college was her great adventure. She even moved into her dorm a month earlier so that she could make the most of her newfound freedom… and freedom it was. She loved the socializing, the partying and, of course, the boys. Classes went well enough. She didn’t push for her previous straight ‘A’s, instead going for ‘B’s and above, and it suited her parents well enough. Her Friday Night Flicks with Alex were replaced by Friday Night Flings with ______. When she did think of Alex, she was ashamed for the time that had passed since they’d talked.

How hard that early morning phone call had been to make, but it was the result of over a week of constant internal deliberation. When it came down to it, she had to answer two simple questions. Was she ready? and Could she do it alone? The first one was actually the easier question to answer. She was amazed at how attached she’d become to the idea, certainly more-so than if you’d have asked her before the party. The party. It still left a bad taste in her mouth and the emotional scars of that night were not the kind to be forgotten. She hadn't wanted it, but it was a part of her now, whether she liked it or not. Considering what 'might' have been didn't bring her any closer to answering the second question though. That one was a double-edged sword. If she said yes, then the question became “How?” (to which she had no answer), and if she said no, then the question became “Who?” (to which her options were limited). Would it be Mr. ______, whom she didn’t even know the identity of? No, that was one road she didn’t want to go down. Ignoring the obvious logistical problems, an entire relationship built on something so fragile is bound to break. Her emotional deliberation eventually led her back to Alex. She trusted him, and couldn’t think of anyone better for the job, but this news wasn’t something that she could just throw at him, expecting him to take it in stride. No, she had more respect for him than that.

And so, she gave herself 19 weeks – until the point of no return – to see if she could rekindle a dwindling flame. If there had been one thing that she truly missed from High School, it was her closeness to Alex, and now that meant more than ever to her. That led her to make the phone call, which brought her to the rows of dusty plastic and faded paper. One thing she hadn’t counted on was Alex being so thick-headed.

His next suggestion was Pleasing Paula, a straight-to-video independent release. It was a touching story about Paula, who had just lost a child, and her group of friends’ sometimes humorous attempts at consolation. She impulsively met this suggestion with a look to freeze ice and a solid punch to the arm… not exactly the response he expected probably.

Moving on to the dustier tomes, they took turns suggesting titles. He suggested Ghostbusters, An American Tail, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and The Replacements. All were met with disinterest or downright dismissal. Her suggestions included My Best Friend’s Wedding, Love Actually, and Nine Months, none of which interested him much. Visibly exhausted, Zoe said, “Wait a minute.” and disappeared into the dustiest area. She knew exactly what movie she wanted, and as she fingered her way through title after title, she thought, “Obviously this isn’t going to be easy, but I know he’s the right one, perhaps he needs something a bit more subtle...” Finding the box with the autumn background, she resigned herself to taking things a bit slower.

After being left to contemplate what crazy movie Zoe would dig out of the back room, Alex found himself oddly happy. He had plenty of homework due Monday, and had been forced to cancel that evening’s plans with his friends, but somehow he felt he was exactly where he was supposed to be, doing exactly what he was supposed to do. It was a feeling he hadn’t really felt in months and it was comforting. As she emerged from the portico, he decided whatever movie she was clutching would be fine by him. He was ready to go spend an evening with his dearest friend. Zoe handed Alex the box and they made their way to the register, arms hooked at the elbow. As he was checking the movie out, she put some snacks on the counter.

“You know. …for nibbling on,” she said.

They left that night with one bucket of popcorn, two bags of chips, five chocolate bars, and one copy of when harry met sally

Billy's Vacation by Emma Southard

Billy and Chester had been together forever, it seemed, except for when Billy went to work; the two of them were inseparable. Billy loved the feel of Chester’s scruffy face next to his when he woke up each day. Their morning walks and shared breakfasts were the perfect start to Billy’s day. And every day when Billy came home from work Chester was always there waiting to greet him.

After they had been together a year Billy thought it was time they went on a trip together Billy cleared his schedule, requested vacation time from the office and made the appropriate flying arrangements.

“It’s settled,” he told his closest colleague, Laura, “Chester and I are going to Sanibel Island in Florida.”

“Oh this is so exciting,” she exclaimed. “You two have never traveled together, this is such a big step in your relationship!”

“I know, I really think it’s about time we did this, I’m really looking forward to us having some quality time together,” Billy smiled.

“You know, since you’re taking this step, maybe it’s about time you brought Chester by the office for us all to meet him.”

“You know, that’s probably true. I’d really like you to meet him Laura, he’s just so great.”

Finally the time had come. Billy and Chester were all packed. With Billy’s jeep full of duffel bags and suitcases stuffed with swimsuits, suntan lotion and beach chairs, Billy and Chester headed to the airport. They were both nervous for the flight. Chester had never flown before and they weren’t able to sit with each other on the plane, Billy couldn’t even comfort Chester if he got scared. But it was a short flight and when they reunited after landing Billy took great comfort in holding Chester tightly and promising that the next time they traveled they would drive so Chester could sit next to Billy in the passenger seat of his Jeep the whole time.

It was a beautiful week. They spent their mornings on the beach- enjoying the water and playing catch in the sand. Every evening Billy cooked dinner for the two of them since they couldn’t take advantage of any of the fine dining in the area. And every night they lay in bed, happy to be together in such a beautiful place.

On their last day in Florida Billy was leafing through a magazine while lounging on a beach chair as Chester was wading in the water. With a yelp, Billy looked up to see that Chester was out way too deep. Billy knew that Chester wasn’t the best swimmer, and as Billy ran towards the water, he saw- amid Chester’s frantic splashing- three triangular fins.

Laura was devastated to hear that Billy had died in a tragic shark attack while on his romantic vacation, in an attempt to save Chester. Being the hopeless romantic that she was, the beauty of the situation was not lost on her. She knew she had to attend the wake in hopes that she could finally meet Chester, the amazing man that had cost her friend his life.

She was very apprehensive as she entered the funeral home. She had never met any of Billy’s family before. She didn’t even know what Chester looked like. Funny, she thought, how Billy didn’t have a picture of him on his desk just that framed picture of his dog.

The funeral home was moderately full of darkly clothed people in various levels of grief. Little kids ran around under foot laughing and playing, avoiding the disapproving looks of their parents. A few teenagers sulked in the corners, unhappy to be at a family function on a Saturday afternoon, for an uncle or cousin that they had barely known. And the adults gave the obligatory back pats, and passed out tissues as people erupted in tears throughout the room.

The casket was closed, but a beautifully framed headshot of Billy had been placed atop it, surrounded by flowers and a newspaper had been placed next to it.

Laura approached a red-eyed woman nearest the casket. She had hair the same exact shade as Billy’s and that same slightly turned up nose.

“Hi,” she smiled. “I’m Laura Thorton I worked with Billy.” The woman tried to smile.

“Oh thank you for coming,” she stopped to dab at her eyes with a balled-up tissue. “Billy was my brother. Oh it’s just so sad; he was so young- had so much of his life ahead of him.”

“It is sad, we will all miss him at the office,” Laura agreed, eying the crowd. “May I ask, is Chester here?”

“Chester?” the woman looked confused.

“Yes after all Billy told me about him I just have to meet him.”

“Billy did love Chester, but we really didn’t think it was appropriate to bring him here.”

“Oh my,” Laura hesitated. “That’s just too bad; Chester must be so heart-broken.”

The woman gave her a strange look. “I suppose, he doesn’t really seem to notice a difference. You know as long as there’s someone there to feed him and let him out at night.”

“Let him out at night?” Laura was very confused. “What do you mean? Chester must be devastated, they were so in love.” The woman looked angry now.

“Look lady, I don’t know what kind of animal lover you are but my brother was certainly not in love with his dog.”

“Dog?”

The woman picked up the newspaper from atop the casket. It was a Florida paper and on the front was a picture of Billy and a large golden retriever. The heading read “Man dives in, punches shark to save dog.”

Tori's Blog

Hey Tori,

I enjoyed reading your short short story which was full of detail which made me want to continue reading till the end. I think this could actually be a beginning to your second story that we have to write. Therefore you could answer some of my questions like What was she doing downtown anyway? Did she work or go to school? What kind of background she came from to make her parents roar about over the rhine? I would like to know more things about her life and personality. I like the specific details about it being dark and the location was over the rhine which is a community where crime rates are actually high. I also like the end when the man is actually completely different from a person that her parents would picture her running into. So that could possibly be a theme to another story in which you include several scenarios and situations in which her parents have stereotyped and in each case she proves them wrong and teaches them a lesson. Good work. 

                                                                                                                                            Tiaira

Mistaken Identity.

She gave the key a desperate third turn only to hear the sound of her car's engine stall again. In a panic she locked her car door. She sat with her hands on the wheel at ten and twelve and took in her souroundings. A broken down car on blocks was parked in the drive way behind her. It looked like any usable part it had been removed. There were store's too, all closed at this hour. Windows were boarded up, broken she guessed and the ones that weren't had bars over them. All the doors had pill down cages with locks over them to ensure that breakng in would be a task. Somewhere in the distance a dog barked violently and brought her mind back to the problem at hand. Her vell phone was dead and her car had broken fown on a dark street in Over-the Rhine. Her dad told her repeatedly that her little '97 Honda Civic was unreliable. "What are tou going to do when it breaks down on you while your driving?" her Father's words played over and over again in her head.
"I don't know dad," she said aloud. She broke into a heavy sob, the tears rolling swiftly down her cheeks and off her nose. Suddenly in the dark she saw a shadow move. She took deep, heavy breaths trying to calm herself and keep her hands from shaking. Now it was her mother's words that she couldn't get out of her head. "Downtown is no place for pretty girls like you honey. There are all kinds of thugs and holligans that will take advantage of anyone they can het their hands on." Her mother would say "This looks like a place where murders and rapists live." She saw the shadow in the dark move again this time much closer to her car. She sat, frozen, with fear, unable to move. BAM! All of a sudden there was a thud against her back window. A black man wearing a dark ski cap and a raggidy sweat shirt was standing next to her car. "Roll your window down," he demanded. She stared at him for a moment and seeing no other option she slowly cracked the driver's side window. "I saw you break down miss," he said, "And i've already called AAA, but I'll wait with you until they come. You never know what kind of characteres are lurking around the streets at this time of night."