Common Ones
"You know when we were kids, in school the teacher would give us that "Optimistic, Pessimistic" test drawing on a dry erase board?... And they'd ask us if we saw the glass half full, or half empty?... And I always saw it half full back then... But as I got older... I see it for what it is... I just see that shit as a cylinder with a line through it..."
9 Months Earlier
A man suddenly strikes a young woman across the face. "How many times I gotta tell you?... I told your ass about that shit, didn't I?!" The woman touches her cheek for a second, then proceeds to attack the man back. They begin to tussle and fight. "What the hell you think you doing?! Get off me! The man shouts. But the woman continues to fight him. He grabs a hold of her waist from behind. She then manages to kick him in the groin. "Arghh!" He yells and falls back onto the floor of the apartment. She runs out the door as he groans in pain. As she walks down the street, she fumbles in her purse. But then she bumps into a man attired in a white dress shirt and black khakis, as they both attempt to walk into a bar. "Oh, sorry 'bout that..." She apologizes to him. "Nah, you're good." He replies, as he pulls a cigarette out. He sees the unlit cigarette in her mouth as she continues to fumble in her purse. "Uh... Do you got a light?.." He asks. She chuckles. "That's what I'm looking for, the little bastard must not be in here." She replies. "Oh okay... Don't worry about it... I'll just get one from inside then." He says to her, about to head inside. "Ah! Here it is..." She says . The man stops and turns towards her. She lights her cigarette in her mouth speaking to the man. "I thought I left it at this asshole's place I just came from..." She says, holding out the lighter to the man. He lets her light his as he holds it in his mouth. "Thanks." He says. "Yep." She replies putting the lighter away in her purse. They stand outside the bar looking in opposite directions taking drags of their cigarettes. The man breaks the silence. "I'm Robby." He looks at her and says. She looks at him as well. The day's sky is ending, setting off in the distance. She blows smoke from her lips. "Rhea..." She replies. "Hmm, pretty name." He says, looking back in the opposite direction he just came from. "Thanks." She replies, looking down at the briefcase he's holding. He starts chuckling. "R&R. That has a nice ring to it." He says. Rhea looks at him confused. "So you're just coming from work or something?... About to get yourself a drink?" She asks him. "Yes... and no. I was just going to go in to get a lighter and smoke out here. The apartment building I live in is a smoke free environment, so I usually find myself smoking out here if I lose my lighter while I'm out." He explains. "Oh... So you don't get a drink every now and then?" She asks. "Nah. I quit drinking five years ago." He finishes off his cigarette and puts it out in the outside ashtray. He gestures to her. "Have a goodnight... Thanks again for the light." He walks off. Rhea gazes at his back as he walks away, then she hears her cellphone ringing in her purse. "Shit..." She looks for her cellphone in her purse putting out her cigarette. When she finds it, she sucks her teeth and rolls her eyes, turning the phone off. She then puts it back in her purse and walks into the bar...
Music can be heard playing from a room out in a hallway of an apartment complex. In one of the apartment rooms, Robby is now at the stove, finishing up what he's cooking. He fixes a plate for himself and goes in the fridge to get a can of soda, then walks over to the living room couch and sits down. Placing his plate and soda on a coffee table in front of him, he cuts on the television. After flipping through several channels he stops on a channel with a man being interviewed about domestic terrorism.
"...I believe we are so focused on terrorists and terrorism entering our country, that we forget the terror that is capable of happening from within... From born Americans no less. And therein lies the real horror..."
The man states. As they continue on with the discussion Robby watches with indifference. He then changes the channel to a cartoon show and begins cutting into his steak. Then he takes a bite as he continues watching the show...
Rhea awakes to the smell of smoke. Only there is nothing producing it. She's in a hotel room. As she slowly realizes where she is and what's going on, she notices the smoke she smelled was in her imagination. She slows her breathing and tries to calm her heart that's beating so hard she can feel it in her neck. Glancing at a man asleep in bed next to her, she lays back down.
With a sigh, she looks at the clock on the nightstand next to the bed. 1:47am. Then she looks at the man beside her again, and slowly gets out of the bed. Cautious not to wake him. She gets dressed and goes over to where the man's pants are laid on the floor. She picks them up and digs around in the pockets. When she finds his wallet, she sees his driver's license and other work identifications. "Salvador Tate... Dallas, Texas..." She whispers his information out loud. "Hmph... You're a long way from home buddy." She continues searching his wallet and takes $200 out of it. Then leaves the room quietly...
A man is running in the rain with an umbrella from the sidewalk and across the street. It's in the middle of the afternoon. He runs up to a parked car by an alley. He opens the door and folds his umbrella, then gets into the passenger side. "Ahh, fuck!.. It's raining like a bitch outside man." He says straightening his clothes. There's a man in the driver's seat looking at the briefcase the other man just brought in. "So what do we got?" He asks. The man opens the briefcase smiling. "1 Ki... Right here... Live...." He chuckles. "Trust me man, you're not gonna get this in a fucking better quality for its price." He says laughing. The man in the driver's seat inspects the cocaine. "Hmph... Alright. I'll take it." He says. "Alright!" the man says back elated. "Ey listen, C4 you think you can get more man?..." He asks. "Nah man, that's just a little one and done deal. I got other shit in the works right now. This was just for a fast coin, you know?" He tells the man as he receives money from him. "But ey, I'll catch you on the flip." He says while putting the money away and getting out of the car. He opens his umbrella up and walks onto the sidewalk then goes into a liquor store closing his umbrella again. When he enters the store he sees a very attractive woman. She gets a bottle of vodka off the shelf and gets in line. He quickly gets a bottle of gin and gets behind her. After a few seconds he says to her "I like your perfume. Smells real nice." She looks back at him and smiles slightly. "Thanks." She replies looking to the front again." You live around here?" He asks her. "Why? So you can stalk me?... Follow me around just to smell what kind of perfumes I wear on a day to day basis?" She asks him back amused. He chuckles. "Damn... That's kind of cold... I mean I was just trying to make conversation with a pretty lady. I couldn't help myself. But sorry, I didn't mean to bother you."
He says looking down to reach in his pocket to get the money to pay for his gin. As he's counting the correct amount, she sees the wad of money and pretends to not pay attention. She moves to the counter and pays for her vodka. As she's paying the cashier she turns back to the man behind her. "I live a few blocks down. You?" she asks him. He looks up. "Hm?... Oh yeah... no, I stay on the east side." He tells her. "Oh." She nods, getting her change from the cashier and proceeds to walk out the store. "Hey, hold up a minute." He says to her. He pays for his liquor and walks over to her. They both leave the store. They stand outside under the store's awning to shelter themselves from the rain. The man puts his liquor in a backpack, and the woman stares at him. He looks up at her from his backpack and begins laughing. "What's wrong? You're looking at me like I'm crazy or something." He says putting one strap of his backpack over his shoulder. "My name's C4." He introduces himself, extending his hand to her. She shakes his hand. "C4?" She laughs. "What kind of name is that?" He smiles. "It's my nickname." He replies bluntly. "Yeah... Well, anyway I'm Rhea... So what did you want me to wait on you for?" She asks him slightly uninterested. "I just wanted to get to know you... You know? I figured what's the harm?" He chuckles, shrugging his shoulders. Rhea looks at him and shakes her head. Customers exit and enter the store between them. Rhea opens and holds her umbrella over her head and begins walking down the block. C4 sees and follows behind her, his umbrella also in hand. "You don't have a boyfriend or anything do you? I mean it's understandable if you do though." He says, digging in his pocket. He pulls out a piece of gum, unwraps it then puts it in his mouth and begins chewing it. "Hm?..." He asks, walking beside her. Rhea continues walking, ignoring his question. He looks at her dejected. As they continue to walk Rhea stares at him again and looks back ahead. "Now I know where I've seen you from..." She says. "Huh?" He asks. "You used to be at that strip club on Earnesto avenue... Right?" She asks him. He looks at her confused. "How'd you know that?" He asks her back. "Cause I used to work there. And I remember your face... You used to cause a lot of shit." She keeps walking. He starts to smile. "Well, I don't really know what to say about all that. But... It was what it was." He laughs and shrugs. "Ohhh, wait a minute... Now I remember you from your stage name. What was it?... Rhea... Rhea Sunshine, right?" He excitedly asks, walking backwards in front of her. "Yeah." She replies. He starts walking straight again. "Oh man... Well, I'm not passing judgment or anything. You know?... You do what you want and have to. Right?..." He tells her. She glances at him. "So do you work at another joint?" He asks. "No." She answers. "Oh okay." He says. "Well, I know you probably have things to do... So umm, do you mind if I get your number?" He asked her, grinning. Rhea stops, and he stops as well. She looks at him thinking. Then she cocks her head to the side, smiling slyly. "Alright..." She says. He looks at her excitedly. "For real? Ok. Let me put it in my phone." He takes his backpack off his back to get his phone out. Once he has his phone, Rhea gives him her number. He calls her phone from right there and she logs his number into her phone. "Maybe we can link up and get a drink sometime." He tells her. "It's cool." She replies bluntly. Rhea walks across the street at the crosswalk as C4 watches her leave. He then walks back in the opposite direction with a sly grin on his face...
