TNT ... Chicago 7
1 Liquid courage -- that was all he needed.
2 She'd been hiding from him for months, ever since that evening in April when she showed up on his doorstep in tears, crying about having lost her job and desperate to avoid being put out on the street seeing as how she didn't have all of her rent money.
3 That night, he did what anyone in his position would do with a beautiful young crying lady on the other side of the door. 4 He comforted her ... right into his bedroom. 5 It wasn't creepy, he had convinced himself then, because she certainly seemed willing enough.
6 As time passed, though, he began to have his concerns about what had happened. 7 He still wore it as a badge of honor that he hadn't been the creep that night ... especially when he began to deduce that maybe *she* was the one who was actually taking advantage of *him* in that scenario.
8 After that evening, her rent was always paid in full ... and sometimes even early ... but never in person. 9 It was always just an envelope slipped under his door in the middle of the night with only a check inside. 10 No notes ... no post-its ... no index cards ... nothing else but a check made out to him for just the right amount.
11 Despite her clearly having had a change of circumstance, she had never offered to make up the amount he had forgiven when he said goodbye to her as she left his bed that morning after -- not that he would ever had brought it up. 12 If he had ever run into her, that is -- which he hadn't, because she was never around.
13 He had been in the building earlier that evening, and he had paused at her door. 14 Her lights were on, and he could hear the sound of the television. 15 He had almost knocked then and there ... except he hadn't yet started drinking a few bottles of that oh-so-necessary liquid courage.
16 He was ready now and he felt like he could use the New Year's Eve holiday to his advantage. 17 He just wanted to be sure he got there before midnight. 18 Luckily, it was only a short walk around the corner to the apartment building he owned, and he climbed the stairs to the second floor, happy to hear the same ambient noise from before and to see the light spilling onto the landing from under her door.
19 "Don't be awkward," he muttered under his breath. 20 "Just say Happy New Year and see what happens."
21 He knocked ... and got no response. 22 So he knocked again ... but nothing happened. 23 He took it as a good sign that the sound or the light didn't change -- so she wasn't going to pretend that she wasn't there.
24 "Maria ... it's Mr. Kissinger. 25 Are you there?"
26 He cringed and thought, "why didn't I use my first name?". 27 "Mister" automatically sounded creepy, and that was the vibe he was trying to avoid.
28 He knocked a little louder -- and then he let the alcohol start twisting his thoughts. 29 He *was* the landlord. 30 He could let himself in under the guise of being concerned that she was in some kind of danger.
31 So that's exactly what he did.
32 The delay had caused his timing to be off because the final countdown itself was blaring on the TV. 33 Two steps in and no one was to be seen.
34 All the same, he froze in place, standing in front of the kitchen bar counter, staring intently at what he saw there.
35 "Happy New Year!" yelled the host on the television.
36 He didn't hear it. 37 He was in a zone, deep in thought, unable to break his gaze from what was most definitely a bottle of pre-natal vitamins right there in clear sight.
