THE GUITARIST

PALM PALACE

ANGELIQUE

My day was being quite turbulent. Miranda, my co-worker and I were discussing a project that the boss assigned the two of us to, and it was taking a toll on me. And of course, I wouldn't give in! We were at an impasse over the choice of venue, the first item to be discussed.
I thought about the follow-up items and the headache I would have from that day forward, as this event was a month away. The day went by slowly and by the end of the day I got a hell of a headache!
At work's door, Alex was waiting for me in his black mustang.
-Alex? I asked, astonished, as he rarely appeared at my work.
-I have news for you! - he said, smiling.
I got in the car and we both talked about our stressful days.
-Look, love, you like dancing, don't you?
I was excited with the news! I had only gone to one in my entire life, when I lived in Egypt with my mother. But I was small, I didn't know much about it.
-Yea! I love! When will be?
-Next week! It's a ball where we'll play romantic hits and then enjoy the night.
I was so happy with that news that I felt my headache disappear!
-And what kind of clothes will we have to wear? - I asked, curious.
-Whatever you prefer, because it's going to be a romantic ball and the idea is to make people dance all night long. This party was commissioned by an ambassador!
-Wow! Chic!
-We each received a pair of tickets, but to buy them depends on the availability of tickets in each lot. They must announce tomorrow on radio and television.
I was more excited because I could tell Karen and Lisa, my best friends, about this party.
Our night was lively. We went to the movies, went out for sushi dinner, and then we talked.
Alex made me smile in his easygoing way and I kept thinking about the first time I saw him. At the time, Cinthia, a childhood friend of mine living in Claremont, fell in love with a music producer. The two were a super high-spirited couple and I felt good in their company.
On one of the hot August afternoons, I went with Cinthia and Chris to a studio in the center of the city. Until that day I had never entered a studio and it was quite interesting to see how the music turned into a cd afterwards.
I followed Cinthia and Chris through a hallway and noticed that some musicians were recording separately, because in each room there was a kind of glass window, where a person could watch or evaluate the performance of that professional. In one of them was Alex.
I looked through the glass and our eyes met. He gave a shy smile and I smiled shyly back, pulling away and afraid I was getting in the way. In the next recording booth was Thomas and in the last one was Brian. And then the memory of how I'd met him too flashed through my mind...
I was mesmerized when I saw him, because I had the impression that I knew him from somewhere but I couldn't tell where he was from... I noticed that he turned his face to me and I couldn't see anything other than that expressionless white mask and a white bucket on the head.
-That guy is Buckethead. - Cinthia said, behind me, smiling.
-I have the impression that I've seen him. I said, keeping my eyes fixed on him.
-Of course, you've seen him, silly, he played with Guns n' Roses.
We both laughed and Chris waited for the recordings to finish to talk to the musicians.
My heart was beating fast and I was introduced to everyone. Alex approached me, introducing himself and a short time later we started hanging out and getting to know each other, until we started dating. He liked more genre-heavy songs, and he let that show a little in his look.
His hair was black and straight, just below his shoulders, his eyes were green and he had his left ear with 8 hoop piercings. His features were beautiful and his skin was fair, covered in Japanese-style tattoos. He also often wore boots and some chains attached to his pants. Definitely a contrast to me, who looked like a girl most of the time, always trying not to attract attention. I opted for neutral colors and pastel tones.
Back to the present, we talked a little more and he invited me to sleep at his house but I declined because I had to finish a project for tomorrow. He was sorry but he knew it was my job. We said goodbye with a long, burning kiss.
-I love you. - He said affectionately, looking at me.
-Love you too. - I smiled tenderly.
I went back to my house and unfortunately it was too late to call my friends and talk about the dance. I kept thinking about what kind of clothes I would wear and I would probably have to rent some. Nothing in my closet would do for an event like this...
I was thinking all night about possible stores I could go to and ended up falling asleep.