Rum Cider

7

"Gregory Hein, I'd like to introduce you to this little breath of fresh air, Nancy-Anne Carter, our residential suffragette writer here and Franklin Co.!" Eddie dropped himself into a chair next to me.

He didn't seem to notice that me and Nancy-Anne were glaring at one another like we were trying to burn holes into one another's skin. She bit down on her finger, and turned around, like she was going to run back down the stairs. Eddie was still trying to get me to bash ears with him, not even noticing that Nancy was about to stomp back down the stairs like a young child.

I placed my hand over Eddie's mouth, before calling over to Nancy, who already was walking down the stairs at that point. "Where are you going, Miss Carter?"

"I'm returning to the party," She turned to look back over with an extremely tight smile. "I don't really feel like bashing ears with someone who felt the need to insult me over the fact that I'm a woman. Good evening, Mr. Hein," She turned away again, and Eddie smacked my hand off his mouth.

"Oh c'mon, Nanny," Eddie pushed himself up from the table, running over across the room to her. "Why do you want to back out of this now?"

"Eddie, you're a real piece of work, you know that? I have no idea how you're absolutely clueless about people's emotions," Nancy had turned back and was standing at the top of the stairs once more.

Eddie was smiling again. "I dunno, Nanny. It's probably the same reason why you're so clueless about the way people have opinions that are different from yours. And, ya know, the fact that it's completely okay."

"Oh, cut the gas already, Ed, I'm sick of ya running your mouth," Nancy-Anne walked back over the table, being very careful to keep her eyes pointed away from my direction.

"Just sit down and sell your script already."

"I don't want to," She turned her eyes onto me again. She slammed herself down into a chair across from both me and Eddie.

"Seriously, doll. What made you change your desire to sell your story? You've been twittering about this for years now!" Nancy heavily sighed, resting her head into her hand. Her lips were pursed, and eyes half closed.

"Ed, you've known me for about 6 months," She still had her drink, and took back some of it. "You haven't known me for long enough to know anything like that."

"Please allow me to apologize, Miss Carter. My behavior was unacceptable earlier, and I hope that we'll be able to move past it. There's no excuse for it," She responded by looking at me through hooded eyes.

Eddie's head was whipping back and forth as he looked at us, confused about what exactly had happened between us to make Nancy so angry.

Nancy was burning holes into my skin, like she was attempting to put me six feet under with her eyes. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned... "Can you explain to me why you decided to insult me if you were aware I was going to become a client of yours?"

"I actually wasn't aware of that, Miss Carter. All I was told was that Eddie had found a client for me. He essentially told me nothing about you," My hand went back up to my chin, and rubbed slowly, thoughtfully.

She let out a heavy sigh, closing her eyes. "Very well then. Let's discuss this, please?"

"Alright," I extended my hand across the table towards her, reaching out to shake hers. She stared at it for a moment before taking it very lightly in her hand and shaking in response. She let go after barely a second of touching me.

"In that case, I believe that we need to discuss some terms," Nancy laced her fingers together, sitting up tall and straight in her chair.

"What kind of terms do you mean?"

"Just some rules and regulations when it comes to my story. You'll come to find out that I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to these things. That means you'll need to listen carefully to what you are and aren't able to do with it," Nancy cast her eyes away from me to Ed, and waved her hand. "Make yourself useful and go get some paper and pens."

"You're so frosted to me, Carter my love!" Eddie feigned a heart attack, leaning back in his chair. Nancy slanted her eyes at him.

"Quit being a nosebleed and do what I asked!"

"Yes Ma'am, right away Ma'am," Eddie jumped up from the table and ran over to his small kitchen, which had a notepad resting on it, with a pen clipped to the side.

He brought it back to the table and placed it in front of Nancy, who snatched it. "Thanks a lot, Ed. You can leave now if you want, there's really no need for you to be here anyway."

"That's wrong my dear, in fact, it is actually imperative that I remain here because if I weren't to, you would eat Greg alive," Nancy-Anne put the end of the pen into her mouth and bit down hard on it.

I kicked Ed under the table, and he whirled his gaze onto me. "Are you betraying me too, my dear friend whom I have provided shelter for, so many times?"

"Cut the gas, Ed. This really isn't the time for you to be making a racket. You may've forgotten this, but this is about important business,"

"True, but here's the thing," Eddie's foot started loudly hitting the ground, and he pointed an accusatory finger at me. "You've already partially screwed this deal up once today. I ain't about to let you mess this up for little miss Nancy-Anne, by not letting her live out her wild hopes of seeing her story up on the silver screen."

"Oh just ignore him, he's not going to leave no matter what you do anyways," Nancy pulled the pen out of her mouth and started scribbling on the paper. "This isn't going to be any sort of fancy pants contract, but it should be good enough. All I want you to do is sell the script. You will not be allowed to change it in any way. I will be included in any and all discussions regarding the future and any edits put into the story. I also get the final say put into these decisions. You are there as the face of the script and nothing more."

"That's a little harsh of you to exclude me outright from this job." I smirked at her, and she bit down on the pen again.

"We aren't exactly friends, Mr. Hein. We're more of... colleagues forced to work together by circumstance. I don't wish to, or expect to become friends with you," The look on her face was one so angry and upset, it was almost comical.

It was at that moment that I started losing it. It was a combined effect of all of the absurd events that had happened within the last few days, and the argument between me and Nancy caused me to break in my seriousness. I started laughing, and the absurdity of it all kept me from stopping. It got to the point that my stomach started hurting.

She was not amused by it in the slightest. "What exactly is it that you find to be such a tickle? I don't understand what it is with the men I speak to that causes them to laugh at me so frequently?"

"I'm not laughing at you," I choked out between my gasps. "It's just... everything."

"Everything."

"Yes. Everything has come together into one bomb of a funny cosmic joke aimed at me."

Nancy rolled her eyes. "Well aren't you the optimist."

I laughed until I wasn't able to laugh anymore. Eddie was just sitting off to the side with a look on his face more bewildered than anything I'd seen on his face in a long time. Nancy-Anne had bitten the ben to the point of the pen cracking from the pressure her teeth was putting on it. It was safe to say that she was not amused in the slightest.

"Do we have a deal, then, Mr. Hein?"

I smiled at her. "I believe we do, Miss Nancy-Anne Carter."