The Men of Manhattan

5

      "Hey, have you heard about this Lowell Handdon case?" A reporter with thick glasses asked Phil as he crumpled up individual pieces of paper, throwing each away.
     "No. Wha'd th' ol' boy do?"
     "He was apparently a lawyer caught cheating on his wife. Not with another woman, but a man!"
     "Ugh! disgustin'. Keep yer voice down, will ya?"
     "He's getting fired and apparently the wife is divorcing and suing him." Martin listened and dove into the conversation.
     "I can understand divorcing him but suing him? For what?"
     Phil turned to face him. "Isn't it obvious? He lied to th' poor lady! An' I'm sure they had kids, an' th' thought o' Knowin' that he touch'd another man before 'er prolly sent 'er to th' E.R!"
Martin nodded. He knew it wasn't right for anyone to cheat but he couldn't help but to sympathize for the man. He had a secret life of his own, as well, after all.
     "I mean, that's just disgraceful! What in hell would drive a man to be with another man?"
     "Mental illness." The reporter with thick glasses responded.
     "Yeah, yer right. He belongs in th' looney bin."
Martin grit his teeth and snatched out a cigarette.
     "Gotta light?"
     "No."
     "Bruno?" Bruno, ignoring the conversation that took place, gracefully lit his pipe and handed it to Martin, flashing his bright teeth. Martin took it, blushed, thanked him, and placed the cigarette back in its carton.

     1 O'clock hit— it was break time.
      "Hey Shorty!" Bruno called to Martin as he pat him on the shoulder. "You headed to the lounge?"
     "Indeed I am."
     "Great, I'll make you a coffee, I make it strong."
      "Heh, I'm not a fan of strong, I'm afraid."
      "Oh you'll like the way I make it."
Martin nodded.
     "You know, you don't talk much, do you?" Bruno said as they sat in the lounge.
      "Aw, shucks. Is it really that noticeable? I tried my best to socialize here but I suppose I'm my same quiet self."
     "Oh, there's nothing wrong with being quiet. Quiet is peaceful." Bruno smiled without his teeth, it was a warm and genuine smile. Martin smiled back.                    
     "My quietness has had it's draw backs... I don't have much friends. Introversion is a curse for me."
     "I understand. But look on the bright side, kiddo, at least you haven't got any enemies."
     "R-right." An image of Henry appeared in his mind, although he knew they weren't really enemies despite their debacle so Martin hastily shook his head.
     "Hello Martin." Candace greeted in her lamb voice.
     "Hi Candace."
     "Forgot about me, Ms. Billingsley?" Bruno gently took her hand and kissed it. She nodded a dignified nod.
      "Hello, Mr. Campbell." She said formally.
     "So, Marty, how do you like it here so far?" Her face lightened.
     "I like it here, I really do."
     "Wonderful. How does it compare with the Daily Insight?"
     "Oh, going into interview mode are you now?" Bruno commented.
     "Don't interrupt me." She waved a soft hand.
     "Oh, I could never really get friendly with any of my colleagues at this rate like I could at the Insight— there was a sort of tension all the time."
     "The writing really shows doesn't it?"
Martin snickered in response. "Well, Martin I'm glad you've found your place." Candace held up her wrist to check her watch. "Oh! I should be on my way— Genevieve asked me to help her with something. So long now."
The men said goodbye and went back to sipping their bitter coffee.
"What was that all about?" Martin remarked after she was out of sight.
     "How do you mean?"
     "That exchange between the two of you?"
     "Oh... Ah."
Bruno chuckled and sat down his quarter-full mug.
     "Ms. Billingsley and I dated for a while, a few months back. It was nothing serious."
     "Oh?"
     "Yes... yes. The only reason I dated her was because of my parents, They begged me to start dating. Candace was the first girl I started talking to because she's awfully nice... unless you let her down."
     "Oh."
     "B-but don't tell anyone, alright? Some here think we're still going at it and I'd rather not say anything, but I'm fine with telling you because you're respectable."
     "My lips are sealed."
     "Thanks, Marty. I wouldn't tell a guy like Phil, y'know? But he already can tell we're nothing anymore."
     "Yeah, he thinks I have a thing for her."
     "Phil thinks a lot of things."
Break time was now over, as everyone else prepared to go back to their desks Martin stared down at the last amount of overly-strong coffee and thought about what Bruno had just said— the way he phrased the sentence, "the only reason I dated her was because of my parents." meaning that he could be a confirmed bachelor or a "confirmed bachelor." Martin decided to wait it out just to be sure.