Ordinary Lives

five.

Gemma lives on the Upper West Side, in one of those beautifully elegant stone white buildings that seemed to have appeared straight from a classic Hollywood movie with doormen that still wear funny little caps and white gloves and don't ask you to join him and the boys on poker night like the doormen at Leo's apartment. Her building, The Dakota, is famous for it's wealthy residents and iron-fisted board that furiously vetted apartment applicants, with Madonna among the unlucky, and the Roth family among those accepted. I always feel like I'm somewhere I shouldn't be in the lobby of Gemma's building, like I've wandered into an off limit wing at the Met and at any second, someone is going to hurriedly usher me out and tell me to go back to where I came from. Now, with dad gone and mom jobless, I feel more out of place amongst the affluence than ever.

I try to spend as little time as possible on the journey between waving hello to William, the doorman, leaving identification with Barta, the receptionist, and taking the elevator to the 6th floor, where Gemma and Leo are waiting for me. William usually keeps it short but Barta's a bit lonely and most times, she'll try to convince me to linger and gossip with her about different residents in The Dakota that have smited her. Today, thankfully, she grabs my i.d., tells me Leo's just been sent up as well, and that she hopes I have a nice day.

It's Leo himself who answers the door: first, just a little bit, then swooping it open all the way with a fat grin on his face. "Come in, come in," he says, swinging to the side and gesturing for me to enter. Leo looks uncharacteristically pleased. I mean, he's always sporting some sort of smile on his face because I don't believe Leo is capable of feeling a cynical or negative emotion, but today he looks like he's going to explode. His eyes are a twinkling green and he keeps running a hand through his already unruly brown hair, like whatever information Gemma's just told him in the minutes between his arrival and mine has charged him with enough electricity to power the entire borough of Manhattan. I immediately know Gemma's told him about The Steam Room and Ben.

"Leo," I say. "Before you start-it's just a job."

"It's just a job," he mocks, arms crossed over his chest and lower lip pouting out. I bite my tongue to keep laughter from spilling out. "It's more than just a job Charlie Gray. A job is the beginnings of you finally getting a dick appointment and double dating with me and Gems so forgive me for being excited."

"There is no dick appointment confirmation," I blush. "We were just talking. He's just my boss."

"Oh shut up Charlie."

"What?" I say.

"You're being thick for no reason," he says briskly, turning away from me. "Gemma, love! She's being thick!" he calls towards the direction of her bedroom.

Barefoot, he pads ahead of me, through the marble foyer. Deeper into the apartment, past the expensive furnishings that looked to be pieces from a museum rather than something a family could comfortably sit on, past the library with its massive fireplace and persian rugs, paintings of French and English naval battles impressively hanging from each wall (Mrs. Roth likes to brag that their family are all descended from the men in those paintings). All the way in the back of the house- in the largest room yet- stood Gemma clad only in her underwear, coffee in one hand, cigarette in the other, perched in front of her closet sparing not so much as a thought to the fact that her floor to ceiling windows give a perfect view to the residents of the building across the street of her body.

"Leo!" she says, not yet turning to face us. "You can't just leave like that. I need help picking something for tonight."

Leo flops onto her bed. "Had to answer the door for Charlie. Who, by the way, is being an idiot."

Gemma whips around so quickly that the coffee in her mug almost goes splashing all over her rug. "Charlie!"

"Gemma!" I mock.