Of Love and Discord

Chapter 3

The Lexington building on Smith Street was an old apartment complex that had always remained a historical and infamous cauldron of stories. What remained of its prevailing beauty was the presence of gilded angels on the corners of its upper façade, alluding to a certain bourgeois taste long past due. Such stories of fires and tragic demises of families long before had now become legends to those who live across from and beside it. This was where Eris had found her home in this city.

About mid-morning, when the sunlight shined through the faded balcony glass doors, the scotty dog had finished sniffing around the balcony and had quietly and slowly poked his nose to the side surface. Pushing the door in, he let himself inside the room. When he entered, there was a bed with a young woman still sleeping, a cabinet table with a pair of heels and a cigarette holder on top, and a beautiful mahogany dresser that had an oval mirror, damaged with cracks zigzagged across its surface. The room was rather gloomy and plain except for this inconsistent image of that young woman sprawled face down on the bed. She had slept diagonally, her arms spread, one on each side, and her legs dangled near the end of the bed. With her face on the pillow and her long wavy hair covering the remainder of her face, Eris continued to sleep. The dog, seeing her move slowly, turned to a prostrated angle as he went up to her, licking her palms. Sounds of the wind through the city crept into the room as Eris lifted her head up, her eyes suddenly opened as she gazed at her little minion.

"Hmm...morning already. My little Mayhem, did you miss me last night?" she smiled, slowly sitting up. After doing so, the dog pounced onto the bed and came close to her, wiggling his tail. Taking him in her arms, she embraced him. After a yawn, she reached for her comb on the table. She sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed in front of the dresser across from her. Looking at herself, the distorted image on the cracked mirror was in no way a disturbance or hindrance to her daily ritual. She combed her hair gently as any woman would at a lucid polished mirror for royalty. As she did so, every stroke made was like a violin bow playing downward delicately, the sound evoking a mellow and gothic tune, as she gazed at herself blankly. Her curved eyes looked onto her sculpted face, her hair draping on the shoulder straps of her silky nightgown, the necklace of the apple still dangling on her chest. She was humming a childish melody as she continued. The dog began digging through her bedsheets as she continued, wondering to himself whether his mistress had brought anything for him the other night. After finding nothing, a noise outside provoked him to take interest in the pigeons on the balcony. He left her side with a swish of his tail, scurrying upon the wooden surface. Eris then got up and went into the washroom, closing the door behind her.

When that door reopened, heat and water vapor escaped out to the living room to where Eris had slept. After her shower, Eris dressed in her short black tunic dress again with her hair in a knotted updo, ready for another day of chaos.

"Mayhem! Here boy!" She called her dog who was barking outside. Outside, the barking ceased as she looked down on Mayhem playing with a pigeon he'd caught with his paws. She leaned on the balcony railing with her elbows out, her chin pressed on her palms, and she looked at him with a smile, admiring his cute devilish curiosity. She then turned to look at the streets below, seeing people going by with their usual business: the food stand man serving his famous cappuccino, the paper boy on the corner of the other side of the street advertising today's post, and the daily automobiles driving by. It was then that Eris noticed an armored car amongst them going down her street, turning around the corner. It appeared to be one of those bank vehicles that had loads of money inside, she thought. She suddenly became interested. Seeing an opportunity for chaos, she jumped down and followed the direction it went.

Turning right from Smith Street, Eris found the armored car pulling up next to the American Union Bank. Soon the security guards began to help unload cases and bags of what could be cash or gold bars inside. One guard that Eris noticed was quite armed and had a look that showed his nervousness while he stood on guard. It was then by chance that a couple of coated men loitering across from the bank happened to be nearby, looking in his direction. Eris saw this opportunity for some fun with these gentlemen. Coming towards the officer disguised as a paper boy, Eris began yelling out the current headline for today's news.