We left the Ha Ha Club.
"What's Randall's problem? Is he like that to everyone?" I asked as I hooked up with Arthur again.
I didn't care what he thought, why I did it. I wanted to protect him.
"Yes, he is ... But still he gets the highest pay, none of us understands that ..." he replied.
"Can we go home now?" I asked, hoping he would say no.
"Yes, I did everything."
I nodded.
We reached the shack and walked together to the mailbox. It was empty. Not even I had mail.
"Arthur, I have a question." I said on the way to the elevator.
He looked at me invitingly.
"What do you think if I either come to you or you to me? I'd like to make amends that I didn't help earlier."
I spoke as slowly as possible, so I could think carefully about what I wanted to say.
"Honestly, I'd rather be, if ..." Arthur started.
In my mind, I ended the sentence with "...I never have to see you again".
"... we will go to you, otherwise my mother will be annoying with any questions."
A stone fell from my heart.
Why didn't I know exactly.
Arthur pressed the glowing eight and the doors of the elevator closed with a squeaking pain.
I wanted to suppress my smile, which kept sneaking up on my lips, but I was powerless.
We reached my apartment. I was admittedly upset because Arthur hadn't entered my apartment before.
I turned on the light and put my purse on the dresser where the books I had bought last Thursday were still lying.
"So all the apartments look the same," said Arthur and entered the small kitchen to look around.
"Yes, may be." I took off my jacket and hung it on the wardrobe.
When Arthur realized this, he also came to the door to hang his jacket.
"Sit down, Arthur, would you like something to drink or eat? Oh, what am I asking? Of course you want something!"
I was afraid he would have said no otherwise.
Through the open kitchen counter I could watch Arthur sit down on the couch.
At the moment I didn't had too much to choose from, because I wanted to go shopping the next Saturday as usual.
So I made warm tea and put a frozen pizza in the oven.
With the two cups I sat down to Arthur. "You don't have to go to so much trouble."
He looked at me calmly.
"Yes, I have to." I handed him a mug, which he gratefully accepted.
I took the remote control off the table and turned on the TV.
"Do you watch the Murray Franklin Show sometimes?" Arthur asked out of nowhere.
I shook my head. "No, I've never really done that, did you?" Arthur started to smile.
"Yes, I'll watch it every night."
I glanced at the wall clock. Just before half past eight.
"At some point is always the first time.", I said quietly and changed the program.
I looked to Arthur. His smile was still visible. He looked intently at the screen.
I found it more exciting to watch him than to watch this stupid show.
As soon as he saw Murray Franklin, he leaned forward and propped his arms on his legs.
His full attention was on the television.
He still had not removed his make-up. The whiteness that covered his whole face had turned gray in some ways, and in some places it had been chafed.
The red color that lay on his mouth down to his cheeks had faded.
Just like the blue triangles on his eyebrows and under his eyes.
His hair was unkempt, yet beautiful, in curls around his head.
"Am I so much more exciting than the show?" Arthur asked, looking at me.
Immediately a pulse rose and I quickly averted my eyes.
It went on, for me for an eternally long, three quarters of an hour until Murray Franklin read the program for the next evening.
The show was over. At last.
Arthur turned to me. "And?" He asked.
I smiled. "It was ... entertaining."
Arthur's POV
I knew that Lila hadn't liked the show. I appreciated all the more that she had looked at her with me.
I didn't want the evening to pass so I thought about possible topics during the show.
I still didn't quite understand what Lila thought of me and why she was nice to me, or treated me so wonderfully normal.
Of course she had told me she liked me, but I wanted to know why.
So I changed the subject by asking her that question.
Lila's POV
"Why do you like me?" He asked, as always, out of nowhere.
It wasn't difficult for me to answer this question.
"You are nice, helpful, I can have a good conversation with you and all the time despite such a show ...", I pointed to the TV, "enjoy ... you're just great." I confessed the light glow of my cheeks.
Arthur looked surprised. As if I had told him a fairy tale. Maybe it was because I pulled his favorite show through the mud.
He didn't go into my testimony.
"May I ask why you were with me so soon, or what you did there?"
I nodded.
"We got half an hour off at the boutique today, which is why I strolled a bit. I wanted to look around the shops a bit, but then I saw you and those guys, A pro pos these guys ... I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you, I could have prevented a lot." I said, clenching my hands into fists.
"Please stop apologizing, you've done more for me in this three weeks we've known each other than people I've known all my life." Arthur replied, laying a hand on mine, which rested on the couch ,
I nodded. "Okay."
After another quarter of an hour, Arthur got up.
"I have to get my mother to bed," he said, running to the front door.
"Please greet her, even if she doesn't know me personally." I said, getting up, too.
"I do."
Arthur opened the door, but turned to face me again.
"Thank you for the nice evening," he said, putting a hand to my cheek and giving the other a gentle kiss.
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