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Chapter 3
(Lisa)
By the following evening, the apartment was set up and all the boxes put out for recycling. Lisa and Toni were having fun even though they were tired.
“I never realized how many books you have. It took longer to set up your workspace than any other part of the house.” Toni fanned at her face and lifted another window, which squealed loudly in its track.
“I love books, what can I say?” Lisa shrugged, grinning sheepishly. She was thankful Toni had been there to help. Otherwise she might have still been unpacking the boxes a month later. They had put on music, had pizza delivered, Toni had flirted with the deliveryman, naturally, and then they had worked late into the night, and had picked up as soon as they were awake the next morning.
“So, when is this first meeting with the infamous Rich Besser?” Toni rubbed her palms together.
“Tomorrow at noon. He wanted to meet at a café and discuss the book over coffee. Do you believe that?” Rich Besser’s reputation as one of the best editors to work with had preceded him. The privilege of meeting him was worth all the trouble of the move in itself.
“It still seems like a dream. One of the best editors in the world wants to have coffee with you. You must be on Cloud Nine right now. I would be.” Toni flopped back onto the couch, dangling her feet over the arm.
“I am. I’m still not sure how to dress, act, react, what to order, hell I don’t even really know what to expect. My only interaction with editors has been through email or snail mail.”
“Tell you what. Let’s get cleaned up and go to this Café Lola and see what it’s like. That way you’ll at least have a sense of the setting before your meeting.” Toni sat up, raised her eyebrows in a question, and nodded tentatively. “This is supposed to be an adventure, let’s do this. Own it, girl! You moved up here like a boss, leaving everything and everybody behind that you knew, so let’s go grab this city by the horns and show it what you’re really made of!”
Toni had always been able to make the most mundane things seem interesting and adventurous. She could always see the silver lining in even the darkest of clouds. Making Lisa feel like a winner who was in charge of her own destiny, Toni choreographed the rest of the day.
First, they visited Café Lola and ordered coffee. Then they walked past the KR Publishing building. It was huge compared to the picture Lisa had of it in her mind. People moved in and out of the large, open lobby, their shoes clacking and clicking noisily on the marble floor. The three women behind the long, semi-circular granite counter were gorgeous. They could have been super models in their sleek, power suits and long, straight hair swept into sexy-casual up-dos.
“Okay, stop peering through the glass before they think you’re a homeless waif and call the cops on you for loitering. Come on.” Toni pulled Lisa away from the front glass and down the sidewalk.
“Publishers’ Row. I always wanted to be here, to belong here, but now that I’m here, I’m scared. What if I fail miserably?” She hated to sound like Little Debbie Downer, always looking at the worst-case scenario.
“Hey, if you fail, you’ve still accomplished more than most of us from back home.” Toni shrugged and nudged Lisa with her elbow. “What say, let’s eat in some big fancy restaurant?”
“Do let’s!”
They ended up settling for burgers from a mom-n-pop restaurant on a side street a good distance from the hustle and bustle and noise of the city. They walked into the little burger joint and were greeted with 1960s rock blaring from a jukebox in the far corner. The diner was a replica of 1950s and 1960s-style diners, all chrome and red. The retro décor was fun, bright, and Lisa instantly loved the place.
An older lady came from the back to greet them. “Sit wherever you like, ladies. I’ll be right with you.”
They took a booth that had a view up the street so they could watch pedestrians and the passing traffic at a distance. It was pleasant and there were few other patrons entering as they ate. Lisa marked the place as one she would visit often. The name was simple, and Lisa even loved it: Fern’s.
When darkness settled, there was still an eerie twilight-like glow throughout the city from the orangish-yellow glow thrown from the thousands of sodium-arc street lamps and the headlights, traffic lights, and lights from all the businesses.
“It’s never really dark here, I guess.” Toni pulled a face. “Don’t know how I would feel about that, but at least you don’t have to worry about being afraid of the dark, huh?”
“I’ll have blackout curtains at home. I might get used to all the flashing lights and noise, but it will take a while.” In her mind, Lisa thought, a very long while, indeed.
In North Carolina, the sodium arc lights were little help against the near-total darkness of the country. It wasn’t quite so bad in Charlotte, but in more rural parts, like where she’d grown up, it was dark. Real dark. Not the imitation darkness of New York. It had been silent save for the chirring of insects and twittering of tree frogs, too. Already, the constant droning noise of the city was giving her a headache. Had the move been such a good idea after all? She thought, yes. She would just have to stick it out and woman-up for the sake of realizing her dream.
