The Virgin Ceremonies Ch. 04

"Oh, no, never."

"Okay, okay, you good then. Just don't hit a girl. She say no, you say goodbye, that's the end. All else is fair in love and war, it's true."

"Okay."

"Oh, I forgot to say, it's okay to spank the girl's ass. Doesn't count as hitting."

I laughed. "Noted."

Quinn's cab stopped, and my guy stopped down the block. We watched as she got out and went into a tall building.

"This is home for her, I think," he said. "Rich girl."

"Yeah," I said. "Okay, how much do I owe you?"

"Extra for stalking, my friend, $14."

I paid him and climbed out. He leaned across his seat to say, "Good luck!" and drove off.

My heart was back to hammering as I stared at that big building. There were probably hundreds of apartments. I'd never find her, of course. What was I going to do, just wait here until she came out?

That's exactly what I did. I waited for almost an hour, but then I started to remember I was technically on my lunch break, and I only had 30 minutes. Well, I didn't so much remember as my phone started to ring in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the cracked screen.

"Shit," I said to myself before answering. "New phone, who dis?"

"Where the hell are you?" Karen said. "You left early for lunch, and Colin is here trying to bullshit me, and then you don't come back?"

"I'm on my way back now. I had an emergency."

"What emergency?"

"Family emergency, my grandma needed me to pick up her medication."

"Get your ass back here now! I can't leave until you get here, and I actually have something important to do!"

"I'm on my way, 10 minutes."

"Five minutes!"

"Pray to the subway gods then."

She hung up on me. My stalking was at an end. What was I to do? I didn't know, but I knew I didn't have time in my life to stand outside a building hoping the girl of my dreams came out. Then I saw a mailman walking down the street, and I had an idea.

Behind me was a news kiosk, selling many things, including postcards. I grabbed one with an overhead view of Central Park. I marked the front and then turned it around and wrote my phone number, signing it, "Love, Beau." As the address, I put, "Ginny & Quinn." It was the best I could do. I hurried across the street, narrowly avoiding death-by-bus.

I wouldn't have been able to make it past the locked front door, but someone else stepped out of the apartment building at the same moment. It was so nice inside, with a nice coffee table and lounge chairs. There was a doorman behind the counter chatting with the mailman. Then the mailman went off to start filling the boxes.

I approached the doorman. "Good morning, sir."

He looked at his watch: 12:05pm. "Good afternoon."

"Right, afternoon. Listen, I'm trying to give my friends, who live here, this postcard. But I've forgotten their address."

He stared at me. "You don't live here?"

"No, but my friends do, and with your help, I'd like to deliver this postcard. Oh, I can pay." I reached for my wallet.

"Sir, if you are not a resident, and you are not visiting, please leave."

"I am visiting, with this postcard," I said, holding five dollars in my hand. It was all I had left after the cabbie.

"I will not take that. If you have a letter, I suggest you post it in the mail. Good day to you."

What an asshole. But he gave me an idea. I went over to the mailman.

"Excuse me, sir."

"Good morning!" he said.

"Hey, good morning!" I said cheerfully. Yeah, screw the afternoon.

"Beautiful day!" he said.

Postal workers were always so nice. "It is. Hey listen, I'm trying to deliver this postcard to my friends who live here. Could you put it in their box?"

"Oh, sure. Which box is it?"

"I, I'm not sure, honestly," I said. "Her name is Ginny, and I think she lives with her cousin Quinn. Their last name is Duclark."

"Ah, if you're not sure, I shouldn't take it," he said. "And there's no postage on it, so technically I'm not allowed."

"I have five dollars," I said, pulling it out.

"I don't want your money. I can't take that."

"No, please, listen," I said, taking a breath. "Here's the truth. I'm really in love with this girl Ginny, but we lost contact. I just want to give her the chance to call me. See, I put my number on here. That's all. If she wants to call me, she can. If not, that's fine. I just have to try. This is, like, my last chance. Please."

He looked me up and down. "You're not a weirdo, right?"

"No, no. I mean, I don't think I am. Not about this. It's not like she told me to leave her alone, and I'm trying to track her down or something. I swear, I really love her, and we lost contact. I just don't know where she lives exactly."

"I might know which box that goes in. If you give it to me, I'll put it with her mail... after you leave. I don't want you to know which box it goes in, in case you are a weirdo."

"Okay, more than fair. So, you'll take it?"

He took it. "Hope it works out for you, kid."

"Thank you so much. Have a nice day, okay?"

"You too."

I hurried out of the apartment building, and I mean really hurried, because Karen was going to kill me.