Dark Deal

4

          "So, what brings you out in this fine weather?" Jack grinned at her and offered a napkin to help dry her face. She rolled her eyes at him while lightly dabbing at the clingy rain drops. He laughed. Oh my gosh even his laugh has that Aussie accent. Her eyes went wide at the uninvited thought.

         "I decided to try this new thing called vertical swimming. After careful consideration, I have determined it's not my thing. I can't actually swim, so I thought this would be a nice alternative. It's not." They both laughed.

         "I never would have thought you couldn't swim. With skills like you showed a couple days ago, I would have to say you can do anything." He looked at her and noticed the mask. It was carefully concealed, nearly invisible to the naked eye. He wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't started to slip. "What are you really doing here? You don't seem like the type to go to clubs or bars. Is everything okay?"

         The concern in his voice did something to her. He's not family, nor a good friend. How'd he know something is up? Nobody knows things like that about me unless they care.

          One deep breath later, "I don't really know. I feel like I'll never be good enough for anyone about anything. Like - like I'm a failure. The only thing I'm good at, only thing I can do perfectly, is fail. If you want to be disappointed, I'm your girl." Stupid voice! Stop breaking! You're making yourself look like a pathetic, weak damsel in distress. The tears threatened to flow over the brim, but they didn't fall. Yet.

         Jack's eyes softened. He responded to her with a sardonic laugh. "I know what feeling like failure is like. It's just this side of h -," she cut her eyes at him and clearly told him with one look she didn't appreciate cursing, "Hades. I was going to say Hades." He laughed and held his hands up in mock surrender.

         Neither spoke for a few minutes. Finally, when the weight of the silence became strong enough to crush them, Helena spoke. "I have a proposition for you. We don't know each other very well. We can't talk to people we do know right now, for whatever reason it may be. We both need a confidant tonight."

         "What exactly are you proposing shelia?" His eyes searched hers. Such a beautiful creature. Why is there so much pain in her eyes? He waited with baited breath.

         She looked him square in the eyes. Where did this bravery come from? It's been so long since you looked anyone in the eyes. Let alone a man. "We tell each other everything. We're enough strangers to not be biased in our opinions and advice. A dark deal. We pour our hearts out with every agonizing detail. In six and a half hours, when the sun comes up, we stop. We pretend to not know anything more or less about each other than what we know now." The strength in her voice surprised them both.

         "A dark deal?" He raised his eyebrow. "That just might work. Sometimes an outside opinion is best. What now? Do we shake on it?" He turned towards her and extended his hand. She took it.

         "You can start. Or, I can if you prefer. Either way is fine by me." Oh my goodness. Again with the senseless rambling. How old are you? Three? Get it together girlfriend. Later on, she would have to figure out where the voice in her head got all that sass.

         Jack nodded for her to go first. "Okay. To start with the basics, I'm a nerdy kid. That's what everyone says. I love history and please don't find this next part creepy, walking in cemeteries. My favorite flower is Cattleya Orchid - they're so beautiful. And, you already know, I feel like the epitome of epic failure. Your turn for the basics."

         Well, I was born in Sydney. Lived in the big cities like: Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, etc. My mom is an actress, runs her own acting school and owns a prominent theater in Australia. Dad is passed away now. He was from Texas. He met mom on a trip to Australia with his band. He was the frontman and founder of the Texas Tunes. Dropped out of the band, became a professional vocal coach in Australia so he could be with mom. Yes, I'm a bit of a theater brat. No favorite flower. And, I also like history." He raised his eyebrows as he finished.

         "History nerds unite!" She laughed and pumped her fist in the air like a hero. "I guess now we talk about why, or how,  we ended up in a club in downtown L.A." She sighed. Her nerves posed a serious threat but nothing she could not overcome.

         "My parents are professors. Ivy league professors. They wanted me to settle down with a doctor, lawyer, an intellectual like them. Get an intelligent job, marry an intellectual, have a kid. And, I wanted to travel and write. There's something about weaving a verbal, or written, tapestry with words that have been crafted down through the centuries. There's so many places in the world. I've got family in Wales and France. Friends from Argentina and Brazil," Jack cleared his throat, "and now Australia." She laughed at the goofy, satisfied look he gave her after including Australia.

         They sobered up and he began to speak. "After dinner at Geraldine's, I went to the airport. Flew home. I thought I'd surprise my wife because we wrapped up filming a little earlier than expected. It gave me an extra free week - those don't come often in this line of work. Instead of me surprising her, she surprised me. Well, her and an acting student from mom's school who I thought I'd taken under my wing. It's been going on for two and a half years. I couldn't speak, " his voice began to break, "I grabbed my daughter's hairbrush on the way out and dropped it at friend's house. He expedited a DNA test and she doesn't match me."