Stray Cats Ch. 01

This is a reprint of a story that I posted in 2015 on this site. I was rereading it lately and correcting some of the typos when it dawned on me that perhaps I should repost this story (in the original chapter format) for readers today. It's still relevant, well most of it is. I hope you enjoy it. Please leave a comment when you've finished, feedback is the lifeblood of a writer. -Dreamweaver594

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Rachel and Amanda.

=ONE=

Alex Wells walked out of his bathroom wearing a well-worn t-shirt and boxers. It was a chilly and rainy night outside. He glanced out the window at the street in front of the house as he brushed his teeth silently. It was slick with rain and a mist hanging in the air from all the traffic that whizzed by the house.

Even though it was chilly outside, it was rather cozy in his tiny apartment. Living on the third floor in this ancient Victorian mansion meant that heat in the wintertime was never an issue. He even had to open his window on days when his neighbors on the floors below decided to really crank up the thermostat. The creaky old relic that housed his apartment, and a dozen more, had been cut up into mostly small efficiencies during Wilmington's urban expansion period in the nineteen-seventies. The décor was much simpler on the third floor where Alex had his apartment but it still displayed the wealth and opulence of the family who owned the place when the house was built.

At one time, the street this house sat on was located in the most elegant part of town. His apartment probably belonged to a maid or butler who served the family that originally owned the home. The beautiful oak woodwork and linen fold paneling on the first and second floors of the house was spectacular. Many of the windows that lined the lower staircase and in the foyer were filled with stained glass. The sidelights that surrounded the front doors were filled with beveled and leaded glass as well. Unfortunately, some of them were replaced with plain glass panels because vandals had damaged them. The neighborhood had gone through a lot over the last hundred years or so. It was just now coming back to its earlier glory. It was getting a little moderate gentrification to push it in the right direction.

Alex sat down at a desk he bought at a thrift store last month and looked at his computer screen. The cursor flashed near the end of an article he was assigned to write for a seminar course. It was due this coming Saturday. He sighed and hit the save key. Maybe he would have time to finish it tomorrow. He was tired and it was late. His brain had stopped functioning hours ago. Besides, he had to go to work and if he didn't hurry he was going to be late...again. He couldn't afford to loose this job. He needed the money for tuition.

Alex walked back into his bathroom and spit into the sink. He looked up into the mirror and felt his beard. He hadn't shaved today but from the looks of things he wouldn't have to. He noticed that his beard was getting thinner and a little finer. It seemed to gradually coincide with the rest of the changes that have been slowly happening to his body starting about three years ago.

Alex studied his face a moment. He wasn't rugged or what the magazines typically portrayed as handsome. His features were softer and actually a bit androgynous. His hips were noticeably wider and his soft skin more feminine, he assumed. At just under six feet tall, his lanky frame used to make his mother worry that he didn't eat enough when he was away from home. But he just chalked it up to high metabolism and enjoyed his good fortune.

Alex pushed his golden brown hair out of his eyes, a gift from mom, he thought with a smile. His hair was getting finer and softer lately.

He brushed the tangles out of his damp hair and pulled the long strands into a wavy ponytail, which he wrapped with an elastic hair tie, tucking the whole bundle under a stocking cap. Five minutes later Alex closed his apartment door and glanced both ways down the hall. There were two other apartments on this floor and he knew from the landlord that one of them had been filled recently. Yet in the three months that he had lived there, he rarely saw them and never the person who lived across from him. Alex considered that a moment then he shrugged and wandered down the stairs at the end of the hallway.

On the way out of the front door Tom Reilly, the landlord, poked his head out of his apartment door. A towel partially covered a head full of ruddy auburn hair, still dripping wet from a recent shower. It looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days but that didn't seem to matter. Reilly changed his facial hair the way women changed their nail color. It helped that he had a thick beard to match his unruly hair.

Tom was shorter than Alex. But what he lacked in height he made up for in personality.

"Hey Wells," he shouted, "I got a little pot-luck thingy happening this weekend in the back yard. You coming?" Tom winked a watery blue eye at Alex.

"That depends, what time is it?"

"It starts at six so you should be able to make it for a while before you have to work."

"What should I bring?" Alex turned towards the back door and the building parking and then looked back to Reilly.

"Beer would be nice and maybe some chips." The rest of Reilly's words were garbled as he shoved a toothbrush in his mouth and began to scrub.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do."

Tom nodded his head and walked back into his apartment.

Alex closed the back door and walked down the flight of steps that led to the off-street parking lot adjacent to the back yard.

Tom Reilly liked to party. That became apparent when Alex attended his first 'full house back yard bash' as Reilly liked to call them. Only the tenants were invited, and one or two of their friends perhaps, begrudgingly. Inviting a few friends was okay, but the party was really intended to be a mixer among the tenants more than anything else. It wasn't hard to see the value of it all. It gave everyone a chance to meet most everyone else who lived in the house.

Oddly enough, the one person who didn't attend these little backyard gatherings was the person who lived in the apartment directly across from Alex. Reilly told him it was a girl. Her name was Rachel Thompson.

Reilly nudged Alex in the ribs and winked at him when he told Alex that his neighbor was a real hottie. He grinned sheepishly and nodded, deciding to judge that for himself. He was never quite sure of Reilly's taste or his intentions, however friendly.

Later, in a moment of sobriety, Reilly went on to say that Alex's neighbor often worked late hours, was quiet, and wasn't much of a party person.

"Which was too bad, if you know what I mean," Reilly said with a bleary-eyed wink. The alcohol was beginning to have an effect on him.

Alex shrugged and chalked it up to fate. If they were going to meet it would happen regardless of any desire on his part, not that desire had anything to do with it. Perhaps curiosity was more to the point. Rachel Thompson was the one person who lived in the apartment house that he hadn't met. It made him curious, but only a little.

Alex turned around and nearly ran into Amanda Simpson, a girl who lived on the first floor near the back of the house. Her cute face was framed with silky dark brown hair that fell straight down to her waist. She had a cute nose and eyes that sparkled delightfully.

Alex glanced down at her hand as it braced against his arm. Her skin glowed with that soft creamy tan quality that so many young girls envied. She laughed brightly as she tried to keep her balance.

"Hey Alex, you almost ran me over." She laughed as he fell back against a tree to keep from knocking her down.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you behind me," he replied with a slight blush. "How are you? I haven't seen you in a while."

"Okay," she said, still holding onto his arm, now more for the contact than any need for support. "The market has been going haywire lately so I've been tied up at work a lot. How about you?"

Amanda told Alex a week ago that she worked part-time as a stock analyst for a brokerage house downtown. She told him that she like the fast paced craziness of it all.

"Nothing much," he replied, "classes, work, sleep, and more classes."

Alex started his graduate studies in creative writing six months ago when he arrived in Wilmington from Colorado. Most of his teachers told him that his work showed promise but Alex was skeptical about their praise. It sometimes was a way to keep students in school who might have talent but no creativity...it paid the bills for them, so-to-speak.

The small talked continued between Alex and Amanda, he liked to talk to her. She was bright and bubbly with a beautiful smile and dazzling eyes. It didn't hurt that she was down right gorgeous either. She obviously worked out from time to time which kept her slim and shapely.

A couple of other tenants stumbled across some tree roots as they walked by, talking. They fell against Amanda and she leaned against Alex to keep from falling. Alex smiled sheepishly as he wrapped his arm around her waist and kept her balanced.

She is so nice to be around, he thought idly, as he realized how much he enjoyed her company.

He remembered the first day they met. She was standing in the front yard of the apartment house staring at a large pile of boxes and furniture that was unceremoniously dumped on Reilly's front lawn. He was walking up the front steps of the apartment house as she stood there with a perplexed look on her face.

"Hi, you look a little troubled," he said, with a wry grin.

"They just dumped my stuff on the lawn without even as much as a sorry, or an offer to help me carry it inside," she growled, contemptuously.

He offered to lend her a hand and she had been thanking him ever since.

The partygoers lingered in Reilly's back yard for the rest of the evening. By nine o'clock, when Alex had to go to work, things had finally quieted down. He said good night to Amanda and headed off to work.

As for his neighbor across the hall, fate finally dealt Alex the right cards two nights later. Rachel Thompson, his mysterious, reclusive neighbor, was climbing the stairs ahead of him. He was coming home from his part-time gig at the convenience store. It was nearly two in the morning and he was exhausted. He had spent most of the night restocking the back room.

Rachel Thompson was tall, maybe five-foot ten in stocking feet. As Alex gazed up at her, the first thing he noticed about her were her beautiful legs. They were slender, nicely shaped, and they finished in a cute round butt that sashayed nicely in a tiny skirt as she climbed the stairs ahead of him. He was slowly trudging up each step when he turned a corner on the landing and noticed her. He stopped a moment to admire her beauty. Half way up the last flight of steps she paused and glanced back at Alex. Her long brown hair had amber streaks running through it as it fell in gentle curls down her back.

From where he stood it looked to Alex like she had a runner's body, tall and graceful without being skinny or awkward. But even taking in all those other features the part of her that captivated Alex's attention the most was her beautiful green eyes. They shimmered in the soft light that illuminated the hallway. There was a sparkle in them that was totally mesmerizing.

She smiled, and then turned to finish the last steps when she suddenly broke her heel. Alex climbed the stairs quickly and caught her as she started to fall. They both managed to stay upright and when she took a step towards her apartment it became apparent that she had twisted her ankle.

He wrapped her arm around his shoulder and helped her into her apartment. Then he walked across the hall and retrieved some ice in a bag for her ankle. It was a bit swollen, but fortunately, it didn't look too bad.

Once he got her settled in on her couch he decided that it was late and he really needed to get some sleep so he offered her his cell number if she needed anything. She smiled shyly and thanked him before he closed her apartment door.

The next day after his last class, Amanda saw Alex walking up the front steps holding a bag of Chinese carry out as she was coming out of the front door with a shopping bag in her hand.

"Hey, your turn to cook tonight?" she offered with an impish grin.

"Sort of," he said, sheepishly. "My hallway neighbor sprained her ankle last night when she was climbing the stairs in heels that look dangerous enough on level ground. I thought I'd help her out with a 'meals on wheels' for the night."

"That's really sweet of you Alex," Amanda said as she touched his arm and smiled. "I'll be sure to ring your delivery service when I get sick too," she said, adding a couple of fake coughs and a big grin for good measure. Then she skipped down the front steps, waved and was off down the sidewalk with a, "See you," and a smile.

What started out that evening to be a bit awkward between Alex and Rachel eventually turned into a lovely dinner. They ended up talking and laughing clear past midnight. She had a marvelous smile and a delightful laugh.

Alex didn't see her again for several weeks after that. He remembered that she mentioned once that she worked part time at a bar downtown. Tuesday was one of his nights off so he thought he'd check it out.

Moulin Rouge was a bar on the east side of the downtown, and he realized, after he got there, that it was mostly a gay bar. That didn't bother him but still, it did come as a surprise.

Rachel spotted him the moment he sat down at the bar and suggested that he sit at a table near the back. He followed her to the table, which as it turned out, was part of her section. They flirted a bit for the better part of the evening. It wasn't too busy that night so they spent a lot of time beyond flirting, just talking.

It was after one in the morning when she mentioned that she was going to get off work soon. She wondered if Alex could give her a lift back to the apartment house. She told him the other day that riding the bus home late at night could sometimes be dangerous and waiting for a cab could take hours once all the bars closed.

They got back to the house a half hour later and he walked her to her door. She turned and looked at him a moment. Alex didn't know if she expected him to try something or not so he just stood there, blushing a bit and feeling awkward.

"Good night," he said, eventually, after neither of them spoke for several moments. He turned to walk across the hall.

"Hey," she said, "I just want you to know that I'm not exactly what I seem to be."

"Okay," Alex replied looking at her with a shrug and a puzzled expression.

"I wanted you to know that before anything might happen between us, that's all," she said, quietly.

"That's cool. I wasn't expecting anything. Except, perhaps, that it would be nice if we could get together over coffee sometime."

Rachel tilted her head slightly and smiled.

"I'd like that," Rachel said softly. Then she opened her apartment door. She stood silently watching as he opened his door and went inside. Then she closed her door and the third floor hallway fell silent once again.

The following Saturday afternoon Alex walked into the house laden with plastic bags filled with groceries. They hung off of him like an over-eager delivery boy. As he closed the front door he saw Amanda walk quickly from her apartment towards the back door of the building. It looked like she was crying.

He dashed quickly upstairs and dropped off his groceries in his apartment. He grabbed a couple of sodas from the fridge and bounded down the stairs quickly heading for the back yard. He walked out onto the back porch and saw her sitting alone near the large oak tree that shaded most of the backyard. She sat in one of the old swings that Reilly had put up two parties ago and her back was to him. It was clear from her posture that she was upset.

Alex stood quietly a moment and watched her shift back and forth in the swing. She held her cellphone in one hand and wiped her eyes with the palm of her other hand. He came off the back porch and walked across the yard to lean against the tree.

Amanda looked up after a moment and smiled meekly. Alex waited silently.

"Hi," she said softly looking back down at the ground.

"You okay?" He asked as he handed her a soda.

"Thanks," she replied. "My mom just called. My cousin Susan is getting married next month."

Alex walked over and sat in the chair near the firepit. Amanda continued to sway in the swing. Her eyes glistened and her cheeks were still moist.

"That's a good thing isn't it?" Alex looked a bit puzzled.

"It is," she said, wiping her eyes. "She was the one bright spot in my otherwise fucked up childhood in Vancouver," Amanda said quietly. "These are happy tears. Well, maybe happy mixed with a little melancholy."

"Why?"

"Because my life continues to be fucked up," she said looking up at Alex for the first time since he sat down. "Part of me is incredibly happy for her but the other part of me is a little sad that my life has turned out the way it has. Kicked out of town with a one-way ticket to no-where's ville."

Alex sat silent for a moment and watched her sway gently in the swing. He knew that something or someone was behind the rough way she was treated, landing like she did on Reilly's doorstep. But Alex didn't believe in chance or coincidence. Everything happens for a reason, he was convinced of it. The interesting part was discovering the secret to the puzzle.

He smiled and leaned forward to look her in the eyes.

"I think you live a very charmed life, Amanda Simpson," he said, with a big grin as he stood and opened his arms wide.

She looked at him skeptically.

"You got a 'do-over'," he announced broadly.

"A what?"

"A 'do-over'," he repeated, dropping his hands to his hips. "It's what happens when the universe deals you a hand that is so terribly wrong that in one fell swoop things are reset and you get to start again fresh. You are very blessed Amanda Simpson. And that is nothing to be sad about." He finished his announcement with a flourish and a bow. Then he looked up to see her reaction.

Amanda paused a moment and considered his words. Suddenly a smile began to grow on her face. She looked up at him and grinned. Then she rushed over and hugged him as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Alex, you're wonderful! Thank you so much! Of course I'm blessed. I just needed you to point that out to me!" She squealed with delight as she gave him another big hug.

"No problem Amanda," Alex said returning her hug. "Tell your cousin 'best of luck' from me. Call me if you need anything."

She gave him one more squeeze and kissed him on the cheek again then she released him. "I will, thanks," she said wearing a big grin.

Alex walked over and stood on the porch a moment. He watched her flip open her cellphone. Her cousin must have answered because it seemed like she was quickly back to her bubbly self. Alex smiled and walked back into the house.

The next day Alex saw Rachel coming out of her apartment. They chatted for a moment in the hallway. It wasn't much, just small talk. The sort of 'how's your day' sort of stuff that often passes between two people who live in the same apartment house.

Then out of the blue Rachel leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Alex blinked a moment and stood motionless, looking a bit stunned. He must have a 'kiss me' button on his shirt, he thought.

When Rachel opened her eyes she blushed. "I'm so sorry."

"What for?" He asked. "That was very nice, unexpected, but nice."