Laura Dell in the City

Laura Dell had never had any reason to go in the maintenance closet, so she was unsure of the exact location. As she wandered to the back of the museum she found the door labeled Janitors Closet and went in. She saw every cleaning product you could think of, but no mop. She looked around the dark musty closet and saw the broom propped in a corner, surrounded by an aged but huge spider web.
“Damnit!” Laura Dell hissed at herself. Though she was from the South she was not a fan of insects, especially the kind with eight legs. She shuddered at the thought of meeting the maker of that web and chose to go another route. She picked up a pair of latex gloves off the shelf and an aged cloth and headed to give Sue a good rub-down.

***

The day had gotten away from Laura Dell and she was not a bit tired when she went through the revolving doors of the museum. It was a cold night, but she was not ready to go home yet. She decided to explore the town for a bit. As she walked down Maxwell Street she was so intrigued by all of the diverse people that filled the street that night. She also noticed there was an unusually large amount of couples out-young and old. Usually Laura Dell would begin to get depressed like most girls her age at the thought of being single but for some reason the only thing she could think of was sharing this beautiful night stroll with Herbert.

“Oh, excuse me!I didn’t see-“

“Watch where you are going!” a man in a dark toboggan and long leather coat sneered at Laura Dell as I rushed past her. She had been so caught up in her own thoughts she did not notice she had slowed her pace. She could not believe that man had been in that big of a hurry he had to bump into her to get her out of the way. She laughed to herself thinking what John William would have done to that creep if he had been there.

Come in for a glass of wine…on us! Laura Dell read the sign and was walking into the cozy little bar before she knew it. Laura Dell, being from the south and only having an older brother and a mother who believed a bottle of Bud Light sufficed as a sophisticated dinner drink, had never been educated on the art of wine drinking.

“Hello, what can I get for you today?” the waitress looked to be about Laura Dell’s age but she had a certain look about her that Laura Dell felt she lacked. She had the look of over-confidence with a hint of elegance and poise.

“Ummm, I saw your sign and thought I’d try something new. What do you suggest?” Laura Dell tried not to sound too much like a tourist, but she knew she had failed.

“Where are you from?” the girl asked Laura Dell with a smile on her face.

“My accent gave it away?” Laura Dell let out a little laugh. “Alabama”

“I knew it was somewhere down south. I am from Atlanta.” The girl told Laura Dell.”I’m Sydney.”

“I am Laura Dell, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The girls begin to talk and Laura Dell discovered she might be replacing that 6-pack in her fridge with a bottle of white wine.

“Well I moved to Chicago a few years ago to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I have taken dance lessons my whole life and I have always known it was what I wanted to do the rest of my life.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. I have always had two left feet so I have steered clear of any type of dancing.” Laura Dell told Sydney as she refreshed her glass. By the time she had finished her third glass she had told Sydney all about her internship and her new found friendship with Dr. Walters.

“Seems like this Dr. Walter’s guy is a little more than just a friend” Sydney laughed as she wiped the bar off and took Laura Dell’s glass.

“Why do you say that?” Laura Dell asked a little too quickly.

“Oh, just the way your eyes sparkle when you talk about him. I have been here four years and have yet to find a good guy here.”

“Oh, no, no it’s not like that. He is just a good friend, ya know? He has been really nice to me since I got here and I can’t say that for many people I have met up here. This is a whole different world that my hometown.” Laura Dell could not help wondering what she was really feeling about Dr. Walters. She was not sure if she really believed that she only saw him as just a friend. She figured these thoughts were just a result of the wine and decided to decline that fourth glass Sydney had sat in front of her.
Laura Dell and Sydney had enjoyed their chat so much they decided to exchange numbers and planned to meet for dinner later in the week.

***
Lying in bed she thought back over her time in Chicago and how the only real adventure she had had was her L-train ride with Herbert. She knew she had not seen half of what Chicago had to offer and she was anxious to see what the city had to offer. She also could not stop thinking about Herbert and his whereabouts. It had only been about two days since she saw him last but she felt like something was missing without their daily talks. Laura Dell could not stop thinking about what Sydney had said about her relationship with Herbert. Though she was alone she felt her face burning from the embarrassment she felt from even having these silly thoughts.

***
Laura Dell jumped out of bed when she heard knocking at her front door. She grabbed her cell phone to see what time it was- 6:45 AM. She had no idea who it could be this early. When she reached the door and looked through the peep hole she saw a UPS man at the door with a medium sized package.

“Laura Dell?” he asked while eyeing her oversized and worn Auburn t-shirt that was speckled with Clorox stains. She cursed herself for not throwing on that fluffy pink robe her mother had insisted she bring. She signed for the package and shut the door. There was no return address so she had no idea who the package was from. She opened it and inside were two tickets to the Chicago theatre, a note from John William and a tiny penguin bobble-head doll.

Sis,
I know you have been working hard and not playing enough. So, take your beau Herb and have a night on the town…unless you have found someone that was born in the same decade as you? I’m kidding! Go have fun.
P.S.
Hope you like the penguin. You two kind of look alike!
John William

Laura Dell could not help but laugh at her brother’s humor. She also couldn’t help but think about how much he reminded her of her father. She had an hour and a half before she had to leave for work, but she was wide awake. Laura Dell couldn’t help but hope Herbert would be at the museum today, she wanted to tell him all about Sydney and John William’s surprise for her. She was a little unsure if she wanted to invite him to the theatre though, that might seem a little weird, like a date. She pushed those thoughts aside and got dressed for work, no way she was going to give Feinman anything to yell at her about today.