Another Day, Another Dollar (Cori)

[Deleted]

Isaac sat perched on the stone ledge just a few feet from the Italian restaurant, his guitar tucked into his arms as it carried out the melodies of songs once made famous by bands such as CCR or The Steve Miller Band. There was a beaten up leather guitar case open at his feet, the contents of which consisted of a few measely bucks and some loose change. Normally this spot was one of his favorites to play... the restaurant was pretty popular and often people would stop to listen to him play on their way in or out, but for some reason it was slowgoing today.

The aroma of homemade marinara sauce caught on the breeze just as Isaac struck the final chord of the song he had been performing, and he closed his eyes and breathed it in, his stomach rumbling. It was the tiny clink of coins being dropped into the case that brought him out of his daydream, and he opened his eyes and peered down at the fifty cent donation. Damn. Isaac resisted the urge to groan as he lifted his gaze to see a sweet looking little girl standing there looking at him with big brown eyes. She smiled at him a little, and the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile of return, and then she seemed to realize that she was shy and she scurried off.

With a sigh, he adjusted the strap of his guitar on his shoulder and started to play again, thinking what a pain it was to literally sing for his supper. If only he hadn't made that bet on the game last night at the pub, it wouldn't have been an issue. He should have known better; his older brother Chris had always had a gambling problem. It never paid off and Isaac needed to keep that in mind.

[sofie]

Today sucked major balls. Cori’s hunt had gone all wrong. After speeding home, she stripped her dirty, bloodied clothes off and slid into the shower. She remained in there until the hot water had cooled enough to cause her to shiver. Even after scrubbing herself clean of all traces of dirt, blood, and whatever else had made it’s way on the fabric of her clothes and skin, Cori felt dirty. Her hair smelled like strawberries and cream, but she was sure she could still smell the iron of blood. Digging through her drawers, she found a suitable pair of jeans and a t-shirt. It was once again time to do laundry. Not that her clothes ever lasted more than a month or two. Everything got destroyed during her hunts.

Cori’s stomach growled, urging her to find food. She wandered into the kitchen and searched through the fridge, and cupboards before coming to the conclusion that there was nothing that would satisfy her appetite. Grocery shopping would also have to be added to her to do list. For now though, everything else would have to wait while she went to get some food. Snatching her purse from the ground, where she’d dumped it when she had entered the apartment, Cori headed down the stairs and into her car. She opened the drivers seat and frowned when she noticed the dried blood. Grabbing a coat from the backseat, she tossed it onto the seat. Cori could clean everything later.

She drove downtown and parked along the street, fed the meter a couple quarters, and then headed to the right. There was a nice Italian place she’d eaten at once. They were cheap, quick, and the people were friendly enough. You didn’t have to be wearing a gown or tux to get in either, they were pretty low key. While she walked, she dug into her purse, searching for the pack of cigarettes she’d left in there. A frown etched itself slowly onto her features as the realization hit her that maybe she didn’t have a pack. Carefully pushing a little pocket knife out of the way, she was relieved to see the familiar blue packing. Pulling out a cigarette, she lit it and took a drag. Cori was surprised when something bumped into her legs. Her first thought was a dog, but when she looked down it was a little girl. Looking up at her with big, wide eyes, the kid looked scared. Some lady talking on a cellphone grabbed the little girls hand, apologized, and scolded the child as they walked off.

Shaking her head, Cori was surprised to hear a soft tune. Her gaze flickered to the left, where she spotted a man playing guitar. Flicking her cigarette butt onto the ground, she crushed it with her heel and wandered over to the man. There was a tiny crowd, only two or three people. They put in a dollar or two and then droned off onto their lives. Cori pulled out her wallet and tossed a five into the old guitar case.

“Know any Rolling Stones?” She asked.

Usually not one to give money out, Cori stood in front of the guitar guy, feeling completely awkward. What was she supposed to say? The guy looked like he could use the money, and a rest. But she couldn’t be much help in either. So giving five dollars made her feel better. Was she a better person now? No. Different in any way? Nope. It was just the polite thing to do. How could she walk in there and eat a lavish meal, and then walk out all full and satisfied, right in front of a person making so little? It was wrong.

[Deleted]

Isaac's concentration never broke as he watched the woman drop the money into his guitar case. She was looking at him with a bit of pity in her eyes and honestly, he really hated that, but Isaac had been doing this long enough that his pride was no longer getting in the way and he didn't even bother to feel embarrassed about the situation anymore. Instead he just cracked a little half-smile at her and nodded.

Another minute or so later and he finished the song he had been performing, giving a slight bow when the small crowd that had gathered applauded a little. "I do," he told her, looking her up and down and spying a pack of cigarettes peeking out just slightly from within her purse, "but I'll play you two for a cig." Isaac flashed her a charming smile, not wanting to take advantage of someone who had already been charitable, but he hadn't had a cigarette since yesterday and he was having a serious craving for some nicotine.

[sofie]

Cori smiled and listened to the soft sounds of the guitar. This guy wasn’t like those annoying street performers that yelled out random lyrics and rapidly played whatever instrument they had. He had rhythm and a really nice sounding tune. When he gave a little bow, she laughed and clapped softly, along with the crowd. She requested a song and threw some money into the guitar case, waiting to see how he’d react. Cori didn’t recognize any of the songs he’d previously been playing, so she wasn’t sure if he made up his own music, or maybe she was just really dense when it came to music. It wouldn’t have been the first time she was out of the loop when it came to the latest music, or fashion, or celebrities. She had no social life. Cori worked, hunted, drank, and slept. The most exciting conversation she’d had this week was with some lesbian chick at a bar. And even that wasn’t very interesting.

The man looked Cori up and down, and she raised an eyebrow. Was he really checking her out? She scoffed a bit in her mind. But he spoke and told her that he’d play her two songs for a cigarette. This only made her laugh. So it wasn’t her that was so appealing, but the contents of her purse. “Tell you what,” she started. “You play me two songs and I’ll give you the rest of the pack, and buy you lunch.” It was weird. She hadn’t really expected to invite the man to lunch, it just ended up that way. Like word vomit, it just came out before she could even think about it. He would probably say no. Time was money, and if lunch lasted an hour or so, that was an hour that he could be singing and performing and earning money. But she found herself getting hopeful.

Cori wasn’t good with people. She was too loud, or too quiet. She was blunt and often times came off as rude. Though those were never her intentions, it just happened that way. If she didn’t talk then she just seemed quiet, like a sulking emo kid in a corner, like she was feeling sorry for herself. There was no way to win. Nervously chewing on the inside of her lip, she shrugged. “We can go to that Italian place right there.” She nodded to the left. “That’s actually where I was planning on going anyways.” People didn’t do that, did they? Just invite strangers out to dinner? It was creepy and completely inappropriate, but Cori didn’t mind. The worst he could do was say no. It was just rejection, she’d felt it a million times before. The guy looked like he could use a good meal, and a rest from playing. Her stomach growled again and she actually felt a little impatient. Not towards the man, but towards his answer.