Having been turned away for dinner plans, I roamed about the city trying to kill some time. I never liked to stay long in restaraunts by myself. I always felt like everyone was staring at me sitting there by myself. I wasn't neccessarily self conscious, I just was never fond of being the center of attention. I honestly doubt that anyone even noticed me, but that thought was always at the back of my mind.
I had strolled from various stores, browsing their wares. I was an avid gamer growing up in my youth, but that hobby quickly faded with the loss of free time at becoming an adult. It was still nice to look through the shelves, gazing at the different box arts aimed to perk up ones imagination at the scenarios they held. I turned away from the section and drifted away. With my new employment, there was no chance that I would be able to reclaim that hobby.
As I began leaving the aisle, I heard a loud crash from the one over from me. As I rounded the corner, I saw a stack of books, manga to be specific, floating on top of the case they had been lined up on. Underneath the case, I could see someones legs sticking out, waddling in a fury to free themself. It was quite a humorous site. I reach down and began moving the books when a hand suddenly shot forth and grasped my arm.
"Help. Please." It was a quaint voice, not what I was expecting. I grabbed ahold of their arm and began pulling. From beneath the pile a body emerged, like a zombie crawling from its grave. The person that rose to greet me was like the voice, a surprise. She was a rather short girl, her reddish hair cut close to her shoulders. A red pair of lopsided headphones hung from her head, having been knocked ajar from the collapse of the shelf. Her face was pale, serene. A large pair of red framed glasses sat crooked on her nose, her brown and glassy eyes blinking in a daze.
"Are you alright?" She looked down at herself. She dusted off the pink hoodie that was just a little too long for her arms. She looked down to check her legs for scrapes, but the black and red striped leggings she was wearing had saved her from that. She quickly knelt down to tie her red converse shoes. What was with this girl and the color red?
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for helping. It's a good thing somebody was nearby." While the store wasn't huge, it was large enough that even if someone had heard the crash, it probably would have taken a few minutes for any of the workers to make their way over to it.
"It's no problem. How did you manage to turn this thing over anyways?" I wasn't trying to embarass her any further, but bookshelves didn't usually tip themsevles over just out of the blue. Something had to come into play.
"The top. I tried to reach it and well, you know the rest." I let a giggle escape from my mouth. The girl gave me a quick look of scorn. I didn't mean to make fun of her, but the mental image was just too comedic to hold back. She quickly let me off the hook and began trying to stand the shelf back up.
"Here, I can get that. How about you start gathering up the books that fell?" I stood the shelf back up while the girl starting sorting through the books, arranging them in alphabetical order. I lined the shelf up flush with the ones on each side of it and waited for her to start placing the books back before I jumped in to help.
"Oh, I should introduce myself. The name's Martin, but everybody calls me M."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Leah." She gave me a quick smile before reaching up to try and place the books back. She apparently had yet to learn her lesson as she was aiming for the top shelf again.
"Here, let me handle those. We don't want a repeat of history." She paused for a moment, probably assuming that I was trying to make fun of her. She must have realized I was only trying to help and handed the books to me. As I lined the books up I came across one with the image of a stoic looking vampire on the front. It was a more traditional characterization of the theme, not some glammed up redefintion. It was actually very eyecatching, a combined smoothness of reds, golds and blacks. As I placed it on the shelf I felt a tap on my arm.
"Um, do you mind handing me a copy of that? It was the one I was originally trying to get down." I looked for the one that had taken the least damage from the fall, finding one in nearly pristine condition. I wasn't sure if the condition actually mattered to her, but it wouldn't hurt to take it into consideration.
"Thanks. Glad none of them were damaged that much. They should really add reinforcements to these or something." As I handed her the book, Leah turned and began to walk away. An idea suddenly dawned on me. I had already been turned down for dinner once, so what would it hurt to ask another person? Sure, I had only met this girl but you have to start somewhere to become friends.
"Um, before you go, I have a question. Hope it doesn't come off as creepy, but would you mind tagging along with me for dinner?" Yep, it still sounded creepy. Probably shouldn't have added the fact that I hoped it didn't come off that way, but what was said had been done, no taking it back.
Leah paused her steps for a moment before turning back around, "Sure, why not. I don't have anything planned anyways." I was somewhat shocked. Rarely had anyone ever responded to the invite positively, let alone a female. The result was that I was usually turned down, considered creepy and was left to eat by myself. This would be a nice change of pace.
"Oh, let me go pay for this first. After that you can lead the way." Leah proceeded towards the checkout at the front of the store, attempting to fix her headphones in the process. Mid stride she gave up and let them hang around her neck instead. I followed behind and waited patiently by the door as she finished checking out.
I thought about how soon it would be before I'd be too busy to do things like this. Throughout the day I would be hired to be someones companion, only leaving when night approached to return home. This process would go on for up to one week per client. At the end of that week, I would recieve payment for my services from the company and then would report back to the office daily until I was hired out again. It wasn't a bad job, it just definitely put a strain on the personal aspect of friendships.
"So, shall you lead the way?" I brushed the thoughts from my mind and headed out for one of my favorite spots, Leah in tow.
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The place I had picked had always been a favorite of mine. It was a chinese themed restaurant that offered up a buffet style dinner. Their food contained the traditional customs with a heavy focus on seafood dishes, something that had always been one of my favorite groups of food. It was nice to visit the joint with company for once.
"Oh, I didn't realize you like this place too." I had been as equally surprised as she was when had recgonized the place. It wasn't far from the store we had been at so with the distance and my fondness, it was a no brainer. The fact that Leah also favored the place was just a lucky strike.
"Yeah, I usually come here alot by myself when I had downtime. The food's always really good for the price." Leah tilted her a bit sideways at me, showing a hint of confusion at my statement.
"You said you come here by yourself? Do you not have any friends that come here with you?" The question stung me deeply. Friends had been something that I generally didn't have the luxury of. All throughout my life I had the acquaintaces that came and go, but I had never had any real attachments to anybody before. My parents were always too busy before to notice it, but I quickly became accustomed to the loneliness. After awhile, the solitude of it became soothing.
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"Um, no. Friends aren't something that I really have." It sounded pathetic after I heard myself say it, but it was the truth after all.
"Aww, that's so sad. You're so polite though. You helped me back in the store and was even kind enough to accompany me for food. Why wouldn't someone want to be friends with you?" I felt that the question was rhetorical, one doomed to be a pitfall for any answer provided. I simply shrugged my shoulders and let off a goofy grin, deciding to hide the truth that friends were just something I had never strived for.
"I'll tell you what. I'll be your friend then, that way you don't feel so lonely." Leah was smiling at me, clearly happy at the thought that she was going to be somebodys first friend. It was childish in a way, but I appreciated the gesture.
"I appreciate the offer, but with my upcoming job I won't really have time for friends. I do thank you for coming with me today though. Most people just get creeped out and run away. Not that I ask alot of people or anything." I felt myself begin to trip across my words. I didn't want to discuss my job with a stranger, but it had already escaped my lips.
"Oh, so you do have a job. What kind of job would you have that would make it to where you couldn't have friends?" Leah seemed genuinely curious, intrigued by the possibilities that I could reveal. I bided my time for a moment, deciding whether to continue with the discussion or go ahead and cut it short. Oh, what the hell? I wasn't going to have this oppornuity anymore in the next few days.
"I actually signed up to work for the Companion services. I actually had orientation and training today. They dictate that we keep social relationships to a minimum outside of work, even to the point that we can't interact with former clients of ours or our fellow workers."
"Oh, the Companion service. That's that thing where you can hire someone to accompany like a friend or something isn't it?" Was she really that unfamiliar with it? I mean, she had the general idea, but it seemed odd that she was so vague about it. Oh well, guess it's one of those things that if you don't see it yourself it doesn't really register with you.
"Yeah. That's the one. We are assigned to a district office where we go each day that we're not hired for work. They really just pay us to be friends for people who can't make them. It's kind of sad really."
Leah suddenly let out a chuckle. What was so funny about what I had said? It was actually quite a depressing thought if one was to sit and think about it. Humans were meant to be social creatures, so for those that lacked that ability it was almost as if they were alienated from the normal world.
"Don't you think it's kind of ironic? You just said that you yourself didn't have friends, yet you work for a company that hires people to be friends for others." Ouch, the irony of it suddenly stung me like a wasp. I hadn't given it any thought, but irony was an understatement. I felt that it was different however. It wasn't that I lacked social skills. I could get along with anybody, whether it be small talk or conversations. My only problem was that nobody ever gave me time enough to get to know me to be friends.
Leah must have noticed the glum look on my face because she quickly spoke up again, "Hey, I didn't mean it like that. I just thought it was odd is all. Don't feel bad though. I used to be the same way. When I was a kid I used to hide behind my mothers leg all the time whenever someone tried to speak to me. I kind of grew out of that though when I decided to become a musician."
The statement caught my attention. So Leah was a musician. I could only imagine what genres she chose to submerse herself in. The topic still interested me however. I wiped the gloomy disposition from my face, perking myself up, "So, you said you're a musician? What kind exactly?"
Leah quickly sat up in her seat and clapped her hands together, the excitement getting the best of her. "I love when people ask that question. Have you ever heard of a genre called J-Rock?" I recognized the genere right away. It was a term used in the western regions of the world for music that mostly came from Japan, a focus on light hearted rock to heavy metal sounds that encompassed all ranges of topics. It had recently begun to take a rise in popularity in our part of the world.
"I actually have. Alot of the games I played before were JRPG games that put a large focus on the Japanese music base. So I'm guessing you're probably like an otaku or something?" While the word originally had negative connotations in its origin, it had become a slang word mostly for those obessed in the manga and anime areas. I felt it was safe to assume this about Leah, considering her excitement over J-Rock and the fact that my first encounter with her was at a manga shelf.
"How dare you, it isn't nice to assume things about people." I instantly felt regret at my statement. It's easy to assume things at times, and this was one time I wish I hadn't. "But you are correct in a way. Relax, I'm not insulted or anything." Leah was giggling at my reaction. It was clear that my regret had transferred to my face in that period of time.
"That wasn't funny. I actually thought I had insulted you for a second." Leah continued to giggle, taking only a brief moment to take a sip of her drink. Before I had got my bearings about myself, she had quickly brought her smartphone at a level angle in front of my face. I then heard the click of a camera.
"Hey, why did you take a picture?"
"Because, you said you don't have any friends. As of today, I'll be your first friend. Now give me your phone, I need your number after all." I felt my stomach drop. Nobody had ever asked for my phone number before. I never used it to make calls or texts, just surf the web whenever I was out and about.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and she quickly snatched it from my hand. She turned the screen to face her and in a few moments I heard the snap of a camera again. Before handing the phone back, I watched as her fingers flew across the screens, clicking sounds going off like machine gun fire. When she handed my phone back to me, the display was on my contacts screen. It was on an entry labled, "Leah the Otaku" and a goofy picutre of Leah smiling was the contact photo.
"There, now you officially have a friend. It also won't make your job that ironic anymore either. Anytime you're not busy just give me a call. If I'm not performing a show with my band I'll come and hang out with you. We don't tour nationwide or anything so I'm usually in the same area."
"Um, thanks. I'll make sure to do that."
"Oh, I just thought of something. The next time you have a day off you should come see one of our shows. We set up in a small nightclub not far from here. We usually perform on weekends. Just let me know if you're willing to come and I'll make sure you get in free."
"Yeah, sounds nice. I don't know if I'll ever actually have a day off but I don't see the harm in trying." I felt a race of excitement within my heart. I had never been invited anywhere nor had anyone offered to be my friend. It was overhwhelming for someone like me to have both happen in the same day. Leah went back to her food, looking to make up for lost time we had spent chatting.
"Oh, I completely forgot to mention. You probably want to know the name of our band. We go by the name Lonely. It's kind of a cheesy story but it had a deep meaning for us. I'll tell you about it some other time. Why don't we go ahead and finish our meals?" I gave her a quick nod and dove into my plate as well. After spending so much time wandering about and talking, I hadn't realized just how hungry I had been.
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After paying for our food, both Leah and I stepped out onto the street into the night air. Unfortunately, the direction of her destination was the opposite of mine. She quickly trotted off down the street, giving a wave followed by the universal call me sign. I waved back and gave a big smile and began walking home.
After a few minutes of walking I arrived at my apartment. It was a small, single bedroom suite built into a complex. It was nothing special, the kitchen and living room being combined into one with the bedroom at the back. It was enough to accomodate my needs however. I unlocked the door to my suite, gently closing it behind me as I stepped in. I quickly removed my shoes and spotted the answering machine flashing its bright red signal.
Walking over to it I pressed the play messages button. "You have one new message." It was the same characteristic tone you expected from an answering machine. After a few moments an upbeat voice popped out, "Hello Martin. This is you dispatcher Mark Blevins just calling to let you know that your I.D. will be ready the day after tommorow. You can come pick it up at the main office by noon that day. After that, just come to your local Companion Services branch and we'll get you ready for hiring."
I left the message on the machine, just in case I managed to forget for some reason. So I had two days before my work started huh? It was going to fall on a Monday from the looks of it. My thoughts turned to Leah. She had said that her band played on weekends. I figured I would give her a call come tommorow night. After all, she was just a friend so even if I did continue to interact with her after I got my I.D., I wouldn't get in any trouble with work for it...