Issue #20 (2011) PDF - myweb - Long Island University

he can see his smiling reflection in it at all times. She finishes off her dwindling glass before she
realizes that it is April 2.
―Excuse me, bartender Can I get another Pinot Grigio And what time does Matthew
Daniels go on‖
―You still got about another fifteen minutes.‖
―Oh, alright. Thank you,‖ Magdalena answers politely. She is doing a good job of
concealing her anxiousness to discover who this mysterious Matthew Daniels is and what art he is
about to share with the world.
In the meantime, her eyes scan more posters. $15 cover to see Passion Falls, an ―eclectic
heavy metal explosion of alternative components.‖ She never could control the cloud of laughter
that escapes from deep within her belly when she finds something to be funny, and this time she
ends her rather loud outburst with a snort. At once she puts her hand up to her mouth and
straightens her back, which is naturally prone to a slouch. Embarrassed, she looks from side to side
in the hope that no one has heard what just happened. She thinks she is in the clear until a strong,
masculine voice startles her. It seems to come from every direction simultaneously, and has a raspy,
melodic quality that makes every word seem like it is starting off a song.
―That was quite embarrassing. I hope no one besides me heard that or they might make fun
of you.‖
―Excuse me‖ she replies meekly. She spins around in her barstool and is at eye level with
the chest of a medium-build man clad in a silky half-buttoned collared shirt and pinstriped pants.
His whole outfit is black, including the Nike Uptowns he wears on his feet. This man smells
familiar, like a fragranced bath soap she once picked up from a small store in Venice years ago, but
could never find again in the States. His sunny, cobalt eyes and playful smile make a stark
contradiction with his onyx shagged hair and dark clothing.
―I just mean that they should have stopped the music your snort was so loud. If that had
just happened to me, well, I wouldn‘t know what to do. Oh, no need to turn the color of your skirt
now.‖ He wears his grin from ear to ear, obviously amused by his flirtatious humor. Since grade
school, he had always been the type to tease the pretty girls.
Magdalena, enticed by his attempts at charming banter, responds with a quick flip of her hair
and, ―Oh, come on! You would be snorting too if you saw the ridiculous ad hanging over there for
a band called Passion Falls. It lacks any sense of an original identity. It‘s just trying to appeal to
everyone, no matter what musical genre they are into. Sell-outs. Take a look for yourself.‖
Her polished finger traces a line of sight for her new company to follow. He leans closer to
her, and she closes her eyes for a brief moment to focus all the power of her senses on inhaling his
scent. Her relaxation is broken by a brief burst of laughter followed by a snort.
―Oh man, that was great. I see what you mean, I couldn‘t help it,‖ he responds with the
same boyish smile plastered to his face. It doesn‘t make him look clownish at all; on the contrary,
his light-heartedness heightens Magdalena‘s attraction to him. ―How can one band be both ‗heavy
metal‘ and ‗alternative‘ at the same time And that poster! It‘s so bright and all-over-the-place. It‘s
nothing like the poster of the guy that‘s playing tonight.‖
―That‘s exactly what I was thinking that made me laugh so hard. I can‘t wait for this
Matthew Daniels guy to come on the stage. I‘m so curious about him.‖ She pauses for a moment.
―You just snorted to make me feel less embarrassed didn‘t you‖ She does not wait for his response
before adding, ―That was very sweet…ummm….‖
―Dan. You can call me Dan,‖ he says, extending his hand.
She puts down her glass and replaces it with his warm grasp. ―Well, you can call me Lena.‖
―Matthew Daniels is a pretty down to earth guy,‖ he says. ―I know him well. We were both
at Berkeley some years back. He‘s got a real gift for music, not like a lot of the acts out here
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