The Art of the Hustle

by Edward Mullen

  ***

  Ashley lived on the other side of the bridge from where I was currently living. It was a ten-minute cab ride or an hour-long walk. I needed to conserve as much money as possible so I decided just to walk to her place. I took a handful of résumés with me so I could apply for some jobs along the way.

  I arrived at Ashley’s place at 7:20 p.m. The sun was setting and there would only be another hour and a half until it became completely dark. I buzzed her apartment and the crackly speaker started to ring.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Ashley, it’s me.”

  “Okay, come on up.”

  I entered her lobby and was impressed right away. The luxurious décor let me know I was in a classy building. It was certainly an upgrade from my apartment building – the elevator actually worked here. I got in and it accelerated rapidly up to the eighteenth floor.

  I walked up to her apartment door, but didn’t knock right away. I needed a moment. I couldn’t believe I was actually going to see Ashley again and I wanted to make sure I was presentable. I pulled out a pack of gum, pushed a piece through the foil wrapping, and shoved it into my mouth. I chewed on it aggressively for a moment until the juices filled my mouth. I swallowed the juices and took a deep breath, inhaling the peppermint air. I straightened out my outfit and dusted off some rogue pieces of lint. I took a brief moment to gather my thoughts, then when I was ready, I knocked on her door.

  “Hey, what took you so long?” she asked. “I was watching you through the peephole,”

  I was greeted by a woman every bit as beautiful as I remembered.

  “I’m sorry, I just had to do a systems check before I came in,” I replied.

  She laughed, showing off her cute dimples and perfect white teeth. She invited me in and I gave her a big hug. She smelled great. Her hair was still a bit wet; she must have just gotten out of the shower.

  “It’s been a while, how have you been?” she asked.

  “A lot has happened since the last time we saw each other, but I’m doing well. I just can’t believe I’m standing here right now. I never thought I would see you again.”

  “Yeah I know, who would have thought?”

  I looked around her high-rise apartment and immediately noticed the vast disparity between our living conditions. Everything was new and seemed to be high-end. There was a beautiful black granite countertop in the kitchen, complemented by sparkling white tiles and a large stainless steel double-door refrigerator. The carpets were new and stain free, a nice off-white color. Plus she had electricity!

  “This is a really nice place,” I said.

  “Thanks, sorry about the mess,” she said. I looked around and the place was spotless.

  “Do you want something to drink?” she asked.

  “No, thank you.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right back, I just need to finish blow drying my hair,” she said as she rushed off to finish getting ready.

  “You look very nice by the way,” I said sincerely.

  She didn’t even break stride, she just continued walking into her room turning her head slightly over her shoulder long enough to give me a sexy smile before she disappeared into her room.

  I sat down on her big sectional sofa and looked out at the magnificent view. I could see for miles – the entire downtown area, the water, the mountains, and even the top of the Lindberg building.

  “So, where are you taking me tonight?” she asked.

  The truth was I didn’t want to take her anywhere, I would be happy to stay at her place. “I was thinking we could take a long romantic walk on the beach.”

  “Are you being serious? I would love that!”

  “Good.” After that, I had nothing else planned, perhaps a long romantic walk back in the other direction. I needed to keep this date as cheap as possible. I was down to my last $200. I knew there was a possibility she wanted to go out for dinner, drinks, or something that would involve me spending money. I was prepared to spend fifty dollars on this evening. I would make up the cost in other ways – maybe not eat for a week. I’m otherwise a rational man, but I can justify doing pretty much anything for a beautiful woman. She could probably get me to spend the entire $200 on her if I thought it would get me another date.

  A few moments later, she emerged from her room.

  “Shall we go?” she asked.