In case anyone is an Everclear fan, guess what? This is inspired by "Unemployed Boyfriend", probably one of my favourite Everclear songs. Some of the phone conversation between Peggy and Mandy is from the song. Lyrics are easy to find, or I can send them to anyone who's interested. ^_^ Enjoy!

Thanks to Mary for being her super beta-reading self as always.  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Six Rings
by Becky Thomson

She picked up the phone and dialled the number. Three rings, then
pickup.


"Hello?"


"Hey Peggy, it's me."


She heard Peggy yawn on the other end of the line. "Hey Mandy. What's up?"


    Mandy looked at the back of her hand. "You are never going to believe
what happened to me today."



**********


    Gary Hobson was a man. Sure his newspaper seemed to control most of his
life, but he was still human. And he was lonely. He was starting to get used
to it though. Getting used to not having a girlfriend.


But life can give us opportunities. And sometimes these are ones we just can
't ignore.


    Gary walked through the parking lot outside the unemployment office, a
shortcut he used sometimes when he really wanted to get home quickly. The
day was done, and the paper was cutting him loose early. It was only late
afternoon, and though surprised, Gary was relieved. He could use the break.
He'd dealt with a store hold-up and stopped a child from getting run over,
and was pretty exhausted.


    The parking lot was virtually empty. Only a few cars were still there.
He idly watched someone leave the parking lot. This was a bad idea. He then
proceeded to walk into someone's car. He quickly took a step back from the
vehicle, and noticed that there was a woman sitting on the bonnet, a
newspaper spread open on her lap. She was looking at him, seeming slightly
amused.


"Don't worry about it. Nothing's damaged."


Though she looked amused, her voice was dull, as though she was past caring.


"Hey, you haven't got a cigarette by any chance?"


Gary was about to shake his head; he wasn't a smoker. But then the store
hold-up came into his head. He had arrived slightly early, and had been
forced to wait there. The owner had got annoyed with him, and told him to
buy something or get out. He reached into his jacket, and pulled out a small
carton of cigarettes. He passed them to the woman, who hesitated.


"Don't you want them?"


"N-no, you go ahead."


"Oh. Oh OK..well, thanks. Thanks a lot."


"You're welcome."


    After a moment, she took the carton off him, and for the first time,
Gary bothered to take a good look at the woman. He looked up right into her
eyes. Huge, blue ones. She was very pretty indeed, short black hair, blonde
streaked. She had a really exotic look to her.


"Are you sure you don't want these?..Hello?"


Gary tore himself away from her eyes. He blinked.


"No, no, you're alright. You have them."


    And with that, Gary carried on walking. But as he was about to go around
the corner, he took one last look at the woman. He watched her light up, and
then he walked home.



*********


    Gary opened the door to a well-filled McGinty's. He smiled at a few of
the regular patrons, and then made his way over to the bar, to be greeted by
Marissa. They had a brief conversation about what had happened with the
paper, then Gary made his way into the office. Time to do some of the paper
work he had been neglecting as of late.


    He settled into a desk chair, and was about to open some files, when a
magazine on the desk caught his eye. Gary guessed that it belonged to Robin
or one of the other waitresses. Some general 'gossip' magazine. Ordinarily,
Gary would never have looked at it, but it was a small photograph on the
bottom of the cover that had him interested. He opened the magazine up, and
looked up the respective article. It was a two page spread on a band called
Matrick. An interview with the lead guitarist; a man called Kevin Heyman.
But it wasn't really the interview that he wanted. It was a picture of
Heyman and his girlfriend. The woman from the car park.


    Gary looked at the photograph. She was so beautiful. Reading the
caption, he found out that her name was Mandy Miller. So she was the
girlfriend of a man who presumably had a lot of money. So what was she doing
outside the unemployment office? He didn't think she'd just parked there.
She did seem to have been in there, having seen the newspaper open on the
'Situations Vacant' page with read pen dotted around. She could, Gary
supposed, want a job of her own, and not just be known as Kevin Heyman's
girlfriend.


    Gary turned on the desk lamp. Heyman wasn't even touching her. Not
hugging her, or holding her hand, or anything. He wondered why. Mandy was
smiling in the photo, but her eyes.they looked so sad. Gary knew that look.
He'd worn it himself more than once.


    Reading the article, which was all about Heyman, revealed little. Mandy
was only mentioned in one line, and it wasn't exactly a gushing description.


    The office door opened, and Robin walked in. As soon as she saw what
Gary was reading, she smiled broadly. She walked over to stand behind Gary.


"Kevin Heyman...wow. I tell you, that girlfriend of his is really lucky."


"You think so?" He asked her, never taking his eyes off the photograph.


"I sure do. He's gorgeous. I know he's not supposed to be the nicest person
in the world, but look at him! Anyway, I'm off now Mr Hobson. I just came to
get my coat."


She walked over to the coat rack, and was about to get her magazine back,
but took another look at Gary, and decided to get it the next day.


"Night Mr Hobson. Enjoy the magazine."


"Mmmm. Sure Robin, goodnight." he replied, not really listening. This Heyman
person wasn't exactly nice. Robin had just said so, and she obviously knew
more than he did. And he came across as unbelievably arrogant and obnoxious.
It was clear just from what he read.


"That can't make a happy relationship," Gary said to himself. "She doesn't
look happy. Poor thing. I hope she gets what she deserves. Someone better
than this guy."


    Gary sighed, and shut the magazine. He was about to leave it on the
desk, but instead, took it up to his loft, where it found a new home on the
coffee table.



**********


    Sometimes fate deals us a strange hand of cards. We can do a lot with
what we're given, and sometimes fate plays a hand when and where we'd least
expect it.


    The next morning, Gary awoke to his alarm, and the six-thirty wake up
call of the cat and paper. Trudging out of bed, Gary was glad he'd only worn
the bottom half of his sweats to bed that night. It was hot and sticky all
night, and it still was even though it was now morning. Just as the DJ on
the radio had said, it was another hot July day.


    He sat down on the couch with the newly acquired paper. There didn't
seem to be a lot in it today. A small boy would drown in a swimming pool;
that could be easily rectified. Lots of traffic congestion. Nothing he could
do about that really. There were no accidents caused by it, so there wasn't
much call for his 'talents'.


    Gary then flipped over a page, and was stunned by a small article.
No-one was going to be hurt, but Matrick were filming a new video there in
Chicago. That very day. Gary checked through the paper. There was nothing
clashing with that time. He figured he could go and watch. Mandy would
surely be there..and he *would* like to see her again.


    The cat was stretched out next to Gary on the couch. He reached out and
stroked the animal happily. The cat looked up at him, bewildered.


**********


    Gary stood in the crowds who had all congregated to watch the video
shoot. It was mainly women in the crowd, some of whom were screaming for
various members of the band. Security guards kept telling them to be quiet.
They would have to leave if they kept that up whilst the shoot was taking
place.


    They were all waiting in the same place, but Gary's attention was then
taken by a row of small trailers, and some shouting coming from one of them.


    As quickly as was humanly possible, Gary slipped out of the crowd, and
got as near as he could to the trailer. He knew he shouldn't be
eavesdropping, but his curiosity was getting the better of him.


    After some listening, he realised that it was what he hadn't hoped. It
was Mandy and Heyman. Sure he'd wanted to see her, but not in that
situation. He couldn't believe some of the things he was hearing him say to
her. Insults were constantly being shouted at her. She didn't seem to have
the words to come back at him.


"You know, there are hundreds of others that would jump at the chance to be
in your shoes, you ungrateful bitch! Count yourself lucky that you're with
someone who can take care of you!"


    Gary managed to get that little bit closer, and crouched down on some
planks of wood, trying not to be seen.


Mandy said something so quiet that Gary couldn't hear it. But Heyman's
response was definitely loud enough.


"How could I sleep with her? Why shouldn't I? You're not exactly going to go
and leave me, are you? You'd have nothing Mandy! You've got no job, no
money. That flat of yours is a dump."


"But she was my friend, Kevin...how could you?"


"I think it's safe to say that she's my friend now too Mandy. Just be glad
that Peggy's not exactly the sort of girl I'm after, or you'd be down your
best friend as well."


There was a moment of silence, and all Gary could hear was the chanting of
the crowds, who still weren't listening to security.



"Look Mand. I'm not finishing with you. I never meant for you to find out.
But I'm telling you, if you leave now, you're going to be needing your place
at the unemployment office on Monday more than you've ever needed it before.
It's up to you. But just think about what you'd be giving up."


Gary heard the door of the trailer open and then slam shut again. The crowd
obviously saw him leave, and they roared. But all he could hear inside the
trailer was Mandy sobbing.


    Gary was furious. How could that fool treat her like that? He wanted to
go into that trailer and throw his arms around her; comfort her. But he knew
he couldn't. What would he say? 'Hi, I'm the guy that gave you some
cigarettes in the car park, and I've just been listening into one of your
extremely private conversations'? So he'd have to leave her. But.not
necessarily forever.


*********


    That was Friday. The weekend came and went, and Monday dawned. It was
time for a big step.


    Gary walked into the unemployment office, and sure enough, there she
was. Sitting on a plastic chair, waiting for someone. Her case worker,
maybe? Gary spotted that the chair next to her was free. He took a deep
breath, and walked over.


    He sat down in the empty chair. They both smiled at each other, empty.
She didn't remember him, obviously. Gary cleared his throat, and she turned
around to face him. This was going to take all of his courage.


"This, erm, this is going to sound a little strange. I know you don't really
know me, but I know we were meant to be together. I remember when I first
saw you on your car bonnet outside. I gave you those cigarettes. I-I couldn'
t stop looking at your eyes. You were so beautiful, I couldn't believe it."


He started staring at his shoes, but realised that he still had her
attention, and carried on before he lost his train of thought.


"Then I found out who you were, and who you were with. I saw your photograph
in a magazine with that Heyman guy. You were smiling.but you looked so sad.
I knew you were sad. I could see it in your eyes.I-I've been sad too. I know
what it's like. He didn't seem to realise how lucky he was to have you. And
I *know* I shouldn't have done this, but I overheard your conversation at
the video shoot..I didn't really mean to. But he's a fool Mandy, he's a
fool. He doesn't deserve you. I've never seen him even hold your hand. If I
was him, I'd never let it go."


Gary then thought of what he was saying must sound like, and realised he
should probably dig himself out of a hole before he sounded like some sort
of nutcase.


"I know this must sound obsessive. I don't mean it to. But I know you're
unhappy with him. You're not letting it show, but I can tell, because I've
been there, like I said. You should call me. I'd treat you like you're
perfect. I'd never let you down, and I'd never treat you badly. You wouldn't
find me cheating on you with your friends. I'd never be like those other
guys you've been with."


    She sat there with a stunned look on her face, as Gary took a pen out of
his pocket, and took the back of her hand. Quickly, he wrote his phone
number on it, then got up, and walked away.


    Mandy sat there, in a state of shock, and her case worker had to call
her name six times before she heard it.


**********


"..So he takes my hand, writes down his number, and just walks away. Can you
believe it?"


Peggy was silent on the other end of the line.


"Peggy?"
"Are you going to call him?"


"Am I going to call him?"


"I'm just saying Mandy, you don't even know who this guy is. He could be
anyone! And what about Kevin?"


"Peg, it's been over between me and Kevin for a long time now, I've just not
wanted to admit it." she started to play with the phone cord. "And you're
right. He could be anyone. But I want to know more."


Peggy chuckled. "I can tell. I know I would in your position. The mystery
guy." she sighed. "Go get him girl. I won't keep you any longer."


"Thanks Peg. I just had to tell someone. Night hon."


"Night."


And then Peggy put the phone down. Mandy got the dialling tone up, and then,
after hesitating for a split second, punched in the number from her hand.
Six rings, and she was about to hang up, but then she got someone.


"Hello?"


"Erm, hi. This is Mandy? From the unemployment office."


"Oh hi Mandy." Gary said, smiling.


"Hi. Let's just say, I want to know more."


--------------------------------------


Thanks for reading! Review if you like!

Email the author: phoebe_or_becks@hotmail.com
 

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