[Note: Rated PG. There’s no film in this scenario.]

Saturday morning. I am hastily carrying bagfuls of stuff into my new apartment in Chicago. My sister Marie and her husband Wayne help me with the heavier things.

The apartment building I have chosen to reside in isn’t far from my place of work, a local newspaper and I am kept busy as a journalist dashing all over the city to get stories.

Opposite my place is a rather run-down building that houses a few folks; most of them are what you’d call ‘down on their luck’, but they work hard for what they have and generally speaking are a good crowd.

In the evening I was tired and decided not to go out. I open the window above the street and look out to watch the world pass by.

I had been watching for about 5 minutes when I suddenly got the feeling I was being stared at. I looked around but couldn’t see anyone on the street captivated by overhead interest. I lifted my head and looked over at the dilapidated building opposite. I caught sight of a handsome young fellow, also sitting at his window, wearing a white shirt, black tie and dark sunglasses. He was staring straight at me!!!

He realised he’d been spotted and turned away suddenly. I thought no more of it and closed my window.

Next day I had to go shopping, so I drove to the nearest supermarket and stocked up on a few goodies!!

While I was unloading my car a stranger walked up behind me and offered to help. “Can I give you a hand there?” I turned round and recognised him as the guy who’d been staring at me yesterday evening.

“Oh, it’s OK, but thanks anyway” I replied. “I saw you move in yesterday, new to these parts?” he asked.

I locked up my car and picked up my bags. “Well, kind of, but my sister lives a couple of blocks away, so it’s not entirely unfamiliar.” He just nodded his head.

“My name’s Elwood, what’s yours?” he asks, with a slight ‘spring’ in his voice. “Clare, nice to meet you Elwood.” We shake hands and he walks back across the street.

I don’t see him again for several weeks until one afternoon when I was taking a breather from writing up one of my stories.

He parks his vehicle, an old battered Police car, around the back and walks in the front door. I see him at his window a moment or two later. He opens it and looks across the street in my direction. I have my window closed and am sitting a little way back from it, out of view. He seemed to have a curious look on his face. Perhaps he wondered if I was still living here.

To put him out of his misery I go to the window and open it. I am glad for the rush of slightly fresher air and return to my story.

I spend a few more minutes writing when there’s a knock at the door. Who on earth’s that? I mutter to myself. I look through the tiny peephole and see Elwood standing there. I open the door slowly.

“Hi, sorry to bother you, but I was outside this morning and this guy came up with a parcel for you, said you were out.” He hands me the package, it’s from my mother who lives in New York.

“Oh, thanks for that.” “I was at the office.” He stares at me and I am unsure what to say next. He seemed friendly enough though.

“Would you like a cocoa, I was just about to get myself one?” I ask, nervously. “Sure” he smiles as I let him in.

He sits on the sofa while I make us some of my favourite drink. I don’t use the powdered chocolate, always seems tasteless to me! I usually melt chucks of rich dark chocolate in warm milk and add a quarter of a teaspoon of ground Cinnamon or Nutmeg. Delicious!!

“Mind that may be a little hot” I say as I hand him his mug. After letting it cool for a moment he takes a sip. “Mmmm, that’s gorgeous!” “Never tasted cocoa like that before!” he enthuses. “Ah, that’ll be the secret ingredient!” I smile at him cheekily.

“What’s in it?” he asks, more curious than ever. “Real chocolate and Cinnamon” I reply. “Cinnamon?” “Never tried it, but it’s real nice!” He drinks the rest of it greedily.

We sit and chat for a while. “My brother Jake got out of Joliet (prison) a few weeks back, but got busted for being in possession of illegal booze, so of course he got put straight back inside!”

“I thought I hadn’t seen you around for a week or two” I reply. “Yeah, he and I have our own R’n’B show called The Blues Brothers.” “Whenever Jake’s not on the inside we tour the state’s juke joints.”

“Sounds to me like Jake could use a good dose of common sense!” I half laugh. “Yeah, we both could, we never seem to get any breaks.”

“I’ve got a job, but I don’t get enough from it to get ahead, ya know?” I nod knowing full well what life on the breadline is like, having been there myself on more than one occasion.

My pendulum clock strikes 5 and as it does so, Elwood gets up. “Well I’d better not keep you any longer” he says, seeing my ¾-finished article.

I show him to the door. “Take care now” I say as he walks out into the corridor. “Thanks, and you” he replies and turns to face me. “Actually, would you like to go out sometime?” “It’d be nothin’ special, maybe just for a drink or somethin’?” I think about it for a moment.

“Yeah, OK, I’d like that.” “At the weekend perhaps when I haven’t got to go to work.” “OK, I’ll call round about 7-ish on Saturday?” “Sounds fine, see you then.” He turns and walks down the stairs.

The following morning I had to go onto the street to put the rubbish out and overhear someone shouting at full volume about money being owed or something along those lines. When I get back upstairs I look out of my window and through the corridor window, I can see Elwood’s landlord banging loudly on his door!! Evidently my newfound friend hasn’t paid his way for a few weeks I thought!!

After a while the shouting stops, I assume that the guy has given up for now! Feeling sorry for Elwood, I pop over after breakfast and find his landlord sitting in a small office grumbling to himself.

“Err, excuse me?” I ask tentatively. “What ya want?!” he grunts. “Look I’m sorry to disturb you, but I live opposite and couldn’t help but overhear your demands for Elwood’s rent earlier.”

“Yeah, that son of a bitch owes me 100 bucks!” I dib into my purse. “Here’s $200, that’ll cover what he owes and go towards next months rent, yeah?” “Sure, thanks” he smiles and drops his tough-guy exterior.

“I know he doesn’t do it on purpose, but I’m trying to run a business here!” “That’s alright I understand.” “May I go up and see him?” “Sure, take as long as you like, he’s in room 505 on the 3rd floor.” “Thanks.” I walk up the stairs and knock on his door.

There is no answer. “Elwood, it’s me, Clare” I call out. I hear a scuffling and he opens the door. “Hi!” “Somethin’ the matter?” he asks shutting the door behind me.

“No, not with me, but I think there is with you” I reply. “What ya mean?” he says, puzzled.

“I don’t mean to interfere, but I really do think you need to get yourself a better paid job, you can’t go on skipping the bills like that.”

“Oh you heard Louie’s shouts huh?” “Me and half the street I should think!” I laugh. “Elwood, we both know how the world works, life’s only going to keep dumpin’ on you unless you do something about it.” He looks at me forlornly, knowing full well that I am right.

“I’ve paid what you owed in rent and given Louie some towards the next time around.” He pulls a half pleased and half shocked expression.

“Oh man, ya didn’t have to do that!” he exclaims. “No if, buts or maybes, you said that you never get any breaks, so I’m giving you the chance to get out of this hole!”

“You can tell me to hop it if you like, but would you like me to ask if there’s anything going at the Telegraph?” Elwood thinks it over for a moment. “I daresay it won’t be terribly exciting, but it might pay a bit more.” “OK, I guess it’s worth a go.”

He smiles at me and gives me a big hug. “Thanks” he whispers in my ear. He releases me slightly and we stare at each other for a moment.

Just then my watch beeps 8.30am. “Right, I’d better get to work, I’ll catch you later.” “I really appreciate your helping me out” Elwood says, as I walk out into the corridor. “Don’t mention it, what are friends for?”

I walk down the stairs and head off to work. Unfortunately my workload prevents me from seeing Elwood again until the following Saturday when he calls round at 7pm, like we arranged.

“Hi, sit yourself down, I won’t be a moment.” Elwood sits in the lounge. “I’ve had so much to do this week, you wouldn’t believe it!!” “Don’t work you too hard do they?” Elwood asks. “Oh no, just been a lot of paperwork to catch up on that’s all.” I put my coat on. “Right shall we go?”

We end up in a nearby café and have a lengthy chat. “Oh, by the way, I asked about what jobs are available and apparently there’s going to be an opening for a store man in a couple of weeks when Billy retires, if you fancy it?” “It’ll mean a lot of fetching and carrying and you’ll need to be very organised, but if you think you can manage that then the job’s as good as yours.”

I hand Elwood the copy of the job spec that I’d brought with me. He peruses it for a moment. “Yeah, definitely sounds a lot better than my current job, it’s certainly paying a lot more that’s for sure!” “OK, you’re on!” I am pleased that he’s decided to give it a go.

“Right, lovely, I’ll speak to the line manager and get him to arrange an interview for you.” Elwood smiles. “Thanks…I’ve never met anyone who’s ever bothered with me like this before.”

“Well, I don’t like to see folks fall by the way.” I go on to tell him about the homelessness appeal that I kicked off in the paper recently. “All the monies raised will go to the various retreats etc. in the city.”

“That’s great, how’d you happen across that idea?” Elwood sits up, intrigued. “Well, I know how hard it is to make your way in this world, especially if you don’t have any qualifications or special skills to speak of.” “I just feel that the well-off don’t do enough to help others who are less fortunate than themselves.”

“How true that is!” Elwood bursts out. “Those fat-cat son’s o’ bitches, just hoard all their money and spend it on trashy stuff that they don’t really need!” “I mean look at me, I’ve never even seen a $100 bill for f***’s sake!”

I can’t help but smile at his colourful language!! “Sorry!” he laughs. “You’re gonna have to watch your tongue working at the Telegraph!” I giggle. “It’s not like a factory where that sort of thing is all but expected of you!” Elwood smiles, “Yeah, thanks for the warning!”

As the evening wears on we gradually begin to run out of decent conversation and we end up ‘talking shop’! The café closes up at 10pm, so we head back to my place for a drink.

“Thanks for a lovely evening” I say as we walk in the door. “Yeah, had a good time myself” Elwood replied. “Not done that for a while, well not since the last gig with Jake anyway!”

We sit in the lounge and I pour us a glass of wine each. “Next time he’s around and you’re playing nearby, let me know and I’ll tag along” I say, hopefully.

“I bet you guys play real good!” I laugh. “You have the right background for it!” “Yeah, unfortunately!” Elwood smiles, forlornly.

“You’re not very happy, I can tell?” I ask, politely. “No, well neither would you be if you’d been through half the stuff I have!” Elwood barks.

“Hey?” I mutter softly. He sighs loudly, “Sorry, didn’t mean to bite your head off, it just gets me down sometimes that’s all.”

I finish up my wine. “Well, forget about it for now, we’ve both had a good time this evening.” I smile at him and he smiles back.

“Yes, you’re right… sorry… not very good company am I?” he laughs. “Oh come on, we both know there’s a lot worse out there!” I chuckle back.

Elwood nods and smiles in a very boyish manner. It isn’t until this point that I remember how handsome he looks. I’d put it to the back of my mind somewhat and with work getting increasingly busy lately I hadn’t given it a moments thought.

I also remember, rather abruptly, how he’d kept staring at me when I first arrived. He’d seemed rather curious about me. Perhaps he’d just been waiting to pluck up enough courage to ask me out. I’d certainly given him ample reason to when I gave him a helping hand.

Elwood scoots closer and puts his arm around my shoulder, which abruptly breaks my mental wanderings. He nuzzles his face into my neck and whispers in my ear, “Actually I fancied you from the moment I first saw you, been waitin’ for an excuse to…”

“Do you need an excuse?!” I laugh. “No, I guess not!” Elwood giggles back. I smile at him and he kisses me gently. Before long we are embracing one another passionately.

We spend the night together and the next morning I make us some breakfast, after practically having to drag myself away from Elwood’s clutches!!

I make a quick telephone call to the Telegraph stores manager who gives me a date for Elwood’s interview.

“I do hope you get the job” I say to Elwood, excitedly. “Yeah, it’ll sure make a difference to my lifestyle!”

Just then there’s a knock at the door. I answer it and Louie is standing there. “This came for Elwood after he went out yesterday.” He hands me a letter. “Thanks” I reply. He turns and walks down the stairs, smiling to himself.

I hand the letter to Elwood and he opens it. “It’s from Jake, I can tell cos his writin’s none too good!” I smile and chuckle to myself. I clear up the breakfast things while he sits in the lounge reading his mail.

Elwood laughs a few times. I surmise that Jake is having a few ‘scrapes’ in Joliet!! “Is he keeping well?” I ask.

“Yeah, he and a few fellow inmates got rapped for tryin’ to start a food fight last week!” “Well I’m not surprised!!” “I expect prison food leaves a lot to be desired!” “Yeah!” Elwood chuckles back.

After a few moments, “Oh!” Elwood says, astonished. “What?” I ask. “He wants to meet you!” “I told him about you see, hope you don’t mind?”

“No, I don’t mind.” I rejoin him on the sofa. “You don’t have to ya know, but Jake’s curious about you.” “Guess he just wants to put a face to the name I’ve been boring him to death with!” I smile and hug him.

“Sure, I guess we can go to the next visiting session.” “You sure, I mean Joliet’s no five-star hotel ya know!” “I know what I’m walking into, I used to know someone who worked there, years ago.”

I reassure Elwood that I’ll be careful and mind my P’s and Q’s as it were. Elwood arranges for us to visit in a fortnight’s time.

When the day arrived I was a little apprehensive, but determined to go through with it.

“You’ll have to take it in turns, half hour each!” the Prison Guard tells us. We co-operate and I wait patiently for my turn.

The half hour seems to zip by in no time. Elwood comes back into the waiting room. “Right, you can go in now” says the guard, harshly. Another guard escorts me into the visiting area where all the prisoners are sitting behind a glass screen.

I sit down opposite Jake who is glaring at me with his arms crossed, threateningly. “So you’re Clare!” he says, rather forcefully.

“Yes and you must be Jake, Elwood’s told me so much about you” I reply, in a soothing voice. “I hope you ain’t gonna take him for a ride lady, or you’ll have to deal with me!!” He shifts around in his chair, trying to alarm me.

I lean forward and glare back at him. “Now you listen to me Mr Blues!” “I’ve got no intention of ‘taking him for a ride’ as you put it, in fact I’ve gone out of my way to help him out!” “I take it he hasn’t told you that I paid his rent for him?”

Jake suddenly changes his mind. “No, he most certainly did not!” He pauses and looks around, thinking things over.

“Look, I’m sorry if I came on a little strong, it’s just that the last girl he got involved with left him high and dry.” “It’s kinda why he’s not got much now, she took what she could get and left.”

“That’s not right” I reply. “No shit!” “Took Elwood a while to get over that one!” “Seems he’s regained his confidence now though!” “Evidently!” I chuckle.

Jake takes a moment to eye me up and down before leaning towards me and smiling. “Elwood told me you live just across the street from him?”

“Yeah, in that new apartment block” I reply. Jake nods and leans closer. “You slept with him yet?” he asks, slightly flippantly.

I pull a face, “Do you mind!!” I reply, embarrassed. Several of the other prisoners look at us. Jake glares back at them and they turn back to their visitors.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to embarrass you, I can tell that you’re a decent sort.” “Glad we got that out of the way!” I laugh.

We spend the rest of the half hour chatting away like old friends who have known each other for years. I tell him about the job I’ve been trying to get for Elwood and how we’ve become good friends over the last few weeks.

All too soon the visiting time ends and Elwood drives us back to my place. On the way Elwood asks, casually, “How did you like Jake?”

“OK, well, after the initial ‘grilling’ he gave me!” I reply. Elwood smiles. “Sorry about that, I guess he told you what happened last time I got involved with someone huh?!” “Yes he did, but I put him straight” I reply.

Elwood laughs. “I woulda loved to have seen you do that, Jake can be stubborn!” “I think I appealed to his caring side!” I reply.

We continue down the freeway and on into our new life together.