Free The Other Side of Someday by T. K. Leigh

heels in your closet.” I laughed, thrusting my pelvis forward in accordance with the instructions in the lyrics.
    “Wouldn’t you like to find out, Miss Dixie!”
    Sophia began to sing the second verse, her voice imitating Magenta’s so well, I had to do a double take to make sure it was my neighbor. “Do they do this often?” I asked Marcel as we continued to dance.
    “A little-known fact about Miss Sophia… She loves this movie. When I was new here, she dragged me to a midnight showing. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I’ll never forget when we walked up and saw almost everyone in full costume. I thought Sophia would be out of place dressed as she was…”
    “Which was?” I asked, intrigued.
    “You’re looking at it, sweetheart. She’s gone as Columbia, complete with sequined mini tuxedo, but she rocks the Magenta look. I was the one out of place that night, wearing just a t-shirt and jeans. Everyone in our group was in costume. Hell, even her boss dressed up as Eddie.”
    “Her boss meaning my neighbor?” I pressed, my interest piqued once again about the mysterious man living across the hall from me who seemed to be more of an enigma than anything.  
    “One and the same. He even rode up on a vintage motorcycle, just like in the movie. Of course, our Eddie is nowhere near as chubby as the Eddie in the movie. Not even close, girlfriend.” He raised his eyebrows at me.
    “I’m starting to think y’all are just making this guy up. I’ve been here a month and I’ve yet to meet him.”
    Marcel scanned the crowd as the song came to an end. “Well, tonight may be your night, sugar. Sophia mentioned he might make an appearance.”
    “Well, be sure to point him out to me when he gets here.”
    “Oh, you’ll know. If you see a tall, lean hunk of man with silky hair you just want to run your hands through and two-day-old scruff you want to drag your tongue across, that’s your man.”
    “You’re describing half the men in this town, Marcel.”
    He sighed. “Don’t I know it, Dixie. Don’t I know it.”
    Music continued throughout the night, the old adage that you should never give a drunk a microphone proven by the sounds coming from the speakers. Red plastic cups covered nearly every available surface, and I felt bad for the crew Sophia hired to come clean tomorrow morning.
    As the clock neared midnight and I was in the corner of the living room, trying to maintain my composure as one of Sophia’s drunk friends sang a stirring rendition of Patsy Cline’s “Crazy”, the lyrics mostly indecipherable through her slurred speech, an excited scream echoed from the kitchen. The entire place went practically silent for a split second before the roar of the party resumed.
    “What’s going on?” I asked Marcel, craning my neck to see someone walk into the kitchen and nearly get tackled by a very intoxicated Sophia.
    “It looks like your neighbor made it.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me from my comfortable spot on the couch and into the kitchen. “Allow me to introduce you to him, although you probably won’t see him for another month or so after today at the rate that man works.”
    He navigated the crowd of people circling a man whose appearance fit Marcel’s description perfectly…at least from the back. His light brown hair looked remarkably silky, and there was a part of me that wanted to run my hands through it to see if it felt like it looked. He was tall with what appeared to be a nice figure. His costume consisted of a brownish robe, open in the front, and loafers. I watched him make his way through the crowd, standing on my tiptoes to try and see what he looked like, but his back was toward me. Still, there was something eerily familiar about his gait.
    “Eddie!” Marcel approached him as I stood off to the side.
    “Good to see you, man. It’s been a while.” They shook hands, hugging briefly.
    “Keeping yourself busy?”
    “More like out of trouble.” Both men