Betrayed 2(42)

I had gone home and had some chamomile tea to calm myself down. My nerves were frayed and I still felt like somebody was watching me. There was a pair of headlights that stayed with me all the way home and then turned the other direction when I got to my road. It had to be just this whole situation and the way that Lillian had acted towards me that got me wired too tight. I wouldn’t have put it past her to have someone following me to make sure that I lived up to my part of the deal.

I lay there in bed not able to get a wink of sleep and then I heard what sounded like glass breaking. I bolted straight up, grabbing for the nearest thing that I could use as a weapon. The only thing that I had on hand was a hair dryer. It was heavy and using it like a weapon might be perfect for sending the right message.

I very slowly went out of my bedroom, standing there in the darkness trying to adjust my eyes and then I saw the shadow of somebody by the broken window. Whoever it was had come in from the fire escape and was now skulking in the darkness like a specter of the night.

I tiptoed very carefully, wearing only a pair of boy shorts and my long hair hanging over my breasts to hide my nudity. I wasn’t even concerned that he might be here for more than just stealing me blind. It hadn’t even occurred to me that I might be in danger.

I wanted to shock whoever it was. I turned on the lamp to illuminate a man that should’ve been home nursing a hangover.

“I followed you and now I know where you live.” He had the stink of alcohol on his breath. Marshall had obviously gotten into the bottle to wash away his sins. “I don’t think that it was very fair of you for leaving me in my state. I barely heard the door close. I wasn’t even sure how I was going to keep up with you. I saw you go into this building and I wanted to join you, but I thought better of it. I didn’t get very far before I found myself with cash in hand buying a bottle of cognac. I’m just one step up from those that panhandle on the street.” I still held the hair dryer in my fist turning my fingers white. I wasn’t sure what to expect.

“You must know that you’re drunk and you’re not acting in your right mind. You broke my window. What exactly did you expect was going to happen? Did you want me to run into your arms like a fairy tale character and give you my love and undying devotion? Did you want to sleep it off here, because you were afraid of what your mother might think if she came over and found you like this?” I was still a few feet away from him and this was not the way that I was going to cement our bond.

“It’s not fair and everything was perfectly fine before you came into my life. I enjoyed having sex with multiple partners and not even bothering to learn their name. There were a couple of girls that really left a lasting impression. There was this older girl, very appreciative and responsive to the point that I wasn’t able to hold her down. Lillian knows how to push my buttons, but I couldn’t allow her to find a place in my heart. It was sick and I began to see her as my mother. I know that any therapist would have had a field day with that one.” He was swaying on his feet and the putrid stench coming from his mouth made me cringe and want to be anyplace but here.

“I’ll tell you what I’m going to do for you, Marshall. I’m going to set you up out here on the couch. You can sleep it off and then we can talk about it in the morning. It’s very early and only roosters and farmers are up at this time of night or early morning. Take your pick. I’m not going to let you drive in your condition. You could have hurt somebody severely by driving here.” I wasn’t even sure that he was listening to me and it felt like he was staring right through me.

“I might be drunk, but I’m not as think as you drunk I am. Wait…did I say, that, right? I had enough sense not to drive here. I left my car in the liquor store parking lot most likely being stripped for parts as we speak. I got a taxi and I was on my way home, but I found myself telling him to drop me off here.” That at least gave me a feeling of relief that he wasn’t on the road becoming a menace to society.

“Don’t even think for one moment that you are going to get into my bed. It is a very comfy queen size. There’s more than enough for the both of us, but that’s not going to happen.” I went over to a hope chest and opened it to the smell of must assaulting my senses. There were a few blankets. I pulled a couple of them out and used them to get him ready for bed. It was making me feel like I was a nursemaid.

“I don’t know why you’re being so nice to me. I’ve given you no reason to and yet you keep coming back for more. What exactly does that say for you? I’ve been playing a game from the moment that I met you and you bought into it. I can’t be trusted and I’ve tried to stay away, but you’re a hard woman to forget.” He crashed against the table that had the lamp on it and sent it to the floor with a terrible crash. The only light had been extinguished. The room masked us both in darkness and shadows that danced on the wall.