by Golland, KM
‘All right,’ Layla announced clearly as she entered the room again, ‘I’m going to inject Sasha with this medicine which will make her vomit and remove the toxin from her stomach, okay?’
I nodded.
‘Now hold her head, because it will sting a little and she may want to get away from me.’
Doing as instructed, I wrapped my arms around Sasha’s head as if I was giving her a cuddle. She whined a little, but then sparked up with even more excitement as soon as the injection was done. She was kind of a little crazy.
‘Okay, let’s just clip this leash to her collar and take her outside. The medicine should make her sick soon enough.’
Layla led Sasha out to the courtyard behind the clinic with me and Derek in tow. ‘And now we wait,’ she explained with an apologetic smile while still holding onto Sasha’s leash.
‘What if it’s not snail pellets?’ I asked, concerned.
‘I’m fairly sure it is ... I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name before?’ Layla asked with an inquisitive look.
‘Carly. My name is Carly.’
‘Sorry, Carly. I’m fairly sure it’s metaldehyde poisoning which is the lethal toxin in snail pellets. Sasha’s symptoms are a clear indication of it.’
‘Oh, okay ... and this will make her vomit it up and she’ll be fine?’
‘This will force her to empty her stomach, yes. But we will also give her activated charcoal, orally, which will bind any excess toxins she has already digested so that she can pass it in the form of a stool.’
I nodded again and carefully watched Sasha. She was beginning to whine more obviously now.
‘So, Derek,’ Layla said from her squatted position next to Sasha, ‘how have you been?’ She gave him a look that made me feel there was a hidden question behind it. I got the sense they knew each other well.
‘I’ve been great, thanks. And you?’ he answered, while clicking his jaw from side to side.
I may not have known Derek for long, but in the short time I have known him, I’d figured out that when he was aggravated he would perform this movement.
‘Things are good. We miss you, you know,’ she said sadly. I knew it!
All of a sudden, you could cut the air with a knife. No one seemed to want to break the silence that ensued, except for Sasha, who began retching over and over until she finally threw up.
Layla inspected the vomit and stood up quickly, stretching as she went. ‘Yep, snail pellets.’
To me, the pile of sick looked like brown mush. Yuck! I’ll take her word for it.
***
Sasha vomited a few more times, then was given the charcoal substance. She was definitely not a fan of that stuff and shook her head violently, flicking some of the residue on Derek, Layla and I.
Layla had looked at my blouse sympathetically, informing me it would more than likely stain. I figured that at some point I would mourn my desecrated top, but for now I was just happy that Sasha was okay.
Before we left the clinic, I thanked Layla profusely for not only curing Sasha, but for taking time out from her personal life and rushing to the rescue. She said it was her job, but I sensed it was more to do with Derek, which she kind of confirmed when she said goodbye to him and touched his cheek.
Seeing that intimate gesture made me feel ill, although I was pretty sure my feeling sickly was more to do with the drama of the night. Derek’s past girlfriends were none of my business.
***
When we returned to the house, Lib came rushing out to the car. She was clearly distraught over what had happened, and even had the remnants of a cry-sesh.
‘What happened? Is Sasha okay?’ she asked as she opened the passenger side door of Derek’s car.
By that stage, Sasha had almost returned to her vibrant, mischievous self — almost.
‘She’s fine, but when you took her for a walk she must have eaten snail pellets at some point.’
Lib shrugged her shoulders regretfully and put both her hands on either side of Sasha’s face. ‘I honestly can’t say that I saw her do it. The only possible time she might’ve eaten them was when she stuck her head in Mrs Robins’ garden for a sniff around.’
‘That was probably it,’ I sighed and passed Sasha’s leash to Lib.
Sasha jumped from my lap and Lib happily took her inside.
By that stage, Derek had exited the car and was by my door as I slid out of my seat.
Turning back around to snatch up my purse, I noticed the mess of dog hair Sasha had left behind. ‘Oh my god, Derek, I’m so sorry. What a mess.’
I leaned into the car and began scooping up the hair; the fact of the matter is I’d need a freakin’ vacuum.
‘Carly,’ he said as he leaned over me and placed his hand on mine to stop its movement. ‘Leave it. I’ll get it cleaned tomorrow. Come on, it’s late. You have had a shit of a night. Let’s go inside.’
He was right. Our night had turned into an emotional mess.
Dropping my head against his shoulder, I sighed with exhaustion. ‘I’m sorry our date was ruined.’
He chuckled lightly and kissed the top of my head. ‘Baby, I got to feel you, taste you and see your vulnerable side. Our date was anything but ruined.’
OMG! This man is going to crush my heart.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Derek didn’t stay long after we’d gone back inside. He’d been terribly sweet, making sure both Sasha and I — and even Lib — were all right. He’d left me with a kiss that I still felt on my lips even as my head hit the pillow. But as my head did hit the pillow, I couldn’t stop myself from wondering who Layla really was and what she had meant to Derek.
Those thoughts still plagued my mind the following day as I made myself breakfast: a choc peanut butter Pop-Tart. Yum!
‘Why aren’t you the size of an African elephant?’ Libby asked as she spooned her muesli into her mouth.
I shrugged my shoulders and drank some milk. ‘Because I was blessed with the ability to put many things in my mouth and not worry about the consequences,’ I mumbled with a smug grin as I swallowed my mouthful.
Libby raised an eyebrow sceptically. ‘Yeah, well, some things have a tendency to catch up to us. Roles can reverse.’
‘You need a penis in your vagina,’ I said with assurance as I placed my plate in the sink.
She tutted and returned to her cereal. ‘Sex is not the answer to everything, Carly.’
Turning around to face her, I placed my hands on top of the bench. ‘Yes, it is.’
‘No, it’s not. It doesn’t answer unanswered questions.’
‘What questions are you trying to answer, Lib? Sex is sex. You open your legs and enjoy yourself. Why does it have to be more complicated than that?’
‘Obviously, you don’t appreciate the act of lovemaking,’ she retorted.
‘Oh, I appreciate it all right. I appreciate it right down to the point where I’m screaming a name and digging my fingers into something,’ I slurred, pretending to have inner visions of doing just that.
She placed her spoon in the bowl and put on her ace-card face. ‘Okay, tell me something. Have you ever had sex with someone you have been in love with?’
I smiled at her attempt to sway me toward her side of the argument. ‘No.’
‘Then I rest my case. When you have, we’ll revisit this discussion,’ she said conceitedly.
‘Whatevs,’ I responded unperturbed. ‘See you later. I’m off to have coffee with Lexi.’
Grabbing my purse, I headed out the door, hiding the fact that I was now curious about the different acts of sex. Surely there isn’t that big a difference?
***
When I’d arranged to catch up with Alexis, she’d asked to meet at Gloria Jean’s. Why? I’ll never bloody know. She lived at the most prestigious hotel complex in Melbourne and was happily screwing the owner’s brains out. He was, in turn, quite happy to give her whatever she wanted. If she wanted her own private high tea in a ritzy suite, she could have it. B
ut instead, she chose to sit in Gloria Jean’s with everyone else in the damn place. She was nuts!
When I walked into the coffee shop, I found her sitting on a couch in the far corner of the cafe, her leg propped up on a seat. She was flicking through her phone when she looked up and noticed me.
‘Hi,’ she greeted and went to stand up.
‘Hey, sit your arse down. I don’t want you falling and breaking your other leg,’ I teased as I gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
She grumbled. ‘I’m not an invalid.’
‘You sure ’bout that?’ I goaded.
Narrowing her eyes at me, she picked up her hot white chocolate. ‘Fuck you.’
‘I see you didn’t wait to order,’ I said playfully. I probably wouldn’t have either. ‘Give me a sec and I’ll organise my coffee.’
‘I’ve already done it for you,’ she explained as she nodded to the perky blonde barista.
Relief flooded me as I took in her happy aura. To be completely honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect where her temperament was concerned. On the phone, when I told her I wanted to see her and that she’d had enough time to herself, she sounded fine. But with everything she had been through, I just couldn’t be sure. I didn’t know whether to metaphorically tiptoe on eggshells or interact like we usually did. So to find her — for the most part — appearing her usual self, was such a relief.
Sitting down, I took hold of both her hands. ‘So, how are you, truthfully? No fucking lies or pretences. This is you and me. I want to know it straight up.’
‘Carls, I’m fine. Life moves on. Will my heart forever be incomplete? Yes. That cannot and will not change. Nobody can bring my baby back and, because of that, I will forever mourn my loss. But I will do it in a healthy manner. I’d rather focus on what makes me happy, rather than what makes me sad.’
‘I don’t know how you do it,’ I said quietly, trying not to choke on my words.
She laughed mildly. ‘I could say neither do I, but I’ve come to realise that we just simply ... do. We do all we can do. It’s basic survival.’
‘Yeah, well some people survive better than others,’ I added, as the barista placed my coffee before me.
‘Thank you, Stacey,’ Alexis said politely.
The young blonde smiled. ‘You’re welcome, Ms Summers.’
As I watched her return to her duties, I gave Lexi a cocky grin. ‘You’re a fucking socialite, you know that?’
‘Bite me, bitch. Okay, change of subject, hmm. How about Derek?’
‘What about him?’ I bit out, harshly. Shit! What has he told her? And why would he tell her? Unless he told Bryce and Bryce told her.
‘Geez! Settle, petal. I was just going to ask you what happened at my birthday party. The two of you seemed to spend a lot of the night together. You appeared to hit it off.’
Phew. ‘Yes and no,’ I said dismissively, inwardly sighing with relief.
‘That’s not what it looked like to me. It looked as if your fiery hole would see his extinguisher.’ Alexis pursed her lips together to try and prevent an outburst of laughter.
‘Sorry to burst your perverted bubble, but there’s nothing to say,’ I explained flippantly, deciding that playing none-the-wiser was my best option at this point. If possible I did not want Alexis knowing about me and Derek, whatever Derek and I were. Hell, I didn’t even know what we were.
‘Come on. There’s got to be something to say,’ she probed, her face glowing with mischief.
I couldn’t help smiling, it was so nice to see her happy and being ... well ... Lexi. ‘He fucking sang to me.’
‘What?’ she squealed, nearly spilling her drink. ‘When?’
‘At the beginning of the night, shortly after you and Bryce left us. I’d made a stupid remark about his voice being to die for and Derek, being a bit of a smartarse, wanted to call my bluff. So he sang Bon fucking Jovi.’
‘Oh my god! Really? How sweet.’
‘Yeah, it definitely added to the heat already blazing in my snatch.’
Alexis laughed and nearly snorted her white chocolate. ‘Only you, Carls. Only you.’
I gave her a wink. ‘So, apart from hobbling around on those crutches, what else have you been doing?’
‘To be honest, not a whole lot. I’m bored shitless. I’ve been having physiotherapy sessions, and every now and again I go for a short hobble around the precinct. Apart from that, I read. And I’ve been getting guitar —’ she cut herself off and turned a nice shade of rose.
‘You’ve been getting guitar what?’ I asked curiously.
‘I’ve been getting guitar solos played to me by Bryce,’ she explained, her weird expression confusing me.
‘Do you think he’d play a solo for me?’ I asked teasingly.
She glared half-heartedly. ‘No! Hey, changing the subject again, can I tell you something in confidence?’
‘Of course, you know I’m tight-lipped.’
Alexis cracked up laughing, spraying her white chocolate over the table and me.
I was far from impressed as I slowly wiped it from my face while displaying an artificial smile.
‘You ...?’ she asked incredulously, still giggling. ‘I don’t know which set of your lips you are referring to, but both are far from tight-lipped.’
Biting the inside of my mouth, I gave her a don’t-mess-with-me look.
She fired back a go-on-I-dare-you-to-deny-it look.
No more words were said about the issue.
‘So, as I was saying, I have something to tell you that I need you to swear you won’t repeat. It involves Bryce’s cousin, Gareth.’
My eyes widened. ‘Did he try to fuck you?’
‘Carls! No! No, he’s sick.’
‘Sick as in ... bletch, puke? Or sick as in twisted motherfucker?’
‘Neither. Sick as in mentally ill. He suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder,’ she whispered, looking around the cafe unobtrusively.
I leaned toward her and narrowed the space between us. ‘As in multiple personalities?’
‘Yeah, it’s really quite sad. We went to the cemetery just the other day, as it was the anniversary of the accident that claimed the lives of Bryce’s parents and brother. It was also the accident that resulted in Gareth’s illness. Anyway, we went to the cemetery to pay our respects and the emotion of the visit triggered one of Gareth’s alters to appear. Carls, it was so strange to interact with a man whose persona was that of an elderly woman.’
I sat back in my seat and drank the final mouthful of my coffee. ‘Woman? Are you for real?’
‘I’m serious, her name is Deirdre. He has another alter who I have met, his name is Scott. Scott can be a nasty piece of work though. I can’t stand him. He sets off my alarm bells.’
Noticing her distressed appearance, which was rare for Lex, I touched her hand to gain her full attention. ‘Why? What has he done?’
‘He’s threatened me many times. How can I put this?’ she said as she took a deep breath and looked at our hands. ‘He is in love with Bryce and sees me as a threat.’
Holy fucking dramaville.
I shook my head and went to speak but decided just to keep shaking my head instead. I was at a loss for words.
‘I know. It’s such a mammoth thing to fathom let alone be around. But I’m trying. I have to. He is a big part of Bryce and Lucy’s lives,’ she said sadly.
‘Well, yes, but never ignore your gut instinct. If you are wary of him, always be on high alert. Our senses tell us things daily, we just don’t always listen to them.’
Smiling, Alexis shifted her position, which I’m guessing was to make her leg more comfortable. ‘When did you become all-wise and stuff?’ she asked.
I shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I don’t even know why or how that came out of my mouth,’ I joked, when, in all seriousness, it was another thing my aunty had instilled in me before she died.
Lexi and I sat and chatted for a while longer, catching up on the minor details of each
other’s lives. It was hard not to tell her about Derek, but I’d managed to steer clear of any part of the conversation that would inevitably lead to letting the cat out of the bag.
Stretching, Lex proceeded to awkwardly stand up. ‘Want to come up to the apartment? The kids will be back from Rick’s soon.’
‘Na, I can’t. I’ve got some grocery shopping to do with Lib. I’m under strict orders not to try and skip it this time. Damn she’s a ballbreaker. I’d hate to be dating her,’ I explained, somewhat annoyed.
Lexi laughed as she hobbled out of the shop. ‘Apart from lezzie love, you kind of already are.’
I wrinkled my nose. Fuck, she has a point. Lib has me under her thumb. When the hell did that happen?
‘Okay. I guess I’ll see you when I see you then,’ Alexis said with a pouty face.
I gave her a tight squeeze. ‘Like always, love you. Take care of yourself.’
She pulled away from me. ‘I’m trying, and you too. Go and have sex or something. I’m guessing it has been a while because you haven’t relayed any details.’
I groaned. ‘Don’t remind me.’
***
After I left Alexis, I quickly detoured past the City Towers lobby to tell Liam I’d probably found him a fuck buddy.
‘Barbie! Great to see you again,’ he said boldly as I approached his desk.
With a sassy and dramatic flick of my hair for affect, I then propped my head in my hands and rested my elbows on the counter. ‘SpongeBob. How’s it hangin’?’
Liam lowered his voice. ‘That’s all it does. Hang,’ he sulked.
‘Not for long, lover boy,’ I said with excited enthusiasm.
He narrowed his eyes at me. ‘What do you mean?
I scrolled through my phone until I found the details of Brooke’s husband’s brother. ‘Carly has found you a new play-friend. His name is Jeremy and he’s twenty-seven. Here are his details.’ I handed my phone to Liam and watched his face stretch into curious amusement.
‘Ooh, he has Facebook. I need a pic,’ he said excitedly as he pulled out his phone and started transferring the information.
As Liam handed me back my phone, a young couple approached the desk. Stepping aside, I blew him a kiss and told him to let me know how it all went. He nodded quickly in response, then switched to his professional front office manner, just like a chameleon would change its appearance.
