by Johns, S. A.
“OK, Jules, I really have to go now.”
“I know. I love you. Be careful and no picking up any women hitch-hikers.” She laughed.
“Don’t worry, I won’t. I love you too, and I’ll call you soon.” He finished as he walked out the door.
As soon as he was gone Julie suddenly felt alone and not quite sure what to do all by herself. Eventually she headed back to bed. But she didn’t sleep. She kept thinking about Shane.
Julie passes the first part of the day cleaning up the house, running the sweeper and moping the floor. When she sat down for a sandwich lunch the doorbell rang. When she opened the door a young man with a large bouquet of flowers greeted her.
“Are you Miss Boyd?” The man asked.
“Yes, I am. Can I help you?”
“These are for you, Ma’am.” He said handing her the big bunch of wild flowers.
Julie signed for them and shut the door. She read the card.
Jules,
I knew that you’d be having a hard
day today. So I thought that
this would cheer you up a little.
I love you. See you soon.
love, Shane
Julie put the flowers in a vase and just started at them for what seemed like hours. For the next few days she went about her business, the usual shopping and cleaning and getting ready for when the bank called her to return to work. Everyday she got a delivery of flowers from Shane with a card saying that he missed her and that he loved her. And everyday when she got the flowers she’d smile. Every night Shane would call her to tell her that he was safe and that he loved her. Julie couldn’t believe how loved she felt. It was an awesome feeling that she never wanted to lose. Though somehow she doubted that she would lose it if she stayed with Shane. He worshiped the ground she walked on. He said that she was his everything and in return he was becoming her everything.
The time had finally come and Shane would be back home and in Julie’s arms the following day. She was so excited to see him again. She couldn’t wait to kiss his lips and feel his arms around her. She had a splendid dinner planned for him as a surprise. She had the whole house clean and sparkling. She didn’t have anything else to do so she decided to sit down and relax while watching some television. She was just about ready to doze off when the phone rang.
“Hello?” She asked, wondering who it was, since Shane had already called that evening.
“Hey, Doll. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Shane? Why are you calling again?” She asked him.
“Well, I’m having a bit of trouble.” He started.
“Are you okay? Did you wreck? What happened?” She asked frantically.
“Julie, calm down. I’m fine.” He started again.
“Oh, thank God!”
“I’m having a little trouble with the truck. I was going down the highway and I went to pull in at a truck stop and I couldn’t steer. Here my steering column broke. Anyway, I called the company and talked to Steve, turns out it’s going to take a few days to get it fixed. He’s got me set up out here in a hotel for a few days and then when the truck is fixed, I have another load to bring back.”
“Oh my gosh! I’m so glad you are okay.” Then Julie’s heart sunk, “So when will you be home?”
“In all honesty, I don’t know. I’m hoping that I’ll be home by Friday.”
“Friday!” She exclaimed. “That is almost another week.”
“I know that, Baby. I’m really sorry. There’s really nothing I can do now. Even if the truck was fixed right now, it’d still take me at least a day and a half to get home. I have to pick up the next load on Tuesday and then I should be there by Thursday night. Alright?”
“Alright. I was so looking forward to coming home.”
“As was I. Now you’ll be even more excited when I get there. So when I do get back you’d better take the phone off the hook because I don’t want to get interrupted.” He laughed.
“Now that sounds like a plan.”
“Well, I’d better get off the phone and let you get some sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow, OK?”
“You’d better.” She teased.
“I love you Julie.” He said.
“I love you, too, Shane.” She told him and then hung up the phone.
Now Julie had almost another whole week to wait for her lover to come back home to her. What would she do for a whole week? Instead of worrying about it now, Julie decided to go to bed.
When she finally dragged herself out of bed it was a quarter after ten. She couldn’t believe that she had slept in that long. She was usually up by nine at the latest. She got up and turned on the television then headed to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. When she sat down on the couch and started flipping through the various infomercials and talk shows she realized that she didn’t feel very well. She dismissed it as nerves and wanting to see Shane so badly. She got her coffee and went on with her day.
Julie dozed off for a few minutes and there was a knock on the door.
“Now who could that be?” Julie thought aloud as she headed to the door.
“Jen? Hi. What are you doing here?”
“I haven’t seen you in a while so I thought that I’d stop by and see how things were.” Jen said while looking around as if she hoped to see a sign that she was interrupting something.
“Come in. Things are great. How are you?” Julie asked her friend.
“Pretty good. But enough about me, I want to know about you and Shane.” She prodded.
“Oh, so that’s what this is about. You didn’t miss me, you just wanted to get the gossip.” She teased.
“OK, so you found me out. What can I say? I love a good story.” She laughed.
“Well, what do you want to know? Things couldn’t be better between Shane and me. He loves me so much and I love him.”
“Aww. Tell me about the sex parts!”
“Jen! You’re awful!” She laughed.
“I know I am. But I am your best friend so I am entitled to know the sex details.” She grinned. “Come on please?”
Julie just looked at her friend for a second before Jen started again, “You already told me that he has a big penis. So...does he know how to use it or what?”
“Jen, if you must know...no. He is a lousy lover.” Julie said and couldn’t hide the grin then she said, “Actually, he is the greatest lover I ever had.”
“Really? Can I get the juicy details or not?”
“Jen, I’m sorry, but that’s all you’re getting.” She laughed. “Do you want some coffee?” She asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah, that sounds good.” Jen told her, “I like milk and sugar in mine.”
“I know this Jen, after all you are my best friend in the whole wide world.”
Julie stood up and headed out to the kitchen and as she was just about there she suddenly felt dizzy and stumbled against the wall. She caught herself and stood quietly for a moment before moving.
“Jul, are you OK?” Jen asked.
“Yeah, I think. I just got a little dizzy, that’s all.”
“Here, let me help you sit down, I can get my own coffee.” Jen said as she reached for her friends arm.
Julie pulled away, “Don’t be silly. I am fine. I must have gotten up too fast, that’s all.” She said as she reached up into the cupboard to get a coffee mug for her friend. She poured the coffee and got the milk out of the refrigerator and added it and sugar to the freshly poured cup.
“So, Jen, how are you?” You seeing anyone or what?” Julie asked.
“Nah, I haven’t seen anyone for like a whole month!” Jen laughed.
“Come on, Jen, I saw you with that cute guy at the Stomping Ground.” She prodded.
“What!” She exclaimed. “How could you see anything that night, you were totally wasted, remember?”
“Before that. I saw you. The tall, blonde guy who had the cowboy hat and the skin tight jeans!” She searched her friends face for any signs
of giving in, then she saw it.
“Oh, him! That was Tyler Stevens.” She said as if to mean, ‘oh you didn’t know who that was, he is nobody, just a friend.’
“OK, and who exactly is Tyler Stevens? Friend or “friend with benefits”?” Julie teased.
“Friend.” She answered nervously.
“That’s it? Just friends?” She asked questioningly. “If he were my friend, I’d definitely give him some benefits!” They both laughed.
“OK, Julie, here’s the deal. The whole truth is this, Tyler and I met a few weeks before your drunken escapade and we were becoming friends. He is a really nice guy. Not to mention sweet as sugar.” She then drifted away in apparent reminiscent of some sweet gesture that his new “friend” of hers had performed.
“Hello? Earth to Jen, come in Jen?” Julie laughed.
“Oh, sorry. Where was I?” She asked.
“That’s what I was wondering. You said that Tyler was sweet.”
“Oh, yeah. He is so sweet and we have such a good time together. We just wanted to make sure that we were both really into this relationship before we went around announcing it to people.”
“Jen! That is great! I assume that it’s going well.”
“It is going wonderfully!”
“So, I guess now it’s my turn...” Julie asked sheepishly, “have you slept with him yet?”
Jen nodded her head.
“An-n-n-d? Details?” Julie asked. And when Jen just looked at her she continued. “You made me tell you about Shane. Come on. Spill.”
“OK. I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone.” Julie nodded. “Not even Shane.” Julie held up her right hand in promise. “All right then, here it goes.” Her eyes widened as she prepared to tell her story of the first night that she had make love with Tyler. She looked so innocent and starry-eyed just thinking about it.
“He took me out to dinner at Mama Celeste’s.”
“The new Italian restaurant out on Route 7? Woo, fancy.” Her friend interrupted.
“Yeah, tell me about it. It was amazing. There were candles on every table, the lights were dimmed a bit, which made it very romantic. Tyler ordered us a bottle of the finest Zinfandel. I never knew I liked red wine before...but this one was wonderful.”
“Come on, Jen, get to the good stuff.”
“Well, we ordered and ate and Tyler had the violin player serenade me! Right in the middle of the restaurant, I was so embarrassed. But it was so sweet.” Jen stopped and drifted off into la-la land again. But then she snapped out of it. “Uh, where was I? Oh, yeah! So then we left the restaurant and as we were driving home, Tyler suggested that we stop off and have a drink in the lounge of the Bellevue Hotel.”
“Wow! The Bellevue? Talk about your all out night! That is so awesome.”
“Yeah, so anyway, we went inside and got a small table for two right in front of their stage. It was karaoke night, and Tyler loves karaoke, so he had to have a good seat. He even asked me if I wanted to sing. And I was like, have you ever heard me sing? You don’t want to.
So we’re sitting there having drinks and listening to people singing. Some good, some bad...really bad! Then out of no where, they call Tyler’s name and he goes up on stage and says, ‘I’m singing this for the most beautiful woman in the place. My date for tonight, Miss Jennifer Weber.’ Then he began singing ‘Wonderful Tonight’ by Eric Clapton. He has such a beautiful voice, too. It was the most romantic thing I’ve ever encountered. Or so I thought”
“Well, what happened next?” Julie asked.
“He took me by the hand and led me out of the barroom. Once in the hallway, he pulled me to him and kissed me. So soft and gentle and...I can’t even describe it. I think that I am falling in love! Really and truly. He is so amazing. I can’t even believe it. Then he walked me down the hall and he opened the door to the most exquisite room that I have ever been in. There was a bottle of champagne chilling on ice beside the in-room hot tub, there were floral scented candles all over the room and the smell was so fresh. There was a king size bed in the middle of the far wall with a mirrored ceiling. The room was decorated in soft blues and greens with wildflowers on the bedspreads. Tyler then took me over to the bed and began kissing me again, and then he laid me down on the bed. I wanted him so badly, but he stopped and got up. He reached down beside the bed, picked up a package and handed it to me.”
“You mean to tell me, that after all that other romantic stuff he got you a gift, too?”
“That’s what I’m saying. But it wasn’t just any gift either. It was the sexiest piece of l lingerie ever! And, yeah, I know what it sounds like. A typical guy, ‘if I give her lingerie, I’ll get lucky.’ But it wasn’t like that at all. It wasn’t a red or black trashy piece like you might suspect from a typical guy. It was lavender and sexy, and nowhere being trashy. And it fit like a dream. I put it on in bathroom and then showed him, he loved it. We made sweet, passionate love all night long. It was awesome! I still can’t believe how good he made me feel.”
“That is so great, Jen!” Julie exclaimed as she reached out and hugged her friend. Then she pulled back and tried her best to look as serious as she could and asked, “You are using protection, aren’t you?”
“Oh, Julie, don’t give me that tone of voice. Yes, I’m using protection, Mother!” She laughed. “I’m so happy. I know it’s only been a short amount of time, but I really do think I am falling in love.”
Jen’s pager went off and she excused herself to use the phone and make a call. When she walked back into the room, she said that it was Tyler and he had a surprise for her and that she was to go meet him right away. Then she left.
Julie was alone again, and she was beginning to miss Shane even more after hearing her friend’s story about Tyler. She began to wonder when he was going to call her. She desperately needed to hear his voice and tell him that she loved him and that she missed him so much. She needed to hear him tell her that he loved her, too.
As she sat on the couch reading a magazine about ‘what guys really want’ she realized that she was very sleepy. Her eyes were drooping and she almost nodded off. So she put the magazine down and went to sleep. She began to dream...
She was on a beach, again. It was the same place as in the last one. This time she wasn’t alone. She was sitting on a blanket sun bathing with Shane. Beside her was a small child of only about 2 years old. The little child looked up at Julie and said, “Mommy, can we go swimming?” Julie got up and took the child by the hand and said, “Get Daddy to come along.” The child ran over to Shane and said, “Come on Daddy! Let’s go swimming!” Shane got up and went to Julie and the child. They both took one of the child’s hands and swung the toddler back and forth as they walked to the water’s edge.
“Julie! Julie!” Someone was shouting from the distance, and Julie spun around to see who it was. And to her surprise it was Matt.
Shane looked at Julie, “What is he doing here? Did you invite him?”
“No, why would I invite him?”
“I dunno. I just thought that since you did sleep with him right after we did the first time, and then you got pregnant, maybe you are still wondering if this child isn’t his.”
For the first time, Julie really looked at the small child that was clinging to her and noticed that the child did look like Matt! And nothing at all like Shane.
“Julie! Julie wait!” Matt ran up to them and took the child in his arms and spun them around. “It’s OK...Daddy’s really here now, Little One.” He said and kissed the top of the child’s head. “Daddy’s here.”
“Matt! What the hell are you talking about? This isn’t your child. This child belongs to Shane and me. Take your hands off our baby!” Julie yelled.
Matt put the child down and turned to Julie. “Think what you’d like to think. But look at the evidence. There’s no denying it...just look.” He said pointing to the toddler that was clinging to Julie’s leg.
“Matt, just stop it! Y
ou know that it isn’t possible. Why can’t you just let me go and get on with your life? I am happy now. I am happy.”
She turned back to Shane and found that he was gone. The child was gone too. Then she looked back to Matt. He didn’t look the same as before. He looked sad and rundown. he wasn’t clean shaven, and his hair was tousled. He looked as if he had been drinking, and out all night long.
“Julie, Baby...look what I’ve become without you. I need you so much. I love you and I don’t care how many times you’ve slept with Shane. I want you back.” He looked like he was sinking down into the surf, he was reaching to Julie, “Save me. Save me, please. I love you.”
“Matt, I don’t love you anymore, I love Shane. Can’t you accept that? I am finally happy again. I am happy. Happy. Happy.” She looked at Matt who was sinking even further, and her own voice echoed.
‘Happy...happy...happy...happy...happy...” With each echo he sank even further until he was gone. Julie spun around and around looking for any signs of Shane or the small child. Spinning slowly at first then faster and faster until...she woke up in a cold sweat.
“Why do I keep having there weird dreams about Shane and Matt?” She said aloud. “It’s crazy.”
She got up to go to the bathroom and noticed that she had slept most of the afternoon and into the evening. It was already 6:30pm. Just as she sat down on the toilet the phone started ringing. “Great! I can’t get it now!” she yelled. She tried to hurry up and get finished before it stopped ringing. She got up and ran out into the kitchen with her pants halfway down her legs, just in time to hear the answering machine beep. She had missed it. So she pushed the button to see if they had left a message and this is what she heard:
“Hey, Baby! It was just me, I was calling to check in, to see how you were making out without me, and to tell you that I love you very, very much. Oh, yeah, and I have a really big surprise for you when I get there. I guess you must be out having a good time with me.” He chuckled. “I’m just kidding. I love you, Baby. I’ll try you again later. I love you, bye.” And then he hung up.
‘Why did I have to miss it?’ She wondered. ‘I really wanted to talk to him.’
