Free Fall

by Unknown

  Three days later, Joseph was at the studio. With assurances that she would call him immediately if anything happened, he unwillingly left her alone. Nina put on her swimsuit, grabbed a towel, a bottle of sparkling water, and went out in the late afternoon to the pool. She swam laps for twenty minutes and then lounged in the sun reading a Bernard Cornwell novel. After an hour she moved under the shaded umbrella and read for another two hours, losing herself in the violence, bloodshed and war tactics of Vikings in the ninth century. She purposely distracted herself from thinking about Karen and the situation she was in. It was twilight when she gathered up her stuff and went inside.

  Physically she felt pretty great. She felt refreshed and clear headed. She showered and then rubbed lotion all over her body until her skin shone a golden brown, smooth and warm from her bake in the sun. Padding downstairs, she grabbed an acoustic guitar and lay upside down on the long divan in loose shorts and a soft cotton top, her hair hanging over the edge, the guitar sitting on her stomach. She strummed a melody on the strings and sang

  Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement through the windows that led out to the patio. With a yelp of surprise she sat up. In the long shadows of the setting sun she saw the movement again. The back of a man, walking through the perimeter of bushes that surrounded the pool. She caught a glimpse of a blue baseball cap bobbing over the top of the bushes before he disappeared out of sight. Nina squinted through the glass trying to catch sight of him again.

  "Hey, babe." Joseph stood at the bottom of the stairs.

  "You scared me! Were you just outside by the pool?"

  "No. I came in through the front door."

  "There’s someone outside! I just saw him walking through the bushes!" Completely spooked now, Nina went over to the bar where she picked up her phone, ready to call 911.

  Joseph went to the sliding glass doors and looked outside. "I don’t see anyone."

  Nina cautiously approached the doors, exposing herself in front of the bank of windows, feeling like one of those cutout human targets you see at a shooting range.

  "I swear I saw a man, medium height, medium build, with dark hair and a blue starter cap." Nina’s skin was crawling. When Joseph opened the slider to go outside, she grabbed his arm. "Don’t go out there! Let’s go upstairs."

  "It’s okay, Nina! I’ll go out and see." He went through the slider and walked along the bushes while Nina watched anxiously.

  He came back inside and put his arm around her. "You’re alright! It was probably one of the gardeners taking a shortcut through the property. He’s gone now."

  He locked the slider and went along all the windows to make sure that they were locked, then he ushered her up the stairs. Nina followed close behind while he checked the rest of the windows and doors in the house.

  "See? You’re safe!" He hugged her for a moment. "I won’t let anything happen to you."

  Nina, still clutching her phone, was not convinced. The man was creepy. He wasn’t casually strolling through the yard. She was certain that he’d been hiding in the bushes. She couldn’t shake the feeling she was being spied upon. She left Joseph and went into the kitchen, where the number for the security firm that patrolled the housing community was clipped onto the refrigerator. She wondered if it would do any good to report it. What if Karen had already gotten to them?

  Joseph’s phone was sitting on the counter and it rang as she entered the kitchen. Nina snatched it up, grateful for any contact with someone from the outside.

  "Hello?" Nina said into the phone. Joseph came into the kitchen, eyebrows raised in question.

  A woman's voice said, "May I speak to Joseph?"

  "Yeah, hang on." Nina handed the phone over to Joseph, a little embarrassed that she had answered his phone. Obviously, it was something to do with work.

  "Yes?" Joseph listened for a moment and then, "How did you get this number?" He began moving away from Nina, but she moved with him, hoping to hear the conversation. Was it Karen?

  "No, I’m not interested. Please don’t call here again," Joseph said angrily. He hung up and avoided meeting Nina’s eyes.

  "Who was that? Was it Karen?"

  Joseph was silent.

  "Who was it?" Nina said again.

  Joseph still didn’t respond. He looked at the kitchen floor as if searching for an answer in the beige tiles.

  While Nina waited, her intuition sparked an answer in her mind.

  "Was it somebody you slept with?"

  Joseph finally met her eyes. "It was." Then he looked away.

  Nina’s heart began to thud and she grasped at possibilities, hoping that he might have done it before they met. "And when was this?"

  "Las Vegas."

  Well he’s not lying to me, Nina thought crazily, as the impact of what he was saying hit her with full force. With an involuntary cry she clamped her hand over her mouth and started away from him. When he reached for her, she slipped by him and walked into the living room. She sank down onto the couch.

  Tentatively, Joseph said her name but she barely heard it. He knelt on the floor in front of her. Eventually, she gave him a look of pure disgust. "You know, silly me, I just assumed you wouldn’t sleep with other women," she paused. "So tell me, is this how it is? Do you want to sleep with other women?"

  "No! I honestly don’t. It just happened. It was a stupid mistake."

  "How did it happen?" Nina said.

  Confused, he looked at her askance. "What do you mean? You want details?"

  "Yes, I have to know what happened so I can get a grip on this. If you don’t tell me I'll be imagining all kinds of things. God," she moaned. "There's a picture in my head right now! You shouldn’t have told me in the first place." She felt sick. Surges of pain radiated out from her center, tightening up her chest. How could he do it? Well, she asked herself, isn't he a man? What do you expect? A monkey to be anything other than a monkey? Can I get out of here? She wanted to take off. She thought of her Jeep parked in the garage. Yes! Pack your bag and get out of here. Drive back home to Seattle. Oh God, what should I do? She desperately wished she could turn back the clock to ten minutes ago.

  As if sensing her train of thought Joseph said softly, "Does this mean we’re over?"

  "Do you want us to be over?" she asked.

  "No! I know it’s lame to say I’m sorry, but that’s what I am. I’m so sorry. It was a bad lapse in judgment and I immediately regretted it."

  "What happened?"

  He laughed a little nervously, and Nina’s hand itched to smack him across the mouth. He took a deep breath and began to speak rapidly, "She came up to my room at the hotel and said she wanted to run lines. We got a drink from the mini bar, well, several drinks actually, and I got pretty drunk. Next thing I knew she started kissing me. I was taken by surprise, so I guess I let her kiss me. I don’t why." He stopped.

  "And?"

  He let out a heavy sigh. "Well, we got things going. I was really drunk, some kind of weird blackout." He shook his head. "We only did it for a very short time, and then I couldn’t go on."

  Nina shuddered, "Was that the only time?"

  "Yes. She was there the next morning but I didn’t touch her again. And I didn’t want to. When I saw her in my bed I just couldn’t believe that I had actually done that. It was like someone else had taken over my body."

  Nina scoffed, skepticism showing clearly on her face. "Okay, Joseph. Listen carefully. You can’t sleep with other women. I can’t handle it. You understand? It hurts. Jesus! I can’t believe I have to give you instructions like this. Are you that stupid? What’s her name? What does she look like?"

  "Her name? Why?"

  "Because then I'll know who she is if she comes up and starts talking to me like Karen did."

  "That won't happen."

  "How do I know it won't happen? Let's see," she ticked off her fingers one by one. "There's that pink haired girl at the restaurant, there's Karen in the bathroom at Willie's, and now there's some
actress out there that I've never seen before. That's three, and I've only been here a month and a half. How many more, Joseph? How will I know if I'm face to face with someone you've slept with before?"

  His face ashen, Joseph got off his knees and sat beside her on the couch. "Nina, sweetheart. There's only you. You must know that. It was a mistake. I'm not even sure how it happened." He draped his arm on the back of the couch and Nina scooted away.

  "Her name is Michelle Paige," he said, resignedly. "You can find her online."

  Nina gave him a look. "Well? Go get the laptop."

  Joseph left her side and returned with the laptop.

  Nina powered it up and went to Google. Michelle Paige was shown on IMDb, a petite redhead with large, liquid grey eyes. Nina read her date of birth and felt nauseated. "Really, Joseph? She's twenty five." She banged the laptop lid closed. "Does Karen know her?"

  "I don't know. Karen wasn't there."

  "She could have gotten this girl to get you drunk and into bed."

  "That's entirely possible," Joseph said.

  "But, it still doesn’t excuse the fact that you actually did it! I’m going to bed." She couldn't speak to him anymore.

  "It’s only eight thirty!"

  "I need some time to process this."

  She got up abruptly went to the bedroom and locked the door behind her. In the master bathroom was a bottle of Nyquil she had brought with her from Seattle. She unscrewed the cap and took three large gulps of it. Process, hell! Give me sweet oblivion. She returned to the bedroom, went around to her side of the bed and slipped in between the sheets in her shorts and T-shirt. It took fifteen minutes for the night time cold medicine to take effect.

  In the morning she struggled out of sleep to feel someone rubbing her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw that Joseph sat on the bed beside her. He held up a long nail that he'd used to trick the lock on the door. "I had to get in to get dressed. I’m leaving. I have to sign some contracts at Peter’s office." He stroked her cheek. "Are we okay?"

  He’s so handsome, she thought faintly, gazing up into his warm brown eyes. Then she remembered. Oh yeah. That’s right. He’s unfaithful and can't be trusted.

  To get rid of him she mumbled, "Yes, we’re okay." She wanted to go back to sleep. She could barely keep her eyes open. Her limbs were heavy with that sink-into-the-mattress-and-not-move-a-muscle feeling that was hard to resist. She turned onto her side. Joseph stood over her for a moment longer. She felt his finger nudge her hair off her neck, then she heard him sigh heavily and leave the room.

  Later, Nina awoke again and lay in bed a long time. What a strange situation she had gotten herself into. How did this happen? She asked herself. How can I stay here after this? I'll be the girlfriend who's always suspicious of other women. Even if Karen had done this, the miserable truth was that Joseph had cheated on her. Her whole body ached with disenchantment. It wasn’t so much the fact that Joseph, the man she had fallen head over heels in love with, hadn't been able to pass up an opportunity to sleep with that girl. It was the stinging realization that there might not be anyone out there for her now. Who could follow Joseph?

  Love is a fairy tale, she thought bitterly. Bolstered by all the hype in books and movies. There's really no such thing. She felt absurd for buying into it. A wave of homesickness washed over her as she thought of her family and friends in Seattle. Her people at the club, the familiar surroundings… her place! Suddenly, she missed her apartment and all her personal belongings. Her bed. Cooking in her kitchen. She thought of the steep Seattle streets, the hustle and bustle of everyone walking downtown, even the wet Seattle weather. I’m going home, she decided. With a heavy heart, she got out of bed and started packing.

  Karen was getting a pedicure when her cell phone vibrated. "Louie, baby! What’s the latest word, honey pie?"

  "As far as I can tell, she’s left. Gone back to Seattle," Louis said.

  "How do you know this?"

  "Well, I climbed the fence and snuck around the house last night. It was a close call because I think she might have seen me. I saw her downstairs, she was alone for a while and then he came home." Louis paused and Karen waited as she heard a series of snorts and honks as he blew his nose. "Then, I went back this morning and walked around the block ten freakin' times, got a lot of crazy looks from the neighbors, I tell ya! I mean, what the hell? I could be living there for all they know. What a bunch of snooty assholes!"

  "You know, if you would dress a little better you wouldn’t look like a criminal, Louis. You forgot my heel," she commented to the Asian girl who was massaging her foot.

  "What’s wrong with the way I dress?" Louis asked petulantly.

  "Never mind! How do you know she’s gone?"

  "I saw her put suitcases into the back of a car, and leave. So, you got your wish. Everything worked the way you wanted it to," Louis said. "When do I get my payment?"

  "When I know for sure she’s gone," Karen said.

  "That ain’t fair! I did what you wanted. I've been watching this house for two days now. You didn’t say it depended on whether she actually left or not. Hey, how ‘bout I call old Joseph and tell him how you're setting him up? I’m not sure I like all this screwing around with people, anyway."

  "Since when did you develop a conscience, Louis? Okay, I’ll come to your apartment tonight, how’s that? Will that keep your mouth shut?"

  "I thought we were gonna rent a hotel?" Louis said.

  "Alright, that’s probably a better idea anyway," Karen said, thinking that it would be much cleaner than Louis’ apartment. "Get a room near the airport and text me the address. Seven o’clock."

  She tossed her phone into her bag by the chair and got up out of the footbath. "I think I’ll skip the polish today," she told the girl. "I’d probably do a better job of it anyway. That means half price, right?" After the girl dried her feet, she slipped on her flip-flops and laid a twenty on the chair. "I won’t be back, the service here is second rate." She saw the uncomprehending look on the girl’s face and added, "You don’t understand a word I’m saying do you?"

  The girl just smiled.

  "No, I thought not," Karen said and left the salon.

  Back at home she painted her toenails a deep shade of pink and then rehearsed her lines for her first day of taping tomorrow. All her plans were falling into place. That woman was gone. She didn't have to send the photos anonymously. Maybe Joseph told her what happened, but who cared why she left? She would be working with Joseph and it wouldn’t be long before they were together again. How could it get more perfect than that? There would be publicity for the show and the press would be tipped off that she and Joseph were a couple, which would help the ratings.

  As for Louis, there was no getting out of it, she was going to have to have sex with him. She couldn’t take the risk of him blabbing to Joseph. And if Joseph found out, then there would be no reconciliation, ever. That woman would come back and Karen, who never liked to lose, would have to eat crow. Based on Louis’ earlier behavior she admitted that she might have underestimated her power over him. He wanted to switch places and have the control, and he was realizing just how much control. She would have sex with him and then educate him on the rules. If he told Joseph what she did, she would turn him into the police, because if she went down, he was going with her.

  When Joseph arrived home, he shut the door behind him and knew that she was gone. The house felt empty. The deadbolt wasn’t locked, which meant that she had only turned the lock on the handle when she left. On the counter in the kitchen there was a handwritten note, with, as he expected, a house key sitting on top of it. A ‘Dear John’ letter, he thought sadly as he picked up the paper.

  Joseph,

  I’ve gone home. I think it’s best that we get some distance between us. I can’t be around you, knowing what I do, and pretend that it’s all okay. It’s possible that we may be able to work it out someday, but the way I feel right now, I don’t think I can forgive you for what you
’ve done. To keep my self-respect, I need to go home. I don’t belong here. Please don’t call or try to contact me. Give me some space, and some time to be myself again. I will miss you terribly.

  Nina

  Joseph leaned his elbows on the counter, put his head in his hands, and groaned out loud. He knew that this distance she talked about was not going to help get her back, the longer they were apart, the better chance that they would never get back together. He would respect her wishes and not contact her for a while. How long? It didn’t occur to him to give up. There was a crushing pressure in his chest, her absence already becoming too heavy a weight to bear. He wanted her back. He straightened up, and with jerky, shaky movements, sat down at the kitchen table. He thought about her words—maybe we can work it out someday—and grasped at this slim hope like a drowning man.

  After a little while he shook himself out of his reverie and called the only person he could talk to.

  Laura answered on the first ring. "Hey bro! What’s up?"

  "Can you come over?" Joseph asked, his voice breaking.

  "What’s wrong?" Laura was instantly on alert. "What’s happened?"

  "I’m okay, it’s just that…" Joseph took a deep breath, "Nina’s left me."

  "Oh, no! Joseph! Shit! Dammit!" she yelled. Then more quietly, "Dude. I’ll be right over."