by Rob Jones
“You must be on some of that cheap underground crack. There wasn’t anything, and there will never be anything between us. How could you even think that you could ever be on my level? You must be crazier than you look. Breaking into my apartment and getting naked in my bed with dirty rose petals. Where are they doing that at? Surely not in a sane world!”
“You know you want to be with me. I can feel you aching for me. Don’t resist, babe, come on and taste the rainbow.” She seductively walked toward him.
This may have backfired on him. It was as if she didn’t even hear a word that he said. This was a whole new level of crazy, a certifiable craziness that somewhat alarmed him. But he kept his resolve.
“I’m not a doctor but I’m losing my patience. I am not playing with you.” Temper surged within him. “This is not a game and this is not cute. You need to go right now!” She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. She wasn’t even blinking. What kind of twisted and deranged thoughts were flying through her head? Silence swelled between them as they stood facing one another like two gunmen in a western.
“I’m going to make you love me from my lips to my hips and after you sail on my sea, you’re going to think that you’re Jack Sparrow, babe.” She got dressed, hummed an ominous tune, grabbed her purse, and walked to the door. “I will be seeing you around, babe.” She was eerily cool as she kissed him on the cheek. He wiped his cheek when she walked out the door.
Sue whimpered next to Ethan’s leg. “Well, that wasn’t crazy.” He looked down at him and gave him a disappointed head shake. “By the way, how did she get in here? What kind of guard dog are you to let a stranger have total access in here? I’m definitely upset with you, Sue.” He squatted down to Sue’s level. “It’s going to take more than those sad eyes for you to get out of this.” Ethan placed both hands on the sides of Sue’s face. “How can I stay angry at that face? You better be glad that you’re adorable because you were about to go to bed with no snacks and be kicked out of my room.” Sue started panting while drooling. “All right, let’s go on this walk, get you a treat, and then hit the hay.” He stopped, turned around and went to the window. “Can you hold it, buddy? Gotta make sure that Ms. Dirty Rose Petals is not out there with a shovel waiting to bury me.”
***
Zoe
The fall sky was filled with dark descending clouds, threatening with a promise of a severe storm to come as Zoe and Ethan arrived at the healthcare center for Zoe’s appointment. The bright-colored leaves were dancing around in the brisk, lively wind that was whirling and circling both Ethan and Zoe, impeding their steps while they walked arm in arm toward the building.
“I’m here to see Dr. Compton,” Zoe said to the receptionist once they were inside. Ethan took his coat off and sat down. He reached into his pocket for his cell to check his emails and social media outlets. Zoe sat beside him shortly after.
Sitting across from them were a mother and daughter who were debating in voices that were somewhat above a whisper about the #MeToo movement. The mother, who sounded like she may have been scorned more than several times, said, “The day of reckoning has finally come. Retribution and vengeance for all men everywhere is now at hand. They all deserve to have their little members removed slowly and painfully from their bodies.”
Her daughter, who looked about sixteen or seventeen, responded, “Not all men are evil, Mom. Dillon is sweet as sugar, and he respects and esteems all women. He is forever my love, and he adores you, even though you give him the third degree.”
Zoe laid her head on Ethan’s shoulder, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and noticed the daughter offering Ethan an unfeigned romantic grin accompanied with the batting of her eyes, while the mother inspected him with a look that was filled with the decades of hatred of past lovers. Zoe lifted her head and smirked, Ethan looked at her, then at the mother and daughter.
“Men, they are the worst, right?” Ethan said, breaking the awkwardness. “You know what God said after He created man? I can do so much better.” The receptionist and the daughter burst out laughing, while the mother just glared with contempt.
“Tough crowd.” Zoe nudged Ethan on the side with her elbow.
“Zoe Edwards.” An attractive woman with a laptop in her hands smiled at her. Zoe stood up and headed toward her.
“So how are you feeling today, Zoe?”
“I feel fine, Dr. Compton, thank you.”
“Excellent.” She got Zoe’s weight, then they went into a smaller room. “Go ahead and pop up here on the examination table.” Dr. Compton asked a cascade of questions then began to examine her. She made Zoe take a few deep breaths so that she could listen to her heart and lungs. She checked her ears, took her temperature, took her blood pressure, and took some blood. She then gave her a cup so that she could give her a urine sample.
“So far so good, Zoe, you are in excellent health. All your vitals are normal,” We will run some tests on your blood to make sure that you’re not diabetic. This will take a day or two. But right now, I’m going to get your urine examined to see if your hormone levels are normal. This should take no time.”
To pass the time she distracted herself with the reading material in the office while she waited for Dr. Compton to come back with her results. After what seem like hours, Dr. Compton finally returned with her silver laptop and a bottled water in her hands.
“Sorry that it took so long. I got a water for you just in case you’re a little parched.”
“Thank you.”
She turned toward Zoe with a shimmer in her eyes and a smile on her face. “You know that your name, Zoe, means life in the Greek language, right?”
“Yes, so?”
“Well, you have a little life inside you,” she said as she pointed at Zoe’s stomach.
“What?” Zoe twisted her hair.
“You are carrying life within you, hon. Let me be the first to congratulate you on your pregnancy.”
Chapter
Twenty-Five
Zoe
The door opened and Zoe walked out like she was in a daze. Her heterochromia eyes were glazed over, and her hands were clammy. Visibly trembling, she looked at Ethan, then walked out the door. He immediately grabbed his coat, jumped up, and followed.
“Zoe, Zoe, what’s wrong?” Ethan reached for her arm. She turned around with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Angel cake, you’re scaring me. What did the doctor say?”
She could only respond with more tears as she collided with his chest, crying uncontrollably. They stood there holding each other motionlessly like statues as the rain began to descend upon them both. She looked up at him with quivering lips and damp eyes, so afraid to reveal the news that would alter their lives forever. Not knowing how he would respond petrified her. Would he leave her and the baby? Would he stay and forever hate her for ruining his life? Would he be a deadbeat dad? So many terrifying scenarios paraded through her mind. But she knew that she could not keep this from him, that he had a right to know the inconvenient truth that they were going to be parents.
“Ethan, you are literally a part of me now.” She sniffled and wiped her nose. “I’m pregnant.”
“Um, excuse me?” The thunder roared intensely after his response.
“I’m pregnant. We’re going to have a baby,” she said with trepidation in her voice.
“This can’t be happening. I mean, this just can’t be happening.”
“This is happening and we have to deal with it.” She could see that he was slowly coming unhinged, on the verge of a freak-out. “Let’s go to the car so we can get out of this rain.” She walked toward the car, opened the door, and got in. Ethan just stood there stationary in the storm.
“Buddy, are you okay? Is something wrong with your car?” a man in a gray Hyundai Sonata asked after pulling up next to him. Ethan did not respond. Instead he kept biting his lip until he broke the skin.
“Weirdo.” The man shrugged his shoulders, raised h
is window, and took off.
“Ethan, please get in the car. You’re going to get sick,” Zoe pleaded.
He lethargically walked around to the driver’s side, got in, and started it up. All you could hear was the rain as they drove in a fortress of silence, not knowing how to respond to one another. They pulled into the drive-thru at Arby’s. He asked her if she wanted something to eat, but she shook her head. He ordered. Just when he was about to pull up to the next window they were gently bumped by a car behind them, followed by the constant beep of the horn.
“Oh, it’s on now, I am not in the mood!” He looked in his review mirror and she turned around and saw an old man slouched over in the car. “Did this man just fall asleep?” Ethan put the car in park and got out to see if the man was okay.
“Sir, wake up, wake up.” He knocked on the window. When the man did not respond, he opened the door, put the car in park, then nudged him. The man slumped over to the side. Ethan yelled for Zoe to call 911.
Within several minutes the ambulance came. The paramedics tried to resuscitate him, but to no avail. They said that it looked as if he died of a heart attack. Ethan and Zoe got back in the car.
“This day has been an emotional rollercoaster ride. I am mentally drained,” Ethan said while driving Zoe home. “Listen, Zoe, I’m sorry how I behaved earlier. I love you more than anything and we will deal with this.” He took her hand. “I just need time to wrap my head around this. It was the last thing I expected to happen.”
“Trust me, Ethan, I understand. I am trying to navigate through these uncharted waters myself.” Tears were pooling in her eyes. “The guilt, the embarrassment, the uncertainty is really heavy on me. I just—”
“Are you kidding me?” Ethan suspended her words when he saw the flashing lights of a police car in his rear-view mirror. “Unbelievable. What could he possibly be pulling me over for?” The officer got out of his car and walked in their direction.
“License and registration, please.” With an uncompromising face, the officer studied them both.
“Sure thing, Officer.” He retrieved them and handed them over for inspection.
“Stay put, I will be right back.” The officer walked away with a noticeable hitch.
“Just when I thought this day couldn’t get any worse, this happens.” He breathed out in frustration and cradled his head in his hands. It seemed like it took the officer a lifetime to come back with a ticket in his hand and a stoic look on his face.
“Here you go, Mr. Thorn.” He handed him back his license and registration. “The reason that I pulled you over is because you were going twenty in a—forty-five mile speed zone.” He gave him the citation.
“You’re giving me a ticket for going too slow. Are you kidding me?” Ethan gawked at the ticket. “I don’t know anyone who’s received a ticket for this. With all due respect, Officer, I’m sure there is some real criminal activity going on out here that you could be busying yourself with.”
“The law is the law, Mr. Thorn, and I will uphold it no matter how significant or insignificant it may seem to be. Have a safe evening.” He turned to walk away.
“Would it be upheld if I had blonde hair and blue eyes?”
“Excuse me, Mr. Thorn?” He stopped.
“Oh, I didn’t stutter. I think you heard me loud and clear, but just in case you didn’t, would your law be upheld if I had blonde hair and blue eyes?” The officer turned around.
“Do I need to write you another ticket? Better yet, would you like to take a ride with me down to the station?” The pitch in the officer’s voice heightened.
“For what? I have every right to ask that question and state my opinion. Sounds like you are trying to avoid answering the question, sir,” he said with the emphasis on sir.
“Ethan, let it go, please. Don’t make things worse for you.” Zoe instinctively grabbed his arm like a protective mother.
“Mr. Thorn, I need you to slowly step out of your vehicle.”
“For what? Since when is stating my opinion or asking a question a crime? My First Amendment rights protect me from your self-imposed tyranny.” Ethan’s brow furrowed.
“I’m going to charge you with contempt of cop. Now I am not asking, I’m telling you to get out of the vehicle.” He set his hand on top of his gun.
“I’ve never heard of contempt of cop. Please explain,” Ethan demanded.
Zoe’s heart was in overdrive. It was pounding so hard that it drowned out everything surrounding her. She was scared for Ethan that he would get arrested or, even worse, get shot. All she could do was pray for God to intervene in this matter.
“Zoe, get your phone out and record this.” Ethan just sat there protesting the officer’s demand.
The officer aggressively opened the door, stepped back with his hand on his gun while telling Ethan to get out. Ethan turned toward the officer, then he looked at his car stereo and then turned on the radio.
The officer clenched his jaw and just when he was about to yank Ethan from the car, a dispatch came through on his microphone that was attached to his Walkieclip saying that an officer was down and needed assistance. He responded immediately and told Ethan that he better thank Saint Peter, and he ran to his vehicle.
Zoe put her hands over her face and began to cry uncontrollably. Ethan immediately reached over to hold her. “Sorry, Zoe, I don’t know why I had to challenge the officer, why I had to be so disrespectful. I know it was a stupid and dangerous thing to do. But in light of the heavy events that happened today, I felt helpless and scared, so to remedy that, I felt that I needed to try to seize some kind of control, to take charge and manage a moment. But in trying to take control, I lost control and I put you and myself in danger. He gave her a defeated look, embrace her again, and began to weep gently.
***
Ethan
Feeling submerged by the news of becoming a father, Ethan decided he needed a change of scenery, so knowing that no one would be at The Black Dive at this time he decided to hide out there and focus on some songwriting for a much-needed distraction. He arrived at the empty debris-filled parking lot. He scanned it and thought that it was a microcosm of what he was feeling inside. He sighed heavily, then opened up the car door, grabbed his guitar case from the backseat, and walked toward the door of The Black Dive. He put the key that Frank, the owner, had given him in the door lock, but to his surprise the door was already open.
“Hello? Anyone here?”
“Ethan?” Bella popped up behind the bar. “What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here? Where is your car?” He walked over to the bar, sat down, and placed the guitar case beside him.
“I’m always here in the morning doing the books and getting the bar ready for the night. And the reason you don’t see my car here is because I’m trying to get back in shape. I’ve been consuming too much alcohol as of late and my girlish figure is beginning to evolve into a ghoulish figure. So I’ve started running here in the mornings.”
“Are you sure you’re not trying to get in shape so that you can get in good with a certain somebody?” He placed his elbow on the bar and stroked his chin with his thumb and index finger.
“For your information I’m doing it for me and for me only.”
“Speaking of dapper Dan, how is the whirlwind romance between you two going?” Ethan asked Bella while she stocked the shelves with liquor.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a whirlwind romance. At best it’s a flurry liaison. He frustrates me to no end. We go on these amazing dates and have thought-provoking conversations, and this chemistry, oh that chemistry between us is undeniably electrifying. She broke out a hundred-watt smile, confirming her statement.
“When we are alone, flirting and having a good time, we have these moments when his gaze tells me that he wants to kiss me, that he’s going to kiss me, but then he retreats with a smile and a hug. Why is he torturing me? Perhaps he doesn’t want to mix business with pleasure, or he doesn’t want
to make things awkward between me and him, or him, you, and me since we used to date. I don’t know, it’s just irritating.”
“I’m completely positive that he couldn’t care less about our dating history, Bella.” He took out the guitar, sat on top of the bar with his legs crossed, and began strumming his guitar.
“I know that he likes you. There must be something that’s preventing him from pursuing a relationship with you other than what you just said.”
“Well.” She hesitated. “It seems as though he’s emotionally unavailable. He is sometimes evasive, he uses cryptic words when I bring up what exactly are we doing, what kind of relationship this is, he doesn’t tell me how he feels about it, and it’s so frustrating.” She took a big breath. “Just when I think we are elevating this so-called relationship to a different level, he orbits us back into this strange, ambiguous friend zone. It’s like that song Hot N Cold by Katy Perry. I just don’t understand it.” She walked around the bar, sat down in a chair, and stared at the stage.
“I know that we come from different worlds. He comes from privilege—spoiled and entitled, where the only girls he dated were those affluent, highly educated, and successful types.” She looked up in frustration. “And look at me, the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who was cultivated with a below middle-class upbringing, tattoos, and only dated the bad boys, the Neanderthal types who consider ramen noodles and getting high while watching Spinal Tap an elegant date.” She continued to stare at the stage. “Gee whiz, I dated a long line of losers.”
“Hey, hey now, I know I’m not—”
“You are the exception, Ethan,” she interrupted him.
“Bella, it’s not where you come from: it’s where you’re headed.” Ethan continued strumming his guitar.
“You’re doing amazing things, plus you are a drop-dead, Lord have mercy hottie, and if he can’t appreciate all that you bring to the table, get up from his table and dine with another.” He shifted his focus from the guitar to her. “I think you two just need to create your own world and don’t worry about the past or even the future. Just focus on making moments that will create and build a world just for you two, where memories, passion, and elation will be a fortress that will shelter you from anything and anyone who would try to threaten the world that you’ve built.”
