It was a bottle of Opium, the recognizable Oriental-spiced perfume that some might consider to be an unusual gift for a young woman. Michael always loved the smell of Opium. Its warm scent brought about a subliminal framework of a sexy red for him.
Amber didn't find the perfume to be unusual. It came from the man she loved and looked to be expensive. She sprayed a tiny amount on her wrist and took a deep inhale. “Mmmmmm… I can't wait to try it.”
Michael held Amber's wrist up and took a whiff for himself, “Mmmmmm… it smells good on you. I could just eat you up right now!” Soon he combed his fingers behind her hair and gave a passionate kiss. Is this the effect that Opium has on a man? Maybe it was limited to Michael. Amber would be sure to spray some on for Christmas morning.
Michael pulled away from the kiss. “Well, I suppose we should get to bed so Santa Clause can come.”
Amber wasn't going to say a word. Words were not necessary. She knew where bed was for that night and the nights to follow. She humbly entered the enormous master bedroom, and slipped under the covers with Michael. There wasn't time to get sleepwear in her old bedroom, and it wasn't necessary! 'Twas the night before Christmas and Amber would sleep naked on Linsey's side of the bed with the subtle hint of Opium on her wrist and Michael's naked, warm body huddled close. It was the best night of sleep she had gotten in her entire life!
Chapter Sixteen
What better gift for Amber than to wake up Christmas morning in Michael's arms?
“Good morning…” said Amber with a bright smile on her face.
“Good morning…” Michael kissed his beautiful Amber on the forehead. “And Merry Christmas!”
Michael did his usual routine of venturing downstairs into the kitchen to brew coffee. Amber's routine was slightly different than in previous mornings as she would now peak into Trista's bedroom to check if her daughter was sleeping. With the child in dreamland, Amber decided to get a jump start on Paulette, who was already awake and eager for her daily email from Todd. But this was Christmas morning, a time to open presents and enjoy whatever special breakfast Amber was going to make for the holiday. Such are the grueling moments that a young lady must endure when in love. She would have liked nothing more than for Todd to be by her side, wishing her a Merry Christmas and offering wonderful presents that were a testament of his love.
The Dickly family always has Christmas breakfast before even thinking of opening presents under the tree. And unlike other mornings, before making breakfast, Amber wished to ready herself for the day—shower, groom, dress and spray on some more of that sexy Opium that seemed to drive Michael wild on the night before Christmas. Of course these things were all done in the oversized master bathroom that she now shared with Michael.
While waiting for Amber, Paulette and Father sat in the kitchen, enjoying their morning cups of coffee together. Father had no idea that his princess drank coffee. “Did Amber introduce you to coffee?”
Paulette nodded.
“Yeah, she's definitely a wonderful person. What do you think? Does she have your approval?”
Paulette nodded with the straw in her mouth while taking another sip from the cup.
Amber finally entered the kitchen, all dolled up for Christmas morning with a generous spray of her Opium perfume.
Suddenly, Paulette hated Amber with all her heart. Only moments ago she agreed with Father that Amber was a wonderful person. How she wished she could have taken it back. It was bad enough that Amber wore her hair like Mother's, dyed it to resemble her color; not to mention quickly moved in to be Father's new lover and most-likely future bride. But this new stunt was by-far the dirtiest. The sense of smell is most powerful and activates memories so powerful and strong. How dare Amber wear Mother's perfume? It felt as-if Mother now went about the kitchen on Christmas morning.
Paulette only looked at Amber with a sad expression that asked, “Why? Why are you doing this to me?”
Thankfully, Paulette had a special friend to confide in. She would certainly tell Todd of this! In her yearning for Todd to be near, she kept mental notes of all the occurrences of Christmas morning to share with him. Aside from Amber wearing Mother's perfume, Paulette had to endure eating the so-called Christmas omelet that included mushrooms. Paulette hated mushrooms!
She would certainly make mention of all the wonderful jewelry and clothes that Father gave to Amber. And how she would love to mention sitting in the wheelchair while people opened gifts before her. New CDs, a new CD player, some books, a few videos and some more clothes for her winter wardrobe: Christmas didn't have the excitement as in earlier years when Paulette was able to touch the presents. But this thought would remain a secret from Todd, for he was yet to be aware of Paulette's physical condition. Many times she wished to reveal this, but feared it might have been too early. Some day he would know; and some day he would be with her in person, maybe even take her as his bride and carry her over the threshold into his home.
* * *
Throughout the holidays and early January, Michael noticed a change in his daughter. “Where's Paulette?” he asked several times in those days.
To which Amber would always answer, “Upstairs in her room.”
To Michael, this brought to mind the recent images of his daughter facing the keyboard and monitor with a pencil in her mouth. She had gotten highly skilled with typing and resembled a woodpecker that tapped away at the keys. Michael supposed it was normal for a teenage girl to isolate herself from the family. But beyond that speculation, he had no idea of the new reality provided by the computer.
Had Father cared to take a closer look, he would have discovered that a stranger managed to create an elaborate reality, bridging the many miles between himself and Paulette. Todd was more than an electrical engineer who worked for a robotics development company. Todd had a natural, God-given talent for writing. With this gift, he wished more than to simply titillate the recipient living hundreds of miles away. He wished to mesmerize Paulette with tales of fantastic places that he and she traveled to. He wished to stir powerful emotions in Paulette and lead her to develop a longing for him. The stories of Todd and Paulette had the power to draw her deeper into a personal realm of fantasy. To make matters worse, she contributed to the stories so that they shared a private world together.
“Where is one place you've always wanted to go?” asked Todd in an email.
“Before my mother got sick, she always promised that we would go to Paris one day—just her and I.”
And so Todd was sure to book a flight to Paris for a romantic getaway with Paulette in May. This was all done in fantasy, of course. They strolled the shops, cafes and cinemas along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. They were sure to visit the Arc de Triomphe and took the stairway to the top for a view of the surrounding avenues. Without a care in the world and no obligations but to enjoy one another's company, they would stay in Paris until the early evening. Some nights that would enjoy an evening tour and dinner in Paris before escaping on a train back to their country guesthouse where they drank champagne and wine while making beautiful love into the late evening hours. The described lovemaking could have easily been an erotic tale in itself. Imagine the feelings, emotions and chemistry that pounded through the young girl's heart while reading this!
Todd took Paulette on many other romantic getaways. Tours of London followed by a stay in the English country to visit old castles was had through fantasy.
They enjoyed lazy, tropical resorts with nothing to do but drink all afternoon and make love on the beach before retiring to bed for the evening. And they were sure to sleep in until around lunch, when their busy day of relaxation would begin.
When romantic getaways were becoming a stale subject, Todd began to create suspenseful tales of him and Paulette. Both were dangerously involved in espionage and could not be together because of international tensions. But they wanted each other, loved each other so badly! With opposing enemy spies on both sides hunting for them, Todd and Paule
tte enjoyed secret and dangerous rendezvous' when they would viciously attack one another under the heat of international intrigue.
And then there were the trashy tales of Paulette being a sexy criminal who was taken to the station late at night for questioning. It wasn't necessary to handcuff the suspect to the chair, but Todd took great pleasure in doing this. And while alone with Paulette in the interrogation room, would the lead detective actually lose his morals and strip the suspect for “dirty” interrogation tactics? Paulette learned just how much of a dirty cop Todd was!
Of course, in between all the stories and fantasies, Todd and Paulette wrote of their normal lives. And Todd was beginning to mention of how easy it would be to book a flight to finally meet Paulette. The two were definitely falling in love and needed to encounter one another in person.
Paulette wondered what sort of life she would have with Todd, considering her physical condition. He proved through all the stories and fantasies that through imagination and a little work they could enjoy a beautiful love together. Paulette believed that when finally married, Todd would care for her in the same way that Mother and Amber did. And her strongest wish was most simple: to truly feel Todd's kiss on her lips while he warmly embraced her. The time had finally come. Todd's true love would be tested by learning of Paulette's physical condition.
* * *
It was late January, and Father was only a day's return from a business trip. It was on this day when Paulette pecked out a serious email in response to finally meeting Todd in person. She told him everything; the bicycle accident and how it damaged the area of her brain for speech while leaving her paralyzed from the neck, down. She confessed to communicating to him through “pecking” out sentences on the keyboard. And Paulette reminded him of how much in love she was while mentioning that love knows no obstacles. A little work and imagination could go far if Todd was willing to overlook the flaws.
For Todd; online, long-distance dating was done for a very, good reason. He may have seemed like a fantastic guy behind the emails; but in the real world, women had difficulty taking any relationship with him beyond an initial date or two. True, Todd was a good-looking guy who made money. But Amber's initial impressions of Paulette's boyfriend were surprisingly accurate—as disappointing as that may be to the reader.
In recent years, Todd had gone through an awakening—sort of a rebirth that young men experience after a couple decades of being treated disrespectfully. Todd had gone through high school and college with the reputation as a wimpy, puny, dweeby sort of guy; a nerd, if you will. And although landing a successful career shortly after college, he found that coworkers and higher-ups had little or no respect for him.
Throughout his life, Todd had a dream to study martial arts, believing it would unlock his ability to transform into something greater. With nothing more to do with his life than work the nine-to-five, Todd decided to sign up for a martial arts class. He diligently trained while earning one belt after another. Eventually he developed a mindset of confidence which soon led to the belief that he could transform himself into whatever he liked.
Why should Todd have had a puny, skinny body? He joined a weightlifting gym and toned his pectorals, biceps and deltoids. Then he signed up for man camp and was taught to walk like he had something between his legs.
Todd spent much time looking at magazines with images of ripped steroid monkeys and then staring at himself in the mirror to compare. He was almost there… in his own mind. Although toned with slight muscle development, there was nothing spectacular of his physique. But he spoke with a newly-acquired, jocular voice and walked with an overly-confident gait. He obtained a motorcycle license and cruised the open highways in his ninja-style crotch rocket. With this exaggerated, self-perception of greatness; Todd reached a peak state of physical, mental and spiritual being. And it was finally time for Todd to find a woman.
It wouldn't have been too difficult for Todd to find a woman, had he come down to Earth and been himself. And maybe some dating etiquette would have been a wise investment. There was a little problem with Todd. Behind his good looks, toned body, jocular voice, confident air and lots of money; Todd was nothing more than a self-worshipping, arrogant nerd who prided himself in knowing everything about everything. He had no problem finding dates with women, but in the course of the first twenty minutes of a date, Todd would take the initial conversation piece and provide a detailed text book explanation of what he understood. Take for example; if exercise was mentioned, Todd would provide a graduate-course lecture on human physiology. If his date mentioned car trouble from the previous day, Todd would provide an entire physics discussion on combustion engines—every gear, every piston and every stroke that would lead to thermal viscosity breakdown. After twenty minutes, Todd's date would feel as though she had popped in an audio lecture cassette and was soon falling asleep. Rarely was a woman able to speak during a date with Todd, as he did all the talking. And behind the emulated manliness that failed to drip true testosterone, the woman seated across the table would soon think to herself, “Oh my gosh! This guy is a total geek!”
And it was worse than that! Todd had a certain degree of immaturity in his interactions with people. Now self-perceived as a demigod, the world was all about Todd and his needs. He had no empathy or consideration for the people around him. Thanks to overly-developed self-confidence, and his quest to rightfully take back what the world had stolen in younger years, all that mattered to Todd was his own feelings. Where as you and I reach a point in our lives when we temporarily deny our own emotional needs, sometimes accept not-so desirable situations for the sake of maintaining peace and harmony with a larger picture; Todd was quick to strike down anything that wasn't in his best interest.
It was all about Todd. He would never settle for second best. He read Paulette's email and replied.
"Paulette,
Your email has come as quite a surprise for me. I sat in the chair for nearly an hour and tried to draw a single, recognizable emotion. There were just so many of them.
I guess I should start off by saying that I'm very hurt. (It was all about Todd's feelings!) I feel as though you had been lying to me all along. And I'm sad to know that I lived a lie all these weeks. Let me tell you; had I flown out there to discover you in a wheelchair, paralyzed and unable to speak, I would have been very angry. In fact, I would have had a difficult time dealing with my anger and other hurt emotions. It's a good thing you told me this now!
Did you really think that you could have a relationship with someone like me? After all that I've learned in life, I know that I deserve so much more. I'm sorry, but I can't see something like that working. I mean don't they have a dating service for handicapped people?
Glad you finally told the truth, and have a nice life…"
He didn't bother to sign the email, much less provide a proper goodbye. Poor Paulette read the shocking reply while feeling all her hopes, dreams and love she experienced in those weeks drain from her body. Physically, she wished to react to the disturbing news; but was unable to move, thanks to her condition. Instead, shock and adrenaline surged through her veins. Her heart raced like those nights under the sheets with Todd's imagined presence. But instead of pleasure, there was a crushing pain near the heart and abdomen. No one ever prepared Paulette for a time when all her hopes and dreams in love would be shattered to pieces. Poor Paulette had no idea what was happening to her. She was experiencing a broken heart.
There was nothing unusual of Paulette to sit motionless in her wheelchair as she was paralyzed from the neck, down. But her eyes were always alive. Her face displayed a large range of expressions and she had the notable pink coloring of Mother's face. Paulette often turned her head to observe her surroundings. But for two hours after reading Todd's cruel email, Paulette sat motionless in a catatonic state with a pale, lifeless face.
Just before lunch, Amber finally entered Paulette's room. Only two hours ago, she dialed online so the girl could check email in priv
acy. In just two hours, Paulette transformed into a lifeless shell with expressionless face.
“Paulette?” Amber placed her hand on the paralyzed girl to ensure that all was well. She was breathing and had body temperature. But something was terribly wrong. “Paulette, are you okay?”
Paulette didn't bother to look up or answer Amber.
“Oh my gosh; Paulette, what's wrong with you?” Did she receive bad news in one of Todd's emails? Checking the screen was the only natural thing to do. Amber read the cruel email that was displayed on the monitor. “You told him about your condition?”
A tear could be seen running down Paulette's cheek as her lips quivered. Then she sniffled.
Amber was nearly in tears, herself, upon seeing the young girl destroyed. She embraced Paulette, “Oh, Honey; I'm so sorry. I know you're hurt by this. Guys are such jerks, I know. You'll pull through this.” Then she gently released her embrace while rubbing Paulette's shoulder. “Do you know what you need in a moment like this? You need to be with someone. You can't sit up here alone in a depression.”
Amber logged off the Internet and shut down the computer. “That's enough for now! You've been sitting before this thing for too many weeks and I was beginning to think maybe it wasn't good for you.” Then she took hold of the wheelchair and spun Paulette towards the door. “Downstairs you go. We're going to have lunch, brew a pot of coffee and just talk about guys for the afternoon—see if we can't pull you through this. I know it hurts. But you have to move on.”
Amber realized that food was probably the least thing on Paulette's mind. “I made you half a sandwich and a cup of soup. If you can just eat a little and then we'll hang out in the family room for the day. I was starting to miss you. For weeks you've been upstairs typing away.”
The Death Mask Page 13