Crazy in Chicago

by Norah-Jean Perkin

  She counted to ten in her head, then reached between Cody and Janet and placed her drink on the bar.

  “I’m going to the washroom,” she said. “Be back in a moment.” She wouldn’t be. The washrooms were down the stairs right near the entrance. No one would notice when she sidestepped the washrooms for the exit.

  “Oh, good. I’ll go with you.”

  Roberta groaned. The last thing in the world she needed was Tiffany accompanying her to the washroom.

  She trooped to the stairs, aware of Tiffany behind her, swerving gracefully between the tables.

  Roberta reached the stairs. As she descended, she composed herself. Maybe she was over-reacting. After all, Cody had done nothing to encourage Tiffany, so there was no point in letting the woman’s obvious interest in him get under her skin.

  Roberta pushed open the washroom door adorned with a pink plastic female torso. She headed for a stall. Should she rejoin Cody upstairs, or should she leave? If she lingered, Tiffany might finish her business and return, leaving the coast clear for escape.

  Roberta waited until she heard Tiffany flush the toilet and leave the stall. After the sounds of water running and paper towels crinkling subsided, she assumed Tiffany had left.

  When Roberta opened the door, she saw Tiffany regarding her image in the mirror with a critical air. Laid out across the counter before her were a panoply of tiny bottles of assorted make-up, a hairbrush and a comb.

  Tiffany sighed. “Don’t you just hate coming to a washroom in a bar? You think you look great, then you come down here and you look like death. Why do washrooms always have such dreadful lighting?”

  Roberta shrugged. She had trouble believing Tiffany could look in the mirror and not like what she saw. Roberta already knew how unkind stark bathroom lighting could be to her blonde hair. She didn’t plan to look in any mirror.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it,” she managed. “It’s dark up there. You looked great. And you’re right. The lighting here is ghastly.”

  “D’you think so?” Tiffany swung her glorious mane of hair away from her face. “Because I really did want to impress Cody. This is the first time he’s spent any time with me since he disappeared last summer.”

  “Oh. Really?” Roberta realized that Tiffany’s words confirmed what Cody had told her about his lack of interest in women. At least until now.

  “Oh yes. We’d started to get close and then wham, he disappears. And after they found him, well, he was like a changed man. He’d talk and everything, but he didn’t seem to be all there. You know, listening, but not listening. Polite but not interested.”

  She smiled and straightened the lines of the slim dress she wore under her suit jacket. “But now I think everything’s changed.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh, yes. Tonight’s the night. I can see it in his eyes, in the way he pays attention again, in that special something about him. I can feel it. Tonight’s the night we’re going to get back together.”

  Roberta blanched. Could Tiffany really believe that? She swallowed, then put her hand on her stomach. “Uh, I think I’d better hit the washroom again. My stomach’s unsettled. You go up ahead of me. I’ll be there soon.”

  Tiffany swept the bottles of makeup into her purse. “All right.”

  Roberta retreated to the stall and listened for the door. A moment later she heard it shut. She sighed. She couldn’t get out of here fast enough.

  * * *

  Cody glanced at his watch. A quarter to eleven. Quietly he rapped on the door to Roberta’s apartment. He hadn’t been able to find her anywhere in the bar. She must have come home.

  A minute passed with no answer. His stomach tightened. But what if she hadn’t gone home? What if something had happened to her? His imagination, fuelled by the accidents and murders he’d seen and written about as a reporter, jumped into high gear. He banged on the door with his fist.

  A moment later the door opened a crack. Above the chain, Roberta, her hair tousled and her face bare of makeup, peered out at him. “I’m in bed, Cody. Go away.”

  Worry evaporated, replaced by consternation. “Tell me why you left Roxy’s.”

  “I was tired. Good night.”

  He shoved his newspaper into the quickly narrowing opening. “Roberta, I don’t want to stand out here in the hall talking to you. I want to know why you left. Where you went. Why you didn’t tell me you were leaving.”

  A heavy sigh emanated from the other side of the door. “All right. You can come in. But just for a moment.”

  She unlocked the chain and opened the door, then stepped aside to let him enter. His breath caught in his throat when he saw that she wore the same blue and white striped boxers she’d worn the night before. Only the white tank top was different, a replacement for the camisole misplaced during their love-making. His gaze dropped to her knees. She’d removed the bandages, but the scrapes remained, a vivid reminder of how she’d entered his apartment.

  The memory, along with the sight of her bare legs and feet, her china-doll blue eyes and pink lips, aroused him anew. His irritation dissipated, replaced by the first sparks of desire.

  He reached for her, but she stepped away, then crossed her arms tightly across her body. Ouch! Her body language shouted that she wanted him gone. But why?

  “You’re mad at me,” he said. “Why?”

  She didn’t look at him. “No, I’m not. I’m tired and I want you to leave.”

  He studied her. Everything from her averted eyes to her rigid stance shouted tension. Tension and anger. But why? What had he done?

  He stood his ground. “There’s more to it than that. Tell me.”

  “I told you. I’m tired. Besides, you had plenty of company.”

  Cody blinked. Was she saying she was jealous? He couldn’t believe it. “That’s it, isn’t it?” he said slowly. “You were jealous, right?”

  Her arms shot to her sides. She glared at him. “Wrong. Absolutely wrong.”

  “Well then?” He wasn’t letting her off the hook now. “Why did you leave?”

  “I . . .” She turned her back on him. “I had planned to tell you last night was a mistake. It wouldn’t ever happen again. I couldn’t very well do that with an audience.”

  “What?” Cody couldn’t believe he’d heard right. “What are you talking about?” He looked at her rigid shoulders, but did not touch her.

  “I said last night was a mistake. I—I don’t know what came over me. I just know it was a mistake.”

  If her voice hadn’t wobbled at the end, Cody might have believed her. But not now. Not after all they’d shared. Not after the most wonderful night of his life.

  He reached for her arm and pulled her around to face him. She stubbornly stared at the floor. He tilted her chin upwards, forcing her to look at him. “We both know it wasn’t a mistake. It was a lot of things, very special things. A mistake wasn’t one of them.

  The tears glittering in her eyes belied every word she’d said. Her lips parted; for a moment Cody thought she was about to admit how much their love-making had affected her.

  Instead, she pulled away. “Look,” she said, avoiding his gaze, “we’re not right for each other. Let’s face it, you think what I do—all this work with aliens—is silly.”

  “So?”

  “So?” Roberta gestured angrily. “I don’t want a man who thinks what I do is hilariously funny. A man who humors me and has no respect for my work. I’m not some silly piece of fluff you pick up for a lark and then discard next week when someone with a better brain comes along.”

  “What? What does this have to do with us? What have I ever done to make you think I think you’re stupid?” Cody frowned. He couldn’t believe what she was saying.

  “See? You don’t even know what I’m talking about. You and your friends had a great time making fun of my work tonight. Maybe I’m too sensitive, but I don’t like it. And I don’t have to put up with that from anyone.”

  Cody stepped towards Rob
erta. She backed up. He winced. “Roberta, we weren’t making fun of you. I was teasing you. I’m sorry if I hurt you. I didn’t mean to. I know you take it seriously. But I don’t believe in aliens. And I can’t pretend I do.”

  “I know.” Her words ended in a sob. She turned away once more and stood rigidly, her back to him.

  He walked to her, stopping only inches away. It took all his control to keep from placing his hands on her shoulders, running the palms along her arms, lowering his mouth to her neck and whispering kisses down to her bare collar bones.

  Instead, he held his hands clenched at his side. “Roberta,” he said, “I don’t think we have to believe the same things in order to have a good time together. I like you. You like me. That’s a pretty good start.”

  He wished to hell she would turn around. Looking at her back, he had no way to tell what she was thinking or how she was reacting.

  He reached for her arm but she jerked away. “Yeah,” she said. “You like me a lot.” She whirled around, her face a mask of bitterness. “I can see I make a really good sleeping pill. That’s what I can see. And that’s no reason to carry on a relationship.”

  Cody reacted as if he’d been slapped. “You think I went to bed with you just to help me sleep?”

  “Yes,” she spit out. “I guess the milk didn’t work.”

  Cody couldn’t believe what she was saying. “Darlin’, if I remember correctly, I didn’t seduce you. We both wanted it. And there’s nothing wrong with that. We’re two mature adults engaging in a mutually-pleasing sexual relationship.”

  “Well, I don’t ‘engage in mutually pleasing sexual relationships’,” she retorted. “I’m not like you. I don’t have a new fling every week. Nor do I want one.”

  Cody paused. With difficulty, he checked his growing anger. “What makes you think this is a fling?”

  “Get real.” Roberta crossed her arms. “Look at you. Look at your history. Let’s face it. I was just handy. Next week it will be somebody else. You may be able to do that. I can’t.”

  “I don’t know why you think I’ll lose interest. I told you I haven’t been interested in anyone else for a year. I don’t see why that’s going to change. Why don’t you give us a chance to let things unfold, just see what happens?”

  “Because there isn’t any point. I read about you, long before I ever met you. Leopards don’t change their spots. Then I saw you at it again last night. Tell me, did you have a good time with Tiffany?”

  Cody winced. He hadn’t done anything—hadn’t even thought of doing anything with Tiffany. Or Janet. “I’m not interested in Tiffany, other than as a co-worker. I’m interested in you.”

  “Well, tell that to Tiffany. She seemed to think you were ready to start up an affair right then and there. That’s what she told me in the washroom.” Roberta looked at the clock on the wall. “Actually, I’m surprised you’re home yet. Or perhaps I should say home alone. What happened, your little plan not work out quite as well as you expected?”

  Cody bit his tongue to keep back the angry retort. His stare dared her to prove her accusation, but she didn’t flinch. Her chin jutted forward, but her gaze didn’t quite meet his.

  He took a deep breath. “You have an awfully low opinion of me, don’t you? Both as a man, and as a reporter. An opinion based on nothing more than conjecture.”

  “No, not conjecture.” Her stance grew more rigid. “History. You’re the man who cheated on your fiancee, not me.” She smiled far too sweetly. “With Tiffany too, wasn’t it?”

  His control snapped. “Damn it, Bobbi! I told you I’ve changed. I don’t know what you want from me. Why can’t you just give me a chance?”

  Roberta stared at him coldly. Finally her shoulders slumped. She looked older, wearier than she had only moments before.

  “Because I’m not a fool,” she whispered. Tears glimmered in her eyes. “Because I don’t like to be hurt. In your newspaper or in your bed.

  “Because I just can’t trust you.”

  “Roberta, I . . .”

  “Please go.”

  Dumbfounded by her stricken look, by what she’d said and seemed to believe, Cody could only stand and stare.

  Finally he reached for the doorknob. “All right. I’ll leave now. But we need to talk about this again. Tomorrow.”

  He left without waiting for a response.

  Chapter 10

  The sun had begun its slow slide below the horizon when Cody wheeled his Corvette from the street down the ramp into the light of his apartment’s parking garage the next evening.

  He had never intended to stay at work this long, but it had taken far longer to wrap up the last of the stories in his series on UFOs and aliens. Thoughts of last night’s blow-up with Roberta had plagued him, interrupting him over and over again. Lack of sleep and another half dozen bouts of nausea had conspired to destroy what was left of his concentration. He’d been lucky to get anything done.

  Yawning, Cody glanced down the first row of parked cars. He looked again. At the far end, a small figure he recognized struggled with several parcels.

  Instantly alert, Cody jerked the car to the right, ignoring the squeal of hot rubber on cement. He sped down the row, stopping only three feet away from Roberta. She jumped back, and the paper bag of groceries she held in one arm ripped and slipped a notch lower, while the brief case and plastic bags she held in her other hand swayed ominously.

  Cody leaned across the passenger seat and flipped open the door. He leaned out his own window. “Get in.”

  Roberta flushed. She juggled her parcels. “Uhh. It’s all right. I can manage.”

  The bag ripped a little more. She raised her knee to support the bag and wobbled on one foot.

  “No, you can’t. Get in. I’ll park and then I’ll help you carry that stuff upstairs.”

  A can of soup slid out of the bag, followed by a jar of peanut butter. They hit the floor with a thud, and rolled toward the car.

  “Oh, all right,” she conceded, reluctance coloring every word. She half-walked, half-hopped to the side of his car, using her knee to prevent anything else from escaping.

  She dropped her bags onto the seat, then turned to retrieve the soup and peanut butter. Cody redistributed everything onto the floor space and the shelf under the back window. Roberta slid in and shut the door.

  Cody geared up, then glanced at her. In the damp heat, her curls had run riot and her coloring had heightened. She looked hot, weary, uptight. And wonderful.

  He glanced ahead and then back at her. She had no idea how appealing he found her. But how to convince her?

  He continued down the aisle, turned into the parking space and stopped. His hand still on the gear shift, he looked at her. He didn’t want to talk. He wanted to kiss her, badly.

  Roberta opened the door. He touched her arm. “Wait.”

  “Yes?”

  “We need to talk.”

  “About what?”

  “About us.”

  Roberta’s face flamed again. She looked at him, but didn’t meet his eyes. “There isn’t any us.”

  “Yes, there is. You know there is. You’re important to me. And I’m important to you.” He paused, waiting for her to acknowledge what he’d said.

  Finally, she raised her chin. Her eyes clouded with pain, a pain that underlined the truth of his words.

  Encouraged, he pressed on. “I’m not interested in Tiffany, or in any other woman. Just you. Only you. I know that wasn’t true in the past, but I’ve changed. I’m not the same man I was a year ago. Maybe it’s because of my disappearance, or maybe I’ve finally grown up. I don’t know why, I just know that I’m not the same man I used to be.”

  Her lip trembled but she said nothing.

  “I—you’ve helped me a lot. Pushing me into seeing the psychic, being hypnotized. Looking into weird things that I don’t like doing. I know it hasn’t proved what you wanted it to prove, but I also know that you care about getting to the bottom of my disappeara
nce. I like having your help. It means a lot that you care about me.”

  “You didn’t find out much,” Roberta pointed out. She fiddled with the bags on the floor.

  “Because of you I’ve talked to Allie, too, about Erik and what the psychic said.”

  Roberta sat up sharply to look at him. It was evident she wanted to ask him about it. Instead she returned to sorting out her things.

  “I’d like to talk to you about it,” he said softly. “Nothing dramatic but still, Allie acted a little odd.”

  She shoved the plastic bags at him. “You take these and my brief case. I can handle the rest.”

  “Okay.” Nothing was working right. He tried again. “When we get upstairs, I’ll tell you about it.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Why not?”

  “We already talked about it. Nothing has changed. You like fast and easy relationships. I don’t. You like normal. I’m not normal, at least in my interests and my beliefs. And tomorrow, in your newspaper, you’re going to trash SUFOW and my work.”

  Awkwardly she gathered the paper bag and its contents together and wormed her way back to the front seat. She stood up, and hit her head on the door frame. “Ouch.”

  Cody got out and looked at her over the top of the car. “What makes you think I’m going to trash SUFOW?”

  Her eyes flashed. “Oh, come on, Cody. I heard the questions you asked Garnet during some of your interviews. At worst you think he’s a money-grubbing slime. At best, a fool. And I heard what you said last night to Tiffany and Janet. Well, I can’t be with someone who thinks everything I work for is foolish. Someone who thinks I’m a fool. Someone who’s going to make me look like a fool in public any day now. Someone I can’t trust, on any level.”

  The words stung. “I don’t think you’re a fool,” he retorted. “Nothing about you is foolish. You’ve looked at the evidence and come to different conclusions than I have. You’ve also had the experience of having a friend who claimed she was abducted. None of that makes you foolish. Just different. It doesn’t mean we can’t share a lot of other things.”