Voices

by Phyllis P. Colucci

  Rosalie turned to Michael and cried. Michael lifted Rosalie’s chin up to his and looked straight into her eyes and said, “I’m proud of you Rosalie. Don’t cry. I’m sorry you’re hurting right now, but I know you’ll be fine and I’ll be here with you every step of the way. I promise.” Michael suggested they go back to his apartment together and check on “Edgar”. He then thought they should head back to Rosalie’s house in late afternoon, after Franco is gone, and put their heads together so they can begin this fight. Rosalie agreed while Michael graciously paid her tab and left a tip for the waitress. He was a true gentleman and this brought a smile to her face. After wiping the tears from her eyes, Rosalie walked out of the café holding on to Michael’s arm for support, feeling ever so grateful for his friendship.

  Rosalie experienced such elation inside knowing that she has a trusted ally in Michael. She happily walked beside him, still hanging onto his strong arm, holding her head up to the sun. The warmth of the sun seemed to ignite her face while staining her pale skin with its tanning rays. Adding to the beauty of this simple stroll with Michael was, again, that wonderful hybrid aroma of leather and peppermint. She couldn’t help placing her nose closer to Michael’s jacket every time he spoke so she could keep those aromas alive in her mind and heart. If Michael only knew what she was thinking about him at this moment. “Would he laugh at her?” she asked herself, “or would he be just as happy as she is, feeling proud to have Rosalie walk by his side, and wonderfully amazed that this woman next to him would actually notice such simple things about him.” She was hoping it would be the latter. Rosalie was beginning to see that Michael, in comparison to Franco, was so much more mature and open-minded; so much more willing to jump into murky waters to help someone like her. Michael could believe Rosalie without seeing, while Franco needed to see before believing. Michael offered Rosalie trust, while Franco offered her doubt. Maybe there is life after Franco, she thought. So with a smile on her face and a slight gallop to her walk, she unconsciously squeezed Michael’s arm tighter. Michael responded in kind by patting her hand and pushing it gently against his arm to let Rosalie know it was okay to hold on to him. As a matter of fact, he welcomed it as they continued their walk to his apartment by way of the park.

  Michael led Rosalie over to the icecream stand near the Pink Rose of Sharon tree. They had to wait behind a long line of screaming children before they would reach the front window of the stand to place an order. Once they made their way up to the window, Michael asked for a double vanilla cone with chocolate sprinkles for himself and a chocolate, vanilla and strawberry sundae with crushed pineapple and sliced almonds for Rosalie. Michael playfully chuckled at the innocent and child-like manner in which Rosalie placed her finger on that item of choice listed on the menu to the right of the icecream stand window. She didn’t even have to tell Michael what she wanted. Michael was so in tune with her that he could read her clearly by observing her every little gesture. Once Rosalie realized what she had done, she felt her face grow red from embarrassment. She then chuckled along with Michael and said, “Wow, I must really feel comfortable with you. I haven’t ordered icecream like that since I was a child accompanied by my parents.” Michael responded, “and you have the cutest little fingers too Rosalie that I’ve ever seen run down an icecream stand menu.” They both laughed at that remark as they indulged in their late morning treat. Once they finished their icecream, Michael picked off a low hanging rose from the Pink Rose of Sharon tree and placed it in Rosalie’s hair just above her left ear. She looked at Michael with wide-opened eyes and smiled like a happy little Princess. Together they exited the park and continued walking towards Michael’s apartment to check on sweet Edgar.

  Before long, they were standing in front of Michael’s apartment house ready to enter his ground-floor apartment. Rosalie held Michael back and directed his attention to Michael’s front window nearest the door. There was Edgar, with his two front paws on the windowsill. He was barking up a storm in genuine excitement at the sight of his owner and Rosalie. Michael was grinning from ear to ear. He was just as excited to see Edgar. So as Michael opened the front door to his apartment, all hell broke loose – in a wonderful way. That gorgeous red cocker spaniel jumped for joy as Michael and Rosalie came through the front door. Rosalie yelled, “Michael, Edgar is peeing on the floor!” Michael was not the least bit upset. He said Edgar does that all the time when he gets visitors. He works himself up and can’t control himself. Michael looked at Rosalie and added, “especially pretty visitors like you.” Rosalie giggled, then stood very still so Edgar could sniff around her a bit before he calmed down. As soon as Edgar calmed down, Rosalie got down on her knees and began hugging and petting Edgar with the passion of a true animal lover. Michael loved the fact that Rosalie adored animals, especially Edgar. He absolutely enjoyed watching her pet and caress his dog. It just enhanced the “good” in Rosalie that Michael admired. He wanted to be part of this moment as well, so Michael got down on his knees while all three of them frolicked about the living room floor, almost forgetting about Edgar’s urine which was running down the narrow foyer. Soon the stench of urine filled the air, bringing both Michael and Rosalie to their feet. They had to do something about it before Edgar put his paws in it. So Michael ran into the kitchen for some paper towels and liquid floor cleanser and cleaned up the mess before it got worse. Rosalie grabbed a can of room deodorizer from the bathroom and sprayed the apartment. Poor Edgar ran into the kitchen and hid under the table sensing he had done something wrong. Michael laughed and said, “Poor dog. He does this all the time…pees, then runs and hides. You’d think he’d learn by now.” Rosalie teasingly smirked at Michael and responded back that Edgar knows exactly what he’s doing. She suggested to Michael that maybe Edgar isn’t hiding at all; that he’s actually “doggy laughing” under the kitchen table, watching Michael jump through hoops to stop that line of pee from running down the foyer. Michael looked at Rosalie, then glanced over at Edgar, and said, “I think you’re right Rosalie. That darn dog looks like he’s smiling at me.” Together they shared another laugh.

  No sooner did Michael finish cleaning up Edgar’s mess, that dog was back out in the living room jumping around hoping to play some more. Once Rosalie saw that, she couldn’t resist. Edgar was such a loving and playful canine. So Rosalie grabbed a small rubbery squeeze toy that resembled an old shoe, from Edgar’s toy box over in the corner near the closet, and tossed it towards Edgar. Edgar was in heaven. So was she. This wonderful dog helped Rosalie forget her troubles. As Rosalie tossed Edgar the toy, he stomped on it over and over again amazed at the squeaky sound it made, although he’s heard that sound a hundred times before. Each time it was like he was hearing it for the first time. That was the beauty of a dog and that was the beauty of Edgar. While Edgar was busy playing with his toy, Rosalie and Michael snuck over to the large fluffy sofa that Rosalie admired from her first visit to Michael’s apartment. She fell into the cushions as if she were sinking into a cloud. Michael did the same thing on his side of the sofa. Looking totally relaxed, they just sat there joyfully watching Edgar play. After a few moments, Michael gazed at his watch. He looked over at Rosalie and said, “Maybe it’s time for us to head over to your house. I would think that Franco came and went by now, and hopefully he left his keys under your door as you asked.” Rosalie glanced at her watch, and agreed. Michael excused himself so he could fill Edgar’s food bowl with the dried dog food Edgar salivated over, then he changed Edgar’s water bowl with fresh cool water from the sink. He eagerly watched as Edgar sniffed the air from the living room to his food bowl in the kitchen, anxiously following the scent and digging straight into his meal. Rosalie just adored Edgar and his precious little ways.

  While waiting for Michael, Rosalie flipped through a crossword puzzle book she found wedged between the sofa cushions, that was half way completed. She grabbed a loose pencil she found on Michael’s bookshelf and started to do one of the blank crossword puzzles. To her surprise,
she whizzed through it like a pro. When Michael came back in he said, “You go girl. It takes me days to finish one puzzle. How are you doing that so fast? I knew you were sharp. That’s why you’re such a great writer.” Rosalie proudly responded, “Well thank you Michael. That’s why you’re such a great writer too. Nobody wastes their time on crossword puzzles unless they have a true love for words. Am I right Michael?” Michael quickly nodded in agreement, then leaned over Rosalie’s shoulder and whispered, “Just another thing we have in common Rosalie.” Rosalie felt her heart sing, knowing that Michael was taking notice and actually counting the things they had in common . Rosalie placed the pencil and crossword book on the bookshelf and asked Michael if she could say good-bye to Edgar. Michael grabbed Rosalie’s hand and together they walked into the kitchen patiently waiting for Edgar to finish eating. As soon as he ate his last bit of food, licking the bowl as if more food would appear, Edgar realized that was it. Dinner was over. So he took a long drink of water from his water bowl, totally oblivious to Michael and Rosalie standing there, and continued to drink to his heart’s content. All of a sudden he realized his two pals were behind him, so he approached them with love and adoration as only a beautiful animal could do. Michael and Rosalie both got down to Edgar’s level to playfully rub his long fluffy ears and massage him under his neck as Edgar sat back like a king. Rosalie then asked Michael if he had any grapes. Michael said he was sorry but he didn’t have any. He asked Rosalie if she was hungry. Rosalie laughed and said, “No silly. I’m not hungry. If Edgar is going to sit back like a king, we might as well give him the royal treatment and feed him like a king, one grape at a time.” Michael loved Rosalie’s humor as the two shared another laugh over Edgar. After taking Edgar for a short walk so he could relieve himself, Michael and Rosalie made their way out of the apartment and down the street, arm in arm. They looked back to see if Edgar was at the front window, but sadly he wasn’t. Rosalie was hoping to see his cute little face one more time. Michael explained to Rosalie that it’s actually time for Edgar’s nap right now, so more than likely he went off to sleep. Rosalie puckered her lips in disappointment as they both walked away from Michael’s apartment and headed towards Rosalie’s house. They engaged in deep conversation, exchanging thoughts and ideas on their plan of attack against the “voices”, and Maria and Franco as well if it came to that.

  …As Rosalie and Michael continued their walk to Rosalie’s house, Rosalie felt an inner strength taking over her entire body. A strength that would soon become a lifeline for Rosalie, supporting her both in mind and body. A strength provided by wonderful Michael who had no idea of the impact he was making in Rosalie’s life. However, Rosalie was still feeling something else. Something warm and something beautiful; something good and something special. It was precious, it was kind, and it was happening between Rosalie and Michael. Neither one of them had the nerve to bring this up, but Rosalie knew Michael felt it too. Whatever is going on here, Rosalie liked it. She questioned it though, like she questioned everything. - What was she feeling? Is it real? Is it fabricated? Could it be love? Could it be friendship? Could it be fate? Or is it pure need at a time when Rosalie was at a low point in her life? Regardless, Rosalie loved how she was feeling right now and was willing to go with the flow and see where this leads. She was attracted to Michael and didn’t care what the reason was or why. Rosalie felt she deserved this breath of fresh air in her life and would welcome it with open arms. After all, she felt betrayed by Franco and Maria. She was not going to let that betrayal cloud her better judgment, leaving her sulking over the loss of both those relationships – of lover and of friend. If she was ready to take another step forward, why not do it, why not do it now, and why not do it with Michael?

  …Michael stopped walking, looked down at Rosalie, and asked why she was so quiet. Of course Rosalie wouldn’t reveal what she was thinking, so she explained that her mind was racing with thoughts of Franco, Maria, the voices, all sorts of things. She stated to Michael that she was confused and just trying to put things in perspective. Michael assured Rosalie that there was no need for her to torture herself with these thoughts any longer. He was confident that everything would work out in her favor and warned that if she allowed these thoughts to continue to set up camp in her mind, they will just set her back. He added that she needs to move forward with a renewed vision. Michael urged Rosalie to lean on him and allow him to do some of the worrying for her. He will help sort things out. He promised that everything will work out in time. He then grabbed Rosalie’s hand, took a short detour, and led her through the community garden. There he pointed to the beautiful shrubbery as he guided her down the narrow winding paths lined with exotic plants. He directed Rosalie’s gaze to the chirping birds perched on branches up in the trees, and to the bright blue sky above. He looked down at Rosalie and said, “Now this is what life is all about Rosalie. Keep this picture in the back of your mind for whenever those bad thoughts get in your way.” Rosalie was in awe of the beauty in that community garden and humbled by Michael’s sensitive nature. As she looked up, she saw the bright golden sun peek through the open spaces between the long tree branches and the hanging leaves. It shimmered so brightly and seemed to be winking at Rosalie from every direction. She had to look away from the sunlight and its sporadic blinding rays in order to protect her sensitive eyes. Still wanting to enjoy the simplicity of this wondrous sky, however, Rosalie grabbed her oversized sunglasses from her bag, put them on, and continued to admire nature at its best. She smiled at Michael and squeezed his arm tighter. “This is pure magic in its most natural state Rosalie,” he said, “and don’t let anyone or anything rob you of these special moments.” Rosalie pressed the palm of her hand against Michael’s chest in gratitude as they continued to make their way out of the community garden and over to Rosalie’s house.

  …After walking a couple of more blocks, two long ones to be exact, Rosalie and Michael reached their destination. Anxious to see if Franco had been to the house and, more importantly, if he left the keys under the door, Rosalie quickly opened the front door. She looked down at the hallway floor and took great pleasure at the sight of the house keys. She did get a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach knowing that Franco had to stay at the construction company for the time being, but when she thought about the reasoning behind it all, she felt much better again. Now it was time to go upstairs to the apartment, sit with Michael, and figure out what to do next. So Rosalie picked the keys up off the floor and led the way up the stairs with two sets of keys in her hand. Michael followed behind, taking one set of keys from her shaking hands and, like a gentleman, opened the door to her apartment. He allowed her to enter first, then politely followed closing the door behind him, handing Rosalie back her keys. Rosalie placed her keys, along with Franco’s set, in the oval candy dish on the end table next to the Italian-sculpted lamp that Rosalie loved so much. Even Michael commented on its beauty, telling Rosalie that she had exquisite taste. Rosalie proudly responded, “Well thank you Sir, I’m glad you like my lamp and my taste in such fine and delicate workmanship.” They both shared a laugh together, and another sweet moment between them, as Rosalie wore a silly grin prompting Michael to playfully tap her nose with his index finger.

  Rosalie then asked Michael to take a seat at the kitchen table so they could discuss what they should do next. Rosalie put up a pot of coffee and invited Michael to join her for dinner later. Michael jumped on that right away and said, “I’d like that Rosalie.” Rosalie said that it would be something simple, then asked, “Do you like salads Michael?” Michael responded that he loved salads. So Rosalie told him she would whip up this great pasta and tuna salad her mother always made with bow tie pasta, along with some creamy egg salad and a plum tomato and mozzarella salad. Michael said his mouth was salivating at the thought of those salads, and was looking forward to it. That made Rosalie so very happy, and she just couldn’t believe that she’d be having dinner with Michael at her kitchen table tonight. “My
God, how quickly things change from one day to the next,” she thought to herself as she went to check on the pot of coffee.

  …Michael eyed Rosalie with such adoration as she served the coffee. He was so glad to see her smile after all that she is going through. He got up from his seat to help pour the coffee, gently placing his hand over Rosalie’s as they filled the cups together. At this moment, Rosalie was quite sure that Michael was feeling what she was feeling. The look in his eyes and his gentle touch gave it all away. Rosalie took a seat across from Michael as they shared a great cup of coffee and a new beginning. Together they would solve Rosalie’s mystery.

  As they sipped in silence, smiling and staring at each other, Rosalie asked, “Where do we start with this situation, Michael?” Michael responded, “Down the cellar Rosalie.” Rosalie responded, “Oh no! I just can’t go down there again Michael! It scares the heck out of me!” Rosalie then requested that Michael please walk over to the air shaft near the kitchen sink. She told him to put his ear up close to the closed paneled air shaft. “Tell me what you hear Michael,” Rosalie said apprehensively. Michael did as Rosalie asked and kept his ear close to the paneled air shaft for a good forty-five seconds to a minute or so. He turned to Rosalie and said that he heard nothing. Rosalie responded with a sigh, stating that’s just what she expected him to say. Rosalie explained that the voices she hears come up through that air shaft and they only surface when Rosalie is home alone, adding that those voices just seem to know whenever she is home alone. She asked Michael if he now thought that she just might be crazy, because hearing herself talk like this makes her feel crazy. Michael walked over to Rosalie and softly patted her long brown hair, assuring her that she was not crazy and that he didn’t think she was crazy, and she needs to stop thinking she may be crazy. He agreed that the problem may be coming from that cellar but he doesn’t think it has anything to do with eerie voices, ghostly happenings, or Rosalie’s imagination. He stressed to Rosalie that something or someone is doing this, and “that” something or someone is trying desperately to make Rosalie think she is crazy.