by JR Wirth
Lying on his side, unable to move, Johnson just stared. It was early evening and he was feeling as if his entire life had been crushed in one abrupt moment.
He grunted. “What a mess.” Stuck in the blank gaze, he jerked when a gentle hand caressed his back and then his neck.
“Hey sexy,” a soft voice whispered, accompanied by another tender touch on his back. “Are you ready for some more?”
Johnson’s eyes grew large. Not wanting to see who he might have ended up in bed with, Johnson closed his eyes and quickly prayed for a way out. He knew it was a woman at least, as he could feel the soft skin and subtle breasts of a woman moving on top of him and now leaning over him. Soon he heard the familiar flick of a lighter and then the inhaling of the cigar. The smell of the honey-dipped cigar followed and caught Johnson’s attention. Still feeling the woman’s body on top of him, he quickly opened and closed one eye. He then rushed to open both eyes. He quickly scanned the woman’s body, and then, in total dismay, he whispered an emphatic, “Yes!”
“Was that a yes to you’re ready, my love? Or was that a show of helpless enthusiasm over your newfound, unequaled lover?”
“Well Mary,” Johnson whispered. He paused and again scanned the woman’s body. Soft white was the tint and feel of her skin and, with curves in all the right places, Johnson was at a momentary loss for words.
“I’m waiting,” Mary said playfully.
“I guess I’m going to have to say that it was for both.” Johnson reached for the cigar. “May I?”
“Yes, you may.”
Johnson took a puff, and then another. “I’m going to have to find you a pet name. Mary just won’t cut it.”
“How about Sheba? I hear she was quite the catch.” Mary took back the cigar and took a puff. “Or, what about Rebecca? Wasn’t she a sought after daughter?”
“How about if I just call you Babe?” Johnson quickly interrupted.
“That works too.” Mary kissed Johnson’s chest and then his lips and back to his chest.
“Keep that up,” Johnson teased. “And we’ll be ordering room service.”
“In that case, I want the chicken.” Mary smiled. “It’s too cold to leave anyway.”
Chapter Six
When Johnson awoke the next morning, he reached for the open space on the bed. As usual, he felt nothing. He sat up and scanned the hotel room, then jumped out of bed to check the bathroom. Finding the door shut and not wanting to seem rude, he softly knocked. When he got no answer, Johnson opened the door. “Shit!” He was all alone.
Johnson walked to the window and pulled the shades back slightly. He peeked out and saw that the weather was warm and sunny. “That’s just great,” he whispered. “What am I going to do now?”
****
“I’m very worried about my father,” Hanna said while she paced the bookstore’s linoleum floor. “He’s been acting very weird and last night he didn’t come home. He’s not answering his phone either.”
Sitting on the counter, just in front of the store’s aged-cash register, Charlie sipped her Starbucks coffee and tried to find the words to console her lifelong, best friend.
Dino sat behind the counter reading a copy of the Federalist Papers, trying to find a loophole, or justification, in the founding fathers’ stance on democracy, which would allow liberal president’s to do as they see fit through executive actions. Somewhat frustrated by his findings, Dino slammed the book shut.
“If you want my opinion, I think Mr. J is having a midlife crisis. I think he needs a special friend, and a psychiatrist,” Dino stated.
“Is that all you think about?” Charlie asked. She held her hands up as though reading a newspaper. “Simple man seeks prescription drugs and a special friend with benefits.”
“Really, I’m reading the Federalist Papers. Does that sound like a simple man to you?”
“Sublimation my friend, it’s all about the sublimation.” Charlie chuckled.
Dino gave a look of disdain, first at Hanna and then at Charlie. “You two, and all your damn psychological theories,” he scoffed. “You know it’s not a real science, don’t you?”
“It’s not important,” Charlie dismissed him. “Hanna’s father is who’s really important.” She turned to Hanna. “What do you think is going on, Hanna?”
“With his rapid change of moods and inability to focus, I’m thinking early onset Alzheimer’s,” Hanna replied while she wore out a path on the floor. “But I haven’t had time to talk to him to find out if something else might be going on.”
“What about substance abuse?” Dino asked. “Yeah, that’s it. He’s doing pain pills. It fits.”
“Really, Dino!” Charlie shouted. “Is that the best you can do?”
Hanna stopped pacing and snapped her fingers. “Tonight I’m going to talk to him. I’ll find out what’s up. In the meantime, do not act different toward him. I don’t want him to think anything is amiss.”
Chapter Seven
Determined, Johnson entered the bookstore and went straight to his office where he shut and locked the door. He turned on his computer and searched the Internet for stories of the paranormal, time travel, and alternative and parallel universes. The search found no good leads, only a lot more questions. Finally, exhausted, Johnson laid his head on the table. Just a few minutes to clear my head, he thought.
Seemingly within minutes, Hanna knocked on the door. “Daddy, are you in there?”
“Hmm?” Johnson opened one eye, then the other.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah, I’m here honey.”
“Is everything okay?”
Johnson leaned back in his leather executive chair and wiped his eyes and face. “How long have I been in here?”
“A while,” she replied. “Now will you open the door? I want to talk to you.”
“Oh shit, here it comes,” Johnson whispered. “What am I going to tell her?” He shook his head, and then his arms to wake his sleeping extremities, then rose and opened the door. Directly in front of his face was a diamond ring, protruding from Hanna’s left hand. Johnson head snapped back. “Oh my.” He leaned in for a closer look. “That’s beautiful, Hanna.”
“Jimmy asked me to marry him!” Hanna shouted. “And of course, I said yes.” She turned and jumped into Jimmy’s arms, while Charlie cheered from behind.
“That’s great, honey.” Johnson smiled and then quickly did an inventory of everyone in the room. All were wearing winter gear, complete with mufflers and gloves. Then he noticed the shiny, yet rustic, bookstore and polished wood flooring. “That’s great!” he restated, with much more vigor and enthusiasm, as he ran past his happy daughter. He stopped at the door and looked out through the glass. “It’s snowing!” he shouted. “It’s snowing!”
Charlie came from behind and laid her arm across Johnson’s back. “It’s been snowing, Mr. J, off and on for quite a long time.”
“Yes, Charlie, I suppose it has.”
Charlie watched with concern as Johnson’s smile became as bright as the newly fallen snow. “You okay, Mr. J?”
“Perfect. Thank you.”
Hanna took off her wool scarf and reattached it. “We’re leaving for the airport, Daddy. We’re going to pick up a friend of Charlie’s, and then staying around there to celebrate. I’ll stay in touch and we’ll definitely be back by Easter morning.”
Johnson looked at Charlie, chuckled and winked. “A friend, eh?”
Charlie blushed.
“Well then, be safe you guys and text as often as possible.”
Hanna reached into her pocket and pulled out a small envelope. “This is for you, Daddy.”
Charlie chuckled at the thought of payback. “That woman you were secretly stalking yesterday,” she joked, w
hile she elbowed Johnson in the gut. “Do you remember that, big guy? Huh?”
“Yes,” Johnson replied in defeat.
“Well she’s the one who left it for you.”
“Oooh,” the group moaned in unison.
Johnson blushed and pointed his finger at Charlie, while she winked and basked in the warmth of a revengeful smirk.
Johnson watched, as Hanna and her friends made their way to Hanna’s Mazda 3. He waved and made sure they were safely on their way before running in to open the envelope. Johnson took a deep, anxious breath. In the process, he absorbed the faint smell of perfume that rose from the envelope. He put his nose to the pink letter-covering and inhaled as much of the familiar scent as possible, then slowly opened the flap and extracted the letter.
Dearest Daniel,
I want to thank you for the wonderful flowers you sent. That was very thoughtful and it brightened my day. The time we shared together was very special and I can’t seem to get you off my mind. I hope this doesn’t sound too forward, but it feels as though I’ve been waiting for you all my life. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, and will dream of you tonight. Breakfast will be served at nine o’clock sharp, at my restaurant, my treat. Don’t make any plans.
Regards,
Mary
XOXOXO
“Oh no,” Johnson said. “There may not be anyone to run the store and there will be a shipment.” He took a breath and smiled. He read the note again, and then again, and again. Then Johnson puffed out the breath he had been holding since he inhaled the sweet-smelling fragrance. “I’ll figure it out after breakfast.”
“Oh crap!” Johnson shouted. He ran to the door and checked to see if he was still living in a winter wonderland. He opened the door and stepped out into the lightly-falling flakes of snow. “Now what do I do? If I stay awake, I’ll be a mess in the morning, particularly if I take something to keep me awake. If I go to sleep, I run the risk of not seeing Mary again.”
Chapter Eight
Johnson lay in bed watching television and drinking coffee, occasionally doing a set of push-ups to battle the fatigue. He also kept a metal container, filled with change, in his hand. It rested on the edge of the bed. If he snoozed, Johnson’s hand would release the can and he would wake to the sound of the falling change and container.
The push-ups and coffee seemed to work without fail, until 1:30 a.m., when Johnson found himself dozing off. As planned, he jumped at the sound of falling change. He shook his head, sat up and looked at the clock. How long was I out? He wondered. What else can I do? I need to stay awake. He looked around for anything of assistance. When his gaze stopped at the house phone, Johnson smiled.
“Hi honey,” Johnson said, in a low apologetic voice. “Sorry I’m calling so late.”
“Daddy? What’s wrong?” Hanna asked. She then sat up in bed and turned on the table lamp to her left.
“What’s wrong?” Charlie asked, in a whispered voice. “Is he okay?”
Hanna shrugged.
“This is going to sound crazy. And it’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever come to you with.”
“What Daddy? What it is? Just ask.”
“Well, I need you to have faith in what I’m going to tell you.”
“Okay.” Hanna looked at Charlie raised her brows. She then scooted on the bed, holding her cell phone out, so they both could hear.
“Something’s been happening…”
Hanna adjusted herself, and whispered to Charlie, “I told you so.”
“Well…” Johnson staggered.
“What is it, Daddy? Just say it.”
“Well, I’m in trouble, honey.”
“What? What kind of trouble?” Hanna scrunched her face, holding back the tears.
“Okay,” Johnson said. “I need your help to keep me awake.”
“Huh?” Hanna and Charlie exchanged puzzled looks.
“I know you are on a mini-vacation and probably want to rest, but, I can’t fall asleep tonight. If I do, I may not meet the woman who’s stolen my heart. She’s the one who left the letter. Don’t get me wrong, I loved your mother and always will, but she’s gone and it’s time for me to move on.”
“I understand.”
“So, I need you to call me every half-hour or so. Maybe you and Charlie could take turns.”
“Okay, Daddy, we’ll take turns. But, if something bad happens, you let me know right away, okay?”
“Okay.”
Hanna hung up and stared blankly at the thrown bedspread, gathered at the end of the queen-sized bed. “He’s lost it. Maybe it’s Bipolar Disorder.”
“I think you’re right,” Charlie said. “What do you think he meant by the woman thing?”
“I don’t know, but he believes we are part of his delusion, so that might be a good thing. If he thinks he needs us, he won’t disappear.”
“Good thinking,” Dino chimed in. He uncurled from the hotel couch and pulled the pillow away from his ear. Frustrated from the interrupted sleep, he continued. “But Mr. J really needs a psychiatrist―and fast!”
Chapter Nine
Johnson awoke Saturday morning to the sound of Duran Duran coming from the clock radio. Disappointed in himself, he laid still for several moments. He covered his face with one of the oversized pillows, and smothered the futility out of his lungs. Then he grunted and removed the pillow. With urgency, he checked the house phone’s messages, but there weren’t any. He checked his cell phone too, but, again, no messages. “Why didn’t she call?” That’s not like her.” He shrugged and sighed.
I tried, Johnson thought. I knew I couldn’t stay up all night. “Brr.” Feeling the brisk temperature within his bedroom, he covered himself up. “Brr? What the…” Johnson smiled. He jumped out of bed and ran to the bedroom window. “It’s snowing!”
****
“We’ve met before you know,” Mary said, with a coy smile and a quick glance across the table.
“We did?” Johnson seemed puzzled. “I think I would’ve remembered that.”
“Yes sir. It was last year on Easter, in fact, after the parade. We were at the town Easter egg hunt and brunch.”
“Really?” Johnson took a bite of his omelet.
“My Aunt Linda died a year ago on Good Friday. I came down when I got a call from her best friend, who was also the estate attorney. There were a lot of mourners all weekend. Even though it was Easter weekend, hundreds of people came from all over to honor Aunt Linda. They left hundreds of flowers and other tokens of appreciation, like photos and cards. It took a month to thank everyone and clean it all up.”
“Really, I’m pretty sure I would have remembered you.” Admiring Mary’s beauty, Johnson stared at her face and slightly shadowed eyes. He shook his head. “Hmm. Well, Ms. Beautiful, tell me then, how did we meet?”
“Well there, handsome man,” Mary responded with a smile and a flirty wink. “I was sitting at a picnic table and you wandered up and sat down. You looked at me with a distant—almost psychotic—look. You asked, ‘Am I early?’ then you looked at your watch, got up, and started to leave.” Mary used her fork to move around her scrambled eggs with sausage. She took a deep breath and gave a half-cocked shake of her head.
“And?”
“Well you sat back down and I thought…” Mary paused and glanced at the white embroidered table cloth, with red trim, then scanned the flickering flame set inside the red, tubular, candle vase. Finally, she looked back at Johnson. “Well, I was kind of hoping you might decide to stay a while, and chat.”
“Oh my, what did I do?”
“You looked around and said something about avoiding your daughter and her friends. I then told you to hide out at the restaurant. But, when I went to find you, you were gone.”
“I think that’s a great idea, sir.” Mary smiled mischievously. “So what do we do now?”
Johnson formed a mischievous smile of his own, and raised his brows three times in succession. He leaned over the table, getting close to Mary. “I have the house all to myself.”
“And I have two sack lunches ready to go wherever we please.” Mary leaned forward and landed a gentle kiss, squeezing Johnson’s lower lip between her soft, delicious lips. She then lightly bit his bottom lip.
Johnson involuntarily closed his eyes and moaned, ever-so-slightly.
Mary smiled at the reaction and slowly moved toward Johnson’s left ear, whispering the hot breathed words, “And I’m with you. I say we start the day at your house, and maybe, end it there as well.”
Johnson cleared his throat and, in a scratchy, high-pitched voice, said, “Okay.”
Mary sat back and motioned for the waitress to approach. “Candy,” she said. “Can we get this stuff boxed up? And will you be a dear and fetch the to-go bags in the fridge?”
“Certainly Mary,” Candace replied with a knowing smirk, and wink. She looked at Johnson, still in a trance, and curled her lip. The slight twinge of sparkle in Candace’s eyes told a tale of her own sensual exploits and caused her pale skin to turn a tint of red, nearly equal to her ginger-colored hair.
Chapter Ten
Johnson sat upright, resting on an oversized pillow just in front of the maple, book-shelved headboard. Deeply troubled, he sighed while he kept a close eye on Mary. Mostly naked, she rested comfortably in his bed, occasionally moaning and smiling. The sight and sounds were intoxicating and he knew he wanted to hang on to her no matter what, but how?