Hits & Mrs.

by Karen Stollznow

  “What if something else possessed Gil? Like a demon?”

  Claudia dropped her forehead into the palm of her hand.

  “Abby, let’s not look for more ways to excuse his behavior,” she said. “You were raped.”

  The reality of this hit Abby like a smack in the face.

  “Why did he do this to me? He could have any woman he wants.”

  “Rape isn’t always about sex, it can be about control and power,” explained Claudia.

  She was horrified. Her ex-fiancé had turned into a monster. She still couldn’t believe this was happening. First Kate, and now Abby. Gil was many things but she couldn’t imagine him raping anyone. This wasn’t the man she once knew.

  “It’s important that you go to the police immediately,” Claudia advised.

  Abby panicked.

  “I can’t! With my background as…an adult entertainer… they wouldn’t take me seriously.”

  “You have as much right to be protected as anyone else…” Claudia insisted.

  “But I’d have to tell them that I had…a rape fantasy…and that I’d admitted this to Gil. The cops will think I was asking for it. It’s my fault!”

  “Rape is never the victim’s fault,” Claudia said firmly.

  “But it was what I wanted. Well, I thought it was what I wanted… I gave my consent, at first, sort of…”

  Abby poured another glass of wine and drank it in a single gulp like she was playing a drinking game at a frat party.

  “Rape fantasies are common,” said Claudia. “But having a rape fantasy and being raped are two very different things.”

  Abby pointed a finger at Claudia drunkenly.

  “I… want… you…to get that son of a bitch…” she said in a garbled voice.

  Claudia took a deep breath.

  “I will,” she promised.

  “I hath to go,” Abby slurred.

  She grabbed her car keys, stood up from her seat and promptly fell down onto the floor.

  “You’re not driving in that state,” Claudia said. “Let me take you home.”

  She hiked Abby out of the restaurant. They stumbled past Abby’s canary yellow Mazda Mx-5 Miata and got to Claudia’s car. Abby slunk down into the passenger seat, mumbled her address to Claudia and fell asleep, snoring all the way home. When they arrived at her place, Claudia watched as Abby staggered down the path to her door. She fumbled around in her handbag for her house keys and pushed the wrong key into the lock. Eventually she managed to find the right key and the coordination to unlock her door. Then she disappeared inside.

  Claudia sighed.

  Gil was out of control. He had to be stopped.

  Chapter 11

  As Dawn Pierce looked around the beautiful living room, her eyes fell on Gil’s giant purple amethyst cluster.

  “It’s shaped just like a penis!” she giggled to herself.

  He had such a neat and tidy home. She was certain that these surfaces would stand up to the white glove test. Gil must have a maid, or two, to maintain this mansion because it was difficult enough for her to keep her own modest three-bedroom house clean.

  She couldn’t believe that here she was in this magnificent house, having won a free reading from radio KAZZ with a world famous psychic! And here he was…The Gil Godsend, making a cup of tea for her! Her husband David, the poor, helpless dear, couldn’t boil an egg, let alone boil the water required for making tea.

  Gil emerged from the kitchen with a pot of herbal tea and two cups and sat down at the table with her. Oh boy, was he cute! He poured her a cup of steaming hot tea and the refreshing scent of peppermint filled the air.

  “Mrs. Pierce,” said Gil. “I sense that you’re wanting to hear from your sister today.”

  How did he know that?

  “Yes, Gil,” she replied, her eyes wide and hopeful.

  Gil closed his eyes, breathed in deeply and breathed out slowly.

  He opened his eyes again and looked at her.

  “I’m getting an energy of a woman and I sense that she is your younger sister,” he said. “I’m going to give you proof to show that she survived the transition that many call “death” and that she is now living in the world of spirit.”

  “Ooh! Okay,” said Dawn.

  This was her first time visiting a psychic and it was all exciting and mysterious to her.

  “This woman has sandy colored hair, dark brown eyes and olive skin,” said Gil. “She looks a lot like you… I’m receiving an “S” name…like Sophia or Sophie.”

  “Yes! Sophie was her name,” Dawn confirmed. “And that description sounds like her too. She looked a lot like me. Some people thought we were twins.”

  “Sophie tells me that she passed over with cancer a few years ago. This was a women’s cancer of some kind…”

  Dawn gave a sad sigh.

  “It was ovarian cancer,” she said, as she remembered the long and painful journey of her sister’s death.

  “Her illness was a long and painful journey,” Gil said as if he’d read her thoughts. “But now she is free of her body and free of her pain… She’s saying something about a connection between your mother and the disease…”

  Dawn nodded.

  “Our mother died of ovarian cancer too. It runs in the family so my daughter and I are screened for it regularly.”

  “Sophie is your spirit guide and she reminds you to do this,” Gil said. “She watches over you and protects you, and she guides you in your decision-making.”

  Dawn believed this was true.

  “I know she’s gone but sometimes I feel like she’s still here,” said Dawn.

  “She is here,” Gil insisted. “Her spirit is here. Her love is here. The two of you share a sister’s bond that not even death can break. You see her in yourself everyday, in your appearance and personality. You hear her voice in yours. Sophie is very close to your heart,” he said. “I feel you’re wearing something that was once hers?”

  Dawn pointed to the oval-shaped gold locket that balanced on her ample breasts.

  “This was my great-grandmother’s locket,” she said. “She gave it to my sister who wore it until she died. Now I wear it to keep my sister close to my heart.” She approached Gil and bent over him as she opened the locket for him to see what was inside. “Here’s a photo of my sister,” she said as she showed him the picture and inadvertently showed her cleavage.

  “Very nice,” he said with a nod of approval. “Did you know that you’re wearing a Victorian mourning locket?” he asked. “Memento mori jewelry is worn to commemorate the death of a loved one. The phrase is Latin for “remember that you must die.” This style of jewelry has been around for hundreds of years, although it became very fashionable during the reign of Queen Victoria, when her husband Prince Albert crossed over in 1861 and she remained in mourning until her own passing in 1901. Many lockets contained a lock of the departed’s hair that was hidden in a glass compartment; such as the one you have on the back of your locket. In the Edwardian period that followed it became popular to store a photograph of the deceased instead, as you’re doing today.”

  Wow, he’s cute and smart, thought Dawn.

  She went back to her chair and sat down as Gil refilled her cup of peppermint tea.

  “Sophie says to mention “the shoplifting”,” said Gil. “What does that mean to you?”

  “Oh my God!” Dawn laughed. “When we were teenagers we were browsing in a department store and I saw a pair of designer jeans that I wanted so badly but couldn’t afford. I bullied Sophie into stealing them for me, because her backpack was big enough to hide them. When we got out of the store she admitted she felt so guilty and was so certain that all of the store assistants knew what she’d done, that she put the jeans back on the rack without telling me!”

  “Your sister was younger than you, but a wiser soul,” said Gil. “She is still your conscience.”

  Dawn couldn’t deny that. Sophie was her baby sister but she was always the more se
nsible one. Dawn was stubborn, headstrong, and impulsive.

  “Sophie’s message to you is that she wants you to be happy…but you’re not completely happy, are you?” Gil asked, his eyes narrowing.

  Dawn let out a heavy sigh.

  “No…I’m pretty happy…I mean, things aren’t perfect, but…”

  “Who’s David to you?” Gil interrupted.

  “He’s my husband,” she answered.

  “I sense he doesn’t know you’re here.”

  “That’s right, Gil,” she admitted. “I didn’t tell him that I won the competition to have a psychic reading with you. David’s skeptical about psychics and ghosts and that kind of stuff.”

  This was only one of the many things they didn’t see eye to eye about.

  “But something else about David worries you,” prodded Gil. “…You have a feeling that he’s keeping a secret from you, don’t you?”

  She did.

  This hit a raw nerve with Dawn. Her gut had been telling her that something was up with David. He hadn’t been himself lately. He started working late nights at the office. He began dressing better. His fashion sense had morphed from wearing sloppy t-shirts with holes in them to wearing business shirts and ties. He even got a new haircut without her having to force him to do so. Was he doing this for someone else? He was always tired too. Most troubling of all was that he didn’t want to have sex anymore. And if he wasn’t giving it to her, then… he must be giving it to someone else…

  Was he having an affair?

  “…And all of the little things that irritate you about him are getting bigger, aren’t they?”

  They were.

  Dawn made a mental list of David’s annoying habits. He tosses his dirty laundry on the floor. He dumps his dirty dishes in the sink but never washes them. He’s rarely ever home, but when he is, he ignores her. He just flops down on the couch to watch television or sits at his computer for hours on end. It’s a cliché but he leaves the toilet seat up. He never changes the roll of toilet paper. He drops toenail clippings and beard shavings around the bathroom. He’s always chewing loudly, clearing his throat, coughing, snorting, sniffing, burping, and farting. He snores so loudly that many nights she’s forced to sleep in the guest room downstairs. Even then she needs to wear earplugs to drown out the infernal noise.

  It all drives her nuts!

  “These negative feelings are boiling to the surface, aren’t they?”

  They were.

  Dawn found herself getting riled up about David. Here she is, cleaning up after him, washing his dirty underpants, ironing his shirts and cooking his dinner every night, not that he’s ever home to eat it anyway, and the ungrateful pig is cheating on her! What did she do wrong? He was taking her for granted, after she’d given him two beautiful children and the best years of her life.

  She cast a look at Gil in his perfectly pressed shirt and slick business suit. Here was a guy who had it together all on his own. He had a clean smell about him, like fresh soap, that made her want to sidle up to him and sniff his clothes like women do in the television commercials. But he also had an indefinable masculine scent that made her want to nuzzle into his neck.

  I bet he doesn’t fart in bed, she thought with a huff.

  Gil stood up walked around the table towards her. He sat down on the tabletop next to her and looked down into her eyes.

  “You’re feeling unfulfilled in your relationship, aren’t you?”

  She was.

  Things had fallen flat in their marriage. They didn’t share anything together anymore. They had different tastes and interests in everything from food to movies. Not that they ever watched television together anyway. They’d always been different, but now they were drifting apart. Opposites attract…but only for a little while. Forget the seven-year itch, theirs was a twenty-seven year itch!

  “You feel he is emotionally withdrawn…”

  She did.

  David seemed unresponsive and detached. He ignored her. He wasn’t giving her what she needed anymore. She wasn’t expecting chocolates, flowers, and romantic dinners. Well, yes, she was, but she really needed a man who would pay attention to her.

  “You need a man who will pay attention to you,” said Gil.

  “Exactly!” she replied.

  She was still a good-looking woman. Okay, she’d put on a few pounds over the years, but the weight had gone to all of the right places. Gil seemed to appreciate that by the way he looked at her bosom! She needed a man who would treat her better.

  “You need a man who’ll treat you better.”

  “Amen!” she cried.

  Gil knew what she needed.

  “You think about getting even with him, don’t you?” Gil said as he bent down closer to her.

  She did.

  If he was betraying her then she wanted revenge. If he was sleeping around then why couldn’t she have a fling too? What’s good for the gander is good for the goose. She needed to take the power back and do to him what he was doing to her.

  “It seems to me that he should be getting a taste of his own medicine,” Gil said as he stared down at her with his piercing blue eyes. “You deserve affection. You deserve to be desired,” he said in his low, sultry voice.

  He ran his hand gently along the side of her face.

  Dawn couldn’t believe this hot young guy was coming onto her!

  He locked eyes with her and leaned in towards her slowly. Her heart began beating faster. She thought he was going to kiss her.

  “I want you to think about what we’ve talked about here today,” he whispered. “I want you to think about what you need to be happy…that’s what your sister wants for you.”

  Gil’s eyes wandered to the clock on the wall.

  “Unfortunately, our session is over,” he said abruptly. “My final client for the day will be coming soon. Allow me to show you out.”

  He walked her to the door.

  After the reading, Dawn felt very close to her sister, but very distant from her husband.

  “When can I see you again?” she asked Gil.

  He clasped his hands over hers.

  “I’m always here for you,” he promised. “Goodbye, Mrs. Pierce.”

  “Goodbye, Gil. Thank you!”

  Dawn drove back home to an empty house. She walked into the living room and saw her wedding photo on the mantelpiece. It softened her. She picked up the framed photo and stared at it for a while, her face breaking out into a smile at the memory of the day. They were so deeply in love. David looked so handsome in his suit and bow tie. She looked so beautiful in her ivory mermaid gown. They made a gorgeous couple.

  She’d never forget the passion of their wedding night.

  “I’m being silly. Everything’s fine,” she said aloud. “He’s not doing anything. He’s a good man.”

  Then she wandered into their bedroom and promptly stubbed her toe on a pair of steel-capped boots that he’d tossed on the floor carelessly. He’d also left a trail of dirty clothes scattered across the carpet. She hobbled into the bathroom and was repulsed to discover that he hadn’t flushed the toilet. She could feel her blood pressure rising.

  Dawn noticed that it was 5:30pm. It was time to make dinner so she headed into the kitchen. Feeling uninspired, she stared into the fridge, wondering what to make. What did it matter anyway? David never complimented her cooking anymore. He rarely ate at home nowadays. She decided to cook spaghetti with a jar of ready-made sauce for the third night in a row. She filled a pot with water, added a sprinkle of salt and stood over it watching it boil. She added spaghetti to the pot and stirred it mindlessly. Then she remembered that she had switched off her cell phone during the session with Gil but hadn’t turned it back on again. Perhaps there was a call from David.

  Sure enough, he’d left her a voicemail message.

  “Dawn. Look, it’s gonna be another late night. I’ll probably get in around 10pm. Or later. Don’t worry about making dinner for me. I’ll just grab something
out of the fridge when I get home. Don’t wait up…click…”

  There was no “Hi honey,” “I’m sorry,” “I love you,” or even a “Goodbye”.

  He sounded rushed and stressed. Was he really at work still or was he having a romantic dinner with another woman? Maybe he was having sordid sex with his lover in some dirty old hotel. That two-timing son of a bitch! How could he do this to her?

  She stood there for a minute, not knowing whether to cry or get angry.

  Then she decided to get even.

  Dawn turned off the stove and tossed the pot of half-cooked spaghetti into the sink. She raced into her bedroom. She threw on the tightest skirt she could find and a low cut top. She ran a bright coral lipstick over her lips and brushed a peachy-colored blush across her cheeks. She spritzed perfume behind her ears, and up her skirt. She hopped into her car and made a mad dash back to Gil’s house.

  She rang his doorbell. When he opened the door she threw herself at him, kissing him and pawing at him like a woman who hadn’t been touched in many months.

  Gil welcomed her lips and hands all over him.

  He picked her up with ease and carried her through the house and into the kitchen. If David ever did this it would have been his way of demanding dinner, she thought. But Gil had other uses for her.

  What an enormous kitchen he had! Her eyes widened when she saw the craftsmanship of the cupboards and the gleaming stainless steel and marble surfaces. She’d never feel uninspired in this kitchen. She’d never dump a half-cooked pot of spaghetti into that sink! Oh God, would she love to bake a cake in that oven! This kitchen would be a joy to keep clean!

  Gil lifted her up onto the black marble kitchen tabletop.

  He took her hand and placed it firmly on the bulge in his trousers.

  “See how much I want you?” he asked in his deep voice.

  “Mmm…yes,” she moaned. “But…”

  Gil placed his finger over her lips.

  “Don’t feel guilty, Mrs. Pierce,” he said as he used his other hand to hike up her skirt. “Your husband has a secret and this…this will just be our little secret. Your husband isn’t here with us now…”