Demonspawn

by Glenn Bullion

  I don't know what time I woke up the next morning, but the sun was up high. The first thing I did when I woke up was reach over for Julie. She always stayed over my apartment on the weekends. My heart sank when I realized she wasn't there, and the memory of the day before flooded back.

  That's right. I'm single again.

  I sat up in bed for a minute, taking it all in. I'd have to get used to sleeping alone on the weekends one more time.

  I was confused though when I heard the TV. I poked my head out the bedroom and looked toward the living room. I saw Cindy sitting on the couch, waving the remote control around. She saw me out of the corner of her eye.

  “Hey, zombie. Glad you could wake up.”

  Cindy stopping by unannounced was nothing new. It only stopped when I was dating someone. When she was single I did the same thing to her.

  “Damn, did you sleep here last night?”

  “Nah. I had three male models waiting for me when I got home. Why the hell would I sleep here?”

  “Funny.”

  “Don't come out of there naked, please.”

  “If only you could be so lucky.”

  I took a quick shower. After I threw some clothes on Cindy was in the kitchen pouring two glasses of soda. She handed me one.

  “Okay. Donuts are right behind you. I've got eighty movies in the living room.”

  “What time is it?”

  “One o'clock.”

  I nearly spit out some soda. “In the afternoon?”

  “No. In the morning. Don't let that damn sunlight fool you. It lies.”

  “How the hell do you get up so early?”

  “Because Alicia called me. To check up on you, she calls me and wakes me up. You've got a hell of a sister.”

  The attention was starting to get embarrassing.

  “I broke up with a girlfriend, that's all. I didn't have surgery or anything.”

  “Okay, we'll ignore you from now on. Now watch a movie with me. But I swear if you try to hold my hand I'll beat your ass.”

  “I'll try to behave.”

  We sat on opposite ends of the couch and started a movie. Cindy curled her legs up under her like she always did, a gesture I always thought sexy. She was an action movie person, like myself. She put in The Matrix. It was relaxing, just hanging out with my best friend. But my mind started drifting in between action scenes and Keanu Reeve's superior acting. I started thinking about Julie. I went back and forth between self-pity and anger. It wasn't only Julie either. I was just unhappy. I was a suddenly single shipping dock worker. Not really much to brag about there. Nothing compared to Cindy, who was a college graduate with a good job doing something she loved.

  Julie was icing on the cake with how I felt about myself at that time.

  “What the hell happened?”

  Cindy looked at me. “Huh?”

  “We had sex on Wednesday night. Then Saturday morning she tells me it's not working out? How do you go from naked time on one day, then three days later, oh it's not working out? After a damn year?”

  She wrinkled her face. “Christ, Alex. You could have kept some of that to yourself.”

  “Sorry. But you get what I'm saying.”

  Cindy didn't say anything. She just looked at me, sympathy in her eyes. Maybe she didn't know what to say.

  “Remember Marie, two years ago? She at least had a reason for breaking up. She was screwing someone behind my back. That's a reason, right?” I paused. “Did I goof up somehow and not know it?”

  Cindy uncurled her legs and leaned toward me slightly. “Do you want to know what's wrong with you?”

  “Hold on,” I said, and put my soda on the coffee table. A definite plus about our relationship was that we knew each other so long that honesty was never a problem. We could be honest with each other, even if it was painful, and we'd still be friends. “Okay, what's wrong with me?”

  “Absolutely nothing.”

  I was surprised, to say the least.

  She continued.

  “Alex, you've got faults, like we all do. You're a little more down on yourself than you should be. Sometimes you can be a little too quiet. Not as bad as when we were little, but it's there sometimes. But don't change. Ever. Forget those stupid bitches. You're awesome just like you are. That's why you're my best friend.”

  I let her words sink in. Right then I knew I would get over Julie. I could get through anything, because of friends like Cindy.

  “Thanks, Cindy.”

  We turned our attention back to the movie.

  “I never thought my best friend would be a goofy white dude.”

  I threw a couch-pillow at her.

  *****

  Monday came around, and the weekly grind started once again. Nothing exciting ever happened during the week. I woke up, went to work, then came home. I didn't see Cindy too much during the week because of her working late with her father. Alicia did stop by twice. We had dinner together. She filled me in on the normal topics. Guys she was interested in, classes she had trouble with.

  I felt bad for her. At least when I was growing up at the house, she had me for company, since Mom wasn't home much. Now with me gone, it was just her. Although I had a suspicion she had more people over the house than she let on.

  It felt like forever for Friday to come around. It would be my first official weekend without Julie. Surprisingly, I was okay with it. Single life had its perks too. On Friday, when I got home, I kicked my shoes off and threw a quick dinner in the microwave. I could do whatever I wanted. I never had to see her parents again, and I'm sure they were grateful they never had to see me either.

  At around seven the front door to my apartment opened up. Cindy poked her head in, still wearing her cute dress from working at her father's firm.

  “Hey Alex? You're not naked in here, are you?”

  “Nah.”

  “Oh, damn,” she joked. “Everyone's coming over my place tonight. You coming over?”

  I knew everyone consisted of our usual friends. At least minus Alicia, as Friday was her night she usually hung out with her school friends.

  “Yeah. What time?”

  “About an hour. I gotta take a shower.”

  “Good. You smell.”

  “You're so damn funny.”

  She closed the door.

  I did a quick workout before deciding I'd be first at Cindy's place for a change. I got dressed and walked the three feet separating our front doors. I was greeted by music playing in the living room. I could hear her shower at the end of the hall.

  “Hey Cindy!” I called. “I'm in here.”

  I stole a soda from her fridge. I walked around her apartment, studying her decorating skills. She had pictures everywhere. Most were of her, Alicia, and myself. She also had pictures of her parents and her grandma. I hadn't seen her grandma in a few months. I smiled as I looked at the picture taken just last year of Cindy, Grandma, and me. We were posing in front of a roller coaster at the Kings Dominion amusement park. Cindy was giving me bunny ears as I flexed an arm in front of her. Grandma was playfully pulling on Cindy's arm, as if wanting to go back on the roller coaster. That was a fun time.

  “Alex!”

  I jumped. The voice was five feet away. I looked up to see Cindy, completely naked. Her body had a sexy sheen from the shower water. My mind barely had a second to process what I was seeing before I closed my eyes and threw an arm over my face.

  “Jesus, Cindy!”

  “What the fuck, Alex,” she said. I heard her storming down the hallway. “Why didn't you say you were here?”

  “I did! I screamed at the top of my lungs! I said, 'Cindy, I'm in your apartment. Please do not come out of the bathroom without any clothes on.'”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Seriously, Cindy. I yelled out when I first came in.”

  She was talking from her bedroom now.

  “Well, I didn't hear you.”

  “I did, I swear. I've seen enough naked women in my lif
etime. No need to add you to the list.”

  She was quiet for a moment. I was trying to figure out if she really was mad at me. Hell, I'd done worse by accident over the years, like the time I ran over her foot with her car.

  She stepped out of her bedroom, dressed this time. Shorts and a tee-shirt. She walked by without even looking at me.

  Yikes.

  Before I could defend myself there was a knock at the door.

  “Come in.”

  It was Dave. Tina was a step behind.

  “Hey guys,” he said. He saw the scowl on Cindy's face. “Uh, we interrupting something?”

  “No,” she said, then motioned for them to come in.

  Dave looked at me. “Dude, why the hell didn't you say Julie broke up with you last weekend? Man, I feel like an ass now.”

  I waved him off. “Don't worry about it. I'm good now.”

  Tina pointed at me. “Her mistake, Alex.”

  “Thanks, Tina.”

  Jenny showed up not too long after they did. Dave and Jenny fought over what to watch on TV. Everyone just talked about their work week, what was happening in their lives. Cindy barely looked at me. I decided to steer clear of her for a while.

  We had our share of fights over the years, like all friends do. Some were dumb, and some not so dumb. She didn't agree with me dating Marie, a bartender I met while we were out one night. Turned out she was right about that one. I gave her a hard time when she lent her last boyfriend Roy three hundred bucks to “fix his car”. Turns out I was wrong. He paid her back. But I still insist he was on drugs.

  Now apparently we were fighting because I saw her naked for half a second.

  Everyone was vegging out. They raided her fridge a little and were fighting about what movie to watch when Dave had an idea that would change my life.

  “Hey, you guys want to get out of here? I know this great place we could hang out at.”

  “Where?” Jenny asked.

  “It's a cabin in the woods. Awesome place. Right by a lake. I left a grill there from when I was there last time. We could cook some food. No one ever goes there.”

  Jenny shrugged. “I'm up for it.”

  Everyone looked at Cindy. “Sure.”

  My turn. I saw this as a chance to go home, get away from Cindy's evil stare. But when I looked at her the evil look was gone. She looked better, although she still wasn't smiling.

  “I'll tag along.”

  “Sweet,” Dave jumped up. “We brought Tina's truck. We'll take that. Give Alex a night off from driving. I'll buy food and gas.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  It was a little cramped in the back of Tina's truck, but it wasn't too bad. Tina sat in front with Dave, of course. I tried to avoid sitting next to Cindy, but Jenny didn't want to sit next to the window. So, stuck I was. Nothing like being forced to rub shoulders with someone you know is mad at you.

  Dave stopped at the grocery store. He and Tina ran inside while Jenny got out to make a call on her cell phone. I got out just to stretch my legs, and to get away from Cindy. To my surprise, she got out with me.

  We avoided eye contact for a moment, then looked at each other. She gave me a half-hearted smile, a sign she had cooled off a little.

  “Are we cool, Cindy?” I finally asked.

  “Yeah, we're cool.”

  Some more silence. There was still some discomfort there.

  “I don't know what you're thinking, but I swear that was an accident. Come on, you know me. I don't do crap like that on purpose.”

  “You don't have a clue why I'm mad, do you?”

  I was quiet. Well, I thought I knew, anyway.

  “Uh, maybe because I saw you with no clothes on?”

  “No. You saw me with no clothes on, and you looked away like I was the ugliest thing you ever saw. You actually covered your eyes, like I was blinding you or something.”

  I can only imagine the look on my face. Probably a mix of plain dumb confusion and surprise.

  “Huh?”

  “Do you think I'm pretty, Alex?”

  I was a little annoyed, simply because I had no idea of what was going on.

  “Is this a joke? What are you talking about?”

  “It's a simple question, with a yes or no answer. Do you think I'm attractive?”

  The simple question with a yes or no answer made me uncomfortable enough to stall for time. I caught Jenny sneaking a peek at us, but she quickly looked away and kept on with her phone call.

  “Cindy, what the hell does it matter what I think? There's a thousand guys out there who think you're attractive.”

  “I'm not asking a thousand guys. I'm asking you. And you just gave me an answer, I guess.”

  “No, I didn't. Don't put words in my mouth.”

  She threw her hands in the air. “Why does this have to be so damn hard? It's a simple question.”

  It was a simple question. But it was wrong somehow to tell your best friend that she was the most beautiful woman you'd ever seen. I stole looks at her all the time, but that was always followed by guilt. You aren't supposed to be attracted to your best friend.

  “You're gorgeous. Come on Cindy, what's this about? You even know you're gorgeous. You don't need me to tell you.”

  She took a deep breath and smiled. “Then why did you cover your eyes back at the apartment?”

  I barely held in my frustration. Women are weird.

  “Did you want me to stand there and stare like a pervert? I'm not gonna stare at a naked woman with my mouth hanging open.”

  I saw Dave and Tina walking across the parking lot with a bag of groceries. It was time to get moving.

  Cindy surprised me with a tight hug. Then she climbed back in the truck. I shook my head. I still didn't know what the hell just happened, but whatever it was, I was glad it was behind us.

  “Christ. Next time I'll stand there like a deer in headlights. That'll make everyone happy.”

  It didn't take us too long to get to where Dave had in mind. He took a turn off the highway down a dirt road through some trees. It was a little creepy considering the only light came from the moon. But after about five minutes of driving he slowed down.

  It was a hell of a scene. It was just like he described. The moonlight threw wicked shadows across the worn-down cabin. Right behind the cabin was a pier leading to a huge lake. The moonlight shimmered off the surface of the water. The sounds of nature were all around us. It was freaky. Ten minutes ago we were on the highway. Now that all seemed so far away.

  “Wow,” Jenny said.

  “Yeah, I know,” Dave said. “Awesome. Alex, give me a hand?”

  I helped him unload groceries. He turned the radio on. The women walked around a little, just exploring. Apparently the cabin was completely empty except for an old wood stove. I would have brought some wood if I knew that was the case. Nothing beats the smell of an old wood stove.

  Dave fired up a lantern he kept in the truck and started cooking some burgers on the grill he left there. It felt like a mini camp-out. Dave certainly found a gem when it came to fun and relaxing spots to hang out. It was exactly what he promised.

  Dave and I sat in the back of the truck while the women danced to the music. They laughed and carried on, bragging about who the better dancer was. Dave took a bite of a burger and leaned closer to me.

  “We gotta get more light on them.”

  I smiled. Dave's subtle way of suggesting Tina, Jenny, and Cindy dancing was entertainment all by itself. I couldn't argue with him there.

  I always thought it was funny how women could dance together, and no one blinked an eye. But look out if two guys were caught dancing together.

  Dave leaned over again. “Is it just me, or is Tina hot?”

  I actually think Cindy's got her beat. Of course I'm not gonna tell Dave that.

  “Watch me start some trouble. Hey, Jenny!”

  She didn't stop dancing. She cast Dave a look. “What?”

  “Stop staring at
me. I caught you staring.”

  “Uh, no,” she said with a smile.

  “Don't try to hide it. You want some of the Dave.”

  His own girlfriend was the first to laugh.

  “Please. You think everyone wants a piece of the Dave.”

  “Well, they do, don't they?”

  Tina stopped dancing. “Ha. A tiny piece was enough for me. I think I'm ready to move on. Jenny, you can have him if you want.”

  Jenny stopped dancing too and pretended to study Dave. “Eh, no thanks. He probably couldn't handle me. Besides, I don't date white guys. I only hang out with you guys cause I'm bored.”

  “Hey now,” Cindy said. She grabbed a soda and leaned against the truck next to me. “What's wrong with white guys?”

  “Nothing. It's just they're so...white.”

  I laughed at that. Jenny didn't joke much, which made her jokes more funny.

  Cindy pointed at Dave. “Survey time. Would you date a black woman?”

  “I'd like to. But Tina won't let me.”

  Cindy looked at Tina, but dismissed her with a wave. “We already know you'll date anyone, as shown by exhibit A.” She pointed at Dave.

  “Damn, that's harsh,” he said.

  “Alex, would you date a black woman?”

  “I'll date anyone that looks at me twice without turning away.”

  Tina laughed at that one. Dave just nodded approval.

  “Nah, I'm serious. Would you go out with a black woman?”

  The answer was yes. This is the twenty-first century. If a woman was attractive, funny, and intelligent, it didn't matter what the color of her skin was. But I thought I'd play with Cindy some more.

  “Depends on who it is. Hell, what does she look like? Beyonce? Gabrielle Union?”

  Cindy shrugged. “I don't know. Like me. Would you date a black woman who looked like me?”

  I heard Dave cough a little next to me. It was guy code, but I couldn't understand it. I hung out with Cindy and Alicia too much.

  “Well, yeah, I would.”

  “What about you?” Jenny asked. “Would you date a white guy?”

  “I have before. Race doesn't matter to me.”

  “Ah ha. You say that, but you're single now, aren't you? White guys are the devil.”