Running Northwest

by Michael Melville

  Tracie had finished her shower and walked out into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her. She picked up the hooded sweat shirt Thomas had given her to wear. She unfolded it slowly and slipped it over her head and pulled it down. She looked towards the door and stared at it. She hadn’t bothered to lock it, and a small part of her was hoping Thomas would come into the room. But she knew better than that, he wasn’t that kind of man. She let the towel fall to the ground and put on the hooded sweatshirt then sat on the bed. She ran her hands through her wet hair and pulled the blankets down so she could crawl under them. Suddenly, for some reason she began feeling very bold and she got up and walked to the door. As quietly as she could she opened it and tip toed down the hall way and towards the living room. She knew what she wanted to do, but she was nervous and unsure. She stood around the corner hesitating as she watched Thomas on the couch, the moonlight shining down on him making him glow almost. His dog Layla was curled up on the ground not far away, looking directly at her. She felt self-conscious and started to second guess herself. But by control of some inner force she slowly moved closer to him and eventually stood near his feet motionless.

  Thomas faintly heard his dog Layla make a noise causing him to wake up a little. He opened his eyes slightly and was surprised to see Tracie standing at the end of the hallway looking at him. She was wearing the hooded sweatshirt he had given her to sleep in. He thought to himself how sexy she looked in it. He watched as she slowly and quietly walked up to the couch “what was she doing he wondered” to himself. He felt a surge of nervousness go through his body, his heart beating faster with every step she made.

  He kept his eyes barely open, not sure what else if anything to do, or what he was supposed to do for that matter.

  As Tracie stood near Thomas’ feet she thought she saw his eyes move, a nervous panic went through her body. Her heart was beating as fast as it was on the beach earlier and she froze, “what the hell am I doing?” she thought to herself.

  Thomas noticed that she seemed nervous about whatever she was doing and feigned waking up. He pretended to be surprised by her standing there so she didn’t feel so awkward.

  “Hey Darlin,” Thomas said as he wiped his eyes and sitting up slightly pretending to have just woken up.

  Tracie laughed nervously and said, “Hey,” in reply as she played with her hair – a nervous habit of hers.

  “Umm, did you need something, is there anything I can get for you?” he asked her.

  All she could do was look down at this handsome man that she was seeing in a whole new way. Tracie wasn’t sure what to do, let alone what to say to him; she just looked at him, trying to get ahold of herself and say something – anything –remotely coherent.

  Thomas laid there smiling as he looked up at this beautiful nervous woman standing next to him. “She made it out this far” he thought as he realized what she was doing out here. It was the same thought that had been going through Thomas mind for nearly the last hour. He reached out and took her hand and pulled her gently down towards him.

  Tracie let herself be guided gently down on to Thomas, his other hand now on her waist. She reached up and brushed his stubbly face with her fingers and looked into his eyes. Again, as they did earlier on the beach their lips slowly met. This time the nervousness and fear was replaced with raw passion and wanting as their mouths met. Their lips met again and again, their hands slowly moving over each other’s bodies. Their kissing only lasted a few moments but for both of them felt like much longer. In their minds it could have lasted for days and they would not have cared.

  Tracie slowly pulled her head up and looked down at Thomas looking back at her. His fingertips gently brushed the side of her thigh as she traced invisible lines on his face with her own fingers. They smiled at each other and laughed like a pair of stupid teenagers.

  “So, beautiful, is that what you needed?” he asked as his hand went slowly up her thigh, then her side, finally touching her jawline lightly and running his fingers through her hair.

  His touch caused her to close her eyes and tilt her head; she loved the way his hands felt on her skin. Her eyes grew thin and she began to bite her bottom lip slightly.

  “Yeah, I think so,” she said quietly looking at his face and adding, “I should probably go get some sleep now.”

  “I’m glad you did, Doll,” he replied adding, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Tracie smiled and slowly kissed him one last time, then stood up and headed towards the hallway. She turned around and looked at Thomas who was watching her walk away.

  She said, “Goodnight Tommy,” one last time.

  “I’ll see you in the morning, gorgeous,” he said with a huge grin on his face.

  A little while later Tracie was curled up in Thomas bed, covered with his blankets. She could smell his cologne on the pillows and she loved it. Again thoughts were running rampant through her mind. But this time they were feelings of excitement and contentment, not fear or nervousness. Eventually she drifted off to sleep, a small smile on her face.

  Nine

  Stephanie had been home for over two hours now. Her emotions and thoughts were running wild. They were starting to get the best of her and she knew it. Karen was there waiting for her when she got home with the promised wine and Chinese food along with everything she managed to find out about Thomas and his life in Oregon. The Chinese food was scattered in their typical white boxes all over the coffee table in front of Stephanie’s couch, an empty bottle of wine near the corner of it. Scattered in between all of that were newspaper clippings, pictures, notes and other papers. All of which came from the file Karen had brought. Stephanie and Karen sat facing each other on opposite ends of the couch, more papers and pictures in between them.

  Since she had gotten home, she had been on an emotional rollercoaster with everything she had learned from the info Karen had found. She was surprised at how many pictures Karen’s reporter friend in Oregon was able to get. She was equally surprised at the small amount of information he was able to find, there were more pictures than actual real info. What Karen’s friend did find was useful though and she learned a lot but there just was not much here Stephanie thought to herself. But in reality she had no idea what to expect or what she should expect. However, in all reality she was not surprised at the lack of information. Thomas had a remarkable ability to stay hidden if he wanted to. It was something Thomas had managed to do many times over the years for varying reasons.

  Next to Stephanie on the floor sat a well-used box of tissues, she reached for one and wiped her red and teary eyes again. In her hand, she was holding a newspaper article she had just read about a woman Thomas apparently had been in relationship with. Her name was Sarah Bellows and she had died in a serious car accident a few years ago now. She was the mother of the little boy that she had seen in many of the pictures of Thomas she had gotten from Karen. In the article, there was a picture of Thomas and the little boy that was taken at the funeral who looked much younger at the time. Thomas was wearing a black suit and a dark over coat, dark sunglasses covered his eyes. The small boy whose name according the article was Daniel, was in a dark suit also. His face was buried in Thomas’ hip, his small arms wrapped around his waist, he was obviously crying. Thomas’ large hand was on the back of the Daniel head and it appeared as though he was looking down at the boy. Thomas had the same stoic look on his face she had seen many times. But she knew inside he had to have been tore up and devastated.

  “I can’t even imagine what that little boy was feeling that day. He’s so young to lose his mother,” she said, getting a quiet “mmm hmm” in response from Karen.

  Stephanie set that article down slowly and poured the rest of the wine into her glass. She took a sip and picked up another article, this one was about Thomas and their friend Derrick Pazinkski. It was written a little over two months after the boy’s mother had died and made a small smile appear on Stephanie’s face. The two longtime friends had bought a bar
together and in the photo for the article, they were standing in front of a sign with a whale on a motorcycle. Each one was holding a pitcher of beer up in the air and smiling. Stephanie remembered when the two lived in Michigan they had talked about opening a business together. The fact that they had finally done it made her smile, she was very proud of them. She set the article down and thought about everything she had read and learned in the last few hours. She looked over at Karen who was reading some other notes her friend in Oregon had gotten for her.

  “My head hurts Karen,” Stephanie said, continuing as she rubbed her head, “I think we need to call it a night, lady.”

  Karen picked up her cell phone and looked at it to see what time it was. She was surprised when she saw it was already after midnight.

  “Yeah, I think so too, it’s getting late. I should probably get home before my husband thinks you and are having some sort of kinky lesbian fling,” Karen said, laughing as she looked around at the papers and pictures scattered all over.

  Stephanie laughed back and rubbed her face. She had been so caught up in everything she had read and seen that she had not noticed how completely exhausted she was.

  The two women stood up and grabbed the now empty wine bottle, glasses and boxes of half-eaten Chinese food. They walked through a door way and into Stephanie’s kitchen and set everything on the counter. The leftover food eventually would go into the fridge, and most likely end up being Stephanie’s breakfast. Karen leaned against the counter and looked at Stephanie who was putting the wine glasses into her dishwasher.

  “So, Doll, what are you thinking right now?” she asked.

  Stephanie brushed her hand through her long curly hair as she looked at back at Karen and let out a long sigh. “I’m not even sure what I am thinking now Karen, I don’t know what I should be thinking,” she rubbed her face and added, “This life – his life – is so much different than what I thought it would be you know. I was not expecting what we saw at all. He looks so different and seems different…better if that makes sense”

  “I know what you mean, Sweetie. When I saw everything I was surprised and I don’t even know the guy,” Karen said.

  “I wonder if he’s still the same guy that you knew all those years ago,” she added.

  “Are you sure there’s not more Karen? You know…that you’re holding back to keep me from being upset or something? There seems to be things missing. I just have a feeling there’s a lot more we don’t know,” she told her friend.

  “I wish there was Sweetie. I’m sorry; I gave you everything that I got. My friend out there said it was very hard to find anything on Thomas. He had to work from information about Derrick just to get what he did. Apparently he tried asking some questions about Thomas to a few of the locals, but it is a small town and he said they work differently out there. They are very private and look out for their own. As soon as some of the people he asked realized that he didn’t actually know Thomas, they shut right the hell up and he hit a dead end with them. It’s like they had a warning system in place or something,” Karen said, trying to be funny then added, “I wouldn’t be surprised if word has already gotten back to Thomas or your friend Derrick that some guy was poking around town and asking questions about them.”

  “I get that; I grew up in small town, I totally understand how it can be. I wouldn’t be surprised either if both Thomas and Derrick have already heard about your friend asking questions, too. It’s probably better if he doesn’t go back there…like ever!” Stephanie said with a little laugh.

  “Why is that?” Karen asked, confused by the last comment Stephanie had made.

  Stephanie sighed and looked directly into her friends eyes then said, “Because I know Thomas and Derrick and I know how they do things…or at least how they used to do things. If they do know someone was snooping around about them – especially if Thomas knows – then it’s likely that they may already know what your friend looks like, what he drives and maybe even more. If they are anything close to the way they used to be and he shows up there again, they will find out right away and it won’t be a pleasant experience for your friend.”

  “Oh wow, gotcha,” Karen said sounding slightly nervous and worried about her friend now.

  Stephanie could see Karen was concerned now so she smiled, grabbed her worried friend’s hand gently and said, “Just tell your friend thanks for me, that I really appreciate everything and there’s no reason for him to go back.”

  Karen smiled at Stephanie then turned and picked up her coat that was hanging on the back of a chair at her kitchen table and put in on. Then she turned and looked back at Stephanie who was obviously lost in thought again.

  “Are you going to be okay, Honey?” Karen asked.

  “I’ll be okay Karen. There’s just a lot for me to think about,” Stephanie replied.

  The two women turned and walked back towards the front door in Stephanie’s living room.

  “Give me a call on Sunday, all right? It will give you some time to go through this stuff a dozen more times. Maybe all of this will be able to sink in a little bit more. We can go grab a cup of coffee or something. If I hear anything more I’ll let you know, I promise,” Karen said.

  “Yeah, I will. I think I’m going to take a ‘me’ day tomorrow and spend it doing some thinking about all this and what it all means. I’ll give you call Sunday,” Stephanie said.

  “Sounds good Sweetie, I’ll talk to you then” Karen said reaching for the doorknob.

  “Hey Karen?” Stephanie said as she grabbed her friend’s hand to get her attention, “Thank you so much for this, all of this, but mostly just for being there for me. You’re a great friend,” she added as she put her arms around Karen and gave her hug.

  “Anytime, Steph, anytime. Just get some sleep, okay?” Karen said with a smile.

  “I will, I promise. I might take a bath first to relax but then I’m going to bed,” she replied, let go of her friend’s hand, smiled and opened up the door to let her out.

  “Be careful driving Karen,” Stephanie said as her friend walked out the door.

  Karen just waved in silent reply. Stephanie shut the door behind her and locked it. She looked down at her dog Shadow who had come out of the bedroom where she had been sleeping and wanted attention.

  “Hey, baby girl,” Stephanie said.

  As she bent down and rubbed her big dog’s face and ears, Shadow began beating her tail against the floor and licking Stephanie’s face.

  “Let’s go to bed, okay baby?” Stephanie said as she stood and began walking through her home, shutting off some of the lights as she went.

  A few minutes later Stephanie was in the shower, letting the steam and hot water engulf her body. The heat was helping her mind relax slightly. Shadow was lying on the bathroom floor outside the shower, waiting to go to bed. Stephanie’s mind was reeling from the evening and her long day. All she wanted was go to bed and start tomorrow fresh and rested.

  About half an hour later, Stephanie and her dog Shadow were curled up beneath the blankets of her large bed. Whether it was the stress of the day or the wine she did not know, but as soon as her head hit the pillow her eyes slowly begin to close. She briefly wondered what dreams would come too her in her sleep. Stephanie drifted quickly off to sleep, the picture of her and Thomas sitting on the nightstand beside her.

  . . .

  Thousands of miles and three times zones away on the Oregon Coast, Thomas James woke up as a shiver went through his body. He opened his eyes and looked over at the open and drooling mouth of his dog Layla that was a mere inches away from his own face. He reached up with one hand and wiped off a large amount of dog slobber that was on his cheek.

  “Layla, Darlin, I really wish you wouldn’t do that when I’m sleeping,” he said to the dog who cocked her head, her tail tapping like a hammer on the wood floor.

  “You’re quite proud of yourself for waking Dad up, huh?” he continued as he lightly rubbed her ear.

  He sat
up, stretched his arms out and arched his back. The couch was playing hell on his body, but he wasn’t really concerned because it was after all only one night. He was glad Tracie was sleeping comfortably in his bed, or he hoped she was at least. He reached over and grabbed his cell phone and looked at the time, it was a little after 3:30 am. He stood up scratched his head and looked down at the big dog that was still wagging her tail as she sat on the floor.

  “You have to go outside, don’t you?” he asked the dog who raised an eyebrow in response.

  “Okay, let’s go girl,” Thomas groaned as he patted Layla's head.

  He headed towards the slider in the living room, grabbing a hooded sweatshirt off the chair and putting it on as he walked. As Thomas opened the slider a gust of wind hit him in the face, it was cooler than what he was expecting it to be. He could hear the ocean surf crashing harder than it was earlier also. He wondered if an unexpected storm was coming in as he felt Layla push her large body past him and run out into the sand and night. As he stood in the cool night air he glanced over at the other slider on the opposite end of the deck that led into his bedroom. He briefly wondered if it was open and if Tracie was cold, and whether or not he should check. He quickly decided against the idea; he didn’t want her to think he was watching her while she slept or risk scaring her. He slowly walked barefoot out onto the cold sand, his mind getting lost as he looked out at the expanse of dark ocean in front of him while he waited for his dog Layla to finish up.