Crazy for You

by Claire Applewhite

  “What do you mean, Eugene?” The trap awaited.

  “I mean, today is June’s homecoming. She’s made it through another coma. What a relief, right?” said Dr. Hart. Talk to me, Giles. But, Giles was not a stupid man. Dr. Hart sensed his defensive façade. The two men locked eyes for a second or two before Giles finally spoke.

  “What else? Of course it’s a relief. Why, I wouldn’t know what to do without June. The question is Eugene, how much longer can the little Junebug go on like this?”

  There is the answer. Bingo. Keep him talking. “I’m not sure what you mean.” He tapped his pen on the chart, and waited. Giles selected his words carefully, he sensed that.

  “I mean, what do you think? What is your medical opinion? Two weeks? Three months or six?”

  Dr. Hart shook his round head. “It’s impossible to say. Really impossible. June’s a tough lady, we both know that. These things, these spells she has, they can go on for years, and why not? Between the two of us, she has the best medical care money can buy. Right, old boy? Giles? Is something wrong?” As if Dr. Hart needed to ask. He knew what the downcast expression on Giles’s face meant. He’d said what Giles didn’t want to hear, but therein lay the dilemma.

  Dr. Hart had just heard the same thing.

  “You know, Bunny,” Dan said, while he stared at the white plastic sunglasses perched on Bunny’s cute nose, “you really don’t need those in here. There’s no sunlight in my office.”

  “Don’t tell me what I need. What I need is a car. Where exactly did you park Mommy’s car?”

  “Forget that. How did you get over here?”

  “Penny and Candy stopped by Mommy’s room on their way over to play tennis at the club. They gave me a ride over here. And you know what they said? They said they saw you the other night. Is that right, Danny?”

  Uh-oh. A wave of chills rippled through his body. What was he going to say?

  “Danny? Did you hear me?”

  “Are they sure it was me?”

  Bunny’s forehead crinkled in confusion. “Well, they seemed like it. The only thing was, they said you were with a lady with dark skin, and…we don’t know anybody like that, do we Danny? Everybody we know has white skin, just like us.” She snapped her fingers. “So you know what? They must be wrong.” She giggled. “You know, I was kind of mad at you when I walked in, but I’m not anymore. How could I think that you would want anybody but someone just like me? I mean, ohmyGod, we have just the perfect life. Except, we still need a baby. Why don’t we go have lunch and take a walk in the park? Danny, what’s wrong?”

  “There was something wrong with your mother’s car and I had to leave it at the garage so they could fix it. I’m sorry I had to use your car to come in to the office today. I was afraid you’d be angry.”

  Bunny threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him. “Nothing you could do would make me angry. Let’s go home, okay? I haven’t even eaten my Lucky Charms today. Do you mind bringing the car to the front door?” she said with a giggle.

  Dan grabbed the keys from Giles’ top desk drawer. No, he didn’t mind doing anything Bunny asked.

  Not as long as he could see Leila for the rest of his life.

  The rain drenched the sidewalk, while Bunny waited by the Dingwerth Distinctive Designs for Danny to pull up beside the curb. Something felt wrong between them, she was sure of it. For one thing, she hadn’t seen The Smile for, let’s see—she tried counting on her pink frosted fingernails, but lost track—well, it was just a very long time. He must be worried about Mommy, and on top of everything else, his car was in the shop. That was it! Here he comes now.

  Bunny tried to cover her head with her pink clutch purse, but her golden blond hair was drenched by the torrents. Good thing she had her sunglasses to cover her eyes. She hated it when her mascara ran. What was that funny smell in her car? She crinkled her cute nose. It almost smelled like perfume. But Danny didn’t wear perfume, and neither did she.

  “Danny, what—”

  “Did I ever tell you how gorgeous you are when you’re wet?”

  Well, no he hadn’t. But still…

  “Listen, I’m going to go by to pick up your mother’s car now. That way, you can just drive your car home.”

  Okay, thought Bunny. That sounded good, except… “Danny, how do you know Mommy’s car will be fixed? I thought something was wrong with it.”

  “Hmmm? Oh something was, but it’s in tip-top shape now.”

  “Why can’t we drive home together?”

  “I thought you said you were hungry. Aren’t you hungry? I want to talk to Luther for awhile, okay? He’s the guy that runs the garage. Wouldn’t a nice bowl of Lucky Charms taste good about now?”

  It would. It sooo would. “Well, when will you be home?”

  “Hmmm? Oh, an hour or two. Just go ahead and eat without me. I’ll drive your mother’s car to your parents’ house and walk home.”

  “But, I can pick you up.”

  Why didn’t Danny want to be with her?

  “The walk will do me good. Look, here we are. There’s Luther now.”

  “But Danny,” Bunny said, squinting through the dark lenses of her sunglasses, “he’s…is he black?”

  “Yes, he is.”

  Bunny watched Luther approach the car with a bottle of root beer in his hand. What was Danny thinking, leaving Mommy’s car with a black man? And why would he want to talk to him? One thing she knew for certain. She wasn’t going to stick around in the pouring rain while Danny schmoozed with a black man. Well, he needed to get Mommy’s car for now. Later, she would talk to Danny about who he would talk to. She watched her husband cross the side street. He stopped beside a tiny booth and a short, stooped black man with grizzled hair emerged. Dan turned to wave at her and then, he was gone.

  Bunny drove down the street toward a busy intersection, headed for home. The rain began to wane, and she took comfort in the sight of the familiar shops and boutiques that lined the streets. Bunny liked shopping. She would have stopped if she were dressed in a cuter outfit.

  Of course, she still needed to eat a bowl of Lucky Charms. And, she had a hair appointment with Brock Edwards in an hour, for a cut and color. Everybody said he was just the best stylist, even Penny, and that was saying a lot. She might have barely enough time to dash in and eat, and maybe change her clothes, she just didn’t know. She had so much to do! It just didn’t leave a girl much time to think about really serious things.

  Serious things, like what her husband might be doing right about now.

  Dan watched his wife’s car disappear in the distance and sighed. It was a sigh of relief. Now, he would be free to spend a little time with Leila. He’d felt badly that he’d had to drop her off in such a tearing hurry this morning, after the torrid night they’d spent together.

  “Hey man, I was wondering what happened to you.” He turned to see Luther grinning at him. “None of my business now, but who’s the pretty lady with the blond hair?”

  Should he tell him? Why not? “My wife,” Dan simply said.

  “She’s a pretty lady, man. Very nice. Why’d she drop you off?”

  “Full of questions today, aren’t you? Listen, things okay with that car I left with you the other day?”

  “Sure.”

  Luther sucked a long swig from the amber bottle. Dan thought he saw a flicker of confusion in his dark eyes.

  “Mind if I keep it here another hour or so? I’ve got a little business to do over at the Hotel Charlotte, and then, I’ll pick it up when I’m finished. You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Mind? Naw.”

  A tense silence lapsed.

  “Good. I’ll be going then.” Dan glanced up at the sky. “Looks like things are finally clearing up. The storm is over.”

  Luther strode off into the distance. “Maybe,” was all he said.

  Dan shrugged and strolled towards the Hotel Charlotte. He knew Luther saw him. He made another mistake.

  He didn’t won
der why.

  Fourteen

  Leila soaked in a warm bubble bath. Her long, dark hair hung in a loose knot at the nape of her swan-like neck. Salsa music played softly from her tape player, and still, she felt tense—tense and furious. Why? Why? Because Daniel had tossed her, yes, tossed her out by the curb this morning like, yes, a sack of potatoes, or a—a head of cabbage.

  Who did he think he had here? She could have anyone she wanted—indeed, she always had. She didn’t have to put up with him. She splashed her face with warm, soapy water and tasted the salty tears that dribbled down her high cheekbones. The tears fueled her anger. Daniel wasn’t worth them.

  She hardly knew him, and yet, he made her feel like no other man ever had. She had had flings with other married men, and she was, after all, a married woman. This one was different from the rest. This one made her want to leave Carlos. This one she wanted to keep for herself.

  But, it made no sense, no sense at all. He was younger, and less sophisticated than her, with much less money than Giles could offer, but when he smiled—oh! She leaned back and closed her eyes, relishing the thought… Was someone knocking on the door?

  There it was again. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Well, she needed to get dressed anyway. She stepped out of the foamy water and onto the fluffy white rug.

  “Leila!” she heard a voice in a half-whisper. “It,’s Dan, hot stuff. Open up.”

  Daniel? The nerve he had. She wouldn’t see him. She would come to the door, but she wouldn’t see him. She wrapped an oversized white towel, monogrammed with a large “C” in navy thread for “Charlotte,” and tiptoed across the plush carpet. “What do you want?” Hurt and rage spiked her voice, and most of all, dammit, she wanted an apology. No, she told herself, she never wanted to see him again. No, she wanted an apology. No, she—

  “Leila, I’m so sorry,” Dan said in a muffled whisper. “Please, open the door.”

  She stood there, dripping rivulets onto the carpet that she thought she had missed in her hasty trip from the tub. She tasted the salt in the tiny droplets that dribbled on her cheeks—they were tears. Tears! She hadn’t cried like this since, since…. The doorknob jiggled in insistence.

  “Leila, please.”

  She couldn’t open the door. She just couldn’t. She stood and wept until the knob ceased to move. What if he left forever? What if she never saw Daniel Hunter again? Could she live with that? She wiped her tears with the edge of the towel. Yes, yes of course she could.

  Yes.

  No! She grabbed the knob and twisted. The door cracked. Leila was staring into a dim, empty hallway. Her heart plummeted like a leaden stone. Dan was gone. She craned her neck around the doorway, searching, searching…there he was.

  “Daniel!”

  Again, she began to sob. Now, her tears flowed like a gushing brook, her soul tasting the bitter wine of desire denied. She saw Dan running back to her, keys and coins jangling in his pockets, his face flushed with passion. Why was this moment so painful? Love was grand, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it?

  Her pledge forgotten, she flung the door open wide. Dan rushed in, grabbing her body with both firm hands, the towel tumbling to the floor in abandon. His hands, mi corazon! Her heart desired him, with a driving, fiery passion that consumed her being. It didn’t matter what else happened now or later.

  Breathe—she must remember to breathe. She had gone someplace where time didn’t exist; she was on a high that wouldn’t end. Light, heat, wind, fire, all at once, she felt them. The minutes became half hours, then hours. She couldn’t have said what happened if someone had asked her to recount the details. Indeed, when Dan woke her, she knew only contentment.

  For the first time in her life, she felt “in love.” Before Dan, before this moment, she’d never known such a feeling. But now, Dan would be the love of her life. Carlos would understand. She was sure of that, too. There was just one very big problem, of which she was also very sure—The Bunny. From what Dan had told her about his wife, Leila knew the Bunny would never understand. What, she asked Dan, were they going to do about his wife?

  Dan lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. His demeanor was calm and his breathing was regular, which only made his declaration that much more outrageous. His expression barely changed, his eyes barely blinked when he spoke.

  He answered as if he were planning a picnic in the park, or a visit to the zoo. Just a lighthearted way to spend an afternoon, eh? “We’re going to kill her.”

  Leila sat up in bed and twisted her lush body toward him. Her skin felt clammy, and her stomach was queasy. What, she said without blinking, did he just say?

  “Daniel, are you suggesting we murder The Bunny?” She couldn’t believe his attitude. Was it arrogance? No, she didn’t think so. She would call it confidence.

  “I said,” he said, taking her hands in his own, “we’re going to kill her. It’s the only way out. I’ve thought of everything, believe me, and if we want to be together, we have no other choice.”

  “I don’t understand. Why not a divorce?”

  “I would lose everything I’ve worked for.”

  “But, you will anyway.”

  For a split second, he fell silent, silent and pensive. He rallied without hesitation. “Not if we don’t get caught.”

  “We?”

  “Okay, I. Or whoever does it. I’ve got a few people in mind.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You don’t need to. I’ll take care of it. Just promise me one thing.”

  “Which is?”

  “When this is over and Bunny is gone, we’ll be together. Leila, promise me. I’ve never done anything this crazy in my life.”

  “Okay, we’ll be together, but, I still don’t understand. When will it be over? Tonight? Tomorrow? Daniel, why won’t you look at me?”

  “I can’t tell you the details, that’s why. No one must know, except me and—”

  “Who?”

  “Never mind. What are you going to do about Giles?”

  “What about him? It’s over, Daniel. I haven’t told him exactly, but it is. I will miss his money, of course, yes, really miss it, but…”

  Brrr-ing. The phone always seemed to know when not to ring—and rang.

  Leila shivered. Suddenly, she felt very cold. “Hello,” she said, staring at Dan. The steely determination on his face had replaced the flush of passion. Should she be flattered?

  “Leila,” said the voice on the other end, “it’s Giles, darling. I’m down in the lobby and I thought I’d come up for a little visit, eh?”

  “But I thought your wife was coming home from the hospital today.”

  “Oh, she is. And soon. That’s why I don’t have much time. I’m just so glad to find you in the room. Leila, is something wrong?”

  “No, no. I’m just not ready for you, that’s all.”

  “Don’t worry about that. Besides, I have a little present for you.”

  Oooh. Leila loved presents, even if it was from Giles, and even if they were breaking up. After all, it was for her, wasn’t it? She gestured to Daniel. “Okay Giles, you can come up now, but give me a few minutes, okay?”

  Daniel shook his head, even as he proceeded to button his striped oxford shirt, pull on his khaki trousers, and slip on his trendy new loafers.

  “Okay darling, bye,” said Leila, replacing the receiver.

  “Why did you tell him to come up here?” Dan’s jaw looked taut with tension.

  “Because I need to talk to him in person, remember? He is The Bunny’s daddy, is he not?” Leila thought Dan looked a little paler than usual.

  “Yes,” he said, “I guess he is.”

  She felt his arms around her and again, she shivered. Again, she felt very cold, perhaps because his words chilled her in her bones.

  “Leila, let me worry about Giles, about Bunny, about us, okay? You don’t want to know anything more than I love you like I’ve never loved anyone before now, and I want to be with you always. It won’t be lo
ng darling, and we’ll be together forever.”

  The crisp, hard knock on the door shattered the moment. “Leila darling, it’s me.” The doorknob jiggled insistently. Leila felt frozen with panic, then fear.

  “Let me get it” Dan said. A brooding anger clouded his handsome face.

  “No, Daniel, are you crazy? You don’t need to confront Giles. Get in the bathroom and shut the door. I’ll talk to him and then, it will really be over.”

  For a second, she could tell, Daniel weighed the options. Finally, he dragged his feet into the bathroom and shut the door.

  Giles pounded on another one. “Leila, for God’s sake, open up! I don’t care if you’re ready or not.”

  Leila threw a red satin robe around her thin body and scurried to the door. Even she wondered, was she ready—or not? She put a smile on her model’s face and opened the door.

  Bunny noticed it the moment she opened her front door. It was that same spicy, pungent smell, the same one that still lingered in her car. Wasn’t it? She thought it reminded her of cinnamon, maybe cloves, some spice that started with a C. Kind of like Dingwerth Distinctive Designs started with a D, she mused, something like that. She flipped on the light in the foyer and climbed the steps to the master bedroom.

  Something was very wrong between Danny and her, she was now sure of that. She would have dearly loved to think that that Gobble Gobble reporter, or whatever her name was, was the entire cause of the strife, but, even as she hopped into the steaming shower and lathered her fluffy hair, she had a weight on her shoulders she couldn’t explain. She reached for the bar of pink soap and instantly quit. Wait, what was that noise. It was the sound of something dropping, or was it? Was someone downstairs?

  She checked the time on her watch: one thirty. If she really rushed, she would have just enough time to throw on one of her cute outfits and get to Brock’s salon by two. She perked up her pink ears. Wait, there it was again. What was that sound? It sounded like scraping, metal against wood. Should she go downstairs?

  Well silly, she chided herself, she had to go downstairs, because she had to go to Beauty by Brock. It had taken her two months to get this appointment and she wasn’t about to cancel it just because she heard a scary noise. It was probably the furnace anyway, or something like that. Really, she couldn’t stop to check it out at a time like this.