by TC Rybicki
I snuggled under the sheets to listen. We were facetiming. Dane bought another poetry book. This one wasn’t rare or valuable, but it meant so much to me. He was on a business trip but thought of me long enough to get another book we could read together. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I probably had all these poems in various other books I owned or saved in files on my laptop. He bought the book specifically for our nightly readings and even though he couldn’t be here with me tonight, we were still reading.
Dane started with a Frost poem because he said at least he remembered something about Robert Frost from school. He chose My November Guest. I knew it by heart but hearing in Dane’s voice made it brand new. My mind was mush when he spoke the final stanza.
“That was nice. I’m sure you’ve heard it a thousand times since I saw your lips moving. Pretty sure I never have.”
“Maybe a time or two. You read poetry so nice, Dane. Maybe you should try to write something.”
“Ha-ha. I doubt it unless you want to hear a dirty limerick.”
I giggled with my mouth covered. I was glad he wasn’t here for a change. I would’ve embarrassed myself more than I already had around him.
“I should let you go. You said you were tired.”
“Yeah, I am, but you could read a couple more. Pick short ones.”
An hour later, Dane’s voice sounded strained. He’d read to me almost a solid hour. “Okay, you can stop. I doubt there’s any poems left.”
“No, no. There’s more. It has over two hundred. This was nice. I feel smarter even though I don’t always know what the poet means.”
“Me too. You sure you’re coming back tomorrow?”
“Definitely. You miss me that much?”
“No. I saw you yesterday. No reason to miss you this soon,” but I did. “I really should sleep. My arms and shoulders hurt so bad from work, but I can’t say anything because I keep pretending I’m the best for Gram.”
“You should soak in my hot tub.”
“Well, you’re gone.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow. You could go over after work even if I’m not back yet.”
“Are you serious?”
Dane told me his code to get into the gate and how to get into the pool house for towels. He gave me all the instructions to run his hot tub. I said I would think about it. All he asked was that I tell him if I drove over, so he’d know I was there.
“Oh, like I know when you’ll be waiting in my bed?”
“Yeah, something like that. Sweet dreams, sweet Sydney.”
“Goodnight, Dane.”
I clutched my cell to my chest. Grant sent me a dirty picture and Dane bought me a book of poems and read them eloquently to me for over an hour. Who won the night?
Stop rating them, Sydney. It’s not a competition.
Then again, maybe it was.
The two days away were long and tedious. Thinking about Sydney was sometimes an unwelcome distraction. She was flat out too much. Liking a woman like Sydney was a full-time job, and I certainly couldn’t take on more work. Then again, taking an interest in her was also like a relaxing vacation. She was equivalent to a tropical oasis that was subject to afternoon storm activity.
The bathtub.
I’d never carried on a conversation with a woman while she soaked in green tea waters. If her highly self-centered conversation hadn’t been so animated, I would have lost my train of thought. Sydney had a way of making me listen even though I couldn’t stop thinking about how naked she was while we chatted.
Nina could be a problem. Nina had been a problem for me. I needed to steer clear of running into her at Josie’s. Neither of them needed to know the full story, or I’d end up with trouble I didn’t want. It seemed Sydney was already on Nina’s hate list, and if she found out I was friends with her, she’d go straight to the top. I didn’t want that for Syd. I sure as shit didn’t want Sydney to know I had a very brief relationship with her new work enemy. Was it even a relationship? I say no, but Nina said otherwise. That was the problem. She had a hard life, but she was a hard person to get along with.
The text that alerted me a guest was swimming in my pool changed my mood completely. I was almost home. I was coming home to Sydney.
She didn’t stir at my arrival. Her head was tilted upward, her eyes were tightly shut, and music blared from her phone on the deck chair. She had the jets on full blast. I’d already dropped off everything inside. I made one quick trip to the bathroom and a fast change into swim trunks.
I altered my voice as I covered her eyes with my palms, “You’re trespassing. Don’t move a muscle or scream, little girl. Then again, I might let you convince me not to call the sheriff.”
Sydney screamed so loud she might have ruptured my eardrum.
I fell into the water next to her choking on my laughter and hot, chemically treated water. She grabbed my shoulders, and I let her dunk me again, but when it appeared she wasn’t allowing me to breathe oxygen anytime soon, I grabbed her by the waist and sat her back on her ass.
“You creep! That scared me half to death.”
“You knew I’d be home soon. Who else could it have been?”
“Maybe, but I didn’t know you could make your voice sound like a serial killer.”
I stopped laughing when I took a good look at her. Sydney didn’t lose her skimpy bikini collection in her family’s judgment. She wore shorts in the river that first day, but she was wearing a strapless mint green two-piece and that was the reason I almost thought for a second, she was nude. No big deal. I’d seen countless bikini-clad women over the years. They basically ran around in their underwear near the water but would slap me for looking at the same attire in a different setting.
I was a liar. Sydney wearing this little clothing was a huge deal.
“Damn, friend. This water is too hot. You’re liable to short out my thermostat. It’s practically cooking my nuts.”
“Good, you could use an intervention, maybe the same procedure Cash endured, and then you’d stop leering so much or commenting inappropriately.”
I winced at the thought. Poor Cash. That was not going to happen, so Sydney would have to get used to my leering and commenting, but I was right. The Jacuzzi was too hot, or she was. It wasn’t either or, perhaps.
“I think I’m going to have to jump in the pool to save my future children. Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, I swam first to loosen up, but this has been heavenly. I might need a soak every day.”
I looked down again. The bubbling water disguised the view, but I saw enough to know Sydney was welcome to come over every day.
“Well, are you getting out to spare your gonads or not?”
“I’m acclimating. Maybe not.”
“I don’t think it works that way.”
“What?”
“Your future children aren’t up to bat just yet, so it shouldn’t be a problem to burn today.”
“Can we change the subject? I’m shy.”
She halfway snorted at the absurdity of me being shy. “You started it.”
“Well, I’m ending it. No more ball talk. How was work?”
“I was a much better human today, thank you very much.”
“How so? Does this mean you actually apologized?”
“I did. I marched up to Nina and said, ‘look, I got carried away yesterday. I’m sorry for what I said. You should never sacrifice your education to fix your face. I’m not even going to insist you admit to breaking more honey jars and pinning the blame on me.’ Then I promised to stay out of her way if she’d stay out of mine.”
“Wow, you’re something else.”
“Thanks. It wasn’t so bad.”
I chuckled. Sydney thought I was congratulating her on her kindness. Nothing could be further from the truth. I doubt Nina accepted that partial apology.
“Did she respond?”
“Pretty sure she threatened my life.”
“What the hell? How so?”
“She told me she’d happily stay out of my way, but I’d better watch my back. That’s a threat, right?”
“I don’t know, but please do your best not to speak or interact with her.”
“You never told me how well you know her.”
That was my cue to leave the scalding waters and cool off in the pool.
Sydney didn’t like to be ignored. It took her all of five minutes to dive into the pool with me. I watched the dive. Maybe she was right, and cheer was athletic. She had perfect form, but I would have said that without the graceful dive.
“I was trying to ask a question.”
“I know, and I was trying to avoid it.”
She splashed me, “Tell me.”
“Fine, Nina went to school with me. She was two years behind, so I barely knew her, but during the college years when I visited home, my buddies and I used to frequent Allen’s, so I know her. That’s all there is to the story. I don’t go to Allen’s any longer, and I try to avoid Nina which is exactly what you should do. Take sound advice for once in your life, princess.”
“Maybe she and I could bond over a certain scoundrel we have in common.” I disappeared under the water and found her legs. I pulled her by the ankle and pulled her to the pool bottom with me. She kicked free, almost kicked me in the worst spot. I let go, and then the two of us had an energetic game of splash, dunk and chase within the pool. Sydney spit at me again when I pinned her close to the steps.
“Stop that. It’s filthy.”
“You annoy me.”
“Same, but seriously, don’t mention me to Nina. Your life will only get worse.”
“Fine. I won’t, but please don’t tell me she was your girlfriend, or I don’t think I can ever look at you the same.”
I took a deep breath and hoped I hadn’t crossed the lie-truth line. “No, Nina was never my girlfriend.”
“Okay, you can let go now. I probably should go home. I’m hungry and I thought ahead today and made something in the crockpot for Gram and me.”
I stepped back. She was free to leave, but I tempted her first. “I’ve got a pizza in the warmer inside or did you make your favorite back home in the crockpot?”
“Well, not exactly, it’s just a simple chicken casserole. When did you get a pizza?”
“Last stop before home. It’s local and it’s pretty damn tasty. Want some?”
She smirked. “You’d love it if I told you that phrase, but I’m not giving you the satisfaction.”
I playfully pushed her, and Sydney winced. “I’m sorry. What’s going on with your arm?”
“It’s my muscles and Nina, your old pal scraped me.”
I had to take a closer look. The scratch wasn’t bad, but Sydney tensed. Her muscles were knotted up. I wasn’t a professional, but I could tell. “Come on, back to the hot tub a minute.”
I stayed on the edge and attempted to rub her shoulders and arms down.
“Don’t, Dane.”
“Why? Am I making it worse?”
“No, but you don’t have to give me a massage, okay.”
“I bet you used to get weekly massages. I’m not an expert but Cash likes my rubdowns.”
“I’m not a horse.”
“Nope, and I’m not your personal masseur. Was it a man or a woman?”
“Man. Women are too soft.”
My hands went under the water to rub over her shoulder blades. I knew all too well how soft a woman could be. Sydney’s softness had an opposite reaction to my body. I hit the right spot, and her head fell back. I wanted to caution her from what she’d knock into if she leaned any further, but I figured I should cut the massaging short to save us both the embarrassment.
“Oh, Dane. Cash is lucky. You have magic hands. You sure you haven’t had any formal training?”
“No. Just horses.”
“It’s so good.”
Okay, that was as much as I could take. I backed out of there and turned around to face the pool house while I calmed myself down. Sydney came behind me with a towel. Thank God she wrapped up.
“Sorry, I got carried away with how good it felt.”
“Yeah, maybe that’s my problem too. Are you better?”
“Much. Thanks. I dare say you are almost as good as Sasha.”
“Sasha? I thought you said man.”
“I did. Sasha was from Chechnya. He was beautiful.”
“Great. I bet he loved his job.”
“He said I was his favorite client.”
“Are you trying to make me jealous?”
“No, that’s absurd.”
“Yes, and I’m not.”
“Good because you didn’t even know me then and Grant’s my boyfriend not you.”
If she made those noises for Sasha, I knew exactly why she was his favorite. I asked if she was going to come inside and have a slice of pizza and she said okay, but she needed to let her grandmother know. I finally said something I’d been contemplating if she was going to keep bringing Grant into our conversations.
“Sydney, would you like to make a call to Grant? Hell, text even. That’s what the kids do these days.”
“I don’t understand. Why would I like to call or text Grant right now?”
“Forget it. If you don’t know why I’m asking, then you’re not ready, but this isn’t the only time I’m asking.” One day, I expected to get a different response.
“Okay. Are you going to explain yourself?”
“No. When you’re ready, you’ll catch on.”
Two hours elapsed. I was full of pizza and good beer. Sydney was fresh and clean sitting next to me on the sectional. She texted Josie and told her about an invite for pizza and a movie. I’m not sure what they said to each other, but Sydney rolled her eyes a few times reading the messages from her grandmother. Her eyes looked heavy and a little bloodshot. We played hard in the pool and Sydney had been working nonstop since her first day. Sydney’s old way of life gave her little preparation for manual labor. I offered her the other side of the sectional, so she could stretch out on the chaise lounge.
“No, I should go.”
“You don’t want to see the ending?”
We were watching a psychological thriller. I’d seen it before, but she hadn’t, and Sydney made the worst predictions in history. She was going to be shocked at the final twist.
“I guess so, but I think I know what’s going to happen.”
No, she didn’t. She still might not because as soon as she got comfortable on the other side of me, her eyes began to flutter. I watched her a few minutes as the credits rolled. She missed the killer reveal, but I didn’t have the heart to shake her. She made me promise not to let her nod off, but I failed. The fact that her head fell over, and she was resting against me had something to do with that.
I extracted myself from the sectional to gather her belongings. She drove the work truck, but I wasn’t about to let her drive back in the dark in a sleepy haze. I was taking her home. When I scooped her up, Sydney startled, “Oh no, I missed it. The brother was the killer, wasn’t he?”
“No, it was her all along. He was protecting her since he was the only one that knew she had a split personality.”
“No way. Now I need to re-watch. How’d I miss all that?” I continued to walk holding in my her in my arms through my house. “Dane put me down. Do you think you’re taking me to bed or something?”
“Yes, yours not mine.” If I ever took her to my bed, she would not be unconscious.
“I drove.”
“I’ll get the truck back to you.”
“Rusty.”
“Yes, Rusty, but you’re about to go for a ride in Stud again. I know you prefer him over Rusty.”
Sydney was still groggy and mildly uninhibited, “of course I do.”
I pushed up the console and rolled a jacket from the back to make a pillow. “You can lie down if you want. I’ll drive safe.” She mumbled, and I adjusted the jacket, so she practically had her head on my lap. It mig
ht be the only time I had her next to me in the truck. I liked it.
A defiant Josie Littlefield stood in the entryway. I didn’t know where Sydney’s house key was, so I had to knock. She was passed out in my arms. “Did you give her alcohol?”
“No Ma’am. She only drank sweet tea. The work caught up with her, plus we went swimming. That’s always tiring.”
“Mmm hmm. Upstairs, second door on the left. Then get your rear back down here quick. You and I are going to have a little chat.”
I didn’t need Josie’s directions to Sydney’s room, but I played along. Syd was light. I balanced her on my thigh, so I could pull back the covers. Her shoes were off since the movie. She had on blue jean shorts, but I wasn’t about to take anything off. Sydney held my arm in her sleep. I had to pry her off. “Syd let go. I need to get downstairs before your Gram takes aim up the stairs with the gun. She didn’t look happy with me.”
“She knows,” she mumbled.
“Oh yeah, she knows what?”
“That you’re a scoundrel.” Sydney opened her eyes and looked straight at me. I’d leaned over to place her on the bed as soft as I could. I wished she’d made that call, so I could kiss her goodnight. I settled for brushing blonde strands of hair from her face. My fingers lingered on her cheek. Tonight, was nice. I hoped she kept her promise about coming over every day.
“Ellsworth,” rattled the walls from down below. Time to face the music. I kinda knew what to expect. I’d faced a father or two, but this seventy-something little woman with the curly gray hair had me worried.
“Mrs. Littlefield. I’ll come out tomorrow and make sure Sydney gets Rusty back. She is sacked out, barely moved a muscle when I put her to bed.” Oops, I should shut up and not say too much.
“So, she has you doing it too?”
“What’s that?”
“Naming the damn vehicles.”
“Oh yeah, it’s funny. She’s creative.”