“I love having you here,” he said, sitting up in the bed and watching her walk. He was memorized by the way her butt jiggled like Jell-O with every step she took. It was sexy as Hell. He loved her butt. It was so sexy. So perfect. Angie had a butt that J-Lo would envy.
She was silent for a long time. It felt like an eternity. She looked inside Chase’s closet. Studied all the clothes he had hanging in there. Her own clothes had taken up residence there. It looked so natural. It felt right to be living with Chase like it was meant to be, like it was her destiny.
“I’ll be damned,” she let out a little laugh. “I don’t know quite how to bring this up. And you know me. I’m never at a loss for words.”
Chase laughed. That was one of the things that had really attracted him to her, Angie always had something to say and spoke her mind all the time. His girl was definitely not shy.
“Just tell me, Ang.”
“I’m pregnant.” She blurted it out so fast that the words ran together and became one big word: Impregnant.
“What?” Chase asked.
“I’m pregnant,” she repeated slowly, making sure to enunciate every syllable.
“Pregnant?” he asked disbelieving.
“Pregnant,” she affirmed with a little nod biting her bottom lip nervously.
Chase stared at her body for a long time, imagining the tiny baby that was growing inside her. Angie stared at him, trying to deduce how he was feeling. Chase got out of the bed. Angie stared at him, not even breathing as he walked toward her. Reaching her, he took her in his arms and kissed her fully.
Timidly, he put his hand on her stomach and rubbed it in a slow clockwise circle. Kneeling, he put an ear against her bellybutton as if it were an intercom and he would be able to hear his baby.
“My baby?” He kissed her stomach still not believing the good news. He had always wanted to be a father, maybe he could give his baby the kind of love and childhood he had never gotten. “You’re carrying my baby.”
“Yes,” she nodded.
“You’re carrying my baby. You’re carrying my baby. You’re carrying my baby!”
He grew more excited each time he said the phrase. By the end he was screaming at the top of his lungs and jumping up and down. Angie gasped in surprise as Chase effortlessly scooped her up into his arms and spun her around the bedroom. She giggled. Chase was acting as if he were the first guy in the world who had impregnated his girlfriend.
“I’m having a baby! I’m having a baby!”
He set her on the bed and ran to the window, tripping over his feet several times. By the third time he had gotten tangled up in himself, he gave up on trying to walk and just crawled to the window. He pulled himself up and threw it opened. Angie was shocked the glass didn’t break from the force Chase used to open it.
“Hey! I’m having a baby!” he shouted out to the world.
“Wonderful,” someone shouted back, a man from the sounds of the voice. “Do me a favor and put some clothes on. I don’t need to see your baby maker or where you store your baby batter.”
Angie laughed. Chase’s whole body turned a bright crimson as his hands instinctively covered his penis. He shut the window and turned toward Angie.
“I forgot I was naked.” He grinned sheepishly.
“I could tell.”
Chase dove onto the bed, Angie laughed at how excited he was. He was acting like a little kid who’s gotten a million presents from Santa. Resting his head on Angie’s stomach, he smiled and kissed her belly.
“I can hear its heartbeat.”
“Chase, I don’t think it has a heart yet.”
“I don’t care if it does or doesn’t. I can hear its heartbeat.”
Angie laughed and ran her fingers through his hair, brushing it out of his eyes.
“I was so scared to tell you,” she confessed, “I didn’t know how you would take it. I was scared you would be mad.”
“Are you kidding? This is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me. The best gift you could ever have given me.”
“Well, I guess I better take back that one-million dollars and castle I was gonna give you.”
Chase laughed and kissed her stomach. “What made you decide to tell me?”
“Madam Theodora. She knew about the baby and told me to tell you. She said that I had nothing to fear.”
“We’re going to have to send her a fruit basket or something as a thank you gift,” he mumbled, cupping her breasts and kissing her stomach again. He still couldn’t believe it. He was positive that he was going to wake up any moment. Alone.
“You’re such a dork,” she giggled.
“We’re going to get married. As soon as possible, baby.”
“Really?” she asked, not truly believing this was really happening.
“Yeah,” he said looking at her and continuing to massage her breasts, “I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“So do I.” She half sighed half moaned at the feel of his hands on her breasts and nipples. She loved his touch. His hands were so big, so rough yet so gentle.
“Does that mean you’ll marry me?” he asked, voice full of childlike hope.
“Of course.”
“Yes?”
“Yes,” she nodded with a grin. She could feel joyful tears begin to well up in her eyes. “I will marry you, Chase Slater.”
Chase let out a war whoop, jumped up and ran to the window again. Once again he opened it and announced his happy news to the world.
“Hey!” he screamed into the night, “I’m getting married.”
“Congratulations,” the same voice yelled back. “How about getting some pants next.”
Just as before, maroon seemed to radiate off Chase’s body as he once again covered his penis. He closed the window and looked back at Angie with that same sheepish grin.
“I …”
“I know,” Angie cut him off, “I forgot I was naked.” She made her voice go low trying to imitate his soft tenor.
Chase laughed and laid down next to her. She settled into his arms and sighed with contentment. She had everything she would ever need.
“I can’t wait to start my life with you, baby. It’s gonna be great. I’ll work more hours at the garage. Save up money. Be able to treat you right. Give you the life you deserve.”
“It’ll be great,” Angie said envisioning their future. “Nice little house. Picket fence. A garden. Some dogs. A few kids. Like something out of the fairy stories.” Her speech grew slower and her eyes grew heavy as Chase’s heartbeat acted like a lullaby.
“Yeah,” Chase agreed.
He could already smell the paint. The freshly cut grass. The perfume of the roses. He could hear his kids laughing as they played tag and hide-and-seek with the dogs.
Chase’s chest rose and fell heavily. It was going to be great. This was just what he always wanted.
The two lovers kissed and settled comfortably into each other. Soon blissful sleep overtook them both.
Six
Jesse couldn’t sleep. He hated nights like this. No matter what he did he just couldn’t get comfortable and when sleep did finally overpower him, he was only able to sleep an hour at most thanks to the disturbing dreams he had.
Dreams of Angie. Her once beautiful body covered in blood, black and hard as pizza crust. She had been skinned and gutted, leaving just her skeleton lying on a black sheet. Her skin was nailed to a bloody wall, stretched tight distorting her features.
He saw himself, naked and clad in his best friend’s blood. The blood’s metallic flavor burned his taste buds. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get the taste out of his mouth or the blood from his body. He furiously rubbed and clawed at his body but Angie’s blood seemed to have tattooed itself on his skin. He scratched at his skin until it peeled off and he shed his skin like a snake.
That dream had been the worst. The most realistic. He had awoken, screaming and soaked in sweat. He could still taste the blood. Sti
ll feel it drying on his skin. He could still smell the hot liquid as it raped his nose and suffocated him. Stripping off his clothes he searched every part of his body needing to validate that there was no blood on him.
“It’s going to be a long night,” he sighed, falling back onto his pillow. “Goddamn that crazy old gypsy.”
He stared up at the ceiling, watching the shadows change shapes. He saw sailboats, slides, cats, dolphins. Jesse’s makeshift inkblot session had almost lured him to sleep when he heard the dog barking.
It was a loud whining yipping that sent chills up and down Jesse’s spine. His body quivered and the hair on his arms stood straight up. The yipping sounded like something that would come out of Satan’s guard dog.
Jesse deduced that the creature that made the shrill Banshee like yipping wasn’t a very big dog. Its bark was probably bigger than him.
“Great,” Jesse sighed feeling annoyed. “Now I have to deal with somebody’s damn dog. I thought this was a classy apartment complex. No mangy dogs to keep me up at night.”
He kept mumbling and grumbling to himself as he groggily walked to the balcony. Stepping out into the cool breeze, the yipping tore his eardrums apart. The force almost knocked him over. It was like a hurricane. Jesse was sure he would go deaf.
What the fuck? he thought angrily. Is the damn thing barking through a megaphone?
Jesse walked to the edge of his balcony and looked down into the grassy courtyard. The dog was running around in circles, a smoky black blur. It was moving so fast, Jesse was positive he would wear a hole in the ground.
“Hey!” Jesse yelled trying to overpower the barking. “Shut up! Shut up stupid dog!”
The dog stopped running around and looked up at Jesse. Its black fur, resembling barbed wire, was a mess of tangles and stood straight up as if the dog hadn’t taken a bath in his whole lifetime. The dog wagged its tail so fast Jesse knew it was only a matter of time before it would fall off. The dog jumped up and down, continuing to bark.
“I said shut up!” Jesse yelled, picking up some rocks and throwing them at the dog.
The dog growled when the rocks hit its body, but didn’t cease the barking or jumping. If anything, he seemed to get louder and jump harder.
Jesse was going crazy. The barking was so loud he thought his brain was going to explode. He kept checking his ears expecting to see blood gushing from them. Jesse even contemplated throwing himself over the ledge just so he wouldn’t have to listen to the dog anymore.
Letting out a primal frustrated laced yell, Jesse looked around. He and the dog were the only living things outside. Jesse was amazed that the other residents could sleep through this racket. He would have to remember to find out how they could sleep through anything. He guessed their sleeping secrets involved pills, drugs and drinking until they passed out.
“I said shut up!” he yelled, ripping his vocal cords and feeling like he was going crazy.
Picking up a potted plant he hurled it with all his might. A macabre smile spread itself over his entire face as he watched the plant fall. It seemed to fall in slow motion, doing loop-de-loops over itself. Little bits of dirt fell out of the pot. The dog barked at the falling dirt and recoiled as it hit him. Jesse’s heart rate increased into an excited rhythm. The stupid little dog was going to get crushed. The barking would cease. He would be able to get back to sleep. He would have peace and quiet. Jesse couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle. It sounded like the chuckle of a crazy person.
The dog’s yipping increased as the plant got closer and closer to him. Jesse could picture the plant crushing the dog. He could see bits of blood and mangy black fur spattering the sidewalk, trees and grass.
Letting out a scared little yip the dog jumped out of the way at just the last minute. The potted plant hit the ground and exploded like a bomb. Bits of terracotta, dirt and leaves dusted the courtyard and the dog. The dog growled at the mess, looked up at the balcony and started yipping triumphantly.
“Yeah you won this round mangy little fucker,” Jesse yelled down at the dog, “keep it up and I’ll come out with my shotgun.”
The dog barked, egging Jesse on. Jesse threw a couple more rocks at the dog before storming back inside. He fell onto the bed trying to block out the dog’s barking.
The damn thing barked for two hours straight, never once stopping to take a breath. Jesse hoped the thing would bark itself horse but the yipping stayed strong, never faltering when suddenly it stopped.
Jesse sprang up in bed like an out of control jack-in-the-box. Looking around the darkened apartment he listened with the intent of a wolf. Nothing. Either the dog had left or he had gone deaf. Either way, he was just happy he wouldn’t have to listen to the barking anymore.
“Yes. Thank you, Jesus.”
Lying back triumphantly, Jesse closed his eyes. Exhaustion had just about overtaken him when he heard the soft ding of the elevator and the door opening.
Rubbing his sore bloodshot eyes, Jesse sat up. His was the only apartment on this floor. There was no reason why the elevator should stop on his floor. Every muscle in his body tensed painfully. His breathing became quiet and irregular. He heard long nails clicking against the tile outside his door. Whatever had come to pay him a visit walked on four legs. Jesse looked out the window. The round full moon illuminated the apartment in a ghostly lavender light. Jesse’s mind immediately thought of werewolves. Jesse’s breath caught in his throat when he heard the scratching against his door. Sweat oozed from his pores. He was sweating in places he didn’t even know could sweat. He contemplated hiding in his closet like he used to do when he was little and afraid of the dark. He pictured some large demon from Hell scratching at his door, wanting to break in and swallow Jesse whole. Or maybe the demon would chew him up. Crush his bones and body into a fine powder with its sharp steak knife like teeth. His fear turned to anger when the yipping started again. The mangy mutt had gotten into the building.
“Damn it!” Jesse threw a pillow across the room and knocked over a lamp.
He had thought the barking was loud outside. Now it seemed to be magnified a thousand times.
The dog stayed outside Jesse’s door, barking, scratching and running up and down the hall until the sunlight penetrated the darkness and transformed the sky into a stained glass window. It was only when dawn came that the dog finally stopped and disappeared.
When Jesse was sure the dog had gone, he walked out into the hall to see how much damage the mangy mutt had done to his door. From the way it had been scratching, Jesse was sure his door was damaged beyond repair.
Much to his surprise, the door wasn’t scratched at all. There were no scratches on the tile either and no black hairs. It was as if the dog hadn’t been there at all. Jesse’s brow furrowed in confusion but he just dismissed it and went back inside. If he would have stayed in the hall a couple seconds longer, he would have seen the dog poke its head out of a trashcan, panting happily.
Walking out to the balcony, he nearly had a heart attack. The potted plant he had thrown was back in its rightful place, as were the rocks he had thrown. He ran to the edge and looked over. The courtyard was clean. There was no trace of the potted plant ever being thrown over the edge. Jesse backed away from the ledge slowly. It was almost as if last night had never happened. As if the dog had never been there.
It was only when Jesse went back into his apartment and closed the door that the dog walked out of the apartment building head held high. It laid down in the shade of a large apple tree and fell asleep. Its snores were almost as loud as its barks.
Seven
Jesse sat in the booth alone, leisurely sipping a cup of coffee. Angie had called and said she wanted to meet him for brunch. She said that she had something important she had to talk to him about. He had arrived half an hour early. The incident the other night still had him spooked. He would never admit it out loud but he was scared to go back to his massive lonely penthouse. He was thankful Angie had given him an excuse to l
eave. He prayed the day would go by slow. He didn’t know if he would be able to sleep there that night. Or any other night. He was seriously contemplating checking into a hotel.
His mind drifted to the conversation they had had on the phone. She had sounded excited; like she couldn’t wait to see him. Talk to him. Jesse’s mind immediately drifted to the dreams he usually had about Angie. Dreams about her coming to him and saying that he was the only boy for her. That her feelings for Chase had just been lust, not true love. That he was the only man she had ever truly loved.
He was sure Angie had finally come to her senses and realized that Chase wasn’t good enough for her. That she should be with a guy who could take care of her. A guy with enough money to give her everything she ever wanted. Maybe she finally realized that Chase could never truly make her happy. How could he? How could she ever live comfortably with a greasy garage mechanic who could barely afford a one bedroom apartment? Yes, Jesse was sure of it. Angie was leaving the loser and would finally become his.
“Hi Jesse.” Angie’s delicate voice drew him out of his thoughts.
He looked up and smiled. Good God, she looked more beautiful every time he saw her. He wondered if she knew the power she had over him. How she haunted him. Drove him insane. How she was able to make him contemplate murder for her.
“Hey.” He smiled and got to his feet.
“I’m glad you came.” She smiled. “I needed to see you.”
“Best friends do this for each other. You said you had something important to tell me.”
“I do.” she sat down. “Have you eaten yet?”
“No,” he answered taking his own seat. “I was waiting for you.”
Angie smiled and eyed the menu. Jesse smiled happy that she saw he was a gentlemen who would never dream of eating before his guest arrived. Picking up his own menu he pretended to be looking at all the delicacies they offered for brunch, even though he had made up his mind five minutes after he had been seated, and let the silence develop nicely.
“Where’s Chase?” he finally asked after a few minutes, feigning interest in his archrival.
In the Tarot Page 5