Chapter 20 – Relapse
The ringing telephone woke me the next morning. Being in a new setting and not being sure where the phone in my new room was, I didn't bother to move all that quickly. The ringing stopped rather quickly, forcing me to assume that Brooke had answered the phone.
I didn't get up; I just laid there on the couch in my new room. My eyes adjusted to the sunlight that filled the room. I was stretching my arms over my head when I heard footsteps on the stairs. The footsteps then proceeded down the short hall towards me. I heard a soft knock on the door.
"Come in," I said.
Brooke opened the door and stood before. She was so good-looking, wearing a tight grey t-shirt and very short green shorts. It was quite evident that she had no bra on. I loved looking at her.
"That was Leslie," she indicated, waving the cordless phone in her right hand. "She canceled our shopping trip today. She's a mess."
"Why do you say that," I inquired.
"Mindy left for school this morning," she reminded me. "I could hear that Leslie had been crying. She would never admit it. I was going to take her shopping to get her mind off of it, but she canceled. She said she had shit to do, but I think she was just hurting."
Thinking about what Brooke had just said was making we very nervous. Leslie was a wonderful woman but she was not the most emotionally stable person. She had reacted very well inside the confines of the game but after last night's deal with Mindy and today's departure, I agreed she might be suffering internally.
"You should go by and check on her later," I advised Brooke.
"I might," she responded. "What are you doing today?"
"I am headed back to the house to pack some more stuff," I declared. "It's not going to pack itself."
"I'm going for a run," she informed me.
She leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. She then headed down the stairs and I heard the front door open and close. I dragged my ass up off the couch to discover it was much later in the morning than I thought. It was already 11:30am and my day had not even begun. I quickly threw some water on my face and was out the door as well.
I reached the house by noon and started to examine what need to be packed. I pulled out a duffle bag and started to fill it with cloths and things I felt I would need in the immediate future at Brooke's. I was thinking about Leslie, feeling a sense of concern as well as empathy. I debated calling her but continued instead to pack shit up.
Finally, after 2 or 3 boxes were full I grabbed my cell and dialed eagerly.
"Hello," she answered somberly. Her voice was low and sounded somewhat horse.
"How are you," I asked.
"I doing fine," she answered very blandly with a big sigh, more flat than I had ever heard her.
"Brooke said you canceled shopping with her today," I admitted. "I was concerned you were down over Mindy leaving."
"I will be fine," she repeated lifelessly. "Enjoy your day."
She hung up on me, but it was a slow hang up, not the usual fast click of the line disconnecting. I was very concerned. I continued packing but could not get her off my mind. As I was filling another box I couldn't help but think about Leslie.
She sounded upset but it was more than that. It was lonely but not just lonely. I was deeply disturbed by her lack of energy. I hated to see her in any kind of pain, but I was not sure what I could or should do about it. I felt like I was in a tough spot. My thoughts and concerns were for her, but I also didn't want to overstep my boundaries. I knew this was different but I was still gun-shy after my idiotic attempt to take more control in this game. Upsetting her any further was the absolute last thing I wanted to do.
As I was midway through filling the next box with crap, the doorbell rang. I wondered who that could possibly be. I wasn't expecting anyone so I had no concrete idea who could be ringing my bell. I made my way through the ever growing maze of boxes and got to the door. Much to my surprise and delight, Vivian was standing at the door. I opened the door and she quickly stepped inside.
"What a pleasant surprise," I stated.
She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. She smelled fantastic, like wildflowers of some sort, and she looked even better. She was wearing a white tube top and very short denim shorts with a thin brown belt. Her hair was teased big and she had on white 4 inch pumps to complete the ensemble. She had on more make up than I remember her wearing in the past, including bright red lipstick. I was awestruck and my groin began to react.
"I was hoping to catch you here," she giggled. "Leslie said it was ok for me to come help you."