"This was a great night, I want to thank you for dinner,"
Lisa smiled politely and took a step backwards towards her front door. Her date this week was fine, but she had legitimately forgotten his name before dessert. He was so intensely dry.
She dreaded the next thirty seconds though, standing there motionless hoping his brain was registering her disinterest and crafting a speedy exit. She watched his face and smiled harder, pursing her lips and giving a slight nod- as if to say, "very well, you may go," In the momentary silence, he finally seemed to understand, nodding and quietly murmuring.
"Uh, thank you- it was great. You... take care,". He slightly bowed his head and gave a half wave as he turned and walked to his car.
Lisa pulled out her keys and let herself inside, closing the door behind her. She watched through the mottled window as her dates car pulled away, and felt relieved. Her eyes moved from the sidewalk to a house across the street. She paused, then opened the door a crack so she could step outside and get a better look.
The old neighbourhood had a mix of houses and low rise apartment blocks. Lisa enjoyed the diversity of the area, the mixture of families, seniors and singles that kept local shops alive while watching out for one another. The post-war bungalow she spied was nothing special, a cement stoop, aluminum fence, gable roof and a wide picture window.
It was that house, that window that always held her attention, more so at night. Walking along the sidewalk you could see the back of a flat screen TV and a warm flickering - but from her bedroom upstairs, she could see in through the window and watch the man in the recliner.
Lisa stepped fully out her door, pulling it closed as she gingerly began to walk down the steps in her heels. She was like a moth to a flame...again.
* * * * * *
Months ago, shortly after she had moved into the apartment building she had found herself looking out the window late at night. She was a bit surprised she could see so clearly into the living room across the street and was taken with the old vintage decor and semi-modern furnishings. She thought it quaint and imagined the cute old couple who ate their dinner on TV trays, and took turns napping in the beaten up recliner. When a figure did emerge from another room, she was downright shocked.
The man was no retiree, he looked to be in his thirties and huge. He wore a white tank top, and a pair of boxer shorts that looked tight around his thighs. He had a shaven head and big bulbous shoulders, this was a man who spent time in a gym she remembered thinking. He seemed completely at ease in the home, too entranced in his television program to care about the view he was providing from his curtain-less window.
Lisa had never considered herself a voyeur, but to be fair, she never had such a view before.
Over time, Lisa would peer out the window before bed to check in and see what her neighbour was up to. At first it was a curiousity to see how long this went on for. She figured he was also new to the area and would put up curtains in no time. But the curtains never came. As Lisa put herself back out on the dating scene - for the first time in years- she found herself perpetually coming home disappointed, and stopped pretending her gaze across the street was innocent. Too often, she would turn out the lights for bed, peer across the street and stand there taking in this strangers near naked body. She found herself aroused every time she looked over and saw him in the recliner with his arms folded behind his head, his dark, hairy armpits on display.
If Lisa had anything going on in her love life, she might have shaken off her creepy habit and gone to bed with a book. But her break up had been a bad one, and she was still in the process of digesting how unfulfilled she was, after dealing with her feelings of being cheated on.
The neighbour's window was feeding a base hunger within her.
* * * * * *
Lisa looked both ways before starting across the street, her high heels clicking along the asphalt. It was a hot summer's night, and even the breeze felt sticky. She could smell her own perfume as it mingled with her sweat.
Her date-night dress, a casual red number with straps and moderate cleavage felt warm. She was feeling hopeful that night, a little frisky perhaps and had done without the bra. She HAD been ready to put out on the first date, but the vibe wasn't there. Her lust on the other hand, had remained steady.
She stalked the sidewalk and approached the tiny fence around the bungalow. As was usually the case the front door was wide open and a box fan hung in the bottom of the ancient screen door, loudly whirring away as it circulated air.
Nudging the gate open, she began to walk up the path to the stoop.
She knew she could let herself in.
* * * * * *
As much as Lisa tried to restrain herself with her new hobby, there came a time when the dam broke, and she moved beyond "harmless peeping".