Tears streaming down my cheeks, stain the soft cotton fabric of the pillow. Head buried and my cheek pressed firmly into it's firmness.
Burning, aching pain generating through very tender flesh. Ashamed, worried, so much head noise. Doubts flooding my mind as I replay the disturbing happenings of a day gone very, very wrong.
Gut wrenched, twisted, sour to the point of vomiting. Gasps of air burn into my lungs, hyperventilation, dizziness, darkness, lonely, whispers surround me as I watch myself fall into a well of near despair.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
Waken from nothingness, a complete lack of dreams, knocking permeates the cotton candy fluffiness of mornings haze. Jumping up, grabbing the shorts at the foot of my bed, slipping feet then legs into their softness, comfort, security, protection against an attack that might befall me once again.
The door slowly opens, a large dark skinned well manicured hand appears on the inside of the fresh white painted surface. Fingertips pressing against solid wood, motion, a foot, leg, entire outline of Lee Townsend standing firmly, no smile, eyes gazing downward, obvious uncomfortable tension written all over his face.
"Morning, RJ. Sorry to wake you so early, would you mind a little comforting? I can only imagine how hurt, well maybe even betrayed you must be feeling. May I?"
How stunned I feel, this is nothing like the tormented scenario's that played over and over in my head before sleep took pity on me last night.
"Yeah, come on in, take a seat Lee."
Lee looks me in the eyes for the first time this morning, moves very slowly toward my disheveled bed. He extends his left arm, places his large hand on the nape of my neck. Slowly sitting down along side me, pulling me into an assuring, no comforting embrace of my dried tear crusted cheek against his massive shoulder.
Placing the side of his jaw against the top of my head, "sigh" slow rubbing of my neck and shoulder muscles. Relaxation overwhelms me, I give in to the tenderness that I so need.
I barely open my mouth, words just about form.
"Shhhhh. You don't have to say anything, I understand, it's going to be OK, trust me, things are not always what they seem to be."
Buried firmly in his musky scent, flawless glistening dark skin, every inch Macho yet so very nurturing. Resistance is the furthest thought.
"RJ, your Dad was very upset last night, he must have seemed angry with you at the moment but that was not him, he was hurt, devastated that you could not trust in him enough to tell him the truth."
My head moves, eyes look at Lee's full dark chocolate cherry colored lips. Brilliant white teeth in even rows glistening in the morning light. Peppermint toothpaste scent mingles with natures morning muskiness. It is intoxicating, stimulating.
"You might not believe this but he cried for an hour last night before I was able to convince him to go to bed. I knew he would see things differently from a new days perspective. He'll be fine, he is more worried about you though, he would not stop expressing how he wished he could have taken it all back, how he should have been the adult and handled the situation rationally. He knows that his temper gets the better of him, impulsive but who am I telling this to? You know him better than anyone, right?"
Clearing my throat, searching for my voice among the blanket of confusion and anxiety.
"Yeah, well, I thought I knew him Lee. Guess I was wrong. I'm an idiot sometimes, should have known better than to lie to him. He doesn't deserve that kind of disloyalty. He's been there for me every second of my life, what do I do? Treat him like a fool. He's no fool, I'm the real fool."
"C'mon, you're a kid, no wait, you are a young man who is still learning, developing, making mistakes on your own. We all make mistakes, make them every day of our lives. What makes us grown and mature is how well we handle our mistakes, the decisions we make to lessen the mistakes that we will ultimately make."
This guy is some sort of prophet of street learned wisdom. For the very first time since finding out about the connection between Dad and Lee, I realize it is not the physical attraction that binds these two powerful men to each other, it is their passion, caring, understanding of what is inside the other, not what is shown on the outside.
"Lee, please tell me, what can I do? I didn't mean to hurt him, I didn't mean to hurt anyone! I've gotta tell you, you're gonna find out anyway, it was my fault that Tag is injured. I tried to hide it from Dad, well and you. Guess, I have some real growing up to do, huh?"
"Ya think?"
Snorting, tossing his head in a movement of knecktadude I normally associate with cocky woman. A smile broadens on his face, transforms the look of worry to one of understanding, genuine happiness.
"Go, get yourself cleaned up, I have some work to do on your Dad. He has not even gotten up yet, so unlike him but this has been a traumatic experience for him too. I'll see you when you are cleaned up, I just want to let you know that I took the liberty of going in and getting Tag's dirty cloths, they are in the wash right now. I left him a pair of my shorts, shirt and socks. Heck, didn't think that one through, huh? (chuckles) All he needs is 1 sock. That would have been easy, that Dryer of yours seems to eat just one of every other pair of socks I put in it."
Stands, turns, walks out into the hallway. Turns his head over his shoulder, a re-assuring wink, door closes for privacy. I exhale.
The warm Ivory soap filled air hangs low in the guest bathroom, I reach for the thick terry cloth towel, wrap it around my narrow waist. Standing before me, my reflection partially obscured by condensation of moisture on the glass mirror above the vanity. Reaching for the blow dryer, throwing the switch, air rushes out of the nozzle, chest, chin, mouth, eyes, me...
A gentle knock moves my gaze from my own reflection to that of the bathroom door behind me.
"C'mon in, I'm decent."