After a short pause, he said, “I need to vent. I met a girl. A friendly girl who didn’t throw herself at me and didn’t even know who I was.”
He scratched his head. “Yeah, it’s rare and weirdly refreshing. But she shot me down. I’m used to women wanting me—well,almostused to it, but it’s probably just for my money or so they can brag about doing a professional athlete.” He chuckled. “Sorry, Mom.”
Chad gave an exaggerated sigh.“Oh, you poor baby. I’d have given my left nut to be in your position when I was alive and horny.”
Jason sighed and lowered himself onto the low armless chair. “I’m getting used to being used, and now I’ve become another kind of player. All of this goes against my upbringing and values. You raised me better than that.”
“Again, I feel for you, man. You’re fuckin’ breaking my heart.”
“You taught me to treat all women with respect. You drummed into my head that one-night stands aren’t okay. But I’ve had a lot of those—more than I’d care to admit.”
Chad drifted to the ceiling and mimed bowing a stringedinstrument. “Oh, break out the violins. I think I need a tissue.”
“Dad suggested I ignore women altogether in order to concentrate on the sport. Actually, I want it all—the career and a special relationship—but I’m an athlete and meeting nice, normal women is tough.”
He leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. “Yeah, sure, I guess you’re right. Someday when I least expect it…”
Another long pause. “Hey, someday I’ll have to do something else, but for now, I’m okay. If I have to, I can always sell the apartment building.”
Chad’s ears pricked up at that.“Why would he have to dump the apartment building? He could probably sell the rights to his life story for a million bucks. I, on the other hand, worked my tail off as a real writer and struggled to pay the rent—but I’m not bitter or anything.”Snort.
“I know, Ma. Thanks for listening. Have fun at bingo.” Jason smiled. “I love you, too.” He hung up and went straight to his exercise room. Chad floated after him.
“I do hope he won’t sell the building. I don’t think I can stand any more changes. His aunt might ruin it for him, though. Even though her nephew is giving her husband a job and she should be grateful for that, she makes a habit of poking her nose into everyone’s business.”
Jason squatted on the rubber floor and pumped out some furious push-ups.
Chad hovered directly above him, pumping up and down with Jason’s push-ups. This was fun—kind of like a workout but with no effort.“In a way I do feel sorry for Jason… I get the feeling he’s not really used to his aunt’s ways, and he’s worried about her itchy trigger finger. Not that she’s going to shoot anybody—I don’t think so, anyway. She’s trigger happy on the telephone and has threatened to call the police for everythingfrom a little noisy sex to a homeless person walking by.
“I hate to think what having cops at the building would do to Jason Falco. For one thing, it would put him in the newspaper and expose his whereabouts—his safe haven. Goodbye peace and quiet. Hello rabid fans.”Chad chuckled sadly and drifted out the window.
On Merry’s drive home from work the following night, she cursed her rotten luck.The real motivation behind her move to the big city was to meet cute guys and date—maybe even have s-e-x. In a bed!Something she had to go without for the most part while living under her father’s roof and ever watchful eye.Backseat sex just didn’t cut it anymore.
Yesterday, the most incredible guy asked me out… and I had to work. Crap. Crap. Crap!
It had been a crappy shift, too. They were already understaffed, and the assistant head nurse called in sick.Thanks, a pantload.That meant Merry had to give out the meds for the whole floor and that would make any new nurse neurotic. She hadn’t even met the whole staff yet.
What if she made a mistake? She needed this job to pay her rent. She needed to pay her rent to keep her apartment. She needed to live in her own apartment to have a life! Hopefully a cute intern or two would show upbeforeshe made a med error and was tossed out on her keester.
Even a tiny taste of independence excited her like nothing else had in the last… how many years? Maybe since her training wheels had been removed. Just thinking about her quest ending in failure and retreating home to Rhode Island upset her enough to bring on an asthma attack.
The motivation to leave wasn’tallabout dating. She needed a fresh start. She had been “that weird MacKenzie girl” ever since she was little. For some reason she could smell blood blocks away. It’s why she became a nurse in the first place. It seemed only natural that she should take first aid courses.
Merry’s thoughts kept her thoroughly preoccupied as she parked her aging Volkswagen in the alley behind her building. Apparently, none of the long-term residents owned a car, so she secured a free assigned parking space.Hooray!
Strolling away from her car with competing thoughts swirling through her brain, she fumbled in the dark for her back-door key. Suddenly, her feet went out from under her, and she found herself hurled to the ground and pinned by some foul-smelling brute. A moment later she realized she had hit hard pavement with her head.
Unable to find her voice right away, or even process what had happened, she lay there, dumbstruck. The moon reflected a glint of metal nearing her face.
“Shhh… Don’t scream and I won’t hurt you—much.” Maniacal laughter followed. A hand fumbled with the buttons on her coat.
Oh my God. What is it they tell you to do in case of rape? Oh, yeah,scream!
Merry inhaled deeply and let out a blood curdling scream. She didn’t even recognize the voice as hers. Suddenly her throat tightened, and she recognized another threat—her asthma.
She remembered being told to fight but not struggle. They liked it when a woman struggled.Gouge out his eyes! Punch his nose up into his brains.Fight like your life depends on it.
As she tried and failed to get near the bastard’s face, her assailant grabbed her wrists in one hand and pressed the sharp knife to her neck with the other.
