Although she tried to drown herself in schoolwork over the next few days, Nicole constantly checked in with her mom. She was relieved when her dad was allowed to go home and she wept silently when he finally spoke to her on the phone. His speech was slurred but he was adamant that she should not return to Jamaica until her semester ended. When the therapist said that he was responding well and it appeared that he was on his way to a full recovery, Nicole was relieved! she could hardly wait for the semester to end! She would be on the first flight out. She would throw her arms around her dad and hug him tightly… or so she thought.
The week she was preparing for her end of semester exam, she decided to make scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast one morning. She had just added the eggs to the melted butter in the pan when severe nausea sent her running to the bathroom. She was never one to throw up but she found herself retching until she emptied her stomach of the orange juice she had chugged straight from the box earlier.
Surprisingly, she felt fine after she had brushed her teeth and washed her face. She stared at her clean-scrubbed face in the bathroom mirror wondering if she was coming down with something. The ear-piercing shriek of the smoke alarm sent her sprinting back into the kitchen to turn the burner off and empty the burnt eggs down the sink. Well so much for breakfast, she thought as she grabbed the slice of toast from the toaster and bit into it on her way back to her room. There was a lot she wanted to get done that day so she went back to work and soon forgot about her unexplained nausea.
By the end of the day, she was feeling confident about her upcoming exams. The excitement of knowing that she would ace her exams coupled with the good progress her dad was making put her in a good mood. It was Friday afternoon and usually she met Paul at the bar where Cindy danced around 7 pm. They would have a drink then decide on a restaurant for dinner. Impulsively she decided to head over to Paul’s place and surprise him with a home cooked meal.
Paul had become a constant in her life and lately Nicole found herself daydreaming about the future. He had given her a key to his place, which she had never had reason to use previously. She had been pleased and a little surprised when he had pressed it into her palm one morning when he had dropped her off at school. “In case I can’t pick you up, take a cab over to my place later”. She’d taken it, added it to her key-chain, and forgotten about it since he did make it back in time to pick her up. Tonight he was in for a surprise treat!
Paul did not pick up when she called which made her little white lie even easier, “hey, I still have a bit more to do today but I will call as soon as I’m done, see you soon!” As she hung up the thought occurred to her that, he was probably wrapping up a last minute meeting.
It was going on 5 pm when she set off to pick up a few fresh ingredients for the surprise meal. She was humming as she let herself into his apartment and walked through to the kitchen to dump her purchases on the counter top. Taking a pot down from the overhead rack, she filled it from the tap, set it on the stove-top and turned on the flame. As she began to unpack the shopping bag she heard a dull thud. She stopped, heart hammering in her chest. Someone was in the apartment!
Tiptoeing over to the island, she quickly grabbed one of the sharp knives from the knife block. She peered around the corner towards Paul’s room to the left. The door was closed, she listened but there was only silence. She debated making a dash for the front door to her right. Maybe the person had somehow gotten in and was searching for valuables! Suppose it was Paul? Somehow, the thought had not occurred to her but maybe it was Paul! She grinned sheepishly to herself. Maybe he’d had a rough morning and had taken off early to come home for a nap? Maybe that’s why he hadn’t answered her call?
Straightening up from her hunched over position she stood undecided with the knife in her hand for a moment. “Paul?” her voice sounded like a croak. She cleared her throat and the sound was suddenly loud in the quiet room. Walking over to the bedroom door on unsteady legs, she knocked cautiously on the door. “Paul? Are you there? She reached for the doorknob but it was suddenly jerked from her hand! Nicole’s knees almost gave out as the door flew open.
Paul stood in the doorway staring at her in wide-eyed surprise. He had obviously just stepped out of the shower, his hair was wet and rivulets of water ran down his bare chest. A towel was carelessly slung around his hips. Sprawled on the bed behind him was a naked woman! With a gasp, Nicole turned and ran for the front door, yanking the door open she ran out unto the narrow porch and down the short flight of stairs.
She heard Paul shout her name but she kept going. When she finally stopped she was out of breath, her chest heaved and her throat ached with unshed tears. She bent over with hands on her knees and retched but nothing came. None of her silent screams burst forth as she sucked air into her tortured lungs. No tears fell from her dry, burning eyes. Finally she straightened up from her bent over position and stared ahead ignoring the confused looks of passersby. She carefully put one foot in front of the other and slowly walked the rest of the way home in a zombie-like trance, oblivious to the phone vibrating in her pocket.
To be continued..
