For disclaimers see part 1
Feedback and constructive criticism always welcome at wplover@hotmail.com or vanidy@hdo.net.
Something I Said
Part 2b
"Where are my manners?" she chided herself out loud and I looked at her in disbelief. Every other word out of my mouth was obscene and she was worrying about manners?
"I’m Ellison Woodrow." She stuck her hand out and smiled again.
I reached for it hesitantly. I still wasn’t sure why she was being so nice to me. She didn’t even know me and so far the only thing she’d really seen of me was completely vulgar. It was obvious I had nothing in the way material things, so what could she possibly want from me? Yet her small hand beckoned invitingly.
"Conner," I replied, grasping her hand and shaking it gently. I glanced at our entwined hands and marveled at the difference in our skin colors- hers was golden where mine was, well, just pale.
"Conner?"
I let go of her hand and looked up. "Huh?"
"Just Conner? You don’t have a last or middle name?"
Oh. That. I cringed inwardly. I hated explaining that.
I shrugged. "That’s not really important."
Her lips tightened momentarily and I thought I saw something in her eyes but my great powers of observation let me down as usual. I forgot about it as she turned away and looked around the apartment. I was horrified that she was even there and desperately hoping my shit puke cockroach friends would stay gone just a little longer.
"So I guess you live alone?" she asked, finally turning back to me.
I searched her face for the disgust I was sure she felt for this place. Seeing nothing more than curiosity, I was stumped. I hated this place. How could she not? Concluding that she must be good at hiding things, I answered.
"Yup."
She chewed on her bottom lip and stuck her hands in her pants pockets. "Oh."
She glanced around the room again and then made her way to the small window that was supposed to let light in. She looked outside and my discomfort got the better of me.
"You don’t have to stay to be nice you know."
She spun around and the look on her face frightened me. She was pissed. And she was marching right at me.
I took an involuntary step back, my foot bumping into the couch and causing me to sit down. My life began flashing before my eyes as I realized that the niceties were over and now it was time for her to do what she’d originally intended to do- kill me.
"Now you look here, Miss Conner whoever you are! I’ve done nothing but try to be nice to you and all you do is shoot me down. No wonder you’re so alone. No wonder no one ever comes to see you and all you do is wander all over town ALONE. If I didn’t know better I’d say it’s just so you can hide behind your stupid mask of cuss words and keep every one at arms length. And if you ask me, that’s fucking pathetic!"
She stopped yelling, her chest rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath.
And speaking of breath, mine had suddenly left me. I felt paralyzed in the wake of what she’d just said. It hurt to hear those words, especially from someone who didn’t even know me.
And then it hit me like a ton of elephant shit. She didn’t know me. So how did she learn all those things about me? I had no friends that could have told her, no family. Unless…
"You ARE a stalker!" I roared and shot up off the couch. "Dirty rat shit mother fucking bag of dead religious perverts, you’re a stalker!"
She reeled back as I moved towards her. Somewhere deep inside the look of fear on her face hurt me but I didn’t care.
"Conner wait! I can explain-"
"Oh no you don’t! You don’t open your can of self-righteous sewer stink pity on me. Bag it up and get out!"
"Conner please-"
"NOW!" I made sure I stood to my full height and pointed to the door.
Ellison’s emerald eyes welled up with unshed tears and her bottom lip started to tremble. Instead of the protest I’m sure was itching to fall out of her mouth she simply nodded and walked to the door.
She opened it and stood still in the doorway, her back turned to me. I was about to yell at her to keep moving when she spoke softly.
"It doesn’t have to be like this."
Then she closed the door and left.
I howled in frustration, causing the old man next door to bang on the wall and yell something indiscernible. I couldn’t believe my luck. I was jobless, penniless, and now I had a stalker.
Seeing movement out of the corner of my eye I turned my head in the direction of the sink. Two cockroaches were sitting there, their beady little eyes watching me. I blinked and took a closer look. It seemed that one of the little smartasses was shaking its head at me. Then they disappeared back into whatever crevasse they had come from.
"Eat my shit you little bastards," I muttered and lay down on the couch. Now my cockroaches were judging me. What was next?
"I’ll get an exterminator!" I yelled into the silence.