Chapter 3
There was a knock on the door and Sidney woke up. She had fallen asleep at her door. God, she said to herself, what is wrong with me.
She heard the key slide into the lock, and then her roomate's flustered voice.
"Hello? Damn it, Sid, are you in there?"
"Yes, sorry." Sidney ran to the bathroom as she heard the door open. She looked horrible, with mascara stains on her cheeks. She splashed water in her face, right as she heard her roomate walk in the room.
"Sid, you look like shit," Lillith Braddock declared. Sidney turned and studied her roomate for a moment.
Lillith was gorgeous; she had long, blond hair that seemed to cascade down her back, and splay over her shoulders. Her eyes were the perfect tint of blue, and her skin was lightly tanned, enough to enunciate the blue in her eyes. Her legs were long and also tan, and, much to Sidney's dismay, Lily had a rather large bustline. Many times Sidney had gone out with Lily and Marisa to singles bars, and she seemed to be in the background, while her two beautiful friends attracted all the men.
"Marisa de Marco is dead," Sidney announced without hesitation. Lily gasped and covered her mouth.
"You mean, that girl that went to Reggie's with us that one time?" Lily seemed flaberghasted.
"Yes, Marisa is dead."
"Oh my God.. How? W-when?"
Sidney swallowed and then continued. "She was thrown from her apartment."
"Was it suicide? It couldn't be.. She was so pretty!"
"No, she had multiple stab wounds before...before she fell."
"Oh, Sid, I'm so sorry."
Lily took her friend in her arms and stroked her hair. Then, Sidney began crying again. "God, Lil, I don't know why I'm so upset. I mean, I have had so many friends go.. Tatem, Hallie...B-Billy.."
"Sid, don't talk about him.. He's gone now, and so is Stu. They can't hurt you anymore. I don't know what you went through, girl, but its over now."
Sidney nodded and walked into the den. She collapsed on the sofa and turned on the television. It was almost 10:15, and the news was on. The anchorwoman began a new story, with a picture of the Lindbloom, Marisa's apartment building.
"Thirty-four year old aspiring lawyer, Marisa de Marco was thrown over twenty feet from her apartment onto a parked Mustang at approximately 11:30 last night. Prior to her fall, Ms. de Marco suffered multiple stab wounds to her thigh and stomach, ruling out suicide. After a thorough search of her apartment, city coroners and crime scene specialists conclude that there was a sign of struggle, proving this incident to be a homocide."
And then a familiar face appeared on the screen. It was the D.A. Simon Wallbergh. Sidney had met him various times at a party, and he seemed to be a nice man; he was also said to be having an affair with Marisa. "Marisa was a wonderful woman, and she will definitely be missed. She was a hard and dedicated person, and my regrets go out to her friends and family."
Wallbergh's eyes were red, and he apparently had been mourning over Ms. de Marco.
The lady anchorwoman's face appeared on the screen as she concluded the story. "A memorial service will be held Tuesday at the Church of Saint Mary and Simon by her friends and family."
Sidney turned off the t.v. and lay back on the sofa. "Andy is coming over tonight.. I hope thats ok."
"Its fine, Lil." Lillith returned with two beers and handed one to Sidney. "Try not to let this get to you. It will be fine. Hey, Andy won't be here for another three hours. He has to work late at the shop. Wanna go out dancing?"
Lily's friend Andy worked at a Pizza Parlour on East 29th and usually didnt get off until late at night. Sidney concluded that he would be spending the night.
"Hmm..."
"Oh, come on Sid! It'll be fun!!" Lily grabbed her friends hand and pulled her to her feet.
"Ok, but.. I need to freshen up."
"Aight, girl."
And, five minutes later, the two women were freshened up and hailing a taxi, and on their way to paint the town red.
*************
Gale Weathers rolled over in bed and put her arm across her sleeping husband's chest. She couldn't sleep tonight. She had been taking sleeping pills, but they didnt seem be working very well.
Gale slid out of bed and put on her slippers and her robe and walked into her kitchen, where she had a cup of coffee and turned on their widescreen t.v.
There was nothing on, except the trash late-night talk shows. And, a woman gets tired of hearing whitetrash audiences yell "Jerry, Jerry, Jerry" at the top of their lungs. She clicked the show off and went into the adjacent room, next to the one where she had been sleeping.
She peeked into the crib and saw that her pride and joy lay cooing and playing with the stuffed animals suspended above her.
"Well hello there, Tatem! How's mommy's little angel?"
She giggled as Gale picked her up and sat in the rocking chair with her baby. She rocked her until she was sure that her baby was fast asleep, then lowered her back into the crib.
"Goodnight, my angel." She rubbed her cheek as she exited the room, then headed to the room at the end of the hall. This room was decorated with posters of Barnie and another wall-length poster with Big Bird saying "Look how tall I've gotten!" with various inch slashes on it. Seeing that poster always brought tears to her eyes at seeing how her other little baby was growing.
She looked up into the top bunk of the wooden bunk-bed her son, Jamie, lay sleeping in. He was four, and a "big boy" as he said. She smiled as she saw him sucking his thumb, reassuring her that he was still her "baby."
A hand landed on Gale's shoulder, causing her to turn and gasp. "Oh, Dewey, you scared me."
Dewey stood clad in his sleeping shorts and sweatshirt and barefoot, with his hand on his wife's shoulder. "What are you doing up, honey?"
"I couldn't sleep, thats all."
"Well, maybe your working too hard down at the t.v. station. Come on, lets go to bed." Dewey took his wife's hand and led her into the room, where she closed the door behind them.
There was a knock on the door and Sidney woke up. She had fallen asleep at her door. God, she said to herself, what is wrong with me.
She heard the key slide into the lock, and then her roomate's flustered voice.
"Hello? Damn it, Sid, are you in there?"
"Yes, sorry." Sidney ran to the bathroom as she heard the door open. She looked horrible, with mascara stains on her cheeks. She splashed water in her face, right as she heard her roomate walk in the room.
"Sid, you look like shit," Lillith Braddock declared. Sidney turned and studied her roomate for a moment.
Lillith was gorgeous; she had long, blond hair that seemed to cascade down her back, and splay over her shoulders. Her eyes were the perfect tint of blue, and her skin was lightly tanned, enough to enunciate the blue in her eyes. Her legs were long and also tan, and, much to Sidney's dismay, Lily had a rather large bustline. Many times Sidney had gone out with Lily and Marisa to singles bars, and she seemed to be in the background, while her two beautiful friends attracted all the men.
"Marisa de Marco is dead," Sidney announced without hesitation. Lily gasped and covered her mouth.
"You mean, that girl that went to Reggie's with us that one time?" Lily seemed flaberghasted.
"Yes, Marisa is dead."
"Oh my God.. How? W-when?"
Sidney swallowed and then continued. "She was thrown from her apartment."
"Was it suicide? It couldn't be.. She was so pretty!"
"No, she had multiple stab wounds before...before she fell."
"Oh, Sid, I'm so sorry."
Lily took her friend in her arms and stroked her hair. Then, Sidney began crying again. "God, Lil, I don't know why I'm so upset. I mean, I have had so many friends go.. Tatem, Hallie...B-Billy.."
"Sid, don't talk about him.. He's gone now, and so is Stu. They can't hurt you anymore. I don't know what you went through, girl, but its over now."
Sidney nodded and walked into the den. She collapsed on the sofa and turned on the television. It was almost 10:15, and the news was on. The anchorwoman began a new story, with a picture of the Lindbloom, Marisa's apartment building.
"Thirty-four year old aspiring lawyer, Marisa de Marco was thrown over twenty feet from her apartment onto a parked Mustang at approximately 11:30 last night. Prior to her fall, Ms. de Marco suffered multiple stab wounds to her thigh and stomach, ruling out suicide. After a thorough search of her apartment, city coroners and crime scene specialists conclude that there was a sign of struggle, proving this incident to be a homocide."
And then a familiar face appeared on the screen. It was the D.A. Simon Wallbergh. Sidney had met him various times at a party, and he seemed to be a nice man; he was also said to be having an affair with Marisa. "Marisa was a wonderful woman, and she will definitely be missed. She was a hard and dedicated person, and my regrets go out to her friends and family."
Wallbergh's eyes were red, and he apparently had been mourning over Ms. de Marco.
The lady anchorwoman's face appeared on the screen as she concluded the story. "A memorial service will be held Tuesday at the Church of Saint Mary and Simon by her friends and family."
Sidney turned off the t.v. and lay back on the sofa. "Andy is coming over tonight.. I hope thats ok."
"Its fine, Lil." Lillith returned with two beers and handed one to Sidney. "Try not to let this get to you. It will be fine. Hey, Andy won't be here for another three hours. He has to work late at the shop. Wanna go out dancing?"
Lily's friend Andy worked at a Pizza Parlour on East 29th and usually didnt get off until late at night. Sidney concluded that he would be spending the night.
"Hmm..."
"Oh, come on Sid! It'll be fun!!" Lily grabbed her friends hand and pulled her to her feet.
"Ok, but.. I need to freshen up."
"Aight, girl."
And, five minutes later, the two women were freshened up and hailing a taxi, and on their way to paint the town red.
*************
Gale Weathers rolled over in bed and put her arm across her sleeping husband's chest. She couldn't sleep tonight. She had been taking sleeping pills, but they didnt seem be working very well.
Gale slid out of bed and put on her slippers and her robe and walked into her kitchen, where she had a cup of coffee and turned on their widescreen t.v.
There was nothing on, except the trash late-night talk shows. And, a woman gets tired of hearing whitetrash audiences yell "Jerry, Jerry, Jerry" at the top of their lungs. She clicked the show off and went into the adjacent room, next to the one where she had been sleeping.
She peeked into the crib and saw that her pride and joy lay cooing and playing with the stuffed animals suspended above her.
"Well hello there, Tatem! How's mommy's little angel?"
She giggled as Gale picked her up and sat in the rocking chair with her baby. She rocked her until she was sure that her baby was fast asleep, then lowered her back into the crib.
"Goodnight, my angel." She rubbed her cheek as she exited the room, then headed to the room at the end of the hall. This room was decorated with posters of Barnie and another wall-length poster with Big Bird saying "Look how tall I've gotten!" with various inch slashes on it. Seeing that poster always brought tears to her eyes at seeing how her other little baby was growing.
She looked up into the top bunk of the wooden bunk-bed her son, Jamie, lay sleeping in. He was four, and a "big boy" as he said. She smiled as she saw him sucking his thumb, reassuring her that he was still her "baby."
A hand landed on Gale's shoulder, causing her to turn and gasp. "Oh, Dewey, you scared me."
Dewey stood clad in his sleeping shorts and sweatshirt and barefoot, with his hand on his wife's shoulder. "What are you doing up, honey?"
"I couldn't sleep, thats all."
"Well, maybe your working too hard down at the t.v. station. Come on, lets go to bed." Dewey took his wife's hand and led her into the room, where she closed the door behind them.