Chapter 3
Later that evening Sharona stood at her bathroom mirror brushing out her long blond curls. She stared at her face as she removed her makeup and frowned. "Sure, with the makeup and the pushup bra I can still pass for twenty five. Yea. Right. I can still kid myself and maybe a date for a while. The right man is out there somewhere." She pulled off her clothes and slipped into the tub of hot water. " It's not just the bet either.". The dream was slipping further away. She wasn't sure anymore whose dream it really was. Mom had always told her and Gail their entire lives that someday the perfect man would come along . he would be good looking and have money. There would be a big house, a nice car, and everything would be wonderful. Sharona sighed. . The dream may never happen. In ten years Benjy would be grown and gone and she would be alone. Suddenly there was a pounding at the door that jerked her back to reality. "Mom- hey mom" Benjy yelled through the bathroom door
."Benjy! God kid what is it? " I just remembered. I said you'd bake cookies for the end of school party tomorrow. I need a least three dozen." Sharona steeped out of the tub and reached for the towel. "How long have you known about this? She yelled back as she slipped into her sweats. "Couple weeks I guess. Sorry I forgot mom.'" "It's okay. But you've got to help me with them she smiled to her son as they walked into the kitchen. In the meantime in another apartment not far away Adrian Monk had just finished his shower. He buttened his pajamas, neatly folded his laundry and put it in the hamper.As he scrubbed the bathtub he began thinking of list of things to do tomorrow. Buy more Lysol. Pick up his new shirts {they were a special order] and take them to the cleaners Get the CD player fixed. One of his CD's skipped last night. Maybe Sharona could come by early . He dried the tub and went into the kitchen to fix some tea.. Adrian remembered when they first met. He hadn't left his apartment in months. Most of the people who had promised at the funeral to help if he ever needed anything had stopped coming by or calling. He spent more and more of his time sitting in his chair staring out the window. That morning when Captain Stottelmeyer stopped by on his way to work he wasn't alone. A pretty blonds woman in a tight nurse's uniform was with him. "Monk" the captain announced. " This is Ms. Fleming.She's going to be helping you out for awhile. I gotta go . I've got a new detective reporting in this morning. Deacon or Disher or Disher or something like that. '. Stottlemeyer hurried back to his car . The nurse smiled and came in to the apartment. "Hi" She smiled. "You can call me Sharona. She stepped towards him and shook his hand. Adrian screamed and ran down the hall to the bathroom, locking himself in. Two hours when he finally emerged. She was still there. And surprisingly the next day she came back. No matter what she always came back.. He could always depend on that.. She was his friend and his assistant. However, Trudy had been his wife and marriage is forever.
Around dawn when Adrian was half asleep or so he thought he dreamed of Trudy. He dreamt of her often but this time it seemed different. She seemed more solid, more real than before . She also seemed to have a sadness about her he had never seen before. "Adrian' she said calmly."You've got to let me go now. I can"t move on until you let me. I can't stay here with you forever.Adrian opened his eyes, looked towards her and spoke. "But you can't just leave. I'll be alone. Then what will happen to me?" 'But you're not alone.There is someone who cares about you even if she has time admitting it sometimes. Don't worry. We'll see each other again someday. Goodbye. Adrian ', she whispered as she faded away.
In the mean time in another apartment Sharona Fleming woke up startled. In a dream a blond women she only recognized from her pictures and suddenly appeared beside her bed.. Bending over, she whispered. "Please take care of my Adrian. I'm counting on you.. Then she disappeared again. Sharona got up, went to the kitchen, and put on a pot of coffee. As she sat at the table munching one of the cookies she and Benjy had baked last night. She wondered what the dream had meant. Maybe it wasn't her fate to meet and marry the perfect guy. Maybe would someday and maybe she would'. In the meantime she had her son . And she had Adrian. And maybe for now that might just be enough. Your children are yours forever, and sometimes your friends are forever. And sometimes friendship can lead to something more.
Later that evening Sharona stood at her bathroom mirror brushing out her long blond curls. She stared at her face as she removed her makeup and frowned. "Sure, with the makeup and the pushup bra I can still pass for twenty five. Yea. Right. I can still kid myself and maybe a date for a while. The right man is out there somewhere." She pulled off her clothes and slipped into the tub of hot water. " It's not just the bet either.". The dream was slipping further away. She wasn't sure anymore whose dream it really was. Mom had always told her and Gail their entire lives that someday the perfect man would come along . he would be good looking and have money. There would be a big house, a nice car, and everything would be wonderful. Sharona sighed. . The dream may never happen. In ten years Benjy would be grown and gone and she would be alone. Suddenly there was a pounding at the door that jerked her back to reality. "Mom- hey mom" Benjy yelled through the bathroom door
."Benjy! God kid what is it? " I just remembered. I said you'd bake cookies for the end of school party tomorrow. I need a least three dozen." Sharona steeped out of the tub and reached for the towel. "How long have you known about this? She yelled back as she slipped into her sweats. "Couple weeks I guess. Sorry I forgot mom.'" "It's okay. But you've got to help me with them she smiled to her son as they walked into the kitchen. In the meantime in another apartment not far away Adrian Monk had just finished his shower. He buttened his pajamas, neatly folded his laundry and put it in the hamper.As he scrubbed the bathtub he began thinking of list of things to do tomorrow. Buy more Lysol. Pick up his new shirts {they were a special order] and take them to the cleaners Get the CD player fixed. One of his CD's skipped last night. Maybe Sharona could come by early . He dried the tub and went into the kitchen to fix some tea.. Adrian remembered when they first met. He hadn't left his apartment in months. Most of the people who had promised at the funeral to help if he ever needed anything had stopped coming by or calling. He spent more and more of his time sitting in his chair staring out the window. That morning when Captain Stottelmeyer stopped by on his way to work he wasn't alone. A pretty blonds woman in a tight nurse's uniform was with him. "Monk" the captain announced. " This is Ms. Fleming.She's going to be helping you out for awhile. I gotta go . I've got a new detective reporting in this morning. Deacon or Disher or Disher or something like that. '. Stottlemeyer hurried back to his car . The nurse smiled and came in to the apartment. "Hi" She smiled. "You can call me Sharona. She stepped towards him and shook his hand. Adrian screamed and ran down the hall to the bathroom, locking himself in. Two hours when he finally emerged. She was still there. And surprisingly the next day she came back. No matter what she always came back.. He could always depend on that.. She was his friend and his assistant. However, Trudy had been his wife and marriage is forever.
Around dawn when Adrian was half asleep or so he thought he dreamed of Trudy. He dreamt of her often but this time it seemed different. She seemed more solid, more real than before . She also seemed to have a sadness about her he had never seen before. "Adrian' she said calmly."You've got to let me go now. I can"t move on until you let me. I can't stay here with you forever.Adrian opened his eyes, looked towards her and spoke. "But you can't just leave. I'll be alone. Then what will happen to me?" 'But you're not alone.There is someone who cares about you even if she has time admitting it sometimes. Don't worry. We'll see each other again someday. Goodbye. Adrian ', she whispered as she faded away.
In the mean time in another apartment Sharona Fleming woke up startled. In a dream a blond women she only recognized from her pictures and suddenly appeared beside her bed.. Bending over, she whispered. "Please take care of my Adrian. I'm counting on you.. Then she disappeared again. Sharona got up, went to the kitchen, and put on a pot of coffee. As she sat at the table munching one of the cookies she and Benjy had baked last night. She wondered what the dream had meant. Maybe it wasn't her fate to meet and marry the perfect guy. Maybe would someday and maybe she would'. In the meantime she had her son . And she had Adrian. And maybe for now that might just be enough. Your children are yours forever, and sometimes your friends are forever. And sometimes friendship can lead to something more.