I slept through that night and all the way through the afternoon the next
morning. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a pair of red
flashing lights screaming '12:15' at me. An alarm clock.
Wait a minute.
I sat up, ignoring my aching sides, and looked around me.
I was in Karl's bedroom.
Confused, I slipped on a bathrobe that was lying in a crumpled heap on the floor, and padded barefoot into the living room, where I found Karl resting on the couch.
He must have sense my presence, because his eyes snapped open when I walked in.
"Morning." He said, stretching his arms out in front of him. "I thought you'd never wake up."
Still confused, I asked carefully, "Karl.did we.?"
"Did we what?"
"Well.I woke up in your bedroom."
Karl laughed. "God no, Mimi! When I found you asleep here I figured you'd be more comfortable sleeping in a bed, so I brought you into my room, that's all."
His eyes shone with laughter.
"What'd you think? We did it?"
"Well.what was I supposed to think?"
"Okay, I see your point,' he giggled, and settled down. "You hungry?"
I shook my head, no.
"Alright umm.wanna go outside for a bit? I've been waiting for you to get up all day."
"You could have just left me up here," I protested, "I would have been fine."
"Nah, I can't leave a strange woman alone in a strange apartment, now, can I?" he joked. "C'mon, get dressed. You look like you could use a bit of fresh air."
Fresh air wasn't exactly what I needed. But I didn't tell Karl that.
A few moments later, after having bundled myself up in both some of Karl's old clothes and the ones the man in the park had given me, Karl and I sat in central park, watching a group of pigeons peck at a bread crust someone had thrown at them.
Karl had bought me a cup of coffee. I held it tightly in my hands. I didn't drink any of it, I just liked to feel the warmth of it.
For a while we just sat, taking small sips of coffee and staring blankly at the pigeons, neither one of us saying anything.
Finally, I broke the ice.
"Roger must be really worried about me," I said, almost hopefully. I knew in truth that Roger could be in Santa Fe right now, not even giving a thought to my well being.
"Maybe,' Karl said. He was quiet for a moment. "I wish me and Sharon were close like you and your boyfriend are. Most of the conversations we have only involve her, what she needs, what she wants." He paused and stared ahead, obliviously.
"She's going out with my brother now."
"You're BROTHER?" I exclaimed, more surprised by the fact that he had a brother than by the fact that he was sleeping with his girlfriend. It didn't startle me that much. At the Cat Scratch, we had brother and sister couples coming in together. It was nothing new.
"Yeah," he said, miserably. "Somehow he managed to get a job other than being a waiter. He's studying to be a doctor, like my mom."
More silence.
"I haven't seen my mom in five years," I said quietly. "I tried calling her once, but they'd moved, and the people who owned the apartment didn't know their new location."
"I'm sorry," Karl said softly, and he really did look sorry.
"It's not like I was ever really close to either of my parents," I continued, "My real Dad died when I was a kid. My stepfather, Joel, married my mom when I was ten. God, I HATE him." I fumbled my fingers around inside my sleeves, fidgeting nervously.
"When my mom wasn't around, he used to treat me and my sister like shit. He was never violent towards her, though. Only towards me. And that's when neither my mom or sister were around."
"Were you and your sister close?"
"Me and Isabella? Yeah, people mistook us for twins sometimes," I said, smiling at the memory. "Even though she was five years older."
Isabella had just turned twenty-five, wherever she was. Just two years older than Roger.
"Why did you leave?" he asked.
"How'd you know I left?" I said, suspiciously.
"You told me you first got work when you were fifteen. Most girls wouldn't need to be working in a place like that, unless they were desperate."
I cringed at the words, 'A place like that.' Karl saw the look.
"I'm sorry, Mimi, I didn't mean it like that-"
"No, you're right," I said simply, "No NORMAL girl were ever work as a stripper, right?"
"I'm sorry," he said quietly, in an almost pathetic tone of voice.
I sighed, and placed my chin in my hands. Suddenly, I felt really tired and weak.
"Look, forget it okay? Can we go back up to your apartment? I'm really tired."
Karl gave me a weird look. "Mimi, you slept all night last night and all through the afternoon, practically. Are you sure that guy didn't do any damage besides bruising you up?"
"No.I've just been sick lately. Well, it wasn't a total lie.
"I just really wanna lie down for a while."
"Fine." He tossed his empty coffee cup into a nearby trashcan. He slipped his hand in mine, and I wondered if it was a friendly or loving gesture. I was too exhausted to think about it at the moment. Trailing behind him, I went with back inside the store; I walked quickly, still worried that Kip might have come back.
When we got to his apartment, I walked right passed him, and practically collapsed onto the sofa.
Karl stood over me, looking worried.
"You're really not fine, are you?" he said.
Wait a minute.
I sat up, ignoring my aching sides, and looked around me.
I was in Karl's bedroom.
Confused, I slipped on a bathrobe that was lying in a crumpled heap on the floor, and padded barefoot into the living room, where I found Karl resting on the couch.
He must have sense my presence, because his eyes snapped open when I walked in.
"Morning." He said, stretching his arms out in front of him. "I thought you'd never wake up."
Still confused, I asked carefully, "Karl.did we.?"
"Did we what?"
"Well.I woke up in your bedroom."
Karl laughed. "God no, Mimi! When I found you asleep here I figured you'd be more comfortable sleeping in a bed, so I brought you into my room, that's all."
His eyes shone with laughter.
"What'd you think? We did it?"
"Well.what was I supposed to think?"
"Okay, I see your point,' he giggled, and settled down. "You hungry?"
I shook my head, no.
"Alright umm.wanna go outside for a bit? I've been waiting for you to get up all day."
"You could have just left me up here," I protested, "I would have been fine."
"Nah, I can't leave a strange woman alone in a strange apartment, now, can I?" he joked. "C'mon, get dressed. You look like you could use a bit of fresh air."
Fresh air wasn't exactly what I needed. But I didn't tell Karl that.
A few moments later, after having bundled myself up in both some of Karl's old clothes and the ones the man in the park had given me, Karl and I sat in central park, watching a group of pigeons peck at a bread crust someone had thrown at them.
Karl had bought me a cup of coffee. I held it tightly in my hands. I didn't drink any of it, I just liked to feel the warmth of it.
For a while we just sat, taking small sips of coffee and staring blankly at the pigeons, neither one of us saying anything.
Finally, I broke the ice.
"Roger must be really worried about me," I said, almost hopefully. I knew in truth that Roger could be in Santa Fe right now, not even giving a thought to my well being.
"Maybe,' Karl said. He was quiet for a moment. "I wish me and Sharon were close like you and your boyfriend are. Most of the conversations we have only involve her, what she needs, what she wants." He paused and stared ahead, obliviously.
"She's going out with my brother now."
"You're BROTHER?" I exclaimed, more surprised by the fact that he had a brother than by the fact that he was sleeping with his girlfriend. It didn't startle me that much. At the Cat Scratch, we had brother and sister couples coming in together. It was nothing new.
"Yeah," he said, miserably. "Somehow he managed to get a job other than being a waiter. He's studying to be a doctor, like my mom."
More silence.
"I haven't seen my mom in five years," I said quietly. "I tried calling her once, but they'd moved, and the people who owned the apartment didn't know their new location."
"I'm sorry," Karl said softly, and he really did look sorry.
"It's not like I was ever really close to either of my parents," I continued, "My real Dad died when I was a kid. My stepfather, Joel, married my mom when I was ten. God, I HATE him." I fumbled my fingers around inside my sleeves, fidgeting nervously.
"When my mom wasn't around, he used to treat me and my sister like shit. He was never violent towards her, though. Only towards me. And that's when neither my mom or sister were around."
"Were you and your sister close?"
"Me and Isabella? Yeah, people mistook us for twins sometimes," I said, smiling at the memory. "Even though she was five years older."
Isabella had just turned twenty-five, wherever she was. Just two years older than Roger.
"Why did you leave?" he asked.
"How'd you know I left?" I said, suspiciously.
"You told me you first got work when you were fifteen. Most girls wouldn't need to be working in a place like that, unless they were desperate."
I cringed at the words, 'A place like that.' Karl saw the look.
"I'm sorry, Mimi, I didn't mean it like that-"
"No, you're right," I said simply, "No NORMAL girl were ever work as a stripper, right?"
"I'm sorry," he said quietly, in an almost pathetic tone of voice.
I sighed, and placed my chin in my hands. Suddenly, I felt really tired and weak.
"Look, forget it okay? Can we go back up to your apartment? I'm really tired."
Karl gave me a weird look. "Mimi, you slept all night last night and all through the afternoon, practically. Are you sure that guy didn't do any damage besides bruising you up?"
"No.I've just been sick lately. Well, it wasn't a total lie.
"I just really wanna lie down for a while."
"Fine." He tossed his empty coffee cup into a nearby trashcan. He slipped his hand in mine, and I wondered if it was a friendly or loving gesture. I was too exhausted to think about it at the moment. Trailing behind him, I went with back inside the store; I walked quickly, still worried that Kip might have come back.
When we got to his apartment, I walked right passed him, and practically collapsed onto the sofa.
Karl stood over me, looking worried.
"You're really not fine, are you?" he said.
