9. Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

The morning silence of the apartment was broken by the electronic scream of the phone. William shocked out of his sleep, nearly falling off of the couch, and made his way to the wall next to the kitchen to pick it up.

"Hello?" he said, still not fully functional, his arm on the wall, his head against it. He glanced at the clock on the stove. 9:10 AM.

"Wiliam Hodge, please."

"This is."

"William, this is David Morris at Meridian. How are you? Did I wake you?"

William didn't recognize the voice, but had heard the name in the office. David had been in the Sales department, and was one of the better agents. Many of the claims and new policies to be processed into the system had David as the contact agent. "Nnno," he slurred. "I had to get up to answer the phone anyway."

"William, I called to tell you that I've been appointed the new head of Claims and Reconciliation. I know how Marcy Alvarez ran the department as a tight ship, and I want to do everything I can to continue that. She had told me at the party that she worked the closest with you."

Apparently not close enough, thought William. Not close enough for Marcy to remember to make sure he had an invitation to her party. "Yes, that's true." he replied. "Congratulations."

"Thanks. Marcy had briefed me on the procedures of the department, and I'm sure the workers will be okay on their own until I get up to speed. She told me that you worked as a sort of liason in addition to your regular duties. I could sure use someone like that to help me with the initial workload until things are settled, and to let me know about any nuances that keep the department running as well as it has up to now. We're going to have a short 'get to know me' session about 8:30. If you could stop by my office after that, we'll set up a time during the week to sit down and discuss this in more detail."

"Sounds good to me."

"All right William," said David. "I'm looking forward to meeting you tomorrow, and working with you in the future. I'll let you go now though. You sound like you're dragging a bit."

"It's been a long weekend," William said, telling the absolute truth.

"Okay," chuckled David. "Nothing too rough, I hope. I missed you at the party on Friday night. We could have met then, but it'll keep until tomorrow. Rest well, William." click.

Grrr.

William hung up the phone, slipped his glasses up onto his forehead so he could wipe the sleep from his eyes, and headed for the bathroom for a shower and shave. He didn't get to the store yesterday for his weekly grocery trip. In fact, he hadn't gotten much of anything done this weekend, having slept 27 of the last 39 hours. William didn't look that good, having not showered or shaved since Thursday morning. It was nearly appropriate, given his mood over the last few days - and the way he felt since meeting Angelica - but he had to get back into "work mode," and make a good impression on his new supervisor. He hoped that David was someone he could mesh with quickly, and keep the flow of his job as steady as when Marcy was there. He gave another thought to calling his doctor tomorrow.

When he came out, he went to his bedroom for fresh clothes. He changed into a dark blue t-shirt and some jeans. He stood to buckle his belt, then walked to the dresser for a brush, swinging the door closed to use the mirror.

"Take a full-length mirror into a quiet room."

William had brushed his hair for about 10 seconds before he realized he was standing before the full-length mirror on the back of his now-closed bedroom door. He studied his appearance for a moment, looking himself over from head to toe. Then he studied the mirror itself. William noticed that the bottom of the mirror was at least a foot from the bottom of the door. Unless he were standing very close to the mirror, he thought, he wouldn't be able to see the reflection of anything he put on the floor in front of it--

The uneasiness in his stomach made itself known again at that thought. "What hath Angelica wrought?" he said, rubbing his stomach. He tried to dismiss it again as morning hunger, making a couple pieces of toast and setting off for the corner grocery about 10:30. He was a good hour in the store, spending extra time to restock his toiletries, and mulling over the pharmacy shelves for something to soothe his stomach. Wiliam borrowed a cart from the store, as he had five sacks to carry. He set the sacks on the floor of his kitchen and went to return the cart. It was after noon when he got back.

William sorted the groceries and put them away. There was a sale on eggs. He picked up the toiletries he had bought - shaving cream, disposable razors, toilet paper and hair gel, and headed for the closet in the bathroom. Once that was done, he did a little cleaning in the bathroom, paying special attention to the shower and the glass items - the window and the mirror.

In fact, William set about cleaning everything made of glass in his apartment. His TV...the doors to his stereo cabinet...even the lens of the peephole on his front door. He cleaned every window in his apartment until they almost appeared as if they weren't there. He then went to work on the mirror on his bedroom door, starting first with vinegar and a razor blade, scraping even the smallest specks from next to the frame. He had spent over an hour cleaning the mirror, stopping once as the scream of sirens raced past his apartment building.

William then went to the hall closet and got the vacuum cleaner. He cleaned under and around the furniture, making special effort on the floor in front of the couch - and the couch itself. It was as if he was trying to cleanse this weekend away.

William wiped his brow and looked at the clock on his stereo. 5:13 PM. Now he knew that the uneasiness in his stomach was from hunger. He put away the vacuum cleaner and went into the kitchen, preparing pasta with white sauce he had picked out at the store, and some broccoli. He mixed a can of mushrooms into the pasta, fixed a plate, and sat at the small half-wall breakfast nook to eat. William ate each bite thoughtfully, trying to focus on his meeting with David Morris. He slid a notepad over while he ate, and jotted a few notes on what he wanted to discuss with David. He didn't want to leave out any of the nuances of the schedule he and Marcy used to maximize the department's efficiency.

William finished dinner and did the dishes, putting the leftovers into bowls and into the fridge. He walked into the living room and sat on the couch, noting the time again. 7:02 PM. He had missed that night's episode of Kim Possible. He checked the online cable guide. It was "Crush" - the very first episode of the series, in which Kim tries to stop Dr. Drakken, who had stolen an automated assembly line and turned it into a giant robot. William had this episode on tape, and had watched it several times.

He turned to a local channel to catch up on the news.

:::--afternoon. Witnesses say the driver lost control of his vehicle and skidded up onto the sidewalk hitting three people, killing one and critically injuring another. The third was treated and released. Police have confirmed that the driver was under the influence of alcohol, registering 1.6 on a breathalyzer test. We really don't have any other details at this time. Michael?:::

That must have been the sirens, William thought, yawning. Tired? After all the sleep this weekend? Well, it was a productive day, he thought. Maybe just a little nap. He settled back onto the couch...and fell asleep. It was 7:14 PM.

William stirred awake slowly. He stretched, and thought about going to bed for real, as tomorrow would most likely be a full day, demanding more attention than usual. He picked up the remote to turn off the TV:

:::--has been charged with driving under the influence, and one count of motor vehicle homocide. Police have identified the person killed in the accident as 43-year old Angelica Guardia, of 1452 Dorchester Lane. The critically injured victim is 29-year old Bob Douglas, of 5681 Mason Street. The person who was treated and released has asked to re--:::

Angelica.

William brought his thumb down hard on the "off" button, leaving it there for a few seconds and lifting it slowly. He kept staring at the dark screen, trying to digest what he had heard. He suddenly felt a little empty. The strange little woman whom he had only met twice, yet seemingly knew much about him - was gone. The woman who had turned the last few days of his life into a whirlwind of events without explanation - was gone. The woman of such vibrant expression...of such mystery--

William looked over at the items on the table...the box...the candle...the scroll...and The Rules. A wish for him from a woman of pomp and dramatics - what could be thought of now as a dying wish from that woman.

William sat for another moment, staring at the items...then gathered them up - turned off the light in the living room and kitchen - and headed for his bedroom to look in his desk for a screwdriver.

The time was 11:22 PM.

to be continued...