Disclaimer: The Loud House and associated characters belong to Nickelodeon and Chris Savino.
STALKED
By Lola Presents
Chapter 3
Lola's heart raced, and she kept looking back every few minutes, even though she knew there was no way for the man to keep up with a moving vehicle. She didn't begin to relax until several blocks later, when she let out her anxiety in one giant breath while stopping at an intersection. Her nerves had calmed upon reaching home, though her adrenalin levels were still high.
She nearly ran to her house and locked the door behind her, then leaned against it, catching her breath. It was bad enough to be plagued with the occasional night terror stemming from her childhood, but to live through it is another matter.
Lola recalled her mother warning her about strangers, especially the older men who hung around the pageants, and that fear nestled itself into her brain long ago. While she had been more easily distracted in her youth, her fears escalated as she settled into a normative life.
Once her breathing regulated, she cautiously wandered into the kitchen and decided to have lunch., half expecting someone to jump at her from around the corner. None did, and Lola had to chuckle at paranoia. Sometimes, the best medicine is laughter, after all.
Opening the refrigerator door, she examined the contents and grimaced. There wasn't much available, so she settled on a tossed salad topped with grilled chicken strips. Taking the Tupperware container from the fridge, she turned to place it on the counter when someone knocked heavily on the front door.
The noise shook Lola to her core, and she froze in terror as the plastic bowl fell to the floor and rolled around, its circular motion gradually increasing in speed as it came to a stop. Soon, there was another knock as Lola slowly regained her composure and took a hesitant step forward.
All Lola could see through the vertical frosted windows that ran along either side of their door was the blurry shadow of a man, and she stopped halfway to the door, fear pulsing in her veins. Suddenly, her phone rang, and she scrambled, retrieving it from her pocket.
"H-hello," she whispered into her phone after accepting the call.
"Mrs. Chesterfield?" a man presumed. "This is Doug, with Global Security. We have a work order to install a system at this address. Have we gotten the wrong information?"
"Oh! No," Lola sighed with great relief. "I'm sorry, I'm unlocking the door now."
Before doing so, she stepped into the living room and double-checked the street. Indeed, there was a marked work vehicle sitting beside the curb. She then made her way back to the front door and unlocked it.
"You'll have to excuse me," Lola told the man. "Things have been a bit tense around here lately, and you spooked me."
"Quite understandable," Doug replied. "We get a lot of that. Nobody thinks about getting a security system until they need one. Now, if you can show me where your panel box is, I can get started."
"Sure, right this way," Lola said and escorted the man to the small hallway connecting the garage to the rest of the house. "It's right here, in the utility closet. Let me know if you need anything. I'll be in the living room, watching the news."
"Very well, ma'am," replied the man as he adjusted his tool belt, preparing himself for work.
Lola wandered into the living room rather listlessly and sat on their couch, then grabbed the remote from the brass and glass end table and turned on the television. She flipped the channels until she located the mid-day news, hoping at least one story would involve a homeless man. If she were lucky, she might be able to identify the person stalking her.
Over time, the Global Security installer made his way from room to room, putting detectors on every window, first and second floor, door alarms, and motion sensors in the hallways. Eventually, it neared when Winston arrived home from work, and Lola set about putting together a meal for him.
Rummaging through the icebox, she found a pack of pork chops. She set it on the counter and moved to the cupboard, where she located some sides. In this case, baked beans and some rolls. It wasn't a grand dinner, but her nerves were still on edge, and she decided to use her ordeal as an excuse for not having fixed anything more.
"I'm sorry this is taking so long, ma'am," offered Doug as he strolled through the kitchen to secure the back door control pad. "I usually have an assistant with me, but he's out today."
"Oh, it's fine," sighed Lola. "I'm only getting dinner ready for my husband. He should be here soon and will probably want to talk with you anyway."
"That works for me," responded the installer as he continued his work.
Just as Lola had set the table and put everything out on display, Winston walked through the door. "Ah, I see they made it," he said, shedding his boots by the door. "And, something smells good."
"Hi, honey," chirped Lola, taking his stained coat and hanging it up one of a small row of pegs mounted by the door. "Did you have a good day at work?"
Winston chuckled. "You always ask that, even when the answer is the same every time. It was cold and strenuous. But, if you count that as fun, then yeah."
"Oh, you!" laughed Lola, swatting him with one hand. "The installer is in the kitchen if you want to talk to him before eating."
"Thanks," he said, heading to the mixed kitchen and dining room. "So, how goes things?" he asked the man as he sat down at the small circular table.
"Oh, not bad," the installed replied. "You?"
"I can't complain," Winston told him. "It's money in the pocket, you know?"
"I do, at that," Doug answered. "I'm just about done here. Do you want me to go over anything or leave the manual?"
"Oh, you can set it on the counter," Winston told him. "I'll review it later and call you if I have any questions, alright?"
'That'll do. It's fairly straightforward anyway," Doug said, setting the manual and paperwork down. "Well, I guess I'm off. Nice meeting you folks!"
"Same here," replied Winston. "Take care."
Winston dove into his meal, waiting until the man left before speaking again. "So, what's the news?"
Sighing as she took her seat, Lola glanced over at him, blushing slightly. "I'm pregnant," she said, wanting to get things over.
"I see," responded Winston. "Any idea on its gender?"
"What?" Lola laughed. "No, it's way too early for that."
"Ah, my bad," said her husband. "So, how was your day?"
"Exciting, to say the least," Lola informed him. "I saw that man again as I left the clinic. He scared me half to death. When he saw me, he started coming at me, but luckily, I was able to get to the car and away fast enough."
"What a bastard..." sighed Winston. "Aren't you glad I got the alarms now? What if he'd gotten hold of you? Listen, I think it's probably a good idea for you to stay home until this is all settled, alright?"
"But, Winston," pleaded Lola. "I can't stay cooped up in here twenty-four-seven. That would drive me insane."
"Would you rather be insane and alive or sane but dead?" Winston asked her, taking another bite of his pork chop, then looking around the table.
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Lola apologized. "I would've fixed more, but having the shit scared out of me, followed by the security system installer's arrival, I was running on empty."
"Hm, that's okay, hun," assured Winston.
Sometimes Winston was hard to read and seldom let his guard down. Yet, Lola could see the disappointment in his face. Lola typically went all out for him and understood how worn and sore he was after a day's work.
"I can make something else," Lola offered.
"No, this is great," Winston assured her again. "If I get hungry later, I'll eat some of the chicken parmesan from last night."
Lola stared at her food, untouched. She felt horrible, especially knowing how much he looked forward to an excellent homecooked meal every night. Then again, he could've been a little more sympathetic and supportive of her ordeal at the clinic. Finally, she began eating, intending to take a hot bubble bath once Winston had cleaned up.
"I love you," she said, testing the waters.
Winston looked up and furrowed his brows. "I love you, too, baby," he replied. "Is something wrong?"
"No," said Lola, appearing to cheer up, smiling at him. "It's been a long day, that's all."
Winston nodded and went back to his meal while Lola fiddled with hers. Eventually finishing, Winston excused himself, kissed Lola on the head, and went upstairs to take a warm shower, leaving Lola to her thoughts.
"Par for the course these days," Lola thought as she bit into her roll.
Winston was a good man, but recently, he'd been more than a bit withdrawn. Maybe it was the stress of work, though it still made Lola antsy. He'd only seemed talkative when it came to the alarm installation. He'd not once acknowledged or congratulated her on being pregnant or shown the slightest worry over the man who accosted her.
As Lola finished her dinner, her mood became more distant and self-destructive. Her thoughts turned from inward doubts to external. Winston's behavior wasn't new, however. His entire demeanor had changed over the past several months, and it worried Lola.
No single thing stood out, more so than any other. However, Lola couldn't help but feel that something was off. But just as she began entertaining such thoughts, Winston called, indicating the restroom's vacancy. Then, grabbing the manual, Lola sluggishly wandered to the bathroom. After all, if she were going to spend half her day home alone, protected only by an electronic shield, she'd better be able to know how to use it.
After bringing the water to her desired temperature and pouring in some bubble liquid, she sat on the toilet seat, waiting for the tub to fill as she perused the manual. She put the manual down when the bath was ready, not wanting to get it wet, and settled into the warm water. Then, with everything that had happened lately, she began to cry.
Perhaps hormones drove her tears, or maybe, it was something else. She felt like shit, and Lola could do anything but stave off the flow in either case. Lola had always been strong, even though the roughest of times, and prided herself on being a strong woman. Yet, she broke as quickly as a cookie in a toddler's hands.
When they were dating as teens, Lola and Winston used to talk, planning their lives out, down to the smallest of details. They decided what kind of house to live in and how many kids to have. They discussed who would do what, and most of all, how much fun they'd have as they embarked on the most extraordinary journey of all; marriage.
So, why did it seems as if everything were falling apart? Lola felt cooped up and useless while Winston provided for them. And, now that Lola was with-child, Winston seemed uninterested at best. Then there was his seeming ambivalence toward her encounters with the stranger. Beyond deciding, without much discussion, that a security system was in order, he'd hardly reacted.
Then, for a moment, she wondered if Winston were having an affair. Lola would never have imagined it under normal circumstances. However, with Winston's recent dissociative behavior, the alarms, and the stranger, it made some form of awkward sense to her that he might want to keep her homebound and watched.
Nonetheless, it didn't explain why the odd man sought to contact her, which brought her to square one, which gave her little comfort. Maybe it was time to reach out to her mother once more. It had been a while since they'd talked regardless. Hearing her mother's voice might be what she needed. With her bath finished, she decided to make the call tomorrow after Winston had left for work, dried herself off, and got ready for bed.
After punching the activation code into the alarm and waiting for the perimeter check success indicator to light up, she lumbered off to bed. However, it took her some time to fall asleep. Winston's low, steady snoring didn't help much, but at least it was rhythmic. Eventually, though, she gave in to sleep, primarily from exhaustion, both mental and physical.
Mercifully, no night terrors came for her that night, and when Lola awoke the following day, she felt refreshed, almost forgetting about her worries the night before. However, she did remember her intent to call her mother. After preparing Winston's breakfast and lunch, as usual, Lola armed the alarm and took a seat in the plush black recliner, browsing whatever happened to be on television at the moment. Finding nothing interesting, she picked up her phone and pressed "Call" by her mother's name.
"Lola!" chirped Rita Loud. "It's nice to hear from you. How have you been doing?"
"Honestly," sighed Lola. "I could be better, Mom. But first, some good news. I'm pregnant!"
"Oh, my!" declared Rita. "Congratulation, honey! I can't believe it. It seems like you were prancing around the house in your princess dress only yesterday. Now, look at you. All grown up and having kids of your own. How did Winston take the news?"
"That's part of why I called you," Lola confided in her mother. "A lot has been going on..."
For the next several minutes, Lola caught her mother up on everything that had been going on, including Winston's recent departure from intimacy. It was challenging to recount everything, but Lola knew she wouldn't be able to handle things alone. At least with her mother's aid, maybe she stood a chance.
"Honey," Rita began. "I wouldn't put too much thought into things. Men tend to withdraw when they feel threatened or things are about to change. They don't seem to handle change too well, nor do they talk about their feelings much. I admit, though, I got lucky with your father, but most men are rather reserved."
"I see," Lola replied, a slight sniffle in her voice. "I love you, Mom. Thanks for talking with me. I swear, sometimes I feel so alone."
"No problem, honey," her mother replied. "It's all in a day's work as a parent; something you should learn. Your child is going to need you at the most inopportune times, and you have to see to them."
"Yeah, I know, Mom," sighed Lola. "It would be nice if Winston was there for them too, though."
"He will, baby," Rita responded. "Give him some time. He'll warm up to the idea, especially after meeting them."
"I guess," sighed Lola. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm exhausted and more than a little on edge, as you might guess. This whole stalker business has me worried."
"Please, honey, don't be," answered her mother. "It sounds like Winston has you well protected. Besides, any trip of the alarm will notify the police. You'll be fine. However, if you wish, I could come to visit occasionally. At least, that way, there will be two of us present."
"I'd love that," responded Lola gleefully. "I haven't seen you in forever."
"Nonsense," chirped Rita. "It's only been a couple of weeks. Don't you remember? We had the girl's day out a while back?"
"Oh, yeah. It seems longer than that," replied Lola. "Well, anyway. Thanks for your time, but I have chores to do, and I don't want to exacerbate Winston's retreat by not doing them. I'll talk to you later, Mom. Bye."
"Bye, baby," Rita responded. "I love you, and give the baby a kiss for me!"
"I will. Later, Mom," Lola acknowledged before hanging up.
The call ended with a simple click, and Lola was alone once more. Pondering what to do, she rose and began pacing the house, finding herself in a loop, traversing a path between the front door security panel and the back. Paranoia began setting in, and Lola started to panic.
"Calm down, Lola," she told herself. "The alarm is on, and there's nobody here but you."
"That's the problem," she told herself. "There's nobody here but me."
A glance at the clock, hanging on the living room wall, told her the time was now noon as if the rumbling in her stomach wasn't an indicator. Getting up, she went to the kitchen, looking for something to eat. Of course, there was the leftover parmesan, but she couldn't. Winston had claimed that.
Sighing, Lola made herself a potted meat sandwich instead, along with a side of Lay's original potato chips. She would've never eaten such a meal when she was younger, as it was murder on one's weight. Now, however, she didn't feel the need to watch her weight quite so much. Being married did have its advantages.
After taking only a few bites, though, she began to feel nauseous and vomited into the toilet a few times before regaining herself. It seemed that the baby didn't like her mother's indulgence in unhealthy food, which just about figured. As far as Lola was concerned, she should eat anything she wanted. That didn't prove to be the case, however.
After a few more false starts, they eventually got there. Mother and child finally settled on crackers with a bit of cheese spread. Though, Lola had to wonder, didn't cravings come later? Maybe it was just her, after all. Either way, Lola got something down, which was good. However, the young woman felt bored once again.
With little else to do, she settled back into the recliner with a family album she pulled from the futuristic bookcase that stood behind the couch and began browsing through it. Page after page, Lola reminisced over her childhood, beginning to wonder what her siblings were up to and how they were doing. Perhaps, she'd get in touch with them later and ask.
Then, without warning, someone knocked on the front door.
