Aljinon, blast it, I didn't mean for it to seem that way. He must have heard it from other guys trying to woo women, but failed miserably. And why should he get even more angered than usual? He has high blood pressure you know...
Chapter Nine – A Nice Phone Chat
Rachel threw her wallet on the coffee table and kicked off her shoes. As if preparing to dive into an Olympic-sized, pool like Greg Louganis, she spread her arms out and withdrew them over her head. Letting out a battle cry, she jumped and landed on her couch, exhausted. Cleaning and crying had taken a lot out of her. She rolled over on her back and for a brief moment felt something warm and wet inside her underwear. Groaning, she removed herself from the couch and made her way to the bathroom. Sighing as she began removing the used tampon, her house phone range. "Damn, it's as if everyone knows the right time to make things worse in my life." She flushed it quickly and ran for the phone. When she saw the caller ID, she lit up like a candle near a flame. "Marcy! How are you?" Marcy was her only real friend she had, other than Silas. "Rae, is this a bad time? I heard you were out of the honky and I wanted to see how everything is. You aren't a lesbian now are you?"
Rachel laughed and said, "No, I'm not. I didn't encounter many of them during my stay. Those women were strictly dick-ly."
Marcy laughed. "You still have that same sense of humor we have grown to love."
"Who's we?"
"You and me, duh!"
They laughed in unison.
"Marcy, tell me what's been going on with you? Did you finally marry Stan?"
"No, caught him with my sister and one of her friends. I swear, I think I'm traumatized. I've never seen him move that fast. Not with me that is."
"Well, if you walk in on your fiancé and find him having a threesome with your sister and her Belize friend, you wouldn't forget that mental image without therapy. Yeah, this would be your first time actually seeing what he does to you, wouldn't it?"
"Ha, you're right. I'm actually in therapy right now. Anger management. Yes."
"You didn't need to waste hundreds of dollars! Just rent the movie."
"You know all my weaknesses don't you? You know I have a thing for Adam Sandler films."
"Yes, and I know this because I am your bloody friend. Jack Nicholson is in it too."
"I know that! I have the movie."
"Then watch it!"
They laughed again.
"Rae, now tell me about you. Not about prison, but what you've been doing with yourself that's got you too busy to come over."
"My father has me working as an Opus Dei cleaning lady."
"Oh no! Not Opus Dei! They haven't forced you to follow The Way have they?"
"No, what is it?"
"Corporal mortification. People who follow The Way pray consistently, whip themselves with a Discipline, and wear cilices."
"What's a cilice? I think I've seen it before. And a Discipline."
"Sweet Joseph and Mary Rae! Where did you see it?"
"I was cleaning the room of this albino guy, he's a monk I think, and he had a whip like thing in his room. At first I thought it was a silk whip, or something for bondage games, but it had blood on it."
"Yep, that's a Discipline. And the cilice? Did you see that too?"
"Yeah, I saw it on his leg when he beat himself into a coma and I came in the morning. He was naked."
"Oh man, Rachel, do you know this guy personally?"
"Uh, yeah. He took me out to lunch today."
"Sweet crackers and wine! You're dating an albino guy who follows The Way. Has he ever hit you?"
"Yeah, how do you know?"
"(Sigh) Rachel, I regret to inform you, but your precious monk may be a murderer. Easy to keep a low profile. He must have some influential friends."
"He talks frequently to the bishop."
"Holy...Rachel, you should stay away from him. See if you can find someone else to clean his room, don't go back."
"Why?"
"He has an unprecedented record with women. Remember that prostitute we found laying dead, but not raped laid nice and neat by the garbage bin?"
"Yeah...Marcy, wherever you're going with this, I suggest you get there fast."
"Okay Princess PMS. Your monkish albino boyfriend may be a lady killer."