Chapter 2
As they drove along, Sylvester sat back and enjoyed the ride.
Being inside a limo was a world away from prison life and just to sit there while Sparks took two glasses and then a bottle from the built in bar was enough to remind him he was a free man once more and it felt so good he wanted to cry – but he wouldn't do it in front of Sparks, because Sparks always ignored him when he got emotional like that – he had learned that the first time he had shed tears in front of him back when he was recovering from the surgery all those years ago.
"There you go Sylvester." He said, handing him a glass.
As Sparks opened up a bottle and started pouring the fruit juice into it, Sylvester smiled.
"I'm glad you remembered I can't drink. I feel so grateful to you I would have drunk anything you stuck in that glass!"
Sparks laughed.
"I'm not going to forget, I know you can't have booze. And I wouldn't expect you to drink booze if I'd forgotten - you have to look after yourself now."
What Sparks had just said was very true; Sylvester had been cured but still suffered seizures because of the surgery, but it was kept under control by medication and the medication worked well - as long as he didn't drink alcohol.
"I'm not likely to forget to do that." Sylvester replied.
His tone had become serious again and Sparks quickly pulled him out of that mood.
"Look at you." He said, "You're holding that glass in your left hand and it's steady as a rock!"
Those words brought optimism back into his voice.
"So it is!"
Sylvester sipped the fruit juice and then looked back at Sparks.
"So where are we going?"
"I'm going home to my wife and family." Sparks replied, "And I'd take you home with me but my wife doesn't like the idea of me bringing home friends from jail if you know what I mean – it's the same with business, anything that's not legit I keep well away from home. She found it hard when I was away; I was gone a long time. If it wasn't for that you could have come home with me, I've got a big house and a lot of room for a guest. But for now you can stay with a friend of mine. He lives above a little club I own called The Moonlight Bar. It's a two bedroom apartment, there's enough room for both of you. He runs the place for me but between you and me he could use a hand with the paperwork side of things - he's not too bright."
And the driver laughed.
"And he's lazy! I've known Snoozy since he was a kid – me and him used to hang together. We grew up on Anthill."
And then he laughed.
"Heehheeeehhhheeee! We used to hang out with some real bad kids... real bad. But me and Snoozy-well mostly me – I got the job first, then I woke his lazy ass up and dragged him along with me - me and Snoozy, we got out of that when we got jobs with Mr Sparks here and -"
"Hey Yak Yak?"
"What boss?" The driver said.
"Quit your yakkin'!"
"Right, Mr Sparks." He said, and fell silent once more.
Sparks smiled and shook his head. He lowered his voice as he spoke again.
"I've known Yak Yak and Snoozy for a long time. They started working for me just before I went to jail. I had Yak Yak working for my wife as her driver and running errands for her and the kids – and Snoozy took care of the bar. I love that bar, it was my father's - it's one of the oldest businesses in my family. It's not a big place but I'll never let go of it. And you have a job there as long as you want one."
And he reached into his pocket and handed him a folded wad of cash.
"That's for you – get yourself some more clothes, any thing else you need too."
Sylvester was staring at the small fortune in his hands.
He looked back at Sparks and shook his head.
"I think you made a mistake - this is a lot of money."
Sparks shrugged.
"Not to me."
Then he reached in his other pocket and handed him a cell phone.
"That's yours too – stay in touch with me, I need to know you're coping okay."
Sylvester looked at the phone and smiled.
"My last phone before I went to jail couldn't even take a picture! This one looks like it can do everything!"
"Sure it can. It's a smart phone. And it's yours."
Sylvester wanted to thank him again, but then he realized the limo was slowing.
Then the limo stopped and Sparks got out.
Yak Yak made a move to get up but the short, dark guy with the laugh like a hyena who never knew when to shut up quickly sat back down as Sparks told him to stay put.
Sylvester got out of the limo and stood next to Sparks, looking at the old wooden fronted bar with a neon sign above the entrance.
"We don't open up until later." He said, "I'll take you up to meet Snoozy, he's probably in the office."
And he led him around the side of the building and unlocked a door.
They went inside and Sparks led him down a narrow corridor with old woodchip wallpaper and then up red carpeted stairs at the end of the hall.
They reached the top and Sparks pointed down the upper hall to a second door.
"That leads through to the apartment. This is the office."
And he pushed the door open.
It swung open to reveal a room with old furniture, some CCTV screens on a large monitor – but no Snoozy.
Sparks turned back to the door.
"The lazy bastard..." He muttered under his breath as he glanced at the messy sea of paperwork on the desk, and Sylvester followed him down the hall to the door that led to the apartment.
Sparks used his spare key to let himself in.
They went up the hallway and Sylvester looked around feeling mildly surprised; this place was old but in good condition. And while it was a world away from the expensive place he used to have before he went to jail, compared to jail this was like living in luxury.
They went through to the front room.
There was a guy on the sofa and the TV was on, but he wasn't watching TV. He was fast asleep with the TV remote control resting in his hand, snoring softly while a breeze blew in through the open window. He looked to be around thirty, the more or less the same age as Yak Yak, but this guy was taller, his legs were hanging off the end of the sofa and as he stopped snoring he turned on his side, reached up to push his fingers through his dark hair and scratch his head, then he carried on snoring.
A look of amusement crept into Spark's eyes.
"Watch this!" He said, creeping up on Snoozy.
Sparks leaned over the back of the sofa.
"WAKE UP!" He yelled sharply, ducking back again as Snoozy jumped up, blinking tired eyes as he looked around in confusion.
"What? When? What was it?" He said in alarm.
Then he saw Sparks standing there and got up, quickly rubbing his eyes as he tried to wake up properly once more.
"Oh Hi Mr Sparks. It was quiet so I thought I'd have a nap..."
"You didn't do the paperwork?"
Snoozy blinked again.
"Paperwork... Oh! No, I was going to do it later –"
"Well you can leave that to your new partner." Sparks told him, "This is Sylvester Sneekly, the guy I told you about. He used to help to run Pitstop Shipping, he's a smart guy."
"Oh great!" Snoozy said, smiling as he shook hands with Sylvester, "We need a smart guy around here!"
And Sparks smiled too on hearing him say that.
"We sure do." He agreed, "It's about time someone did the accounts without making mistakes!"
Then Sparks explained some more.
"Sylvester can help you out around here." Sparks told him, "And I want you to remember – no booze for him, make sure he doesn't accidentally drink any in the bar, either - he's got epilepsy, he has to take pills for it."
"Okay." Snoozy said, then he looked at the smartly dressed guy who stood next to Sparks and wondered about something.
"Are you sure you're okay to work if you're sick?"
"I'm not sick." Sylvester told him, "It's just something I have to take pills for. I'll be okay as long as I'm on my medication."
Snoozy nodded.
"Oh, right...I didn't know."
Then he spoke up again.
"Would you like a coffee? Can you drink coffee, are you safe with that?"
And Sylvester looked at him curiously...this guy seriously thought he had to avoid coffee too?
He smiled and shook his head.
"Coffee is just fine, Snoozy – what's your real name?"
Snoozy paused for a second, thinking about the question.
Sparks laughed.
"That gets him every time! He's so used to being called Snoozy he forgets his real name's Mikey!"
And Snoozy smiled.
"Mikey. That's it. But just call me Snoozy, everyone else does. That's been my name since I was fourteen!"
"You go and make that coffee." Sparks said, "You're the one who need it! You need something to wake you up! I'll show Sylvester where his room is."
"Okay." Snoozy said, and he went off in the direction of the kitchen.
Sylvester followed Sparks out of the room and they went down the hall where Sparks opened a door that led into the second bedroom.
"All yours." He told him, "And here's your keys."
As he put the keys into his hand Sylvester looked into the bedroom; the walls were light and the carpet was soft and there were mirrored wardrobes along one wall and the bed looked comfortable, too. He noticed the bedside light and the dimmer switch and seeing the little things that had been absent during his time in jail made him want to cry all over again, but he held it back.
"Thank you so much." He said as he looked gratefully at Sparks.
His friend smiled.
"You're more than welcome." He told him, "Now I'm going home. Do you want to get settled in right now or shall I give you a ride into town? I'm guessing you probably need to go and buy some new stuff today."
Sylvester thought about a large house that wasn't far from the middle of town, the place where Penelope used to live and he wondered if she still lived there.
He made his decision; Sparks had told him in the past that it was best to let all of that go when he got out of jail, and Sparks was his closest friend too and he wasn't going to lie to him...
"I want to go into town. And then I'd like to look up Penelope."
Sparks gave a weary sigh.
"I know you liked the girl, I know you feel bad about what happened but don't you think it's better to leave it alone? I don't want you to get thrown back in jail because the woman takes one look at you and calls the cops because she's got the wrong idea!"
"I need to do this, Sparks. It's going to be on my mind forever if I don't do it."
Sparks saw the look in his eyes; it was that same look of sadness and regret that Sylvester had in his eyes every time he thought about Penelope Pitstop.
"Okay." He said, "But maybe I should come with you. I could wait in the car."
Sylvester shook his head.
"No Sparks, I'm not taking the easy way out. I want to do this alone. I need to do this. Even if she hates me I have to know I've tried to make amends."
"Okay." Sparks replied, "Let's go. I'll give you a ride, you tell me where you want to get out. And promise me you won't cause trouble!"
Sylvester's eyes widened at the mention of the word trouble.
"That's the last thing I want to do!" He exclaimed.
"Okay," Sparks said again, "I believe you. I just hope this doesn't go wrong! If it does go wrong you call me right away, have you got that?"
Sylvester nodded.
"I've got it. And thanks, Sparks."
"Let's go." Sparks replied, leading the way out of the apartment, "I'll give you a ride. I just hope Penelope doesn't freak out when she sees you on her doorstep, but I understand; of course you need to do this."
Then the two men went back down the stairs and left the way they came in, and headed back to the waiting limo.
Melanie glanced out the window at the lightly falling rain.
"I'd better be heading home now." She remarked.
Penelope glanced at the window too, her friend noticed the way her eyes nervously shifted skywards for a second as she spotted the dark clouds looming in the distance.
"I thought stormy weather only bothered you when you were asleep."
"That's right." Penelope said quickly, putting on a smile and trying to sound like she meant it, "I don't get bothered by the past every time it rains! And I'm not likely to fall asleep and have bad dreams in the middle of the day! You go home, Melanie. It's been great to catch up with you. I'll call you soon."
And she kept a smile on her face as she said goodbye and watched Melanie put up her umbrella and walk down the tree lined path that led to her front gate.
She turned back and waved and Penelope waved too, then she was gone and Penelope shut the door just as the clouds grew darker and she heard a vague rumble of thunder in the distance and her smile disappeared.
She gave a heavy sigh; stormy weather would always carry bad memories and those memories seemed to bring the bad dreams closer than ever, but that was something she preferred to keep to herself these days- because back when her parents had been killed and then Sylvester had gone crazy and attacked her, people had started to wonder if she was losing her mind, too.
She didn't think of it that way; was more like bad memories coming back to haunt her, but it was nothing she cared to share with anyone else...
Penelope went back into the kitchen and started to make some coffee.
She paused on hearing thunder and walked over to the window where the rain was turning the glass to water and she looked out at the green garden with its heavy shrubbery and large, overhanging trees. When the sun came out the garden would look great; but right now it looked dark and uninviting just like the rest of the world did.
Penelope switched on the kitchen light.
It was flickering violently and she guessed it was time to replace it. But although it flickered it still worked and while it made the inside looked brighter, it just made the world outside seem even darker.
She tried not to think about it, making the coffee as the rain fell harder, the skies grew darker and her bad dreams weather shifted closer to the house...
As Spark's limo drove away, Sylvester felt alone again.
He looked up the long road with a low brick wall that ran beside it, behind this wall tall hedgerows were neatly cut and beyond these hedgerows was the garden of the house where Penelope used to live.
He started to walk, not caring that the rain that had been falling lightly was growing heavier; right now he could barely feel the damp and the cold as his mind crowded with thoughts of the past:
He had attacked her.
He had gone crazy and scared the life out of the girl.
How could he apologize for that?
What words could he find to ever convey how much he regretted the past?
To say, It wasn't my fault seemed a weak excuse after the way he had terrified her.
She knew he hadn't been responsible for his own actions at the time, but it still excused nothing, Sylvester felt sure of it.
His heart felt heavy as he reached the tall wrought iron gate that led to a tree shaded path that went all the way up to her front door.
The gate was locked.
That didn't surprise him.
He pressed the buzzer beside it and waited for a reply, still not knowing what to say when a voice - maybe even her voice- answered through the intercom.
Thunder sounded over head and the rain fell harder.
Sylvester shivered and pulled his jacket tighter about himself as he started to feel the chill in the air the rain had brought with it.
"Hello?"
His eyes grew wider as he recognized the voice speaking through the intercom – it was her, it was Penelope! He was sure of it; he would know that voice anywhere!
He drew in a breath to say something, anything, the first words that came out of his mouth even if it was random nonsense because he just couldn't think at that moment - but then she spoke again.
"Did you forget something? Its okay, it's open!"
And the gate clicked as it unlocked.
Sylvester placed his hand on the cold metal gate and pushed it open, stepping inside and feeling like a trespasser as he closed it behind him.
The rain was still falling and he knew his suit was more than damp now; he was soaked to the skin, his hair was wet, the rain was running down his face and he felt so very cold but part of that coldness had only worsened since he had set foot onto the Pitstop premises.
She obviously hadn't been expecting him...maybe she had been expecting someone else, that seem to make sense.
He walked down the path, slowly in the rain, recalling Spark's warning about not causing trouble, about not scaring the girl...
He didn't want to scare Penelope.
He never wanted to make her feel like that.
He just wanted to put things right – or if that wasn't possible, at least try and make amends some how...
Sylvester reached the doorstep, where he went up a short flight of steps and then stood sheltering and shivering under the porch in his rain soaked clothes.
He took a deep breath and reached out and rang the doorbell.
Then he waited.
The rain was still falling, he was soaked to the skin and shivering - and he was sure the shivering was more than the fact that he had been caught in the rain; he was afraid, the is was a moment he had thought about for many years and now it was happening all he could do was stand there shivering in his wet clothes, waiting for the door to open, waiting for her reaction...
The door opened.
She looked at him and he looked back at her.
Penelope was still staring at him.
Her first thought had been one of surprise to see this tall, handsome stranger standing there shivering in his expensive looking suit because he had been caught in the rain.
She carried on staring at him and then she blinked, wondering who he was, wondering why she felt like she knew him from somewhere...
Sylvester looked back at her, taking in the sight of how Penelope had changed over the last fifteen years:
That girl he remembered had long since grown into a woman, a beautiful woman – her pink dress skimmed her thighs and she wore knee length white boots. Her long hair fell in waves about her shoulders and her face, although older had become even more beautiful. Her big brown eyes were fixed on him intently and all he could hear was the sound of the falling rain as he waited for her to speak.
"Do I know you?" She said to him.
Sylvester pulled his jacket tighter about himself, trying to feel some kind of warmth but as he did that the rain dripped from his hair and the breeze picked up and it just made him feel even colder.
He nodded.
"Yes...yes, you do. I'm sorry, I wanted to call you first or...or..."
He stopped talking, seeing the confused expression on her face.
"Who are you?" She wondered as she looked at him.
He took in a deep breath and focussed his sky blue eyes on her face.
"It's me Penelope. It's Sylvester."
Penelope gripped the door harder as she stared at him in shock...this was Sylvester? That shy young guy who had gone crazy so long ago? That guy who had been sick, who had turned into the man of her nightmares because of it?
This was really Sylvester?
It couldn't be, he was so...different now? Attractive?
That thought surprised her but there was no denying it:
Sylvester Sneekly had changed dramatically...
"What...what do you want?" She asked him, trying to fight off the vague sense of panic that ran through her body like a mild current of electricity as she recalled the past and remembered the facts and reminded herself he had been ill at the time - so ill that she had called the hospital because she was worried about him. Even after what he had done, she had cried over this man...
But he didn't know that.
"Penelope, I was sick when I attacked you! I had a brain tumor, the doctors told me it would have made me do crazy things, stuff I'd have no memory of. That was why it happened. I never wanted to hurt you! I cared about you. I've spent years in jail thinking about what happened, wishing I could do something to make amends!"
The rain was still falling and Sylvester's hair was dripping wet and as the rain ran onto his face she knew he was crying too, because the rain was mixing with his tears as he blinked reddened eyes as he tried to speak again.
"I am so sorry! I just wanted to tell you that...I've got a place to live, I'm above the Moonlight Bar, it's not far from here. And I've got a job and I'm trying to get my life back together but..."
He gave a sob.
"I'm sorry, can you understand that?"
Penelope looked into his eyes.
She wanted to speak again, she wanted to put her arms around him and hold him and tell him she understood but this was so sudden, so unexpected...
"Can I come in and talk to you? Is that okay?"
The door was closing.
"Penelope, NO!" He said sharply, reaching out and placing his hand on the door, trying to push it open.
"Go away!" She yelled, giving the door another shove.
It slammed hard; it slammed shut in his face.
Sylvester knocked against the wood.
"Please will you just talk to me?" He called out, "I don't want to hurt you, I never want to do that! I just want to say sorry, I want to explain!"
But the only sound he heard in reply was the rain falling harder.
He leaned down and looked through the letterbox.
Penelope was standing in the hallway and she stared at him with frightened eyes.
"I'll phone the police if you don't leave me alone!" She called out, and he noticed her voice sounded tearful now.
"I'm sorry, that's all I wanted to say..."
He let closed the letterbox and stood up again, turning his back to the closed door.
As he walked back up the path he remembered Sparks had warned him not to upset the girl, not to cause trouble and with a heavy heart he guessed he was right; Penelope would never speak to him again...
Sylvester began to walk in the rain, back up the path that led to the gate.
He got halfway and he looked back, chilled to the bone in his wet clothes but now it seemed like that really didn't matter; he wanted to go back to the apartment and cry because of regrets that he could never put right.
Then he saw a lace curtain shift.
Penelope was standing at the window.
As she looked at him he shook his head.
"I'm sorry." He said again.
She was still looking at him and he couldn't read the expression in her eyes.
He stood there looking back at her, then as she stepped away from the curtain he put his hands briefly to his eyes to wipe away rain and tears.
Then as he looked up he blinked in surprise; the front door had opened again.
Penelopesaw him standing there in the rain and she blinked away tears as her eyes filled with understanding and regrets of her own.
"I'm sorry too." She called out,"Come here, Sylvester."
His heart skipped a beat as he walked back towards the porch.
By now he wasn't sure if he was shivering because of the rain or if it was the thought that she was willing to listen to him all of a sudden, but as he walked back up the steps and looked into her eyes again he found it hard to hold back his tears.
"I didn't mean to scare you- back then or today. I just wanted to see you to say sorry."
"I'm sorry too."
He looked at her in surprise.
"What for?"
Penelope blinked away more tears. Sylvester had certainly changed, so much that she hadn't recognized him at first – but just as he was apologizing to her, she had some explaining to do too...
"I should have helped you," She told him, "When your lawyer told me there was a reason for what you did. He told me you were sick at the time, that you had no choice in your actions. I should have talked to the court. But I didn't because I was scared, I was angry..."
She looked into his eyes.
"I'm not now, not any more!"
Then she noticed he was shivering in his wet clothes as rain dripped from his hair.
She opened the door a little wider and stepped back.
"Come in." She said quietly, and Sylvester stepped inside.
As he sat on the sofa in her big front room with the fire glowing and pictures of her family around the walls, memories of the past came flooding back to him.
"I'm not excusing what I did. But I don't remember it. I can't believe I would have done something like that to you. The cops even tried to pin the blame on me for your parent's murders!"
Penelope handed him a towel and he started to dry his hair.
She sat down on the other end of the sofa and looked at him.
"I know they did, but they had the killer's DNA and that's when they knew for sure it wasn't you."
He stopped rubbing his hair and looked into her eyes.
"Did you think it was me?"
Sadness clouded Penelope's dark eyes.
"No, I don't think so –it was a confusing time. But I know it made sense when I found out there was a reason for you attacking me - I knew there was something wrong with you before you did it, I just didn't know it was so serious."
"Did they ever catch the guy who shot your parents?"
Penelope shook her head.
"He's still out there somewhere. I don't think I'll ever feel safe again until he's caught."
"Well you won't have worry about me doing anything insane again –I'm cured now."
Sylvester gave his hair another rub with the towel and then ran his fingers through his hair. It was still damp and as he pushed it back she saw a brief glimpse of a large heavy scar that ran across the top of his head.
Penelope got up and took the damp towel.
"Take your jacket off, I'll get it dry for you."
"You don't have to do that for me."
She smiled at him and seeing her do that eased the pain in his heart.
"Give me your jacket, Sylvester." She said again, "I can't let you go home like that, you'll catch your death!"
Sylvester slipped off his jacket and handed it to her, pausing to take out a bottle of pills that he placed on the table in front of him.
"What are those for?" Penelope wondered as she took his jacket.
He indicated to the scar beneath his hair.
"The surgery left me with some scarring. I still get mild seizures. I'm usually okay on the medication, as long as I don't drink alcohol, or get too stressed out about things."
Penelope thought about the way she had slammed the door in his face.
"I guess you must have felt pretty stressed out just now."
He shrugged.
"It's been a difficult day in a lot of ways. I got out of prison today. I got my new apartment, my new job – but I couldn't get on with anything until I tried to see you because I had to explain."
Penelope smiled.
"I understand that. And I needed to explain too." Her smile faded. "I think we both have a lot of regrets."
Then she took his jacket and the wet towel and left the room.
Sylvester looked around the room at the pictures on the wall and blinked a few times as his vision blurred and then came back into focus.
He took a deep breath and got up, leaning on the sofa as the room seemed to turn slightly. He thought about opening the pill bottle but changed his mind; he couldn't take those things without water...
"Penelope?" He called out, "Could I have a glass of water?"
"Sure." She called back.
Sylvester remembered the layout of the house because he had been close to the Pitstop's when Penelope's father had been alive. He knew it was just a short walk from the front room down the hall but as he left the room and started to walk towards the kitchen that hall felt long and far too narrow. He guessed the strain of everything he had to deal with today had got to him and at times like this he really was better off taking another dose of his meds.
He walked into the kitchen. The storm clouds outside made the room look cast in shadow so he snapped the light on.
And the faulty light flickered like a strobe.
Penelope had just put the damp towel over a heated rail, then she put his coat over another part of the towel rail. As his pocket knocked hard and heavy against the wall, she took out his cell phone and decided to give it to him. She paused to wipe a splash of rain off the screen and then left the bathroom.
She saw the light on in the kitchen and began to walk down the hall.
"Sylvester," She said, "Your phone got a little bit wet. I think it's okay but you might want to check it -"
Then she stopped in the doorway, staring in alarm.
"Sylvester?" She said anxiously, but he gave no reply.
He was on the kitchen floor, his eyes were closed and he was lying on his side as his body trembled.
Penelope looked up at the flickering light and worked it out.
She quickly turned the light off and dropped to her knees beside him.
"Oh no, what do I do?" She said aloud, feeing helpless as he trembled all over.
Then he stopped shaking and he breathed deeply, as if asleep.
Penelope reached out and gently stroked his hair. It was still damp from the rain and as she touched him he turned his head and started to wake.
"I can do it, Sparks..." He murmured, "I can squeeze your hand...I can do this..."
As the fingers of his left hand moved Penelope took hold of his hand and Sylvester's grip tightened slightly.
He gave a weary sigh.
"I want to get out of here...I want to see Penelope..."
Then as he became aware of his surroundings, opening his eyes and looking around the dim kitchen, he remembered where he was. He remembered everything and he wasn't sure what he had just said but Penelope was sitting beside him now and as she looked down at him she had softness about her eyes.
"I'm right here, Sylvester."
He gave a sigh.
"Oh not again... did I have a seizure? I know the light was going crazy..."
He sounded as if he had just woken up from a heavy sleep.
"Oh no!" She exclaimed, "I'm so sorry, I didn't think to warn you!"
He sat up slowly, thankful nothing was bleeding, bruised or broken and then he managed a smile as he noticed Penelope was holding his hand. He let go of her and wished he hadn't pulled away because her touch was so gentle and warm.
"I'll be fine." He promised her, "And don't worry about the light – it's not your fault, you didn't know."
He was still a little unsteady as he stood up and Penelope put her arm around him as they left the kitchen.
"I'll be fine, my dear." He promised her, "You don't have to make all this fuss over me."
"Yes I do." She told him, and they went back into the front room and she sat him down on the sofa, then gently pushed him back onto the couch and raised his legs too.
"I don't need to lie down –"
"I think you do." Penelope told him, "You just wait there, don't move! I'll fetch you a glass of water and you can take your pills."
Then she left the room again and Sylvester gave a sigh, deciding there was no point in telling Penelope not to make a fuss again, because it seemed she was determined to take care of him...
Penelope came back into the room and set the glass of water down on the table.
Then the doorbell chimed.
"Who could that be?" She wondered.
Sylvester said nothing as he swallowed his medication.
Penelope walked up the hall, her high heeled boots clicking on the polished floor as she approached the front door.
As she opened it her eyes grew wide.
Clyde was standing there with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.
"Hi babe." He said, "I just found out, I can't see you tomorrow. I've got a lot of business to attend to. So I thought I'd stop by-"
Then he noticed the way her dark eyes had grown wider as she looked back at him in alarm.
"Is something wrong?"
Penelope's mind began to race as she wondered how to explain the situation...Clyde knew all about the past, she had told him about what Sylvester had done all those years ago. How would he take the news that at this moment that same man was laid up on her sofa?
Penelope took a deep breath.
"I just need to explain something, Clyde..." She began hoping he would understand, because Clyde was a possessive guy and what had started out as a relationship that made her feel safe had turned into something that she found quite stifling these days...
"Explain what?" He demanded as his smiled vanished.
Penelope looked back at him with even wider eyes.
"It's a little complicated to explain..." She said, hoping he wasn't about to come in and start a fight, because right now he had that kind of look about his eyes and Penelope was feeling nervous, wondering how to explain this situation without Clyde getting mad over it and causing trouble - because that was the last thing she wanted, and it was the very last thing Sylvester needed right now, too...