all his breaks in the cafeteria, surrounded by witnesses. I’m convinced he won’t bother you again, but if you have any trouble at all with him, please call.”
“ Thanks for letting me know.” He didn’t mention Delgado, and I was too proud to ask why he wasn’t the one to call.
I updated Charlene and Evan and then escaped to the bathroom to soak in a hot tub. Surrounded by bubbles, I let myself mope. I guess Delgado satisfied his curiosity. Maybe I didn’t taste good after all. Maybe he didn’t take me for a burger because he couldn’t keep his hands off me, but so I would keep my hands off him. Well, he didn’t need to worry. Tomorrow I would go back to my own house, get on with my life, and forget all about him. I felt sure he wouldn’t be stopping by anymore. I would pass any information I got on to Detective Long, or even have Alan do it for me. With that resolve, I climbed out of the tub, dried myself off, threw on an old t-shirt and panties, and rummaged around in my overnight case to find two over-the-counter sleep aids. I peeked out the bedroom door to let Charlene and Evan know that I was going to bed. I slept soundly until morning.
I woke up early, packed up my things, thanked Charlene and Evan for their hospitality and went home. The team Charlene had hired for me had done a good job. Everything was clean and back in order. Still it didn’t feel the same. I wasn’t afraid exactly. I figured that whoever had searched my house now knew I didn’t have whatever they were looking for. However, thinking about how they had invaded my privacy and gone through my things, I felt violated, almost as if someone had put their hands on me. I shook off the thought, determined that I wouldn’t let them ruin what had been a sanctuary for me.
I replaced the lamps in the front room with the ones Charlene had purchased for me, and threw the new pillows on the bed.
Since it was Sunday, I changed into a dress and went to church. I met Mom on the steps of the church, and we went in together. This was our ritual. Every Sunday we could, we went to church together and then had lunch. Sometimes she would invite one or two of her friends to join us for lunch, and sometimes it was just us. Today it was just the two of us. After church, Mom put leftover lasagna in the microwave to heat, and we discussed Eddie’s surprising news.
“ Why don’t you like Myra?” she asked.
“ I don’t dislike her. I don’t know her yet. She’s just a little too perfect. I don’t want him to be hurt.”
“ Well, she meets all of my qualifications,” she stated, setting the hot lasagna on the table with a green salad and garlic bread.
“ What qualifications are those?” I asked, filling my plate. Nobody makes lasagna like Mom and leftover lasagna was even better.
She thought about it a minute. “It’s obvious she loves him. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for my children—that they find someone who loves them as much as I do.” She looked at me and smiled. “Now tell me about the new man in your life.”
I choked on a piece of lettuce. How does she do that? Eddie was right. She never caught me breaking any of the rules. However, from the time I was old enough to like boys, Mom always knew if I was interested in someone new. No matter what I said, she would just stand there with that knowing look on her face and prod until I told her everything. I took a drink and resigned myself. After all these years, I didn’t bother stalling. Pushing the last of the lasagna around on my plate, I said, “The detective who is investigating the murder is rich, single, gorgeous, and apparently not as interested in me as I am in him.” Well, I don’t tell her everything. I edit. Still there was no point in pretending there wasn’t someone new who had caught my eye.
“ What makes you think he isn’t interested in you?”
“ Because he said he would call last night and then his partner called instead. I haven’t heard from him
“ Thanks for letting me know.” He didn’t mention Delgado, and I was too proud to ask why he wasn’t the one to call.
I updated Charlene and Evan and then escaped to the bathroom to soak in a hot tub. Surrounded by bubbles, I let myself mope. I guess Delgado satisfied his curiosity. Maybe I didn’t taste good after all. Maybe he didn’t take me for a burger because he couldn’t keep his hands off me, but so I would keep my hands off him. Well, he didn’t need to worry. Tomorrow I would go back to my own house, get on with my life, and forget all about him. I felt sure he wouldn’t be stopping by anymore. I would pass any information I got on to Detective Long, or even have Alan do it for me. With that resolve, I climbed out of the tub, dried myself off, threw on an old t-shirt and panties, and rummaged around in my overnight case to find two over-the-counter sleep aids. I peeked out the bedroom door to let Charlene and Evan know that I was going to bed. I slept soundly until morning.
I woke up early, packed up my things, thanked Charlene and Evan for their hospitality and went home. The team Charlene had hired for me had done a good job. Everything was clean and back in order. Still it didn’t feel the same. I wasn’t afraid exactly. I figured that whoever had searched my house now knew I didn’t have whatever they were looking for. However, thinking about how they had invaded my privacy and gone through my things, I felt violated, almost as if someone had put their hands on me. I shook off the thought, determined that I wouldn’t let them ruin what had been a sanctuary for me.
I replaced the lamps in the front room with the ones Charlene had purchased for me, and threw the new pillows on the bed.
Since it was Sunday, I changed into a dress and went to church. I met Mom on the steps of the church, and we went in together. This was our ritual. Every Sunday we could, we went to church together and then had lunch. Sometimes she would invite one or two of her friends to join us for lunch, and sometimes it was just us. Today it was just the two of us. After church, Mom put leftover lasagna in the microwave to heat, and we discussed Eddie’s surprising news.
“ Why don’t you like Myra?” she asked.
“ I don’t dislike her. I don’t know her yet. She’s just a little too perfect. I don’t want him to be hurt.”
“ Well, she meets all of my qualifications,” she stated, setting the hot lasagna on the table with a green salad and garlic bread.
“ What qualifications are those?” I asked, filling my plate. Nobody makes lasagna like Mom and leftover lasagna was even better.
She thought about it a minute. “It’s obvious she loves him. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for my children—that they find someone who loves them as much as I do.” She looked at me and smiled. “Now tell me about the new man in your life.”
I choked on a piece of lettuce. How does she do that? Eddie was right. She never caught me breaking any of the rules. However, from the time I was old enough to like boys, Mom always knew if I was interested in someone new. No matter what I said, she would just stand there with that knowing look on her face and prod until I told her everything. I took a drink and resigned myself. After all these years, I didn’t bother stalling. Pushing the last of the lasagna around on my plate, I said, “The detective who is investigating the murder is rich, single, gorgeous, and apparently not as interested in me as I am in him.” Well, I don’t tell her everything. I edit. Still there was no point in pretending there wasn’t someone new who had caught my eye.
“ What makes you think he isn’t interested in you?”
“ Because he said he would call last night and then his partner called instead. I haven’t heard from him
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