Jarvis stared in disbelief as the taxi pulled away from the church and headed West down Lombard Street. A flash of lightening illuminated the street, and he caught a glimpse of the street sign. He had to laugh. Years earlier when Deandra first visited Philly, he had found her sitting on the balcony of their bed and breakfast with a pencil in hand sketching a street scene. He had been so focused on the amazing find at a wine shop, a '97 Dalla Valle Maya Napa Valley.
"How's the wine?"
"It's nice," she said, focusing on her sketch. "I was ready to unwind."
His excitement and expectation of sharing this amazing wine find with her deflated, and anger boiled up inside him.
"Seriously, Deandra, you are supposed to be on vacation. If you don't like the wine, I brought some other beverages," he smiled and tried to take her journal from her hands.
Looking up at him with her tired blue eyes, she feigned a pout. "Please? Just a couple minutes more? I don't want to forget the picture I have in my mind. That street sign dated back about 200 years."
Relinquishing, he walked back into the room and took off his shoes. Seeing the uncorked bottle on the dresser with the lit candles only fueled his disappointment. He had wanted this evening to be special. Finishing his glass, he decided he needed some fresh air, so he made up an excuse about leaving his GPS in the car.
As he walked out the door, he yelled backward toward the balcony, "I think I left my GPS in the car." He didn't wait for a response.
Each step down the stairs increased his anger. All he could think about was his excitement at finding this rare bottle at a wine shop for under $300 and now wondering why he had even bothered. He knew his GPS was not in his car, so as he exited the building, he made the decision to walk the block to cool down.
The last six months had been difficult for him. Moving back East to help take care of his aging parents was not exactly what he wanted at this point of his life, but his sister had a young family and a fledgling career. Being the only son and not having attachments, it was logical for him to leave Austin and move back to Wilmington.
Meeting Deandra four months before his move only complicated his life. He didn't know how much to tell her or even if he wanted to tell her. The last day he had seen her in Austin, he had wanted to pack her up and bring her with him; yet he knew that was not a reality. Here she was, finally, right in front of him...............her blue eyes continuing to haunt him.
As he rounded the block, he deduced that it had been a long day for both of them. His mind and emotions battled for attention, but eventually, the cool air and his brisk pace made the most logical decision. He knew they both needed sleep.
When he made it back to the room, he didn't see Deandra; the candles were still lit and soft music was playing from the bedside radio. Just as he shut the door behind him, she stepped out of the bathroom in a black and white silk nightgown with lace revealing her amble cleavage.
She stepped toward him and drawled, "there you are. I was wondering if I should call 911 or just come searching the streets of Philly in this lil' silk and lace number." When she tried to put her arms around him, he stopped her.
"I think we both should just go to bed."
She almost purred, "me too!!"
"Seriously, De, let's just get some sleep and start refreshed in the morning. I want to be up around six."
He didn't look at her and pretended not to hear her objections. Instead, he got ready for bed. His back was to her, but he heard the bathroom door close. His anger may have lessened, but he still felt rejected.
When Deandra came out of the bathroom next, she was in silk pajamas. Placing her folded nightgown in her suitcase, she mumbled "good night" and crawled into her bed. He didn't respond to her and tried not to see her as he went into the bathroom to finish preparing for bed.
Another flash of lightening, and Jarvis realized he had been standing in the drizzle for several minutes staring as the taillights dwindled to nothing. He returned inside and called a cab for himself. That's when he saw Deandra's journal sitting on the setee.
He picked it up and headed down the hall to find Deandra's assistant.
Comments
Post a Comment