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David Martin sat on the edge of his couch, dressed
only in his boxer shorts, and smoked a cigarette. He looked around him - the
room was a mess, but he didn’t care. He would clean it up soon enough, it
wasn’t as if he was going to have visitors any time soon. Right now he just
wanted to take in the moment and savor it before the panic set in. He was
getting used to the routine now, knew when to enjoy the moment and knew when to
panic. Now was the time for enjoyment. The adrenalin was starting to subside
into a serenity that was almost tangible. He could almost touch it, almost taste
it. He wished he could keep it forever.
This one had taken a long time, but it was well worth
the wait. She was nice enough. What was her name? He couldn’t remember at the
moment, but it would come back to him. It was a pity it had to end, but
everything ends. He knew that, even though she hadn’t understood, but it
didn’t matter now.
He finished his cigarette and stood up, taking in the
room. Yes, it was a mess, but at least he’d taken a few precautions this time.
The plastic on the floor crinkled as he walked over it. Here and there he felt
something wet underfoot, but it didn’t really matter, he would clean himself
up later. God knows it didn’t matter if he got a little blood on the soles of
his feet, he had it all over him anyway.
When he reached the centre of the room, he stopped and
looked down at her. Josie, that was her name. She was beautiful, even now. How
he wanted to keep her for a while longer, but no. He’d learnt his lesson
before trying that, and it just wasn’t worth it. It took away something from
the overall enjoyment if he kept them for too long. He could still take his time
now, but she would have to leave soon.
David lay down next to Josie on the plastic sheeting.
She was a little cold, but still nice to touch. Her skin was soft and pure, just
as he had imagined it would be when they had spent long hours on the net
chatting. She had described herself perfectly too – not many of them did that
– blue eyes, light brown hair, just a little on the short side. That was fine,
thought David, nobody’s perfect. How well he knew that!
For a short while he slept next to her, then finally
arose after giving her one last kiss. He sighed as he looked around again, not
quite ready to tackle the task of another big clean up.
He spied Josie’s bag in the corner and went over to
it. He sat down on the couch as he fumbled through it, but it was full of the
usual stuff: phone, purse, make up, tissues, keys. Spying nothing of interest,
he threw it aside. He wasn’t about to take her money or her car or anything,
he wasn’t interested in that sort of stuff and besides, that was in bad taste.
He looked over at her again and saw, glinting in the light from the lamp, the
chain around her neck. He walked over to have a closer look and saw that it was
a silver necklace with a cute little angel charm attached. Perfect, he smiled,
just perfect to remember Josie by.
He bent down and undid the clasp with care. With
necklace in hand, he stood and looked at it, holding it right before his eyes.
There was a little blood on it, but nothing that couldn’t be wiped away. He
smiled again, then put the necklace on the coffee table and began to clean at
last.
It was late by the time he returned home from putting
Josie safely away. In another hour or so it would be daylight, and he was looking
forward to getting some sleep. It had been a big night. But even though he was
exhausted, he really wanted to get back online right now. No, he thought,
better get some rest. A few hours was all he would need, and then he
could find someone else to chat with.
© Cynthia M. Piromalli
©2003 StoriesByEmail.com
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