Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 62430 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62430 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Whatever we needed to do, we could work it out. I picked up the broken television and took it down to the dumpster, letting myself back inside. Finding a vacuum in the closet, I eased the bedroom door shut and cleaned up the sprinkling of glass. There was a suitcase in one corner, having been discarded in all the chaos. I set it by the bedroom door.
Hunting through the refrigerator, I found some eggs and bacon. It had been a long time since I had cooked, but I was that I remembered how to fry an egg. The bacon sizzled in the pan, crinkling up and filling the apartment with its delicious aroma. I cracked the eggs into the rendered bacon fat and slid the finished product onto a communal plate just as Gina appeared, yawning, at the bedroom door.
I filled two cups with orange juice and set them on the breakfast table, pulling a chair out for her. She smiled happily, kissing me good morning before settling into her seat. I sat down beside her, putting the plate between us.
“I’ve never had anyone over for breakfast before,” she said, taking a piece of bacon.
“I’ve almost never cooked anyone breakfast before,” I countered.
“When was the last time you cooked for someone?”
“I actually cooked for Mike, a long time ago, when we were still in high school. I was spending the night at his house, and I woke up before everyone. I thought I would make the family breakfast, and I made a fair approximation of pancakes. They were nice, though. They ate them.”
“Mike’s your friend who visited you?” she checked.
I nodded, pleased to see her relaxed. I had been worried that yesterday’s events would leave a mark, but so far, she seemed untouched.
“I’d like to pick up Evil. I miss her so much.” She just assumed I would be spending the two days with her, and she was right.
“I can’t wait to meet her,” I answered.
The police called after breakfast and asked her to come in to give a complete statement. I drove, as she had been separated from her vehicle and I wanted to be helpful. I sat uncomfortably in the waiting area while it seemed like she spoke with the entire police force. It gave me the heebie-jeebies just being in the station. I had come so close to going to prison and had been hooked on illegal drugs for years. There’s not an addict in the world who isn’t a little bit paranoid, even those with a lot of sober time.
I was thrilled when she was done and we could go collect her cat. It wasn’t until we got back to Gina’s place and she undid the latch on the cat carrier that I got to see Evil. The feline ignored both of us, prancing to the food dish to see what was for lunch. Gina fed her and wanted to cuddle, but Evil was having none of it, content to sun herself in a bright spot near the window.
“I guess I know now why she’s called Evil,” I joked.
“She’s just angry at having been boarded,” Gina replied. “She’ll come around.”
We went to the big-box store for a new television. One of Gina’s favorite pastimes was watching movies, and we couldn’t do that without a screen. We found one reasonably priced and split the cost. She argued over it a little bit; she didn’t want to accept the help, and we hadn’t known each other that long.
“I also don’t have a television, and I plan to watch just as much as you,” I said.
“But…” She hesitated, standing in the audio-visual section between rows of flatscreens. “What does that mean?”
“What does what mean?” I asked.
“I mean, are we…dating?” She stumbled over the word.
“Do we have to be committed to buy a television together?” I laughed.
“Kind of,” she said.
“Alright.” I took her hands, gazing deep into her eyes. “Gina, will you be my girlfriend?”
She blushed. I could see all kinds of thoughts thundering through her head and was relieved when the only word to come out of her mouth was “Yes.”
And just like that, our relationship began. We bought the television and took it back to her place. I hooked it up, and we watched part of a movie on the couch, before a make-out session got the better of us. We went out to dinner at one of the fancier restaurants in Nashville. It cost me as much money as I made in two days, but it was worth it. To see her happy was worth all the treasure in the world.
That night we went dancing. I wasn’t much for the club scene, but when Gina appeared at the bedroom door in that tight little yellow dress, I decided I was up for anything. Her hips fit perfectly against my crotch as she wiggled to the music. And getting her out of that dress was even more fun than seeing her in it.