Ralphie was quiet then he asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, fine, just a small accident, banged my head a little. I might be out of work for a couple of days though.”
Or weeks, but I’d come up with other excuses later.
“Okay,” Ralphie agreed but he didn’t sound like he bought it.
I drew in a silent breath then on the exhale I thought of something else.
“Just so you know, my place is a bit of a mess –”
“Now, Sadie, that I don’t believe. You are Queen Clean.”
That sounded more like the Ralphie I knew.
“No, it’s just that –” I started but Ralphie cut in.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch because I’ll see a speck of dust. I promise, I won’t report you to the Tidy Patrol if you left a bowl in the sink.”
“Ralphie –”
“I’ll be there soon.”
“Ralphie –”
“Toodles.”
Disconnect.
Oh my.
Oh well, I’d figure out some excuse for why my apartment looked like…
I stopped thinking about what my apartment looked like and more importantly why and set it aside. I’d deal with that later too.
I put the phone back, pulled the cover up and then laid back, thinking of what to do next so I wouldn’t think of all the things I was trying not to think about.
Then the door opened. I immediately closed my eyes. I heard footfalls, footfalls that stopped by my bed.
“Sadie, sugar, you asleep?” Daisy’s country twang whispered.
I pretended to be asleep.
Now, Hector being there was bizarre beyond bizarre but Daisy and Marcus being there was bizarre on top of bizarre.
They hated me. Why were they there?
“I think she’s asleep.” Daisy was still whispering.
“Sleep is good.” I heard Marcus’s deep voice say.
Silence.
I waited for them to leave. Then I heard a feminine crying hiccough which was followed by a masculine, “Sh.”
It took all the Powers of the Ice Princess not to open my eyes and tell Daisy I was okay which I was not, but some lies were good, I’d learned that from loads of practice too.
I listened to Daisy cry and Marcus soothe her for awhile then he said, “You’ve been here all night. Let’s get you home.”