Part 16 (1/2)
”Come on, Dominic. I'm only dirty on the front.” He knew he had no choice.
”Do I have a choice?”
I smiled. He tossed me the keys.
EIGHT.
It stopped raining about the time I got home. Not that it mattered. I could not have gotten any wetter. I knew Lilith and Ursula had gone out shopping, but as soon as I stepped through the door, I hollered out to be sure.
”Lilith? I'm home. Ursula?”
No answer. I took that as an omen that my luck was changing. I stripped out of my wet clothes right at the door, grabbed a towel from the hall closet and headed for the bathroom. I have no idea why I did not find it strange that the bathroom door was shut. I suppose my mind was on the case and not entirely on my surroundings. And it certainly didn't help matters that I pitched the towel over my head before walking in, covering my eyes as I rubbed my hair dry.
She saw me first. I know this because she screamed. Then I screamed, took the towel off my head and screamed again. Naturally, she screamed again. I covered myself quickly with the towel, at least where it mattered, effectively putting a lid on all the screaming.
”Ursula. What are you doing here?”
She unplugged her earphones from the iPod. ”Master Tony, why art thou here?”
”I just asked you the same thing.”
”Is it not obvious?” She looked down at the bed of soap bubbles floating on the water and gathered them around her. ”I am in the bath.”
”I see that, but why are you here?”
”Why?” Her eyes meandered in silent drift, as if the answer might lie in the candles and incense burning all around her. They came back with a curious blink. ”Where else would thou have me bathe?”
”No, Ursula, what I mean is, I thought you and Lilith went shopping.”
”Aye, so we were.”
”And?”
”My mind changed.”
”I see. Well, forgive me for barging in. I'm sorry if I startled you.”
”Indeed,” she said. ”Thou hast startled me wicked.” She pointed at the towel. ”But I recognized thee in time.”
”What, you mean....”
”Aye.” She nodded lightly, and a guilty smirk dimpled her cheeks. ”Art thou not happy to see me?”
”Sorry?”
”Lilith explained it to me you know.”
”Explained what?”
”Men. How thee can tell when men are happy to see you. She said you were most happy to see me last night, but not so much now I see.”
”Ursula. Lilith did not... It does not exactly work that way. Did she really say that?”
”Aye. 'Tis still a wonder to my thoughts what doth birds and bees to do with it.”
I took a deep breath and let it out feeling increasingly uncomfortable about the whole situation. ”Okay then,” I said. ”I'll get out of your hair now.”
”My hair?”
”It's an expression. Don't over-a.n.a.lyze it.”
I backed out of the bathroom with the towel firmly in place and my dignity firmly displaced. Ursula kept her eyes on me the entire time, either to make sure I shut the door behind me or to catch a glimpse of my retreating a.s.s. Naturally, I a.s.sumed the latter, as I still had an ounce of shame to surrender.
I showered in the other bathroom, dressed and returned to the living room to collect my wet clothes. Ursula was there. She had finished her bath, dressed in jeans, a pullover blouse and sneakers. Although I was happier to see her like that, she likely would have been disappointed to find that my barometer for measuring such things remained unchanged.
Later, when I decided to fix myself a bite to eat, I asked Ursula to join me. I expected she would say no, a.s.suming she would rather avoid the uncomfortable banter that comes with the territory after one walks in on another taking a bath. To my surprise, she accepted, and oddly, did not seem uneasy. For her, there were no awkward glances, no p.u.s.s.yfooting around the obvious elephant in the room. Perhaps because there was no elephant in the room, as far as she was concerned.
For me, things were different. I could scarcely look into her eyes without imagining the two of us entangled in cardinal embrace. It drove me crazy, and I hated myself for thinking about her that way. Yet I could no sooner arrest my thoughts than stop breathing. I thought of Spinelli, my friend, my partner, my brother in arms. Had I no shame? No loyalty?
I finished my sandwich, downed my drink and made an excuse for hurrying out the door before saying something stupid like telling Ursula what was on my mind. I barely made it across the room, when Lilith walked through the door. I grabbed one of the two bags she carried and escorted her back into the kitchen.
”Lilith,” I said, setting the bag on the table. ”Am I ever glad to see you!” I saw Ursula c.o.c.k her head to one side, as if gauging the accuracy of my statement. ”What?” I asked, only then realizing what she was looking at.
She shook her head. ”I do not know, Master Tony. Methinks I have seen you more glad.”
Lilith donned an I don't get it look. ”What?”
”Nothing. Listen, I have to get back to work.” I leaned in to kiss her on the cheek and whispered, ”I can't wait until she's married and out of this house.”
As I headed for the door, Lilith called back. ”You want the car?”
”What?” I turned around and saw her holding the keys up, jingling them like a bell. ”No. I have Spinelli's.”
”Okay. Are you going to be home for dinner?”
”Yes. No. I don't know.”
Again, that look crossed her face. ”Are you all right?”
”Sure. I'm fine.”
On the way out the door, I heard Ursula say, ”I do not think he is very happy today. I can tell.”
I hoped Lilith would leave it at that.
I had not driven two blocks from the house when Spinelli called. He sounded panicked and out of breath. ”Tony. You won't believe it.” I could hear his voice straining above the sirens wailing in the background. ”Oh my G.o.d. It is awful. We saw the whole thing.”