EPILOGUE:
I stretched, feeling that woozy, fuzzy feeling you get after a night of too many screwdrivers. Oh yeah, and a fight with your boyfriend I remembered as I reached over and found "his" side of the bed empty. I rolled to a sitting position on the edge of the bed with a little groan and sat for a minute, allowing the room to stop spinning.
The silence of the house surprised me. David was a freelance writer and so he didn't have any set office hours. Usually, he would be rattling around in the kitchen or watching the TV or something that involved making some sort of sound.
I made it to the bathroom where I peed and sat, holding my head.
Finally, I thought I would be able to handle the dangerous expedition to the kitchen for coffee.
I made it, although barely, and again sat, at the kitchen table, holding my head and praying for the little beep that would tell me that Mister Coffee had finished his work.
The coffee aroma hit and I felt the first stirrings of real life.
A few more minutes of silent suffering and that blessed beep sounded.
Cup in hand, still naked, I went into the front room, turned on the TV, and sat in my overstuffed recliner to see if I was going to survive the day.
The Fox and Friends crew was on and I watched their weird mixture of headline news and silly fluff although I cannot say that I really saw any of it.
Finally, my pulse strong and my equilibrium more or less steady, I went back through the bedroom into the bathroom where I ran the water as hot as I could stand it before I stepped into the shower.
I slowly showered, face-hair-ass as I always did. Then I just stood, hands on the wall, allowing the hot water to flow over me. I stayed there until it started to run cooler and then turned it off and stepped out of the shower.
I felt almost human as I dried and brushed my hair quickly.
I walked back to the kitchen for a fresh cup of coffee and then went into our little spare bedroom/office to see if David had left a note or anything telling me where he was.
The computer was on and there was a note, sure enough.
"Paula, you must have known it was ending, but last night you showed a side I hadn't imagined. Enjoy these."
Under that was a link to a website.
I clicked the link and my heart stopped when I saw myself looking back at me.
By the second click, showing the next picture, my stomach was turning over and when I saw the third picture I threw up, barely making it to the wastebasket.
Chapter One
I was drying after my shower, wondering why I kept setting myself up like this.
Oh, it was flattering to be invited along, but I knew that I was the "other girl," available in case there was an extra guy when the flirting started.