It had been a rough, few months to say the least. My husband of 17 years left and moved in with his new boyfriend. Yeah, boyfriend. The marriage was falling apart long before that, and it's hard to want to be intimate with a man who says he wants the things that come with marriage but wants to do none of the work. He went off to a new life and left me with the responsibilities. It was probably for the best. Resigned to my new inevitable future as a crazy cat lady, I settled into my new single life.
Thankfully, as a charge nurse on a busy floor, I was usually overly tired from spending most of a 12-hour shift on my feet, dealing with people's sometimes petty problems, solving issues, and generally doing more than my share of the work. While parts of me enjoyed my new found freedom, I will admit there were times I felt lonely. And, I was holding on to years of sexual frustration. Thank God for toys and a good imagination. I looked forward to my near daily date with my vibrating friends.
Feeling overworked and over stressed, I arrived home from my 12-hour shift feeling spent. My two cats weaved between my tired legs, rubbing up against me with their usual affectionate greetings. I bent my tired body over to stroke their sleek fur joking soft..." If only I could get that reaction from a man." One of them meowed up at me in an almost disgruntled way as if to say... "Hey, what do you need one of those for when you have us!"
I stumbled over to the kitchen, half dead from a rough shift of dealing with a group of squabbling family members. There were a few petty arguments among some of my staff members in addition to several emergent calls through the hospital. One thing after another kept me running all night. I had just enough energy to feed the cats. I should have been famished, and in some ways, I was, but right now a cup of tea and a warm bath sounded better followed by my nightly adventure with my handheld friend knowing it would relax me and help me sleep better.
I grabbed the kettle from the stove, yawned as I went over to fill it, put it on the burner. At that moment, I heard a crash in the other room, finding that my two kitties were squabbling and had knocked over my favorite lamp instead of chowing down on their dinner for the night. I threw my hands up in the air, "Ah fuck it!" I decided to forget about the tea, and wandered up the stairs. I kicked my shoes off, stripped out of my scrubs, my undies, threw them haphazardly into the hamper, and wandered into the bathroom. I turned on the hot water, threw in some Epsom salts and a bath bomb. While the water ran in the tub, I started into the mirror... feeling like I looked a mess. I pulled the clip out of my hair shook it out, and looked at myself in the mirror. In some ways, my 50 years had been kind... people often said I looked younger than my age, and I was young at heart. After my husband left, I got my second tattoo, and started experimenting with my hair color. My somewhat new lavender locks fell in loose curls over my pale shoulders. I stood looking at my 5'6" frame in the mirror. Working nights sort of made me part vampire. I'd always been a plump girl. Ample breasts, butt... I was... as they call it... a thick girl.
I'd struggled with weight my whole life. Sometimes, it wreaked havoc with my self-esteem. Sometimes, it weirdly empowered me. Tonight, I was too tired to think about it. I threw my hair up in a messy bun, turned on some music, turned off the water, and slid into the warm, raspberry colored and scented water with a slight moan. I turned on the jets, felt the steam caress what little of my skin remained above water, and sighed. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander along with my hands sliding over my slightly soapy yet soft skin... exploring and enjoying my own body. I may have even dozed off a few minutes. I woke to the sound of my cats meowing loudly, one of them scratching at the door, and a smell of smoke. I pulled myself up quickly, almost slipping, wet, my hair clinging to my face from the steam of the bath, I threw open the door to a sight of smoke filling the hall. As soon as I opened the bedroom door, the smoke detector in the bedroom was triggered.
"Damn him!" I muttered, thinking about the reason why it was only now that I was hearing a smoke alarm. I no longer had one in the kitchen, and as I stepped out of the room, I could see flames coming from the kitchen. I kept a fire extinguisher on each floor, grabbed the one from upstairs and cautiously scrambled down the stairs nearly tripping on the tie to my robe which I had not yet tied. Just as I did, I was startled half to death by a pounding at the door. TFD -- and suddenly, two burly figures burst through the door, garbed in full fire gear and rushed past me to the kitchen where the fire was emanating from the stove. High flames licking the ceiling and the wall, but thankfully hadn't yet caught the ceiling on fire. I set the extinguisher down, pulled my robe tightly around me, and tied it shut.
Thankfully, the fire was out in a near instant. I was very lucky this didn't burn the entire kitchen. This would be fun to explain to the insurance company. "Shit!" I muttered to myself. "I was so tired; I must have turned the stove on and not realized it before I put the kettle on. One of the firemen or women... stepped toward me and pulled off hat and face gear. It was in fact, a he. In a surprisingly soft voice, he said... "Are you ok miss? Did you inhale any smoke? Is there anyone else home?"
I shook my head vigorously. God, I must have looked a mess. I must have been fifty shades of red, there in my bath robe and bare feet. "No... no...um. I was home alone. Well... just me and the cats."
He shook his head and chuckled slightly, walking over to the stove, pointing to what was left of a burned potholder that I suspect one of the cats had knocked off of the wall and close enough to the flames. I loved my furry companions, but damn they could be little shits, and I struggled to keep them of the counters sometimes, especially when not in the room.
I cleared my throat nervously, my voice cracking slightly, "I am so sorry to bring you guys out here tonight. I was so tired when I got home from my shift. I must have turned the burner on without realizing it." Then I threw him a perplexed look... "How... how did you guys know there was a fire?"
"Your house alarm,' he said. Many of these newer systems can detect fires and leaks, and the alarm company alerts us."
I nodded, "Yes, I put it in recently to feel safer," alluding to my recent singledom, but not really explaining it.
His wandered around the kitchen and up to the ceiling, his mouth curling into a frown as his eyes paused on the round white patch of ceiling that didn't match the rest of the ceiling... the place where the smoke alarm had been installed but was clearly missing.
The other firefighter wandered around the downstairs checking out the rest of the main level, just making sure everything was ok. The fireman in front of me continued, "You are very lucky. What happened to your smoke alarm? You really should have multiple units on every floor, but especially in the kitchen!" His look was stern but kind... I could feel his smokey green eyes on me... maybe even wandering a bit to the places where my bare skin was exposed then quickly darting away.
"No, no, you are right. I am so embarrassed. My husband...my soon to be ex-husband," I added quickly...: he kind of knocked it down in a fit of rage."
He looked back at me with concerned eyes. I was quick to add... "That smoke alarm would go off all the time without provocation. One night he was cooking something, it went off, and he grabbed the broom, got on a stool and tore it down. He didn't like loud noises," I added softly. "I kept meaning to get someone out here to help me replace it. This won't look so good on the insurance report." Sighing, I rambled on, "I work really long hours at night, and well... well... there is no excuse. I will get it replaced right away. Thank you so very much for coming."
