Chapter 05: Someone to watch over me
Robbie shut the apartment door behind him a walked toward the kitchen, taking his jacket off and hanging it on the coat stand. As he entered the kitchen, he saw the flashing light indicating a message on his phone. He sat down at the kitchen table and pushed the 'new message' button. It was from Eleanor Thompson.
"Hi Robbie." she began. "I talked to my friend Dr. Weisman and he was pretty reluctant to give me any advice or analysis over the phone without meeting Julie, but here's what he said. He suggested that Julie might have been reacting to the confrontation in the mall that morning by seeing you as her protection. He said she might just change back to her normal self by herself in a day or two as the threat she perceives passes. However, he suggested you limit your contact with Julie for a few days to give her a chance to feel like she's back to a normal routine."
Robbie listened carefully to the message and then dialed Eleanor's number. She picked up right away. They exchanged greetings and Robbie asked her to give him more details of what the Psychiatrist had said. When she had finished, he told her what he planned.
"She works in the afternoons so I don't see her until I bring her home from the restaurant. Right now, she's afraid to be alone, so I'll stay on the living room couch when she's in bed."
"Sounds like you're doing the right thing, Robbie. If she doesn't show signs of coming around, we'll need her family doctor to give her a referral to another Psychiatrist. Dr. Weisman gave me a name. Do you have a pen?"
Robbie made note of the Doctor's name and phone number and thanked Eleanor for getting back to him so quickly. They exchanged small talk for a couple of minutes before ending the call. He sat at the kitchen table for a few minutes, contemplating what he should do. He decided to pick Julie up after her shift and drive her home. He would stay in the house only if she insisted and only under the conditions that existed the previous night; he in the living room and she in the bedroom.
He arrived at the restaurant just before closing and sat at the counter waiting for Julie to close up. She was happy to see him and thanked him for saving her the walk home. As they rode back to her parent's home they chatted about her day and his with no evidence of concern or worry on Julie's part.
"Are you staying tonight, Robbie?" she asked finally.
"Do you want me too?"
"You know I do."
"Same arrangement as last night, Julie. I'll be in the living room; understood?"
"If you insist." she said without emotion. "I'd rather have you in my bed, though."
"Be patient, Julie. We'll work it out. It'll be OK. You'll see." His voice held more conviction that he felt.
-0-
When Robbie awoke at six the next morning, he was conscious of a stiff neck and a sore back. The sofa was a poor choice of bed, even for someone as short as he was. He crawled out from under the comforter and stretched several times to loosen the muscles that had bunched and tightened overnight. He walked into the kitchen and made coffee and then quietly walked down the hall to peek into Julie's bedroom. She was sound asleep and he decided to leave her a note and head off to his apartment for a shave and a shower before going to work. Julie awoke shortly after eight and padded out to the living room to find Robbie gone and no evidence that he had slept on the sofa. A mild feeling of panic passed through her until she smelled the coffee and saw a note on the kitchen table. She smiled as she read the note and immediately felt better. She would see him again tonight.
As the week passed, Robbie picked Julie up each night at the restaurant and drove her home. He continued to sleep on the sofa, despite the discomfort. By Saturday night, he was relieved that Julie's parents would be home the next day. He had developed a plan and he needed to talk to them in private. He would get that opportunity on Tuesday evening; Julie's first day back at work. In the meantime, it meant he could go back to sleeping in a proper bed and hopefully get a good night's sleep for a change. He had become less and less concerned about Julie's behavior as the week wore on. She had either repressed the events of that Monday and her actions on Monday night, or they had been a singular event and weren't likely to reappear. He hoped fervently that it was the latter. Saturday afternoon he called Eleanor and gave her an update on Julie. He caught her just before she was about to leave with Roger to go to the theatre, so their conversation was short. Eleanor was grateful for Robbie's call and was equally pleased that Julie hadn't shown any additional signs of problems since Monday. Robbie told her of his plan to speak with Julie's parents and promised to keep her informed.
Julie's parents returned Sunday afternoon, looking tanned and tired. It had been a long two and a half day drive from Arizona and they were happy to be home. Julie had decided to wait a while before telling them of her experience at the mall and Robbie had asked her if she wanted him there when she told them. Julie seemed uncertain at first and then said 'No'; that she could handle it herself. Robbie promised to come over Monday evening after work and see her then. In the meantime, he had been thinking carefully about what he wanted to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Payton about on Tuesday evening. If he was going to be involved more intimately with Julie, he knew that he would have to be honest with her parents. He also knew there was no guarantee they would accept him; he wasn't a white collar white guy; he was a blue collar Hispanic and he was unsure of how they would view him. He was certain he was going to have to use salesmanship if he wanted their approval. It was old fashioned in these modern times, but it was the way things would be done in his homeland and there was no reason he shouldn't treat her parents with that same respect. He didn't know what he would do if they rejected him. He had no plan for that occurrence. He simply expected to succeed.
When Julie called him Monday evening, she confessed that she had not told her parents about the events of the previous Monday; either in the mall or in their home. Robbie was silent for a moment, and then said:
"Julie, I was going to ask your parents to let me talk to them tomorrow night when you were at work. I wanted to tell them about us, at least how I felt about you and me. If you want, I will tell them about last Monday." He had delivered this message in a quiet but firm voice.
Julie was quiet for a moment. "OK Robbie, but please don't tell them about ... I mean ... what we did that night." she said in worried tone.
"All right Julie, I won't unless they ask me directly if anything has happened between us. I won't lie to them, Julie. I can't do that and expect them to trust me."
"OK, I guess." she said cautiously.
"Julie, why don't you just let me do this and then we'll see how it goes. Then we can decide then what comes next; OK?"
"Yah, OK Robbie." She still sounded doubtful. "Good luck. Will I see you Tuesday night?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes you will." he said emphatically. "I don't want you walking home alone any more. I'll be there."
"See you then." He could hear the smile in her voice and immediately felt better.
-0-
Robbie parked his small truck on the street outside the Payton home just before eight on Tuesday evening. He had phoned the house and talked to Mrs. Payton that morning from work and asked if he could meet with them both and was pleased that she readily agreed. He had met both John and Evelyn Payton over the past weeks as he began dating Julie more regularly. They were pleasant to him and he had made sure in his manner and dress that they wouldn't have a poor opinion of him. He was polite by nature as well as neat. Even at the end of a hard work day on the construction site, he looked less scruffy than the other men. He had shaved off his mustache at New Years and at first Julie had complained, but had now accepted him as clean shaven. Her parents had never seen him any other way. He took a deep breath, opened the truck door and headed for the Payton front porch.
"Hi Mr. Payton. Nice to see you." he offered as John Payton opened the door.
"Come on in, Robbie. Evelyn said you would be dropping by this evening." he said pleasantly.
They exchanged small talk about the recent vacation until Evelyn came into the living room. The conversation petered out and Robbie knew his moment had arrived.
"Mr. and Mrs. Payton, I wanted to talk to you tonight about a couple of things; things that have happened while you were away."
A look of concern passed over John's face but they remained silent.
Robbie began by describing what had happened to Julie a week ago at the mall. There was shock and dismay on both parent's faces as he did his best to describe an event he hadn't witnessed. He told them he had contacted Corporal Janet Mayne on Tuesday and thanked her for her intervention and assistance. Robbie reminded the Paytons that Cpl. Mayne had been the attending officer at the scene of Julie's rape. Robbie also let them know that Julie had told him of her rape and the events of that evening a few weeks ago. Finally, he began to tell them of his feelings toward Julie.
"I guess there isn't any easy way to say this, so I'll just say it: I'm in love with your daughter Julie." He waited for the reaction.
"Oh my." was her mother's response. John Payton looked carefully at Robbie with a tight-lipped expression but said nothing.
"I guess I knew it when I first me her while I was going to night school. I didn't think I had a chance with her ... you know ... she was beautiful and I was ... well ... not exactly Brad Pitt." he smiled. "But I guess over time, she kind of saw me differently and I think now she feels the same way about me as I feel about her." he said cautiously. Again he paused, waiting for a reaction.
"Robbie, I appreciate your honesty, but, why are you telling us this?" John Payton finally asked.
"When I came here on Monday evening she was in terrible shape. She had been re-living the shock of seeing Mike Tulkman again and it brought back a lot of bad memories. She needed someone to be here and that was me." He paused again and this time there was no interruption. "She wasn't herself. She needed someone to comfort her and one thing led to another." his voice trailed off.
"Do you mean you had sex with her?" John asked pointedly.
