I had to have more, and that's just the bottom line of it. Brenda was just such a beautiful girl, I had to have all of her that I could.
While taking one of my daily walks with my wife, it dawned on me that there was a whole wing of the facility with empty rooms. After the walk, Anabelle needed to lay down in our room. I went back to the empty wing, and was disappointed that all of the doors were locked. If I could get into one these rooms, I would have privacy with Brenda.
I watched what went on in that wing for a couple of days, which was nothing. Because there were no residents in that area, no staff went to any of the rooms. It was almost like it was roped off from the rest of the facility, but I just didn't know how I would get into one of the rooms.
Another day or two passed, before I thought to talk to my buddy on the maintenance staff. He was a middle-aged guy who I had conversations with about sports and cars from time to time. The next time I saw him, I engaged him in one of those conversations before asking for my favor.
"You know those rooms down the back hallway?"
"Yeah."
"Why are they kept locked?"
Colin shrugged, "Maybe to keep someone from wandering in there. If someone was in there that we didn't know about, and you got hurt, we wouldn't know where you were to help."
"That makes sense."
"Why, you looking for a bachelor pad?" he laughed.
"Do you have a key?" I didn't laugh.
He looked at me, and lowered his voice. "I can't do that, Mr. Callahan. I'd probably get in real trouble."
I made sure no one was coming, then fished money out of my pocket. "I'm just looking for a quiet place to relax in for an hour or two," I offered a $20 bill to him.
"If something were to happen to you in there, I'd be liable -- the company would be liable. I could lose my job just from letting you in there."
"Nobody really goes down there."
"Yeah, but there's too much traffic nearby for someone not to see you going in and out of a room."
"I only need it on the weekends, when there's a lot less staff here," I offered him another $20.
"Keep your money," he pushed my hand back.
"At our home, I had my den, I had the garage, I had just about any room that my wife wasn't in to have some time to myself. You know how small the living quarters are here, and there is no other room to go to. It's either in the room with her, or out in one of the open areas. A man needs someplace to go where he can scratch himself in peace, you know?"
"Yeah, I know," he laughed. "Look, I can't give you a key, but when I leave on Fridays, I could leave a door unlocked."
I smiled, "Just let me know the room number."
"But you've got to make sure you don't get caught; and if you get caught, my name does not get brought up."
"Absolutely!"
"And make sure you don't leave any sign you've been in there. Crumbs on the floor, wrinkled sheets, nothing."
"There's no way I'll ruin this for myself, or get you in trouble."
"You'd better not," he shook my hand, and took the 20 in my palm. "Needs a place to scratch in peace," he laughed to himself going down the hall.
I put the other 20 in my pocket, and began counting the hours until Friday; it was only Tuesday.
Brenda came into work that evening, and she and I flashed our usual smiles at each other during dinner. I walked my wife back to our room, and we sat watching the evening news. Eight o'clock eventually came, and I excused myself to get some air. Brenda was on our bench in a skirt for me again when I went around the corner, "Hi, sweetheart."
"Hello, Mr. Callahan," she smiled.
I sat beside her, and asked what was going on at school. As she talked, I put my hand on her knee and gradually moved it onto her thigh. She got goosebumps and the tone of her voice changed the higher my hand got.