Chapter 3
Her mother entered a store where some party dresses were, claiming, “You can’t find a one-night stand if you aren’t dressed for it, Regina.”
“Your lax push for me to have one night is so odd for me, Mother,” she responded. “Most mothers would be clutching their pearls about this. I find your comfort level creepy.”
Juanita easily chuckled as she rummaged through the most provocative dresses. “You’re a grown woman, Regina. I shouldn’t be as uptight as I was when you were a little girl. Oooh, look at this one.” Her mother became distracted by a red and black after-five dress with a matching red choker and matching black and red bracelet. “It’s a complete set. You must get this. It really shows off those hips of yours.”
Her hips were the last thing she liked to show off, seeing that they were curvy, extending out and making her waist appear smaller. No matter how long she stayed on the treadmill, her hips would be with her for life. Before Regina was about to protest, her mother threw the dress over her daughter’s shoulder and urged her to enter the dressing room.
Appeasing her mother, Regina tried the dress on. The end of the dress came knee length but had two slits on each side which came mid-thigh. The choker accentuated her slim neck, making an unknown sensuality come to the surface she had never seen on her face before. Regina had to admit that the dress showed her shape nicely and then stepped out to show her mother.
“Oh my goodness, Regina. That’s the dress! You have to wear it out somewhere. Promise me!” her mother encouraged.
Regina only rolled her eyes and blushed from her mother’s compliments.
Getting in about seven that night, Regina unloaded her car in a hurry and went inside. Living alone had advantages, but sometimes, she felt unsafe, especially since her creepy neighbor moved in about a year ago. She had been in this house for about two years. The brick home was a two-bedroom with an unfinished attic.
She was so busy trying to get the many bags her mother had purchased for her in the house that she forgot her portfolio, which contained some recent sketches she wanted to work on tonight to prepare for her meeting in the morning.
Returning outside, Regina quickly got the portfolio out of the car and started to go inside, but her talkative neighbor and landlord, Mrs. Marge Barker, called her from the neighboring porch on the other side of her home.
“How’s it going, Sweetie?” Marge asked.
Regina was forced to stand there and speak to her because she didn’t want to be rude to this very nosy and garrulous woman. “I’m fine, ma’am.”
“And how’s your Mom?” Mrs. Barker asked.
“She’s okay, thank you for asking,” Regina said politely.
“I was just telling my husband the other day about how your mother must have instilled some good values because you are such a good girl.” Mrs. Barker tended to go on. This was an old subject. “You know how we wanted someone who wouldn’t be holding loud parties and making all kinds of noises in the early morning? I told you…”
Regina knew she wouldn’t be going in too soon and sighed to herself. Mr. Barker needed to stay home more often to entertain his talkative wife. Mrs. Barker mentioned her husband was one month away from retiring from the police force. He worked at a desk job inside the precinct because of an on-the-job injury. If Regina ever needed anything, she would have to catch up with him on his way to work, and he wouldn’t come back until early morning. He had to be going into his seventies, and Regina wondered if he really worked those long hours or just wanted to be away from his wife.
To save the day, Lola pulled into Regina’s driveway. Mrs. Barker looked disappointed that Regina would be having company, but she was courteous to let them go.
“Thank you so much,” Regina said to Lola when ensconced inside her place.
Lola laughed, looking through Regina’s bags. “Oh, Juanita was in a good mood today.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Yes, she was acting odd when I told her about discussing me having a one-night stand. She was all for it.”
“And got you this?” Lola raised the black and red dress. “Yes, this choker would make you look so damn hot. I must invite you to the new party I might get access to that’s coming up.”
Regina took the dress from Lola. “I’m not looking for any one-night stand at one of your parties, Lola. I’m going to put this in the back of my closet. I just thank you for saving me from Mrs. Barker.”
Lola bounced to the refrigerator. “I figured that old bat was running her mouth at you when you didn’t answer your phone, plus I was in the neighborhood. What’s for dinner?” she asked before plopping two grapes in her mouth and taking a whole handful out of the refrigerator.
Regina chuckled, glad to cook for someone. While in high school, her mother enrolled her in an extra cooking course to keep her busy. Juanita always felt terrible that she couldn’t teach her daughter things like other mothers had done for their daughters, so she made sure Regina had many extracurricular activities to keep her busy.
“That old woman is so strange,” Lola said, going to the window that looked out at the Barkers’ home.
“Not as strange as weirdo number one,” Regina said, nodding to the opposite window where the curtains were tightly drawn. “Yesterday, while I was at the corner store, he came in and stared at me like a piece of meat. It gave me the creeps, and the lady at the cash register asked if I wanted to call the police on him.” She rubbed the goosebumps off her arms.
“Did you get them?” Lola asked.
Regina shook her head. “No, I just hurried out and came home. I don’t want to start any trouble.”
“You tell your mother about him?”
“Yes, and she said not to worry; if I have a problem, I should tell Mr. Barker.”
Lola gasped. “What’s she doing?”
Regina came over and peeked out the curtain. “I think she has some starter garden growing in her garage. She talked about her herb garden once. She asked me once when I first moved in to look at it, but I told her I was too busy, and she let it rest.”
“She doesn’t give you the creeps?” Lola asked.
“No, she just talks too much.” Regina went into the kitchen to start cooking dinner. “And she’s just an old woman. I’m sure once you get that old, you’ll also be a big ole’pest.”
***
The storm awakened her brutally from her sleep. Regina peeled the pieces of sticky notes off the side of her face that had adhered to her cheek from laying her face on the desk. She had stayed up late in her attic office to finish the designs, while Lola stayed up with her to keep her company.
Her friend had most likely adjourned downstairs, leaving Regina to work until she fell asleep.
Getting up from her desk in the unfinished attic, Regina stretched out her back and packed everything for the morning. The storm was getting closer by the sound of the thunder rolling and the lightning strikes. Suddenly, she smelled a horrible stench along with a cigar. It was a silvery stench like mercury in the air or old blood.
Goosebumps appeared on her arm, and Regina looked out the window to the opposite side of the Bakers to see all the lights on in the creepy neighbor’s house.
When she checked her watch to see that it was four a.m., she thought it odd that someone was up with all the lights on in their house.
Regina moved to the front of the house to look out the window. Just as the lightning flashed above her head, she saw a tall, dark figure standing in the middle of the street, seeming to stare up at her window. Quickly, she backed away from the window and ran down the stairs to get a closer look.
Lola had bunked out on the couch and wasn’t disturbed by all the noise Regina made.
Regina looked out the front windows of her living room but saw nothing. She searched diligently for something but didn’t see anything.
The goosebumps couldn’t get any bigger, so she made sure the bolt on her door was locked. After checking the back door and all the windows to ensure they were secure, she used an extra blanket to cover Lola and went to her room in the back of the house.
Crawling into bed, Regina said a little prayer for good dreams and safekeeping throughout the night.
Her brain didn’t immediately shut down. Briefly, she wondered if there was a one-night stand, and it was a tall, dark, dangerous stranger that could make those goosebumps turn into hot, sensual passion, but then what? Of course, her thoughts were just a fantasy. Regina knew she could never involve herself with a dangerous, deadly man and get caught up in something toxic. It would look bad for her mother’s political life, and Regina would never do anything to mess up her life or her mother’s life.
Still, that element of no one would know… she could hear her mother’s words. Just use protection. Don’t use names.
One night? One dangerous encounter?
Maybe?
No. She could never!
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