Page 4 of Love Triangle
Did I just have horny feelings over Cliff? On the sidewalk next to an old man who’s wearing a t-shirt that says “Sexiest Banjo Player 2017”? I will need to analyze that later. Right now, I’ll focus on Sexy Banjo and his sweat stains.
Yep, that worked. By the time I get to the school I’m back to appropriate teacher mode. I’m five minutes late, but when am I not?
“Hi kids!” I say as I put my things in the drawer. “Who’s ready to learn some geometry today?”
Two of the kids raise their hands, and that makes me smile because that’s two more than yesterday. Maybe I’m making a difference here!
Life is good.
Chapter Six – Crystal
My first day in business was actually really great. Most food was sold out by the end of the day and people seemed to really like what they ate. I’ve got such a good feeling about the future of the business. If only things outside of work could be so good.Sigh.
It’s a long drive home from the shop. I can’t live in town, as my condition requires me to own a fair amount of private land. Even though it’s barely past sundown, I’m pretty tired when I finally turn off the freeway and start up the long driveway to my place.
I park in front of my little, white house, and open the door. A massive creature jumps on me as soon as I unlock it, nearly knocking me back with its huge paws.
“Plato!” I laugh as my Great Dane licks my face. “Get down buddy. Let me put my things away then I’ll let you outside, alright? One sec.”
Plato sets his paws back on the floor and trots next to me as I put my things down. We walk out the back door and he goes out to relieve himself while I go inside and take a shower. He’s such a good dog. I feel bad that he has to be locked up all day. At night, though, he’s free range and he’s so good about it. Most people wouldn’t understand letting a dog roam around all night, but most people don’t have Plato. And they don’t have the needs I do.
After I get out of the shower, I get Plato back in and give him some food before making myself a dinner of salad out of a bag and reheated pizza. Real exciting, I know. Settling in on the couch, I watch some videos on the internet to keep myself company while I eat. I can’t have real company at night, and that kind of life gets mighty lonely. The least I can do is listen to some pretty goth lady review makeup so I can have another person’s voice at the table.
After dinner I lay in bed for a while and read a romance book about big, pink aliens with electrified dicks. I can’t have real romance, so might as well go all out in the fantasy.
When I’m done, I make sure I have clean clothes set out for tomorrow, brush my teeth, and sigh once more.
Here it goes again.
“Come on, Plato. It’s close to midnight. Time to go.”
Locking up the house, I head out into the woods behind it with Plato at my side, my steps heavy with reluctance. I know I have to do this every night, but it never gets better. It always makes me angry. It always hurts.
When I get to the little clearing that I’ve set up for this task, I strip out of my clothes and put them and my keys into a waterproof bag, then put that bag into a hidden safe. I give Plato a scratch on his head.
“Go on and play. And remember, no bad guys come close to me, alright?”
He gives my cheek a lick before running into the woods, probably going to find some little animal to chase, though he never catches them from what I’ve seen. I place my hands to my sides and look up to the sky, waiting for midnight.
I know when midnight comes because I feel when the change happens, though I only feel it for a second before everything goes dark. I won’t feel, see, or hear anything again until sunrise.
If I were someone able to experience things, however, and I was on the outside looking at me, I would see a strange occurrence happen at midnight.
I would see a woman change in a flash from a human into a pyramid.
A nearly transparent pyramid, as tall as the woman was, three-sided all the way around. The pyramid would stay there, exactly the same, until sunrise, when the woman would return in its place, looking the same as she was before.
As angry and hurt as she was before.
Chapter Seven – Cliff
I’m not ready to give up my lunch at the café. I’ve been going too long and the thought of changing such a large part of my daily routine fills me with such anxiety it’s overwhelming. But Icanchange the part of it that comes after. The variationispart of the routine.
Normally I take a short walk, perhaps read a book, or do a crossword puzzle. Anything I am in the mood for, but nothing set in stone. So, it’s perfectly alright if I choose to go to the pie shop and sit for a cup of coffee today.
What’s not alright is finding that every table is full when I get there. I can take a long break; as long as my work is taken care of it doesn’t really matter when it’s done. But I prefer to be home at exactly five thirty each day, and if my break is too long, I may not make it. Waiting for a seat is probably not an option. I sigh as I shove my hands into the pockets of my gray cardigan and ready myself to turn back.
That is, until I see her walking toward me. She’s coming around the counter, that blonde ponytail swinging back and forth in time with her hips. It’s at that moment that something inside me growls out an oath to one day have that ponytail wrapped around my fist.
