Chapter Four of The Loveable Resident

(c) Copyright 2017, 2019 Mary Faderan

"CHAPTER FOUR

Mike took out his cellphone and dialed Lauren Moore's number.  He sipped his beer while the phone rang.  Finally, the call was switched to her voicemail.  "Hello, you've reached the voicemail of Lauren Moore.  I'm unable to answer at the moment.  Please leave a message and I will get back to you."  Her voice was pleasant, and he remembered it from ages ago.  He hung up and sat back in his couch.  He closed his eyes.  In his mind's eye, an image of a young woman in blue floated in front of him.  She was tall, slim and a little on the athletic side.  He remembered once when he saw her playing volleyball at school.  She  wore her dark hair piled up on top of her head in a messy knot.  She looked pretty – dark grey eyes, long lashes, full lips that turned up slight at the corners, a pert nose.  Long slender legs.

He dialed her number again.  When her voicemail came on he left a short message.  "Hello Lauren, this is Mike Oates.  Had a call from my Mother about you and I meeting up at the Jets game.  I'll leave it to you to let me know if this is still ok with you."

He pulled his tie off and got up wearily.  He walked into his bedroom, leaving the lights on in the living room.  He stripped off his clothes and walked into the bathroom where he ran a bath.

Once his body slid into the hot water, Mike grunted wearily. He let his mind drift and settle into the memories he had of Lauren.  They weren't close friends at all.  He thought of the last time they met.  Maybe six or seven years ago.  He saw her coming out of church.  She was alone.  That was day of his father's funeral.  The service was over, everyone else had gone after paying their last respects.  It was a long day.  Mike sat in his car which was parked outside the church entrance.  He waited for his mother to come out.

Lauren walked up to the car and peered down at him.  "Mike, I hadn't had a chance to talk to you."  She said in a low voice. 

"Hello Lauren.  Good of you to come."  He was 29 years old then.  He was finished with his internship.  A letter of acceptance from  Dr. Leo Bartholomew, Chief of Surgery at Yale New Haven hospital nestled in his pocket.

"I wanted to say how very sorry I am about your dad."  She looked nice in her dark navy pantsuit.  She had a pink chiffon scarf around her slim neck.  Her face was pale and looked tired. She looked sadly at him.

"Thanks."  He replied, unable to say more.

"If you need anything at all, call me."  She handed him her business card.  It read: 

Lauren Moore, Esq. 

Attorney at Law,

Moore, Cassian and Cratchett,

Mike took her card and put it into his pocket.  "Thanks, Lauren."  He remembered then that he didn't think he would be needing her services as a lawyer.  He was so wrong, he thought as his mouth twisted into a smile.

She seemed to hesitate.  "Are you leaving for New Haven?"

"Yes, I've got my bags packed in the trunk.  I leave in an hour."

"Oh, I see."  Her face relaxed into a smile.  "Good luck, then.  You must be excited."

Mike paused.  "Not really."  He replied.  "I've been looking forward to it for so long that now it isn't that much of a big deal."

"I know, that happens."  She smiled.  Her face lit up.  He remembered that moment when suddenly her pale and drawn face shone like a beacon.  Mike stirred restlessly in the water.  He wasn't sure why remembering her face that way disturbed him.  If only, he thought.

His thoughts drifted back to that time.  Mike's mother came out from the church.  She was in the middle of a conversation with the pastor, Fr. Ted.  "Oh, there's Mike waiting for me."  She was beautiful in black.  Her blonde hair was like a halo around her regal head.  "Thank you for everything, Father Ted."

Mike got out of the car and went around to open the passenger door.

Father Ted looked at Mike thoughtfully.  "Good luck, Mike."  They were close in age.  Father Ted stood a few inches shorter than Mike.  They shook hands.

"Thanks, Father Ted.  For everything."  Mike echoed his mother's words.  He turned to attend to his mother who slipped into the passenger's seat.

They all said their goodbyes.  Mike slipped into the car beside his mother.  "All set, Mom?"

Mike's mother looked at him with an empty stare.  "Yes.  I suppose so."

Mike dozed in the tub for a half hour.  His cell phone buzzed.  He raised a dripping hand out of the water to retrieve his phone.  "Hello."  He said in a low expressionless voice.

"Mike?  This is Lauren Moore."  He recognized the voice before she identified herself.

"Hi Lauren."

"I got your message."  She said.  She sounded as though she was out of breath.  "Listen, about the Jets game.  My friends are going but I've got to head back home on Sunday to prep for a case Monday so I need to do some packing."

"Oh, I see."  He frowned. "So you're calling to cancel?"

"But if you want to,  we can meet for a quick bite."  She spoke at the same time and didn't hear his comment.  "Is that ok?"

"S-sure."  His pulse quickened.  "Do you know where Pellegrinos is?"

"I'll find it.  What time?"

"I can take the train down and be there around 11:30."

"Fine.  I'll see you at Pellegrinos."

"I'm going home on Sunday too."  He said quickly, fearing that she might end the call.

"Oh, really?  What a coincidence.  Well, I need to hang up.  I just got done with my workout and I need to wash up."

A slight smile touched his lips.  "What a coincidence." He echoed.

"Oh, you too?"  She laughed.  Her laugh was infectious.  He tried to think of something else to say, but then she said:  "Ok, see you tomorrow!"

He put his cell phone down and stared at the wall before him.  Slowly, Mike eased his body down until half of his face was under water."