Chapter 10
Victor walked around the small apartment with the cordless phone to his ear. He had been talking to Fantasy for more than an hour. Today had been another early home day. He didn’t have a heavy schedule, and when an onset of nausea and vomiting hit him, he cancelled all that was on his calendar and went home to rest. It had to be some bug. Whatever it was, it had him feeling rotten. “I know, Fantasy. I’m going to warm some soup and rest the minute I hang up the phone.” He smiled at her concern.
“I think you should.” She was in the mall, looking for the right shoes to accent the outfit she would wear at the after-five charity event that was being cosponsored by her company.
“I just don’t want to hang up the phone. And there’s something I wanted to ask you.” Victor had been thinking, since he’d received the information a few days ago, that this would be a great opportunity to see her.
Fantasy picked up a designer shoe in Saks, and tilted it from side to side. “Please ask, and then you can hang up.” She was a little worried about him not feeling well lately. Plan or not, she didn’t want anything happening to him.
“I’m on TDY in Washington, DC in two weeks, and I really would like you to meet me, or, if you prefer, I can come there to see you.” He held his breath and waited for her to say something.
“Really?” She had thought about her plan progressing to the point that they would meet. So, in retrospect, this was all going better than she thought it would. “That would be great. I’d love to meet you there. E-mail your details and I’ll see if I can take a few days off from work.”
“I don’t want you to take time off from work if it will be a hassle. I can drive there, or, better yet, I can route my flight there for a few extra days.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll ask when I go back after my lunch break. It’s slow, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” Fantasy knew all too well that she could adjust her schedule at will. She had worked so hard that, until recently, she had been glued to her desk and always working on something. It seemed that more and more lately she was looking at life through a different-colored lens, a lens that did not include her working herself to exhaustion. Her medical appointment would be the next day, and she hoped that they could give her something for the pain that was not managed by her previous medicine. There had to be something else that could possibly help. It was a long shot, but she was hoping for something that would require only a slight adjustment to her lifestyle.
Victor couldn’t believe she was agreeing. He thought that he would have to twist her arm, and yet she agreed willingly. A little out of it, he sat down and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “Well, we can plan things later. Take care.” He wanted to add that he loved her, but didn’t want to say too much too soon. Too many things hadn’t been said, and, while he knew they were both working on a solid foundation of getting to know each other, there was still some uncertainty.
“Okay. I’ll talk to you soon.” Fantasy disconnected the call and turned to look for a salesperson.
Before Victor could hang the phone up, it rang again. He smiled, thinking it was Fantasy calling back to give him one more remedy to try. He had talked to Niya before he’d left work. There had been a few financial issues he’d needed to handle with the school, and if it meant he could avoid talking to Sonya, he would have called Satan. “Hello.”
“Command Chief Charles, this is Dr. Knapp.”
Victor looked at his watch, thinking that the medical facility closed at 5:00. “Yes, Dr. Knapp, you must have some information for me.”
“I do, Chief. I was wondering if you could come in tomorrow morning.” He paused. “You can come in anytime before noon. Just tell the receptionist you need to see me.”
“This must be real important.” Victor wanted to see if the doctor would give him a clue as to what was going on. “I mean, just giving the word and being able to see you just like that without an appointment.”
“I assure you it’s nothing that hasn’t been done before.” The doctor tried to reassure him and to limit sounding a health problem alarm. That was never good for any patient. This call itself was likely sending up a flag. Dr. Knapp knew that if he began to talk about the results, Victor would have questions that shouldn’t be answered over the phone.
“Can you tell me what is going on? What did the test results show?” Victor knew that the doctor was trying to avoid revealing anything over the phone.
“I’d rather see you in the office. That way, if there are questions, we can talk about them at length.”
“Well, okay. I’ll be in tomorrow.” He hung up the phone. How was he supposed to rest tonight? The doctor had discovered something that warranted making another visit to the medical facility, and that had him concerned. He sat there in a chair, sweating like it was hotter than hot when the apartment was only slightly warm.
There was a knock on the door. Hardly anyone ever came over to his apartment, and if someone did he always knew in advance. As close as he and Darryl were, they never dropped by each other’s place unannounced. In Darryl’s case, Victor never knew when he was entertaining company, and in his case, Darryl just respected his privacy. As he sat there, confused about who it could be, whoever it was knocked again. Victor went to the door and opened it without question.
Lopez stood at the door. “Hello, Chief. I’m sorry to drop by unannounced, but there are some reports that need a response by morning and I thought I’d drop them off on the way home.”
“You didn’t have to go to all that trouble. All you needed to do was call and I would have gone back by the office and looked over them.” Victor opened the folder with a puzzled look on his face. He was certain that he had gone over everything earlier in the day before he left the office. There was nothing pending, and no one had mentioned needing a response to anything else, not even the general. He never looked up at her, but continued to glance through the pages.
“It was no trouble.” She was still standing at the door. Lopez thought that if she showed up at the door with some urgent paperwork, he would have at least invited her in and thanked her profusely for ensuring that nothing fell through the cracks. Yet, he had her standing outside.
“Thanks a lot. I’ll check these out and drop them off in the morning. I have an appointment so I should be in and out before you get there. Depending on how my appointment goes, I may or may not be in after that.” He closed the folder and looked at her closely for the first time since he swung the door open.
“Oh. Is everything okay? I know you have been very distracted. Is there anything I can do, anything at all that I can help you with?” She leaned forward.
Victor noticed that her shirt was open a little lower than it normally was when they were in the office. He was a little slow when it came to advances, so his ex-wife used to tell him, but it was hard to miss what Lopez was up to. “I am fine, and I don’t need a thing. As I said, I’ll leave these on your desk. Thanks again.” Victor was about to close the door when she walked closer to him.
“Chief, I will do anything to help you.” She boldly traced her manicured nail up his arm and licked her lips.
“Lopez, you are out of order, and I’m going to ask you to leave.” He took two steps back. “And once you are away from my door and out of sight, I’m going to pretend that this, whatever it is, never happened.” He was upset and wanted to say so much more. Victor would need time to reflect to see if at any time he could have sent a message to Lopez that would have led to this. He didn’t think so, but for the record, and since it was a serious matter, he’d go back over everything.
Lopez didn’t move right away. “I have been thinking about how lonely you must be, and you don’t have to, because I am more than available. If you are worried that I’d openly display any affection toward you, I wouldn’t. I know your position requires that you be secretive. I can do that, Chief.” Again she touched his arm, and this time she moved in so close, her breast rubbed against him.
“That’s it. Leave my apartment immediately. I’m going to have you reassigned. In the meantime, I am requesting that you do just your job, nothing more and nothing less.” He moved around her and stood at the door, making no eye contact.
Without a word, she walked out the door and glanced back at him with a sick smirk that he could not understand. Victor had asked her to leave immediately and had informed her that she would be reassigned. She had to know that the powers that be would question why. He could tell them the truth or create a story that they didn’t work together well. It happened often. The difference was that Victor never had a problem getting along with anyone. Lopez would be the first. Yes, subordinates had come on to him, but never so forwardly, and not one of them was so adamant that risking their positions was a concern.
“I’ll see you in the office.” She touched her butt as she walked away.
Victor watched as she turned the corner, and then she was out of sight. He closed the door and rubbed his hand over his face. He knew he needed to document exactly what had happened. There was always the chance that she could put her own spin on things. That was the last thing he needed. Victor had never been faced with anyone questioning him of unethical behavior. Still, if Lopez was so out of touch that she couldn’t take his no for an answer, it was hard to say what lengths she would go to. He was so sure when he opened the door that her visit was on the up and up. If he had thought that she had any other agenda than dropping off some files, he would have dismissed her immediately. How many classes had he had concerning related incidents?
He thought about calling Darryl, but decided to tell him later. He needed to lie down. This had been a crazy day. Victor closed the curtain in his bedroom and looked around for the remote. When he found it, he clicked on the television and wasn’t even concerned about what was on. He just needed the noise.
He got into the bed and stretched out. It felt good just to allow his body to hit the soft mattress. The 500-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets felt so good against his skin. This was another one of those requirements he had that might seem petty to some, but sleeping on high-thread-count sheets was a must for him. It wasn’t like he was ever planning on broadcasting this particular like, nor did he plan on sharing his preference just like that. Maybe he would, if it meant that he was about to be sharing his bed with someone.
The thought of sharing his bed caused him to think of Fantasy. They had talked countless times, yet still she would never agree to Skype with him. She continued to play it off like she didn’t know anything about how to get it on her computer. All it took was for her to have a webcam, or pick up one, go to the site, and then follow the directions. Every time he brought it up, she would quickly change the subject. It couldn’t have had anything to do with her looks; in the two photos on Facebook she was just as beautiful as she always had been. It was as if time had stood still. Nothing about Fantasy had changed.
Victor slipped farther down in the bed and placed his hands behind his head. He remembered the late night she came over to his apartment back then. They’d hardly talked; instead they spent hours just holding hands and watching a movie. During that time they never even kissed; the two just looked at each other and smiled. The chemistry was so strong and being in her presence was so intoxicating. He was so at ease around her. There were no demands put on his time or what he needed to be for her. All Fantasy wanted was whatever he offered. She’d held his head in her lap and he remembered falling asleep. Victor wasn’t sure how long he had slept, but when he’d opened his dazed eyes, the movie had gone off and the late news was on. When he’d looked up, she was wide awake and was simply massaging his temple and rubbing the side of his face. He had never been so comfortable with anyone, and that moment could have lasted forever. He wanted it to last forever. When he did finally kiss her that night, she didn’t pull away or act shy just for the sake of it, but she kissed him back. Victor felt something he had never felt before. That entire evening they didn’t exchange a lot of conversation; she had come because he was going through some changes with Sonya. That night she’d offered what he needed: a shoulder. Even when the kiss had happened, she immediately apologized and left. She stood at her car and told him with a light touch on his cheek that his friendship meant everything to her, and that as long as he needed her friendship it would always be there. It would never end or have strings attached.
Victor picked up the phone, dialed frantically, and waited.
Fantasy answered her cell phone. “Hello.”
“I still love you.” Victor knew he was taking a risk and was out of order, considering their pact to work on a solid foundation of friendship first.
Fantasy couldn’t believe what she was hearing, what Victor was saying. “Victor.”
“Stop. This is not about what you need to say. It’s about what I need to say. What I needed to tell you.” If this truth and the sharing of it made him a fool, so be it. His mind would race wondering about the results of the medical test, but it wouldn’t race with the question of the right time to tell Fantasy that he still loved her.
“Victor.” Fantasy spoke his name softly, feeling something deep down that she had vowed to keep locked away.
“No, not now. I just wanted to tell how I feel. Good night, my love.” Victor disconnected the line. He smiled a knowing smile. It was difficult to believe that years had passed, and while he went on living what he thought was real, their friendship had remained. There was no reason or rationale why Fantasy had reached out to him, in a Facebook message of all places. She should have gone on with her life back then with no thoughts of him whatsoever, but that wasn’t the way life played out. Fantasy had shared in part, but Victor believed there was so much more. He believed that a part of him had been tucked away, and she held on to that part, knowing that time would avail itself again. She had given the sacrifice of time and he had done nothing, nothing to hold on to what they shared until now. He owed her so much. How could he ever repay Fantasy? Victor decided he would do all he could to prove his love, and lavish upon her everything that she deserved. He’d give her all of him.
Yes, Victor thought. He’d give her all of him. Sure, he had vowed after Sonya to give up on love and loving, but for Fantasy he’d take the risk.
When he had exhausted himself mentally with all his thoughts, he closed his eyes and held on to the one that created a place for him and Fantasy. Before long, sleep came.