Heros Passions Series

Chapter 7- Lips of an Angel

“Lips of an Angel”   

2011 © All Rights Reserved

Chapter 7-Charlie

I stood their like a dumb struck fool at my childhood bedroom window staring out into the yard watching  the three lone women in this humongous world of ours who have in one or another had a profound impact on my life.  They all got into a tiny Honda Civic and seconds later they slowly backed out of the drive and pulled away.  

My sister, my old high school flame and my newest sweetheart all together for what they coined a “ladies day“.   The whole situation was rather ironic, I mused, considering all of the screwed up facts of the matter.

Sighing I pushed myself away from the window and went over to the bed.  Taking a seat on the edge I swept my eyes over the room taking in every tiny detail.  So many memories, so long ago.  In this very room, Heather and I had fooled around, made a little love and just held on to each other making exuberant plans for the future.  The future that at one time I fully expected to share with her.   

How blinded I turned out to be.  It was also in this very room that I burned a box full of pictures, broke a ton of athletic trophies and passed out on numerous nights after a twenty four hour drinking binge when she left me without even having the decency of saying good bye.  That girl sure did quite a number on me.

There was no rhyme, no reason.  She just up and left as if she was a ghost in the wind.

Good and irritated now, I covered my face with my hands and dropped my head back let ting myself collapse on the bed.

“What are you doing Charlie?  Are you really that much of a masochist to put yourself through this?”  I pondered aloud.  

A picture of an eighteen year old Heather flashed in my head, smiling as she sat on my lap the day before she left.  Her hair was tied up in one of those fancy french braids that she liked so much and she had on the blue and white polka dot sundress that I bought her for Valentines Day earlier that year.  A smile curled on my lips as I relived the memory so vividly in my head.  We made the sweetest love for hours on end that afternoon.  Too bad that I hadn’t had a clue of what she was going to do the next day.

“Why?“ I asked myself,  “Why did you have to leave, what was I that I did so bad to make you run from me?“

Standing back up because the emotions coiling inside had me wound up tighter than  a rattlesnake.  For lack of nothing else to do I started to pace furiosuly  back and forth across the room.  Maybe I should just take Rio’s advice and put little Miss Heather back in her car and send her back to wherever she came from, not daring to take a second look back.  But then the burning question was still there, 'why'.

'Hell, why does Heather even get to me like this anyway?', I asked myself thoughtfully. 

Especially after all this time.  Yea, it was a tough road coming back from the hole that she ripped in my heart, but I traveled it and look at me now.  I have Ella who I truly believe has sincere feelings towards me and I know that I have some pretty strong feelings for her too.  I think the two of us have a pretty good thing going, so why?

Questions with only more questions for answers.  “Damn“ I muttered the curse fisting my hands tightly by my sides.  I need to get out of here, out of this room and out of this house to clear my head.  

Pushing my bedroom door open with a little more force than necessary I headed down the hall with a purposeful gait and took the stairs two at a time.  Maybe a change of scenery would make a difference.  

‘Yea right, you keep trying to tell yourself that Charlie boy.  Going the way that your going and heading in the direction that you are headed you are just about ready to find yourself one screw loose from admitting  yourself to the crazy farm.’

Grabbing my keys of the table in the foyer I opened the front door to the house with every intention of getting in my car and driving.  Driving for however long it took for me to make heads and tails out of the jumble of a mess that was floating around in my head.

“Charlie”

Stopping, I glanced over my shoulder to see Rio standing rigidly at the foyer entryway.  His face was blank, void of any emotion and his dark knowing eyes stared back at me.

“Yea” I spoke curtly.  All I really wanted to do was high tail my butt out of here right about now and the only thing standing in my way at this point was Rio.

“Look” he said and then visibly relaxed his stance.  Adverting his eyes he continued “I’m sorry man.  I’m….ah hell Charlie, I’m sorry I got on your case about Heather, alright.”

He turned back in my direction and our eyes locked on to each other.  I could easily read the sincerity in his face.

With a small nod of the head I answered him, “Yea, uh…it’s cool man.”  my tone was gruff as I stumbled stupidly over the words.

Rio took a step forward and reached out putting his hand on my shoulder. Giving it a reassuring squeeze he added “I just don’t want a repeat of what happened before.”

Covering Rio’s hand with my own I let out a long sigh.  “There won’t be any repeats” I told him determinedly, “I was in a dark place back then and for a long time I thought I could never come back fromit, but I did man.  I know who I am now.”

Rio searched my face and whatever he was looking for he must have found because he gave me one of his quirky smiles.

“Are we having one of those buddy-buddy bonding moments?” he asked acerbically.

I returned his smile and agreed with him, “Yea” I replied and at that moment I felt the weight of the keys in my hand.  It felt good to clear this up with Rio but I still had this incessant urge to get away from this house, the memories that were weighing so heavily on me.  

I still had things in my head that I needed to work through on my own. Rather subtly, I took a step back and felt his hand drop from my shoulder, “I guess you could call this one of those bonding moments fit for one of those Hall Mark greeting card commercials.”   

We both chuckled and the laughter between us seemed genuine.

“Look man, I’m going out for a while and don’t know how long I’ll be.  It’s a clear my head kind of thing that i really need to do.” I finally told him frankly.

Rio shook his head, “I understand man“ he replied and then he glanced up at me with an earnest look smeared on his face, “As long as your here tomorrow before noon so that you can walk your sister down the aisle then we‘re all good.  You go on and do what you need to do to get yourself straight Charlie.  I can handle the brood around here.”
 

And just like that the tension between us faded.  My best friend was lax, well as lax as one could be on the day before his wedding and I, well I was determined to go and figure that one out right now. 

Tossing my hand up in a half wave I told Rio “See ya around” and headed out the door.  In mere seconds I had crossed the yard and slid into my trusty old pick up truck and was cruising down the road.  Where I was going I didn’t know.  With no destination in mind I headed for the main highway and drove.  Drove in hopes of finding the answers that I need to move on, with or without Heather.