The Woman in the Windowsill
Two

I awake to a large rap on my front door. I open my eyes and shove Sam off of me, who decided to pass out on my face. I patiently wait for my would be visitor to lose interest and move on, allowing me to enjoy my hangover in peace. Unfortunately, the knocking doesn’t stop, instead growing with intensity and frequency. I groggily raise my head up from the couch cushion and look towards the door.

“Go away!”, I yell out at firmly as possible. Instead it comes across as one word and a slight gag.

“Open up!”. It’s my old friend David.

I’ve done my best to avoid David the past few months. Not just him in particular, but everyone in my life. I can’t just tell him to go away though. Reluctantly I make the journey to the front door to see what he needs. I fumble with the doorknob and open the door to see him waiting in the hallway.

“Took you long enough to open the door.” He looks impatient.

“I was sleeping pretty well. What do you want?”

David inspects me up and down and his look of annoyance shifts to a look of concern.

“Oh man, you aren’t looking good pal.” I’m not sure what it was that made him notice. I assumed it would be the dark lines under my eyes or my stubble which began to resemble more of scruffy beard.

“You look good too”, I reply sarcastically. “So shit, what you want David?”

“What do I want?”. I begin to grow annoyed and he can tell. “I want to see if you’re still alive. Looks like I barely caught you in time.”

I sigh, and open the door up further, inviting him in. I leave the doorway and make my way back to my couch. Apparently this was Sam’s queue to begin his morning meowing. David follows me in and begins to inspect my house with disgust.

“You’re place…”

“What do you need David? Really?”. I get back to the couch and fall face first onto the cushions. I remove something that I landed on and toss my cell phone aside. The last few times David decided to show up unexpectedly it was usually for a bit of cash to get him out of a bind.

I’ve known David since high school, and while his heart is usually in the right place, it’s a rare occurance to see him come by without him in urgent need of something. Last time he stopped by he needed rent money because he gambled his away at a sleazy casino. The time before that he needed to borrow my car after an angry husband of his latest womanizing conquest decided to punish him by slashing the tires of his Lexus.

“I’m just going to be honest with you”, he begins, feeling uncomfortable in my domain of empty beer bottles and chinese take out boxes. “Joe and I were just really starting to be worried about you. I knew it might have been bad, but… not like this.” David makes his way to the kitchen table as I do my best to ignore him. He inspects one of the many empty forty ounce malt liquor bottles. He sighs and rubs his face in his palms.

“Get up Brett”.

“Leave me alone, I’ve got to get to work in a bit, and I’d like to enjoy my beauty sleep”.

“After work, you’re getting a beer with Joe and me. At least that way you won’t be giving yourself alcohol poisoning on your own.” David finds an empty bottle with some beer hanging in the bottom of the glass. He empties it into his own mouth. He squints and gives off a sour face. “You still get off at five?”, he asks wiping his mouth.

“I don’t think I’ll pass tonight”, I tell him. “I think I’d rather just stay home”. My voice is muffled by the cushion I have imbedded my head into.

“Then we’ll come here. It’ll be a blast. Maybe it could get you to clean up a bit, it’s gross in here man”.

I lift my head from the suffocating couch. “Where am I meeting you guys?”, I concede

“Nope. You aren’t meeting us anywhere”, he states firmly. “I’m taking you to work today, and then I’ll pick you up afterwards.”

“That’s stupid.”

“You aren’t bailing out on this one Brett, we know how you are.” He begins to pick up some of the trash off the table and attempts to find the nearest trash can. When he finds that it is beyond overfilled he attempts to form and organized pile of trash in the corner of the living room. “On top of that, it looks like if you drive to work you’re going to wrap yourself around a tree. Friends don’t let each other do dumb things like drive to work half trashed. We do good things like drive our half trashed friend to work!”

I look up at him now and come to the realization that I’m too tired to fight off his proposal. “Fine.”

“Now I recommend you get up off your ass and get ready. You have be at work in about forty minutes.”

“Shit”, I say, looking at my alarm clock as if it is responsible.

“C’mon”, David says picking me up off the sofa. “Let’s get this food net on your face shaven off.” He quickly tugs a piece of my beard. “A shower would do you some justice too but I’m not about to help you with that.”

I was in a bit of a better mood after David got some coffee in me and told me a few of twisted humor ridden jokes on the way to work. He got a few laughs out of me before we pulled up to the office. I sigh as the commute finally comes to an end.

“Go kick ass”, he orders, as I get out of the passenger door of his truck. My foot catches the bottom of the cab and I almost fall flat on my face as I get out.

“Will do”, I reply as I recover my balance. He drives off as I reach for the front door of the office. I give my best shot of giving the receptionist a smile as I walk by her desk. She returns with an equally forced smile as I leave her behind on my way to the sales floor. I feel relieved as I check my watch and see that David was able to get me to work on time. I seat myself in my cubicle and my eyes widen as I glance at the work piled up on my desk.

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