Destination D (27 page)

Lost Baggage

D
ee had managed to catch the first flight to Salt Lake City. She hadn't eaten much and was looking depressed when the doctor entered. He wore a dark chocolate double-breasted Armani suit and looked as if he could grace the cover of
GQ Magazine.

“Dee, what's going on with you today?” He sensed Dee's uneasiness in her body language. He walked over to the chair and sat down to face her. Dee had decided to take a different position in the room, and pulled her chair in front of his desk. Her hands were folded tightly across her breasts, and her legs looked as if they had been fused together.

“I did it.”

“Did what?”

“I finally told Chris the truth.”

“Well, congratulations, Dee. You passed your first assignment!”

Dee's lips quivered as she unsuccessfully attempted to close them together. She was barely able to hold back tears.

The doctor handed her a tissue and folded his hands across the top of his desk. Dee blew her nose, took another tissue, and wiped her eyes. “Then why aren't I happy, and why is it that all I do now is cry? I mean, I have nothing to look forward to anymore, I'm so tired and just want to be happy again,” she said, feeling the tears slide down her cheeks as she buried her head in her hands. “See what I mean?” She looked at the doctor pitifully as her chest heaved with sobs.

“Now, now, Dee. It's all right—really. This is a good thing.”

Dee had a puzzled look on her face. “I'm not sure I understand you, Doc.”

“You are regaining your life again, Dee. Can't you see that?” he said.

“Oh, I can't keep doing
this,”
she said, her words sticking in her throat.

“You can't keep being truthful? Or you can't keep being dishonest?”

Dee understood what he was trying to get her to see. She knew that she had to come clean in order to start anew. But it was so hard. She just didn't realize the pain would be so raw. “I…I…just don't know what I mean anymore.”

“Yes, you do, Dee. Tell me what happened in Miami when you tried our exercise with Chris.”

“He tried to kill me!” Dee placed both hands over her face and wiped it dry. She burst into rolling laughter. “That low down, trifling woman-beater tried to kill me!”

The doctor flinched as Dee told him about her grisly encounter with Chris. He had no idea something like this would happen. Ever. “Dee, I'm sorry to hear that. You never made Chris out to be abusive.”

“That's because he wasn't. I mean, geez, I didn't
think
he was, anyway. I guess that's what happens when you don't really know a person.”

“How do you feel about what happened?”

Dee felt like the doctor was trying to give her a trick question.
How do you think I felt after that Miami ordeal?
“I'm crushed. Just crushed,” she said, hanging her head down.

“No relief from losing all of that unnecessary baggage?”

“No, as a matter of fact, I now know what
lost
baggage feels like, and it doesn't feel good.” She managed to smile.

“So what are your plans for Steve?”

“I may hold off on telling him until I recover from the Chris ordeal.”

“I see. Dee, are there any men in your life that you are attracted to that know what you really do for a living?”

Dee thought long and hard about his question. Had she ever been truthful to any man she was attracted to? She shook her head in embarrassment as she looked at the patterns in the carpet.

“No one. Except for Sedrick.”

“Are you attracted to him?”

“I've never looked at him like that. He and I have always been friends.”

“In the true sense of the word?”

“What do you mean?”

“Platonic?”

“Oh, yes, totally. I mean, he's like my brother. I could tell him anything.”

“Is Sedrick attracted to you?”

“Not in the context you're talking about. Why?”

“Well, sometimes men pretend to be an attractive woman's friend in hopes that eventually it will lead to something else.”

“No way! Not Sedrick and me.” Her tears turned to giggles. “He would never…”

“Why not? Is anything wrong with him?” The doctor raised his eyebrows questioningly.

“Sedrick? You mean as in gay?” Dee laughed out loud as she pictured Sedrick being attracted to a man. Sedrick, gay? Now, that's a good one! Definitely not! But, on a serious note, I can't even imagine him being anything other than a…”

“Good friend?”

“Well, yes.”

“Hmmm…”

“Where are you going with this?”

“I'm not going anywhere with this,
you
are.”

“Huh?”

“Think about why Sedrick seems to be the only man you can be honest with.”

“Okay, now you sound like my roommate,” Dee said, rolling her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“She's wanted the two of us to get together since college.”

“She sees something you don't?”

“She always sees something I don't. That's just who she is,” Dee said, reflecting on Pam's opinion about her and Sedrick.

“Sounds like she might be a little too intuitive for your taste.”

Dee made a wry face at his statement.
Pam is intuitive. Way too much. Almost as intuitive as you are.
“My roommate and I are like sisters. Yes, sometimes she is a bit too intuitive for my taste, as you say, but I know she has my best interest at heart—she always has.”

“Well good, then. Maybe you should listen more to your roommate. It would save you the trip from traveling all the way out here to see me.” The doctor slightly grinned.

Dee smiled back. “She's not a psychiatrist, Doc.”

“Well, in my opinion, you don't have to be to give sound advice,” he answered.

“Well, believe me. She needs to use some of that intuition on herself.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, I told you she hasn't trusted anyone since her breakup with her fiancé.”

The doctor nodded. “Yes, I do remember. So what does that have to do with you?'

“Not me. Her.”

“Dee, you're not making any sense.”

“She's got this guy who calls her and sends her flowers, but she acts like she doesn't want to give him the time of day.”

“I've been on that end before,” the doctor chuckled. “So you think she's putting on an act, eh?”

“I know she is. I can tell you that he's been getting to her. But, she's so afraid to let him in.”

“Well, sometimes it just takes people a lot longer to heal than others.”

“It's been three years. She has to learn to give love a chance, and especially with someone who seems so crazy about her.”

“Listen, take some time for yourself for a while and think about what direction you want to go in. The next time you come here, have a road map for me of your plan.”

“A road map, huh?” Dee said suspiciously. She looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was time for her session to end.

“Yes, let's see where you want to take your life. Nothing complicated. Just an outline for yourself. You still have one more trip to make to New York. When you are ready to go see Steve, I want you to be on the right path.” He winked at her as he walked her out the door.

“All right, Doc,” she said hesitantly.

“And in the meantime, ease up on that roommate of yours. She sounds like she really knows you and cares about you. I take it that you still haven't told her about you coming out here to see me.”

“No, I'm not ready yet. Like I said, she has got a lot of stuff going on right now.”

“Well, just think about it some more. Your roommate sounds like a very intelligent woman. I like her. Perhaps you should give her a little more credit.”

Dee thought about his remark.
Maybe one day, Doc. But for now, this secret is going to stay between you and me.

Hazardous Material

s
teve's eyes widened when his intercom buzzed. “Yes, Mildred.” “Steve, I hate to interrupt you, but Bruce Briscoe is on the phone.” “Great, you can interrupt me anytime for ol' Bruce.”

Mildred laughed. “That's exactly what he said.”

Steve nodded, thinking about how arrogant Briscoe could be sometimes. “That figures.”

“I'll put him through.”

Steve tapped his pencil on top of a proposal while he waited for Bruce's call to come through.

“Hey, Steve.”

“Bruce, what's going on, man?”

“Lots.”

“So, tell me, are you going to be able to help my friend out or what?”

“That's why I'm calling.”

“Okay, so are you going to be able to give her a recommendation?”

Bruce took a long pause before he spoke. Steve heard him exhale heavily through the receiver. “Steve, listen, man, I don't know how to tell you this.”

“Tell me what?”

“How well do you know this…um…Debra Mitchell?”

A wide grin spread across his face as he thought of Dee. “I'd say I know her pretty well, and getting to know her better every day. Why?”

Bruce paused again. “Damn, I just wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you this, Steve.”

“You keep saying that, Bruce. Get to the point.”

Bruce paused again. There was a long silence over the phone. Steve was starting to get agitated.

“Hey Bruce, I've got a hundred and one things to do today, man. Say what's on your mind.”

“All right, you asked me. Your friend Debra, well…she's a fraud.”

Fasten Your Seatbelt

P
am placed her last pair of silk pajamas in her Louis Vuitton luggage and snapped it shut. As she carried the luggage into the living room, she heard the knock at the door, looked at her watch, and smiled at Sedrick's customary timeliness.

“Hey, Sed, come on in,” she said not looking up as he opened the door.

He bent down to hug her and saw the luggage. “I can't believe that
you
are actually going on a trip.”

“And it's not business related, either,” she answered before he could ask. Pam was stunned when an unfamiliar pair of eyes greeted her as she and Sedrick embraced.

“Ah, did you forget something?” she said playfully shooing Sedrick away from her.

“Oh, I'm sorry!” He took Miranda's hand and gently pulled her toward him and Pam. “This is Miranda. Miranda this is my good friend, Pam.”

“Nice to meet you,” Miranda said. Her accent appeared to be a cross between Venezuelan and Colombian.

“It's nice to meet you as well, Miranda,” Pam said, trying not to reveal her shock that Sedrick hadn't introduced her before.
Was this who Dee had heard about?
Miranda was stunning. Her skin looked naturally tanned and was a nice contrast to her shoulder-length dark brown hair. She was slim and tall and appeared to have a special connection with Sedrick, but there was something else about her that Pam couldn't quite put her finger on. Maybe she misjudged Sed. Maybe he had moved on and Dee wasn't at the top of the list anymore.

“Coincidently, Miranda and I are headed on a getaway ourselves to the mountains, and since it's on the way from the airport, I figured this would be a good chance for you two to meet.”

“Well, of course!” Pam extended her hand and gave her infamous corporate attorney handshake.

“I've heard so much about you and Dee!” Miranda said sounding a little too excited for Pam's ears.

Funny, I hadn't heard anything about you!
Pam thought to herself. “Well, I hope it was all good.”

“Oh, but of course. Sed had nothing but positive things to say about both of you.” Miranda glanced around the room. “I absolutely love your place,” she said admiring the paintings on the walls.

“Thank you. So, where do you live?”

“Funny, you should ask?”

“Really, why?”

“Because Sed and I have been discussing finding a place together.”

“Wow! I had no idea, Sedrick.”

Sed coughed loudly, hearing the sarcasm in Pam's voice. He immediately changed the subject. “So you never told me where you are going in such a big haste.”

“Vegas,” she answered, giving him a playful smile.

“And with whooooom?”

“You're looking at her,” she answered proudly while picking up her suitcases. Then she started playfully spinning herself around in a circle.

Sedrick burst into a thunderous laughter and tears started to roll down his cheeks. “That's a good one, Pam. You? Go to Vegas? Alone?”

Pam looked at him crossly, placed both suitcases back on the floor and put her hands on her hips. “What? A woman can't
take herself
on a vacation?”

“Yeah, but…”

“But
what
Sedrick?”

Sedrick tried to speak as tactfully as he could. “What made you decide to get out like this? I mean, it's so out of character for you.”

“Oh Sed,” Miranda interrupted. “Why would you say something like that to Pam?”

“Trust me, baby. This is not typical of Pam!”

“What made you decide to get out?” She lowered her voice to mimic him. “Sedrick, you make me sound like I'm some type of
cavewoman.
Miranda, doesn't he sound like a fool?” Miranda nodded and gave him a playful thump on his shoulder.

“I just call ‘em as I see ‘em!” He started beating his chest, trying to imitate a caveman while cracking up laughing.

“Oh, you got jokes today, I see. So, you're the caveman and I'm the cavewoman, heh? Maybe you should give up your medical career and do stand-up instead.”

“No way. Doctors make much more money,” he quipped. “Miranda's about to find out. She's in her last year of residency in obstetrics. Ain't that right, sweetie?” he said, winking at Miranda who responded with only a smile.

“So when is Dee due back in town?”

“Yes, I was looking forward to meeting her,” Miranda chimed in.

“I thought she would have been back by now. But you know Dee, Sedrick.”

“Yeah, always doing something unexpected,” he fondly reflected.

Pam walked toward the bedroom and returned with one more suitcase. “All right, here's the last of it. Let me just leave a note for Dee and I'm on my way,” she said, scribbling a message on a piece of paper leaving it between the salt and pepper shakers on the kitchen table.

Sedrick threw the luggage over his shoulder and looked at her thoughtfully. “Well, I hope you loosen up a little while you're out there. Look at you, still wearing a business suit.”

“It's a travel suit,” she said, looking down at her taupe single-breasted jacket and matching pleated pants. I'm even wearing flats, see?” She pointed to her shoes.

“And a nice pair of flats, I must say,” Miranda added. “They're Gucci, right?”

“Sed, this girl knows her designers!” Good thing that you both are making that big cheese,” she winked.

“See, that's your problem. You're just buttoned up too tight.”

“Sedrick, all I want is a little R and R.”

“A little somethin' somethin' wouldn't hurt now either, would it?”

Pam laughed as she thought about just how long it had been since she had sex—she could barely remember what it had been like. “You're right about that, it wouldn't.” Pam laughed again. “C'mon, let's go, I'm off to Vegas!” She unbuttoned her jacket, grabbed her purse, and followed

Sedrick and Miranda to the door.