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| SOULMATES BY CAROL |
CHAPTER 17 |
Todd and Tea walked slowly back to the cabin. Tea stumbled up the stairs and Todd quickly came to her rescue, helping her up the last few stairs. He can feel her strength draining from her body, her energy completely gone. She was withdrawing not only from him but from life itself.
Todd: Let’s get inside and try to get you warm.
Tea: I don’t need any help from you.
Todd: Well you get it……
Tea: Whether I like it or not.
Todd: Everybody needs a hobby.
Tea: Let’s get something straight. I’m not your hobby, I’m not your friend, I’m not your responsibility…you made it perfectly clear tonight that I’m nothing to you.
Todd: Funny, I remember you telling me you’re my wife tonight. I’d call THAT something.
Tea: It never meant anything before, why should it now?
Todd: Well it does.
Tea: Just leave me alone.
Todd: Wait a minute, that’s MY line.
Tea: Todd, I’m really not in the mood.
Todd: Well what would you need to get you in the mood? The fireplace is already going. Music? You want music?
Tea: I told you already Todd, I want nothing from you.
Todd: Music. I bought you music.
Tea: You can’t BUY me this time Todd.
Todd is struggling with the bulkiness of his layers topped with a full length camel hair coat. He’s knelt over her boom box and her handful of salsa CDs. He randomly tosses the CDs here and there, looking for something that will be soothing to her. He chooses a CD by Santa Esmerelda. It’s heavy percussion with a smooth solid beat. Lots of instrumental.
Todd: This one works for me. There. Now we have music. And we have a fire. Let me help you get out of those wet clothes.
Tea shoots Todd a look that could kill. She had trusted him before, taking off her clothes in front of him. She wouldn’t be foolish enough to make that mistake ever again. Especially not tonight. She knew she was just too vulnerable to his penance. She was afraid of her own feelings as well right now. She didn’t trust herself, let alone him.
Tea: I don’t think so Todd.
The music on the CD changes to the second song and suddenly the room is filled with the sound of wooden clappers and tap dancing noises. The loudness of the song and the consistent rhythm of the beat makes them both glance over to the boom box. As the man’s voice rises from the song and leads into the chorus, both of them refocus their eyes from the box to each other. The singer says, “Oh Lord, Please don’t let me be misunderstood.” Todd is the first to speak.
Todd: Ever get the feeling the big Guy is trying to get his message across in weird ways?
Tea: What do you mean? What are you trying to tell me?
Todd: I just don’t….(He pauses). I just don’t want you to misunderstand me, my motives.
Tea: I understand you just fine. It’s always about you, what’s in YOUR best interest.
Todd: Is that what you really think?
Tea: Todd, I think you’re more confused and more twisted than ever. I think you’re miserable and lonely and you want to take me down there with you. I think….
Todd: (interrupting and raising his voice) Well you know what I THINK? I think you THINK too much!
Todd walks over to Tea. He drops his coat along the way. Tea is taken aback by his movement and takes a step backwards.
Todd: Look at you. Do you think I’m going to hurt you?
Tea: I don’t know what to think now.
Todd: Good. Stop thinking. Just relax and get warmed up.
Todd continues his decent on Tea. He approaches her slowly, cautiously, but with conviction. He removes her scarf from her neck and drops it to the floor. He takes her coat off and tosses it to the other side of the room. He steps around to the back of her, and pulls her hair behind her. He reaches in front of her and unbuttons the first button on her shirt. He can hear her breathing change. He can feel her body tense. He has started this, so he doesn’t want to back down, but he’s not sure how it’s going to go. He unbuttons the second button, revealing more of her flesh. As he reaches for the third button, Tea’s arms flinch, sort of pushing his arms away. He doesn’t want to force himself on her, and he doesn’t want to scare her either, but he certainly doesn’t want to stop. He’s just not sure how to proceed. He decides to back off of the buttons and work on her emotions. If he can ease the situation, maybe he can ease her. He wanted to touch her heart. He’ll just have to use his mind to get there.
He puts both arms around the outside of her arms and closes his hands together in front of her, sort of locking her in to his embrace. He nestles his chin into her hair, pressing it against the small of her neck, then raises his lips so that his breath is falling right into her ear.
Todd: Do you know how many times I’ve thought about doing it? Don’t you think that I, of all people, know what you really want?
