Temptress

Chapter 9

Ned let seven days grind slowly by, and painfully had zero contact with his Maggie.  

No one could ever be as good as Maggie. 

Ned spent each day looking for better jobs, and researching on the Internet. He had to keep busy before he destroyed himself in negativity, sorrow, and pity. Unfortunately the negative thoughts were slowly winning, and drowning out any hope or faith he had in people.

Another seven days went by, but they still seemed to be as agonizing as the first. Ned started to doubt he would ever find another job, and his fragile state was making his mind dazed. He even had to stop listening to the Pixies one of his favourite bands, as every time he heard one of their songs a different occasion with Maggie came to mind.

 Did she brainwash me with music? Now that would make perfect sense of this mess.

He crossed off seven more days on the calendar, and then ripped the calendar off the wall in frustration. 

Ned went online, and loaded up Facebook he knew this would be a mistake. Surely there would be Maggie updates with what she has been doing, and new pictures, and maybe even her boyfriend leaving heartfelt messages. Reluctantly Ned typed in her full name, and to his surprise she had vanished completely off the network. The search went on for a good twenty minutes, and still nothing came up she was gone.  

Maybe there was no Maggie? No of course she is real.

He quickly loaded his emails to see if the old ones Maggie had sent him were still there, and to his delight they were, good I am not crazy, just paranoid.

Ned cracked open a coke, and dropped down onto the couch to watch movies. Movies are my life now, the perfect way to make the minutes and hours tick by fast.

He awoke on the couch with half a coke left in the can tucked under his arm. Ned rubbed his eyes, and sprang up thinking he was surely late for work he spilled the contents all over his body.

Work was torture he had no time to shower in the morning, and it was an extremely hot, and muggy day. Having a sticky body didn’t help things, as he tried to work up enough sweat to wash it away. The idea repulsed him, and he felt like he was cursed, as everything went the opposite way to which he wanted it.

When work was finished there was no excitement only questions, what to do now?

So much of his time was usually spent with Maggie, and now he had to find away to fill the spaces.  What did I do before her? he thought.

Ned boarded the bus that normally took him home, and he now loathed this bus the one that had allowed it possible for he and Maggie to cross paths. He made his way to the very back of the bus and surprisingly found a completely vacant seat.

At the next stop a weird looking girl climbed aboard wearing reading glasses, an old sweater, a flower dress, and thick boots.

She’s different.

Ned tried not to make eye contact, as he didn’t feel like sharing his seat, or offering her one. She looked quite eccentric yet appeared to be too shy to even ask someone for a seat. She came to a halt next to Ned’s seat and looked at him staring out the window.

“Do you mind?” she asked, with the sweetest voice he had ever heard.

Ned turned around slowly to face her, and shook his head giving her permission to sit down.

“I’m Rose,” she said, smiling excitedly.

Do I really look that down, that someone has to make an effort too be so courteous? Or are bus seats really that valuable.