Keep the Wolf from the Door

Chapter 17 - Stars

17.

Stars

            Des forced herself out of bed. She needed to lie down due to a sudden vision disrupting headache that came over her, and she had put off packing long enough.  So she waddled towards the closet and began to pull out the garments tossing them onto the bed, one by one, realizing how little she had to pack.

            The whole plan seemed easy enough, in theory. She unzipped the binder pulling out her new driver's license. "Daisy Waters." She smirked. "Hmm." She had started over before, she could do it again. Slipping the binder into her duffle bag she took a look around. Everything she owned fit neatly into a single carry on. So little, and yet he had given her so much. The guilty voice of her conscience scolded her for taking it. And then she felt guilty for not feeling guilty at all. Her head swam with thoughts of what would happen when she was gone. She knew the answer to that question. Yet, something inside her was urging her to let it be.

            She needed air.

            Maneuvering down the stairs, she made her way to the kitchen where she spotted Charlie in one of the loungers outside. When she opened the door, there was a chill in the air and she clutched her sweater closed. Charlie was barefoot, clutching a bottle of whiskey with no glass in sight. His silk Versace tie was sprawled on the ground beside him and the buttons of his shirt were undone. His hair was messed up and his delayed reaction told her he was drunk.

            "What the heck are you doing?" Des asked taking a seat beside him.

            "Oh hey." Charlie rubbed his eyes. "I've been tryin' to drink myself into a coma... It's not working I keep waking up."

            "Why?" She asked.

            "Why not?"

            "Charlie."

            "Des."

            She paused "What's with you lately?"

             "I'm experiencing some sort of a mental break down. Thank you for noticing. That's really sweet."

             "Why are you angry with Michael?"

            "Cause he's a selfish prick." He took a large swig of whiskey and swallowed loudly.

            "He cares for you, you know?"

            "He cares for no one but himself. Don't let him fool you into thinking otherwise."

            "That's not true."

            "Yeah well, not for anything, but you haven't known him all that long now, have you?"

            She paused. "No. But I've known you for quite some time, and the same can easily be said about you."

            "I'm getting really curious as to what people keep using as their basis for comparison."

            "When I first met you, I thought you were a text book, womanizer who prodded on the notches on his bedpost like they were the only things that mattered. And then I got to know you, which confirmed my theory perfectly."

            "Geeze, how do you really feel about me?"

            "I spent so much time trying to talk Marcia out of involving herself with you." She looked out to the dark ocean remembered her dear friend. "But she never listened. She told me that she could take care of herself, which was true. She never had separation issues, never really depended on anyone. I never understood it. But she had a soft spot for you."