TLWM: The Hate Experience

\XIII/ Old Melodies

     Wizzo didn't trip when I cut her off to excuse myself. "It's fine," she said. I had to make this call in private.

Instead of going outside, I just went to the opposite end of the room and faced a corner, dialing the number off my pager. It rang a few times before a recording came on and I realized it was a hotel.

A man asked me how he could help. "Conti please. C-o-n-t-i."

"Sure, one moment please and I'll transfer you."

The phone started ringing again...and she was taking forever to get it. Had me wondering if I decoded the message wrong.

"Hello?" she finally answered.

"Hey, it's me."

"Hey, me. Busy?"

"Out with Ace right now. What are you doing here?" I asked frowning at the wall.

"Wanted to surprise you. Please say you can sneak away and come see me?"

I looked back over my shoulder and laughed a little under my breath. Wizzo was staring right at me. I was too far for her to hear anything but homegirl just didn't care. I waved at her and she smiled and waved back.

"P?" Sanai called. "Please?"

Back to the wall, I thought about it. "Um..."

"Not at the hotel. Come to the house, the uh..."

"What house?"

"The dollhouse you were building me."

"No, no, I can't."

"You can. You're home, right?"

"I'm in Minnesota, yes."

"Good. I'll be there in less than 20 minutes." She hung up.

Tossing my phone from hand to hand, I walked back over to the booth. "You're very nosey."

"I know. Who was that?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"No."

I slid back in the booth. "Something came up that I have to take care of real quick. I'll be back in like..." Looking to the ceiling, I tried to calculate the time. "An hour?" I said to her.

She took a hard swallow before nodding. "Sure. But do you mind if Ace comes back to my house? I can't sit here another hour."

"That's fine."

She pulled out a pen and a pink sticky note pad and wrote down her address and phone number. "And you don't have to rush back," she said handing over the square paper.

"Thank you," I said standing. "But if anything, I'll have someone come get him if that's cool?"

"Yeah."

I don't know why it suddenly felt awkward, like I forgot how to say peace out to someone. I just kinda nodded and walked off to update Ace.

"Bye, Daddy!" He didn't even care.

Sanai's "dollhouse" was still incomplete. The project was paused a long time ago and she knew that part but there was more to the whole situation that I kept from her, which is why I didn't want to meet her here.

Driving up to the property, I was still hoping she wouldn't show but then I rode up more and saw a car parked—right next to the For Sale sign.

I pulled up and before I could put the car in park, I saw her door fly open. She hopped out looking all cute and mean through my window. "Open the door," she said tugging at passenger handle.