I See Through Your Eyes

31. Manly Tools

When everything starts going well lifewise, a person starts to wonder when it will go south, as one often follows the other for an unlucky person. For Alex, that was the case. In the past month, everything was going well with Erik, nothing worrisome had happened at work and she had resolved things with Mia. And all that made Alex nervous.

Everything started crumbling down with Carol's unexpected visit. Erik's sister hadn't been the friendliest when she met Alex, and at the time, even though they weren't in a relationship, Carol was already reluctant about it. Although they had been dating for months, Carol was still not sure it was a lasting relationship.

On a Monday evening, Carol called Alex to check if she was at home. Once Alex confirmed it, the doorbell rang and through the door camera, Alex saw Carol standing there. A few things surprised Alex. First, how did Carol have her number as she had never given it to her? Secondly, how did she know Alex's address? For both, Alex quickly found an answer: Erik. But one doubt still remained. Why was Carol there?

Alex allowed Carol in. She was tired from work and not in the mood to deal with anyone's bullshit, especially when it didn't concern them. When the lift reached her floor, Alex braced herself for confrontation. However, Carol came out of the lift, unexpectedly calm. She reached the door, Alex moved out of the way so she could go in and closed the door behind her. Everything happened without a word. Carol turned to Alex.

"Is Erik here?" Carol looked around as she asked.

"No. Coffee? Tea? Water?" Alex questioned dryly.

"No. I just want to have a quick talk." Carol replied and went to sit on the sofa.

Alex sat on the armchair next to the sofa. "Sure, let's talk."

They remained quiet until Carol spoke. "My mom has told me that you and Erik are... a thing...".

Alex raised an eyebrow unsure about what Carol meant as 'a thing'.

"Let's not beat around the bush. I'm not sure it will last." Carol was not a fan of sweet talk but she was honest at least.

"You made that pretty clear even before we were dating." Alex was not going to be nice if Carol wasn't either.

"And my opinion hasn't changed." Carol looked at her hands and then looked at Alex. "Taking care of someone like... Erik isn't an easy task."

"He's not..." Alex tried to defend Erik's honour but it was interrupted by Carol.

"Let me finish, you can contradict me at the end," Carol said bluntly. "He's not someone you can depend on. He won't be picking you up when you've had a drink too much. Or fight a guy hitting on you. He won't be taking care of you when you need it."

Alex felt offended for Erik with the list of inabilities Carol had pinned on him. Alex had never demanded any of that from him and was not about to. She was more than capable of doing those things on her own, as she had done for years. The only thing she missed from time to time, was when she made an effort to look nice for an event and, even though Erik made an effort to compliment her, it felt fake.

"I don't need Erik to do that." Alex stopped her speech, no longer caring if Carol got upset with it. "And he has taken care of me when I needed. Not everything is about actions."

"Honey, you think you are ready to clean after him?" Carol had a long list of defects as if she had her homework. But forgot about the pros.

"Well, I can hire a maid." Alex was getting annoyed with that conversation. "Look, I can kind of guess what you are trying to do, but it's not very effective. And frankly, it's demeaning to your brother. I know we won't be the usual couple. And that's fine. We'll deal with our problems as they come. If it works, great. If not, we'll figure it out then. The two of us."