third time's a charm

14

When Win came back, he found the front porch polished and the chimpanzee was nowhere to be found. He looked around wondering where the nurse had taken it when Lily appeared right behind him, causing him to jump in fright.

"Oops! Did I scare you?" She grinned, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Sorry."

"That's alright...where is the---"

"Oh, his owner took him away," she explained. "Again, I'm sorry about Rooney. He gets too excited that's why we separate him from the other pets. He's the only chimpanzee here and his owner is a good friend of mine, but he is a nice monkey. Just you know, sometimes...he acts like a monkey."

Win had no idea what that was supposed to mean but smiled anyway. "I'm fine. He didn't hurt me anyway. Just...ripped my clothes into pieces."

She giggled, embarrassed. Then, she suddenly remembered, "Where is Bright?"

He fumbled a response, "Somewhere...I don't know."

"Oh, I see..." she shrugged anyway and once again, threw her arms around Win. "I'm so happy to meet you. I am very sorry about your experience in my small business. It's not usually like this. Most of the time it's quite peaceful."

"Most of the time?"

"Well, you know...pets get excited, some dogs don't like cats, parrots won't stop tattling..." she sighed deeply. "Yes, sometimes it's pandemonium. Like hell on earth."

Win stared. But she quickly reverted to her old jolly self and wrapped her fingers around his. "So, tell me about you and Bright."

"Uh, er..." what was he supposed to say? ---Hey, Lily! We went out for a couple of days, had sex and then I was out. Win swore that he attended so many job interviews but this was the first time he found himself stuck in a question, stupefied. "We're good."

"Good?" She looked into his eyes. "You must be kidding. That guy is crazy about you."

He paused. This girl was hard to read, he thought ruefully. He couldn't tell if Lily was being supportive or if she was trying to test the waters. "You've known each other since you were children, right?"

"Yes," she smiled, it was genuine. "Since diaper days actually. Our parents were good friends so when we grew up, they all thought we'd end up together. I thought so too..."

They walked fast to the nearest sofa. Win wasn't really that interested to know, but once the conversation began, he couldn't stop. This was the problem with investigative journalists, they were always inquisitive. That, aside from intimidation and harassment they received from various people, mostly celebrities.

"You never tried dating each other?"

She looked flabbergasted and laughed. "Goodness! Never thought of that, but I guess Bright is always looking for something SPECIAL. Extraordinary was the word he used as I recall. He believes that true love strikes only once, like a lightning bolt. And I remember him always telling me that if he found that one---that one who could give him that kind of feeling. He will NEVER let go."

Suddenly, he felt a knife in his heart. He could scarcely breathe. "Do you like him?"

Stunned and slightly amused, Lily tilted her head. "Why do I feel like you're trying to play Cupid and set me up with Bright? But if you want a sincere answer...yes, I do like him. I like him a lot. But you are here now and I don't think I am the one he wants or needs..."

She looked warmly in his eyes and flicked a glance at Bright who strode into the room. He only had eyes on Win. Lily stood up and headed toward the door. "I'll go ahead and check the hedgehogs. They have a penchant for skipping their cages to gossip with the porcupines."