In My Neighbor's Bed

Ch. 35: Apologies

The world went foggy around me. My body was numb. I couldn't move, I couldn't even think. All I could do was stare blankly ahead as those bright blue letters towered above me, mocking me.

I barely even noticed the way my body swayed. Or the slight tingling of pain as a hand gripped tighter and tighter around my arm. But I did notice the ringing. Constant and high-pitched like a mosquito trapped inside my brain. A ringing that only seemed to get louder the longer I looked at those words.

"Mags, Mags, Mags!" Phil hissed into my ear, his voice finally breaking through the fog.

"Huh?" I mumbled, the ringing slowly fading back into the distant corners of my mind.

"Get your shit together," he whispered angrily, the fake smile plastered twice as thick on his face to fool anyone who might be looking. "It's dinner. Alright? One fucking dinner. So, for the love of God, take whatever the fuck is going on in that brain of yours and shove it somewhere else for the evening. And do it fast. Someone's coming."

Although I was conscious enough now to notice the sound of footsteps approaching us, those bright, bold letters still captured my attention. At least, until I heard a familiar voice.

"Ah, Henderson! How did I know I'd find you two here before anyone else?" A gruff voice chuckled.

Well, that certainly helped to snap me out of the funk I was in. Immediately, I had to shift all of my focus from the sign to not visibly grimacing. A feat difficult for Maggie, but easy enough for Mrs. Henderson. I forced the smile to my lips as I turned to greet the all too familiar face there.

"Vince Carter, is that you?" I asked playfully. "Why, I barely recognized you. Have you lost weight?"

Vince immediately stood up straight and puffed out his chest with pride, patting his, completely unchanged, round stomach. "Ah! And here I thought no one would notice. Leave it to ol' eagle-eyes Maggie to appreciate a man's hard work."

"What can I say? With a guy like mine, hard work is all you see," I teased, clinging to Phil's arm. "If anything, I should thank you for letting me keep him tonight."

Vince smiled and gave a slight nod as if approving the affectionate show. Of course, he would though. After all, that's the kind of show that we'd always put on around him. The kind of show he expected. The classic "sweet couple," still very much in love with each other, but smart enough to know where the PDA should start and end. A lucky break on my part, since it meant I never had to give Phil more than a quick peck on the lips at these things.

"Everything going alright with the setup, Sir? I can hop in if you need an extra pair of hands," Phil offered.

"Hmm. I dunno. Not sure I want this lovely lady of yours scowling at me all evening cuz' I stole you away," he said, pretending to think about it.

I repressed an eye roll and channeled it into a bigger smile. "Tell you what, Vince, point me toward Shirley and I'll let you borrow him for a bit."

"Now, there's an idea," he laughed. "I need somebody to keep her from scowling at me too. Think you can handle the job, Mags?"

"Yes, Sir," I said, giving a small, playful salute.

He laughed again as he threw his arm over Phil's shoulder, leading him away. "Henderson, I tell ya, you got one of the good ones. They just don't make women like that anymore. You know, back when I was your age..."

Fortunately, they walked out of earshot before I was forced to listen to one of Vince's classic "back in my day" rants. Unfortunately, it seems I'd also signed myself up for wife-sitting duties in the process.