No Sir.

Garlic and Rosemary

The door closes shut behind me. The last 24 hours has been a blur. I don't really know or even want to know what happened. All I know is that everything aches. Everything.

I meander around the room, looking out the windows to the front lawn. The road to the gates continues to the horizon. There's nothing really out here.

The bed has a fluffy down stuffed duvet and a mountain of equally soft down pillows. I wander over to the closet, which has a robe, some nightgowns and slippers. Michael did say he'd be bringing clothes for me and I hope it's soon. I feel sticky and it makes me want to gag.

I grab up the robe and slippers, taking them to the en suite bathroom and starting the shower on the hottest setting. I strip away my grimey clothes, leaving them on the floor and open the glass door, stepping into the warming steam.

I slather myself in soap, scrubbing until my fingers feel raw then decide I should start on my hair. There's so many knots. I hadn't realized how dirty I really was until I realized I was standing in a river of blood tinged mud.

Just as I closed my eyes and turned my chin up to burn away the rest of the grime a series of knocks pulled my dizzy head back to reality. "Yes?!"

"Sorry to interrupt Ms. Evelyn. May I come in?"

"I'm in the shower! I can be out soon?"

"It's alright Ms. Evelyn I'll hang your clothes and leave" Wow. He brought clothes for me already? I could hear the door click shut and the shuffling in the bedroom silenced.

The shower didn't feel relaxing after being interrupted so I stepped out, wrapping myself in a towel and tossing my hair up in another one. The bathroom vanity was completely fogged over. I rummaged through the drawers, finally finding a toothbrush and toothpaste and a thin comb.

I scrubbed at my teeth and gums until the gritty feeling on my teeth disappeared. I tried to run the comb back through my hair, but it wouldn't go more than an inch from my scalp.

I toss the comb at the mirror and throw on my robe. I'll deal with my rats nest later. I slide on the fluffy white slippers and head over to sit on the bed.

I don't have my phone. I'm in a strangers home. My family doesn't know where I am. My friends don't know where I am. I feel like I've been knocked down by a freight train. What the actual hell is happening.

A small clock on the nightstand says it's just after 11. God that shower felt like seconds. There's no way?

I head toward the closet to see what the housekeeper brought in. I spot some flowing ankle length linen pants and a short sleeve blouse. There's a rainbow of undergarments in every color, fabric, and texture on shelves nearby. I pick out some panties and a bra then head back to the bed to get dressed.

I unwind the towel from my hair, setting it beside and unwrapping my body from the warm robe. There's purple lines, dots and splotches everywhere. My knees have two big purple blotches. My shins are peppered with thumb sized dots. My thighs look like a leopards coat. My hips have two hand shaped nearly black masses.

I delicately touch my own skin, like somehow I'd be able to break myself anymore than I am already. The spots throb. Why does it have to be me? What have I done to deserve this?

My airway feels like it's narrowing. Each breath starts to burn as I drawl them in. My fingers tremble as they drag over the next bruises. I can feel pressure behind my eyes, almost as if someone is pressing on my brain. The sight of the eggplant colored spots disappears behind a sheet of hot tears.

"Hey Lyn are you in there? We were going to lunch and..." the door swings open and slams shut. A thunder of steps comes toward me until I can smell Rei's cologne. I'm pulled into his embrace. "Shhhh. It's okay now. It's okay..."