The Voices You Hear

...when reality gives a scare

"Ok, let me get this straight. You don't want me to tell her because you want to be the one to tell her, right?"

"Yes."

"But you never told her at dinner because you don't know how to tell her?"

"Yes."

"So why won't you just let me tell her?"

"Because coming from you it will seem like I am hiding something from her."

"Because you ARE hiding something fom her!"

"Richard, dearie, what really happened?"

"His ex-fiancee with the bloody red nails is their big client."

"Oh dear! Andrea?!"

"See? If I let Bic tell her it just doesn't sound right!"

"Mallows, seeing an ex never sounded right."

"It was a meeting! And I didn't know that she was with that company!"

"Richard, you should have told Maine at dinner."

"He didn't know how to tell her."

"Ooh! You're home! Hi Richard! Hi Bel! Hi...whatever you are in Richard's pocket...? Who are you? What are you? Oh good golly, did you bring home a playmate for me? What's it's name? What is it? Is it Maine's? Where is Maine? Why isn't she with you? Is she hiding? Pretty Maine, are you hiding?"

He flipped a switch, and as the lights turned on inside his unit, a recognizable jumping sound was heard from the couch, trying to make itself noticed as he closed his door. Placing the bottle on the kitchen counter, he went to the couch and sat, taking out the pen and putting it on the center table.

"Whoa! You're a jumpy thing. Maine wasn't kidding when she said that you're...lively."

"Oh, oh, oh, Maine! You know Maine? She talks about me? Ooh, she talks about me Richard! Goodness golly, she thinks about me! Who are you?"

"Remy, this is Bic, Maine's pen. Bic, Remy, my remote control."

"Hi Bic! Hi! You're a friend of Maine, I'm also a friend of Maine. Oh, oh, does that mean we're friends, too?"

"I am not too sure about that. Uh, Mallows, do you feed that thing with drugs or something?"

"Oh, I don't eat drugs. I don't eat anything. Richard doesn't feed me. I just control the TV. Oh, do you want to watch TV? There's a lot I can show you! Oh, good golly, I have a new friend!"

"Don't get your hopes up. Mallows? Seriously? How hyper can this remote get?"

"I'll leave you two for awhile, get to know each other. Remy, remember what I told you about jumping too much. Neighbors will be suspicious of the increasing volume again."

"Mallows, you are not leaving me here. Mallows! Richard!"

"What do you want to watch, Bic? Do you like movies? TV series? Oh, maybe some documentary? You seem so serious...maybe the news? Reality TV? Why do you call Richard Mallows?"

Richard stood up, relieved to leave the pen to be entertained by the remote. He took the bottle and went outside to his balcony, breathing in the warm breeze from the city.

"Richard? Are you ok to talk about it?"

He placed the bottle on the table as he sat down and looked out at the city skyline. The evening traffic can still be heard below, a faint siren from afar and honking every now and then.

"Andrea's the finance person of the Walterson company, and she was there at the lunch meeting. I didn't know she would be there."

"Oh, dear."

"The meeting went rather well, thankfully. She's very professional, you know that, Bel."


"Of course. One of the reasons why you were drawn to her."

"Yeah...but I felt...I don't know... scared when I saw her."

"Scared?"

"She now had this... presence, and it overwhelmed me. And she could sense that."

"Because you used to be that way to her, controlling her."

"Yes."

"That's why you were devastated when she rejected your proposal of marriage, dearie."

He kept silent, his thoughts going back to that day when she blatantly said NO when he knelt down to ask her to marry him in a restaurant. She was angry when he held out the ring to her, and after answering him, she stood up and left.

"I didn't know what hurt more then, Bel. The fact that she rejected me, or that her no meant a break from the control that I had over her. But after seeing her today, and feeling scared, I realized that it wasn't heartbreak that I felt before. It was a blow to my controlling ego. And she knows it."

"Why is Bic hinting that she held your arm?"

"Hrngh. She insisted we stay after the meeting, telling our bosses we need to discuss more details about the account. Our bosses left us and we went to the coffeeshop at the hotel. Bic saw how she held my arm several times."

"And did you really talk about the account?"

"I did, but she seems to have other ideas. And Bic caught on to that real quick."

"Hmm. How did you really feel, Richard? About her?"

"Other than being scared, nothing else, Bel. I swear."

"But did you tell Andrea that you have a girlfriend now? Did you tell her about Maine?"

"..."

"Oh, Richard."

"I told you she scared me."


"Well, then you better tell Maine about what happened. Before Bic does."

"RICHARD!!! MALLOWS!!! BEL!!! RESCUE ME, PLEASE!!!"

A shrill sound coming from the couch as the TV volume started to get loud was heard. Richard and Bel laughed.

"Well, I think I know how to convince Bic not to tell Maine about Andrea before I do."

"You have to tell her, soon, Richard. It will be for the best for both of you. And maybe for Bic, too."