Watching Cars Go By

Chapter 4: Lauren

Chapter 4: LaurenThat evening, after a microwaved frozen pizza and some leftover salad from Denny’s, Lauren wandered from room to room. The dog followed her expectantly.

“You miss her, too, don’t you, boy? It’s just you and me, Butterscotch, and I’m not sure I like that. And I know you don’t, do you? But don’t get any ideas about sleeping on my bed.”

Lauren shooed the dog away from the temptation of her king-sized bed as she sat down on it. I probably shouldn’t call her already, but surely one little text won’t hurt. Lauren picked up her phone and scrolled to Kayla’s name.

Hi, just wanted to say good night from Butterscotch. He’s missing you a lot but we’re fine. Hope you’re having fun. Love you.

There. Not too suffocating. She leaned forward to scratch Butterscotch in all his favorite places, smiling at the dog’s happy noises. “Life is so simple for you, isn’t it? Food on a regular basis, a little attention, and you’re good.” Butterscotch followed her when she rose and went into Kayla’s room and plunked himself down on the worn rug Kayla had been so proud to have hooked by herself in seventh grade. Lauren’s eyes scanned the room, taking in framed pictures of Kayla and her friends proudly displaying trophies and ribbons. Damn, the place was so full of her even with her a thousand miles away. She felt herself tearing up again.

“I have to get out of here.” Butterscotch faithfully got up, accompanying her as though sensing his mistress’s need for companionship.

Lauren closed the door to Kayla’s room behind them and wandered into the spare bedroom next to Kayla’s. Now this was a room that always gave her comfort. Looking around the neat little space, sitting empty for years now that her parents were gone and no one visited anymore, Lauren remembered the fun she’d had decorating it with no input from Craig whatsoever. Nothing manly about it. She fingered the soft mauve curtains that generously let just the right amount of light into the room by day and complemented the bedding perfectly. It had taken her weeks to find something that gave a warm, welcoming ambience to the room.

Lauren sat down on the double bed, savoring the feel of the soft, downy comforter beneath her. She remained there for a few minutes, mulling over her conversation with Victoria. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to rent out this room. It’s a nice room. Kind of a shame that no one’s using it.

Lauren returned to her bedroom and began undressing for bed. Catching sight of herself in the mirror over the dresser, she assessed with a critical eye as she pulled her shirt over her head. Okay, so she never was a ravishing beauty, but she was holding up pretty well, all things considered. At her fifteen-year high school reunion a few years back, many of her friends were already overweight and graying, whereas she was only ten pounds above her pre-pregnancy weight. Not too bad. In the light from the bedside lamp, kind in its low wattage, Lauren ran her hand through lifeless brown hair neglected for too long. A still youthful face, devoid of all but the slightest touch of makeup, frowned back at her.

Well, what’s the point of working for hours to be attractive to a man who couldn’t be bothered trying to please her? Craig still wanted s*x even if she didn’t shave her legs for weeks. She might be more interested if he actually complimented her once in a while, or helped out around the house. Or even came home, for that matter. Ha! Who was she kidding? Lauren was happiest when he was gone, but tonight, with Kayla absent…

Removing the rest of her clothes, she appraised the body now exposed to her. Was it vanity to be a little turned on by the sight of her own nakedness? Oh who cares. It’s been a long time since anyone made me feel attractive.

Lauren’s hands strayed over her breasts, and she closed her eyes and savored the feeling of her hands on her n*****s and the hardening of them against her palms. Giving in to the erotic feelings she hadn’t experienced for a long time, Lauren lay back on the bed, spread her thighs, and went through the familiar motions, but several frustrating minutes later, she gave up. Damn it! Nothing’s working. I don’t have control over anything anymore! She turned over on her side, wrapped herself in the blanket and buried her head in the pillow, soaking it with her tears.

* * * *

The following morning, Lauren poured herself a cup of coffee while she waited for the computer to power up, then checked her phone for a message from Kayla.

Sorry. Mom. Just got your text. I’m fine. Having a blast! Contessa is totally cool! Give Butterscotch a big hug for me. Love ya.

So that’s that. Logging on and typing in “Craigslist San Antonio,” Lauren pondered what to put in her ad for the room. She would worry later about what Craig would think. Funny, “Craigslist.” Well, she could tell him she got the idea from him. He always went along with anything Lauren convinced him was his idea. And on the plus side, a renter would bring in much needed money.

What to say, what to say?

Lauren scrolled through for ideas of how to present her room for rent. “Single father needs room.” No. “Need a place to park my RV.” Don’t think so. Tough-looking woman in a pick-up truck wanting someone to “share a space and maybe a ride.” What was that supposed to mean? “Will exchange tats for place without rats!” Oh my God.

Ah ha! “Looking for: Furnished one bedroom/studio apartment. Temporarily moving to San Antonio from Germany on a job assignment in the medical field, will be working for Abbott Diagnostics Inc. as a biomedical/technical engineer in the greater San Antonio area. I am female, thirty-three years old, non-smoking.

Serious offers only, email with details. No solicitation of any kind of s****l or other services, please.”

Lauren found that the addendum was added just that day. Hmm, must be kind of a risky proposition for a renter, too. The poster sounded pretty normal, and was probably just as wary of hooking up with someone freaky. And, she apparently hadn’t had any luck just yet.

Lauren called Victoria for her input and read the ad out loud. “It’s got to be hard being a stranger in a foreign country like that. She obviously speaks at least some English unless she had a friend place the ad for her. Someone else in the medical field. That could be interesting. Close to my age. Non-smoker, definite plus. What do you think?”

“Life’s about takin’ chances, hon. You got nothin’ to lose by callin’ her and feelin’ her out. You’re a pretty good judge of character other than that husband of yours. But everybody’s entitled to one mistake, and after that doozy, well, how much worse could this foreign lady be? You should find out if she cooks.”

“I’m not looking for a servant, Victoria. It’s just for a little more cash, and because the house is so damned quiet and empty. And Craig is going to kill me if I make a decision like this without him, but I have to tell you, the thought appeals to me just a little. He never consults me about anything. You know what? I’m going to email her.”

“There you go, sweetie. You didn’t need my help a’tall. But if she does turn out to be a gourmet cook, don’t forget who made it all possible. Just make sure her grits ain’t from a box.”

“You nut. She’s probably never heard of ‘grits.’ I am curious about the ‘s****l services’ comment, though.”

“Now see? You have something to talk about already. Gotta run. I’m fixin’ to go to the hairdresser. These damn roots of mine keep trying to make me look old and I sure as s**t ain’t ready for that. You oughta come with me sometime. You’d like Sylvie, and she has the inside scoop on everyone and everything. I’m sure she can squeeze you in.”

An image of herself done up with gigantic Texas hair came to mind. “Uh, no, really, that’s okay.”

“Well, just make sure you keep me up-to-date on things, will ya?”

“Of course. Wish me luck.” Lauren clicked off and looked again at the contact information in the ad. Before responding, though, she searched her phone contacts and made one more very important call.

“Hey, babe.” Craig answered on the fourth ring. “What’s up?”

“I miss you too, dear,” Lauren responded with more than a little sarcasm. “I just wanted to let you know Kayla got off all right and is settling in at school, and the car needs an oil change but I’m going to take care of it next week, and I had lunch with Victoria yesterday, and—”

“Uh, I’m kinda busy, hon. Was there something important you needed to discuss, or did you just feel the need to share your itinerary with me? I mean, I don’t really need to know what that Dolly Parton wanna-be is up to and I’m sure you can handle the oil change.”

“Well, I thought you might actually be interested to know what our daughter is up to, being a thousand miles from home now and all.”

“Of course I am. You don’t need to get all snippy with me. I know you don’t like me traveling, but I’ve got a good lead on a backer and I’m actually going to have to be gone a little longer. Why don’t you use your time productively instead of sitting around chitchatting with that woman you insist on being friends with? Maybe you can do something online to bring in some extra cash. A lot of people are making stuff and selling it on Etsy. You’re pretty crafty but you always give everything away when you could be contribu—”

“I get it, we need money!” This was just the opening Lauren needed. “So I decided to see how you felt about renting out our spare room for a little while. Victoria knows someone who is visiting from Germany and needs a place to stay temporarily.” Okay, so she fudged the facts just a little.

“A guy? Because if you think I’m going to go along with having some strange guy getting all cozy in my house with my wife, you can just forget it.”

Lauren could almost see the jealous scowl that crossed his face any time she had a conversation with a man, no matter how innocent. “Of course not. A woman about my age who is here on business. It would be good to have someone else in the house, and as you said, we could use the money.”

“Another dig about me not being there?”

“Craig, for heaven’s sake! I know you’re doing what you feel you need to do. I’m just saying it gets lonely, and this is a way I could kill two birds with one stone. Of course I’ll meet with her first and get a feel for what kind of person she is.”

“Well, as long as she’s not somebody off the internet or something. I mean, Victoria can be a nut-job, but she’s done well for herself and maybe this woman has money, too.”

Always money! Lauren was so sick of his obsession. They weren’t starving, and anyway, there would be enough money if he only knew how to manage it. Well, if Craig thought what she wanted to do was okay for a friend of Victoria, however manufactured that information might actually be, then screw it, let him think what he wanted.

“I should know more soon. I just wanted to get your input on it.”

“Use your own judgment I guess. If I said no, I’d probably never hear the end of it anyway.”

That’s it. Not so much as an insincere “Have a nice day” or “Love ya.” Just a loud click in her ear.

“Oh well. I did my wifely duty and cleared it with him, didn’t I?” Lauren put the phone aside and turned back to the computer keyboard.

“Saw your ad…” Obviously.

“Have a furnished bedroom for rent in quiet neighborhood close to schools…” You’re not trying to sell a house for Pete’s sake.

“Furnished bedroom for rent in safe neighborhood near major roads…” No, makes it sound like the area around is NOT safe. Lauren took a sip of her now cold coffee and tried again.

“Twelve by fourteen furnished bedroom to rent. Queen-sized bed. Ample closet space. Private full bath. Available immediately. Home of medical professional (wife) and husband who is out of town a lot…”

Uh, no, scratch that last part.

“Twelve by fourteen furnished bedroom to rent in quiet neighborhood with easy access to freeways. Queen-sized bed. New carpet. Private full bath. Available immediately.”

There. Short and to the point. Any more little facts could be discussed in subsequent communications. Before she could lose her nerve, she hit SEND.

* * * *

When Lauren got home from work, she immediately logged onto the computer to check for responses to her ad. There was only one.

When can I come and see it? Please call me at (210) 555-4366. Silke.

She got up from the desk and put away her hospital work badge, pens, purse, hair tie, and lip gloss. In the kitchen Lauren emptied her lunch bag, washed out the Tupperware containers, and poured a glass of water. She set the glass on the table then went into the bedroom, where she pulled off her scrubs, tossed them in the hamper, pulled on the jeans she’d worn the day before, pulled those off and put on a clean pair before donning a T-shirt, doffed that, then finally selected a soft tank top. After combing her hair and brushing her teeth, Lauren sat down at her desk, then moved to the couch, relocated to the swivel rocker in the corner, got back up to get her water glass, then returned to her desk.

“I’m sorry, Butterscotch. You’re probably starving. Okay, I’ll feed you.” The dog slept on. Enough, just call her! Lauren grabbed her phone, took a deep breath, and punched in the number this Silke woman had provided.

“Williams.”

“Huh?”

“Em, hello? Silke Williams here. Who is this?”

Lauren cleared her throat. “Sorry. My name is Lauren McKnight. I emailed you regarding the room for rent. “‘Quiet neighborhood, easy access to freeways…’”

“Oh, ja, of course. Could I please get a little more information?”

“I’m thirty-six, have one daughter, Kayla, but she doesn’t live with me, well, with my husband and me, well, not anymore, she just started college in Michigan. Oh, you meant about the room?”

“Em, ja. I have no idea how big twelve by fourteen is. I mean, I get the measurement, but…”

“Right. Kind of an average middle class bedroom by American standards, a little bigger than most actually. I don’t know what to compare it to that you’d be familiar with.”

“I get the picture now. A queen-sized bed you say? Isn’t that normally for two people?”

“Not necessarily. Some people like a lot of room. I got it for when my parents used to visit, and there were two of them at the time, but I suppose I could get a twin bed if that’s a deal breaker.”

“No, no, of course not, I’m sure more room is nice. Sorry if I’m being weird, but the last time I lived in just one room was at my parents’ house.”

“No, it’s fine. This is the first time I’ve done this myself, so I don’t exactly know what the proper protocol is. Please, feel free to ask whatever you’d like to know and I’ll do my best to answer, but it might be best if we just plan on having you come look at it. Have you been looking long?”

“Define ‘long’,” snorted Silke. “I’ve only been in the U.S. since Thursday but it feels like I have already looked at every crappy one-bedroom place in town. Oops, that came out wrong—I am sure your room is totally delightful.”

“Define ‘delightful’,” Lauren laughed. “It’s a matter of opinion, but I like it. Simple, clean lines, modern but warm. If you’re into antiques you’ll be disappointed, but I like to think it’s cozy.”

“I am so not! To me, antique is just a dress-up word for old. And from what I have seen so far, there’s plenty of that out there. Even this motel feels, well, kind of old-fashioned. But hey, I did find it on Groupon. Anyway, when can I come by? How about tonight? Right now would be perfect actually.”

“That works for me.” Lauren would have preferred a little more time to clean up, but she didn’t want to lose the only person interested in the room so far, not to mention her nerve. “The address is 7130 Forest Brook. It’s on the northwest side of town. Do you need directions?”

Assured that Silke had sufficient information to find her way, Lauren hung up, feeling slightly queasy now that someone was actually on the way to look at the room. Well, too late now. She was pretty much committed to renting—if the woman actually liked it, that is.

Walking down the hall toward the guest room, Lauren assessed her home with a critical eye, straightening pictures that didn’t need straightening, picking up miniscule bits of lint off the floor. How will things look to an outsider? She went into the room and scanned it with a frown. Is it clean enough? She ran her hand over the surface of the bookshelves next to the window. No dust. She fluffed the pillows and adjusted the blinds. More light? Less light? Which looks cozier? After fussing a little more, Lauren exited the room, wishing she’d asked the woman which hotel she was staying at so she’d have some idea when to expect her.

Back in the living room, Lauren looked out the window, never noticing before how much traffic seemed to be on this road. She stood there a minute, lost in thought, before turning for a last look around. This would be the first room the woman saw, and she wanted to make a good impression.

Butterscotch was stretched out in his favorite spot on the couch, snoring, only half his body on the blanket she’d put there to try to confine his constantly shedding coat, the rest of him spilling over onto the suede cushions. “Oh, for Pete’s sake, dog! You’re not helping.” He raised his head with a worried look at her outburst.

“I’m sorry, fella. It’s just that I don’t even know if she likes dogs and I totally forgot to mention you. What if she’s allergic?” He gazed at her engagingly with his soulful eyes and she smiled. “I know, boy. What’s not to like, right? Anyway, we wouldn’t want a person here who didn’t like dogs, now would we?”

She scratched Butterscotch for a second before nudging him fully onto the blanket, brushed away stray hairs that clung tenaciously to the fabric, then adjusted the throw pillows a few times before looking out the window again. She jumped when the old dog let out a single “woof,” but it was just the guy across the street getting his mail. Lauren plunked down in the swivel rocker where she could see out the window and waited. And waited. And wished she’d gone to the bathroom fifteen minutes ago.

“This is ridiculous. I won’t make a good impression if I sneeze and wet myself.”

Lauren headed for the bathroom and quickly sat down.

“Woof. Woof. Woof. Wooooof!”