Jeff finds himself in Washington DC on business trying to close a big deal for his company where he meets up with Nancy again, the FBI agent he had fallen in love with in Atlanta nearly two years ago. Jeff is separated from his wife because of Nancy
Final Chapter of
Wednesday, 8:42 PM: The Door
Jeff remembers last
night with Kathy. He needs to see Nancy
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- Chris Lamela
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Author contact: Chris Lamela,
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K Street, Final Chapter
Wednesday,
8:42 PM: The Door
“Yes,” he whispered back, “it was the shards that killed him. Shards
that he made himself when he shot out the window.” Jeff shook his head at the
irony, “He made the weapons that killed him.”
They
finally arrived under the EXIT sign. It seemed like they stood there for an
hour, it may have been a day, so it felt to Jeff.
It
may have been ten seconds.
Soon
they heard a voice coming up the stairs, a second later Ted burst through the
door halting at this scene, the door closing itself behind him.
“Uh,”
Ted was panting from sprinting up the stairs, “how are you guys doing?”
“Fine,”
Jeff nodded toward Nancy
Ted
stood for a second, peered around them at the morbid scene down the hallway,
“Sure,” he stepped forward, “here, let me help,” he stood on Nancy’s right, his
arm around her shoulders, Jeff on her left, arm around her waist. They led her
toward the door, Ted turned the knob pushing through the door, they walked
slowly, descending the stairs until they were in the parking lot. Ted opened
the rear door of the car, gently setting Nancy
As
they pulled away Jeff saw the bearded man standing next to the door they had
just come out, his left hand holding a gun laying at his side.
Jeff
wanted to wave to him, to make some kind of sign behind the smoked glass.
But
he didn’t.
A
few seconds later they passed through the gate, turned left heading away.
Jeff
leaned forward to Ted, “Where are we going?”
Ted
glanced back at Jeff over his shoulder, “I’ve been instructed to take you back
to the Plaza, that’s where we’re going now.”
“What about Nancy
“I’m taking her home.”
“Why can’t I…” but Jeff didn’t finish the sentence, he looked to his
right at the woman next to him, her head laying back against the seat, eyes
closed.
“What was that?” Ted glanced back.
“Never mind, take me to the hotel.”
“They’ll
bring your clothes later, it’s all been arranged.”
Jeff leaned forward speaking quietly to Ted, “So we’re done? The shooter
is found, the case is closed, right?”
Ted glanced back again, forward to the road, “Yeah, we’re done, got it
all. You’re a free man, you can do whatever you want.”
A
few minutes later the car circled into the entryway of the Plaza. Jeff leaned
forward, tapped Ted on the shoulder, “Thanks man.” Ted nodded.
Jeff turned to Nancy who lay still with her head back. He touched her
arm whispering, “I’ll come see you later.” She turned her head to him, gave a
weak smile without a word, rolled her head back closing her eyes. Jeff could
see moisture lining her eyelids that covered her beautiful eyes with the tiny
black flecks swimming in their pools of gold.
He
pushed the car door open, walked around the car, bent down to give Ted a wave, got
a small wave in return. A few seconds later Jeff stood alone surrounded by
people coming in and out of the hotel, standing around him.
Two
minutes later he was pushing through his room door, he glanced at the
six-nineteen numbers on the door. He stepped inside, saw a small piece of
paper, a note on the floor. Bending down to pick it up he heard his cell phone
ringer. Reaching into his coat he pulled out the phone, threw the note onto his
nightstand, flopping onto his back on the bed pushing a button on the phone,
too tired to say hello.
“Jeff?”
He
wanted to sit up, but he didn’t have the strength. He couldn’t process the
voice coming to his ear.
“Jeff, is that you? Honey, it’s Donna!”
He
lay there, a tired smile crept onto his face, “Hi, what’s up?”
“You didn’t call last night.”
Now Jeff sat bolt upright, damn,
she’s right, I forgot to call last night!
“Are you okay? Is everything okay?” there was an anxious pause, “Jeff,
are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” He tried to sit more upright like that would help him
focus. “It was pretty crazy yesterday, sorry but the night got away from me. But
I’m here, and I’m okay.”
“What’s
going on there?”
“Nothing, really, I just was in a meeting last night and I forgot to
call.”
“And you’re sure you’re okay.”
“Yes,” he jiggled his head, come
on, snap out of it! “I’m fine. I get tomorrow off then Boston Boston
All
he wanted was to go home.
All
he wanted to do was to see Nancy
“So you’ll still be home Friday night?”
His mind was foggy, words trailed from his mouth, “Yeah, Friday night.”
“We’re
still on for lunch on Saturday?” he could hear a hopeful tone in her words.
“Yeah. Saturday. Still on.”
“Okay, I’ll let you go. You sound really tired, you should get a nap, go
to bed.”
“Yeah. A nap. Bed.”
“Look honey, I’ll let you go,” followed by a silence, “and Jeff, I love
you. Take care of yourself. Call later so you can talk to the kids, okay?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, then…I guess…I guess we’ll talk soon,” he heard the line hang up.
He
wanted to flop back down but he was afraid that he wouldn’t want to get back up
until a week from Tuesday, so he rolled his feet back to the floor, glanced at
the note that had been put under his door , “Jeff” written on quarter-folded
paper.
Slowly unfolding it he didn’t recognize the
writing, but it was a female’s hand.
He
read, “Jeff, They told me I can go. They said that I was free to go and that
there would be no charges against me. We had last night together and it was
wonderful and now you know that I didn’t mean to hurt you. We didn’t get a
chance to talk about it, and it’s just as well. I wouldn’t want anything to
ruin what happened with us last night. It’s just the money and everything and
what happened Sunday night when I was so upset. Like I told you last night. I
know that you are involved in something big and beyond someone like me. They
let me keep the money. I am sure you had something to do with that. Thank you.
I had to sign something saying I would never talk about this. I just want you
know that you are a very special man and I meant it last night when I said I
love you. They told me that I am never to contact you again, conditions I guess
to them letting me go. Just so you know, I would rather have you than the
money. I promise that when we lay naked, make love again that it will be very
special, and there won’t be an hour time limit. You know that I am truly truly
truly ruly sorry for what I did. Thank you for last night and I hope that
somehow I will see you again. Kathy .”
He
folded the paper back up, flopping back on the bed, legs hanging over. He felt
a confusing rush. That woman. Kathy . Why couldn’t he just blow her off, forget
about her, after all she did nearly murder him. Why did he need to go see her
again last night? But it was so wonderful!
He closed his eyes. Images of her face, her body’s fragrance filled his
mind. And that wonderful move she does with her bottom, god so wonderful feeling a rise between his
legs, yes, the sweep!
Hopeless.
But oh well, some things are just not meant to be.
He
sat down again, starting to tuck Kathy ’s
note into his inside left coat pocket feeling Nancy Nancy
Folding
the two pieces of paper together he put them back into his inside coat pocket.
Two women I love, folded together in one
pocket.
He
stood, took a deep breath, patting on the pocket, determined that this was some
kind of new day.
Exhaling in a sigh.
So much for a new day! flopping back
onto the bed.
In
an instant he was out.
Jeff opened his eyes slowly to darkness, shadows pouring in from the
window, filling the room. He rolled his head to the clock that said twelve
minutes after eight.
Stepping
to the bathroom he realized he didn’t have his luggage and shaving kit, he
reached for the little hotel mouthwash bottle, twisted the cap tilting it back,
filling his mouth giving a deep gargle, swishing it through his teeth, spitting
it out followed by a big swill of water, stepped back into the room standing in
front of the full-length mirror, gave a sweep of his hair with his fingers, a
second later in the hallway heading for the elevator.
Five minutes later he was giving directions to the cab driver, fifteen
minutes later he was standing at the door of Nancy ’s
enormous house in Georgetown
Jeff stood paralyzed at the door, unsure if he should knock or ring the
doorbell. He realized he didn’t even know if she was here.
Suddenly
the door opened. Ted appeared looking down at Jeff. Jeff looked up at the man
who had protected him before, almost unable to focus on the figure before him.
“Ted?”
Ted stood firm in front of Jeff, “What are you doing here?”
“Nancy , I want to see Nancy
“Orders are that she is not to be disturbed.”
“But Ted, it’s me! She’ll want to see me, I’m sure!”
“Sorry man, but I have my orders.”
Jeff paused, he felt the desire to be near Nancy
Ted
started to make a motion to let Jeff pass, stopped regaining his stoic stance,
“What if she doesn’t want to see you?”
Jeff found these words incomprehensible, “But she will. She will want to
see me.”
Ted stepped aside motioning to the living
room, “Come in and wait, but I have to go up to ask first.”
Jeff nodded stepping into the big room with the antique furnishings, the
grandmother-house smells, sitting down, Ted climbing the stairs. Jeff strained
to hear any words coming down but heard nothing.
A
minute later Ted came back down motioning to Jeff, “You can go up and talk to
her, but you are not to go into her room.” Jeff looked puzzled at Ted, “I don’t
know, but those were her instructions.”
With a half-thankful nod Jeff climbed the stairs, soon standing at the
master-bedroom door struck that he had fantasized about going through this very
door, laying on the bed on the other side of this door.
“Nancy Nancy
He could hear her voice, faint, coming
through the door, but not at his face-level, instead coming from lower through
the door. He kneeled, leaning toward the door, “Nancy
Yes! She was sitting next to the door just like they had done the
other night at his hotel door!
He
sat down his knees raised before his chin, “I’m here, Nancy
“Thank you for coming, I was hoping you would.”
“Yeah. I’m here. How are you doing?”
He could hear her sniffle, a sad voice
telling him she had been crying.
“Nancy
“I’m here,” she whispered. Long pause. “Jeff?”
“Yeah, babe, I’m here.” He liked the sound of babe this time, it rolled from his lips so naturally.
“I
loved him,” a sniff, “at least I thought I did,” another sniff, “but now I’m so
mad at myself.”
“Why? You didn’t do anything.”
“I
let him fool me.” He heard a soft bang on the door, her hand hitting against the
door right in front of his face, hearing her self-mocking laugh, “Boy, what a
lover I am huh?”
“You’re a good lover,” he smiled remembering the Hilton in Norcross, the
only night they ever spent together. He raised his right hand, pressing it
where he had heard the sound, “You are a wonderful lover. And I should know,
right?”
He
could hear her faint laugh, he made the softest scratching sound on the door
with a fingernail of the hand pressed to the door hoping to signal her, a
second later he could hear her signal that her hand was pressed against his,
separated by a less than an inch of white wood.
“Yes,” he heard her voice more positive, more determined, “that was an
amazing night. That does show that I know how to be a lover, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, baby, it does,” he smiled again how baby had drifted so easily from his mouth.
“Baby, I like that coming from you. You
are my baby, too. Or maybe honey or sugar or…”
He
could hear soft scratching of fingernails, her long fingers signaling him
through the door.
“How’s your wife?”
“My wife?” Jeff wondered why she was asking this.
“You know, the one they kidnapped, the one we flew home?” He heard her
sniff, “You know, the one you’re still married to.”
He
laughed, “Oh, you mean that wife!” He
heard her laugh softly. “She knows it was you. Saw you at Franklin
Park . The note.” He sighed, “She knows.”
“Oh, Jeff, I’m so―”
“No, Nancy. It’s okay.” He laughed softly, “She said to say hi to you, at least I think. No, she
said to thank you, to tell you to take care of me.”
“Oh god, Jeff, she still loves you.” She paused, “You still love her,
don’t you?”
“Jesus, I just don’t know. I am so confused. I love two women in
completely different ways. But I want to be with you. Not her.”
“You
guys made it through so many years, though. I remember you saying things about
fighting for the TV remote and laundry and all that. You saying that’s what
relationships are made of.”
He
smiled not recalling he said any of that.
“And what about that other woman?”
Oh god, she knows about Kathy! “Other
woman?”
“You know, the one you went up after she tried to poison you?”
Frowning
he bumped his head against the door.
Busted!
“You found out?”
She laughed, “Not much happens that everyone doesn’t find out eventually.”
She paused, “But Jeff, I saw the look on your face. On her face. I could see
that you two really care for each other.” Jeff remembered his note to self, Nancy
“Babe, this is really complicated. They are not going to let her contact
me again, I probably don’t want me to contact her. I live in Seattle California
“I’m not sure I’m up to that. Us. I have all this romantic stuff in my
head, like us in Atlanta
Suddenly he remembered saying those things, “Yeah, like I said before, I
did say that,” trying to remember his exact words, hopeless to remember, “at
least what I think I said. That just happens, it’s a different kind of being in
love, but it is the kind of being in love that matters in the long run, the
growing old together thing.”
She gave a small laugh, “Yeah, hard to believe I thought Shawn was ever
the growing old kind, huh?”
“Nancy
“Jeff? Why is it that there is always somebody between us, people who we
don’t even want…or can’t have no matter what. Shawn, your wife, Kathy.” She
sniffled, he could hear her soft crying. “Jeff?”
“Yeah, babe. I’m here.”
“Do you think that we could…I mean you and me…that we…”
“Yes. Yes I do.”
“That someday…” he heard a sniff, “that you and me…I mean would you…”
“Yes. Yes I would. Very much.”
“Jeff, I’m so sorry for all this,” he heard her burst into quiet
sobbing.
“Nancy
“Instead of what happened…” she sniffed, “I mean this week we could have been…”
“Honey, please stop,” he felt his eyes watering, his heart desperately
trying to pull him through the thin plank of wood separating them, “all of this
was meant…I mean…there was no way for you to know…for me to be able to…for us…”
She
sniffed, he could hear her blow her nose softly, he wished he still had some of
that wad of tissue in his pocket. He reached up, tears coursing down his face.
“You
said us just now. I like that. Us. Jeff, could there ever be an us?”
“Yes,
of course, and it would be wonderful!”
He
heard her break into crying again, “But not now…” her voice was squeaky,
torment raging in her throat, which way to turn.
“Nancy
“I
feel such guilt right now,” she sniffed.
“Guilt?” Jeff wondered, sure that she meant guilt for what happened to
Shawn?
“Yes,” her voice squeaked again, “guilt.”
“Oh, honey, you had no control, there was nothing you could do under the
circumstances.”
“Yes there was and I blew it!” she cried.
“What? What could you have done?” he asked softly through the wood
wondering how that situation in the Iranian Consulate could have been any
different.
“I
could have kept you at my house, here, with me Friday night. Then you and I
would be laying in this bed right now and not talking through this door like two
lonely teenagers.”
Oh, Jeff thought to himself, that guilt! he felt a rise of hope that
he would hear the door opening, looking up to the knob hopeful that it would
turn.
But the knob didn’t turn.
“Nancy
He
heard a soft clomp on the door where his head was leaned, like she had banged
her head lightly against the door, so close to his.
“Yes. I want you to keep an us in
your heart. Can you do that?” she sniffed again.
His chest filled with warmth, “Yes. Yes I can. I will. I promise.”
“And that you’ll come back?”
Come back? Come back?
“Come
back? What do you mean?”
“You
need to go home, get away from this. Go to Boston
Tears burst from Jeff’s eyes, “Yes, I think I’m going back to Seattle as
soon as I can,” he knew it would be tomorrow morning but the words couldn’t
find their way from his mouth, he was terrified to say the words, looking up at
the door knob one more time.
The
door knob that stayed still.
“And then come back to me. Promise you’ll come back to me,” he could
hear her tears, “Promise me that we will be together again. After.”
“After what?”
“After I’m over this. I want you to come back. I want Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta
Jeff
felt a rise between his legs, a rise of hope in his heart, he glanced up again
hopefully at the still door knob. “You want Atlanta
“No, I don’t.”
“You want Atlanta
“No.”
He
smiled, he scratched at the door, heard her soft scratches in reply, “What do you want? What can I do? What do you
want Nancy
“I
want happy ever after. But not Atlanta
“Happy every after? But not Atlanta
“Yes, happy ever after. With you. I want fighting over the TV remote and
laundry happy ever after. Feeding the cats.”
He scratched at the door, she replied with
the tiniest scratch.
“But now, Jeff. Now I need you to go.”
Tears
flowed down his face, he wiped them with the back of his hand.
“We are star-crossed aren’t we?” he said softly trying not to sniffle.
“No, we are lovers meant to be. Jeff I love you, you love me. I believe
we are meant to be.”
She sniffled again, “It just can’t be now.”
Without thinking he rose, stood, leaned with
his forehead on the door.
“I’ll be back when the time is right. We will be lovers. We will find
forever after,” he choked back tears, “happy ever after with a TV remote and
laundry and a cat, okay?”
He
heard her soft voice rising up to his ears, “Yes. An us. If it’s meant to be.”
Jeff raised his head, set it back again on the door with the lightest
thump.
“Yes,” he spoke softly, “if it’s meant to be.”
He
turned, walked a few steps toward the stairs, stopped, turning back to the door
one last time.
One last look.
One
last sigh.
Then he walked away.
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K STREET!
