"I'm not going if he's coming!"
With a heavy sigh, I flicked the cigarette butt out of the window and turned to face my passenger.
"What are you talking about, Lorraine?" I asked, although I knew what was coming next..
"You know what I mean!" she answered sharply before leaning forward, with her best "between us girls" look on her face, and whispering, "It's Steve."
"Uh-huh." I didn't try to hide the disinterest in my voice. Lorraine and Steve had been an on-off item within our circle for the last six months. Basically, their relationship seemed to consist of nothing but a continual stream of abuse from Lorraine towards the ever patient Steve. At least, so it seemed to us. However, when we raised the subject with Lorraine, she told a different story.
"Oh no, you're wrong! I'm absolutely crazy over Steve. He and I are just so utterly in love, we can't bear to be apart from each other for a moment. And I think the world of him. Really I do."
Which seemed funny to us considering that she spent every moment of her life conveying exactly the opposite.
"As for being too domineering," she would usually continue, "that's preposterous! Really it's the other way around. Steve has total control over me, I'm just a puppet to his every whim! Whatever he wants to do or wherever he wants to go, I just follow like a faithful dog. And I know I shouldn't; I should be more independent, but I just can't resist him!"
Well, if Steve controlled Lorraine it was obviously through some sort of reverse psychology that we couldn't comprehend. If Lorraine could hold something against Steve, she would. By now it had gone beyond funny to being plain boring. Most of our circle wouldn't be seen anywhere near the couple, let alone going out with them. But I kind of felt sorry for Steve, and Lorraine was an old friend from way back, so I still hung out with them. However, this did not make Lorraine's constant carping any more bearable and I had long ago given up pretended I was interested in her never-ending complaints. Besides, she would have told them to me whether they interested me or not.
"What has Steve done this time?" The words come out sounding like a bad actor going for his first audition.
"Well..." Lorraine leaned back in her seat; a sure sign she felt vindicated enough to tell me Steve's latest faux pas. "Last week at the club, there was this French woman there. You know, one of those 50s-retro-French-sexy-chic bitches."
"I know the type." was the most neutral reply I could come up with.
"Anyway, last week, Steve and I were standing by the bar and she came up and asked Steve for a light. And you know what he did?"
"How can I know?" said I, although I suspected I could guess.
"He actually gave her a light!" Yup, thought as much.
"Was that wrong?" I queried, raising an eyebrow as if to look genuinely concerned, having guessed the answer to this one too.
"Wrong!" she exploded. "Of course it was wrong! You don't go offering a light to strange women when you've got your girl by your side! But then he did something even worse. Even more unforgivable. He talked to her!"
"No!" My voice suggested enough horror for any B-movie actress to envy my talents.
"I swear he did! Actually spoke a few sentences to her! And me standing right next to him! He had forgotten I was even there! In the end I had to ask him to buy me a drink to get his attention. And I had to do it pretty loudly, which should tell you something!"
Fortunately, Lorraine was interrupted by a tap on the front passenger window. I leaned across and wound it down. Outside stood Steve, his goofy face grinning wider than ever, hope twinkling out from behind his thick glasses. In his hand he held the most ludicrously large bunch of flowers I had ever seen. His grin widened when he caught my eye.
"Hi Lisa, room for one more?"
"Sure Steve, hop in the back."
Steve face disappeared from view and I wound the window back up. As I did so, I heard the sounds of him struggling to get in with his bouquet and close the door properly. It took him three attempts.
"Hi Lorraine, I brought these for you."
I wasn't able to catch Lorraine's reply since I was starting the car but the muffled "hmpf" and the sound of flowers being dumped on the floor gave me an indication.
"Hey guys, don't you let those flowers stain anything or else Kelly's going to be so mad with me." I called out as I drove off; a vain attempt to fill the silent gulf of Lorraine's last gesture. It had no effect. Then Steve spoke.
"C'mon Lolly, what's the matter?" he said in his best cajoling voice, "What have I done?" 'Lolly' was Steve's (not-so) secret pet name for Lorraine which he only used when he was trying to really show he loved her. Unfortunately it usually only served to antagonise her more. Undaunted, Steve tried again.
"C'mon Lolly, speak to me. Tell Stevie the matter."
"You know perfectly well what the matter is!" Lorraine's reply was as acid in tone as ever. "Surely you're not still mad because of that woman last week?"
"Of course I'm mad! Just because you managed to pacify me after the event doesn't mean I wasn't hurt."
"But didn't Stevie show his Lolly how much she meant to him that night?"
"Agh!" I could picture Lorraine's shiver of revulsion as I drove. "One hump does not an apology make!"
Poor Steve. I swear I could hear the colour rising in his cheeks. There was silence for the rest of the journey. However, the moment I pulled up to our destination, Lorraine spoke again.
"Lisa, what is this? Why have you brought me to this shit-hole of a club?"
I winced. "Well," said I, my voice just the wrong side of ' cheery', "Steve said you guys enjoyed it here last week..."
Ok, that was a big mistake. "Lisa, have you been listening to a word I've been saying?" Lorraine boomed at me. Steve tried to come to my defence.
"Don't blame Lisa, my sweet Lolly, it was my idea to bring you here. I wanted to prove to you that we could have a good time here and I could ignore anyone like Geniveve if they approached me."
My forehead connected gently with the steering wheel as Lorraine slammed the door behind me. Jesus, why did Steve have to be so inept? Seeing my obvious frustration, Steve put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
"Don't worry Lisa, I'm sure me and her will work things out tonight, trust me."
With that he hurried after Lorraine, and with a sigh I followed suit.
Inside, the club was loud, smoky and crowded, just the way I remember it being. I couldn't see either Steve or Lorraine so I went to the bar and ordered a lemonade. Sipping the drink, I settled back on my bar stool. The liquid was reassuringly refreshing as it slipped down my throat and I felt myself relax as I scanned the dance floor for the unhappy couple. This didn't take long. I soon spotted Lorraine; her movements fluid and erotic as she danced with someone I couldn't really see. At first I thought it was Steve, but as my sight adjusted to the lighting of the club, I realised it was somebody totally different, and my heart sank. Didn't she know the rules? I was about to go over to her before she made a terrible mistake but paused when I noticed Steve standing just off the dance floor, watching as Lorraine slid her body against the unknown man in a very provocative way. I relaxed; Lorraine wouldn't do anything stupid whilst Steve was watching. Then again, the experience couldn't have been too enjoyable for Steve, poor guy, watching Lorraine swaying her hips, pouting invitingly, kissing the other guy like she was sucking his face off...
Oh shit, I thought, was that real? I checked again. Lorraine definitely had her lips locked firmly to those of the guy she was dancing with. I looked to see how Steve was taking this, but he had vanished. Obviously Lorraine's behaviour was too much to take and he had to get out of there. Not that I could blame him - I would have reacted exactly the same way if I was in his place.
My eyes were drawn back to her and the other guy in the same way that some people look at ten car pile-ups, and I got a shock. As the kiss ended, I saw Lorraine looking around for Steve but, when she failed to find him, her reaction was not the expected one of delight. Instead I saw a look of growing horror and loss pass across her face. The guy she was with was oblivious to this as could be seen by the way he tried to draw her back close to him, but she quickly shook him off. This obviously hurt him and he said something to her that I was unable to catch. Without hesitation, she turned round and slapped him hard across the face before bursting into tears and running off! The guy watched, as stunned as I was. Never before had I seen Lorraine act in such an openly emotional way.
I took another sip of lemonade as I tried to figure out what to do next. Unfortunately things seemed clear to me; since this mess was partly my fault, I guessed it was only fair that I try to sort it all out. So, with that thought, I finished my drink and set off into the club to see if I could help sort things out. After all, it wasn't as if I could make them any worse..
With some effort, I found Lorraine. She was sitting at the far end of the bar. In front of her was a bottle of liquor and a box of tissues, and she was utilising both in equal measures to try to alleviate her grief. The redness of her eyes told me she wasn't really succeeding. Silently I took the seat next to her.
"Hey."
She looked up as I greeted her and flashed me such a look that, for a second, I thought she might be about to blame me for all that had happened. Instead, however, her face creased up and she burst into tears. Feeling slightly awkward, I put my arm around her and tried to give her a comforting hug. Fortunately, Lorraine seemed reassured by the embrace and after a few moments of being held her sobbing gently subsided and she raised her face to look at me.
"I'm sorry about this, Lisa." she said. "I know this might come as a shock to you to see me like this."
I murmured a weak denial, but Lorraine saw right through it.
"I know that you and Kelly and Mark and the rest think I'm this icy controlled unemotional bitch, but that's all on the surface you know. Deep down, I'm just a..a..frightened bunny."
I had to repress my natural instinct to laugh at this. Even when being open and vulnerable, Lorraine still used some of the strangest turns of phrase I've ever heard from anyone. Still, I was beginning to realise how little we really knew about Lorraine. Maybe she really did need and love Steve as much as she said she did. But before I could comment, Lorraine was speaking again.
"I really love Steve you know. I know that seems hard to believe since it seems like I'm always abusing him and treat him like shit, but it's true."
"Then why do you treat him so badly?" I asked.
Lorraine pulled a face, as if struggling with a big decision, before speaking.
"It all started when we first met." she said in a quiet voice. "We met in a club and hit it off automatically. Spent the whole night flirting with him." A nostalgic smile. "First time I'd ever felt comfortable enough to flirt with anyone. Anyway, we danced real close, and I was the happiest girl in the world. Until the dance finished, at which point he's off like a shot. I wasn't going to let him get away so easily, so I follow him and what do I find? He's dancing with another woman the same way he danced with me. Well, that was the last straw. I wasn't going to have spent all that effort only to have the guy I want walk off with another woman, so I walked straight over to them both and started hurling abuse at Steve. This scared the girl he was with and she quickly moved away, but I didn't notice because I was still shouting at Steve. Then, after I'd been shouting at him for over a minute, he grabbed me, pulled me close and whispered 'I want you'. And that was that. Except that it wasn't quite. On our second night out, the same happened again; after spending most of the night dancing with me, he slipped away to dance with another. And, again, I got mad and shouted at him. After this happened a few times I began to understand. Steve enjoyed me shouting and being abusive, it showed him I cared and that he had a power over me; he only had to look at another woman and I was off."
I stared. "So, Steve gets off on your abuse because it fills him with a sense of power?" Lorraine nodded meekly. I was horrified. "What a jerk! Why don't you give him the flick?"
With a deflating sigh, Lorraine leaned forward, and suddenly I saw how small she was. "I don't know Lisa. I think...I love him. He certainly loves me, in his own way."
I snorted at this and Lorraine flashed me a pleading look. "I know it must be almost impossible for you to understand since you're so strong and in touch with yourself, but look at it from my position. I mean, the crowd are ok, but you've got Kelly, Jimmy and Vicki are too busy having a good time to care about anyone else and Mark is...well Mark. Besides, you must remember I didn't exactly start hanging out with you by choice."
I blushed at this, but Lorraine went on. "Steve is the first person I've ever known who wants to be with me all the time, who accepts and loves me for who and what I am. And I definitely love him, you've got to believe me Lisa."
I nodded. "Yeah, I believe you." I murmured.
"Which is why I''m scared I've driven him away by going too far with that guy tonight."
"So why did you go so far?"
Lorraine sighed again. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'm just tired of the way things are between me and Steve, maybe I wanted to make a point...I really can't say. All I know was I went too far and I'm frightened about the consequences."
I thought this over as Lorraine poured and downed another shot. "What do you think I should do?" she asked me. I grinned.
"Well, men are hardly my area of expertise, but I think you should use this opportunity to try to redefine your relationship with Steve. Talk it over with him; if he's worth loving he'll be willing to talk."
"I suppose..." Lorraine began, but then she broke off. "Oh, that little slut!"
"What?" I turned to see what Lorraine was staring at in such a state of horror. Behind us, on the dance floor, was Steve and another woman. But this wasn't the Steve I knew. This Steve moved with grace and a quality of dark sexuality that not even a pair of thick glasses and goofy smile could disguise. And it was obvious that I wasn't the only one who could see this; the woman he was with was responding to his moves with equal sensuality, pressing her body to his in a way reminiscent of Lorraine's earlier escapades.
"Do you see that?" Lorraine hissed to me, her old fierceness and venom returning. "That's the bitch he talked to last time! I'm not going to sit here and let Steve enjoy himself with that floozy. Lisa, go start the car. We'll be out shortly."
Without another word, Lorraine slid off her bar stool and marched towards Steve and his unfortunate dance partner. Shaking my head I paid Lorraine's tab and went out to the car. Normally I would have answered back to anyone who spoke to me in such a fashion, but my head was spinning with the revelations of the evening and I had a feeling in my gut it would be safer for me to do as requested. I reached the car, got in, and awaited the finale of the night's events. I didn't have to wait long. With much noise and confusion, Lorraine emerged from the club, dragging Steve's dance partner Geniveve behind her. Hurling the unfortunate girl to the floor, she turned round to berate the emerging Steve. I didn't catch what she said but her rage was very apparent and she ended by pointing a stabbing finger in the direction of the car. I watched as Steve shrugged and began to approach. As I did so, I began to notice something new. Although his movements still seemed awkward and clumsy, I now could see a certain arrogance in his walk, a certain smugness in his otherwise charmingly goofy smile that send a cold chill down my spine. With a casualness that seemed alien in the Steve I knew he opened the passenger door and slid into the back seat.
"Lorraine's not very pleased with me." he said apologetically. I merely grunted in reply. Before tonight I would have felt sorry for him but now I just wanted to get the hell away from him as quickly as possible. I turned my attention back to the scene outside. Lorraine was now hurling abuse at the other girl who was responding with equal verbal passion. Suddenly I saw a flash of metal as the girl pulled out a switchblade and, in one fluid movement, swung it at Lorraine's neck. It never got there. With equal speed, Lorraine grabbed the girl's wrist and twisted it until, with a cry, she let go of the knife. Then, with almost eye-defying swiftness, she pulled the girl close and sank her teeth into her neck. I saw the girl stiffen and open her mouth to cry out but no sound came. Lorraine was hungrily feeding now, lost in the girl's blood, oblivious to the growing crowd of horrified clubbers watching her. The scene seemed to go on for hours before Lorraine released her teeth from the girl's throat. Silently the drained girl crumpled to the ground, dead. I watched the frozen tableaux of horrified people and Lorraine, eyes closed, breathing heavily, luxuriating in the feel of the fresh blood giving her new energy. Then she pivoted round and hissed at the crowd. I saw them recoil and secretly thanked Kelly for teaching us that trick; there's nothing like fear to make people forget a public feeding. After giving the audience a good view, Lorraine turned and walked back to the car.
"You do realise we're not going to be able to show our faces here again." I admonished her as she got in, but she wasn't listening.
"See Stevie," she murmured huskily, "That's what happens to women who anger your Lolly."
"Did she taste good Lolly?" Steve whispered, his excitement barely concealed.
"Why don't you kiss me and find out?" she purred in reply.
There was a throaty chuckle from Steve, followed by a noisy sucking sound. With a sigh, I started the car and drove off. "Don't make a mess on the seats, guys." I called, but the two lovers in the back were oblivious to anything but each other and the taste of blood. I shook my head in wonder. True love eh? Who'd credit it.
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