FFF #41 One In the Same

I want to give a very special thanks to Cormac Brown, our Friday Flash Fiction Coordinator for all his time and efforts that go into making this such a great place to meet and throw around ideas and for the creativeness that it invokes in us all.

FFF #41 One In the Same

He walked in and slid the photograph across my desk.

“You want to tell me what the hell this is?”

I had only been back to work one day and already I was getting crap. My three day weekend had turned into a nightmare and I had taken the rest of the week claiming it as sick.

I looked up at my boss then dropped my eyes to the photo that was lying in front of me. Confusion swept over me first, then horror.

“Is this some kind of sick joke, Marci?”

I sat there dumb founded, just staring at the photograph. My mind trying to process it, how my boss received it, who had taken it, and what their plans for me were.

“No, Sir,” it came out as a whisper, “I wish I could say that it was.”

“Marci, are you okay?” I turned away from him, not wanting him to see the tears that were threatening to spill over.

“Marci, tell me what the hell is going on.” He demanded, but in a softer tone.

“I… I…” There was no way I could tell him what had happened to me, why I called in sick following my long weekend.

“Marci, please, tell me.” I could hear the concern in his voice, and turning around to look at the photo once again, I burst into tears shielding my face with my hands.

***

Perfection! I told myself looking in the mirror. Marci, you’ve outdone yourself, completely outdone yourself.

I circled in the mirror, taking in every part of the electric blue dress I had found on sale. My girlfriends had invited me to go to a comedy show then for drinks afterward.

A laugh was what I definitely needed, and the comedy show was great. We took a cab downtown to a classy looking place and the four of us took our places around a small table laughing as we did so.

“Marci, how did you get your job anyway, I mean really?” I had been the brunt of most of the jokes as we drove from the show here. “Are you sleeping with the boss?”

“No!” I smacked her arm, “And for that, you’re buying me a drink!” That threw us into another fit of giggles.

“Don’t look now Marci, but that guy over there is checking you out.”

I tried to catch a glimpse of him without being too obvious.

“Hmm, Tall, dark and handsome,” I snuck another look, “and most likely gay.”

“They’re not all gay!”

“They are once their done in bed.” I sighed then we all burst out laughing again.

“Uh oh, look out Marci, Tall, dark and handsome is making his way over.”

“Hey lets go play a sad round of pool.” One of the other girls suggested, and they all scattered leaving me alone at our table.

True to their word he came up and carefully set a new drink down on the table. “May I sit here?”

“Sure…” I waited for him to tell me his name.

“Your friends are like sharks, the way they circle around you, you must be popular.”

“No, it means they expect me to buy them a few drinks.” I suddenly felt spiteful. What a cruel thing to say, especially to a stranger. “I’m sorry, I’m just side tracked, big week at work and all.” He gobbled up my smile without hesitation.

A few more drinks and I was telling my girlfriends that I had a ride home and that I would call them in the morning. It was in the car that I started to feel hazy. I hadn’t had that much to drink, or at least I didn’t think I had, and things were starting to blur and spin.

“Careful sweetie.” He said as he helped me out of the car and into what I could make out was a hotel room.

My head felt heavy, groggy and I felt confused as he sat me down on the bed.

“I think you should take me home. I don’t feel so well.” I looked at him with despair hoping that he would see I didn’t want to be rude and end up sick in his room.

“Don’t worry hun, I’ll take good care of you.” He pressed his lips to mine, then black covered everything in my head.

I woke up and groaned as I tried to turn and look at the clock flashing red on the nightstand. My whole body felt sore. Come on Marci, I cooed to myself, you can do it.

I tried to recall what had happened and couldn’t remember anything other than the black void. I shuffled into the bathroom, my hand on the wall for support and cried out when I looked in the mirror. My face was bloody and bruises were starting to form all over my body. When I finally unglued my eyes from the horror being reflected back at me, realization struck. I had been raped, date raped.

I showered, scrubbing, scrubbing to try to wash the thought away. I couldn’t remember much about my attacker, I didn’t even get his name. Tall, dark and handsome was all I could recall and I shuddered with disgust.

I called my friends to tell them I made it home, but I didn’t go into any details. I didn’t want to succumb to their pity. I told no one. As Tuesday morning rolled around and my black eye was still a purplish black I decided I had better call in. I didn’t need anyone asking me about it or the bruises covering my arms, the rest I could conceal with slacks.

***

My boss, Adam sat with me as I waited in the conference room the police had put me in.

“Marci, I don’t think poorly of you, I just wish you would have done this sooner.”

He had taken me straight down to the station when I broke down and told him what happened. Today was a follow up to tell me what the police had learned.

An officer walked into the room, sat down opposite of us, trying not to spill his coffee in the process. I looked at him thinking that I recognized something about him. I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Well Ms. Chetner, We believe that it was a serial rapist who attacked you. Everything matches his MO including the photograph being sent to your boss.”

“So what happens now?” I ask, “Do I just wait for you to catch him?”

The officer frowned slightly, “Ms. Chetner, I highly suggest you stay with someone and trust no one you don’t know for a little while. He might still be in the area.”

As Adam helped me into the car, that’s when it hit me. The officer, the guy from the bar, they were one in the same.