quiet the living room is. The sound of the traffic down in the street is very far away.
"But my parents never found out, and now he’s dead. I guess that means it stops now."
Eric is silent once again.
"I never knew what he was going to ask me to do next."
She bites her lip and it starts bleeding again. ”As if I don’t know the feeling...”
"Evy, one of the favors he asked me to do was to make sure you got to know my friends. I was to arrange for you to be invited to the parties. I don’t understand why. Where did he know you from?
She feels like someone has just hit her in the stomach. Something is very wrong, like when there’s only one single red ball in a basket full of blue ones.
"Evy?"
She doesn’t say anything.
"If you don’t want to tell me..."
She breathes heavily and bites her lip again, trying to make the pain stop the memories from breaking through.
"Eric, I don’t know where he knew me from."
"That can’t be true!"
"The first time I met Stuart was at the party at your place. I don’t remember ever having talked to him before then."
"Stuart took you home that night. And?"
Evy is quiet.
"And? Evy?"
"And... Eric, don’t ask me to do this..."
"What is that? Is there someone on the other line?"
Evy holds out the phone. ”James.”
"Eric, please don’t hang up. I have to get this. I…, please stay on the line, OK?"
It’s quiet.
"Eric, please!"
But there is no answer. She puts him on hold and takes the other call.
"Hello James."
Her voice is reserved. At first there’s no answer.
"It’s not James. It’s his driver."
His voice makes Evy shiver. She remembers him and the bag of white powder all too clearly.
"Yes. How can you call from James’ number?"
"He always calls from here. From the limo."
Silence.
"He’s on his way up to you."
"So you drove for both Stuart and James?"
"They’re brothers. What one of them does, the other does too. Haven’t you noticed?"
The driver sounds surprised.
"But Stuart never called from the limo?"
"Nah, he didn’t care. He and his wife had an arrangement, I think."
Evy sighs.
"Evy, in all the year I have been James’ driver, I have never seen him so angry."
He stops for a few seconds.
"I just thought I’d let you know."
Evy makes a face.
"Thanks."
She hangs up on him.
"Eric, are you still there?"
It’s quiet for a long time.
"Yes, Evy, I’m still here."
She gets up suddenly and turns when she hears a key in her lock.
"What?!"
"Hello Evy…"
Evy can hear Eric’s voice when the door opens.
"James! Where do you have a key from?!"
Evy’s voice is loud and shrill. The door closes with a loud bang, and he is suddenly next to her.
"Where do you think?"
Now her voice is only a whisper.
"From Stuart."
He smiles and tilts his head before grabbing her arms. The pain races through her.
"Don’t tell me where and when. Do you have any idea how much you cost me every month? Do you even realize where you would be without my money?"
He pushes her back harder than he has ever done before.
"Is that James Schmidt?"
Eric’s voice is loud but far away because Evy’s no longer holding the phone to her ear. She screams with pain when he pulls her into the bedroom by her hair. He hits her hard in the face, and throws her onto the bed with a force that makes her let go of the phone. He leans down over her and yells:
"You dress like a teenager. You’re a whore. Dress like one!”
She screams again when he hits her a second time. She sees his next strike in the mirror before she feels the pain. Then she curls up with her back to the mirror, and it’s as if she’s no longer present in her body.
"Evy! Evy!"
Somehow, Eric’s voice manages to get through. She sees the phone and slowly reaches for it, but James gets to it first.
"Evy! Evy!"
Eric’s voice is clear and strong. James stares at the phone, before he picks it up. Then he slowly says:
"Eric Taylor."
Evy stares at James.
"Eric, I don’t have time for you
"But my parents never found out, and now he’s dead. I guess that means it stops now."
Eric is silent once again.
"I never knew what he was going to ask me to do next."
She bites her lip and it starts bleeding again. ”As if I don’t know the feeling...”
"Evy, one of the favors he asked me to do was to make sure you got to know my friends. I was to arrange for you to be invited to the parties. I don’t understand why. Where did he know you from?
She feels like someone has just hit her in the stomach. Something is very wrong, like when there’s only one single red ball in a basket full of blue ones.
"Evy?"
She doesn’t say anything.
"If you don’t want to tell me..."
She breathes heavily and bites her lip again, trying to make the pain stop the memories from breaking through.
"Eric, I don’t know where he knew me from."
"That can’t be true!"
"The first time I met Stuart was at the party at your place. I don’t remember ever having talked to him before then."
"Stuart took you home that night. And?"
Evy is quiet.
"And? Evy?"
"And... Eric, don’t ask me to do this..."
"What is that? Is there someone on the other line?"
Evy holds out the phone. ”James.”
"Eric, please don’t hang up. I have to get this. I…, please stay on the line, OK?"
It’s quiet.
"Eric, please!"
But there is no answer. She puts him on hold and takes the other call.
"Hello James."
Her voice is reserved. At first there’s no answer.
"It’s not James. It’s his driver."
His voice makes Evy shiver. She remembers him and the bag of white powder all too clearly.
"Yes. How can you call from James’ number?"
"He always calls from here. From the limo."
Silence.
"He’s on his way up to you."
"So you drove for both Stuart and James?"
"They’re brothers. What one of them does, the other does too. Haven’t you noticed?"
The driver sounds surprised.
"But Stuart never called from the limo?"
"Nah, he didn’t care. He and his wife had an arrangement, I think."
Evy sighs.
"Evy, in all the year I have been James’ driver, I have never seen him so angry."
He stops for a few seconds.
"I just thought I’d let you know."
Evy makes a face.
"Thanks."
She hangs up on him.
"Eric, are you still there?"
It’s quiet for a long time.
"Yes, Evy, I’m still here."
She gets up suddenly and turns when she hears a key in her lock.
"What?!"
"Hello Evy…"
Evy can hear Eric’s voice when the door opens.
"James! Where do you have a key from?!"
Evy’s voice is loud and shrill. The door closes with a loud bang, and he is suddenly next to her.
"Where do you think?"
Now her voice is only a whisper.
"From Stuart."
He smiles and tilts his head before grabbing her arms. The pain races through her.
"Don’t tell me where and when. Do you have any idea how much you cost me every month? Do you even realize where you would be without my money?"
He pushes her back harder than he has ever done before.
"Is that James Schmidt?"
Eric’s voice is loud but far away because Evy’s no longer holding the phone to her ear. She screams with pain when he pulls her into the bedroom by her hair. He hits her hard in the face, and throws her onto the bed with a force that makes her let go of the phone. He leans down over her and yells:
"You dress like a teenager. You’re a whore. Dress like one!”
She screams again when he hits her a second time. She sees his next strike in the mirror before she feels the pain. Then she curls up with her back to the mirror, and it’s as if she’s no longer present in her body.
"Evy! Evy!"
Somehow, Eric’s voice manages to get through. She sees the phone and slowly reaches for it, but James gets to it first.
"Evy! Evy!"
Eric’s voice is clear and strong. James stares at the phone, before he picks it up. Then he slowly says:
"Eric Taylor."
Evy stares at James.
"Eric, I don’t have time for you
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