Just pretend to be asleep. He won’t know the difference. This is my nightly routine for when Travis finally comes home. I curl on my side of the bed, pull the covers up tight around my face, pretending to be asleep. We stay on our sides of the bed, never even touching each other anymore. Not a kiss hello or goodbye, forget about holding hands.
Since Travis moved into my apartment, things just changed. His first night living with me, I thought it would be nice to cook him a big meal, you know, surprise him after work. I sat in the living room for hours after dinner was cooked, waiting and waiting. When he finally decided to come home, smelling of beer and sweat, I knew this was a mistake. All I could manage to say was, “Welcome home. Dinner is in the fridge if you want something.”
He looked at me. “I already ate. I went out with the boys tonight.”
Every night, I eat dinner alone while he goes “out with the boys”. I know what out with the boys means to Travis. As far as I knew, he never cheated on me. What I did know, however, is that he enjoyed checking out the merchandise at the local girly bar. I have no problems with someone going to a strip club. I do have an issue when it happens every night, when you have a woman at home waiting. This is why I never let him know that I’m actually awake. As soon as he falls asleep, I make my way to the couch. I refuse to sleep next to him after he has been out with his boys.
Tonight, it is different. As I lay in bed, Travis says my name. “Katerina, wake up.” I say nothing. “Katerina, I need to talk to you. Wake up.”
He shakes me gently to get me to wake up. “What is it Travis? I was asleep.” I lied. He is standing by the side of the bed, with a duffle bag in hand.
“I can’t do this anymore. I’m leaving, for good. I can’t handle living here with you.” Turning, he walks out the front door, leaving his key on the dresser I bought for him as a welcome home gift. When I finally take a moment to look around, I notice most of his other stuff was already gone. Not that he had much here. Travis hasn’t been living here that long.
After the rumble of his truck quiets as he drove away, I felt fine. Not sad, not devastated, or even angry. A slight smile forms on my face. And for the first night in a month, I got to sleep in my own bed.
Chapter Two
Katerina
Here I am, one month later, out on a Friday night. Getting my freak on with my girls. That’s the kind of mood I’m in tonight, so yes, I said Getting My Freak On. We are at the hottest club in downtown Naples, Florida. Club Elements is living up to be everything and more. The music is pumping through the speakers. The place is a sea of moving, writhing bodies. The club is different from any other place I’ve been before. Which is not saying that much, since the only clubs I went to were to hear Travis’s band play.
When we first got here, I spun around like a kid in a candy store just taking in the view. The walls illuminate red and orange, glowing like flames in a fire. Blue strobe lights above remind me of the Gulf water at night rippling in the moon light. Every hour fans blow to create a windstorm. Behind the DJ booth is a set of four giant televisions showing different scenes of each element: earth, air, fire and water. The perimeter of the club is lined with leather half circle booths, almost sofa like with large oval tables. From the booths, you still get a great view of the dance floor, so you can people watch or kick back with your friends.
We’ve been at the club for an hour now. I wore my shortest, curve hugging dress in cranberry red. This is my signature color. It goes good with my bronze American Indian skin tone. My hair looks fabulous--long, chocolate brown, loose spirals hang down to my mid back. My shoes are a strappy wedge. I don’t need to be falling on my ass while dancing. Yes, it may provide some amusement for the locals, but my intension is not to be the entertainment tonight. I am looking for my own personal entertainment, someone who can satisfy a certain need. Before you get the wrong idea about me, I’m not the type who sleeps around with random men. I never had a one-night stand, never even came close. In fact, I have slept with a grand total of two men.