“I really hope that you didn’t get hurt during the impact,” Robbie said, breaking the silence. He slowed the car slightly and turned his head to face me. “Tell me, Marilyn, are you sure you are okay or do we need to go to the hospital?”
I did a quick inventory of my physical condition. I think I was still in a minor state of shock. I seemed to be fine, but I knew, somehow, I think because of my first accident that sometimes you couldn’t tell until a day or two afterwards if you are truly hurt.
“I think I’m okay,” I said rather timidly.
“I didn’t want you to be scared,” Robbie said. “I remember how hurt you were four years ago when that sorry excuse for a boyfriend you had took that curve too fast and rolled that new car he had just bought. What was he thinking? You were very lucky to have your seatbelt on. “
I was frozen. How did he know about that? I didn’t tell anyone about that for fear of shedding a bad light on “that sorry excuse for a boyfriend” for some unknown reason. Looking back now I think I was trying to protect myself from the truth that he truly didn’t care for me at all. Seriously, what kind of man tried to show off and then wrecks a brand new car and then spends more time grieving the loss of money instead of checking to see if his girlfriend has been hurt!
“I was at the hospital when you were, Sweetheart,” he said as if reading my thoughts. “I was in the emergency room and heard the nurses talking over the charts about the accident. When your dad brought you in that evening to make sure you were not seriously injured, I was in the triage room next to yours. That’s the first time I heard your name being spoken.”
“Wait a minute,” I said, starting to get a little confused. “You mean to tell me that you have known me for the last four years and you are just now meeting me? And how is it you came to be in that hospital? You can pay for the best of care anywhere in the world. Why Louisville? And why, if you were indeed there, did I not hear your name being spoken?”
Robbie reached over and took my left hand that had begun to tremble slightly. I wasn’t sure if it was fear or confusion or both.
“Marilyn, please don’t get upset. I have only your best interests at heart. I did not say that I was the one being treated that evening. As a matter of fact, it was my younger sister. She goes to college here and goes by mom’s maiden name, as to avoid any publicity. She had been to a party and done something stupid. Instead of calling mom and dad, she called me and I flew in from New York. It’s all perfectly innocent.”
Robbie pulled the car into the parking lot of a park. I had been so busy trying to sort everything out in my head that I had lost all track of where we were. He turned to me and removed his sunglasses and revealed his chocolate brown eyes. He still had hold of my hand and brought it up to his heart. He held it there for a few seconds before saying, “Let’s go for a little walk. I am sure you have many questions for me and I would be most honored to answer them.”
I nodded and he let go of my hand, got out of the car and came around to open my door to help me out. When he let go of my hand the shivers had come back again and I felt a little helpless. I didn’t like feeling like that. It reminded me of how I felt when I was left standing in the pouring rain after Michael said he found someone else, someone that could actually make him happy.
Robbie opened the door and I got out. Standing in front of him, inches away from his face, was so much more intimate than sitting next to him in the car and my knees got a little weak.
“Are you quite alright?” he asked once more?
“Think I’m just a little lightheaded because I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast,” I said. I had to make something up and that sounded like the most plausible explanation. Did I really want to tell him that I had had a crush on him for the last ten years and that I thought I might die from embarrassment somehow while I was so close to him?
“Well, let’s remedy that, shall we?” he replied. He led us to the little hot dog vendor on the other side of the parking lot.
“Why don’t you sit here and I’ll fetch us some lunch?” he said.
I slowly sat at the picnic table and watched him walk to the vendor. I honestly didn’t know what to think. I know my best friend would be so angry that I got into the car of a stranger and just rode off with him. But would she respond the same way if she knew it was Drew Roberts. Sr.? Maybe not. But in a way, I knew she would have a point. Did I even know for sure that this was THE Drew Roberts, Sr.? Or maybe I had just fallen prey to a stalker and I was actually close to finding out what happened to those women who were stalked and finally caught up to?
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