Chapter Fifty-Two
Fifty-Two
When the phone rang, I almost jumped out of my skin. I looked at the door. It was pretty well barricaded. I’d dragged the couch over and pushed it up against it, and then for good measure I’d piled the kitchen chairs on top of the couch.
I wasn’t taking any chances.
“Hello?” I whispered into the phone.
“Well, I’m sitting here in five inches of water,” Crystal said.
I was relieved that it was Crystal and not the Calorie Counters militia.
“What?” I said, my eyes watching the front door.
“That bastard left the tub running and flooded my apartment,” she said in a voice that was so calm, it almost sounded crazed.
“Um, are you okay, Crystal?” I asked as I walked over to the window and peered down into the courtyard.
“Sure, fine,” she said calmly. “I have thousands of dollars’ worth of damage and loss, and I’m just fine.”
I walked to the other window and looked down at the sidewalk.
“So did he fall asleep or something?”
“No, nothing like that. He just turned it on and walked out.”
“What—he did what?”
“He turned on the water and walked the fuck out and flooded my apartment. Of course, all his shit is in storage. The only thing of his that’s ruined are his ‘dry clean only’ clothes,” Crystal said, and then let out a crazed laugh.
I looked at the phone. “Do you need me to come over?” I asked, even though I was petrified of leaving the apartment.
“No, I’ll come to you,” she said and then hung up.
I looked at the phone again and then pressed end.
Two minutes later the phone rang again. I snatched it up and said, “Crystal, can you bring some potato chips when you come?”
“I’ll be bringing my foot to put up your ass!” Miriam screamed from the other end.
That was it for me. I threw the phone down, snatched my pocketbook up from the kitchen table, and bolted.
It took me no time to throw the chairs off and push the couch to one side. So before you could say boo—I was out the door.