Chapter 29 Eng #2
I looked around then leaned toward the other orc so the others wouldn’t hear. “She left me a note with her phone number on it the night before we took the bus for our away games, but I never called her. Or texted her. Or had any contact with her at all.”
“That was two weeks,” Bwat said. “Didn’t you miss her?”
“Yes, I missed her. I stroked my hand-axe while thinking about her every night we were gone. I longed for the time we would be together again.”
“Then why didn’t you call or text her?” he asked.
“Because I did not find her note before I left.”
Bwat winced. “That is not a good situation.”
“I know it’s not a good situation,” I snapped.
“It wasn’t completely my fault. She put the note in my kitchen and should have known I never go in that room.
And how was I supposed to know she expected me to call her?
We had been naked and non-naked with each other for weeks and never did she ask me to contact her by phone.
We always went to each other’s dens if we wanted to see the other one, and made arrangements to meet the next day.
This phone thing was a new and unexpected request. I didn’t see her note.
How was I supposed to know she wanted me to call her when I didn’t see her note and this wasn’t something we had ever done? ”
“Well…” Bwat scooted further back as I glared at him. “Okay. It doesn’t sound like your fault at all. Just a misunderstanding—one that should be easily rectified.”
“There was nothing to say to her anyway. I would not have wanted to bore her with descriptions of the terrible hotel rooms we stayed at or the cities we saw almost nothing of the scant time we were there. I certainly wouldn’t have told her about the games we lost and how the human players thought we were insignificant nobodies to laugh at.
” I was on a bit of a rant here, releasing all my frustration towards Bwat.
“I agree. None of that sounds like good conversational material,” Bwat interrupted. “Perhaps you could have discussed your feelings? Composed a poem to her beauty? Told her how you ached every moment that you were away and were counting the days until you could hold her in your arms again?”
I shuddered. “Those are horrible ideas. What sort of weak peasant would think that was a proper way to court a female? And none of these are appropriate things to discuss over the phone. Although maybe I could have talked to her as I stroked my hand-axe, letting her know that each night I spilled my seed envisioning her legs wrapped around my hips.”
“I guess some males might think that is romantic.” Bwat’s tone made it clear he was not one of those males.
“But I didn’t find the note with her number, and I didn’t call her.
And when I returned, she expressed her displeasure and told me she would never come to my furs again.
” That horrible lump was back in my chest again, and I fought the urge to flee, to run to the shrew’s apartment and throw myself in front of her door until she at least let me explain.
But I couldn’t see my fierce shrew finding that sort of begging, weak behavior to be appealing.
Bwat eyed me warily. “Did you explain the mistake? Jordan was very understanding with Ozar about the differences in our cultures.”
“I did tell her that I hadn’t seen her note before I left, and she seemed as if she might reconsider, but when she found out I didn’t know her name, she became even more angry and has refused to speak to me, even though I went back to my hovel and found the note with her number so I could text her. ”
“You didn’t know her name? How many times was she in your furs, and you didn’t know her name?” Bwat stared at me in horror. “That’s very bad.”
“I know that’s very bad. I have discovered her name. I have left her two text messages. And a leg of lamb. And I called her, but did not leave a voice message.”
“Okay. Okay.” Bwat stood up began to pace around the now-empty locker room. “You have made a mess of this whole thing, but maybe you can salvage the situation somehow. The lamb meat was a good idea. I assume she likes lamb?”
I nodded. “She told me she did when we were at dinner once. She has a large family and is very close to them. She is proud of her mixed ethnic heritage. She loves her career, even though her family wishes she had chosen something else. She is so poor that she lives in a hovel the size of a closet and drives a vehicle that is often broken. She likes to experience new things like dances and throwing axes at a wall and boating. She wants to travel but is too poor to do so. And she makes very good fried bread.”
“What did your text messages say?” Bwat asked, ignoring my recitation of everything I knew about the Willowyn.
I pulled my phone from my pocket so I could read them to him. “The first one was ‘I know your name is Willa Filipkowski and I found your phone number. Call me back.’”
Bwat blew out a breath. “That sounds a bit threatening. I’m not surprised she didn’t reply to that text.”
I read it again, and considered that he might be right. This texting thing was new to me. The whole cell phone thing was new to me. Back home I just sent a servant to get someone I wished to talk to. There was no need to compose lengthy notes.
“The second one was ‘I apologize for not remembering your name. Call me back,’” I continued.
The other orc nodded. “That’s better, but I’m going to suggest you not continue to remind her of your failings in these messages.”
“Then what am I supposed to say?” I’ll admit I shouted, and barely restrained myself from throwing the phone across the room.
“Remind her of an enjoyable time you shared—a time that didn’t involve your hand-axe,” Bwat added hastily. “Tell her the things you like about her aside from her body. Message her about what you have in common like the foods you both enjoy, or something personal you shared with her.”
“Should I do that now? Or wait until tomorrow?” I looked down at the phone, not wanting to appear desperate even though I was desperate.
I missed my shrew terribly. I’d thought about her when we were traveling and as stupid as it sounded, I did count the days until I’d returned.
During our game yesterday, I’d seen her in the stands with her friends, and that longing had become a sharp stab only bearable because I’d known she would be in my arms that night.
Then everything had fallen apart. And here I was on the verge of panic, asking Bwat, of all orcs, for help.
“Wait until tomorrow to text again,” he advised.
“Unless she texts you back today, then reply immediately. Think about what you want to write, though. You want her to remember the good times with you. You want her to think about all the reasons she wants to see you again, and not about the reasons she was mad at you.”
I nodded. “Understood.”
“And in the meantime, I will research this to see if I can find additional ideas for how you can win this female back.”