"Knock, knock," Lewis
said, poking his head through the doorway.
"Hey, honey," Madison greeted him with a smile, pushing
her glasses on top of her head and leaning back in her chair.
"You have time for a coffee break?" Lewis asked, closing
the door behind him.
"I'm ready for a Lewis break," Madison smiled, standing
and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Are you up to the ceiling in work or can we go to dinner
tonight?" Lewis asked, kissing her head.
"Oh...I think I can make it. Definitely by 8," Madison
said.
"You look busy. Maybe I..."
"Oh, don't be silly. I need a break from all this top secret
paperwork anyway."
"Top secret, huh?" Lewis peeked on her desk.
"It's really no big deal. They're just testing this new formula
to get people into space."
"Oh, in that bucket-looking thing?"
"Shhhh....you don't know anything." Madison ran a hand
across his face. "Actually, I need to go down there to check
up on their progress."
"Okay, I need to get back to my highly skilled janitorial
duties anyway."
Madison laughed. Lewis smiled and leaned down to kiss her. "See
you tonight?"
"Don't be late." Madison picked up some papers and followed
Lewis out the door.
--------------------------------
"What the hell is that
smell?" Lewis asked, going over to his friends that night.
Kate burst into laughter. "It's Drew's new perfume....doggy
doo!"
"Man, this has gone way too far. Pretty soon, you both will
be bathing in it." Lewis sat down.
"Buddy, what's the matter?" Oswald asked.
"I think I'm in love," Lewis said.
Everyone at the table froze; Kate and Oswald in the middle of
a thumb war and Drew with a nacho to his mouth.
"I think I'm going to tell her tonight," Lewis continued.
"I'd better get going. Thanks for listening, guys."
Lewis ran for the door.
"Anyone want a beer?" Oswald asked.
--------------------------------
"Madison?" Lewis asked,
knocking for the tenth time on her apartment door. Everything
was quiet.
"Damn," Lewis mumbled. "Oh, well....guess I've
gotta go through the window again."
Lewis danced around to the back, where Madison's bedroom window
was cracked. She loved the outdoors; she always had a window open.
Lewis pulled his tall frame through the window and checked to
see if anything was in his way before putting his feet down. "Maddi?"
he called.
He wandered through the bedroom to the kitchen, where he tripped
over something in the dark. He groped for the light, flipped it
on and looked down.
"Madison!" Lewis screamed, kneeling down beside her.
She was lying face-up on the floor, arms spread out.
Lewis reached for the cell phone lying beside her. "Madison,
come on...wake up," Lewis said, pressing power on the phone.
As he was dialing 911, he felt Madison move. He looked down to
see her staring up at him, her eyes dripping with tears.
"What happened?" she murmured, trying to sit up.
"No, no, Maddi...just lay there. I'm calling 911."
"I'm fine!" Madison argued, grabbing the phone from
him.
"Madison, you've been feeling weird all week."
"I'm fine!"
Madison started to sit up but paused. Lewis saw the fear in her
eyes. Seconds later, she crawled into his arms like a baby, burying
her head in his shoulder. Lewis put his arms around her tightly,
rocking her back and forth, running his hands up and down her
back.
As they sat on the kitchen floor in each other's arms, the sunshine
disappeared, the moon came out...and Lewis had a sinking feeling
that the girl he was in love with was slipping from him.
