Patricia

Chapter Six

Patricia

Tom had gotten off the couch for more than fifteen times, he hadn't made up his mind on weather to use the coupon he had for the therapy. He had always hated hospitals but one thing he gave a little thought  about was that this one didn't involve needles and syringes, wait what if he was diagnosed and had come down with some disease of some sort, he smiled at his thought, he was going to far with his imagination, that couldn't of course happen.

He rushed into the bathroom, got refreshed, it felt a little better than usual, he was excited for reasons yet known to him. He sat close to window watching the outside world, he noticed how far everyone had gotten and he somehow was left behind.

He saw a school bus pass by with no kids in it and remembered their fight with " Big Show Off." He had reserved a sit where he always sat for the ride, that morning  Biggy was already in his sit, he confronted him, trying to make himself big and impress Ann. He had always wanted a show down with Biggy, he hated the  way he bullied kids around school taking all their favorite stuff

A knock came from the door, he rushed as the visitor repeatedly hit the door with what could be mistaken for either patience or anger. It was the mail man, he had a letter for Tom, he looked a little shorter than Tom and was agile, he had dark shades  on, it suit him well sitting confidently on his face as he fixed his stuck out shirt.

"You wouldn't know what the time is brother?"

 "I forgot my wrist watch in the car, I was kind of in a hurry"

"10:02" Tom said as he opened the door a little for the man to see for himself.

"Thanks brother, I need to sign here and here also"

" I reckon you stay here alone in this big apartment, all by yourself?"

"Yeah just me" Tom replied in a cool, withdrawn voice"

"Wow, that's amazing"  he said a s he drop the fill out in the bag that was just by his feet

"Still stay at my mama's place,planning on getting a place of my own, it ain't easy brother"

"The houses ain't cheap either, but we'll scale through, that's for sure."

He left in a hurry and Tom retired into the apartment to read the content of the letter. It was from Jim.

Hey Tom,

It's been I while and I ought to have gotten a reply from you , you didn't leave much of an answer the day I told about the flakes movement, the merchants need some delivery and I can't go on without you , I need an answer and It has to come fast.

What's this that I got flying around town about you and The Boss? How did you get into so much debt brother?  I know you spend a lot lot of cash to keep things going, but not that much, I've got a lot of questions , might stop by one if these day, I've been busy checking up on the merchants and suppliers, don't want to get disappointed.  Your dagger's still with me just in case you forgot.

                                                                                                                         Jim

Tom felt a fast rush of anger in his system, how could the boss tell Jim about the cash he had to pay, he felt betrayal, his palms got wet and slippery, he didn't fell like going for the session he had with Patricia but he couldn't let go now, he had to get to her place now more than ever.

He stood up to get his shirt from wardrobe he had one shirt in mind. He was not so much in a hurry to chase his journey, he had all the time in the world. His coupon bought him that time since he had a coupon not an appointment. He had already had breakfast but he felt the need to eat a little more,  he had a strange felling the therapy session was go last a little while. He felt a tissue in his pocket he squeezed it and threw it out by the door where the dump was, he walked past his hallway and greeted by the huge pile of laundry he had not attended to in weeks. He had plans to do his laundry the night before but his energy got drained the moment he set his gaze upon his couch, he decided to rest a little before he kick started his cleaning adventures but he couldn't help it five minutes into his rest.

He slipped his feet into a black pair of shies that were place side by side with his boots, he couldn't put on the ones he wore to Jim's place, they had no comfort in them, he had had his shoes polished weeks ago but they didn't look that way.

He sprayed a little cologne after a shirt struggle to get it out, he had not used it in weeks, he saw it by accident as he contemplated putting on a tie. It fell out as he drew out one of his old tie. He steeped and on second thought went back In to change his wrist watch. He saw the scar created by the grip his watch had had o mm his skin. His pores were enlarged by the uneasy handling of the grip on his wrist.

He was ready to run out, he examined his frame in the mirror as ball of sweat dried off due to his proximity to the window, he was good to go, he hadn't looked Thia good in week, his feet was comfortable in his boots, he couldn't help but he comfortable.

As he slipped through the crowd,he craved for a ride, he felt like riding a bike or even a bicycle just like old days, he felt gripped by ecstasy, he couldn't source the reason to this excitement, but he felt sometimes smelling nice make one fell good.

He skipped through the street, as he awaits his arrival at the bus stop, he couldn't help but think what the outcome of his visit to Patricia would be. Was he just wasting his time? Should he make a quick trip to Jim's place instead? Well he couldn't change his mind, he was already on the bus headed for the other part of town. As the bus moved he notice a bill board with a lady on it and it looked like the lady was starring at him with a fixed gaze, he wasn't bothered about love anymore, he felt he could never love again, he had thrown the key to his heart after he lost Linda, she was his last lover, that was certain. 

He was finally at Patricia place, he walked in to the cool if the receptionist. She had a boom up her face and smile as she notice him walk towards her. She had blue long sleeve shirt on but he couldn't make out what came after that fro his position. Her table was arranged, she picked the ruler she used as the book marker and placed it in the book as she seized her attention from Tom for a few seconds. There stood on her a table a bottle of fragrance, it was the same on they had at the hotel he visited last week, when he and the boss had business to deal with In a part of town only that this one had red covering which implied it smelled like roses, the room smelled of roses actually.

"Good morning, how can I be of help to you?"

"Yeah, I have a coupon from a man named mark"

"Mark Smith?"

"I didn't ask for his last name, all I have is Mark"

She wrote down a few thing on a paper, looking straight at the door afterwards  as a man stepped in in a hurry and headed straight for the table,.

" I have a letter addressed to Mrs Patrica"

"I'll take that"  she received the letter and signed the documents the mailman handed to her.

The mailman walked out the way he came in, hurriedly. Tom guessed he had many delivery to make in several parts of town 

"My name is Rosemary, what's yours please?" She asked getting Toms attention

"Tom-Thomas Jeffrey" Tom replied holding back a smile.

It felt strange, he was really excited fir unrecognized reasons. Rosemary handed him a form to fill out while she informed, Mrs Patricia if his arrival, his was on short notice because he had no appointment. Tom was  not sue why some questions on the form we there and some space seemed unnecessary and redundant to him. He was not sure why he had to input data Like his date of birth,  address family address, next if kin, is this a bank or something he mused to himself as Rosemary came back to pick the letter from the table.

"She'll see you in a minute" she said to Tom with a smile 

He simply nodded continuously as he filled out the document in front of him,he struggle with the spelling of "friend" he couldn't figure out which  one came first the "I" before the "e" or the other way round, he bit the pen lightly and decided that they wouldn't notice his mistake if he wrote them in lower case or he'd rather strike it out as a mistake, then he'll seem too careless, he couldn't try that move, he couldn't hold his excitement when he caught a glance of the mug that stood on Rosemary's table it read "world best friend" he stood up to check and heard someone approaching,  he quickly sat down starring into to the blank, he was relived when he saw an old lady emerge from within. He greeted her as he rushed to the table and read out loud the inscription on the mug.

He returned to where he was sited ignoring the old lady who was looking at him in confusion. He place the filled out form next to his thigh and rose to take a personal tour if the all place. He walked to a shelf that had a few medal and a section that contained used picture albums, he scanned through the pile and picked one without interest, he was surely just going to stare at the picture that were present in the book. 

He went back to his and crossed checked his filled out form, he found none, he rested a little and later changed his sitting position and moved to the edge if the couch, as he thought of why Rosemary was asking so long, all he could hear were footsteps from within and a few whispers. He flipped through the pages of the picture album slowly taking note of evehadn'tail, he felt a sense of guilt looking through the pictures, he was compensated by the feeling that it wouldn't be there if they didn't want people to peer through them.

He felt the need to use the bathroom but he had no idea where it was, he took a leap of faith he took a fast   trip to the hallway opposite him, he figured if the offices were by his right the bathroom, then the restroom has to a be amongst the rooms opposite him.

He walked slowly and with a huge sense if doubt in his legs, he saw a lot if locked doors and finally an open one but it had all sort of cleaning stuff, from the cleaning stick to the germicide and all sorts of fragrance, it was the store room in fact.

He rushed back to the reception, where he found Rosemary already waiting, she had the album he was going through a few pages flipped 

"Is there a problem sir?" 

" I was looking for the restroom,that's all"

"Alright, Mrs Patricia, is ready to see you"

"You can see her after using the restroom"

"Yes,I'm going to just that"

"The next door to you left leads to the toilet" she said swaying her head backwards to fix her stray hair.

Tom walked slowly and silently into the hallway, twisting the door knob to behold a lady with both of her hands on the table,welcoming him with smile.