Eileen

The brakes screeched and the car bounced on the tracks as they pulled into the station once more. Rocky's entire body felt scorched where she touched him.

"Let me see you again," he said once they were back on the sidewalk.

"Here's my number."

The scrap of paper she handed him was priceless in that moment, his only link to Eileen once she walked away. Green eyes, before filled with tears, stared into his. One last kiss and she disappeared into the morning crowd. Rocky reached out, his hand touching empty space.

Tucking the paper into his wallet, Rocky made his way to the parking lot behind Keb's Bar for his car. He couldn't stop thinking of the sad redhead the entire drive home. Even after spending the night on the subway train together, he really knew little about her. Satisfied that he had time to explore her in the future, Rocky parked in the garage and went inside his house. First, he needed some sleep, and then he would call Eileen.

****

Two weeks later, Rocky slammed the phone down. Every day he had called her, and each time was the same thing—nobody was home.

Friday night Rocky once again joined his friends at Keb's Bar. Laughing and talking, they waited for the band to begin playing. Several people danced to the piped-in blues music heard from huge speakers hung all over the room.

"Hey Rocky, whatever happened to that girl at the end of the bar who was sittin' all alone, havin' herself a real good cry?" Marco asked.

"Her name was Eileen," Rocky said, thinking about riding the subway train with her that night. "I never saw her again."

****

Each day was a struggle for Eileen as she tried to find the strength to make her life better. Five days after he had left, Frank showed up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Eileen demanded.

"I live here, remember?"

"You packed your stuff and walked out, Frank. How crazy do you think I am if I let you come back after what you did?"

"Don't get all righteous on me, Eileen. What would you do if you knew I kept something from another woman?"

"That's not even relevant, Frank, and you know it. Billy is a girl, and the gift was from when I was a kid. You had no ri—"

"Bull crap! You're my woman, that gives me every right," Frank yelled.

Jerking the refrigerator open, he shoved bottles and containers around until he found a can of beer in the back. Slamming the door shut, he glared at Eileen and left the room.

Eileen paced the length of the kitchen. She had done a lot of thinking over the past few days, but changing the locks on the doors had never occurred to her. When Frank left, she never expected him back.

"What's for dinner? I'm hungry!"

Stopping mid-stride, Eileen wanted to scream at him to get out. Every instinct in her said if she did, she would regret the decision. Resigned to having Frank there until she could figure out a better solution, she opened the freezer.

Forty-five minutes later she was serving Frank his favorite meal of cheeseburgers, corn, chips, and fruit. One thing about Frank, he wasn't hard to please when it came to food. Too bad everything else wasn't as easy, she thought as she cleaned the kitchen.

Images of dark brown eyes appeared in the sudsy dishwater. Sweet Rocky, so attentive and intuitive. She felt bad about giving him the number for an out-of-business restaurant. Yet, she wasn't ready then to get involved with someone new.

"I need more beer."

Frank's demand broke into that night's subway right memories. Drying her hands on a towel, she turned to face the man she once thought would become her husband.

"You aren't moving back in here, Frank."

"This is my place, not yours. If you don't like my company, leave. In fact, I'll hold the door for you," he said, sneering at her.

"You're despicable, you know that? I'm going to bed."

His jeering laugh followed her all the way up the stairs. Grabbing some respectable pajamas, Eileen went into the bathroom and locked the door. A quick shower helped to relax and calm her down. As she pulled the blanket back on the bed, she realized Frank would expect to sleep there as well. Taking her pillow and her robe, she went into the spare bedroom and shut the door.

Dreaming of riding the subway train, Eileen mumbled in her sleep. When she shivered, Rocky was there to keep her warm. His words comforted her, his wisdom obvious. Dark skies and rain greeted her when she woke. She snuggled into the blankets and thought about the kind stranger she had been with that one night.

"Are you staying in there all day? I can't find any coffee."

The reality of her life broke into the pleasant memories at the sound of Frank's voice. First rattling the doorknob, and then pounding on the wooden frame, his irritation at not getting inside the bedroom soon became obvious.

"Damn you, Eileen. Open this door right now. Who the hell said you could sleep in there anyway? Get out here and make my coffee."

Wondering when her life had fallen apart, Eileen slid out of bed and pulled her robe on. She and Frank needed to talk, that much was plain to see.

"Good morning to you too," she said when she opened the door. "Speak a bit kinder to me; I might be more apt to listen."

Shocked at her commanding tone, Frank swallowed his reply. He followed her into the kitchen and sat down. Eileen appeared calm and unaffected.

"Let's be adults and talk about this, Frank."

"There's nothing more to say. This is my house, and I'm staying. Unless you're hiding anything else from me, we can go on from here."

"I see. So you think I should forget what you did and said last week," she replied.

"People have little spats all the time, Eileen. They argue and move on."

"You shattered every one of my angel figurines instead of listening to me. Instead of trusting me, you thought I cheated on you. That was so wrong."

"If you even think of cheating again, you'll be sorry."

One word in the threat screamed out at her. Eileen stared at Frank, wondering if he even realized what he had said.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. If you ever cheat on me, you're go—"

"That's not what you said the first time."

"Don't get picky, Eileen. You know what I'm saying."

"Yes, I think I do," she said, walking toward the living room.

"Hey, don't you leave when I'm talking to you!"

"This discussion is over, Frank."

"Damn you anyway, then. Get out of my sight. Your cheating ass makes me sick."

Head high and back straight, Eileen never flinched at the accusation. She went into their room and picked out a clean outfit. Once in the bathroom, she locked the door and let the tears fall. After a long shower, she covered any remaining traces of her crying spell with make-up. Then she took a deep breath and went to face Frank.

"You know, Frank, honesty is important in any relationship. A true commitment to each other is vital to making it all work. I never lied to you. That you could even think I cheated says something isn't right," she said when she found him still in the kitchen.

"What the hell are you getting at?"

"Maybe I wanted marriage and a family so much I overlooked the flaws before. No more, Frank. I can't forget what you did."

"You're making no sense, Eileen. No one is perfect. If you think someone out there is, then go find him."

A brief image of Rocky fluttered through her mind at Frank's words. After spending just one night riding the subway train with him, she knew Rocky was honest.

"I'll be staying in the spare bedroom until I can find my own place. Until then, leave me alone."

"The hell I will! As long as you're living in my house, I make the rules," Frank hissed, moving to within inches of her.

Eileen took a step back and ran from the room. Grabbing her purse, she got into her car and took off. Through her tears, she saw the sign for the subway station. Without hesitating, she pulled into a parking space.

Riding the subway train all night long, Eileen thought about Rocky. Precious hours spent with a stranger. Dark brown eyes full of compassion and wisdom when they looked at her. Burning with desire, she remembered the sweet kisses goodbye in the morning light.

Falling asleep, nightmares of Frank took over her mind. In them, he took out his anger on her instead of the angel figurines. Escaping his fury was impossible.

"Miss, are you all right?"

The strange voice penetrated through the thick fog clouding her mind. Jerking awake, Eileen saw an elderly man staring at her with concern in his brown eyes.

"Do you need medical help?"

"No, I, ah, I fell asleep and had a bad dream," Eileen replied.

"I hope you didn't miss your stop."

"No, I have nowhere to go."

"That doesn't sound right for a pretty young lady to say. If you want to talk, I'm a good listener. My friends call me Mo," he said.

Studying the man closer, she sighed. "Have you ever been in love, Mo?"

*****

Based on the lyrics "Eileen" by Keb' Mo'