Somebody That I Used to Know

She stopped about ten feet away from me, hard to see in the shadows. "Get a good show?" she asked.

I chuckled. "Hey, it's the most exciting thing I've seen in close to a month."

She seemed to relax a little. "You must lead a hella dull life," she said.

"That's me," I said. "The epitome of dull. What were you looking for down at the pool?"

"The room key," she said.

"Any luck?"

"No, and the asshole at the desk won't give me a new one, either."

"Where's the key card?" I asked.

"One of the dipshits I was with probably has it," she said.

"Close friends of yours?" I asked.

"No," she said. "I just met them three days ago."

"I see. How badly do you need to get into the room?" I asked.

"Well, I need to pee," she said. "Aside from that, all my shit is in there. Do you think the police will release them soon?"

"No," I said. "Not tonight, anyway. I can get you in. Do you think they left a card inside?"

"Yes, mine is in there. Are you some kind of burglar?" she asked.

I laughed. "No, I'm a computer guy with an Arduino microcontroller."

"Well, I have no idea what that is, but I'd be grateful if you let me in," she said.

I went in and got my board, and she stood in the doorway. "Umm... can I use your bathroom?" she asked.

"Sure," I said.

She came inside into the light, and I was stunned. God, she was gorgeous. She had a dark complexion, and at first, I thought she was black, but then I noticed her eyes, and she had different features. "What?" She noticed I was staring at her.

"Umm... nothing. I'll just unlock your door," I said.

"Thanks," she sent me a smile, white teeth flashing, lighting up her face as she closed the bathroom door. I heard the lock click, and smiled to myself.

I went down to her door, unplugged the DC power and plugged in my board. In a second, it read the code, and the lock clicked. I pushed it open and took off my slide, using it to hold the door open. I went back to my room and she came out after a minute.

"When will you open it?" she asked.

I laughed. "All done," I said.

"Really? Oh, my God. Thanks... I don't know your name."

"Julian," I told her.

"I'm Tana," she said. She had a delightful little accent, and I loved her voice. It was low-pitched for a woman, a little husky, and as sexy as fuck.

"I have to ask, where are you from, Tana?"

She laughed, a very thrilling sound. "The Federated States of Micronesia," she said. "I'm from the Chuuk Atoll."

"Well then. I've never heard of that. What are you doing in the US?"

"I'm backpacking across the country," she said. "Yes, I know, people don't do that here, but my people do it all over the world. When I'm done, I'll go back and finish college."

"How did you hook up with the dumb-asses down there?" I asked.

She shrugged. "We were picking oranges. We decided to come and look at the dunes. Listen, Julian, thanks for opening the door for me. I'm going to crash and get out of here tomorrow."

"What about your friends?" I asked.

"They are on their own," she said. "If they're dumb enough to fight the police, I don't want to be with them."

"Where will you go?" I asked.

"Don't know yet," she said. "Away from here. Night, Julian, and thanks again."

I walked her to her door, reclaimed my slide and went back to my room. I lay in bed and for the first time, I thought about something other than the shitty end of my marriage. Tana was fascinating, and the thinking about her kept my thoughts from falling into that awful groove. I slept soundly for the first time since I'd left Florida.

I got breakfast and got back to the interstate. I had just started up the entrance ramp, and there she was, off to the side of the road a bit, but definitely looking for a ride. I wondered if she knew how dangerous hitchhiking was.

Her eyes never left the Viper. She had a backpack, and that was it. I pulled over and she peered at me. "Oh, my God, is that you, Julian?"

"It is, in the flesh," I said. "Is that you, Tana?"

She laughed. "Where are you going, Julian?"

"I have no destination in mind," I said. "West. It looks like you're going my way. Wanna ride with me?"

"Yes, can I?"

"Absolutely." We managed to get her backpack stowed away in the trunk, got in, buckled up and we were on our way.

I pulled out, and she was obviously in love with the Viper. "This is the coolest car I've ever seen," she said.

"I'm in love with it," I told her. "I've had it for seven years, but I've never had it out on a road trip like this. It's as much fun as I always knew it would be."

"Is it fast?" she asked.

I pinned us back in our seats and ran it up to 100 before pulling back to the speed limit. She was laughing and those sparkling black exotic eyes were full of excitement. "Oh, my God."

We settled in. "Where do you think you want to go, Tana?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," she said. "I need to work sometimes. I work, save up some money, then I move along to a new place. I might get a job in California, picking fruit, vegetables, something like that. Sometimes I tend bar or get a job serving or cooking food."

"Are you a good bartender?" I asked.

"Not really." She giggled. "I have to look up recipes for everything, and I'm kind of slow. I learn, but then I forget if I don't do it for a while."

We rolled along, chatting companionably. That ended when she said, "Where's your wife, Julian?"

It immediately all came flooding back, so strongly that I had to pull over. Luckily, we were just passing a rest stop, and I pulled in. "I need some air," I said.

She went in and used the facilities, and I went and sat under a tree at a picnic table. After a few minutes she came and sat by me, handing me one of the sodas she'd bought. "I'm sorry, Julian. It's none of my business."

"It's not you," I said. "It's still kinda fresh, Tana. It's okay, really."

"Well, I don't know what 'it' is," she said. "Something bad, I take it. How long has it been since 'it' happened?"

"Less than a month," I said. "It actually happened last Christmas, but I didn't know until about a month ago."

"Did she cheat on you?" she asked. "Tell me you didn't cheat on her."

I smiled grimly. "No, I didn't cheat on her. You don't know me very well, Tana, but I don't have that in me. God knows I have plenty of flaws and issues. Loyalty isn't one of my issues. I have a different self-image than that. If I were going to screw around, I'd be up front and honest about it."

"I'm sorry," she said. "How did you find out?"

"Completely by accident," I said. I told her what happened.

"Wow, talk about a coincidence," she said. "I think cheaters always get caught. I know that's not the case, but there are so many ways to get busted. My face would give me away."

"Yeah, me too. I'd feel so guilty I wouldn't be able to act normally. That's what really puzzles me about my wife. I didn't have a clue, and she never acted a bit differently."

"Why would you suspect? You trusted her. That's what you do when you're in love. Maybe it didn't bother her," she said. "What did she tell you?"

"She said she was sorry as she was walking out the door."

"That's it?"

"Yes, I haven't heard a word from her since."

"You haven't tried to get in touch?"

I shrugged. "Why would I? As I told my sister, I'm not going to lift a finger. If she wants to make some sort of effort, she has my number. I didn't fuck it up. At least not like that."

"I understand," she said. "Sorry to step on the vibe like that."

"How did you know I was married?" I asked.

"Umm... you have that ring thing going on," she said.

I looked at my finger, and there it was. I wasn't wearing my wedding ring, but there was a pale depressed area where it had been.

"I gotta get some sun on there." I grinned at her and she patted my hand.

"Maybe when we get to California," she said. "Lie on the beach and soak up some sun."

"I need to ask you something," I said.

"Shoot," she said.

"I'll give you a ride wherever you want to go," I said. "Do you need to camp? I mean, do you have enough money for hotels?"

She wrinkled her cute little nose. "Staying in hotels will tap me out pretty quickly. I mostly camp."

"Do you know how dangerous hitchhiking is? I don't know about camping, but if I were a woman, I think I'd be very cautious."

"Oh, I am," she assured me. Like a flash, she had me by the throat and a taser was in my face. I was shocked, and she laughed and let me go.

I choked around for a few seconds. "Jesus, Tana! What was that?"

She laughed again. "I'm fierce," she said. "I know what I'm doing. No one is going to catch me by surprise."

"Well, damn. I guess they won't. Please don't tase me, Tana."

"No, I like you," she said. "You're nice to me."

"Yes, I am. I'm going to go and pee now. Tasers have that effect on me."

She giggled. "Okay. Meet you back at the car."

We cruised along and she made me stop at a convenience store for snacks. The girl ate constantly, I discovered, and we damn near bought the place out. My card took a hit, and she giggled about that, too, since I had promised to buy the snacks.

She wanted to pull over every time she saw something she was interested in, and our progress was a crawl. Since I had nowhere to be, I was happy to play along. She chattered at me constantly, filling the car with the happy sound of her voice.

She was the happiest person I'd ever met, in love with life, and her enthusiasm was contagious. We had an argument about what we were going to do that night. I insisted on staying in a hotel, and she was adamant about finding a campground.

I won that argument, and got us rooms at a Holiday Inn Express. I had to promise to camp with her, but I had no intention of doing that. I lied my ass off, and figured we'd have another argument the next evening. I planned to win that one, too.

We had dinner and went for a walk down the main street area of the town, looking in the windows of the closed shops as we walked. When we got back, I told her I was going to hit the workout area they had. She wanted to join me, and we changed and went down.

When she came out, she had on a sports bra thing and the most immodest shorts I'd ever seen. They were spandex, clung to her like a second skin, and she might as well have had her ass bare, for all the good the shorts did. They cupped the most amazing ass I'd ever seen. She didn't have an ounce of fat on her, and she had abs that were more defined than mine. She was just stunning. Her breasts were full, round, high, and she made my tongue hard just looking at her.

She laughed when she saw the look on my face. "I'm kind of a gym rat when I'm at home," she said.

"I can tell," I said. "You are a beautiful woman, Tana."

She blushed, a little peachy tint spread over her face, made her look as gorgeous as fuck and she got a little shy. "Thanks," she said. "I see you work out pretty often, yourself."

"I lift four days a week and do cardio five," I said. "I struggle with liking food."

She laughed. "Yeah, me too."

She was tall, I realized as we stood side by side in the elevator, probably close to six feet. We stood close together, and I felt her cool little hand slip into mine. I looked down. Her hands were very elegant, long slender fingers and a slender hand, too. Her nails were white, and very long.

She looked up at me, and those huge, tilted up black eyes were dark pools. "Is it okay?" she asked.

I nodded, not really trusting myself to speak. This girl was casting a spell over me. When we got to the workout room, they had plenty of cardio machines, but they only had dumbbell free weights and a couple of machines. We made do, and I quickly found out that she was very strong. I'd been in gyms all my life, and she was right up there with the strongest women I'd seen. This was one impressive lady.

She ran on the treadmill and I used an elliptical trainer. After we finished, we went back to our rooms. I showered and got another good night's sleep.

I had a text on my phone from Marcie the next morning. "Call me." I wanted breakfast, so I went down to where they were serving, filled my plate, got coffee, sat at an isolated table and called her. We caught up a little and Tana came in, got food and sat down across from me.

"My sister," I mouthed, and she nodded, all those waves and curls of her hair bouncing in a fascinating way. Her hair was as black as a raven's wing, and very curly, full and down to the middle of her back.

"Argent called me last night," Marcie said.

"Oh? What did she want?" I asked.

"It was a hell of a long story," she said. "I'm not going to repeat it. I think she wants to tell you, herself."

"Do I want to hear it?" I asked.

She laughed. "Probably not. If you want the story, talk to her. If you're done, move on."

"Does she expect me to call her or something, because that's not happening."

"I think she was planning to text you and ask if it was okay if she called. I'm not really sure. She talked about meeting you."

"Well, that is a bit of a problem," I said. "Not that I would do it, but I'm in El Centro, California, and I'm heading north after I check out San Diego, not back east."

"I have no idea what to tell you," she said. "You do you, Bruh."

"Thanks for telling me," I said. "Love my sis."

"Love you. Byee."

I put my phone on the table and looked over at Tana. She was eating a banana, and she raised one immaculate dark eyebrow. "Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. My sister, her name is Marcie, told me my wife talked to her. She wants to talk to me."

"Shit. Sorry, Julian. What are you going to do?"

"Nothing," I said.

"You mean... do you want to talk to her?"

"I'm not sure," I said.

"Do you think you might get back together?" she asked.

"I can't answer that, at the moment. I think I have no idea who she is," I said. I thought for a minute. "Imagine you were married and you saw your husband, on video, banging three women from work. What are you thinking?"

She took a bite of a muffin and was quiet for a minute. "I'm not sure. I would be shocked at one. Three seems kind of like this is a progression. Does someone go from being completely faithful to doing three guys?"

"Doesn't seem like it, does it?"

"No. If you want to know, ask her. If not, you're with me," she said. "I'll distract you."

I laughed. "You're pretty distracting. You're a fun road trip buddy, Tana."

"I know, right?" She giggled. "Where we going today?"

"I was thinking San Diego," I said. "Ever been there?"

She shook her head, all those curls swirling. "No. I came in from New York."

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

She thought a minute. "Seventeen months."

"I hear San Diego has a great zoo," I said. "We could go to Sea World."

"Oh, yeah, that sounds fun," she said. "How much does it cost?"

"I have no idea," I said. "I'll buy the tickets; you be Tana and distract me."

She laughed. "Deal. We need to find someplace to camp, though."

I sighed. "What's with you and camping? It's fucking uncomfortable. I mean, I get why you do it, but we don't need to camp when you're with me."

"Okay, but I want you to see what it's like to be free, Julian. Just forget the world, get back to the basics and live life."

"I don't like bugs, being hot while I sleep or sleeping on the ground," I said.

She laughed. "Okay, I get that. I'm not crazy about that shit, either. Get you some gear so you'll be comfortable."

"I tell you what. I'll make a deal with you," I said.

"Shoot." She leaned her face in her hands, elbows on the table and looked at me expectantly. God, she was cute.

"We stay in a hotel in San Diego. We'll drive up and hit San Francisco, then I'll go camping with you at the Redwoods National Park. Deal?"

She looked hesitant. "I... that will kind of break the bank, Julian."

"Do you mind if I ask you how much money you have?" I asked.

She looked like she didn't want to tell me. Her eyes fell away from mine and she seemed embarrassed. "Hey, it's okay," I said. "Look, I have been crossing the country, stopping at really cool places, seeing the sights, and I've been miserable. All I could think about is what happened with... Argent. That was sucking the life out of me. Since I met you, I'm having fun. I'm hardly thinking about any of that shit, at all, and it's because of you. I want to keep having fun, as long as we can hang, okay? I'll pay for your rooms. Seriously, Tana, I won't miss the money, at all. You'll be doing me a huge favor, not the other way around. Please?"

She thought for a minute. "Yeah, what the hell. I like you; I like being with you. You're a great guy, and it's always more fun if you have someone to do shit with. I'm in."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Tana. You're a great girl. Are we friends?"

"Oh, yeah," she said. "Are you ready to get going?"

*****

San Diego zoo was dope, and I'd been to Sea World in Florida, but it was just as entertaining, and Tana made every minute wonderful. She was so... innocent, in a unique way. It was like every second was new and exciting, she drew energy from some infinite well and she was completely in love with living.

She was completely unpredictable and spontaneous, and I had a blast just being around her. As we strolled through the zoo, she started holding my hand, and that became something we did. She was a very physical girl, always touching me, pressing against me, bumping her hip against mine as we walked. We ate every possible new treat, and she loved them all, no matter how disgustingly unhealthy they were.

In my room after Sea World, I got a text from Argent. I almost deleted it, but I finally opened it. "Can we get together and talk? I have a lot I need to tell you."

I thought about not answering, but I finally sighed and bit the bullet. "Not happening. I'm in San Diego."

"When are you coming back?"

"I'm not sure," I sent. "Maybe never."

"Can I call you?"

"Yes. One time, Argent. If I want to talk to you after that, I'll call you. Understand?"

"Yes. I'd really like to talk to you in person."

"Not happening in the foreseeable future."

That got me a sad face emoji, but my phone buzzed. It was her number.

I accepted the call.

"Hello, Julian. Do you mind telling me what you're doing in San Diego?" she asked.

I hadn't expected that would be the first thing she asked.

"Well, my life sort of fell apart recently," I said, "and I thought it would be good for my mental health to get away for a while."

I heard her gasp. It took her a second to get her composure. "I understand. My life has done the same."

"I've heard when you cheat on your husband, pull trains at the office, that's not all fun and games when he finds out," I had promised myself I wouldn't be vulnerable, I would let her know how much it hurt, but I couldn't help myself. It just spilled out, all the bitterness, anger and pain pouring out in a scathing sarcasm.

She was shocked into silence again. What the fuck did she expect? That I would be all sympathetic?

"Okay, I guess I deserve this," she finally said. I heard the sniffles as she tried to regain her composure. "Can I talk to you without all these histrionics? I know you're hurting, Julian, and I'm sorry I caused that. Beating me up might make you feel good, but can I just tell you what's on my mind without you attacking me at every sentence?"

I sighed. I was suddenly bone weary, and tired of the drama. "What is it you want to say, Argent?"

She paused for a moment. "First, I want to apologize to you. I realize that is completely inadequate, but I am sorry, Julian."

"What, exactly, is it for which you're apologizing?" I asked.

"For... everything I've done. I'm sorry for stabbing you in the back, I'm sorry for hurting you, for your pain. You're a good man, Julian, and I regret what I did to you, every minute of every day."