ALL STORY LIST | PARTS - PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7 | PART 8 | PART 9 | PART 10 | PART 11 | PART 12
Lisa and Karl first came in contact when Karl was in high school working part time at a Fortis Beach, Florida bike shop. Nineteen year old Lisa had come in to buy new tires for her mountain bike. Karl was immediately struck by her cute face and trim athletic build.
As an avid bicyclist himself, he was drawn to athletic girls, and especially those who also rode. Their eyes met and he smiled from across the store. On that day, though, it was not meant to be. As he was walking toward this cute girl, he was intercepted by another customer who asked a question about one of the new Trek road bikes.
By the time Karl had answered the customer’s question, his co worker, Steve, had already reached Lisa and was helping her. He did walk over to see if they needed anything, but Steve put the block on. Their eyes met once more as Lisa was leaving, but not a word passed between them that day.
Almost two years later on a cool fall Saturday, Karl was riding trails in the forest outside of town when he came across two female riders stopped just off to the side. There was an issue with the chain on one bike and they were trying to get it back on the derailleur pulley.
Karl stopped to help and noticed, to his delight, that the one with the bike problem was the cute girl he had seen that day in the bike shop. He was sure she would not remember him, so he did not bring up their first encounter. Instead, he introduced himself and found out that the two girls were Lisa Murray and her friend and roommate Jeannie Dobson. Jeannie was nothing like Lisa.
Though apparently in good condition, she looked to be much more of a girly girl than Lisa with long black hair and a lush, almost voluptuous body, dark dramatic eyes, and a full mouth. Even in her biking clothes she gave off a goth vibe, though. They were about the same height, but that was where the similarities ended.
For most guys, Jeannie would be where you would be looking, but for Karl, he found Lisa’s lithe athletic build, testified to by her exposed abs, to be more his type. Standing at five feet three inches, Lisa was just as trim and tanned as he remembered, with sun bleached hair reflecting the time spent outdoors.
Her hazel eyes were captivating and she had an infectious smile with cute dimples. She was a true girl next door if that girl loved to bike, swim, hike, and so on.
Karl got Lisa’s bike working again, but told the girls that he was afraid the fix would not hold and insisted that he escort them back to the trail parking lot. This slight bit of deceit was probably recognized by both girls, certainly by Jeannie, but they could tell Karl was a good guy and so did not resist his fake chivalry. They arrived back in the trail parking lot and Karl helped them load their bikes into Lisa’s truck. As they were leaving, he invited Lisa to stop by the bike shop and let him check out her bike properly at no charge. She thanked him and off they went. Karl was sure he would never see her again.
The bike shop was closed Sundays and Karl had Monday off that next week, so was not working till Tuesday. When he got to work that day, Steve pulled him aside and told him that a cute girl came the day before by asking for him.
As they were talking, Karl looked over at the door to see Lisa walking in. Karl waved and so Steve turned around. Steve whispered, That is her. Apparently Steve did not remember Lisa from two years ago, and Karl was glad of that.
Karl and Lisa started talking and he did indeed adjust her bike for free. She revealed that she did remember him from that day two years ago and was sorry that Steve had gotten there to help her first. Karl took this admission as a sign and asked if they could meet for lunch one day and Lisa only hesitated for a moment before saying yes. She suggested a cafe near the beach and they met the next Saturday. The lunch went well and a movie date followed a few days later and then a day at the beach right after that.
After the day at the beach, there were few days where Karl and Lisa were not together. Both of them saw how amazingly compatible they were. Not only did they share a love for biking and the outdoors in general, but they had the same taste in movies, in books, in most music, and they even had similar values.
If Karl was honest with himself, he would admit he was in love on day one. Lisa might not have been quite so quick to fall, but there is no doubt that within a month, she knew she had found her perfect mate, too.
Lisa decided, as they moved into being a couple, that they should plan for something big that they could do together. She had run some track in high school and Karl had done cross country, so she figured the perfect event would be a road race.
She found a local race, The Fortis Beach Classic, that had a five kilometer, ten kilometer, half marathon, and full marathon scheduled about six months away. After discussing it, they decided they would train together for the half marathon. Neither had done a race that long before, but figured they had plenty of time to train. Karl said there should be a challenge attached to this idea and suggested a goal finish time of under two hours.
Lisa agreed, but added the additional challenge that if one of them finished over that time, they would be the slave for three months to the one that met the goal. Karl thought this was a great idea as he was confident he could easily make that time given the months they had left to train. Lisa said if they both met the goal, then whoever had the best time would own the other for a week. Again, Karl readily agreed.
Physical activity was mostly confined to various outdoor hobbies, race training and other forms of exercise as they took it slowly in the bedroom. Neither wanted to do anything wrong and ruin this ideal romance as they both saw it as a long term relationship. Karl was anxious to take things further, but respected Lisa’s wishes and they stuck to just making out.
One night when they had had a few beers, things got a little hot and Lisa seemed ready, but Karl knew that it was the wrong time to take advantage and left before things went too far. The next day Lisa thanked him and promised that once they were further along, she would make him the happiest man in the world in bed.
Things continued to go well for another five months. Karl had recently finished at a local community college with an associate’s degree in resort management and had gone to work for a local services company called Fortis Resort Services.
The owner of the company, George Frankel, was a friend of Karl’s father and had offered Karl the job as soon as he finished school.
Karl managed a crew of guys who could do almost anything at a resort location from cleaning pools, to repairing air conditioning, to landscaping. It was a good first job in the resort business and Mr. Frankel and his wife Cindy, who ran the office, were great to work for. Meanwhile, Lisa was enrolled at another college about an hour away studying sports psychology. Her classes were going well and she would be able to graduate with a BS in another year.
Karl thought he had it all: good job and the most fantastic girlfriend he could imagine. There was no one else for Karl and he knew that. Lisa was just perfect. He even started saving money to buy an engagement ring. In fact, he might have already asked Lisa to marry him if his father had not kept him grounded.
His father said, Son, you need to get established in your job and make sure that Lisa is the one for you before you take that big step. It was not that Karl’s dad did not like Lisa, but he had the odd feeling that there was something just below the surface that was not quite right.
The perfect world that Karl lived in started to unravel one Sunday afternoon. He and Lisa were finishing off a weekend together by dining at a new beach side cafe called Skip’s Bistro. It had a great deck overlooking the dunes and the gulf beyond and Karl had heard the food was great. They arrived and the hostess led them to a table on the deck.
Once they were seated, a waitress approached them from behind a cabana bar. To say the waitress was curvy would be like saying the sun is a little warm. She was about five feet six inches with breasts threatening to break through her tight cotton uniform shirt, an impossibly narrow waist, with wide hips and a rounded heart shaped ass that moved in a perfect rhythm as she walked.
Now, Karl believed that Lisa was lovely and was the perfect body type for him. However, there is no way any man or woman could help but stare at this bombshell walking to their table.
Karl momentarily fell into a trance as the waitress approached, but within a couple of Mississippis had caught himself and returned to Lisa. It was, however, in that moment of distraction, that Lisa lost it.
The waitress, who introduced herself as Mandy, asked to take drink orders. She had a syrupy sweet southern drawl as she said, What can I get you two cuties to drink? Y’all look very thirsty. Karl hesitated just a split second too long and Lisa glared at him. Karl finally said, Um, we will have waters to start, if you do not mind. Mandy said, Oh course.
Would you like lemons in that water? Karl shook his head as Mandy handed them food and drink menus and went over the lunch specials. Lisa continued to stare daggers first at Karl and then at Mandy. Karl had never seen that look from Lisa and he was at a loss.
Karl innocently asked, Is something wrong? after Mandy had sashayed away in her high heeled wedge sandals. Lisa started to say something, but then simply burst into tears. She sobbed uncontrollably for what seemed to Karl like thirty minutes, but it was more like thirty seconds.
Once she stopped crying she looked at Karl and said icily while pointing towards Mandy, So that is the kind of girl you really want. I am sorry that I do not measure up to her. I will just leave now so you can continue your flirtation with Marilyn Monroe there.
Karl was struck dumb. Where had this come from? He had never once looked at another woman since they started dating. He said, Lisa, dear, I do not know what you are talking about. Yes, she is very attractive if you like that sort of woman, but I do not. I love you and how you look.
Somehow, this was not the right thing to say. Karl reached out to take Lisa’s hand, but she jerked it away. She turned back to him with a cold hard look and said between gritted teeth, How dare you call me dear while you ogle that Barbie doll. I thought I knew you Karl, but you are like all men. You disgust me. With that, she threw down her napkin and walked out of the restaurant.
Moments after Lisa left, Mandy returned with their water glasses. Karl was already moving toward the door and told Mandy that his girlfriend was not feeling well and they had to leave. She said she understood and then touched him on the arm saying, You are a really good guy. I can tell, darlin, emphasizing the darlin part of that sentiment. Karl mumbled something and then headed out the door chasing Lisa. Once outside, he looked in both directions up and down the street but did not see her. He decided to run north along the road in the direction of his Jeep hoping that was where she went. As he neared the parking lot he saw Lisa get into a taxi. He tried to wave down the cab, but it kept going.
Karl continued up the street and back to his SUV. He got in and started trembling. What had happened was so unlike Lisa. He had never seen her that angry or irrational before. Karl tried to replay the scene to figure out if he did anything wrong, but was at a loss. All he knew was that he had to fix this somehow. He pulled his cell phone out and tried to call Lisa, but the call went to voicemail. He then texted her, but after several minutes got no response.
Karl then called Lisa’s roommate Jeannie. Karl and Jeannie got along pretty well even though he still got a weird vibe from her. He was not sure what he would say to Jeannie, but it was imperative that he make contact with Lisa some way. Jeannie answered, but was not her normal friendly self. As Karl started to explain why he called, Jeannie said, I just talked to Lisa. She told me what you did. I cannot believe you behaved that way! You should be ashamed! Again, Karl was thrown off balance. He let Jeannie finish her rant and then asked softly, Can I say something? She hesitated for a minute, but then said, You better make it good or I am hanging up.
Karl took a deep breath realizing that trying to change Jeannie’s mind about what Lisa had told her was not going to work. Instead, he said, Yes, something happened. I honestly did not realize until after she got angry. You know me, Jeannie. I do not do things like this and you know how much I love Lisa. Please, when she gets home just tell her I called and that when she will talk to me, I am willing to do anything to make this right.
Jeannie was silent for a minute and then said, this time more cordially, OK, I will tell her. I do not like you right now, Karl, but you are right I do not know of you doing anything like this before. I am not on your side. I am on Lisa’s side, but you do deserve a chance to explain.
Karl sighed and said, Thank you, Jeannie. Please tell Lisa that I love her and never meant to... Jeannie cut him off mid sentence saying, No, buster, you tell her those things. All I am going to do is tell her you called and that you want to talk. With that, Jeannie ended the call.
Karl went straight home. He tried calling Lisa one more time and when the call went to voicemail, he tried to apologize and say some of the things in his heart. After that, he thought it best to just leave Lisa to cool off and hope she would give him another chance. In the meantime, he would rack his brain trying to figure out exactly what he did in the first place.
A week passed before Lisa reached out to Karl. He was beginning to lose hope and patience waiting. She texted him that she would like to meet for lunch. Karl immediately agreed and they met the next day. He had planned what he would do before they met. He said to himself, I will let her talk and make sure I fully understand her perspective before I say anything. I do not want to make this worse.
He got to the little cafe where they had had their first lunch and sat at a table in the back where they would have some privacy. Lisa arrived and sat down without saying anything. He could tell she was still upset. Slowly, she looked up at him and started to speak.
Karl, what happened the other day was not all your fault. Ever since junior high school when Jeannie and I went through puberty at the same time, I have been insecure about my looks. She and I were almost twins until she blossomed into the beauty she is today while I just kind of, well, looked like this, pointing to herself.
Karl started to say something, but Lisa put her hand up to stop him and said, Let me say this without you interrupting. It is hard for me and I need to get it out. Karl nodded and Lisa continued, When I saw you stare at that waitress, those feelings of inadequacy overtook me. I thought right there and then I was going to lose you to that goddess. I know it was irrational, but the feelings were very real.
She said, I love you Karl and the thought that I could lose you to anyone terrifies me. The thought that I could lose you to someone like that woman is my worst fear personified. Karl again started to say something, but Lisa again cut him off. Please. I am almost done.
Since that day, I have run through a bunch of emotions. First I was angry with you, as you saw. Then, after Jeannie had me go through what happened in detail, I realized that I overreacted.
After that, I was so embarrassed that I could not call you. Finally, Jeannie helped convince me that I was an idiot and losing you would be a terrible mistake. I agreed and, well, here we are.
After a few moments of silence, Lisa said, Okay, you can talk now.
Karl did not know where to start. He had never realized that Lisa had these insecurities. When he looked at her, he saw his idea of perfection. How could she not know that by now?
He thought about trying to reassure her about how he felt and how he saw her, but he sensed that was not the right approach. Instead, he said, I will not pretend to understand how you felt, but I do understand that I must make sure that I never make you feel inadequate again.
Let us look at this last week as a growth step for us. I now know more about you, but to complete this step, tell me what I need to do to keep something like what happened at the bistro from happening again.
Lisa smiled a sad smile and said, I appreciate you saying those things. I expected you to try to gush about how you felt and tell me how pretty you thought I am. Instead, you are trying to understand me. And, for that, I love you even more. I am sure we will talk about this more some day, but for now, let us just put this behind us.
Karl said with a smile, That sounds great! I appreciate you opening up to me this way. And, now that you have, please keep yourself open.
She hesitated, then said, Well, there is one thing I need to ask you to do, and I know it is an unfair request. Karl looked at Lisa eagerly, ready to do anything she might want. She continued, I need us to be closer for a while. Let us not go out much, just spend some time away from the Mandys of this world until I get my feet under me again. I can cook us more dinners at home. It will be like a trial living together. She smiled sheepishly looking to see his reaction.
Karl liked going out around town with Lisa. He liked showing her off. But, if this is what she needed, he was happy to do as she requested. Karl was sure this was only temporary. He said as he took her hand, I would be happy to spend more alone time with you. Nothing could make me happier. She smiled a relieved smile and looked into his eyes. She thought to herself, He is really a good man.
With that they ordered lunch and, by the time Karl paid the check, everything seemed to be right in their worlds again. As soon as he and Lisa parted that day, Karl called Jeannie. He said, Hey, Jeannie. Lisa told me how you helped her see what happened at the bistro was a misunderstanding. I cannot thank you enough for saving our relationship and for taking my side.
Jeannie paused for a moment and then replied, Well I do not know what Lisa told you, but I did not take your side. You have to know that I am always on Lisa’s side. I just asked her to tell me exactly what happened and, believe me, it was not for the reasons you think. Once she had talked it out, I did ask her a few questions and it was Lisa that decided she had overreacted. Don’t get me wrong, Karl, I think you made a mistake, but I also believe you are a nice guy. So, for now, I support your relationship with Lisa. You could even say that I bless your relationship and hope you both will be happy. Please, for Lisa’s sake, do not make me regret my support.
Karl was a little puzzled, but responded with thanks. I will not let either of you down. I love her more than anything. I will buy you a drink next time we are out. I owe you. Jeannie quickly said, You do not owe me anything, Karl; just take care to be the person Lisa believes you are.
If you do not, then our next conversation will not be so pleasant for you. Goodbye, Karl. Jeannie then hung up before Karl could reply. Karl stared at his phone for a moment and then shrugged. That was odd.
For the next month, all was well. The bistro incident was not mentioned again and both Karl and Lisa had put it out of their minds. What had happened and the resulting reconciliation even seemed to advance their intimacy and they finally went all the way. Lisa was impressed with Karl’s substantial package and was kicking herself for waiting so long. Though a kind person, Karl was much more take charge in bed, something that Lisa enjoyed.
For Karl’s part, he was glad he had let Lisa decide when the time was right, but was also happy with their compatibility in the bedroom. For someone who had remained a virgin, Lisa was quite the adept lover and her, ahem, muscle control was both impressive and rewarding.
Things were going well for Karl at work, but the hours were getting longer. Lisa was getting ready for semester final exams, so she was studying longer, too. They discussed their time pressures and agreed that until exams were completed, they would only get together on the weekend.
They would still talk every day, but just not see each other during the work week. Both were sorry that their love making would be less frequent, but they agreed it would make the time together even more rewarding.
In addition to his job as crew supervisor, the Frankels were asking Karl to work with their outside sales rep, Vicky Graham, to develop more service offerings and create a promotions campaign. Karl was working till five pm with his work crew and then staying late until eight or nine pm working with Vicky and Cindy
Frankel. It was taxing, but he knew it was a way to move up in the small company. Lisa had met Vicky a couple of times. She liked her, but was a bit intimidated by her smoking hot looks and vibrant personality. Lisa was comforted, though, by the fact that Vicky was engaged to a very handsome man and therefore not a real threat to her relationship with Karl.
Vicky Graham is a twenty five year old graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in marketing. She had been a UF cheerleader and had worked hard to retain her good looks. Her long blond hair and amazing figure are a real asset in her job and she knows it. She was a born saleswoman with a winning smile and warm eyes. Vicky came to Fortis Beach with her fiance after graduation and took the job with Fortis Resort Services. It was not her ideal job, but she loved her fiance and felt it was worth it. Recently, after putting their wedding off twice, her fiance announced he was in love with a co worker, a male co worker, and so the marriage was officially off. Vicky was heartbroken and embarrassed. What would her family think? She had not even told her friends, including Karl, about the breakup. She had reluctantly revealed it to Cindy Frankel after she found Vicky sobbing at her desk a few days later. The Frankels had already been treating Vicky like a daughter and the breakup in her engagement only solidified the parental bond. Vicky thought about leaving Fortis Beach. She could go elsewhere for more money, but did not want to make a rash decision, especially with how supportive the Frankels had been.
The Friday of Lisa’s last final exam, Karl was working late with Vicky. All of the days till now, these late hours were being worked at the office with both Vicky and Cindy there. Tonight, though, Cindy was unavailable and Florida’s baseball team was playing in the college world series. Vicky was dying to see the game on TV because her younger brother was the starting pitcher for UF. She was still having to live in the apartment she shared with her ex fiance until the following month, so home was not her favorite place. She asked if they could meet at Karl’s apartment that night instead so they could watch the game while they worked. He momentarily wondered why they did not go to her place, but since his place was closer to work, he reasoned Vicky was just trying to save him travel time.
Karl had told Lisa that he was working with Vicky that night, but failed to tell her that they would be at his apartment or without Cindy. He really did not think anything of it. To him, it was no different than working in the office and working with Vicky alone was no different than working with Vicky and Cindy together. Karl may have been book smart, but he was very naive.
As it happened, Lisa found out the previous day that she had exempted her last exam. She knew Karl had been working long hours and decided that she would surprise him with a home cooked meal when he arrived back at his apartment. This would be a great way to kick off their being able to spend more time together. She had aced all of her other exams and, with this last exam exemption, was on top of the world.
Around lunch time that Friday, Lisa called Karl and asked how long he would be working. He told her it would be until eight thirty pm or so and then wished her luck on her exam that evening. She thought, Great, that gives me plenty of time to take a training run and still make dinner. She went to the butcher for a couple of rib eyes, to the beer mart for some craft ales, and then to the grocery for all of the other ingredients for a spectacular meal. Lisa returned to her ocean side apartment and she and Jeannie took a run on the beach. Jeannie was running in the same event, but had opted for the five kilometer, so she only ran the first two miles with Lisa. Lisa completed her eleven miles and, just like her exams, the run had gone great. It was just a couple of weeks till the race and she had no doubt she would beat the two hour time and crush Karl.
About seven thirty pm, she headed to Karl’s apartment happy that exams were over and full of the joy that comes with getting her boyfriend back. She noticed the lights were on at the apartment, but did not pay any mind. As she walked up to the door, she heard the TV on, too. She thought, Maybe he left work early. Well, I can still surprise him. She unlocked the door quietly with the key Karl had given her and crept slowly in. After silently closing the door she made her way through the kitchen. She looked over to the den at the TV and saw Vicky and Karl sitting on the sofa. Vicky’s tailored suit jacket was draped across a chair and Lisa could see her sleeveless silk blouse from behind as she leaned close to Karl. From where Lisa was standing, she could not see exactly what they were doing, but it looked like an intimate moment. Lisa’s mind ran back to the bistro and immediately thought the worst. With that, Lisa screamed, dropped her groceries, and ran hysterically from the apartment.
It only took Karl a moment to realize what had happened and then to panic. He ran out the door in bare feet and tried to chase Lisa down before she left. In that moment, he also realized what his meeting with Vicky at his apartment might look like to Lisa. He thought, How could I be so dumb? He got down the stairs just in time to see Lisa’s truck with her tear streaked face inside flying out of the parking lot. What he did not see, but Lisa did, was Vicky’s shapely silhouette back lit in Karl’s doorway as Lisa flew by in her truck.
Running back upstairs to his apartment, Karl tells Vicky, I have got to go after her! She thinks you and I were... She nods and apologizes, It is all my fault for suggesting we meet away from the office. I am so sorry. Karl does not acknowledge her, but instead puts on his shoes, grabs his keys and heads out the door.
Getting in his Jeep, he thinks, I know Lisa will not talk to me, so I have got to try to talk to Jeannie before Lisa does. Karl calls Jeannie as he is pulling out into traffic, straight to voicemail. He says into the voicemail, Jeannie, I do not know if Lisa has already called you, but I need to explain what happened tonight, to her and to you. You helped me get her back once, so I know you trust me at least a little. What she saw tonight was not what she thinks. I cannot explain in a voicemail, but please, I implore you, give me the benefit of the doubt when you talk to Lisa. He is stammering and he knows it, but he had to say something.
Karl heads over to the girls’ apartment as fast as he can go. He pulls in the complex and up to their building. Oh shit! Both of their assigned spaces are empty. He thinks, Where is Lisa? I thought for sure she would come straight home. Thinking about Jeannie, he realizes that she was probably out for the evening. She is an attractive girl and it is Friday night, after all. OK, I bet Lisa is going to wherever Jeannie is. Where would Jeannie go?
While he is trying to think, he gets a text from Jeannie. It says Don’t even try. I believed your lies once, but never again. You are a bastard! You hurt Lisa for the last time. I hope your fling with Vicky cheerleader was worth losing the best woman you will ever know. Don’t call or text. I curse you!
Staring at his phone, Karl exclaims, No. No. No! It cannot end like this. He gets out of his SUV and immediately throws up. He messed up bad. It was truly innocent, but Lisa will probably never believe him and, with Jeannie convinced he is a cheater, too, he has even less chance.
Karl decides to wait at the apartment building until Lisa and Jeannie come home. No idea what to say, but hopefully waiting there will make Lisa at least talk to him. He parks his SUV out of sight and waits. It is a full moon, so he can clearly see their parking spaces. Sometime after midnight, he dozes off. When he awakens at sunrise, Lisa’s truck and Jeannie’s car are still not there, but there is a piece of paper on his windshield. He steps out of his vehicle and takes the sheet. On a tear stained page, written in lipstick are the words Go away. I never want to see you again. The note is not signed, but it does not need to be.
Karl gets back into his vehicle and drives slowly home. His brain is numb. His heart is breaking. This time, it is all his fault. Guilt, sense of loss, and despair wash over him.
Arriving home, he walks slowly up to his apartment. There is a note nailed to his door. This note is written in red ink, or is that blood, and in a shaky handwriting he does not recognize. It reads:
You have hurt the innocent and you must pay.
The goddesses have spoken with much to say.
The women you desire with which to lay,
Will become your future from this day.
You will not die, but you will bleed.
The changes to come will be slow to see.
Nothing can stop how you will change,
But it will be a slow reality so not so strange.
In coming days it will complete,
Your new life for all to see.
Below the scrawled text is what looks like a red star in a circle. Normally, seeing a note like that would cause anyone to react. For Karl, though, all he feels is the emptiness from losing his Lisa. Thinking it is just a bad timed prank by a neighbor kid, he balls up the note and throws it in his recycle bin after entering his apartment. He thinks, Nothing can be as bad as what I feel right now. He does not see the puff of smoke as the note disappears.