Clearing the Flat

Toni had the SUV loaded with boxes to be packed, Kyle took them upstairs for her and deposited them in Michael’s living room. She’d come to clear out his personal possessions. He’d told her what he wanted from the flat and the rest could go to the new tenant. She’d been surprised that he had leased it instead of selling it.

"Thanks, Kyle I can take it from here and I’ll call you when I get ready to leave."

"You sure now you don’t want me to stay and help?"

She grinned, "No, go along now…see if she’s home yet."

Kyle grinned and set the lock on the door before he left.

She’d been in the bedroom packing up the clothing he’d left in drawers and things from his bedside table when she thought she heard something and walked to the door of the room cautiously peeking out.

Richie had his set of keys now and since he was in Coffs he thought he’d go by and have a look at the flat he’d leased from Michael. He unlocked the door and saw the pile of boxes in the middle of the living room floor, shifted a few out of his way and stopped cold.

"Toni…what are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, you scared the life out of me. I’ve come to pack up Dad’s things. How did you get in here I thought Kyle locked the door?"

"Oh, um I have a key. I leased the flat from Michael."

She was quiet for a moment, "I thought you just bought a house?"

"I did this is um. Well I thought it might come in handy if I’ve got a client that needs a place for awhile."

"That’s what they make hotels for, this is an expensive flat what with the view and all."

"I know but I can swing it, I thought it might help out Michael."

"It would have helped him more to have sold it, why not buy it, Richie?"

"I’d have to get a mortgage and I’ve already got one, not sure I’d qualify for a second." He moved across the room to the dining area. "That’s a lot of boxes I thought he was going to leave the furniture and bedding."

"He is but I had no way of knowing exactly what was here. So what is it you want to remain?"

"Kitchen stuff, um linens you know whatever you’d need to…you know."

"Set up housekeeping?"

"Yeah, if I wanted to come and stay a night kind of stuff."

Toni tilted her head and bit her lip, "Is that what you plan to do?"

"I might." He looked through a pile of books she’d stacked on the table.

"Fine…do you want me to leave the guest room as is or won’t you be needing it?"

"Um, guest room I don’t care leave it."

"Okay. She started back into the bedroom and stopped and turned, "by the way I’ve had visits, plural, from your girlfriends I wish you’d get them sorted out so they will stop coming to me with their problems."

"What? Who’s been out to see you?"

"Nonnie and then Libby." She smiled a little smile, "Should I expect more, are there others yet to come?"

"Nonnie had this strange feeling that you weren’t going to be faithful to her, I think she knew it was coming that you’d be out screwing around on her and lo and behold who shows up next but the very one she was worried about, extolling your virtues. I really don’t need this, Richie."

"Well I’m sorry Toni that you had to put up with it."

"Actually I don’t mind Nonnie, I kind of like the girl but I do feel her pain." She turned and went into the room pulling things from the closet with renewed energy.

Richie followed her, "It won’t happen again."

"Damn right it won’t, I don’t expect Libby Tyler will be back." She grabbed an armload of coats, "I bet he never wore half of these." She dumped them on the bed.

"What happened with Libby?"

"You’ll have to ask her."

"Did she upset you?"

"Yes she did. She’s besotted with you and just blanks out all of the obvious. I hope you don’t hurt her too badly, she is one of my own kind."

"Toni," he flopped on the bed beside the clothes, leaning his elbows on his knees. "I’m making a total fuck up of my life. I don’t know what to do…"

"You’re asking me? Oh…well for starters quit screwing around. I kind of got the impression you and Nonnie had a good thing going so what are you doing screwing Libby?

"I don’t know, there’s just something there I can’t let go of."

"So let Nonnie go why do you have to have two, maybe you just like it that way. Go visit one on Monday and another on Tuesday…"

"Something like that.."

"Oh Richie I was being facetious," she laughed.

"So was I. I think Nonnie and I have something special and I don’t want to do anything to screw that up."

"I wish you luck," she dumped shoes on the bed. "I do Richie I’d like to see you happy with someone."

"Problem is I’m happy with both and I know how you feel about that but I thought if I had this flat that…"

"What…you’d have a place to take your women? Richie that’s disgusting. Did you say any of this to Dad because I’m sure he wouldn’t have let you have it."

"No, I didn’t put it to him like that, jeeze, Toni."

"I am so glad I don’t have to deal with you anymore, I swear I would have killed you by now. Get out of here."

"Hey, it’s my flat he’s already got the first month’s rent."

"Richie, I don’t care if you screw half of Australia anymore. I just don’t want to hear about it. I don’t want your girlfriends coming to my house, I don’t want you sitting in here in my father’s bedroom telling me this shit. So get out…" She was so angry she was shaking.

He didn’t move, "You know there was a time when we loved each other, could talk without fighting. You’re about the only one I can talk to that understands me."

"No I’m not, not anymore." She ran a hand over her face. "I don’t owe you anything…time of day…a minute of my valuable time. I’ve left my baby to come over here and do this for Dad because I wanted to do this for him. I didn’t expect to find you here. Yeah there was a time when things were different between us but you killed that with your lies. So there’s nothing we have to talk about anymore and if you think for a minute I’m interested in your girls, your relationships, you’re insane."

"Fine," he got up off the bed. "You’ve turned into one cold bitch."

She threw a shoe at him, "Only where you’re concerned. You made me that way. I’m going to ask you to leave one more time and then I’m calling Kyle to come and remove your ass from this flat until I’m finished with it. And then I don’t care how many girls you fuck in this bed."

"I think you do or you wouldn’t be so angry with me."

"No…no I don’t." she quieted down. "The hurt is still there, not just the girls you had there was more to it than that."

"Yeah there was Travis…"

"Not until I left…"

"I’ve never believed that, you spent too much time on the phone with him. All of a sudden one day you get on a plane with him and we’re done…just like that."

"You should have seen it coming if you’d been paying attention to me at all you would have known something was terribly wrong in our house. I lost faith in you when I knew I couldn’t even trust you to tell me about the vasectomy. I don’t even want to go back there and think about this. Our year is almost up and then we’re done with each other completely."

"I’ve got the papers on my desk waiting for the day, already got it scheduled in family court. I don’t want to hold you and Travis up; I guess you’re going to marry right?"

"Yes, we are."

"Hey, I’m sorry I called you a cold bitch, I know better. I was just hurling some shit back."

Toni grinned a little and he came over to her and hugged her. "I’m sorry about a lot of things."

"You should be," she stepped back from him. "Do you need some shoes? He’s got shoes in boxes he’s never worn, I think Dad was a shopaholic I’ve never seen so many clothes with tags still hanging on the sleeves…"

"No," he ran his hands down her arms and held her hands for a minute. "I’m going…it’s not like I’m in a hurry for the place ya know?"

"I’ll be done in here today. Tomorrow Jimmy and Ian will come for the boxes and then it’s yours." She frowned a little, "Think about what you’re doing here…think about it."

He met her eyes for a moment and nodded his head slightly.