Struggle For Control

Karen and Steven left Alex’s home, which left the
couple alone together. Alex didn’t want
to just blurt out what she was feeling, there had to be a more subtle way to go
about it.

“I should get Julia up to bed,” Alex said, her heart
began to beat a little faster.

Very carefully, Mort picked up Julia and handed her
to Alex. “I’ll bring him up,” he
said, motioning to the bear. The two
went upstairs to Julia’s bedroom and Alex began to take off the frilly pink
dress Julia had been put in for the day.
Mort placed the bear next to Julia’s crib, then leaned against the
doorway. “Won’t you wake her?”

Alex smiled.
“She’s down for the night – she had herself a very busy day.”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> She changed Julia’s diaper and dressed her
in her pajamas. Before she placed her
daughter in her crib for the night, Mort walked over and placed a gentle kiss
on the top of Julia’s head. Now?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Is now the right time to just…say it?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Alex repeated the action and put her
daughter in her crib. She covered her, then
turned to Mort. “I need to talk to
you.” She took Mort’s hand and led him
out of Julia’s room. Alex took Mort to
her bedroom and began to pace, nervously.

“Is everything all right?” Mort asked.

“I hope so,” Alex answered, her voice soft.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Could you stay? For the night, I mean?”

Her request being nothing new, Mort smiled.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Sure.”
He walked to her, putting his hands on her shoulders.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Are you going to tell me what’s on your
mind?”

She looked into the russet eyes before her.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Those eyes… Her hands found their way into his hair and she kissed him, her
heart now racing. She couldn’t let go
of his lips, but did, eventually, force herself away. Her voice no more than a faint whisper, she said, “I love
you.” So much for not blurting…

Did you hear that?

Of course I heard that.

You’re being quiet. Say something before she thinks she made a mistake.

“I love you, too.”
Mort’s voice was equally soft.
“You and Julia are very important to me.”

Alex smiled, tears shining in her eyes.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “You scared?”

Trying to lighten the mood, Mort smiled and said,
“Shitless.”

Alex laughed, then hugged him.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Me too.”
She felt so incredibly safe and comfortable in his arms that she didn’t
want to move from where she was. Her
head resting on his shoulder, she said, “I’m going to jump in the shower, make
yourself at home.” She kissed him one
final time, then went into the adjoined bathroom.

Mort walked to the bed and sat down.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He took off his shoes and focused on what
had just happened. She loves
me. She loves me and he’s gone and…I
have a life again.

Feels good, doesn’t it?

“Feels wonderful,” he said to himself.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Mort looked around the room.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He’d been in it many times before, but now
it looked…different to him. The room was
painted a soft grey, which was strangely comforting to him.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He chuckled a bit, taking in how, unlike in
his bedroom, everything matched. The
furniture was made of light birch wood and all of the hardware was silver.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> The comforter was a rich blue and quite
possibly the softest material Mort had ever felt. He looked at the far wall of the room and realized that even
Alex’s stereo matched the décor – it was blue and silver in color.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Actually, music doesn’t sound like such a
bad i” The remote control was on
the nightstand closest to him and he picked it up.

He turned the stereo on and hit the button labeled
“CD.” Within a few seconds, a strangely
soothing beat had begun to bathe the room.
“Surround sound and everything,” he laughed. He reclined on the bed and listened, letting his mind drift to
thoughts of what could transpire in his life.
A few songs played before he heard the water in the bathroom stop.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He heard the hairdryer and smiled.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I love her.

Alex emerged from the bathroom a few minutes
later. “Bored?” she asked.

Mort sat up, “Not at all. Feel better?”

“Yeah…would you believe I had icing in my hair?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I wonder how that happened?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Oh, I remember, somebody thought it would be
funny to let Julia stick her hands in the cake.”

Mort looked around innocently.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Who would have done something like that?”

Alex sat on the edge of her bed, clad only in her
robe. “Well, there was this guy that I
invited to the party. Kinda quiet,
sweet smile, this crazy hair that I can never seem to keep my hands way
from…Anyway, he got this loopy idea to take her hands and…”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Mort was looking at her a bit
differently. “What?” she laughed.

“You.”

“Me?”

Mort nodded.
“You’re incredible.” Alex
blushed and moved closer to him. Mort
pushed her hair way from her face and looked into her eyes.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He wanted to say something – something that
would sum up everything she’d done for his life – but the author was without
his words. As if on cue, a new song
began to flow from the speakers.

style='mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>To the soul's desires

The body listens

What the flesh requires

Keeps the heart imprisoned

What the spirit seeks

The mind will follow

When the body speaks

All else is hollow

I'm just an angel

Driving blindly

Through this world

I'm just a slave here

At the mercy

Of a girl

Mort’s lips met Alex’s and the kiss, while familiar,
felt new, almost electric.

I think you know now…

***

Author’s Note:style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I totally don’t own the song that’s
“playing.” It’s called “When the Body
Speaks” and it is on the Depeche Mode album, “Exciter.”