WKRP In Cincinnati - I Didn't Mean To

[Miss Lisa]

Johnny lay in a bed, he wasn’t sure whose it was, but it definitely was not his. There was no way that it could be. He sat up and grabbed his throbbing head as he tried to remember how he even got to where he was. “Oh God,” he moaned as he pulled himself out of bed. He could definitely recall going to a party that had been thrown the night before. It was thrown by Andy, although, he couldn’t remember why.

He made his way over to the counter and decided that he must have been in a hotel room by how small the space was. He reached for the phone and put it up to his ear. “Okay, just wondering, thank you,” he said after hearing a voice greet him and ask what he had needed. He hung up the phone and stood there for a minute as he tried to remember what had happened the previous night, or just why he was there.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard a soft moan followed by the rustling of the bed sheets. He quickly turned and saw the blonde hair scattered on the pillow and then looked around and saw both their clothes carelessly thrown out on the floor. “Oh?” he asked himself. “I must have had a better time than I thought.”

He approached the bed and sat down on the edge. The movement caused the girl to roll over onto her back. “Oh boy,” he said getting nervous. The girl that lay next to him was Jennifer.

[Miss Lisa]

2

Johnny stared down at her with surprise. It was unbelievable that he had done what seemed like the impossible with Jennifer. There was also guilt. He knew that she would hate him and that she would be ashamed, but what could he do now?

“Who’s there?” she muttered still half asleep. Jennifer turned over and looked at him. At first it hadn’t seen like she had realized. She simply smiled up at him and then looked around the room. It was the instant her eyes met his that he knew she knew. “Johnny?” she shrieked as she started to sit up, but noticed that the only thing she was wearing were her under garments. Pulling the sheet up to her shoulders, she stared in shock at him. “What happened?!” she asked getting nervous. “What did you do?” she asked examining the room.

“I don’t even know where we are let alone what happened,” he said. He sighed and then looked down. There was a dread that came to him when he lifted his head. He didn’t want to see her face, to look her in the eyes. It would have been one thing is this was some girl that he met and didn’t really care about, but this was Jennifer.

Jennifer sighed and then looked out towards the window. “Could you please leave so that I can get dressed?” she asked.

Johnny, who was still trying to find out where he was, stepped out into a small room off to the side and sat there. He was trying to find out what she was feeling. Her tone had a mixture of anger and impatience, but her eyes showed shame. He knew one thing though, that he had better have a good apology ready for when she walked out of that room.

Johnny stood up and walked over to the window and looked out over the city. Good news, it was still Cincinnati. At least now he knew he was still in the same city. “Well, that cuts out of having to look for signs,” he said.

He found himself starting to get nervous. He had to face her again. Not at the moment, but when she walked out of that door, he would have to do something. He was also concerned about how things were going to be over at work. Whether or not they could work together.

“Johnny?”

He turned around as soon as he heard the voice that was starting to squeak with some kind of nervousness.

“Yes?” he asked. He was now starting to worry. She stood there looking like she was about to cry. Her eyes were wide with concern.

“Are you sure that you don’t remember anything at all from last night?” she asked with her voice getting shaky from worry.

“I’m trying to. Why? Do you?” he asked.

“No, but I found something that may bring back a few memories,” she said.

Johnny looked at her with interest and concern as she slowly pulled her arm out from behind her back. “This,” she said presenting a white piece of paper.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing much,” she said. “Just a marriage license with both of our names signed to it,” she said.

[Miss Lisa]

3

Jennifer and Johnny stood in the elevator as they made their way up to the right floor. They both had an uneasy feeling as they stood in the closed in space. Jennifer was mad at Johnny, but the more she thought about it, she had herself to blame too. In order to get married, there had to be two people present, and she happened to be the other one present. It was obvious that every one there had been drinking, but she hadn’t been herself and had drank a little too much.

To Johnny, this wasn’t a huge surprise. He knew how easily he could get carried away at a party. He was just surprised how carried away that he had got. He had never expected to get married. Especially to Jennifer. He figured that she would have been one to not drink much at all, especially since Herb was there.

“I think we should keep this just between the two of us,” he said.

“It’s nice to see that you’re thinking clearly now,” she said hinting her anger towards him.

Johnny slowly turned his head and lowered his sunglasses to reveal his eyes. “You’re not going to seriously put all this on me are you?” he asked.

Jennifer just sighed. “How can I? It takes two to get married,” she said.

“My first wife said something like that nine months before Laurie showed up,” Johnny said.

Jennifer just rolled her eyes as the doors opened. They both casually stepped off and walked into the main lobby. Jennifer took her seat at her desk and stared down at the empty space. Johnny stood behind her. “You know, you don’t have to be here right now, it’s only five thirty,” he said.

“Oh, that’s right,” she said and then turned towards him. “Then why did you ask me if I needed a ride with you this morning?” she asked.

“If you didn’t notice, neither of us lived in that hotel room,” he said.

“Right,” she answered and then laid her head down on her desk.

Johnny started to walk away, but then paused and turned back. “You know, this doesn’t have to be that big of a deal,” he said getting her to lift her head up and look at him. “I mean, tonight we can go down and get an annulment. And nobody has to find out about it.”

Johnny just studied her for a minute as a look of some sort of uncertainness came a cross her face. It seemed as if she were trying to rush out a lie or fake something. “That is what you want, isn’t it?” he asked.

Jennifer looked up at him as if she had been brought out of deep thought. “Oh, yes, of course,” she said and then quickly turned around and grabbed random papers from her drawer and anxiously stacked them on her desk. “Why would I want it any other way?” she asked.

Johnny just stood there. Something was wrong, there was a lot more to last night than he would ever find out. Suddenly, a smirk came across his face. He took his sunglasses off and clipped them onto his shirt as he walked over to the desk. “You don’t want the annulment, do you?” he asked as he stood over the desk.

“What annulment?”

They each quickly turned and saw Herb standing in the door way. He was nervously looking down at Jennifer. “Well, aren’t you going to answer my question or are you two just going to stare at me?” he anxiously asked.

“Well, you are good for a laugh,” Johnny said.

“Come on!” he said.

Jennifer rolled her eyes as she stood up. “Herb, it’s not me,” she announced with a straight face.

“It’s not?” he asked starting to show some excitement.

“No Herb, it’s my baby sister. She just turned eighteen. And how do you think that those silly kids celebrated?” she asked and then paused as she went and put her arm around him. “Well, they got drunk, now little miss Angela is married and she doesn’t barely even know the boy,” she said and then stopped to see whether or not he was believing the story. “So, don’t you think that they should get an annulment?” she asked turning to face him.

“Yeah, I guess,” he said lustfully staring at her.

“Good, that settles it. Tonight I’ll call her and tell her what she should do,” she said and then went back to her desk and acted like she was working on something important.

Johnny just looked up and watched as Herb left the room. Once alone with Jennifer again, he looked over her shoulder and read the paper in her hands. “Shopping list,” he said out loud.

“Fooled Herb though,” she said and then turned around. “And that’s all that counts.”

“Jennifer,” he said. There was something in his voice that struck her. There was a tone of seriousness and concern that she hadn’t heard before. Of course, they were dealing with a serious situation. She could also see it that he was bracing himself for the worst. “I mean, I’ve got to get on the air in two minutes and you don’t seem like you want to end last night’s little surprise,” he said.

She just stared up at him. There was nothing to say now. He was suspicious and starting to ask the questions that she did not want to hear.

“Now be honest, we don’t have to stay married, do we?” he asked.

“Why would we?” she asked losing his track of thought.

“You’re not uh, you’re not umm,” he started.

“There is no possible way that any one would know that quickly Johnny,” she said.

Johnny stood there for a minute before he had decided to leave the room. Once she was alone, Jennifer turned around and nervously looked towards the door way. There was a desperate fear in her eyes. She then simply closed her eyes and turned back to face her desk.

[Miss Lisa]

4

Jennifer cleaned off her desk as she got ready to leave for home.

“Good night Jennifer!” Andy called out as he walked passed her desk.

Jennifer just looked up and smiled. “Good bye Andy,” she replied.

Andy stepped back as he grabbed his coat. “I think Les needs something before you go,” he announced.

“Oh?” she asked as she looked up at him.

“Yeah, he needs you to settle some kind of argument that he and Bailey are in. Something about stealing his stories,” Andy said.

She just stared at him with a blank expression. “Okay,” she said and then grabbed her purse and headed towards the office. Herb came from the door and stopped before her. “So, Jennifer, what are you doing tonight?” he asked. She smugly smiled in return. “Not you,” she remarked and then continued on her way. Herb turned back and watched her and then looked over at Andy who was smiling. “Was that called for?” he asked.

“What do you think Herb?” he asked.

“It’s not my fault if her mind’s in the gutter,” Herb answered and then walked into Mr. Carlson’s office. Andy just shook his head and left.

“Now Herb! I don’t want to hear it,” Mr. Carlson said as he walked out and closed the door behind him. As he walked out, Jennifer walked out with Bailey and Les. “Now Les, I’m sure that if it was your turn at if wasn’t going on right then, that Bailey would have let you handled the story,” she explained.

“Believe me, I would have,” Bailey said getting annoyed.

“But it’s not everyday day that a pig runs loose in the city roads Bailey! Can you imagine how long it will be until another event like that happens?” he asked.

“Les, I’m sorry, I don’t know how many times I need to tell you that, but I’m sorry, you were busy and it was my turn, so how about tomorrow,” she stopped and thought about what she was saying, “you take all my turns for me.”

“Okay,” Les reluctantly agreed. Bailey rolled her eyes and then said goodbye to Jennifer and left.

“Good bye Mr. Carlson,” she said waving to him as she noticed him by the coat stand. He was staring out the door towards Les and Bailey. “I guess he never will get used to sharing the news will he?” he asked.

“No, I guess he won’t,” Jennifer said.

“Well, see you Jennifer,” he said and then walked out the door.

Herb stayed in Mr. Carlson’s office and stood over by the desk as he was looking for something.

“I think every one else besides Venus has left if you’re ready,” Johnny said. Herb perked his head up as he stared towards the door.

“Well,” she was hesitant. “I guess now is as good a time as ever.”

Herb immediately walked over to the door and stood with his ear against it. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Something wrong?” Johnny asked.

“Well, I don’t know,” she said.

Herb stepped back and cautiously opened a small crack in the door just big enough for him to see through. He could see Jennifer sitting in her that was turned away from the desk as Johnny stood before her. Jennifer looked worried about something. Almost like she was about to cry.

“But this morning you sounded like you wanted this over with as soon as possible,” he said. He was starting to get irritated, but tried to hide it since he didn’t want to upset her. She already looked vulnerable. He knew there was something wrong, he just needed her to tell him.

“I know,” she said as she stood up and walked over towards the opposite side of the room.

Johnny sighed as he looked down. “Okay, let’s try this again,” he said and then looked up “is there something wrong?” he gently asked. Jennifer slowly turned and faced him. She could hear the concern in his voice and it seemed to help her a little.

Herb wanted so badly to rush out there, but he knew that if he did, they would stop talking. That they would simply yell at him to get out.

“There is something wrong,” she said and then looked down. She could feel him watching her as he waited for her answer. “Last week I ran into this weirdo at the store. He asked me out and I turned him down. He was upset, which I expected, but I didn’t know how upset until I realized that he had started stalking me. I wanted to call the police, but I was afraid that he somehow watching me and that he would hurt me if I did,” she said as she nervously stared into the distance. “And then I figured that maybe if I could show him that I was married that he might leave me alone,” she explained.

“There was more to last night then I thought,” he said.

“Actually, I don’t remember last night, but I guess that would make it a lot easier for me to agree to get married. I probably told you the story,” she said.

“We can hold off an the annulment for a while if that’s what you want,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said staring down towards the ground as she tried to hold back tears.

“You want to stay with me tonight?” he asked.

Herb crossed his fingers as he hoped that she would say no. That she would turn him down.

“You promise not to try anything?” she asked.

Johnny thought about that for a minute. “I guess,” he said with defeat.

Jennifer softly smiled. “Thank you,” she said.

Herb cringed. He couldn’t take it anymore. “No! You can’t stay with him! He won’t keep his promise! My wife will be home! I’ll have to behave!” he yelled out.

They both froze as they stared at him. Johnny didn’t mind so much that he knew, but it was killing Jennifer. “What are you doing here?” she asked trying to keep her self from yelling.

“I was just looking for something,” he said.

Jennifer just stood there and stared. She had known that he would have listened if he were there, and she did think that every one had left. She then looked up at him. “Please Herb, don’t tell any one else,” she begged.

“Promise,” he said as he held his hand up.

[Miss Lisa]

5
Jennifer went to go stop at her apartment. She wanted to grab a few of her things before she went to his place, especially since she didn’t know how long that she would be there. Johnny waited out in his car in the parking lot.

Jennifer opened the door and gasped at the sight in front of her. The entire apartment was torn apart. Furniture out of it’s place and knocked over, scattered books and papers and other random objects were all over the place. Too scared to enter, she turned to leave, but something tightly gripped her arm and kept her there. She was about to yell, but he quickly clamped his hand over he mouth and pulled her back. He cringed as she bit down on his hand, but it didn’t work. He simply closed the door with the other hand and forced her over to the couch as she tried her hardest to get out of his grip.

Johnny sat down in the car. He had been waiting for about ten minutes and was starting to wonder what was keeping her. He knew that women take longer to pack, but he also knew that she was only going to grab a few things. She had told him that she was only going to take a few minutes. Well, that few minutes has become a lot longer then he expected form her to be in there. “Come on Jennifer,” he said starting to get impatient.

Jennifer sat in the corner of the couch. All she could do was stare at the man standing before her. There was now tape over her mouth and he held a gun. Her hands were tied behind her back which was starting to become uncomfortable, but now there was a lot more in her mind than comfort. There was nothing that she could do. He was guarding the door and she didn’t have a gun, so the odds of her getting away were slim at this point. She was too terrified to even react anyways. She wanted to get up and make a run for the door, but she kept remembering his tight grip on her arm and how it was still sore. If he was able to do that with one hand, imagine what he could have done if he really wanted to beat her. That was a thought that she wanted to stay away from.

“You know that you’re the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen?” he asked looking down at her. It was apparent to her what he wanted, she just didn’t want to think about that. Suddenly she felt her tightening her legs together as if to try and keep him from using her. “You were also the brightest so far, you know that?” he asked. “You got out of her for the night and you didn’t try to snoop around to see who was here, you just tried to leave. I give you credit for that. I didn’t think any of you dumb blondes could figure anything out.”

Her eyes started to water with fear and frustration. She noticed that he had started to move closer to her. There was no way that she was ever going to be prepared for what she was going to get. “And I can see that you know what I am going to do now. Very good,” he said.

Johnny checked his watch again. Twenty minutes. Now he was just starting to get worried. He knew that she wouldn’t take this long to grab a couple of outfits. He could clearly remember her telling him that she would only take a couple of minutes and be right back. That she was going to hurry up so that she could get this over with as soon as possible. “Okay, let’s go,” he said to himself as he opened up the car door and got out.

Jennifer was in the corner of the couch as he sat in front of her. He was leaning over her with an evil smirk. “You realize that this would have all been so much easier if you would have just given me a chance?” he asked leaning in closer to her. Jennifer tried to back up more, but the arm of the couch was stopping her, so she scooted up and sat on the arm. “Oh, are you trying to get away?” he asked nearly climbing on top of her. She instinctively backed up, but fell to the ground. He looked over and saw her laying down there. “You’re right darling, that is an easier place isn’t it?” he asked.

The man was about to go and join her, but he froze as soon as he heard the door swing open. “Jennifer!” he yelled. The man turned and looked to him as he held his gun out. “Don’t do anything!” he ordered while trying to keep his voice down. Johnny froze as he saw the gun. He then stepped out of the room and hid behind the wall. “You can’t do anything now!” he yelled as loud as he could.

“Like hell I can’t,” he said and then started to walk towards the door.

“Don’t shoot me!” he yelled. People started to open their doors and look out to see what was going on. The man froze. Johnny looked over and smiled. “Now you’ve got an audience,” he announced. The man quickly ran out of the room and down the hall towards the elevator. “Thanks folks,” Johnny said and then walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He then saw Jennifer sitting up behind the couch. He walked over and helped her up and led her around to the front. They both sat down and he untied her hands for her and removed the tape from her mouth.

“Thank you.” was about all she could get out before she broke down. He was a little uncomfortable when ever some one would cry around him, but he knew it was coming. “Are you okay?” he asked. He then mentally kicked himself for even asking that. “Not the right question,” he said.

Jennifer just looked up and then leaned her head on his shoulder. He then put his arms around her as he tried to comfort her. “Did I get here in time or was I too late?” he asked.

“You came in time,” she said with her voice being muffled in his shoulder.

“Okay, now come on, let’s grab your things and leave. Okay?” he gently stated trying to get her to calm down.

Jennifer wiped her face off as she looked up and nodded. “Okay,” she agreed. Johnny stood up and then grabbed her elbow and helped her up then led her to her room.

[Miss Lisa]

6

Johnny swung open the door to his apartment and stood off to the side. Jennifer walked in and looked around the place. She was still shook up over the earlier incident. “I told you it was small on the way here,” he said seeing the look on her face.

“That’s fine,” she said. She did have her dislikes about his apartment, but there was no way that she would complain about being there. This was the place where she was safe and away from that man. Johnny saved her and was allowing her to stay in his apartment. It didn’t even matter what the apartment looked like. All that mattered to her was that she was safe now.

“You just make yourself at home and try to calm down. I’ll be right back with your things,” he said. Jennifer softly smiled at him and then continued to look around after he had left. There was another feeling of paranoia being alone in the room.

“You can sit down if you want.” Jennifer jumped and quickly wheeled around at the sound of his voice. “Hey, I’m sorry,” he said after he saw her trying to catch her breath.

Johnny closed the door behind him and then made it obvious to her that he was locking the door. “Thanks,” she said.

Johnny walked over into the kitchen. “You want anything?” he asked.

“No, I’m fine, thank you,” she said.

Johnny turned and looked at her as she paced. “Well, I believe that you don’t want anything, but I have trouble believing that you’re fine,” he said. Jennifer just sighed. “Come on,” he said as he walked over to her. Johnny sat down on the couch in front of her and motioned for her to join him. As soon as she sat down, he put his arm around her. Every muscle in her body was tense.

“I know that you’re a little tense and I expect that, but you really should try to relax,” he said.

Jennifer looked over at him and raised her eyebrows at him. “I would like to if I could,” she said. She sighed as she looked off to the side. She cringed as she remembered his voice, and that smug little grin. The grin that gave everything away. “I know what a lot of men want from me,” she started. Johnny gave her a look of confusion as he slightly nodded. There could have been a weirder way to start out, but he wasn’t about to say anything while she was still upset. “But most times, they’ll just act like you or Herb. They come on to me in some way that they think is cute or playful, but once I turn them down, that’s it. Herb, as determined as he is has never tied me down.” Tears started forming in her eyes. “But him, I know what he wanted and I know how far he was willing to go to get it.”

Johnny just stared at her. He could see the pain in her eyes as she thought about the man. It was hard for him to see her like this. She was usually happy and cheerful, but not now and it bothered him. “You don’t have to worry about him any more,” he said.

Jennifer looked up at him and acknowledged his effort. “I wish it were that easy,” she remarked. She sat back and sighed.

“Well, it’s going to start getting dark soon,” he said. That was what she was dreading. The night. At ;east she knew that she wasn’t going to have to get through it alone. But she did feel bad since she knew that Johnny had to wake up early to go to work. “And I think I should show you the bedroom,” he said. Johnny got up and walked about a yard over to the side of the room and pointed to the bed placed right in front of the door. “Here it is,” he said.

“Convenient,” she said.

“Now, you can have the bed and I’ll sleep on the couch,” he said pointing to where she was sitting.

Jennifer stood up. “Oh Johnny, I couldn’t take you’re bed from you,” she said.

“Jennifer, I can sleep any where, any place at anytime. The only reason I have a bed is because it came with the apartment,” he said.

“And the bed is right by the door while the couch is off to the side,” she said hating to admit that she was worried about that. Johnny chuckled at her and then nodded. “Alright,” he said.

That night, Jennifer had the hardest time sleeping that she had ever had in her life. Every time she closed her eyes, she kept seeing his face. That smug little look on his face. It was about one in the morning when she awoke from a nightmare.

“No,” she whimpered as she sat up. It took her a minute to realize where she was. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t calm herself down. The entire place was silent and it was starting to make her feel like she was alone. “Johnny?” she lightly called out.

The blankets on the bed stirred and then she heard a soft moan. “Yeah?” he asked barely awake.

“Can I come join you over there?” she asked sounding unsure of herself.

“I don’t see why not. We’ve done it before haven’t we?” asked as he lifted the cover beside him to allow her to lay down. Jennifer slightly smiled and then walked over. “Besides, I can’t deny my wife share of the bed can I?” he asked as she slid in the bed next to him. She thoughtfully stared for a minute and then closed her eyes in attempt to go to sleep.

“Hey Jennifer?” Johnny asked still sounding half asleep.

“Yes?” she asked.

“Tomorrow morning, do you want to come into work with me again? Or would you rather me let you sleep?” he asked. She thought for a second. “I think I’ll come in with you.” She then quickly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Johnny drove Jennifer into work with him. “You know where I am if you need me,” he said and then walked out of the room. The first couple hours alone in the lobby gave her time to think. Johnny had actually referred to her as his wife. She knew that he liked to kid around, but there was something about the way that he had said it. There was a sincerity in his voice when he said it. Of course, you can’t just ignore the fact that he was half asleep. But still, there was something about it.

More people eventually showed up to work. Herb was one of the last people to walk in. He carefully walked in and hung his coat up and then turned and stared over at Jennifer. She knew very well that she was being watched and knew why, but decided not to let on to him. He slowly walked passed her desk and stopped about half way to the door. He was trying to see if she would say anything to him. “Good morning Jennifer,” he said.

“Good morning Herb,” she said trying to act like she was busy. She might have been scared from yesterday, but at work she felt a lot better. There were people surrounding her, it was light out, and besides, she still wanted to play a few head games with Herb. But no matter what, she still had her secrets to keep and had to be careful.

“Anything for me today?” he asked hoping that it would lead to a deeper conversation. The only thing that was on his mind right now was her marriage to Johnny. All he wanted to hear was that they got it annulled.

Jennifer turned and smiled at him. “Actually, there was a call for you. Sherry’s Shoes, a Mr. McGurk wants to meet with you for lunch,” she said handing him a phone number. Herb stepped back towards her and took the paper. “Oh,” he said staring down at it.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“Of course not Mrs. Fever,” he said. She then knew that she went too far. Resisting the urge to yell at him for bringing it up, she just tried to convince herself to be thankful that he chose to mention it when they were alone.

Herb started to walk away, but then turned back to Jennifer. “Why? Why him? What could you possibly ever see in him?” he begged with his voice gradually getting louder with each question.

Jennifer just nervously looked around. Now one had even been curious enough to come out to the lobby to see what he was doing. Then again, they expected him to always go crazy over her and they probably just figured that she had told him that she had a date. Bailey on the other hand, had been making her way to the lobby.

“I told you not to mention the marriage,” Jennifer hissed while trying to keep her voice down.

“What marriage?” Bailey asked as she walked over to Jennifer’s desk.

“Oh, well, if you don’t mind, I would, I would really rather not discuss this here,” Jennifer said getting a little nervous.

“Well, okay,” Bailey said completely understanding. She thought that she would probably just hear it later when Herb wasn’t there and stood there at the desk until Herb got the idea that Jennifer didn’t want him there.

“Okay Bailey, what did you need?” Jennifer asked politely as she turned to face her.

“Well, I need you to send this out today,” she said handing her a letter.

“I’ll get it out as soon as possible,” Jennifer said without even looking at the address on the letter.

Bailey started to walk away, but paused and looked back. “Is there really another man, or are you just trying to get Herb out of your hair?” Bailey asked smugly smiling. Jennifer just turned back and smiled at her. “Something like that,” she said and then turned back around to her desk.

Johnny then walked out into the lobby. He was about to go ask Jennifer if she had wanted to go out to dinner. He had spent a lot of time with her in the last couple of days and decided that maybe it would do her some good to just go out and have fun. Try to get her mind off of that man that had attacked her and maybe let her get a night of decent sleep.

“Hey Johnny?” Bailey asked as he passed her.

“Yeah?” he asked stopping and turning to her.

She smiled sweetly at him. “Have you decided on where we should go tonight?” she asked.

Jennifer slowly lifted her head as her eyes widened. She had forgotten all about those two and was now feeling like the worst friend in the world.

Johnny froze. He had forgotten all about his date with Bailey. With everything going on as it was in his life at the moment, that was the last thing on his mind, and it caused an instant guilt.

[Miss Lisa]

7

Johnny nervously looked over at Jennifer. “I don’t know. What did they say when you called the phone company?” he asked.

Jennifer caught on to his question and turned around with a piece of paper in her hand. “He told me that he would be over to tomorrow to fix it. You’re free tonight,” she stated.

“You sure about that?” he asked as he took the slip and read it.

Take her out tonight, afterwards, we need to talk.

Johnny just looked up and nodded. “Perfect,” he said with enthusiasm and then looked over at Bailey. “How about we go to the movies?” he asked.

“Okay,” Bailey said. She wasn’t too sure of what was going on, but as long as he was going out with her, she didn’t care. At most she figured that there had just been something awkward between the two or something. “See you tonight then,” she said and then left the room.

Johnny leaned down on her desk and questionably stared at her. Jennifer didn’t look up at him. “Yes?” she asked.

“Are you sure about this? I might be out late tonight, and judging by how you were last night, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” he said. Jennifer slowly looked up at him now and shrugged. “How late do you think you’ll be out?” she asked starting to get concerned.

Johnny sighed. He honestly had no idea. “I don’t know, but it won’t be that late. I’ll be home in time for bed,” he said.

“I‘ll be fine,” she said reassuring him, although, it felt more like she was trying to convince herself.

The rest of the day went by as normal as could be. There was no more of her secrets talks with Johnny, Herb kept coming onto her, but never mentioned her situation, and she had to send three salesmen away.

It was after work that things changed. Instead of going home, Johnny and Bailey left together and went out to dinner before they went to go see what ever movie they were going to watch. Jennifer, went right back to his little apartment. It was around six and it was already starting to get dark outside, the time she hated the most. Not wanting to make a lot of noise, she decided to go curl up on the couch and read. Anything to keep from bringing attention to herself.

Johnny sat in a booth across from Bailey at the local diner. It wasn’t fancy or expensive, but it was enough. He was now starting to feel relieved that he was with Bailey here instead of Jennifer. He knew that Bailey was able to enjoy something simple, but he wasn’t so sure about Jennifer.

The first few minutes of their date was almost unbearable. For some reason neither of them wanted to open their mouths and talk. Johnny decided to finally go first. “So, I heard that you may be babysitting your niece,” he said not really knowing what else to say. He was distracted by the thought of leaving Jennifer alone.

“Yes,” she said as her eyes lit up. “Jessie, she’s almost four.”

“How about you bring her into work with you?” Johnny asked. He really didn’t know why he was asking, but he did.

“I might, if she can behave herself for more than ten minutes at a time,” she said.

Jennifer sat by herself, trying her hardest to keep calm, but nothing was really working. “It’s okay,” she would repeat to herself every now and then when she needed to hear it. Granted, she was doing better than she had been the previous night, but there was this uneasy feeling of paranoia that kept washing over her every time that she would hear a little bump or see something out of the corner of her eye that she didn’t think was there.

Johnny sat with Bailey in the theater. Like usual, he didn’t care what they were playing up on the screen, except, this time it was for a different reason all together. He was still a little worried about Jennifer. The more that he thought about it, the more he began to worry himself. He was becoming protective over her. Why not? She had just been attacked by a man. It was enough to take her into to his home, but to agree to stay married? And what about still worrying about her when he knew that she would be okay. Or did he know? How could any one be certain of anything like that? He had no way of knowing what ever happened to that man after he had run off.

Jennifer lay on the couch as she restlessly tried to sleep. The room was completely quiet. As long as it was silent, she was fine, but as soon as she heard noise, it was over, and she was aware of that. Suddenly, the door knob twisted. As soon as she heard the door begin to open, she jumped up. The nearest thing to her was a lamp. She grabbed it and ran over to the door. A man walked in, and without thinking, she swung at him. The whole thing took place in less than a minute.

“Jesus Christ Jennifer!” he yelled and then turned the light on.

“Oh God, Johnny,” she gasped. “I’m sorry.” She rushed over to him. Johnny held his arm which was bleeding. She looked his arm over. “I’m really sorry,” she said.

“It’s okay. At least I know you won’t let anything happen to my house while I’m gone,” he said. Johnny looked down at his arm and then took his coat off revealing the cuts in his arm. “I don’t see any glass in there, do you?” he asked.

“No,” she said and then stepped back and looked around. “I’ll buy you a new lamp and coat tomorrow,” she said.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. There was a sincerity in his voice. She was expecting at least a little bit of irritation, but there was none of that. Not even annoyance. “Besides, I thought that you didn’t lend money to men. Said something about how it makes them weak.” She simply sighed. “But I didn’t go into their home and brake their furniture.” She then just focused her attention onto his arm. “Don’t you think that you should at least go to the hospital?” she asked.

“Why? There’s no glass in there. Couldn’t have cut that deep if I was wearing a coat,” he said completely shrugging the entire incident off. He then stood there for a second. He could see how sorry she really was. It was obvious that the subject needed to be changed. “So, you said that we should talk after I got back from my date with Bailey?”

“Right,” she said and then started to the couch. “Well,” she said as she sat down. Johnny came and joined her. She looked down and thought for a moment and then finally looked up at Johnny. “Do you think we should tell her?” Jennifer asked.

Johnny just blankly stared at her. “Why?” he asked. “I’ve lived my entire life without telling people what I’m doing. I find it keeps you out of trouble,” he said.

Jennifer closed her eyes as she sighed. “What if Herb slips? How do you think she’ll feel then?” she asked.

“There’s a good chance of that happening,” he said looking off to the side.

“And, how long do you think that we can really keep this a secret?” she asked.

“Maybe we should make it so that we don’t have any secrets,” he said. “I mean, more secrets are the last things that I need,” he said.

Jennifer just watched him as she tried to figure out where he was going with this. He saw the look of confusion. “What I’m saying is,” he stopped and hesitated for a minute and then turned to face her. It was going to be harder then he thought. “Maybe we should get the annulment and then you can just stay here until we know that you’re safe from that guy and then get you back into your place. That way no one has to know about us at the hotel or anything, just that you needed a place,” he said. For some reason, he hated the thought of her leaving. He didn’t want her to go back to her apartment. He was enjoying her there with him. If only it were under better circumstances. The only thing he hated about the situation was that she was in danger.

Jennifer suddenly felt more like a nuisance then a guest. For some reason, the thought of him wanting to get back to their normal lives as quickly as possible hurt her, but there was no way that she was about to let him know. This was not the time to be falling for anyone. Then again, who wouldn’t have a small crush in her position? He just came in and saved her life and then took her into his home. Why wouldn’t she feel close to him. “I don’t feel right living with an unmarried man,” she said trying to cover up what she was really thinking.

“How could it be any different from now? We both know that we’re splitting up. I don’t see the big difference,” he said.

“Alright, let’s go tomorrow then,” she said just trying to go along with him. There was a certain bitterness to her voice that instantly stung him.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said.

Jennifer forced a small smile at him. “I know, you just want everything back to normal, and I don’t blame you,” she said.

“Don’t you?” he asked.

Jennifer nodded, but it was somewhat an act. “You didn’t think that I like the idea of a man stalking me did you?” she asked.

“Never did,” he said. Johnny stood up walked over to the bed. “You going solo tonight or do you still want to share?” he asked as he held up the sheet.

“Can we?” she asked.

“Sure, hop in,” he said.

“Aren’t you going to change?” she asked.

“It didn’t bother you last night when I didn’t,” he said. “Besides, it saves money that way.”

“Oh,” she said and then climbed into bed. It was strange, but for some reason, she really didn’t care at all. All she cared about was having him there by her through out the night. It seemed to her that he some how always had a way of getting out of trouble. After all, he was the one who had gotten her nude pictures back for her. Also, she would have never thought to provoke the man who was stalking her and then lead him out. She panicked, but it seemed to come naturally to him. Whether or not that was a good thing, she didn’t want to know.

[Miss Lisa]

Johnny awoke the next morning and looked down at Jennifer. It was Saturday, he didn’t have to go into work, and neither did Jennifer. He wanted her to sleep, so he just stayed there for a little while. It’s not like he had anything better to do anyways. Her hair carelessly fell over her face. He gently reached over and brushed it back revealing a tear starting to fall from her eye. Without thinking, he took his thumb and wiped it away. Her eyes fluttered open and she awoke with a small gasp. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said.

Jennifer sat up and looked around. “I should be thanking you for doing so,” she said. There was a silence as she examined the place. “You’re safe.” He was trying to figure out what was going through her head as she looked down and rested her head in her hands.

“Maybe you would like to do something today,” he suggested as he sat up. Jennifer just sat up and looked over at him. She really wasn’t in the mood to go out, but she knew it would be a good idea for her to go out and do something. Feel like normal again. “Okay, what do you want to do?” she asked.

“I was about to ask you the same thing. I wasn’t sure about the kind of things that you like to do,” he said.

Jennifer smiled up at him. “You mean to tell me that you want me to decide everything that we are going to do today?” she asked with a small hint of disbelief.

“I know I’ll pay for it, but yes, I guess that’s what I mean to say,” he said.

“Oh, it won’t be that bad, trust me,” she said.

“Right,” he muttered.

“Johnny?” she asked as she turned to him.

“What?” he asked.

“Do you have a suit, or anything dressy?” she asked.

“I might,” he said. Jennifer played with part of the sheet that she held onto and then looked up. “Well, I would like to do some shopping by myself if you don’t mind,” she said.

“Go ahead,” he said. Johnny was about to ask, but decided to just wait. He was sure that he didn’t want to know anyways. Once Jennifer was ready he let her use his car. After she was gone he sat there and wondered about what she was up to as he sipped at his coffee. He knew that he probably did have something nice, he just didn’t know what it was.

She returned back to his apartment a little bit before dinner time. He was already ready and waiting for her in his suit. He was beginning to fear more and more what she was getting ready to do. He was no good at the things that she does. The fancy dinners, the parties, any type of sophisticated social event. The only reason that he was willing to do this in the first place was so that she could enjoy herself.

“Hello,” she said as she walked in. Jennifer stepped over to the bed and set her bags down and then looked up over at Johnny who was standing off to the side. “Johnny,” she said with an ever so pleased smile on her face. She was surprised to see him dressed up for her. “So?” he asked. “Thank you,” she said “Now you’re ready for tonight.”

“What do you have in the bags?” he asked.

Jennifer looked down at them and then grabbed them to carry them into the bathroom with her. “You’ll see,” she said.

“Will any of it be used to thank me tonight?” he asked. Jennifer just smirked at him, there was no response to that. She was grateful, and she felt about as close as any one could possibly feel with another, but she didn’t know how far she should let that go.

Johnny then just waited for her to get out of the bathroom. Then again, the longer she was in there, the longer he could go without having to do what ever she was planning on pulling him through. Jennifer finally walked out wearing a soft pink gown that perfectly fit her. Her hair was neatly fixed into a bun. The split up the side of her leg showed her matching high heels. “What do you think?” she asked.

“Perfect,” he said. She thanked him and then grabbed her purse and shawl and led him out to the car. Since he had no idea where they were going, she drove. Once they finally arrived, he got nervous.

“Jennifer,” he growled.

She simply sighed and looked down. “I guess if you don’t want to,” she said. Johnny looked over at her. “I never said that I wasn’t going to take you,” he replied.

Johnny got out and walked around to the other side and open the door for her. They walked in through the entrance together. On the inside was a large room, it was fancy like some kind of exclusive club. He wanted to turn around and go back home, but he knew that she wanted to do this. That was the only thing that kept him there. Most of the place were tables and chairs, like a restaurant, and there was a small area for dancing.

“Before we get dinner, would you like to dance?” she asked slyly eyeing him out of the corner of her eye.

“I guess I can’t do too much damage,” he said and then lead her out onto the floor. The small group up front was playing a slow waltz. He didn’t know much about dancing, but he knew enough to get her through the song. She stood before him and he put his arm around her waist and then grabbed her hand.

At first, the two stood a small distance from each other. It was some what awkward. Jennifer just stared off towards the side with a thoughtful smile widening across her face. She then looked up and saw Johnny questionably raising his eyebrows to her. They then slowly softened in expression. He stared down into her eyes which were no gazing up at him. Her smile went to a look of longing. With out even realizing it, the two pulled each other closer together. She leaned her head on his chest and closed her eyes. He let go of her hand and wrapped his other arm around her to embrace her. She herself did the same with him as they slowly danced.

“This place over looks the river, right?” he quietly asked.

“Yes,” she said opening her eyes.

“Then why don’t you come with me?” he asked. Jennifer lifted her head and then slowly backed up and looked up at him. “Okay,” she agreed.

Johnny took her and lead her outside and around to the back of the building. Not too far back was a rock covered hill that lead down to the river.

“Johnny? Are you sure about this?” Jennifer asked as she tried to make her way down the hill. “It’s not that bad,” he said. Johnny was holding onto her hand as he guided her down. She took a wrong step and slid. Instinctively, he caught her. “Told you I shouldn’t do this,” she said as she stood the support of his arms.

“Just try to be more careful the rest of the way down. Okay?” he asked. She nodded and then stood on her own. To her own surprise, she made it down the rest of the way just fine. Once they were at the bottom right near the river, Johnny took a seat on one of the rocks and then motioned for her to join him. As she sat down she noticed how the setting sun made his eyes seem to glimmer a bit. The eyes that were usually hidden behind those glasses of his. Johnny now started to wish that he would have had Jennifer sit on the other side. When she turned to face him, her face was in shadow.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“I think it’s beautiful,” she replied as she looked out on the river.

“I bet you’ve never done anything like this,” he said as he began to softly laugh. Jennifer turned to him and raised her eyebrows. She was about to say something in protest, but then just shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”

“Just to be fair, I couldn’t see you coming down here every weekend either,” she said.

“Oh I used to,” he said and then smiled at her, “the sunset was great to watch after a few joints.” Jennifer just rolled her eyes.

There was a silence as they both turned and looked out over the water that was now orange from the reflection of the sun.

“Where do you think he is?” she asked still staring at the water. Johnny turned and glanced at her trying to figure out why she was thinking about that now.

“Something happen?” he asked.

“No. I just,” she started and then turned to him. “I just wonder sometimes. I mean, he obviously is not right in the head.”

Johnny sighed and sympathetically turned to her. “Look, I know that he scared you, and I know that it would be wrong if you weren’t a little more paranoid now, but don’t let one man ruin your life.”

“Do you know how hard it is to let something like that go?” she asked. Jennifer sighed and turned her head forward as her eyes began to water. “I don’t even know the man and then I find him in my apartment with rope and a gun. Along with that I’m married and going behind my friend’s back all so that I can get through the night without having to call the police every five minutes. Now at work I have to put on some kind of act and hope that they all buy it.” Tears had now started streaming down her cheeks.

Johnny looked over at her. “You’ve still got me,” he said. Jennifer looked at him and wiped her face. She tried to speak, but nothing came out and she simply hugged him. He stroked her hair as they embraced. Jennifer then slightly pulled away and looked up into his eyes. He met her stare and slowly leaned down to her as she reached up. Their lips finally met and they sat there kissing.

[Miss Lisa]

9

Jennifer lay in bed next to Johnny. Neither of them could believe it, but they had done it again. This time, Jennifer had this feeling of guilt that she couldn’t seem to ignore. “I can’t believe what just happened,” she said to herself and then looked over at Johnny. “Neither can I,” he said smiling just about as wide as any one could ever smile.

Johnny turned and propped himself up on his elbow. He then quickly noticed the expression of sorrow on her face. “What? That was a compliment,” he said.

Jennifer glared at him and then sighed as she stared up at the ceiling. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t think that we would do that again, especially sober.”

“Well, we did have a couple glasses of wine with dinner,” he said. Jennifer just sighed. “I don’t think that’s the same thing,” she said starting to sound stressed as she sat up. Johnny sat up and curiously looked over at her.

“You know, we are married, and we are adults here,” he said.

“You don’t understand,” she said as she rested her face in her hands. Johnny just sat back and watched her. He was beginning to wonder what was really going through her head. If she was ashamed to be with him or something.

Jennifer finally looked up at him. She was starting to wonder what she was even doing any more. “This isn’t supposed to happen,” she said and then got up and went over to the counter where she started making coffee.

“You mean to tell me that you plan every little thing out a week in advance?” he asked. That stopped her. He could see her eyes as she slowly lifted her head up. “That’s not it,” she said and then went back to what she was doing.

“Then what is it?” he asked growing impatient.

“I wasn’t supposed to get close to you,” she said.

“What do mean by that?” he asked.

Jennifer almost cringed. She could hear the insult in his voice. “What I mean is that, you have a girlfriend and I have a boyfriend. And looked at the situation!” she said as she walked over to him. She was gradually getting more and more excited. “We got married while we were drunk! That alone is bad to work off of! I’m staying here because I’m afraid to go back to my apartment!”

Johnny then just looked straight forward. What was he going to say to that. It was true. He simply looked to her with patient eyes. He wanted to know what she was going to say next.

She tried to actually gather her thoughts before she spoke again. She leaned herself on the counter as she looked down at the pot of coffee and then decided to pour herself a cup. She picked up the cup and stared down into it before she even considered taking a drink. Once she finally did, she sat the cup back down and ran her finger over the rim as she stared up at Johnny.

He sat there staring back at her. It seemed almost like time had just stopped right then and there. “You want to be some where else?” he asked.

It was weird, that was the complete opposite of her feelings. She was irritated, but mainly because she was confused. She had never seen herself liking some one like Johnny. The deeper reason, she didn’t know why she liked Johnny. What if it was only because he had saved her and only because he saved her.

“Johnny,” she said. “Look at this.”

“I see,” he responded raising his eyebrows.

“Look at the situation. How do you honestly see me right now?” she asked.

Johnny carefully looked her over. “Scared,” he started. “And nervous. Maybe a bit paranoid. Some what vulnerable.” He looked up in realization. “Oh God, you’re trying to make me feel guilty about all of this aren’t you?”

“Johnny, I think you just feel protective over me right now. That’s all,” she said. She was right. He had seen her in danger.

“And why do you suppose I was over protective in the first place?” he asked. Jennifer just stared at him.