Nocturnal Obsession

One month later, Teresa closed and locked her ground-floor studio apartment door, then turned to head over to her friend’s one-bedroom apartment a few buildings away. Her eyes scanned the grounds as she walked through the scorching heat. It was a beautiful complex. A little noisy, but lovely nonetheless. The grounds consisted of a cluster of buildings, perhaps twenty in all. Some were studios, some were one-bedrooms, and others were two-bedrooms. There was a pool and a laundry room on either side of the rectangular property. Her building was in the center of the complex. She could see her friend Sasha sitting on her second-floor porch as she approached their building. Sasha had been her best friend back in Maine. They’d gone to school together and were the same age—twenty-four. Sasha, who had been openly lesbian for quite some time now, insisted that Teresa was a lesbian as well. “It takes one to know one, and I know you’re just as lesbian as I am,” Sasha had told her a few years back. “I know you’ve just been dying to experiment with a woman.” But not just any woman. She promised herself she’d be selective. Teresa was naturally a picky one anyway. If she weren’t, she wouldn’t have left Wayne. “Well, hello there,” Sasha called out as soon as Teresa reached the start of the stairs. “Come on up. The door’s open.” Teresa ascended the stairs and opened the main door to the apartment. Then she crossed through the living room and stepped through the sliding glass door to where Sasha sat. “How can you stand the heat out here?” she asked her friend as she sat down in one of the plastic chairs. “You get used to it. Remember, I’ve been here a couple of years longer than you have.” “That’s true.” “Have some lemonade.” “Sure, thanks,” said Teresa as she poured herself a glass from the pitcher on the plastic table. “Where’s your other half?” “Kate’s doing laundry. You enjoying the single life?” Teresa sipped from her glass. “I am if being single means not being with people like Wayne.” Teresa studied her friend. She looked the part. Just like your classic lesbian, with the short hair and the way she carried herself. It wasn’t just that—it was her features. They were quite masculine. Even if she grew her hair out, wore dresses, high heels, and makeup, she’d still look like a lesbian. She was definitely as far from feminine as you could get. Her girlfriend, on the other hand, looked more like Teresa. You’d never know just by looking at her that she was a lesbian. They had asked her what she’d prefer if she were to go with a woman, and when Teresa thought about it, she decided she’d like the in-between. Someone who wasn’t quite as short and as feminine as she was, but who wasn’t as masculine as Sasha. Kate thought she might have a hard time attracting a woman because of her height, or lack of it, was more appropriate. She’d often heard it said that while men liked short women, women usually preferred them taller. At just four feet ten inches, not even a good pair of heels could hide her shortness. “How’s the creep been lately?” asked Sasha. She was referring to the guy who’d recently moved in next to her. “As creepy as usual,” Teresa thought, with a chill as she remembered the way he’d stare her down whenever they’d bump into each other, which seemed to be quite often. Conveniently, he seemed to be coming and going at the same time she was, undressing her with his beady little eyes. “Think it’s anything to be concerned about?” “I hope not. I just wish he’d quit finding excuses to knock on my door. Yesterday, it was because he could’ve sworn he heard me crying. The day before, it was to see if I wanted an old chair he didn’t want but hated to see go to waste. The day before that, it was to see if any delivery people had attempted to deliver him these so-called packages while he was at this auto school he says he goes to.” “Did you call the office and let them know what’s going on?” Teresa shook her head. “No. I don’t want to make waves around here.” “Sometimes you gotta make waves to get what’s right, though, and his creeping you out like this isn’t right.” “No, it’s not, but I think I can handle it. I mean, he hasn’t threatened me or harmed me in any way. He’s just annoying the hell out of me.” “Let’s just hope he doesn’t do anything more than he already has,” said Sasha. “Speaking of the office, I'd better get over there before they close because I got a package today.” “What for?” “It’s probably from my folks.” After a few more minutes, Teresa headed out. “Tell Kate I’ll catch her next time.” “I’ll tell her you stopped by.” Teresa once again trudged through the desert heat toward the office. It was by one of the four entrances to the grounds. She glanced at the small now-empty guard station where Dennis would be in just a few hours. Dennis was a graying man in his forties who worked during the week. Kevin, a younger guy, worked on weekends. She hadn’t spoken much with either of them but saw them around often enough when they were on duty. Late at night, she could hear their walkie-talkies as they passed by her window. They didn’t come on duty till the early evening. On weekends, things didn’t really quiet down till around midnight, but on weekdays, most people had gone indoors and the grounds were pretty deserted by 10 PM. She headed into the office, relieved by the blast of cool air. “Hi, Teresa. And how are things going?” asked Rachel, one of the young girls who worked in the office. “Okay.” “That’s good to hear.” She stood up and went into an adjoining room. A moment later, she returned with a package. “This is for you.” “Thanks,” said Teresa as she turned to leave. Suddenly, she turned back to face Rachel. Rachel had always seemed pleasant enough. “Rachel?” “Yes?” “You know the guy who just moved in next to me?” “Mark?” Teresa nodded. “What about him?” “Well, he kind of creeps me out. He’s always pestering me, you know? Finding excuses to knock on my door, always looking at me in ways that make me very uncomfortable, even a bit nervous.” “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. He seemed nice enough when we first met. Let me know if he keeps bothering you and we’ll talk to him. Meanwhile, just ignore him when he comes knocking, and don’t hesitate to call the police if he gets out of line or does anything that scares you.” “Okay,” said Teresa before she turned and headed back toward her studio. She glanced at her watch. Mark wouldn’t be in for another fifteen minutes or so. She locked herself in and opened her package. It was a small lamp from her mom. Teresa had come out to Phoenix with nothing but her clothes and personal effects. She had purchased a cheap cardboard table and a few plastic chairs to serve as her kitchen set, but she still lacked a couch and even a bed. For now, she slept on a foam mattress pad. An upside-down box served as her nightstand. A few hours later, she heard the key go into Mark’s door, which was just inches from her own. A moment later, she heard it slam shut, shaking the entire building. Why must he do that? wondered Teresa with irritation. Those in the other six studios in this place must’ve felt that for damn sure. The following evening, at around 8:30, Teresa decided to do a load of laundry. She knew that meant dealing with Mark, but she had wanted to wait till it cooled down. Dressed in denim shorts and a bright pink tank top, she opted to go to the laundry room on the south side and headed out. Sure enough, Mark sat on his porch looking as washed-up as usual, with his scraggly hair, rumpled, stained clothes, and unshaven face. “Hi, Teresa.” “Hello,” Teresa politely replied, briskly walking away. She passed an older couple walking their poodle along the way, then a young woman with a toddler. Pleased to find an empty machine, Teresa dumped her clothes in, slipped the proper coins in the slots, and started the machine. Setting her laundry basket on the lid of the washer, she turned and headed back out into the heat. She didn’t notice the woman heading her way at first because her head was slightly lowered. When she glanced up, she saw her when she was just a few yards away. Teresa’s breath caught. It was a security guard, but it certainly wasn’t Dennis or Kevin. No, this guard was very much of the feminine gender, and if ever there was a woman she was instantly attracted to, it was this one. She couldn’t tear her gaze from her as they grew even closer, now just a few feet apart. She was that happy medium she’d always found most attractive in a woman. She wasn’t overly feminine, nor masculine, though she was a bit closer to masculine. At least her boyish figure was, though her beautiful face remained. She was nearly six feet tall, slender, with semi-long straight dark brown hair that shone in the sunlight. Her dark eyes sparkled, her long-legged stride confident. She was barely a foot away now. The guard smiled brightly. S. Garrett read her name tag. “Hi,” she said. “Hi,” Teresa replied in the instant the two passed each other. A second later, Teresa glanced behind her. The guard glanced behind her as well, smiled again, and continued forward. Wait till Sasha and Kate hear about this one, Teresa thought, quickening her pace and heading for their place.