Rod, again - Chapter 11, Chance encounter

Debbie sighed and surveyed the quiet parking lot. Her eyes drifted to the apartment complex. A nice looking place, she thought to herself. She looked at the main entrance, wondering if Rod was really somewhere beyond it. Recalling Rod’s appearance and odor, she doubted that Cindy was as much a kindred spirit as she had imagined.

Things still didn’t make sense or feel real. It was difficult to imagine obnoxious Rod marrying anyone. Maybe Spencer had type in the wrong name. Or maybe, just maybe, there was another Rod Piston living in Phoenix. Unlikely, but possible, Debbie reasoned.

Thus far, Debbie’s little excursion had gone unnoticed and she knew she should probably leave before that changed. Yet, she remained, staring at that entrance. She imagined herself walking through that door tomorrow. What would she find on the other side? Debbie tentatively opened the car door and stepped outside. After taking a few quick looks around, she walked carefully to the entrance. Just a peek, she thought, to remove some of the mystery.

With a deep breath, Debbie opened the main door to the apartment complex and stepped inside. The door opened onto the side of a hallway which was empty and quiet. The hallway appeared to run for at least twenty yards to her left and went even farther to the right. At the each end, it looked as if the hallway turned. Debbie wondered if the two ends eventually met, forming a giant ring around the apartments. Debbie imagined there must be some sort of inner open space to provide natural light and windows for each unit. Mailboxes were set into the wall directly across from the door. She scanned them until she found Cindy’s. Next to it was Rod’s. After glancing around, she cautiously leaned close to Rod’s mailbox and sniffed it. Nothing unusual.

Above the mailboxes, a set of signs indicated which units were to the left and which were to the right. Debbie began walking quietly to the left, toward Rod’s apartment. She checked apartment numbers as she passed their doors, quickly realizing that Rod lived close to the entrance. As she approached his door, a sense of trepidation overcame her. She had no idea why she was there or what she was hoping to accomplish. Creeping up to the door, she listened intently, hearing only her own, nervous breathing. She tried the sniff test, expecting to pick up some trace of Rod’s pungent aroma. Smelling nothing out of the ordinary, Debbie began to feel a little relief. Maybe this was a different Rod Piston, after all.

Debbie stepped back from the door and turned to leave when she heard the entrance door opening. Fearing it could be Rod or Cindy, Debbie quickly turned away from the entrance and began walking briskly down the hallway. She walked past Rod’s door and Cindy’s door and kept on going, eventually reaching the corner. Debbie couldn’t tell who had come in or if they were following her. She rounded the corner and continued distancing herself from the main door. The hallway she entered was longer than the first and looked like it ended with an exit. Debbie quickened her pace, happy that the hallways did not form one continuous ring. As she neared the exit, she glanced back briefly, relieved to see a long, empty hallway behind her. Debbie slowed her pace and quietly slipped out the exit.

Once outside, Debbie stepped to the side of the doorway and leaned against the building’s adobe siding, taking a deep, relieved breath. A narrow sidewalk ran along the building’s edge. Looking to her left, she could see that the sidewalk opened onto a parking lot, different from the one where she left her car. To the right, the walk continued the length of the building and then seemed to morph from concrete to brick. Debbie recalled her thoughts about an inner open space and reasoned that the brick was part of some sort of courtyard. Curious if she was correct, Debbie started down the sidewalk to take a peek.

The courtyard was big, mostly barren and dimly lit. The brick patterns created obvious walking paths with benches strategically positioned along the way. Debbie looked across the expanse of apartment patio windows, noting that few had curtains. She located the general vicinity of Rod’s window and narrowed it down to one of three. Of the three, two looked into apartments with the lights on, and Debbie could see people moving about. The middle window was dark. Debbie stared at the windows, straining to identify Rod but she was just too far away.

Debbie crept into the courtyard and made her way to a bench near the center. The bench was ideally positioned for observing those windows. She was so focused on the windows that she was almost to the bench before she noticed a man already sitting on it. With a quiet gasp, Debbie stopped short, unsure of her next move. Because she was approaching the bench from behind and to the side, it appeared that he had not noticed her. Debbie observed the man for a moment. He was thin, medium height with dark, shaggy hair. Dressed all in black, he blended into the shadows.

After a moment, the man turned his head just slightly. He kept his eyes focused ahead but that little movement alerted Debbie that he was apparently aware of her presence. Feeling a little foolish, Debbie took a breath and continued walking, past the man and over to the far end of the bench.

“Excuse me,” Debbie whispered. “May I sit here?”

Debbie noticed the man swallow hard as he nodded quickly and wiped sweat from his brow, never making eye contact. His nervous reaction emboldened Debbie and she felt calmer. The man continued to stare ahead, ignoring her. Debbie took the opportunity to steal a sideways glance at the man. Cute, she thought, the moustache was a little creepy, but the rest of him was definitely cute. In the dark, it was difficult to discern the color of his eyes but one thing was certain; he was watching the same windows she was interested in.