Rod again, Chapter 18, Office time

Debbie leaned forward on the metal folding chair and cupped her hands over her knees. There were nicer chairs in the office but Lloyd had directed her that one, apparently intent upon keeping her uncomfortable. He needn’t have worried about that, Debbie was tired, hungry, scared, embarrassed and a host of other things far from comfortable. She stared at the floor, rocking slowly, waiting.

Debbie found Lloyd to be a repulsive creature. He smelled of old cigarettes and overly ripe bananas. This was especially evident when he leaned close to gleefully inform her that Rod and Cindy were on their way. He seemed to enjoy taunting her and kept at it until she began sobbing. Satisfied that he’d shown her who was in charge, he sat down behind the desk and began eating a mostly brown banana. Debbie stifled her sobbing, angry that she’d allowed Lloyd to get to her. She tried her best to block out the sickening smacking sounds he was making as he slurped up the mushy fruit. Lloyd, noticing that Debbie had ceased crying, began wondering aloud what sorts of criminals she might meet when he took her to the police station. Debbie glanced at the door, wondering if the security guards were still in the hallway.

Lloyd finished the banana and dropped its brown peel in the waste basket next to the desk. He then proceeded to wipe his hands on the front of his sleeveless T-shirt, adding new stains to the ample collection already littering his chest and pot belly. The shirt was a couple of sizes too small and had been white at one time. Lloyd’s terrycloth green shorts were on the small size as well, giving them a tendency to ride up his chubby thighs. Lloyd finished the look in classic style with calf-length black socks and open-toed sandals. He looked over at Debbie, trying to think of another taunt to throw her way. Before he could come up with one, he was distracted by voices in the hallway.

Debbie heard them as well. The voices were muffled but she still recognized Rod and Cindy. Her stomach tightened as the door slowly opened. The wait was finally over. Rod stepped into the office, followed closely by Cindy.  They both stopped short just inside the door.

“Debbie?” Rod and Cindy said together, staring in disbelief.

Debbie peered up at them. “Hi.” she said with a tight smile, lifting the fingers on her left hand in a tiny wave. She returned her gaze to the floor.

Cindy looked at Lloyd. “This is some sort of mistake. This woman is my friend and she most certainly is not a prowler. I cannot believe you are holding her like some sort of criminal.”

Lloyd pushed his chair back from the desk and folded his arms. “See here, Miss. This ain't no mistake. We caught her creeping around the courtyard. Maybe you should reconsider how you choose your friends. Why was she out there, anyway? She won’t tell us anything.”

Cindy stared at Debbie, hoping a reasonable explanation would come forth. But Debbie sat silently, unsure how to begin and not wanting to say anything around Lloyd. “Debbie?” Cindy pleaded.

Rod hadn’t moved since he recognized Debbie. He was still trying with no success to make sense of the situation. The putrid odor of cigarettes and bananas was only making things more difficult. Rod swallowed hard, fighting his gag reflex and turned to Lloyd. “Lloyd, she can’t be the prowler. We know who the prowler is. We were confronting him when you called. He confessed to everything. He’s taken care of.”

Debbie glanced up momentarily as Rod spoke. That was the last thing she’d been holding onto - that somehow her suffering would at least save Rico from the same fate. A short sob slipped out before she could stifle it. She hadn’t thought she could feel more miserable but she was wrong.

Cindy had still been staring at Debbie and noticed the quick sob. Lloyd was just beginning to argue with Rod when she turned to him with angry eyes. “Listen Lloyd. We told you we got the guy. All you managed to do was grab a friend of mine and hold her here against her will. We’re leaving now. All three of us. If you’re lucky, she won’t press charges against you.”

Cindy stepped over and took Debbie’s arm and helped her from the chair. Rod stepped back and let the two women leave the office first before following behind. Lloyd opened his mouth but couldn’t think of anything to say. It was still open when Rod closed the office door.

Outside the office, Debbie took a deep breath and looked at Cindy. “Thank you” she said, trembling. “Thank you so much.”

Cindy smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it. Lloyd’s an idiot. I’m sorry you had to sit in that office so long.”

“I should be going.” Debbie said, trying to step away from Cindy.

Cindy kept her grip on Debbie’s arm. “Not so fast.” she said in a calm voice. “I think you’ve got some explaining to do. Let’s go back to the apartment.”

Debbie felt a sense of dread returning. She looked over at Rod. Rod looked grim. “I know you’ve got some explaining to do.” he said. Then, remembering Cindy’s dislike of secrets, he turned to Cindy. “Honey, this is Debbie...Y’know...my Debbie.”

Cindy let out a gasp and tightened her grip on Debbie's arm. "C'mon," she said sternly, pushing Debbie down the hall. "It sounds like you've got some secrets. Did I ever mention how much I detest secrets?"