There is this self destructive thing in humans, especially males. That need to always want to know what’s happening around the corner, even when all indications tell you it’s not good for you. You go ahead and look anyway.

That is how I found myself knocking on Dina, my new neighbor’s door. She was home, I was certain of it. I had heard her come back about ten minutes earlier. And she was alone, because she was singing. She never sang when Michael was around. Mr. Monster, probably beat her when she sang too. What kind of man was he?

It was less than a week after she had invited me for dinner and Michael her man had walked in on us. At that time, i had decided that staying away from Dina was a very wise thing to do, but before the week was even thru, I was already looking for an excuse to go see her.

Dina opened the door, and didn’t hide her surprise to see me. I noticed a slight hesitation in her eyes when I asked to come in, but she let me in anyway. I knew she wished I hadn’t come, because if her man found me in there the second time in less than a week he would have every reason to believe there was something cooking behind his back.

I didn’t intend to stay for long, I knew the danger. I didn’t even know why I was visiting her. I lied to myself that I was only visiting because I was a good neighbor. But I didn’t visit all my neighbors; actually, I never visited my neighbors because none of them was pretty and interesting. Dina, on the other hand, was a true piece of craftsmanship. 

I asked about how she was, her work, etc , but I could tell she was waiting for me to get to the point of my visit. Since I had none, I pretended I had come to borrow some movies. That would buy me some time in her apartment.

Her man wouldn’t be home for about another hour. Talking about movies and music, she relaxed a bit, and somehow I lost track of time. We were seated on the sofa, listening to a certain classical by Beethoven, when she suddenly hushed me! There were footsteps approaching.

The steps stopped outside her door, and a key was inserted into the lock. Michael! I checked my watch, thinking he was too early, but it was actually the same time he came home every day!

Dina looked like she was going to faint. She was shaking, and obviously very scared. I shouldn’t have come! But it was too late to indulge in regrets! I had to think fast! The flat was on the eighth floor, so jumping out the window was out of the question. Without thinking, I stood up, and hid behind the dining room curtains.

Michael entered the room, looked at Dina, said a curt "hello”, and headed for the bedroom. I thought of making a run for it, but its good I did not, because he turned round, came back and sat down on the sofa. Dina was in the kitchen, fidgeting with dishes. Mr. Monster was on the couch, looking thru the DVDs that I had been checking just a few seconds ago.

My heart was pounding so loudly, I was surprised he couldn’t hear it. I didn’t know what to do, and I was ready to stay behind the curtains even for a week, rather than face Mr. Animal. But then, looking back at sofa I realized my time was actually very limited. There, right next to Michael, partly hidden by a DVD cover, was my Phone.

It must have slipped out of my pocket while I lounged on the sofa. Michael might not have seen it yet, but he certainly would very soon.

In horror, my heart pounding loudly, sweating like I was in a steam bath, I looked at my phone as the screen lit up. A call was coming thru, just before it started to vibrate. Then the silence was broken by the song "Stamina”, the ringtone on my phone!

Ends