Autumn Heartaches

                   Bob left his favorite boxers at her apartment. Yeah, that sounded like a viable excuse. He hated that he had to always reason with himself to convince himself to do things like this. Melody was gone on a club outing and Bob actually remembered where she hid her spare key: in the magnetic little box underneath the outdoor rocker. Bob slowly creeped up the metal stairway to apartment number 209. His heart beat faster as he approached the door. He stooped over, hand trembling, grabbed the metal box, and hastily pulled the key out of it.
         Once inside, he flipped on the lights. Melody’s cats came running to greet him and they rubbed against his legs, mewing. Bob was never fond of cats but put up with them during the time he and Melody lived together just for her sake.
         Bob headed towards the right, to Melody’s bedroom. Sure, Jessica was known as a gossip, but he couldn’t fathom the idea that Melody would already be living with another man. That would make her out to be too much of a floozy, and Bob thought Melody was much more mature than that.
         Once Bob reached the bedroom, he mustered up all the courage he had just in case another man was the stark reality. He turned the doorknob and the door swung open on its own. He stepped inside and flipped on the lights.
         “What the…?” Bob said aloud. He was startled to see a photo album spread open at the foot of Melody’s bed. It wasn’t just any photo album, but the one he and Melody made together. He flipped through it. There were pictures of them at Disney World, pictures of them at his friend’s wedding, and pictures of them in Germany where Bob had taken her as a treat when she finished her nursing degree. He couldn’t believe that after three weeks of being broken up, Melody would still be thinking about him like this.
         Suddenly, he heard the front door open. He heard Melody’s voice, and Fran’s voice also. Fran was Melody’s best friend and she was so loudmouthed he could recognize her voice anywhere. In a panic, Bob dashed for the bedroom closet. He pulled the door shut behind him.
         “I had so much fun!” Fran exclaimed. “That was a fantastic movie!”
         “You didn’t pay any attention to the movie,” Melody replied. “I looked over at you once in a while and the whole time you were just drooling over George Clooney.”
         Fran sighed. “Such a fine man!”
         As Melody and Fran carried on, Bob was starting to feel like he was at a loss of what to do. He was standing there for so long his legs began to ache so he sat down. Eventually he heard Melody offer Fran coffee, and they went into the kitchen together. Maybe he could sneak out while they were in the kitchen. Surely they would be in there a while because Melody always ground the coffee beans herself. Bob pressed his hand against the side of the closet and started to stand up.
         Thump! Bob was barely a few inches off the ground when he came right back down with a crash. He heard the talking in the kitchen stop abruptly and feet shuffling towards the bedroom.
         The closet door swung open.
         “Bob! Oh, Bob! What are you doing here?” Melody looked startled, and was clutching her chest. Fran was standing right next to her, and they both were wearing their purple dresses and bright red hats. Bob had forgotten how lovely Melody looked when she was all dolled up.
         “Jus’ give me a hand,” Bob asked pitifully, reaching his arm out to Melody. She gave him a reproachful look but then decided to help him up. His back cracked as he stood up and he gave a loud grunt, rubbed his rear, and turned to face Melody.
         “Meloday, Ah am sorry you had ta find me like this.”
         “Bob, this isn’t like you at all! What are you doing here?” Melody’s expression had softened, but Fran was still glaring at him.
         “Ah miss ya, Meloday. And bah the looks of’t, ya miss me too.”
         Melody smiled. She invited Bob into the living room. They sat down on the couch and had a long, heart-felt talk, but didn’t stay up too late because Bob had to meet with his Medicare advisor early the next morning.