Obsession

OBSESSION
By
Lori Bartee

“Could this line go any slower?” Leslie thought, tapping her foot anxiously. Leslie wanted to get home and begin preparing Jamie’s birthday dinner. Leslie felt it was the least she could do, since Jamie helped her get through a difficult relationship with a man named Dylan Walsh. Jamie knew what kind of man Dylan was, after all, his older brother had once been one of Dylan’s friends. Jamie’s help through all of Leslie’s ordeals had been an enormous blessing to her.
Leslie finally got through the checkout line, and walked out into the parking lot when she was confronted with the very reason why she was so thankful to have Jamie in her life. Taken by surprise, Leslie stood speechless. She never thought she would be looking into the same blue eyes that had once captivated her heart from the moment she first looked into them.
For the moment, time seemed to stand still, but Leslie could feel her heart begin to race, her emotions began to run rampant as the memories she had buried so long ago came rushing back. Then, an elderly woman, who was apparently in a big hurry, bumped into Leslie and brought her back to reality.
“Excuse me missy, but I’m in a rush!” She said as she shuffled by. Leslie could feel her cheeks flushed from embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry.” Was all Leslie could meekly say before the woman disappeared from the supermarket.
Then, Leslie’s attention shifted back to the man that had caused her a lot of heartache in her life…Dylan Walsh. As he stared her down from just feet away, it felt as if his eyes were burning right through to her soul.
Leslie had met Dylan one night while she was working at the Pizza Joint, the local hangout for teenagers and young adults. It all started in a small rural Kentucky town called Littleton, years earlier. It was a quiet town, one where everybody knew each other, as well as their personal business. Leslie had only planned to work there until she started college in the fall, but that was all about to change. Leslie, still being young and so naïve, could not foresee what lie ahead of her. One evening, Dylan came into the Pizza Joint, with a few of his friends. Susan, Leslie’s best friend from high school, was working the same night. From the minute they arrived, Susan started acting all weird.
“Leslie do you know who that is!” Susan squealed into Leslie’s ear.
“No, should I?” Leslie asked, trying to sound nonchalant. By this time, Susan had a good grip of Leslie’s arm.
“That’s Dylan Walsh, Brandon Walsh’s older brother. Isn’t he absolutely heavenly?” Leslie thought Susan was going to pass out from her own excitement. Luckily for Susan, she still had a grip on Leslie’s arm.
At that point, their boss, Joe, rang his bell from behind the counter. “Order’s up!”
It was Leslie’s order that was ready, but just as she started to reach for it, Susan grabbed it and said, “I’ll take this one, if you’ll take my table please, just this once. I think Dylan knows I have a crush on him.” Just then, they heard a grunt come from the kitchen; it was Joe, glaring at them. He didn’t like them switching tables and Susan knew it.
Susan shot him a pleading look and begged him. “Please Joe, just this once.”
“Ok! Ok! Just this one time!” He reluctantly agreed as he went back to making pizzas, shaking his head.
As Leslie grabbed a tray, and an order pad, she started to feel a little uneasy; maybe it was because of Susan and all her ranting. She then headed towards the table and quickly realized why Susan was too nervous to wait on this table. One look at Dylan and Leslie realized that those eyes were enough to warm even the coldest of hearts. Unfortunately, Leslie didn’t realize how long she had been daydreaming until she heard one of Dylan’s buddies from the table speak up and ask if she was going to take their order. Leslie’s face turned every shade of red by the time she took their order and read it back correctly. Dylan simply smiled, while all the others sat at the table and snickered.

As she handed the order over to Joe, Susan pulled Leslie aside, and quietly asked. “Now do you understand why I couldn’t take their order? Dylan is what every girl dreams about. Don’t you picture yourself running your fingers through that soft brown hair? And those eyes…ohhhh, they are simply irresistible!” Susan said, breathlessly.
“Would you stop it?” Leslie scolded. Although, at the same time, she couldn’t help but to agree with Susan’s remarks. After that, Susan walked away giggling like a little schoolgirl.
Leslie, still quite embarrassed, was so relieved when Dylan and his friends finally got up to leave. Before they left, Dylan stopped and slipped something into Leslie’s hand. “I hope to see you again”, he said softly as he turned and strolled out the door behind his friends leaving Leslie standing there with mouth gaped open.
Leslie wasn’t sure how long she had been standing there like that when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She instinctively jumped, which caused Susan to jump as well.
“I’m sorry, Leslie, but you were just standing there, and we were wondering… are you all right?” Susan asked.
“Huh, yeah, I’m fine.” Leslie replied, not taking her eyes off the door.
“Hey, by the way…” Susan inquired. “…What did Dylan give you?”
“Oh, probably just a tip,” Leslie replied with a shrug of a shoulder. Susan roared with laughter, as she replied.
“Yeah right, with that service. I don’t expect Dylan to darken the doorway of this establishment again!” She scoffed.
“Now wait a minute, as I recall, it was you who begged me to switch tables!” Leslie snapped back.
“Oh yeah, you got me there!” Susan said, sheepishly. ”So…what is it? Let’s see!” Leslie looked in her pocket and saw a wad of money and a napkin. She stuffed the money back into the pocket of her apron; she started to throw the napkin away, when she noticed something written on it.
It said, “I look forward to seeing you again”. Leslie let Susan read it and she looked completely shocked.
“What’s that suppose to mean?” Susan said, clearly agitated, after reading it aloud.
Then, Joe sarcastically added from behind the counter, “Well for starters, she does her work, and secondly, she doesn’t bellyache about someone else’s business!” With that, Susan abruptly walked away in disgust.
A few days later, Susan and Leslie were having lunch at Leslie’s apartment after spending the morning hitting the sales racks at the mall in nearby Mt. Oliver.
When Susan asked,” Have you heard from Dylan yet?”
“No, and I’m not sure I want to,” Leslie replied. This would be the first real date for Leslie and she was feeling a bit apprehensive about it. Oh sure, she had gone to the movies with guys during high school, but they were friends, not dates. Besides, Dylan was different; he comes from one of the richest families in town, in the county for that matter.
“What do you mean, ‘you’re not sure if you want to’? Susan exclaimed. I sure wish I was in your place!” “Well…it’s just that…well he’s so much older than I am. I can’t imagine having anything in common with him!” Leslie replied.
“Oh come on now! Dylan isn’t that much older than you. It’s not like you’d be dating Father-Time or something.” Susan joked. “Besides, think of all the girls that’ll be envious of you…including me! You’d be the one dating Dylan Walsh,” Susan said with a smirk.
Leslie quickly changed the subject over to college and what kind of classes she would be taking this fall. She dreamed of being a veterinarian, until she discovered how many years it took. All that equated to a lot of money, which neither her nor her parents had. So she decided she would be a veterinarian’s assistant, for now. Leslie knew she would have to continue working hard to finish paying her way through college until she received her final degree. That is one reason she was working evenings at the Pizza Joint, in addition to a stocking shelves at the local grocery store during the day. Leslie wanted to get as much put away as she could before she started her classes.
A few days later, true to his word, Dylan stopped by the Pizza Joint, one evening and pulled Leslie aside. From the moment he walked through the door, Leslie’s legs felt weak, almost as if they wouldn’t hold her up.
“Hi Leslie…” Dylan calmly said, “I’ll only keep you for a moment”, Leslie was anything but calm, in fact…she was quite nervous inside. The cologne he was wearing smelled so good, Subtle, but not overpowering, it was the perfect combination accentuate his masculine looks.
“That’s all right, we aren’t that busy tonight”, was the only thing Leslie could think of to say. She hoped she looked calmer than she felt.
“I was wondering if you would consider having dinner with me Friday night--say around seven-thirty?” Dylan asked in a charismatic voice. All Leslie could do was stand there and look at him. She couldn’t think of anything witty to say.
Dylan stood and waited for a moment before he jokingly said, “Well, is that a yes, or am I going to have to beg?” He looked around and then continued, ”Please don’t make me beg in front of everyone here tonight”.
It seemed an eternity before Leslie finally found her voice, “I’m not sure. I’ll have to check the schedule.”
Just then Joe piped in, “No Leslie…you’re not working that night!” Leslie shot him a dirty look, as Joe chuckled in return.
Dylan then asked Leslie again, only this time with a more pitiful expression on his face that no girl could refuse, “So, will you go out with me?”
“Yes, I will go out with you”, Leslie finally said with a warm smile.
By the time Friday night had arrived, Leslie was beginning to question her decision. She didn’t even know who Dylan was other than he was Brandon’s older brother by eight years. Leslie kept glancing in the mirror, stopping only to check her watch, and then back to the mirror again. Dylan said he would be here at seven-thirty, and it was only seven-twenty five. She still had time to go change, even though it would be the fourth time; she began to head for the bedroom, just as the doorbell rang. Leslie opened the door, and immediately felt like she was in a dream. Dylan stood at the door dressed in khaki colored trousers, a white pullover shirt, and a sweater draped over his shoulders. For a moment, Leslie wasn’t sure he was really standing in front of her. “Hi, come on in.” Leslie said, hoping she sounded more relaxed than she felt.
“Thank you. You look lovely this evening.” Dylan said with his confident disposition. This made Leslie feel more anxious about going out than she already was. Dylan must have sensed her apprehension because he tried to relax her by saying, “You’re not thinking of backing out, are you? I would be so disappointed if you did.”
Leslie blushed at his ability to read her thoughts, “Of course not! Just let me grab my handbag and I’ll be ready to go.”
After dinner, they drove around for a while until they ended up at Miller’s Lake around ten-o-clock. It was a perfect evening for talking and stargazing. There seemed to be a million stars out that night. Leslie was amazed how easily the conversation flowed between them. She told Dylan about how she was looking forward to starting college in the fall.
“What is your degree going to be in?” Dylan inquired.
“I thought about being a veterinarian, but it requires several years of college and I’m not ready for that financially, so it looks as if I’ll have to start as a vet’s assistant. At least I’ll still be dealing with animals, but I won’t be totally responsible for them and I won’t have to wait as long to start my profession either with the experience. I’m saving as much money as I can--that’s why I’m working at the Pizza Joint in the evenings and at Amity’s grocery store during the day stocking shelves. I’m putting as much as I can in the bank, and mom said she would help when she could, but doesn’t want dad to know she’s helping me, for fear it might upset him.”
“Why doesn’t your mother want him to know? Doesn’t he want you to have a better life for yourself?” Dylan asked.
“No, he thinks I should find a man, get married and have kids, and settle down in this little town--like him and mom did,” Leslie replied.
“Would that be so wrong?” Dylan inquired.
“Yes, it would! I want more out of life than just settling down and getting married. I’m not saying I want to leave and never come back here and I’m not saying that I don’t want a husband or kids either. I just want to get out and do things. Maybe do a little traveling before doing all that settling down stuff! Experience what life has to offer,” Leslie said defensively.
“Ok! I’m not the one telling you to stay here. I just wanted to know what kind of plans you have laid out for yourself, and it sounds like you’ve got everything figured out,” Dylan remarked.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to snap at you, my dad just gets me so upset sometimes.” Leslie said apologetically.
That’s all right…I’ll get over it. I don’t bruise too easily”, Dylan joked, trying to ease the tension.
“So what do you do with your free time, that is…when you’re not embarrassing the waitresses at the Pizza Joint?” Leslie asked, jokingly.
“Mostly odd jobs. Dad has been wanting me to help in his company, but I haven’t made up my mind about that yet”, Dylan replied.
“Why not? Maybe someday you can take it over when he decides it’s time to retire,” Leslie responded.
“Dad will never retire. One day someone is going to walk into his office and find him dead in his chair,” Dylan retorted.
“Does he still own the largest tobacco farm in the county?” Leslie asked, trying to ease the rising tension a bit.
“Yes, it’s also the largest in the state, last I heard.” Dylan said.
They got back to Leslie’s apartment around twelve-thirty. Leslie was tired, but she wasn’t ready to let go of a perfect evening just yet.
“Would you like to come in for awhile?” Leslie asked hoping he would say yes.
“No, not this time. I think I’ll just say goodbye here at the door and head home. I got some things to do in the morning, but I had a good time. You’re a wonderful girl, Leslie,” Dylan said as he leaned over and kissed Leslie gently on the lips.
All Leslie could do is stand there and watch Dylan drive away until the taillights of his car disappeared into the night. For the next month, Leslie seemed to be walking on clouds. Everyone at the Pizza Joint was giving her a hard time, because she couldn’t keep her orders straight. Joe was beginning to call her “Susan”, since she was also becoming very clumsy. Leslie couldn’t stop thinking how wonderful her life was now, or so she thought.
Dylan and Leslie were spending more time together. Leslie was beginning to have serious thoughts about how far she wanted to take this relationship, maybe even wanting to spend the rest of her life with Dylan. Although…that was before strange things started to happen.
It all started one night when Leslie and Dylan were having a romantic dinner at an exquisite restaurant, in the quaint little town of Mt Oliver, when out of the blue, Dylan took Leslie’s hands in his and with all the sincerity he could muster, he said, “Leslie, promise me you’ll never leave me. If you did, I don’t believe I could live without you!”
“Dylan, where in the world did that come from? I haven’t had any thoughts of going anywhere!” Leslie responded in a surprised voice. Dylan sat silently and gave her a look, that sent cold chills up and down her spine.
Another incident came while they were having dinner with some of Leslie’s friends from high school, one of them being Jamie Johnson. They all had been laughing and joking for most of the evening when Jamie spoke up, “Leslie, if Dylan hadn’t swept you off your feet when he had, I would have come for you myself”. Within a few moments of that look, Jamie was lying on his back with a bloody nose and Dylan was towering over him with clenched fists. “You broke my nose, you jackass!” Jamie yelled at Dylan.
“If you ever come around my woman again; I’ll do worse than that!” Dylan threatened. With that, Dylan grabbed Leslie by the arm and dragged her out of the restaurant, cussing and telling he didn’t want to ever catch her flirting again.
Suddenly Leslie was startled back to reality, by a man’s voice. “Leslie, are you all right?” Once again, Leslie could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She had no idea how long she had been standing there wrapped in her thoughts.

After all of this had happened, Leslie’s mother had insisted that she get a restraining order placed against Dylan because of his actions. Her mother approached her about it one morning while Leslie visiting with her parents at their farm. Her father, Jake, had gone outside to check on Leslie’s car, something he always did whenever Leslie came out to see them. That’s when her mother, Evie, took her hand and said, “Leslie, dear, you know I love you, and you know I only want the best for you”. “Mom, what’s wrong? What’s bothering you?” Leslie asked.
“I’ve noticed a change in you and it worries me. I ran into Jamie one day last week and I insisted he tell anything he might know about Dylan and Jamie told me that Dylan was intimidating person to be around. Jamie was afraid that Dylan was being rough with you. Is this true?” Evie was on the verge of tears, at the thought of someone perhaps doing her daughter harm. Leslie broke down as the tears streamed down her face. Leslie had been suppressing all of these emotions for quite some time.
“Mom, Jamie’s right. Dylan is physical, but what can I do? He threatened me once if I ever decided to leave him and he has even hinted at suicide. Dylan won’t let me just walk away,” Leslie said through the tears.
“I’ll tell you what we’re going to do! We are going to march right down to the police station and get a restraining order against that man. You won’t have to go alone, I’ll be right beside you,” Evie said with such assurance, that it startled Leslie for a moment.
At that moment, Jake walked in and said. “Your car is purring like a kitten.”
Leslie walked over, kissed him on the cheek, and hugged him.
“Thanks Dad, what would I ever do without you?” Jake could only look confused, while Leslie and Evie chuckled. Leslie was so absorbed by her memories that she had forgotten where she was.
Startled back to reality again, the voice that had started all of this again said, “You look like your mind is a million miles away!” Dylan said, still standing in front of her in the grocery store parking lot.
“Yes Dylan, I’m sorry, my mind wondered off for a moment. So, what are you doing here? You know your only digging yourself a deeper hole by talking to me. Have you forgotten about the restraining order?” Leslie felt empowered, now, because she knew he could no longer hurt her. She had come out of the whole ordeal with Dylan Walsh a much stronger woman now.
“Come on, baby!” Dylan started to reach for Leslie, but she backed away.
“Dylan, please don’t do this!” Leslie warned him.
“Don’t do what? I never meant to hurt you Leslie, but you never really gave me any choice. You would never act like the kind of woman you should be!” Dylan snapped.
Dylan started to reach for Leslie again, but this time, out of nowhere Jamie stepped between Dylan and Leslie and with one swing, knocked him to the ground, and gave Dylan the same treatment that Dylan had gave him in the restaurant, once upon a time. Leslie grabbed Jamie by the arm and pulled on him as she said, “Jamie, come on. He’s not worth it, let’s just go!”
“What do you mean, not worth it? Just a couple of years ago you were whispering in my ear telling me that I was the only man you were ever going to need! How could all that change?” Dylan screamed after them as Leslie and Jamie just left him lying there in the parking lot.
“Leslie are you listening to me?” Dylan continued to scream while people stood around and chuckled at him. “What are you looking at, haven’t you ever seen a man lose his woman before?” That was the last thing Leslie heard as she and Jamie drove away, never to be bothered by the likes of Dylan Walsh again.
That evening, after Jamie’s special birthday dinner celebration, and after all the guests had left, Leslie had one more gift for Jamie, but she had saved it this one until they were alone.
Jamie was sitting in bed reading, something he did almost every night. Because it helped him to unwind, when Leslie came to join him.
Would you like one more gift?” Leslie whispered to him as she crawled into bed next to Jamie.
“Depends on what it is?” Jamie said with smirk.
“Stop it!” Leslie said as she smacked him on the leg, playfully. “I wanted us to be alone when I gave you this one.” Leslie handed him a long narrow box. At first Jamie thought, it might be a watch, but then he remembered she gave him one for Christmas.
“Go ahead…open it…and no it isn’t a watch. I just gave you one for Christmas.” Leslie sat there with a sheepish grin on her face.
Is this what I think it is?” Jamie asked, after taking the paper and cover off.
“Yes.” Was all Leslie could say as the tears began to well up in her eyes.
Jamie picked up the object and looked at it, from what he could tell, it looked to be an early pregnancy test.
“Does this mean what I think it means?” Jamie asked, unsure of what the thing really meant.
“It sure does…it means we are going to have a baby! I have already made an appointment to see the doctor tomorrow. Would you like to go with me?” Leslie asked, hoping he would say yes.
“Well of course I do, I wouldn’t have it any other way!” Jamie said, as he hugged his beautiful wife and tenderly kissed her as he clicked off the light.