A Little Too Much

The lines on the tiles aren't perpendicular to the floor board.  This room isn't square... no, not square and the tiles are moving.  I know they are.  I can see them... move.  Why are they moving?  Oh, no.  The tiles aren't moving.  Squint my eyes, see what's real.  There, back to normal.  I shouldn't have taken that much; I just wanted to impress her.  Her.  What was her name again?  Dammit, I've been dating her for three months.  What is her damn name?

Amber.  Yeah, that's her name.  Amber.  Oh, squint again, oh man, the room's not moving, but it is.  I've got to focus.  Focus on something that won't make me feel so sick.  This tile's like ice on my butt.  No, nothing painful.  Ugh, there, what is that?  A hole in the sheet rock.  Just, yes, it's just big enough for my fingernail.  I wonder if I could see behind it?  Dig.  Dig.  Dig... yeah, something's behind here, something red.  More.  A little more and I can fit my whole hand in.  There it is, and, yes:  A big piece.

It's not just red; it's... furry... soft.  What... what's behind my wall.  Let's see.  Grab more pieces.  Pull.  Pull.  Pull... Oh.  Oh, no.  Dammit, I didn't know that's where it was.  Shit.  Amber will see it.  Cover it up, but, its eyes beg me not to.  "You're mine."  Shit, I'll wake up Amber at that volume, "You're mine.  I'm not sharing you with Amber.  She'll dump me if she knows about you."  There it stands as a perfect oxymoron, the pleading, the soft red fur, the cushiony belly, all thrown around the gaping mouth full of yellowing spikes and horns jutting out of an over-sized head.  The monster.  The lovable, cuddly, soothing, shaming, hating, embarrassing monster.

"I have to cover you up."  Shit, the alarm.  Oh, Amber's going to be here any minute.  Um... okay, maybe she'll be too tired to notice him.  "Be cool, man."

"Mmmhmmm, what?  What in the hell are you doing in here?  After what you did to me last night I thought you'd be sound asleep."

Stand as big as I can, maybe she won't notice it behind me.  "Oh," laugh... oh, not like that, she'll know you're hiding something, "I just went to the bathroom right before the alarm went off."

Good, she's popping zits in the mirror, maybe she won't see him.  "Hmm, okay, well, I'm going back to bed.  You're more than welcome to join me."

"O-okay.  Yeah, I'll be there in a minute."  She didn't notice it, thank heaven, but what am I going to do with it before she wakes....

"Hey, you haven't been doing drugs again have you."  Shit, she's staring right at us.  She has to see him now, we're so screwed.

"No... no, of course not.  I told you, I gave that up a year ago."

How can she not see the monster standing right behind me?  "Okay.  You just seem a little weird this morning.  You'll tell me if you ever do, right?"

"Oh, absolutely.  But, that won't ever happen because I am so done with that stuff."

She doesn't look convinced.  "Okay.  Well, come to bed would you?  We stayed up late last night."

"Yeah, just a minute."  Good, she's gone.  "Look, buddy, you've got to go... now, don't look at me like that, Amber will leave if she ever finds out about you... Okay, you can stay, but you've got to stay out of sight okay?  I have no idea how she didn't see you this time.  Stay in the closet or something.  Somewhere she won't go.  You know I love you, I just can't let her know you're still around.  Now, I'm going to bed; you fix this wall before we wake up.  You've done it before; do it again.  Goodnight."