Quartet: Julie Ch. 04

"No please, Robbie. You promised. You said you would stay with me. You said you loved me." She was in tears now, on her knees on the bed pleading with him, trying to grasp him and hold him back.

"I do love you Julie, but this isn't right. Sex by itself isn't love. You're confused and you've had another bad experience today and I don't want to make it worse. I think it's best I go." he concluded.

"No! No! Please, Robbie, please don't leave me alone. I can't be alone ... not now! Please don't leave me alone!" She was desperate and her face showed the fear her voice portrayed.

Robbie stood and looked at the pathetic young woman on the bed, her head bowed and sobbing into her hands. It didn't seem possible the mood could have changed this rapidly and he knew this was the telltale that all was not well with his lovely Julie. He gazed at her in thought and finally came to a decision.

"All right, Julie, I'll stay. But not in this room and not with you. I'll sleep in the living room on the couch and I'll be right there if you need me, but I won't sleep with you. Do you understand?"

"Yes Robbie. But please, please don't go. I can't be alone. Please sleep in this room or let me sleep with you in another room. I need you close by. I can't be alone." She had been reduced to begging. The desperation was clear in her voice and Robbie was now deeply concerned at her state.

"I won't be far away. Just leave your door open and you'll know I'm nearby." Robbie tried manfully to be forceful and leave Julie no room for argument. She looked at him with reddened eyes and a sorrowful look on her face.

"All right. I guess I'm OK with that." was her almost sulking reply.

"Julie, you know I love you very much. I won't do anything to hurt you. You know that. I will do anything to help you. You must trust me. Do you trust me Julie? Do you?"

"Yes, I guess so." she sobbed quietly. "I wanted this night to be special and now it's turned out all wrong."

"Be patient. We'll have our time. I promise you. You need to get past today and get back to the Julie I've always known. That's the Julie I want."

His voice was quiet and sincere and the look on Julie's face said she had the beginnings of understanding. Her head dropped again and she fell back onto the bed and curled up in a semi-fetal position. Robbie reached over and pulled the sheet and light woven blanket over her. He sat on the edge of the bed for several minutes until her regular breathing indicated she was sleeping. He turned out the small lamp on the night table and quietly left the bedroom, leaving the door slightly open as he had promised.

Robbie sat in the living room for some time, lost in thought. Something dramatic had happened to Julie tonight and he was very afraid it was more serious that just the shock of her encounter with Mike Tulkman. That may have been the trigger, but her wanton, obsessive behavior was very worrying. He tried to concentrate on what to do about it but couldn't come up with an idea that might get Julie back under some sort of emotional control. Sometime later he drifted off in a fitful sleep.

Early the next morning Robbie awoke. The beginnings of daylight were just apparent and he sat up on the sofa for a moment to get his bearings. Slowly he stood up and walked quietly to Julie's bedroom door and looked in. She was asleep and in a more natural position that when he had left her last night. He left the door open slightly and walked softly into the kitchen. The clock read ten past six as he looked around for the coffee supplies. Maybe a fresh start would give him an idea of what to do next. He had thought of calling Julie's parents, but had set that aside as a last resort. He didn't want to unnecessarily alarm them and he didn't feel he knew them well enough to explain how all this had come about. As the coffee brewed, so too did his mind as he thought about Julie's past and it was then the answer came to him: Eleanor. He looked around the kitchen for a phone pad or list and couldn't find one. He then checked Julie's purse and took out her cell phone. He checked the 'phone book' and quickly found Eleanor Thompson's number. He selected it, pushed send and hoped for a response.

Eleanor walked to the kitchen phone and checked the caller I.D. screen to see who it was. It was Julie and she picked up right away.

"Julie, how are you girl?" she answered enthusiastically.

"Ms. Thompson, it's not Julie. My name is Robbie Delgado and I'm a friend of Julie's." Robbie spoke in a quiet voice in order not to wake Julie if possible.

"Yes Robbie. Julie has spoken of you many times. I'm glad I'm finally getting a chance to talk to you. How is my girl?"

"That's why I'm calling, Ms. Thompson. She had a bad scare yesterday. She ran into the guy that raped her and it really gave her a shock."

"Oh my god, no! How could that happen? I thought he was in jail. Is she all right?"

Robbie began to explain what he knew from Julie's recounting of the morning encounter, her trip to the police station and then home. He described his coming to see her after work and then, haltingly began to recount the events that followed.

"Ms. Thompson, I'm afraid I may have made things worse. I ... I made love to Julie and things kind of got out of hand. She was like a different person and I couldn't get her to understand ... I mean ... well, I just couldn't get control of her. It was crazy." He concluded in a soft, regretful voice."

There was a silence on the other end of the line before Eleanor spoke. "First of all, Robbie, don't blame yourself too quickly. Secondly, call me Eleanor. I already feel like I know you from what Julie has told me and I know you wouldn't take advantage of her. Finally, why did you call me and not her parents?"

"They're in Arizona on vacation. They aren't due back until Sunday and I didn't want to panic them. Julie always said you were the 'Common Sense Lady' and that's why I thought of you."

"Thanks for the compliment. Where is she now?" Eleanor asked.

"She's still asleep in her bed. I stayed on the couch last night to make sure she wasn't alone and would be OK. I think she's slept right through." he answered.

"OK Robbie. Let me call Dr. Weisman. He's a friend of mine and he can give me some advice. Julie didn't think much of the psychiatrist she had after the rape. I don't think she'll want any help from him. Let me see what I can come up with." she said authoritatively.

"Thanks Ms. Thompson ... Eleanor. I feel better talking to you. I'm really worried about her. I want my old Julie back." he said plaintively.

"I do too Robbie." she said sadly. "Where can I reach you?"

"I don't have a cell phone, so I guess if you call Julie's phone and I'll give you my home phone if you don't want her to hear something. I've got an answering machine and you can let me know where and when to call."

They exchanged numbers and then, with polite goodbyes, had hung up. Robbie felt a sense of relief as he had finally been able to share the past few hours with someone else. Julie's Aunt had not been judgmental or upset with him; rather had listened and absorbed what he was trying to convey about Julie's reactions and state of mind. Julie was right; this was a very 'Common Sense' woman. He walked to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup and sat back down at the kitchen table to await Julie.

Shortly after eight Julie shuffled into the kitchen in her housecoat. She smiled at Robbie and sat in a kitchen chair next to him.

"Good Morning." Robbie said brightly.

"Good Morning." Julie mumbled in reply.

"How are you feeling this morning? Would you like some coffee or juice?" he asked.

"Juice please." She was holding her head in her hands and staring at the table top without looking at Robbie.

Robbie went to the refrigerator and took out a carton of apple juice, found a glass in the cupboard and poured, passing the glass to Julie.

"Thanks." Julie took a full mouthful and swallowed, then looked at Robbie. "Thanks for being here last night. I really needed you." she said sincerely.

"That's OK. Did you sleep alright?"

"I woke up sometime and I got a bit scared. I didn't know if you were still here. I went out to the living room and I saw you there sleeping. I was OK after that." she said quietly. She looked at Robbie again and said: "I always look like this in the morning. I guess you better get used to this, huh."

Robbie looked at her and smiled. She seemed different this morning. Perhaps a good night's sleep was all she needed. He could only hope so. "I've got to go to work, Julie. I'm already late. I'll be back later tonight, OK?"

"I'll be OK Robbie. I'm just going to stay here today until I have to go to work. I'll be OK." she assured him.

Robbie got up and moved over to Julie and kissed her forehead. She reached her hand up to him and touched his face.

"Don't wait up for me Robbie. I'll be late. You are going to be here aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes, but I'll come over later tonight. I have some things to do at the apartment." he said. "I guess I'll need a key, come to think of it."

Julie got up and went to a drawer and pulled out a single key on a key chain and handed it to Robbie.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, I guess." she said.

"I might wait up for you tonight ... you know ... just to make sure you're OK."

"I'd like that." she smiled. "I might have a nice reward for you."

"See you then, Julie." He leaned forward and kissed her. "Take care."

Robbie climbed into his truck and headed off to the worksite. He had called Vinnie earlier and let him know he would be a bit late this morning. Vinnie had griped, but recognized Robbie had never asked for any time off since he had started and had promised he would explain the reason when he saw him. As it was, he would be less than ninety minutes late.

Julie closed the door behind Robbie and headed upstairs to her bedroom. She would have a shower, get dressed and have a proper breakfast this morning. She was feeling refreshed and much more optimistic with a good night's sleep. Yesterday's drama was behind her and she was thinking about what she would need for her work shift today. She was Assistant Manager and she would be running the restaurant from four in the afternoon to midnight. She would call in about 2pm just to make sure she had a full staff.

Just after 1:30pm, Julie called the restaurant and talked to Monica, the assistant. She indicated no one had called to say they wouldn't be in or would be late.

"Hang on, Julie; Brian wants to talk to you." Monica said just before Julie was about to hang up. Brian was the General Manager of the restaurant and was a genuine guy who didn't fake his honest concern about his employees.

"Hi Julie. Have you seen or heard from Randeen in the last day or so?" he asked in a serious tone.

"No ... no I haven't. Why? What's happened?"

"She didn't show up for her shift this morning and there's no answer at her home phone or her cell phone number. I'm a bit worried."

"Jeez, Brian, me too. That's not like her at all. Do you want me to call around there and see what's going on?"

"Yah, thanks Julie. I just hope she's OK. I'll see you when you get in this afternoon. Thanks."

Julie hung up the phone and thought about what she had just heard. Randi was never late and would always call if she couldn't make it. She went to the closet and grabbed her jacket and headed out the door. Randi's apartment was only a half hour walk and maybe she was sick or hurt and couldn't answer the phone.

Julie walked the ten block distance quickly and entered the three story apartment building. She pushed the button on the mail box to see if anyone would respond, but there was no answer from Randi's apartment. She walked up to the second floor and down the dark hallway to #221 and knocked. No response. She knocked again, a bit longer and a bit more aggressively. No response. She called Randi's name and knocked still harder. Still no response. She turned to go when a door across the hallway opened and an elderly lady looked out cautiously.

"She's not there." the old woman said clearly.

"Have you seen her?" Julie asked.

"She left with two men yesterday. She was crying and they had a hold of her arms. I don't think she wanted to go with them. They were East Indians, like her, you know. They looked like Sikhs, you know; they wore turbans." the old woman stated emphatically.

Julie had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Had they found out about her boyfriend? Where were they taking her? What would happen to her? She thanked the old woman and turned and almost ran from the building. She stopped on the sidewalk and wondered what to do next. She started walking toward her home when she remembered Janet, the R.C.M.P. Constable. Maybe she could help find Randi. She crossed the street and headed up the hill toward the R.C.M.P. Station.

At the front desk, she inquired about Cpl. Janet Mayne and was told she was out on patrol but was expected back when her shift ended in about an hour. Julie left her name and told the desk clerk it was urgent she talk to the Corporal and she would be back in an hour. She wandered around the neighborhood looking in shop windows, killing time until the hour was almost up and then headed back to the station. She was standing at the front desk when Cpl Mayne walked in.

"Julie? Hi, are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"Yes mam, but my friend is in trouble I think." She poured out the story of Randi and her disappearance and her suspicions about what might have happened to Randi; including the arranged marriage and Randi's fear for her lover's safety.

Janet Mayne listened carefully and asked some pertinent questions about Randeen's family and where they could be located. Julie didn't know and said she thought they lived in the 'Valley' somewhere, but wasn't sure. Julie also didn't know the name of her boyfriend or where he lived either.

"It's not much to go on, Julie. I'll call your boss and see if her employment record or application has a next of kin address. I'll do the best I can and let you know, OK?" she concluded.

"Thanks, mam. I'm afraid for her. The old lady said two guys took her away and she was crying. I'm afraid what they might do to her."

"Leave it to me for now, Julie. I'll call your boss and see what information he has on her relatives and then we'll see what we can find out."

Julie walked out of the R.C.M.P. station with a sense of dread. She knew so little about Randi and she felt so helpless; what could she do for her friend? She walked down the hill toward her home, lost in thought.