The Stalker (standard:drama, 2959 words)
Author: Walt	Added: Aug 27 2006	Views/Reads: 3644/2316	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A story of how suspicion and jealousy can turn love into hate.

The Stalker 

"Look, Linda," Howie said, squeezing the telephone handset and trying to
keep his voice calm, "I said I was sorry about the mix up last 
weekend." It was Friday afternoon and he had just finished work. 

"It's not that, Howie. I simply have something else to do all weekend.
I'll see you Tuesday for a movie." 

“You're seeing someone else, aren't you?” Howie said. 

Linda was beginning to tire of Howie's constant jealous outbreaks. At
first, she had been flattered by his overwhelming attention, now it was 
beginning to aggravate her. It was time for Howie to give her back some 
freedom. "Well, yes, if you must know, I am seeing someone this 
weekend. He will only be in town for three days and I haven't seen him 
for over a year. I want to spend some time with him. You can go paint 
balling again if you want to." 

Howie had been at a regional meet last weekend. Linda had plans for them
to attend the local theatre production of Guys and Dolls. He was 
certain that he had told her about the meet some time ago - she had 
simply forgotten about it. Now he was sure Linda was just pretending to 
have a visitor to get even with him.  "He's an old boy friend, isn't 
he?" Howie demanded to know. 

"Not exactly, Howie. Let's just say that he is just a very dear friend
that I have known for many, many years. You know you are my man. 
Listen, Howie, I've got to go now. The plane lands at six and I don't 
want to be late." 

Howie replaced the receiver with a little more force than was necessary,
bouncing the set on the desk. Dammit, she knew how he felt about the 
paint balling. Why did she have to make such an issue out of one 
weekend every two or three months? And just who was so important that 
she needed the whole weekend for a visit? He dialled the airport number 
and listened to the recording of flight arrivals and departures. Flight 
309 from Toronto scheduled arrival was 18:00 hours. 

Howie pushed his chair back and thought about Linda. They had been
lovers now for almost a year. They usually met Tuesday nights for the 
reduced-price movies and then went back to her place. Then Friday and 
Saturday they would either go dancing or to a party at some friend's 
place. And then back to Linda's apartment. They never went to his place 
because he lived at home with his mother, a situation that would change 
as soon as he got his next raise at work. His mother would never ever 
approve of them locking themselves away in his bedroom for some raunchy 
sex! In fact, he was sure his mother still believed him to be a virgin. 


He had been until he met Linda. Their relationship had quickly bloomed
from the hot petting sessions in his old Chevy to full-blown sex in her 
apartment. He still had occasional pangs of conscience on Sunday 
mornings at mass, but those were becoming less frequent. The Church 
blew this fornication thing away out of proportion. He glanced at his 
watch. He had time to get to the airport and see this guy Linda was 
meeting. He could do it without her ever knowing he was there, 
watching. 

Howie Parker could follow anyone or anything. He was a master at
concealment, blending into backgrounds, moving so naturally that he 
seemed to disappear into the surroundings. Few people could match his 
skills in the paint-ball war games. He had been voted Most Valuable 
Player again last weekend. The little trophy stood on his shelf in his 
bedroom, along with many others. Right below his archery plaque. Paint 
balling was fun because it pitted man against man, but it was not the 
same as hunting. Getting whacked by a soft plastic blob was not in the 
same league as using deadly arrows. Hunting deer or bear with the big 
compound bow was where Howie's stalking skills really mattered. 

Howie drove home and quickly changed into his old blue jeans and a faded
Rolling Stones Final Tour tee shirt. He grabbed his sunglasses and ball 
cap and hurried out of the house, telling his mother that he would get 
something to eat later. He still had time to get to the airport before 
Linda. He would go to the arrivals section and find a place to observe 


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