AS THE MOUSE

OVES©

Wednesday October 11^th, 2000
Tiffany got off the elevator and put the key in her apartment door.  She opened the door and walked into the dark apartment hitting the light switch beside the door.  She slammed the door shut and pounded on the heavy metal frame with her hands in anger and frustration. Finally she allowed the tears to roll freely down her cheeks.  How could her world have fallen apart like this?  She was now fired from the job she loved and was unemployed.  Her estranged husband Skeeter had taken her apartment away from her and probably had a woman there with him now.  She turned and walked down the long hallway towards the living room and saw the light flashing on the answering machine.  She quickly walked over and hit the button as she took off her jacket and threw it over a chair.
"Tiffany, I go out of town. We have dinner. Call office immediately", Amir said in his broken English into the answering machine.  Her heart sank.  She wondered how long Amir would be out of town.  She needed him more now than she had ever needed him in her life.  She picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number to Amir's office.
"Manhattan Gold International", a secretary answered.
"Could I speak to Amir please," Tiffany asked.
"Mr. Hada is out of town.  Could I take your number?" the secretary asked.
"No.  Do you know if he is at home?"
"I'm sorry, this is the answering service I can only take messages," the lady said.   
"Thanks anyway", Tiffany said hanging up the phone.
She quickly dialed Amir's phone at his home on Sutton Place.
"Mr. Hada's residence", a woman answered.
"I need to speak to Amir please," Tiffany asked the strange woman wondering who was answering her lover's phone.
"I'm sorry Mr. Hada is out of town, could I take a message?" the woman asked.
"Ahh…yes.  Tell him that Tiffany called," she said hanging up the phone. 
Of all the times for her lover to be unattainable.  She had to talk to Amir.  The tears started to roll down her cheeks again.  She walked over to the window and looked down at the people in Washington Square Park.  She saw drug dealers standing near the entrance of the park soliciting students as they walked past.  She wondered how much money these dealers made that they would put their lives at risk.  She thought of the events of her day as she stared down on the lives of Village residents below.  From the distance they seemed so small, but their problems must be much the same as hers, she thought.  She watched as a homeless woman pushed a grocery cart packed with old clothes and a cat sitting on top.  The homeless woman stopped and took a seat on a bench near the drug dealers.  Tiffany could feel fresh tears rushing down her face.  She tried to tell herself that she was lucky to have Amir and this wonderful apartment that he got for her.  She would find another job; she would be able to pay her part of the rent.  Everything would be okay.  She glanced down at her watch and realized that it had been thirty five minutes since she left a message for Amir to call her. 
She walked quickly over to the answering machine on the desk and hit the button again to listen to Amir's message.  She glanced down and noticed the time of his message as she listened to his familiar sexy voice.  To her surprise Amir had called and left the message at 12 noon today.  Her heart sank; maybe he had already left town.  She realized that she was unusually late coming home because she had gone by Skeeter's apartment on the way home.  She uttered obscenities as she realized she missed Amir's call because she dropped by Skeeter's trying to catch him with Jan in the apartment. Skeeter had ruined her life, she thought.  She picked up the telephone and called Amir's number at his residence on Sutton Place again.
"Mr. Hada's residence," a different woman answered.
"Yes.  This is Tiffany.  I called about forty minutes ago and left a message for Mr. Hada.  When do you think he will get that message?"
"Mr. Hada is out of the country.  He won't be calling in again until tomorrow, Miss.  Would you like to leave another message?"
"He left a message today at 12 noon that he wanted to have dinner with me.  When did he leave town?"
"It says here that Mr. Hada went home to his island because of a  family emergency," the operator said.
CONTINUED TOMORROW. MORE PHOTOS BELOW.
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