The Actor by Maya Brooks Read Free Book Online

hear?”
    “Then you’ll
see you have a missed call when you wake up. You can’t help anyone if you don’t
take care of yourself.”
    “You make it
sound so easy. Why aren’t you judging me?”
    Heather
laughed.
    “For what? For
caring? For being human?”
    “I… I don’t
know.”
    “Look… My two
cents, or let’s make it five to account for inflation, you can’t be responsible
for another person or for what happens to that person, because we all live our
own lives. However, maybe your souls belong to each other at this point in
time. It sounds like he needs you, and you can give something no one else can.”
    Laura nodded
mutely. The soul part went over her head, but the rest made sense.
    Maybe she’s
one of those new-age people.
    “If that’s the
case, you might have to go find him.”
    Great idea,
but how?
    “I have no idea
where he is.”
    “Details. I’m
sure we can find someone who knows him who can help you look.”
    “I don’t… I
don’t have any money.”
    “I do. From the
sound of it you might be saving this man’s life, and that’s a worthy cause.”
    How have we
worked together for three years and I never knew how amazing you are?
    “Why would you
do that?”
    “It’s the right
thing to do. Now, let’s get you some lunch, and then you need a nap.”
    In the
restaurant, Laura gulped down a sub, but her mind wandered along the same paths
as always.
    “I can’t tell
you how happy I am to have someone to talk to about this. What do you think
about him?”
    Heather
smirked. “I never heard of him before I saw you in that magazine. He’s a
good-looking man. From what you’re telling me he has painted himself into a
corner he can’t get out of on his own. It happens to everyone, to some extent.”
    “Yes, but…”
    Laura lowered
her voice to a whisper.
    “Do you think
there’s something wrong with him?”
    Why is she
laughing? What’s so funny?
    “There’s
something wrong with most people. We all try to appear normal, but no one
really is, and the people who are the strangest themselves are usually quickest
to judge others.”
    What does
that mean? Yes? No?
    “Maybe he needs
medicine. Maybe he’s so tired of himself he’s fleeing, a lot of people try to
run away from themselves, but no one truly can. You care for him, what
difference does it make?”
    Heather’s stare
burned on her face. “You do realize even if you find him and put Pinocchio back
together, odds are you won’t end up together in the long run.”
    It was a
painful truth, but nonetheless true. He’d tire of her like he did everything
else.
    “I know. I
still have to try to help him.”
    Because it’s
the right thing to do.
    Was Heather’s
set of morals rubbing off on her already?
    “Do you always
do the right thing?”
    “No. I strive
for it, but no… Hey, if he doesn’t show up, maybe I’ll go with you and look for
him.”
     
    *****
     
    Having someone
to confide in was a relief.
    How could they
have worked together for so long without her knowing she shared a room with
super woman? Heather was tall, beautiful, smart, and kind.
    She probably
catches thieves and saves orphans too. Must be some überspecies of human.
    Getting some
sleep was a huge relief, even if it came synthetically from a bottle of
ZZZQuil.
    Was I as
stuck in my own way of thinking and my own problems as Marc is?
    Working wasn’t
usually on her top list of things to do, but now it seemed a respite from
worries. Her boss had a thing about cell phones and she kept it close, but
hidden under a sheet of paper. If it made any noise besides claiming it needed
a charge, she wanted to know.
    When Saturday
came and the office was closed, she roamed from window to window staring out.
She itched for action, and her inability to do something drove her to the brink
of sanity. When was this rescue mission supposed to take place?
    Turning the TV
on didn’t alleviate her restlessness, and neither did looking in the fridge.
    Maybe I
should go