Author's Chapter Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Likes
* hot, simple food
* antiques, history
* duties and responsibilities
* not being pressured by others, having plenty of time
* sexual love
* privacy
* what is regarded as the best, such as a Rolls Royce
* membership at an exclusive club
* home and family
* personalized gifts
* new books
* expensive gemstones
*
Craig had a good time at work. Mostly because he was grateful to still have a job somewhere. However, he couldn't stop thinking about Adena. He has only known her for less than 24 hours and she is all he could think about. It kind of scared him. He didn't collect numbers as he usually did, he didn't pick up a girl and take her to his place as he usually did and he didn't sleep at some strangers place as he usually did. He collected his pay and his equipment and rushed home. Hoping that Adena was ok.
He walked in and saw that the lights in the kitchen were on and that a bowl of soup had been made but barely touched. He sighed, well at least she attempted to eat. He also noticed that the kitchen was clean, very clean. "Adena?"he asked as he walked into the room. It was dark but the light from the tv,which was still on, lit up the room enough. He didnt see anyone lying on the bed. He turned the light on and saw her lying on the floor beside his bed. He rushed to her and saw that her cell phone was in her hand. It displayed 2 missed calls. He shook her gently,"Adena?Adena?You ok?You gotta get off this floor. Its cold"he said to her
Adena opened her eyes and then started coughing. He lifted her onto the bed and moved the hair out of her face,"Adena?What happened?"he asked her
"Huh?"she asked him,she was still waking up and trying to figure out where she even was. But things were coming back to her....slowly.
"I just got home.Its almost 4 am and I find you laying on the floor with your cell in your hand. What happened? Did you fall?"he asked her,"Are you ok?"he asked. He was really worried. He didnt know what to think.
"On the floor?"she asked him,then it hit her,"Oh...I...just sat on the floor,listening to my voicemail...I fell asleep listening to it"
"And?..."he asked her. He felt that it was more to the story than that.
"Thats it"she said as she yawned
"Oh well...I saw an untouched bowl of soup and a very clean kitchen...can you explain what happened there?"he asked her
"Oh well I attempted to eat like you said but I noticed that you and your roommate....well I just decided to clean up-"
"Adena, you didnt have to do that. Your sick because you overworked yourself, now cleaning my kitchen isnt a very wise thing to do when you have flu symptoms"
"Your welcome"she said to him as she laid back on the pillows
"Thank you.....sorry...but you didnt have to. Im the one who's going to do the cleaning out of the two of us ok?"
"Ok sorry I just...its a habit. I clean when Im bored-"
"Well sorry.I should have left you something to do. I mean I figured you would sleep the rest of the day"
"I wasnt bored, I just...its a habit. When I see a dirty kitchen I clean it, even if it isnt mine. Im kind of a neat freak. Its tedious but I figured...i dunno"she said, not feeling she should explain herself anymore.
"Its fine...its just...you should rest thats all"he said to her, and then the buzzer buzzed. Someone was here.
"Who the hell is that?"she asked him,"You said it was 4 am"
"Someone very important"he said as he hopped up and went to the door. Adena sat there in the bed, wondering who it was. She hoped it wasnt a girlfriend of his or a female friend. That would be awkward. But did he have a girlfriend? Was he seeing anyone? She wouldnt be surprised but if he wasnt..why not?
Her first question was soon answered when he walked back in and tossed her a fortune cookie. "Its a routine I have, every night I DJ, I always call Dragon City when I leave so by the time I get home, they are knocking at my door"he said to her,"Did you want some?"he asked her
"No I dont have an appetite really"she said. She did have an appetite earlier but Taye's voicemail kind of ruined it.
Craig didnt really want to hear that. But he piled a paper plate filled with sweet and sour chicken, shrimp fried rice, chicken and broccoli, white rice with duck sauce and lo mein. He walked in and sat next to her and started eating and opened up a bottle of Bud Light. He looked over at her as he dug in.She had a weird look on her face,"What?"
"Your eating in bed without a tray, your gonna spill"she said to him
He laughed,"Wow you are a neat freak. Dont worry, my mouth does not miss a thing"he said to her,"Want some?"he asked her,"Got an extra fork for ya"
"No Im fine really"she said to him
"Oh come on, just one piece of chicken"he said as he picked up a small piece of sweet and sour chicken."Eat"he said as he put the fork toward her mouth. She resisted and turned her head. He put the plate down on the table next to the bed and said,"Hey...eat"
Adena laughed a little and shook her head. Then all of a sudden he started tickling her and she started squeal a little. Somehow as he tickled her he maneuvered the chicken into her mouth. All she could do was accept defeat and chew on it."There you go"he said with a laugh,"See?It aint killing you"
"But you made me kill my fortune cookie"she said,"I sat on it"she said as she showed him the bag with a crushed cookie inside.
"Oh stop whining its still in the bag. You can still eat it"he said as he opened his cookie and looked at the fortune and then laughed.
"Whats so funny?"she asked him
"'The source of eternal happiness will soon be found'"he read, and then added,"In bed"
"What?! Dirty fortune cookies?"she asked him
"No whenever you read a fortune you add 'in bed' on the end. It always makes perfect sense"he said,"Thats a great fortune,Im gonna keep this one"he said with a laugh,"What does yours say?"he asked her
Adena opened the bag and took the fortune slip out, she then laughed and read,"'Respect your elders'....in bed"she said and laughed."Eeew"
Craig laughed,"Oh thats classic. Hey I am older than you, I can be considered an elder. They dont mean elderly"he said to her. Then he realized what he said and cleared his throat and picked up his plate and started to eat, hoping he didnt offend her."Chicken?"he asked her
"Im fine"she said quietly as she ate her fortune cookie. They sat there in silence as they both ate, looking at whatever was on tv so late.
*
Capricorn is the complementary opposite sign to Cancer, and forms the paternal complement to Cancerian maternalism.
*
Other people in Adena's life were feeling awkward as well, but for different reasons. Kim forced herself not to call her again. She was wondering where Adena was. Did she go back to Taye and work things out? She hoped not. She felt that he didnt need a second chance. She got up and drank a glass of water and attempted to go to sleep again, but then her cell phone rang. She put the glass down and ran toward the bedroom to answer it....
*
Capricorns also need to be taught how to express their own very sensitive inner emotions in ways that will not cause them embarrassment.
*
Taye took his anger out on Adena through video games. He didnt bother calling Felicia, the girl that he has been running around with, even though she called several times saying she was "horny and wanted to see him". He told her about the divorce and she was happy. But he wasnt worried about her, he was worried about his soon to be ex wife and he hasnt heard from her.
"Shit!"he said as he watched his character get blown to pieces. He was trying to beat his friends new high score on the video game but couldnt beat it. He was too distracted. He picked up the phone and called Kim. She had to be with her. He listened as the phone rang once...twice...three times...he was about to hang up in the middle of the fourth when she picked up,"Taye?"
"Kim? Thank God I thought you werent going to answer like your friend-"
"Taye, do you know what time it is? Its 4 am"Kim said to him
"Oh...sorry...Ive been up all night worried about her. I didnt notice. Im sorry to wake you."
"Its fine. I was up anyway. I have been worried about her too"Kim said as she walked back into the kitchen and picked up her glass of water with her free hand and gulped it down.
"Wait, you havent seen her?"he asked her,"Has she been with Missy?"he asked her
"No I have seen her, I just havent seen her all day"she said to him as she made her way back into the bedroom. She wasnt going to tell him anything, well at first, but how could she stick up for her friend when she couldnt have the decency to call her back?
"Where has she been staying? She hasnt called me at all. I have left numerous messages"
"She has been staying with me and,truthfully Taye, shes a mess. She covers everything up with a smile, shes been working overtime at the gallery and then when shes not there, shes cleaning my apartment and making full course meals."
Taye sighed, he knew that wasnt a good sign. He knew Adena all too well. When they had their first fight as a couple, her roommate at NYU said that Adena cleaned the whole dorm room, even her side of the room and the bathroom that they had shared with another room. Thats when he learned of her habit. "Im sorry. I bet the food was great though"he said, just saying the first thing that came to mind. What could he say?
"Oh it has. I mean I havent had pure shrimp cocktail in awhile and I have never seen my bathroom floor look so clean but...she went to work this morning and thats the last that I saw her. Missy told me not to worry, that she was working another double...but its 4 am and she hasnt come back"Kim said
"Are you sure she isnt with Missy?"he asked her
"The last I spoke to Missy...was like around 9...she said she hadnt seen her either"
"Can you call her? Maybe she is over there? I just cant take it. Im worried sick and I wont be able to sleep until I know where she is"
"Yeah sure hold on. Shes probably up, now if she answers, thats another story"she said to him. She put her cell down and called Missy's cell from her landline. Instead of hearing ringing, she heard a song and it was "Pop, Lock and Drop It" by some rapper. She waited as the song played and put it on speaker.Then surprisingly Missy answered."Missy? I thought I would have to leave a message"
"Whats up? Im just leaving the club girl"Missy said, she sounded drunk and out of breath, she could hear various males around her. She was probably taking one of them home.
"Have you seen Adena since I last spoke to you?"Kim asked her
"Girl, dang, stop trippin'. I havent seen her. When I left your place, I went to Shaye's place and we went to the club from there. She aint at my place and she hasnt called me either"
Taye sighed, he could hear Missy and that wasnt a good sign if she hasnt seen her either.
"Why are you calling me about that at 4 am?"Missy asked her
"Well Taye wanted to know, hes on the other line-"
"Tell him to fuck off! Now he wants to know where she is? Its been days! Tell him that I said that he shouldnt had slipped his dick inside some random hoe when he had a good woman waiting up for him every night! Tell him that! He fucking deserves it!"Missy yelled
"Missy, calm down, Im not gonna tell him that"Kim said, hoping he didnt hear. But Taye did, he wanted to cry. But Missy was right, he did deserve it. "But Missy, where could she be? Its 4 am"
"Girl I dont know. Maybe she took that Mercedes of hers and drove to Long Island. She could be with her real family. She probably just packed up and left. Shes probably sleeping in her old bedroom...I dunno."Missy said,"Oh hey look I gotta go though-"
"Ok well...if she does call you, call me. I dont care what time it is"Kim told her
"Ok ok girl, anything else?"Missy asked her
"No,Im just worried about her"
"Shes fine Kim. Now get some sleep k?" They said their goodbyes and then hung up.
She picked up her cell and said,"Sorry that took so long. Missy doesnt know where she is either-"
"I do deserve it dont I?"Taye asked her,"Shes right"
Kim sighed,he heard."No Taye...you dont...Missy is just upset-"
"No I do deserve it. I didnt respect her when I was out...why should she respect me? This is what I get. I mean there have probably been a few nights where she stayed up worrying about me. Shes just giving me a taste of my own medicine"
"Maybe but...we are all adults and the adult thing to do is not pack up and leave when she cant deal with something. She could have at least called one of us. No one knows where she is"Kim said
"Where did she go? She packed and went where?"he asked her
"Missy said that Adena might have went to Long Island. To be with her family. She probably needed to get away from the city for the weekend. Who knows. Have you called them?"
"No...but I will-"
"In the morning of course. Not now"Kim warned him. She could hear him sniffling, he was crying. She felt sorry for him and her heart went out to him. He was truly sorry and knew what he had done was wrong.
"Yes...yes not now"Taye said,"Thanks Kim, I mean you could have been rude like Missy or ignored me entirely like Dena...thanks for being there"he said to her
"Your welcome"she said to him,"Get some sleep Taye. Im worried but shes ok. Wherever she is"
*
A secure, warm home with a regular routine and reliable, appreciative parents are essential to Capricorns.
*
Kim's words did set Taye's mind at ease. He laid down on the couch and cried himself to sleep. When the sun rose and its rays hit his face early the next morning, he sat up quickly and grabbed the phone and called the Capricorns. He knew them as early risers and they would be up by now. He didnt have to speak to Adena, he just needed to know that she was ok and safe and sound.
He waited as it rang....
Meanwhile on Long Island, Adena's parents were doing their usually morning routine. They both got up, showered, dressed and Mrs. Capricorn made a simple breakfast. Mr. Capricorn read the paper as she set the table. Breakfast was always a glass of orange juice, various fruits, bagels and cream cheese.
"I havent seen Adena's gallery in the Arts and Entertainment section lately. Do you think there is anything wrong?"Mr. Capricorn asked her
"Oh nothing should be wrong. Remember when she called last week sometime? She said they were working on a new project. It should probably be in the papers soon"she said to him
"She hasnt called since last week? Thats odd"he said as he put the paper down and took a bite out of his bagel.
"Shes probably very busy. Taye has been looking for a job so she feels she should work more overtime"she said. Then the phone rang,"Thats probably her"she said as she got up and picked up the phone,"Hello?"she asked sweetly
"Mrs. Capricorn? How are you?"Taye asked her, grateful that she answered
"Taye? Well what a surprise. And call me Gladys"she said sweetly.She covered the mouthpiece and said to her husband,"Its Taye"
"Oh"he said as he went back to the paper.
"How are you Taye? How have things been?"she asked him
"Is Adena there?"he blurted out, not really listening to what she asked. Then he realized it, they didnt know where she was either. Or they thought that she was with him....
"Is she here? No....Taye? Whats wrong? Why isnt your wife with you?"she asked now very concerned. Mr. Capricorn put down the paper and looked at her.
Soon after that Taye broke down. Where could she be? Where else could she have gone?
"He's looking for Adena? Why?"Mr. Capricorn asked Gladys. She shrugged and held up a finger,telling him to wait a minute.
"Taye, calm down. When was the last time you saw her? Whats going on?"she asked him, trying to stay calm. She slowly sat down at the kitchen table and put her hand to her chest while Taye told her everything. Absolutely everything.
*
The typical Capricorn gets what he or she wants by slowly wearing down parental resistance.
*