The World of Myth Magazine

Deter Maybry had a girlfriend for the first time in his life. Audrey Feldman fell for Deter when they met in a bar outside West Palm Beach, Fl. Audrey told Deter it was in their stars to meet that night. They talked until the bright lights went on in the Ambrosia Lounge signifying the closing of the bar.

Deter was so entranced that he asked Audrey if she wanted to come home with him. Audrey agreed. Right now, she was homeless after splitting up with the boyfriend she lived with months ago. She came home to find Ty making love to his fifteen-foot python, and packed her bags, walked out without saying a word to him. He never called; he must have known she wouldn’t answer after that little display of affection.

Audrey moved from one-night stands to another trying to find a job and a place to sleep. Sometimes the men she went home with didn’t expect sex. She got a couch or sometimes a bed. Sometimes they wanted kinky sex, sometimes she went along with it. More than one night she slept under a bridge when she couldn’t bring herself to do what they asked of her. No one made her stay or forced her into anything, she was allowed to leave and walk away if she chose.

Tonight, Audrey wanted a hot shower and to be able to wash her clothes. Deter Maybry was good as any man she supposed. They both had astronomy interests. They talked about the Blood Moon coming in a couple of weeks. She hadn’t found anyone that knew anything about the full moon that would appear in the sky. Deter even had a telescope that hooked up a 35mm camera and took pictures of the stars. Audrey was impressed. They drank the rest of their drinks and left the bar.

Audrey grabbed her duffle bag sitting in the corner, followed Deter to the door. Upon seeing the bag, he hoisted it onto his back and carted it out to his Honda Civic. The duffle bag barely fit into the car.  They drove the fifteen miles to his apartment in total silence. Deter snaked his hand across the console and held hers. It made Audrey laugh a little. It also made her feel she was important to him. It was almost three in the morning by the time they arrived at his place. He threw her duffle bag on the floor and told her that she could use his washer and dryer tomorrow and gave her a place on the couch for the evening. She was drunk and wanted to take a shower.

She walked out of the bathroom into Deter’s bedroom, he was sound asleep with his arms wrapped around a pillow. Audrey knew then she liked this man. It felt good to climb into the clean sheets he’d put on the couch for her while she was showering.

The next morning Audrey got up and made coffee. Deter got out of bed, took a shower stopping short when he hit the living room.

“Who are you and what are you doing in my apartment?” Audrey’s mouth dropped.

“You invited me to stay last night.” Deter shook his head. Smelling the coffee, he headed for the kitchen. “We bonded over the Blood Moon, remember?” Deter stopped short. Something rang a bell in his head. He vaguely remembered that conversation. Luckily, it was Sunday, so he had time to straighten this out before he had to go to work tomorrow.

“I do remember something about the Blood Moon, and I do remember offering my washer and dryer so you could do your laundry. Have at it.” Audrey thanked him and stuffed her dirty clothes into the washer.

“Do you have any you’d like me to add?” Deter bounced up and got his things. The overnight invite became a week and then a month. Slowly Deter and Audrey became more than roommates. She applied for a job waitressing at a local café and was making decent money with her tips. She maintained her sleeping position on the couch, grateful that Deter respected her enough to let her do her thing.

“I took Friday off,” she told him pouring herself a cup of coffee.

“Friday?” Deter looked at her confused.

“Yes silly. It’s the Blood Moon. I think we should take the telescope and go somewhere away from the city lights to look at it with your telescope.”

“That’s a great idea.” Deter agreed. He was liking Audrey more and more. She was a decent person when not up against the wall. She was doing whatever she could to feed herself and put a roof over her head. Now that she had a job and could help buy food, he thought about them getting a larger place somewhere. A place where they could have their own rooms. Deter was sad that Audrey had put him in the friend lane. He thought that there could be something special between them. He always wanted a girlfriend who shared his interest in stargazing. But Audrey never made a move in that direction and, he was too much the gentleman to make the first move. He didn’t want to wreck a good thing. He enjoyed her company, and if that was all she wanted, he would be satisfied with that.

Friday, he came home with a bottle of wine. They packed up the telescope and drove out to the Apoxee Trail, a nature preserve, in his area. Deter set up the telescope while Audrey set up a picnic by throwing a blanket on the dirt road. She set out the food and opened the bottle of wine.

They toasted to their first-ever Blood Moon together and ate the feast Audrey prepared. Then looked through the telescope and took pictures.

“This is amazing,” Deter said.

“So are you,” Audrey responded. He looked into her eyes, and they fell to the blanket, where Deter explored another heavenly body, that of Audrey’s.  

 “Wow.” Deter lay next to her still reveling in their passion. “How long have you felt that way?”

“Since the first night, I met you. I love that you are a gentleman.”

“Well, I wasn’t tonight. Audrey, I’ve never…..”

“It was perfect, Deter. Just perfect. I’ll always remember our first time was during the Blood Moon.” They fell asleep in each other’s arms, waking when a squad car came to a stop on their legs.

“Help!” Audrey cried. The officer backed up immediately.

“What the hell are you two doing up here? Are you hurt?”

“Yes!” They both shouted. The officer radioed for an ambulance for two people that he’d accidentally run over on the trail.

“Frank, what the Hell?” asked the first officer who arrived on the scene after Officer Reginald called in the accident.

“I didn’t know they were laying in the road; I was just patrolling the park. I stopped to see what all the garbage on the ground was. Well, it was their picnic supper and their clothes. Apparently, they were stargazing, making love, and fell asleep.”

“Sarge isn’t gonna like this. Cop Runs Over Sleeping Couple. I can see the headlines now.”

“Oh, God. I will be the laughingstock of the precinct.” The ambulance had already taken the couple to the hospital. Officer Reginald was told to stay away and allow Officer Mercer to meet the couple in the Emergency Room to get their statements.

“Luckily, they were non-life-threatening injuries,” Mercer told his fellow officer. “Get back and file a report. I’ll let you know what I find.    

Audrey shrank back. “I don’t have insurance. I can’t be here.” The nurse patted her on the back.

“From what I heard, a cop ran over you and your boyfriend. Is that true?”

“Well, yes, it is.”

“So, this hospital call is on the county. You should just relax.” Audrey tried to relax but the nurse asked several questions that made her think hard for the answers. Deter was on the other side of the thin curtain, pulling it back.

“How are you doing?” he asked her.

“I’ve had better days. I think my toe is broken.”

“Yeah, I think my ankle is broken. They are taking me up to x-ray now, I’ll see you in a bit.”  Audrey wished him luck she was on her way for her x-ray too.

After an hour they were back sitting in the same spot, waiting for the doctor to come in. Audrey had her toes taped together.  Deter had a fresh cast and crutches.

“Hello. Would you like to do this separately or together,” Neither of them had a problem with hearing what the doctor had to say.

“Deter, you have a fracture of your talus which sits on your heel. We have cast it for eight weeks, but no weight on it for the first month. Audrey, you have a broken toe. Not much to do with that, other than to tape it to the toe next to it. You are also pregnant.”

“What?” Audrey couldn’t believe what he was saying. She had been so caught up in her couch surfing life, she forgot to pay attention to her body. Pregnant. Now what?

“It happens that fast?” Deter said excitedly. “That’s amazing!” Audrey couldn’t believe Deter’s naivety. She wouldn’t embarrass him in front of the doctor.

“Thank you, Doctor. I will get it checked out.” Officer Mercer interviewed them and brought them back to the Apoxee Trail, helped them pick up their things, and get them back into the car.

“Are you sure you can drive?” Officer Mercer asked her.

“Of course. It’s only a broken pinky toe.” She drove back to the apartment, helping Deter up the stairs. When he was settled, she sat down in front of him.

“Deter you know it takes more than an hour or two to determine pregnancy, right? Most likely when I met you, I was pregnant. I’ve only been here a month.

“I don’t care, Audrey. We made a baby under the Blood Moon. I care about you, and I think I love you. It’s my child no matter what you think.” Audrey couldn’t believe she’d found such a man. A caring man who would take on a child and not leave her. She moved to him and hugged him.

“We made a baby under the Blood Moon,” she said nestling her face under his chin going along with the fantasy.

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