She stood looking out her bedroom window. From the second story apartment she was in, she could see most of the city. Cars that roared on the highway, People that walked on the sidewalk just below the building, and the street which had an steep path depending on which way motorists were going. She had received a call from the press asking to have an sit down interview with her. It wasn't the 1st time she had been asked questions and now she was waiting for the same blue Sudan to come down the road with some blatant reporter or officer to ask her the same things she already answered. She wanted to get this over with as fast as possible. Eventually she got tried of waiting by the window and sat down on her bed.
She was a cheetah. Her were eyes were green but had bags under them from loss of sleep. She had golden yellow fur with large back spots going down her back and a large white under belly from her neck to her torso. She wore only a purple robe since she did not feel like grooming herself this morning in light of the interview. As she sat there pondering, she looked at her drawer to her nightstand. She knew that there was a packet of cigarettes in there. It had been several months since she last had one and she wondered if she could kill the time by going back to that habit. At that moment, soft cooing sounds came from behind her. She turned to look at the small crib that laid at one side of wall in the room. With a sign, she stood up and approached the crib. She had not slept well for this reason as well as why she stopped her smoking habit. She looked down see her small cub still asleep making soft little noises as it dream t. Much like her, She was a cheetah with the same features, Same white under belly, Same black spots. The huge difference between her and her mother was that her fur was a light gray and had much more shag to it. She also had bright blue eyes unlike her mother. These were the only traits from her father. As She stroked her cub's face softly, she thought to herself. That’s what this has all been about. Not about her or her cub but of her lover and her daughter’s father. The interviews and police reports were all for more information about him. He wasn't some great man who wanted to changed the world. He was an average guy who wanted to make something for himself.
“I guess that is what I loved about him. How that he was innocent. How he had done nothing wrong” She thought.
Now she only wished that he were here right now.
A loud knock came from the front door. Her daughter started to stir from her sleep. She had quickly calmed her down and left her bedroom to approach the front door. Behind the door stood a fox who was casually dressed. She did not expect this for the last person to come in and asked her questions was a rather obese brown cat. He asked her questions about her lover and seemed to be staring at her body for most of the time since he rarely made eye contact with her but this was different. This guy had on blue jeans that went to his heels. He wore a white undershirt with a blue overcoat on top. In one hand he carried a small briefcase. Like her, he had green eyes but his seemed well rested compared to hers.
“Susan Annalease?” he asked. “My name is Peter Walters. I'm here from the citizen?”
“Oh” she said snapping out of her thoughts “Come in please”
They both walked into the small living room where Susan sat on the sofa while Peter took a seat in a recliner chair.
“I only ask that we don't make a lot of noise. My daughter is in the next room sleeping”
“Of course” he said. With that he opened up his briefcase and pulled out a notepad, a tape recorder, and a small festival of pens.
“How long will this take?” Susan asked.
“Well I can't say that it will end in the next hour”
She signed. “ I've already given so much information about this”
“ I know but this is different. I'm not looking for the same old facts everyone already knows about while trying to find what will sheer more readers towards the tabloids.”
“So what do you want then?”
He looked at her passively with his small notepad in one hand and a pen in the other. Which he put the end of it into his mouth as he thought.
“I want the story. The full story. About you and your connection with Charles Brutrum”
“huh” she thought. She just wasn't used to hearing the name Charles. it felt too uptight. She always liked his more off beat name she used to call him. Charlie.
“I've already spoken to his parents but no one has seemed to address your connection with him. You two seemed pretty close is that right?”
She snapped out of her thoughts again and looked at the journalist.
“Yes. We were”
“ This is his apartment right?”
“ It is but he put the lease under my name as well” Susan stood up and walked into the kitchen to grab a drink. Peter continued to asked questions from the living room.
“ Do you work Mrs'Annalease?”
“ I'm attending medical school at the moment. Training to be a nurse. I work as a cashier at walgreens but most of the money comes from Charlies parents to help support my daughter. Do you want something to drink Walters?”
“No thank you” Susan walked back into the living room with a mug of water in hand.
“Can you tell me where you first met each other Ms. Annalease?”
Susan had sat back down on the sofa but with that question she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. People liked to label others for such small things they do or where they've been. She was no exception but she then thought about Charlie. How even after being brought down to the lowest common denominator he still manage to pick himself up and now look at the attention he's getting.
“Prison” she said
