Under the Elms

Trying again

Sofia closed the door as Prince left, making sure the deadbolt was in place this time. She leaned back against the door, exhaling. It had been a rollercoaster of a day, filled with joys, sorrows, laughter and anger. She was emotionally and physically exhausted, despite her nap on the sofa.

Heading for her bedroom, she decided she needed something she'd been denying herself for years: what she had privately named a ‘Prince Bath’. She'd bought the ingredients years before, but indulged rarely, and never in the past several years. The memories it exhumed were often painful, and she was all about avoiding unnecessary pain.

The bath salts, bath oil and bubbles created a fragrant steam that was so familiar, especially after spending a day with Prince. Lavender with a hint of vanilla. This time she felt confident the scent wouldn't make her weep; she'd done enough of that for one day. Easing into the silky water, she leaned back and let her mind drift over the day, considering the day’s experiences and her reactions to them.

If the man she spent time with today was, in fact, who Prince had become, she was intrigued. True, you could maintain a false front for an extended period of time. Today had presented too many opportunities for him to relapse into the selfish man she remembered. He hadn't taken any of them, discounting the cavalier way he threw cash around at restaurants. She assumed that was a way to keep moving and avoid being accosted by folks while waiting for change.

He had exhibited kindness and thoughtfulness on several occasions. He could have been offended by her yelling at him and responded in kind. Instead, he took control, but didn't abuse the privilege. Well, maybe picking me up was a bit much, she thought, smiling wryly at the memory of being flung over his shoulder. It had always surprised her that he was as strong as he proved himself to be. He might be petite in frame, but he's all man, she chuckled to herself.

Even then, he had placed her on the sofa so carefully, showing a level of control that surprised her. His sincere apology and extensive explanation of how his life had gone the past 14 years was compelling. Discovering her unwitting part in all that was stunning, she had to admit, and a bit hard to believe. She hoped she wasn’t too big a disappointment compared to the muse version of her.

On the other hand, he never tried to take advantage, which is definitely different from the Prince I knew. He was always putting the moves on me! She blushed at the memory of all the times she put him off at the beginning of their relationship. She wasn’t sorry-far from it. She was glad she knew him as well as she did when they finally consummated their relationship. She was so naive back then; she really believed that when she gave him her body that meant they would be together forever. That had made it so much harder for things to end they way did.

The splash of her elbow in the bath water made her realize she had fallen asleep in the tub. After toweling off, smoothing herself with lotion, and slipping into a silk chemise, she got into her bed under the electric blanket and crashed.

Meanwhile, Prince headed straight for his studio in Paisley Park. He had songs flying around in his head that he wanted to record before they made him crazy. He was certain that his ability to create was a gift from Jehovah, beyond his understanding. He’d been raised to believe that with awesome gifts come awesome responsibility, and he’d done his best to give back and empower others using the wealth he had amassed as a result of his musical ability, hard work, and business savvy.

Entering the studio, closing the door, he made sure fresh tape was in place and ready to go. He sat down in a black studio chair, checked that things were still set on the board the way he liked them, and got busy creating what he could hear in his head. He couldn’t wait to share these songs with Sofia. He wanted to play a few others he felt were clearly about her, so clear even she would realize.