MYSTERY OF THE TEXAS TWOSTEP

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED:

AWAKENING

Written by Rick Archer 

LIMBO MONTH TWENTY FOUR
JUNE 1981

MADAME X THE SECOND
 

The saga of the new Madame X continued into June.  Recalling how Victoria had driven off Lucy a year earlier, Michael wised up and made sure to conceal the identity of his new girlfriend.  No matter how much pressure Victoria applied, Michael stood firm.  I marveled that Michael was openly defying his ex-wife.  At the same time I feared for him.  If anyone knew Victoria's potential for poison, I did.  However, right now it did not seem like Michael had much to worry about.  Victoria had been reduced to a weeping woebegone. 

Victoria had all sorts of personalities.  For example, there was her Sunshine.  Unfortunately, that wonderful personality had not been seen for two years other than brief rays of light between the dark clouds.  And we know about the Snarling Tiger Woman.  Then there was Black Magic Woman, the scary personality that used her psychic ability to read minds and discern secrets.  However, at the moment Victoria was the Helpless, Sniveling, Whining Woman.  The thought of losing Michael 'forever' rattled Victoria something fierce.  Victoria's Divorce had actually made her cheerful for a while, her mood lightened no doubt by her flurry of dates.  However, that good mood was long gone thanks to the emergence of Madame X the Second.  As the permanence of losing Michael to another woman sunk in, the more forlorn Victoria became. 

One night in June, Victoria surprised me by waiting outside my classroom at 9 pm.  This was not her night to teach, so I knew something was wrong for her to make this special trip.  At this late hour, my students left the building while Glen conducted rehearsal in the big room for his performing jazz dance company.  I took Victoria into Glen's office and set her down on the couch.  Victoria immediately burst into powerful sobs.  Sympathetic, I put my around her and let her bawl her head off.  Victoria was terribly out of control.  She wailed like a mother who has just lost her children to a violent winter's storm.  Victoria's sobs were so loud, Glen barged in to make sure I wasn't beating her.  Good grief, Glen had heard Victoria's sobs from another room with the music playing!  He took one look at Victoria crying on the couch and froze.  Once he confirmed I wasn't hurting her, Glen rolled his eyes and shut the door.  A few seconds later I heard Glen turn up the volume to drown Victoria out so his jazz company could concentrate.

Moaning in despair, between sniffles Victoria explained what she was so upset about.  Apparently earlier in the day, Michael had come by to pick up Stephanie.  Trying as hard as she could to speak civilly to Michael about Madame X, Victoria had somehow persuaded Michael to let down his guard a little.  He said his girlfriend's name was Susan and that she was a nurse.  He added that Susan was very sweet.  When he said that, Victoria had seen a head-over-heels look of love in Michael's eyes.  Realizing Michael was gaga over this woman, Victoria was driven to the edge of insanity.  As if she wasn't crazy enough already. 

"Oh my God, Rick, Michael used to look at me that same way in college.  He called me 'The One'.  He was so in love with me that he could not see straight.  Right now, the thought of that memory is tearing me to pieces.  I cannot stand it.  Michael is moving on to a new life, a life that will not include me!"

With that, Victoria let out a shriek of anguish and resumed weeping inconsolably on the sofa.  I shook my head in disbelief.  I could not believe how far she had fallen.  A couple months earlier when Victoria had announced her intention to date other men such as Vincent, she had been optimistic and confident.  Then came her triumph with the TGIS class she had begun teaching at the church.  With men clamoring for her, the color was back in her face and she had regained her popularity.  Indeed, seeing signs of the old Sunshine Victoria from the early days of our relationship, I assumed Victoria was finally snapping out of her two year fog.  Now look at her.  Victoria was pale white, her hair was a tangled mess and she had bitten off her fingernails.  Her makeup was all over her shirt thanks to the stream of tears running down her face.  The arrival of Susan in Michael's life had turned Victoria into a sniveling, whining caricature of her once radiant persona.

Despite her considerable beauty and talent, Victoria could be very insecure.  Victoria had always been afraid of what she did not know. That included Susan.  As she worried about what sort of woman could cause Michael to fall in love, Victoria magnified her unknown rival into some sort of superwoman.  In her mind, the new Madame X was the second coming of Florence Nightingale, Playboy Centerfold and Mensa candidate rolled into one.  Victoria had done the same thing with Madame X the First, my former girlfriend Jennifer.  Indeed, Victoria's overwrought fantasies of Jennifer's beauty and talent had been directly responsible for her unexpected appearance on my doorstep.  Now Victoria had elevated Susan in a similar way.

"Oh, Rick, Susan must be beautiful, I am sure of it.  Michael has always been attracted to beautiful women and they to him.  Michael is very handsome and he is also very kind.  Susan must be thrilled to capture the heart of such a terrific man.  After the way I have behaved, I am sure Michael feels vast relief to find a woman who is warm to him and doesn't argue with him all the time.  I never should have acted like I did.  What is wrong with me?  I've made so many mistakes.  Why did I drive him away from me?  Now I've lost Michael forever."

Victoria resumed wailing like the forlorn banshee in a violent rainstorm. I had seen Victoria this forlorn twice before.  Once was Doorstep Night, the other was when she saw Kramer vs Kramer.  With Susan magnified into the most desirable woman on earth, Victoria was experiencing the same sense of abandonment she had felt with Jennifer. 

Victoria had once confided what Michael had said to her shortly before she made the decision to appear on my doorstep that fateful night.

"Jesus Christ, Victoria, will you stop crying?  If you want Rick that bad, then go get him.  I'm not going to stand in your way."

How weird was this?  No doubt on that terrible night Michael had witnessed a tear-soaked Victoria collapse with grief at the thought of losing me to Jennifer.  Good grief.  Michael and I had just reversed roles.  Caught in a revolving door, I was Michael and Michael was me.  Strange Karma indeed.

Seeing Victoria lose control, I forgot how fed up I was with Victoria over dating Vincent et al.  Now I was worried about her safety.  I won't lie, Victoria seemed downright suicidal.  Consequently I sat there as long as it took for Victoria to get the tears out of her system.  Sometime around 11:30, the music stopped.  Rehearsal was over.  Glen knocked on his way out to check on us.  "Do you need anything, Rick?"

"Yes, please.  Could you lock the front door as you leave?"

Glen nodded.  He understood my concern for safety.  With the dancers gone, Victoria and I were the only ones left in the building.  Another half hour passed and she was still crying.  It was not till sometime after midnight that Victoria finally calmed down enough to go home.  However she was so shaken I noticed Victoria could not even walk a straight line to her car.  I asked if she wanted me to come home with her, but Victoria said no.  Worried, I called her when I got home.  I was relieved to hear Victoria answer in a much calmer voice.  The crisis had passed. 

Although I felt sorry for Victoria, I felt even more sorry for Michael.  Why had he told Victoria about Susan?  Victoria was incapacitated for the moment, but she was a formidable woman when she had her mojo.  She had forced Patricia and Joanne to leave the studio.  Her reputation alone was enough to make Jennifer move to Dallas.  One year earlier Victoria had sent Lucy, Michael's previous girlfriend, screaming in terror.  Why didn't Michael learn his lesson the first time?  I suppose he assumed that since they were divorced, Victoria would face the facts.  Considering how hopeless she felt, under ordinary circumstances, I would have written Victoria off completely.  However, from experience, I knew this was no ordinary woman.  I had a hunch Victoria would rally.  Not only that, my deep suspicion had finally been confirmed.  Divorce or no divorce, Victoria's wailing proved that in her heart Michael still belonged to her. 

At that moment, I sat up in my chair.  Maybe Victoria had finally awakened from her Spell.  If so, Susan was in big trouble.  Readers of my previous book, The Year of Living Dangerously, will recall that Victoria had a bad habit of wanting whatever she could not have.  Most women would back off, but not Victoria.  She thrived on challenge. 

I had long wondered if Victoria had been operating under some sort of curse.  No, not a medieval curse cast by an evil witch, but rather a Karmic Curse.  If I could have a Dance Curse and the Curse of the Epic Losing Streak (both of which included Victoria), why couldn't Victoria have a Curse of her own?  I had long believed Victoria's feelings for Michael were far deeper than she realized.  For that reason, I had never felt Victoria was anywhere near as interested in me as she claimed to be.  No matter how often she professed her love for me, her words never made a bit of sense.  Victoria might be fond of me, but it was clear to everyone but Victoria herself that Michael was the Love of her life.

Now perhaps her tears had washed away the Curse.  I prayed Victoria was finally coming to her senses.  This was the night Victoria remembered the time she had loved Michael with all of her heart.  Now she wanted him back.  Sleeping Beauty had awakened.

LIMBO MONTH TWENTY FIVE
JULY 1981

THE WAITING GAME
 

Back in May, Jann Fonteno handed me her private phone number with a smile and a wink.  There was, of course, the possibility I had misread her gesture, but I didn't think so.

Poor Jann... she seemed to be caught in a Limbo of her own.  Jann was a victim of her own creation.  With so many men chasing her, I guessed that Jann feared what would happen if she let one of them catch her.  Perhaps Jann sensed that her red hot popularity would take a hit if she was linked to someone.  Or maybe none of the men stood out enough to be worth the trouble.  Or maybe it was more fun just to have a legion of admirers.  As Mae West once quipped, "Men are my hobby.  If I ever got married, I'd have to give it up."

Jann was not one to be candid about her love life.  She gave me the impression she had so many men clamoring to be her boyfriend, maybe it was easier to have no boyfriends at all.  Whatever the reason, I never saw Jann publicly linked with one particular man.  Instead she surrounded herself with several men such as Jim Garrison and Bill Stumph, all of whom she insisted were no more than dance buddies.  Yeah, sure, Jann, whatever you say. 

With Victoria refocused on Michael, my sporadic trips to her bedroom became a distant memory.  And so I entered a stage of complete celibacy.  Get me to the nunnery.  Fed up with my dry spell, I seriously needed to find a secret lover.  Consequently the memory of Jann inviting me to come up and see her sometime burned a hole in my mind.  I wanted to act on Jann's suggestion in the worst way, but I was still in Limbo Captivity.  Heck, I was always in Limbo.  Here in July, we had just reached the Two Year mark.

I no longer felt a moral obligation to stay faithful to Victoria.  However, I would kill myself if I made some mistake at this stage to upset my delicate Nice Kitty strategy.  The history of Victoria was that she was only interested in me when she thought another woman was in the picture.  She didn't want me, but no one else could have me. 

Given the possibility Victoria had redirected towards Michael, why give Victoria any reason to regain interest in me?  This explains my reluctance to alter my platonic status with Jann.  Why take the risk at such a critical juncture?  On the other hand, I was really horny!  My fear of upsetting the applecart left me torn over what to do. 

Of all the women I knew, I believed Jann could keep a secret.  However, I had my reservations.  If we had sex and it was good, no doubt ensuing goo-goo eyes on my part or hers would give us away.  Since Jann and I were public figures, people watched us all the time.  There were already rumors enough due to our tendency to be the last ones to leave the club.  Surely someone would pick up on a budding romance. 

These things are difficult to hide and rumors would drift back to Victoria.  Certain the walls had ears, that possibility froze me in my tracks.  Now that Victoria had regained interest in Michael, I believed she would grant my freedom at any moment.  Hence I decided that waiting another month or two would dramatically simplify things.  So I kept my hands off Jann.

No doubt Jann sensed both my interest and my reluctance.  She accurately guessed I was holding back for a reason, but what could it be?  I really do have to hand it to Jann.  She never pried.  Jann belonged to the school of thought that the boy should make the first move.  Consequently, even though we talked all the time, the subject of dating never came up. 

My indecision had to wear on her.  June came and went.  Same for July.  This unspoken Waiting Game was getting old. 

JULY 1981

RETURN OF THE SNARLING TIGER WOMAN
 

As I predicted, Victoria's competitive instincts kicked in.  Shorty after her crying frenzy in Glen's office, Victoria became a different person.  Unfortunately, the wrong Sleeping Beauty awakened.  Instead of the sweet Sunshine Girl, we got the Snarling Tiger Woman instead.  Summoning her dark powers, Victoria turned nasty. 

I paled when I saw the tempest develop.  I wanted so badly to call Michael and warn him.  I wanted to scream, "Run, Michael, run!  You should have never told Victoria!  Run while you still can!  Hide Susan from Victoria or you'll be sorry!!" 

Too late.  Victoria was already on the warpath.  The thought of losing Michael to Susan had awakened a dormant volcano.  The next time I saw Victoria, her claws had grown back sharper than ever.  Uh oh.  The re-emergence of the Snarling Tiger Woman was an eerie replay of my own Madame X experience.  Fireworks were sure to fly.  Due to my strange role reversal with Michael, I felt sorry for him.  He had no idea what was coming.

Now that Michael had a new girlfriend, it was inevitable that Victoria would fight to win him back.  In Victoria's twisted mind, her ex-husband was officially a 'Challenge' again.  It was the oldest story in the Book of Love.  By getting an attractive woman seriously interested in him, Michael had made himself irresistible to Victoria.  Poor Michael.  I knew exactly what this meant.  They say Big Game Hunters kill dangerous wild animals to demonstrate their manhood.  Perhaps women do the same to female threats.  If history was to be repeated, Victoria would murder Susan, then look to conquer Michael anew.  Victoria lived to compete for men.  There was some part of her ego that required the conquest of unattainable men and destruction of female suitors.  What Victoria wants, Victoria gets.  Victoria wanted Michael.  We all know what that meant.  Susan had to go.

And what about me?  The more preoccupied Victoria became with Michael, the more I receded into the woodwork.  This situation was some sort of strange Karma at work, I was sure of it.  However, since I did not have any particular role to play, I settled back in my comfy chair, made some popcorn and amused myself trying to guess what would happen next.  It wasn't really all that difficult.  After all, I knew the Victoria Playbook by heart.  Victoria was so predictable at this point I was actually a little embarrassed when each of my prophesies came to pass. 

One thing I predicted is that Victoria would call Michael at all hours of the night.  Yup, that happened.  I guessed that Victoria would drop by his house at inopportune times.  Bingo, Victoria dropped by his house unexpectedly any chance she got.  Victoria button-holed Michael whenever he came to see Stephanie and pumped him for information.  I predicted this too.  I also predicted Victoria would tell me everything rotten thing she did in lurid detail.  She had given me a play-by-play account of how she had run off Unlucky Lucy a year ago.  Therefore it was no surprise when Victoria took delight in telling me every rotten stunt she pulled with Susan as well. 

Madame X the Second had been around for nearly a month.  So far Victoria had restricted herself to being a giant pest.  However, now that her claws were growing back, I predicted Victoria would find some way to harass Susan just like she had once harassed my one-time girlfriend Patricia.  I nailed that one too.  Unfortunately for Michael, he made another mistake.  He let it be known that he and Susan were taking a trip together, maybe a cruise.  That definitely got Victoria's attention.  Not only that, Michael had made it easy for Victoria to stalk him.  After Victoria had tossed Michael out of his home two years ago, Michael had rented a house close by to make it convenient to see his daughter.  That move was about to boomerang badly.  Victoria made it a habit to drop by his rental house whenever she was in the mood.  During one surprise visit, Michael was forced to talk to Victoria on the lawn with the door shut.  To Victoria, the closed door suggested that Susan was cowering inside.  Now that her sixth sense said Susan was frightened of her, Victoria was emboldened.

"Susan is gutless.  If that had been me inside, I would have been out on the lawn ready to fight to the death."

Another time Victoria had the gall to bring her daughter along with her.  Why?  "Because Stephanie missed her father so much."  I thought that was a particularly nasty stunt.  Again Susan was trapped behind the door.  She was forced to listen in abject horror as Michael helplessly tried to get Victoria to leave without making little Stephanie cry again.  As they argued on the porch, surely it crossed Susan's mind that she was facing an entire lifetime of this garbage if she got serious about Michael. 

However, so far Victoria's Mickey Mouse stuff wasn't working.  Michael fought back and refused to let Victoria intimidate him.  He protected Susan and defended her presence in his life.  One night Victoria called at midnight.  Michael protested the late hour of the call and complained that Victoria had awakened both of them... which of course is what Victoria meant to do.  Victoria defended her decision to call Michael at the late hour due to some unexpected change in the next day's scheduling which involved Stephanie. 

Michael was furious.  "That's a bullshit excuse.  You know damn well this conversation could have waited till morning!"

Michael was so upset that he decided to turn the tables.  The next time Victoria called at midnight, Michael was ready for her.  Victoria said she needed the dates again when Michael and Susan would be leaving on their romantic trip.  Holding the phone so Victoria could overhear, Michael turned to Susan and asked her out loud what night they were leaving on their upcoming trip.  Then, just to irritate Victoria, he preceded to have a lengthy conversation with Susan about the trip while Victoria listened with growing anger and dismay.

"Susan, honey, what day of the week are we leaving for Cancun?" 

"I think we are leaving on a Tuesday"

"And how long is the trip, dear?" 

"Oh gosh, Michael, we will be gone a week, but I can get more time off if you would like the extend the trip."

"Tell me again what day are we visiting Xcaret Park?  I am getting my days mixed up with Chichen Itza..."

Victoria's harassment had backfired badly.  Oh shit!  They're in bed together!  Hearing Michael and Susan talk about their love jaunt turned Victoria livid with jealous rage.  Furious, she slammed down the receiver.  Victoria was certain Michael had done this deliberately and she was probably right.  Michael was flaunting Susan's intimate presence at his side in an attempt to get Victoria to back off.  Poor guy.  He should have known better.  When Victoria gets angry, she retaliates.  Sure enough, the next day when Michael came to pick up Stephanie, Victoria confronted him.

"In the future, Michael, you might have the courtesy not to rub that woman in my face.  You know how that hurts me."

"Well, when you start showing me the courtesy of not calling at midnight, maybe I will stop reminding you that I have a beautiful woman lying at my side."

'Beautiful woman'?  Oh no.  Did Michael really say that?  As Victoria related this comment in Glen's office, I knew Michael had made a serious mistake.  Judging by the fire in her eyes, a REALLY big mistake!  Don't ever talk about another woman's Beauty around Victoria.  Michael should have known better. 

Michael had just struck the most tender chord in Victoria's fragile psyche.  Victoria's self-esteem was tightly wrapped around her glory days as a contestant in high school Beauty Pageants.  After this low blow, Victoria absolutely snapped.  I am serious, Victoria really lost it.  I knew Victoria wasn't wired like normal people, but I assumed she had some sense of decency left.  Maybe not.  I should not have underestimated Victoria.  After all, this is the Snarling Tiger Woman we're talking about.

Victoria's biggest fear was that Susan was better looking than she was.  Ah Vanity, thy name is Woman.  Obsessed with Susan's beauty, she called me on the phone and ranted for an hour.  I told her to knock it off, but it did no good.  Finally Victoria couldn't take it any longer. 

"I am so consumed with curiosity about this new woman in my husband's life!!!"

"Don't you mean 'EX-husband'?"

Victoria corrected me.  "Michael will always be my husband!"

Victoria's obsession with Susan's looks was a game changer.  Victoria was so tormented, she just had to get a look at young and pretty Susan.  One summer evening in July she decided to do some stalking.  It started with a near miss.  Victoria was driving home from the studio around 9:20 pm.  There was no hurry to get home.  Stephanie's babysitter Jackie did not expect Victoria home till 10 pm.  As was her habit, Victoria drove by Michael's house hoping to get a glimpse of Susan.  Michael's car was not in the driveway, so Victoria parked her car nearby and invested ten minutes in a stakeout.  Her patience paid off.  Just then she saw Michael and Susan drive up.  Aha!  This was her big chance!  However, to her consternation, Victoria was unable get a good look in the evening gloom.  Deeply frustrated at the near miss, any normal person would have cut their losses and left.  However this was Victoria... enough said.  Victoria could not contain her curiosity.  Since it was dark, why not try a different trick?  Victoria got out of the car and snuck up to the house on a Peeping Tom mission.  One harmless little glance through the window and she would leave. 

This did not work.  Victoria could not get a good look through any of the windows.  One can assume that Susan and Michael kept the curtains closed because they knew who they were dealing with.  Victoria was undeterred.  Wandering from window to window, Victoria discovered the back door of Michael's rental house was unlocked.  The temptation was so unbearable that Victoria could not resist.  She had to know!!  Yes... believe it or not... Victoria actually had the nerve to sneak into Michael's house!   

Listening in horror over the phone, I gasped.  What person sneaks into someone's house?  But then I remembered I had once done something similar eight years ago.  Convinced my girlfriend Vanessa was cheating on me, I had climbed through an open window.  Yes, Vanessa was cheating on me, but no, Kenny was not there.  It was a near-miss.  Vanessa had gotten so drunk she had passed out, so Kenny had gone home.  Well aware that obsessive jealousy causes people to do very risky things, I decided not to judge Victoria too harshly.

Victoria told me she was so sure this would work, she did not see any risk.  It was so dark in Michael's house that she would be in and out.  Victoria quietly opened the back door and closed it without a sound.  Was Victoria out of her mind?   This was Texas for crying out loud, Gun Capital of the USA.  The newspapers were full of stories of people who get shot for pulling stunts like this.  Furthermore, I was afraid to imagine what Victoria would have done if she discovered Michael and Susan making love in the bedroom.  Victoria came close.  Peeking around a corner, she saw them kissing in the living room. 

"The sound of the TV was coming from the living room, so I crept through the kitchen and into the hallway.  I got as close as I could and saw Michael and Susan kissing on the couch in the living room.  I gasped involuntarily.  Michael must have heard me because he suddenly looked up.  The moment he spotted me in the dark hallway, Michael shouted, "Good lord, Victoria, are you out of your fucking mind?  What in the hell are you doing here!?! "

Busted!!  Any normal human being would have prostrated themselves on the floor and begged forgiveness.  Or turned and run for the hills in shame.  Not Victoria.  Victoria was not normal, we all know that.  In fact, I'm not even sure she was human. 

"I had a wild impulse to storm into the living room and confront Michael and Susan!" 

When she told me that, I gasped.  "No way!  Please tell me you're kidding."

Victoria laughed out loud.

"No, Rick, I'm serious!  I left my corner position and walked over to give that little bitch a piece of my mind."

Startled at Victoria's boldness, I asked, "What did you say?"

"I told Susan that Michael would always be mine and that she was wasting her time.  Susan didn't know what to say.  She put her hand over her mouth in shock.  I swear she nearly passed out from fear."

Victoria thought that was funny, so she paused to laugh loudly at the memory.  Me?  I rocked back and forth in total disbelief.  

"Oh my god, Rick, you should have seen Susan, she was scared out of her wits.  She started screaming bloody murder!   Susan was screaming so loud she must have thought I was there to kill her.  The woman was white with panic!" 

"What did Susan say?"

"She hollered, 'God damn it, Michael, do something!!  Get this monster out of here, get her out of here!!' 

"What did Michael do?"

"Michael didn't do shit.  He just sat there in shock.  Susan took one look at Michael and was horrified by his paralysis!   That's when Susan shoved him off the couch and kept screaming for him to do something.  That's when Michael snapped out of it.  When Michael saw how upset Susan was, he really lost his temper.  Standing up, Michael screamed at me, 'Get the fuck out of my house before I break your goddamn neck!!'"

"And what did you do?"

"I wasn't ready to leave, so I stepped closer and gave Susan a few choice words of my own.  I  repeated over and over that Michael belonged to me, the sooner she figured that out, the better.  I also told her to get lost for her own good." 

"Did Susan respond to you?"

"Oh, hell, no.  She got very silent for a moment, then demanded for Michael to use force.  Michael couldn't take it any more.  He grabbed my arm with one hand, opened the front door with the other hand and pulled me outside with him.  Still holding my arm, he marched me all the way to the car.  On the way, he screamed profanity at me the entire time.  I'm sure Michael woke up the entire neighborhood."

"What did he say?"

"I would rather not repeat what Michael said, but it was pretty ugly.  Mostly he said he would murder me if I ever tried something like again."

I was so dumbfounded by this story, it took me a moment to respond.  "Are you happy now?  Did you get a good look at Susan?  Was she pretty?"

"Oh yeah, Susan's definitely pretty.  She looks a little like me, but younger, a lot younger.  Susan is just a kid.  She looks like she just got out of nursing school.  I can't believe Michael is robbing the cradle.  He's a good ten years older."

"What were you thinking, Victoria?  What you did was beyond insane!"

"Yeah, I know, but I couldn't help it, it was an accident.  I heard her voice and I heard her laughter and when I saw them kissing I went nuts.  Damn it, I had to see what Susan looked like!"

I marveled at Victoria's gall as she related her break-in story.  The thought of another woman in possession of Michael had driven Victoria to a level of madness not seen since Jennifer.  Plain and simple, Victoria was crazed with jealousy.  To me, the irony of it all was simply overwhelming.  This attack on Susan was created by the same kind of bizarre frenzy that had driven Victoria to my house on Doorstep Night.  I thought it eerie that history had repeated itself.  Victoria had invaded Michael's home to claim possession just like she had invaded mine.  If this wasn't Doorstep Night II, then what was it?

As one would imagine, Victoria's break-in scared Susan out of her wits.  Susan concluded that Victoria was not only off her rocker, she might even be Fatal Attraction dangerous.  I don't think Susan was keen on fending off a potential knife attack.  Therefore it was no surprise when several days later Victoria reported that Susan was gone.  Victoria relayed the whole story of what Michael had said.  After Michael dragged Victoria to her car, Susan had met him at the door and asked to be taken home.  During the drive to her apartment, Susan told Michael she needed some time to think.  Susan said she was having second thoughts about that romantic trip to Mexico.  Michael asked if he could come into her apartment and talk it over.  Susan said no, she needed to be alone.  Never a good sign.

When I heard that, I recalled Jennifer saying something similar.  Jennifer had been terrified of Victoria discovering her identity and whereabouts.  Apparently Susan had reached the same conclusion... Victoria was psycho.  After a long night of mulling it over, Susan called Michael on the phone the next morning to call it quits.  She had come to the exact same conclusion that Jennifer had reached... any man who said he could handle Victoria was sadly mistaken.  Susan told Michael to cancel the vacation just like Jennifer once told me to cancel the ski trip.  It was hopeless.  Susan was convinced Victoria would never leave them alone as long as they lived.  Better to cut her losses now and move on before Victoria clawed her face to a bloody mess.

Susan's last words were, "Michael, I am so sorry to end it this way.  You are a wonderful man.  But that woman is insane.  One last thing.  Whatever you do, please don't tell that whack job where I live or where I work.  And don't give her my last name either.  I have enough nightmares as it is!"

Another one bites the dust.  That made a total of five women Victoria had managed to run off... three of mine and two of Michael's.  Very impressive in a dark sort of way.  Victoria was truly one of a kind.  But what kind was she?