After everyone had gone home, which was about six in the morning, Hailey started to clean her house for the third time that week. Luckily, every time Tom stayed to help."I appreciate your help, Tom, you are truly a better man than Dickie," Hailey said, picking up a random beer bottle. She looked up. No one was there.
"Y'know, sneaking up behind me is kind of something I can expect now," she declared before he could spook her.
"Damn you're good." He grabbed his broom and swept the floor of the stinky debris.
"I'm glad you dumped Dick. He's bad for you. Stay from people like him," Tom warned.
"Ah, Dickie couldn't hurt anyone's feeling if he tried."
"It's amazing how casually you think of your relationships."
Hailey stopped. She looked at him. Tom was tall, think and athletic with short, red hair, brown eyes and a smug-looking face. He was handsome, but never comparing to Dick.
"When I find 'The One' I won't be casual."
Tom laughed. Her thought of Mr. Perfect was an attractive, intellectual older man who knew exactly what he wanted in life. How many guys were like that?
"You're so sure you'll find him..." he countered.
"Yes, and where's Meredith? Oh yeah, she left you for Dickie! Funny how everything ends up with him!"
"Calm down, Hailey. I'm sorry, what I said wasn't nice."
She sighed. "It's my fault. Dickie owned me. You saw. It's hard trying to get around him. Everything I've done was enticed by him."
Tom nodded and continued to clean. "Meredith was so hard to tame," he remembered softly, "and I think that's what I loved about her the most. She was the model of what I wanted and I figured, if I got her, maybe some of her would rub off on me...But it didn't, it just got worse."
Hailey just couldn't imagine Tom changing. A male Meredith was not something the world needed. Meredith plus the male's destructive hormones equaled chaos.
"You shouldn't change. You're fine like you are, Tom. You are perfect."
Hailey thought about a female Tom. Him with messy blonde pigtails and short pink dress on. "It'd be funny to see you with tits, though."
Tom grinned. "You make it sound like a bad thing..."