by Keeshia K
The guy handed me his credit card and I swiped it. I gave him his receipt and card back. Before I took the next order, I removed my phone from my pocket to check and see if I had any texts or missed calls from Bronco.
I didn’t.
My heart ached. Nobody told me this was how it would feel to be married. This shit sucked. When I blinked a few times I saw someone was standing in front of me. “Welcome to When You Can’t We Chick-Can how may I—”
“Excuse me but I didn’t get my cup for my drink.” The lady I previously rang up interrupted me to say. “I been waiting here while you standing there looking all crazy and shit.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, ma’am.” I said as I grabbed an extra large cup and handed it to her. I don’t remember what size she paid for and I wasn’t in the mood to check either. She snatched the cup, rolled her eyes and kept it moving.
I glanced up as she walked back over to her boyfriend. Now they were kissing and I wanted to throw up in my mouth. I missed my bae.
I decided to check and see if their food was ready because I had to get them out of my face or I might have had a panic attack.
When I looked behind me I saw their bag sitting under the heater. I grabbed it from the service window and walked it back to the counter. “Here you go.” I handed the guy the bag. They didn’t even say thank you. Just snatched it and left.
When I noticed another lady standing with tight folded arms I moved toward her. “I’m so sorry, ma’am. How can I serve you?”
“It’s about time,” she started. “I’ll have a chicken salad sandwich meal—”
“Hey, my order’s wrong.” The guy with the girlfriend said cutting us off once again as he walked back up to the counter and looked through his bag.
“You know what, fuck this place,” the woman who was interrupted said. “Ya’ll chicken taste like some dust anyway.” The frustrated woman walked out.
“You sure?” I asked, directing my attention to him.
“Yeah, my girl asked for grilled chicken salad and this is fried.” He said.
“I told you that bitch was looking at you like she wanted you,” his girlfriend whispered. “Can’t even get our food order right.”
I pretended like I didn’t hear her even though she was right in my face. “Ok, I truly apologize. I must have heard you incorrectly. Give me one second to—”
“Hi, sir.” My boss Carey interrupted me and said. “We will get that right to you. And we apologize for the mix up, we’re a little short staffed but we appreciate your patience.”
She must have overheard that his order was wrong. Fuck! Now I’m five seconds from losing my job.
“Taevonne, Ashley’s gonna get them their food,” Carey said. “Please come with me so we can talk a little.” I followed her into the back office. Shit, I hate being reprimanded.
The moment we were alone she laid into me. “I know you aren’t normally out front, but you used to be one of my best cashiers before your promotion.” She told me as I listened and tried to keep my heart from thumping out of my chest. “But lately you’ve done nothing but ring in wrong orders. Not to mention that your drawer was short last night. What’s going on with you?” She asked.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Carey, I’m just having some personal issues at home.” I told her. I hoped my brief and general explanation would be enough.
“Well, I can understand that. But this is work and you’re getting paid to do a job. Now, if you can’t do it, I’ll have to bring in someone who can. Are we clear?” She asked threatening my employment.
“Yes, I understand.” I told her trying to hold back my tears. I needed to get myself together but didn’t know how.
“Now take 5 minutes to get yourself in order back here then I need you on the floor.” She told me before she walked out of the office.
I placed my face in my hands and took a deep breath. I can’t function. I need to talk to Bronco. I need to know that our marriage isn’t over. I need to know that he still wanted me. At this point I was willing to do or be anything he needed as long as he doesn’t leave.
So I pulled out my phone to check it again. Still nothing. I looked at the clock on the office wall. Bronco should be on his break. Normally when he took it he would shoot me a text or forward me a funny meme. I wonder if he’s been on IG or Twitter? I thought.
I opened up my Twitter app to see if he was active. He was. That hurt even more. Basically he had his phone in his hand but didn’t use it to call me. He had to tell me something. I only had a couple more minutes before I needed to be back. I don’t have time to wait to see if he texts me. “Fuck it.” I said as I decided to call him.
I hit his number and when the call connected, it rang once then I was sent to his voicemail. He still had no words for me.
Wow.
I was blown, but I needed to fix this so I took another deep breath and when his voicemail finished and I heard the beep I started to speak. “Bronco, it’s me, umm…I really need you to give me a call. I’m at work and I’m about to lose it not talking to you. Please, baby, let’s put this back together. I miss you so much. Please call me.” I hit end.
****
I was back on the floor and was relieved that the lunch rush was gone and it was slower than it had been before. After doing little jobs around the restaurant, I cleaned up the area near my register and when I finished, a woman walked up to it.
“Your collar is flipped up on the side.” She told me as she reached over and put it down for me.
“Oh, thank you.” I said blushing. She was taller than me, about 5’7, with naturally long sleek hair. Her nose was tiny but her eyes were wide and made her look innocent if it wasn’t for her body. Plush lips. Big breasts. Tiny waist. All screaming come get me. I felt out of place in her presence so I ran my hand over my hair to make myself appear neater.
“No problem,” she said with a huge smile. “I couldn’t let someone as beautiful as you walk around like that.” She continued.
“Aw, thank you. That’s sweet of you to say.” I told her smiling back. It was the first time I had genuinely smiled in days. She seemed to be staring at me longer than she should have. But, maybe I was over analyzing. She could just be nice.
“How can I serve you?” I asked her.
“That’s what she said.” She told me.
I burst out laughing. “I love that show.” I said acknowledging that I got her joke from The Office.
She giggled. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. I love it too.” She stated as she looked over my head at the menu. For some reason I wanted her to take her time so I can really look at her. But why?
I cleared my throat. “See anything you want yet?” I asked still smiling.
She looked directly into my eyes. “For now I’ll take a number 3.”
She winked, reached into her purse and pulled out her credit card. When she handed it to me I caught a whiff of her perfume. Not only was she gorgeous, she smelled amazing. She looked like the type of woman Bronco would be attracted to.
Then it hit me. I knew just how I was gonna get my husband back. He laid out to me what he wanted before we were married. Now I either had to play the game or lose him forever. I just hoped she was willing to assist.
“You look like you’re into having a good time,” I started handing her back her credit card. “Would you like to hang out later?” I asked throwing all caution to the wind. It seemed like an eternity passed while I awaited her answer.
She smiled and said, “My calendar is wide open, what you got in mind?”
CHAPTER FIVE
BRONCO
I pushed down 295 on my way home. It was a warm night so I had my roof open and my windows down as I blasted ‘Kevin’s Heart.’ by J. Cole. I just finished working overtime at the dealership where I was a mechanic and relieved to finally be off.
All I wanted to do was take a hot shower, throw the Redskins and Giants game on and grab some grub. I ain’t feel like arguing tonight with
the wife but I had a feeling it may be unavoidable. Ever since Tae left me that message I knew the days of us walking around the house in silence were over. She was going to do all she could to get me to talk to her, even though I wanted to avoid it.
‘Aight…I mean, I know it was wrong for me to be getting head out Mexico, but shit, shawty came on to me hard. She wasn’t no dime or nothing like Tae but she just kept talking ‘bout how long and strong my hands were and she wondered what I was packing. Shit, I had to give her this dick. What else was I ‘sposed to do?
What Tae gotta realize is she the wife. She the one that got my heart as long as she don’t renege on a nigga. I know technically what I did wasn’t in my rules to pull Tae in before I stepped out but give a nigga a break. I was out the country and we just got married. It would take some time for me to break old habits.
I pressed on the brake as the evening traffic was at a momentary standstill. I used the pause to light my Capone. As I pulled on it, I looked over into the car on my left. An older woman was behind the wheel and when she looked over at me, she rolled her eyes and looked back out in front of her. The fuck I do to her?
I licked my lips and chuckled before turning my music louder and blowing the smoke out the window. My sounds were interrupted by an incoming call. When I looked at the screen I saw it was Tae.
Damn, she couldn’t even give me peace on my drive home. Fuck it. I decided to take the call. I mean we was gonna get into this eventually anyway. Plus, if I’m being honest, I jive missed her.
Since my phone was paired to my truck’s sound system through Bluetooth, I hit the button on my dash to connect to the call. “Yeah, hello,” I said out loud before pressing the gas since I was now able to drive forward. I took a deep pull from my Capone.
“Hey, Bronc. Look, baby, I know you had a long day, so I made dinner, turkey meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli and blueberry muffins.” She told me. “Were you planning on coming home to eat?”
She did that shit on purpose. She knew it was real hard for me to resist that meal. Especially after I worked OT. “Yeah, I guess.” I said dryly, grabbing my dick. I had to piss like a horse. I hated when I didn’t go before I left work. I knew traffic could be a bitch but mechanics are the nastiest group of niggas you ever could imagine. I couldn’t stand pissing in that bathroom.
“Great!” She said excitedly.
“But look, I ain’t up for a whole lot of arguing, Tae.” I made it clear. “I mean it ain’t fair that I laid the shit out for you before we got married and you still ain’t getting with the program. I’ma need a steady stream of bitches like some niggas need a steady stream of income.”
“Bronco, I get it now. I do. I know what I signed up for and I’m ready to be the wife you need me to be.” She told me.
I smiled. I do miss her. Especially how sexy she looked when she bounced on my pole. My wife was perfect. She had honey brown skin with freckles on her nose, big soft titties and a plump ass that went on for days. I can’t wait to slide in that tonight now that I think about it. “Aight, well, I’m in traffic, be there soon.” I said before ending the call.
I took another pull from my Capone and looked out at the cars ahead of me. When I realized it was more than I could wait through before pissing on myself, I jumped over into the right lane after the car on the side of me hesitated. I took the exit and was right by my parent’s house. I decided to go use their bathroom.
When I pulled up, I saw my dad’s car in the driveway but my mom’s car wasn’t there. I figured she was working the night shift and he was home probably watching the game.
After I parked, I gripped at my dick again to try and control my bladder. At this point I really had to go now. It seemed like the closer I was to pissing the worse the urge was. I felt like I was gonna explode.
I hopped out my truck and dashed up the walkway. I reached down behind the hose rack and grabbed the spare key. When I put it in and unlocked the door, I was halted entry by the chain. “What the fuck?” I said as I peeped through the crack looking for my father.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! “Pop! It’s me, open up.” I yelled into the house. The hallway light came on and my father came into my line of sight.
“What you doing here, man?” My pop asked as he finally approached the door. He still hadn’t opened it.
“I was on my way home but traffic a monster and I gotta pee bad.” I explained to him wondering why I still stood on the porch jumping from foot to foot, as I tried to prevent myself from wetting up everything out there.
“Aw, man, do like I do and piss in the bushes ‘round back.” He instructed before he turned around and started walking away.
“Come on, pop. You know I can’t pee in public. It’s just gonna hurt and not come out because I’ma be worried that somebody looking at me. Let me in, man, please.” I pleaded with him.
He shook his head, looked behind him and then turned back around to face me. He pushed the door closed with an attitude and I heard the chain slide through the latch. Finally he snatched it back open and stood back.
I busted through the doorway like I had a search warrant. “Thanks, pop. I won’t be—”, my sentence was cut short when I glanced past the bathroom and saw a gray haired woman, who wasn’t my moms, with watermelons for titties adjusting the buttons on her white blouse sitting on the couch.
I turned around and looked at my father. “What’s going on, man?” I asked stunned.
He cut his eyes to where the woman was and then walked up to me close. I guess so she couldn’t hear what he was gonna say next. “Look here, she’s a friend of mine I know from work. She stopped by to bring me some papers I needed to sign and we were just talking is all.” My father told me.
A friend. Fuck I look like old man…A newbie? I thought. “So Ma knows she’s here?” I asked not buying his bullshit.
“Boy, your mother ain’t my mother!” He said in a strong whisper. “I ain’t got to clear shit with her ‘fore I do anything.” He pointed a stiff finger into my chest. “This my house.”
I was heated, but I still had to piss. So, without another word, I turned away from him and walked into the bathroom.
I was so hot when I got inside I almost put my fist through the back of the door. I couldn’t believe this nigga was fucking another woman in this house. I mean, it was no secret that my father used to have women on the side from time to time. Shit, when I was little, he would take me along with him when he did his thing, but I had never known him to bring no bitch home where my mother lived too. That’s just dirty.
“Fuck this dude.” I said out loud as I unzipped my coveralls and let my pee stream into my father’s Timbs. He left his smelly boots in the downstairs bathroom occasionally and today they would play host to my angry urine. “If he wanna disrespect, so will I.”
CHAPTER SIX
BRONCO
I was still mad AF when I made it home. My father called and went off ‘bout his boots, but I ain’t give a fuck. Maybe he’ll reflect on how foul that shit was while he out buying new ones.
When I walked through my apartment door, I was shocked not only to see Tae sitting on the couch looking like a snack, but another dime sitting with her. I’d never seen her before and I immediately felt my hormones about to shift into fast track mode. Please, God prevent me from fucking her new friend.
“Hey, bae!” Tae said excitedly. “I’m so glad you’re home.” She hopped off the couch and approached me with a wine glass in her hand. I could see that her eyes were glassy and knew she was buzzed.
“What’s good?” I said before I cut my eyes to our guest who was also holding a glass of red wine.
