by Helene Laval
When the last note ended April turned her head to me. “Happy Birthday, Pretty Boy, time to make a wish and blow out the candle.” I leaned forward and did so, wishing for only one thing. That beautiful woman with the sparking blue eyes smiling at me.
April addressed the crowd and said, “And this is how we celebrate a birthday at Mama’s!” And promptly smashed the pie in my face. The crowd roared. I was so stunned I couldn’t move, I couldn’t see. I could feel April holding me steady with one arm until I finally managed to swipe a handful of whipped cream out of my eye and with a wave of my hand, splat it onto the floor.
When I finally could see again, Annie was laughing uncontrollably at the table, clapping her hands and rocking back and forth and wiping tears of laughter from the corner of her eyes, I turned toward April who was wearing a stern grin, but there was a twinkle in her eye that told me she was loving this as much as the crowd did.
She handed me a towel to wipe my face. “You did good, kid.”
The “pie” was not a pie at all, just a pie plate filled with whipped cream, and I furiously tried to clean myself off. The room was whooping and cheering and yelling, “Happy Birthday!” over and over and I felt a reluctant smile grow on my face. I raised my arms at the crowd and yelled, “Thank you! Thank you all!” and bowed deeply to the house.
She got me good, my Annie. And I learned that my prickly, stern, standoffish woman had a fantastic sense of humor.
When I got back to our table, I leaned down to Annie and gave her a kiss on the forehead. I gripped her chin gently to lift her face to mine and allowed my whipped cream covered thumb to enter the corner of her mouth. She licked it clean, a promise of later. My dick stirred to life again, and I sat quickly hoping nobody would notice.
I leaned forward and said in a low voice, “Thank you, Tinker Bell, but you’re going to pay for that one.”
“Oh, I hope so,” she teased.
24
Annie
Watching Steve get pie in the face was seriously the highlight of my year. Most folks that go to Mama’s know the deal with birthdays, so when they get an unsuspecting newcomer, it’s the entertainment of the evening. The birthday pie in the face was probably the best kept secret in three counties, and we guarded it fiercely.
When we got back to the apartment, Steve dropped his things and beelined to the shower muttering about how sticky he felt. I decided I wanted to make him un-sticky by licking him clean from head to toe. I started taking off my coat intending to follow him to the shower.
“Fuck!” Steve’s voice yelled from the bathroom.
I rushed over. “Steve? Are you alright?” I asked cracking open the door.
He was standing in front of the mirror, furiously trying to wipe something off of it. I didn’t understand what I was seeing at first, and slowly it came into focus. Thick black writing was scrawled across the mirror. Permanent marker, which made his scrubbing futile.
“What the hell is that?” I asked, the full impact of what the words said not making any sense to me. I read it again, and my chest tightened in fear.
Go home, Esteban. Your wife is waiting: Your whore will get hers.
“Steve? What does that mean?” He turned his head toward me, eyes wide with panic. My insides burned, and I felt fire deep in my belly. First denial, then cold rage. It was written all over his face. He didn’t even need to tell me.
“We have to talk,” Steve said turning toward me.
I backed away, and he stopped. “Is this true? Do you have a wife?” I asked, barely able to get it out. I felt my fists balling at my sides, my nails digging deep into my skin.
“I have a wife. I mean, I used to have a wife. Well, I’m starting to think I still do, but we haven’t been together for two years.”
The words kept ringing in my ears. I have a wife, I have a wife. I couldn’t get past that part, barely registering the rest.
“What do you mean, you think you still have a wife?” That heat in my belly was ready to boil over. The room started to close in on me. I had to get out of there, and fast.
“It’s complicated. She is my past. I’ve moved on, and apparently she hasn’t, or she had for a while, and now? I don’t know, she was supposed to sign divorce papers! I haven’t talked to her in almost two years,” he pleaded. “Annie, I want you. I want only you. This,” he said pointing at the mirror, “means nothing.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were married? A fucking wife, Steve. And if that’s true, that does make me your whore.” As soon as I said it, I felt the bile rise in my throat. I was a cheater, the other woman, a whore.
“Annie, let me explain and let us talk about this,” he said walking toward me again.
I backed farther and farther away. “I don’t think so,” I said, and shut the bathroom door in his face.
Grabbing my coat and keys, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. My mind was reeling. My body just did things of its own accord. It wanted to run, so it did.
I hopped in my truck and drove away, unsure where to go. Of course there was only one place to go. The only place that I knew.
I found myself sitting in my truck behind O’Dell’s and realized I couldn’t go inside. I didn’t want to go inside. I didn’t want to face anybody. With the engine still running, I sat and cried.
I don’t know how long I stayed there in my truck. Even though the heater was on, it was dang cold outside. I thought briefly of sharing my office bed with Justin, but quickly dismissed that ridiculous thought. I was embarrassed, and I just didn’t want to show my red, puffy tear-streaked face to anyone. I took a few deep breaths, put my truck in gear, and headed over to the Sunrise Motel.
I rented a room from a bored and dull desk attendant that either didn’t notice my red and swollen face or didn’t care. He probably saw this kind of thing all the time. I didn’t offer, and he didn’t ask, just handed me a key and told me my room number.
I pulled around back not wanting Steve to find my truck. He’d be looking for me soon, I was sure of it. He’d called my phone a dozen times since I left. I declined each call on the first ring. I had at least three pending voicemails, but if they were anything like the twenty texts I received, I wasn’t ready. I needed time to process.
The Sunrise Motel had been around since the beginning of time and hadn’t been updated since the seventies. The room was spartan. A single photo adorned the wall, a large floral bedspread covered a double bed. An old CRT television sat on a simple dresser, and an end table with the knobs missing off of the drawers completed the decor.
Once I removed the bedspread, I plopped onto the mattress and thought about my predicament.
Steve was married. He didn’t tell me about it. Why not? Who was she? Was she pretty? I was already comparing myself to somebody that I had no idea what she looked like or what kind of person she was. How insecure was that? I burned with jealousy, not a feeling I was used to. I didn’t know what to do with it.
Thought number two: Somebody broke into his apartment and left a message on his bathroom mirror. That was creepy as hell. Who does that? Well, my dad would do something like that, I guess. It wasn’t the wife because the message indicated he had to go back to her. None of it made much sense at all. So, who the hell broke into his apartment? And why did Steve look so frightened?
I had more questions than answers. I had seen Steve with lots of women, but I had never seen him with the same woman. Despite this, he was loyal. I can’t imagine him just up and leaving without a good reason. He indicated a long-term relationship, but it never occurred to me it was something like marriage.
He was obviously upset about the death of the people that looked after him. Did that have something to do with his marriage? Was that why he left El Paso? After running these thoughts over and over, I had no answers. The only person that could answer them was Steve, and I wasn’t ready to talk to him.
I made a quick call to O’Dell’s to check on Justin. He assured me all was okay, it was slow, an
d I didn’t need to come in at all. I told him I wasn’t feeling well, and I’d talk to him tomorrow. The texts from Steve dwindled until they stopped. I flipped off the light and fell asleep.
25
Steve
Fuck! I didn’t know how I was going to fix this. I had to find Annie. I needed to tell her all of it. I intended to tell her about Hector Santiago and Luciana, but the right time never came up. Remembering the look on her face when she realized I had been married will haunt me for the rest of my life. The pure devastation and utter betrayal. I’d never betray her. Never. I don’t know if she’d ever believe me. I had to fix the Luciana situation, but first I had to find Annie and explain.
She wouldn’t answer my calls or texts. I drove to O’Dell’s and didn’t see her truck. I didn’t go inside because I didn’t want to alert anybody there was a problem, I’m sure Annie wouldn’t appreciate that. I drove over to the Lakes Motel. No sign of her there. While sitting in the parking lot, I sent Annie yet another text, then I dialed the El Paso number.
“Esteban, I see you got my message,” the familiar voice said as soon as the line connected.
“Who are you? Forget that. I know Hector sent you. What do you want?” I asked, my voice clipped with anger.
“I’ve been watching you these past days. You’ve not been faithful to your wife. Hector knows about this, of course. He will not be kind to you.”
“Hector can go fuck himself. I haven’t seen Luciana in two years. I gave her divorce papers. I told her, I’m out. I don’t want any part of the Santiago family. I don’t want to see Luciana either.”
“Let’s meet. You can explain yourself and we’ll call Hector. You can say your piece.”
The asshole didn’t hear a word I said. I knew guys like this, I wasn’t going to get through to him. “And if I don’t meet?”
“I’ll find that pretty girl of yours and take her to see Hector instead.” My blood ran cold. Annie could not get involved in this disaster that was my life. “In fact, she just happened to fall into my lap, so to speak.”
“Where are you?”
“The Sunrise Motel.”
“I’ll be there.”
Ten minutes later I was pulling into the Sunrise Motel. It was nearly midnight, and the place was dead quiet. There was a scattering of cars parked out front and I could see the din of television lights from a few of the rooms. It was cold and still outside, but I rolled down the truck windows to hear the tires crunching the stones in the parking lot. I pulled around the back of the motel as instructed and noticed Annie’s truck, parked at the very last spot in this aisle.
“Fuck!” I said aloud and slammed the steering wheel. “No, no no!” I pulled up to room number fifteen, got out of the truck and ran to the door. I didn’t have the chance to knock when the door swung open and I burst through the room, hardly taking notice of the man who opened it.
“Where is she!” I hissed as I stormed into the room. I didn’t see Annie. I wheeled around and grabbed the smaller man by the front of this shirt and slammed him against the wall. “Where is she!” I growled again.
“Calm down, Esteban, she’s safe. She’s a few doors down. Doesn’t even know I’m here.” He spoke calmly and seemed undisturbed that I had a fistful of his shirt. I let the guy go.
“I saw her pull in an hour ago, mere coincidence. A very fortuitous coincidence I might add, but nothing more,” he said, pulling his shirt at the hem to straighten the mess I just made of it.
I was breathing hard, and my vision was fuzzy. I took a moment to calm myself and look at the man in front of me. He was of smaller stature, maybe five foot seven with a slight frame. Wire-rimmed glasses framed a slightly lined face suggesting he was approximately middle age. His face was expressionless and body casually calm as I assessed him up and down.
He straightened his tie, smoothed down his shirt again, and with a wave of his arm said, “Sit, please. We will talk.”
Not many places to sit in a standard cheap motel, so I sat at the edge of one of the double beds, and the man sat at the opposite one mirroring me. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs and looked at me. “My name is Eduardo.”
“What do you want, Eduardo? Why now? I gave her divorce papers and left. I haven’t heard from her in nearly two years.”
“I don’t want anything. I’ve been instructed to bring you home. Luciana, she is a sensitive girl. She has made many mistakes. Hector knows she has made many mistakes. You know Hector, he believes in the sanctity of marriage.”
“I thought she signed and filed the papers,” I said, running a hand through my hair.
“Luciana, although there was a time when she was willing to sign those papers, she no longer thinks that’s a good idea. She is getting older, she must produce legitimate grandchildren for Hector, and it’s time for you to come back.”
“Are you shitting me? Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?” She wants heirs? What does that even mean? They’re an organized crime family, not royalty. This was one of the thousands of reasons I left in the first place.
“I don’t have an opinion here. I have a job to do. That job is to take you back and eliminate anything that gets in the way of that.” He flicked his eyes dramatically to the wall, the direction of Annie’s truck. He was an unassuming man, yet his confident speech and deliberate movements classified him as extremely dangerous. I was not fooled. This man was as cold as they came. His eyes were dead. There would be no reasoning with him.
“You will stay away from her. You will not harm her.” I started to rise.
“That’s up to you, Esteban. You come with me now, and she’ll remain unharmed, yes?” Eduardo said, his hands steepled in front of him, eyebrows raised in question.
There really wasn’t a decision to be made. I had only one choice. I couldn’t bring the Santiagos to Annie, or Jesse, or anywhere near Song. I made this bed, and it was time I lay in it.
“I’ll go,” I said. “We have to take the truck to my work and drop it off. I don’t want anybody to think something’s wrong if it’s left here at the hotel. Then I need to go to my apartment and settle up with my landlady,” I said thinking of what else I needed to do to leave this town I’d grown to love and the woman who—a lump formed low in my throat and wouldn’t let me finish the thought.
“That is acceptable. I will follow you. We will leave now.”
26
Annie
I woke from a long and restless sleep. I looked around the motel and wondered why the hell I was still here. I had to go home. To Steve’s home. I had to hear him out. There had to be much more to this story, and I didn’t give him a fair chance. I overreacted, like usual, and let my anger drive me away without letting him explain. I’d never given my heart to anybody, and when I do, it’s to somebody I didn’t trust? No way. I was better than that. I didn’t make those mistakes.
Steve was a good man, one of the best men, and I had to believe we could make this right. Too much didn’t add up—he’d been here a year, and although I’d seen him him flirt with and sometimes leave with women, there wasn’t “another” woman. He had to be separated, right? He mentioned he got into trouble in Texas and had to leave. Whatever that trouble was, I was convinced we’d work it out together.
Sighing deeply, I picked up my cell phone from the bedside table and dialed. Steve’s phone went directly to voicemail. I didn’t bother leaving a message. Instead, I texted a quick, “I’m on my way home. Let’s talk.” And went to search for him.
He wasn’t at the apartment. I didn’t look around much other than to note he wasn’t inside, and that awful message was still on the bathroom mirror. I drove over to the garage and saw Michael and Jesse out in the parking lot. I pulled in and parked. Getting out I was relieved to see Steve’s borrowed truck parked there too.
“Hi Jesse, hi Michael. I need to talk to Steve, he inside?”
Jesse looked at me with a sympathetic expression then looked away. I was immediately on
alert. “Michael?” I asked, turning my gaze to him.
“Gone,” the big Viking said, briefly meeting my gaze before looking over my shoulder, obviously uncomfortable.
“What do you mean gone? Is he out on a pickup?” I knew as soon as I said it that wasn’t what he meant. Michael and Jesse stayed silent. My insides started to clench, and fear started to take over. “Will somebody tell me what’s going on?” I asked loudly, pleading.
“I don’t know exactly,” Jesse said finally. “We got to work this morning and saw the truck, but no Steve. All the vehicles are here, and the shop is still locked up, like he never opened up.”
“And?”
“And, Michael went to move the truck away from the bay and found this,” Jesse said, extending his hand out to me. He was holding a piece of paper that looked like it was previously crumbled and then smoothed out again. I snatched it from him and read.
Don’t look for me. I will be okay. Thank you for everything. I wish I could stay and live my life here. Please tell Annie I love her. Wish I got to tell her myself.
My hands trembled crushing the paper slightly while I read. A gasp left me when I read the last sentence. “Oh my God.” It came out in a whisper. My eyes filled with tears. I looked up first at Jesse, then Michael. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know,” Jesse said.
“Do you know anything about his past? Where he came from?” I asked.
“All I know is El Paso. He never talked about it much,” Jesse said.
“That’s all I know too. And he has a wife. At least I think he does,” I confirmed.
“A wife?” This from Michael, a puzzled look on his bearded face.
