by Naomi Niles
“Yeah, yeah, sure thing. Um. Well, it was good seeing you, Karen.” I extended my hand to her. She watched it hang adjacently between us before she finally made eye-contact with me.
Her hand connected with mine. Her touch was soft and warm as a crescent smile escaped the corner of her mouth, “You as well, Gavin. Maybe, the next time I come back, we can all hang out together. I mean, if you’re okay with that.”
“Oh. Um, yeah. Yeah, I think that would be okay. I wouldn’t have a problem with it at all.”
“Good. Well, I’ll see you around. Um, call me if you need anything.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
She walked away, ending the awkward moment of kindness that floated between us like a mass of confusion. She switched her behind as she walked back to her car. I leaned against the doorframe, admiring everything I saw. Once she got into the car, I closed the front door. Vinny stood just to my side. “Whoa, kid! You scared me! How long have you been standing there?”
“Not that long.”
I looked at my watch. “Did you eat?”
“Yeah, not much, though.”
“Alright. Let’s get in here and find you something to eat so we can get you ready for bed.” I put my arm around him as we walked to the kitchen, “So, tell me about the time you spent with your mom. I know you had fun.”
As he spoke, I imagined what it would have been like if I was with them. Before long, I realized that in my mind, I was with Bethany, but in my heart, Karen still had a home. Just when I thought I was ready to move on, my past snatched me into a headlock and made it feel impossible to happen.
Chapter Eighteen
BETHANY
When I got home from work that Monday, I could still smell Gavin’s cologne on my pillow. I smiled when I held it close to my body, and the smell evoked the memories that we shared with each other this weekend. I still didn’t regret sleeping with him sooner than I wanted to. I felt like our relationship was solidified as soon as that happened. It may have been a foolish way to think, but that is just what I felt for the time being. “Hello? April?” I answered the phone and waited for her to speak on the other end.
“Where are you , Bethany? You are supposed to be here so I can teach you how to cook meatloaf.”
I put my hand on my forehead, “Right! My goodness, I can’t believe I forgot. I just got home, but I will be there shortly, okay? Don’t start without me.”
“Okay, but hurry up.”
I quickly grabbed my keys, then rushed to April’s home. Mark’s truck was still parked in the driveway, so instead of letting myself in, I rang the doorbell out of respect. Mark opened it with a smile on his face, “Hey, Beth! Good to see you.” He wrapped his arms around me.
“Hey, Mark! Your wife hasn’t been yelling at you for eating all the jelly, has she?”
He laughed. “No, no. I’ve made sure that there are at least two jars of jelly in this house at all times. Other than that, I am walking on tiptoes to make sure I don’t piss her off. We’ve got about five months left of this before it all goes back to normal, so I am just hoping that I can make it to see the birth of my kid before April kills me. That’s all I want to do.”
“Yeah, that is a smart thing to do.”
“Bethany? Is that you? I didn’t invite you over here to carry on a conversation with Mark! Come on!”
Mark shook his head, then whispered, “You better get back there before she turns her talons on you.”
I walked into the kitchen as April pulled seasonings out of the cabinets. “You are already late, so I don’t need you talking to Mark and delaying dinner even more. So, come right here and watch how I season this so you’ll know how to do it yourself.” I moved closer to her, smiling, as she sprinkled salt and pepper onto the meat. Suddenly, she stopped and put the spices down. “Um, wait a minute. I know that look. I know that look!”
My eyebrows smashed together between my eyes. “What look? What are you talking about?”
“No! You will not play dumb with me! You had sex with him, didn’t you!?”
“What?”
“Bethany Pope! You will not stand here and lie to me! I know you did because you are glowing like a fucking neon sign! You two had sex, didn’t you?! And don’t you lie to me!”
I hung my head, then exhaled. “Yeah. We had sex this weekend, once… or ten times.”
She laughed and threw her arms around me, rocking back and forth. “Oh, my God! I can’t believe it! You told me time and time again that you were going to make him wait two months! What happened to that?”
I laughed with her. “I don’t know. He came over after we went on our date, and we started eating ice cream. And, I don’t know, he just looked so fucking sexy to me, so I couldn’t resist. I had to. So, I went into the kitchen and got some chocolate and strawberry syrup, then we proceeded to ruin my living room couch and have sex until we were both too tired to move.”
Mark walked into the kitchen as April threw her arms around me and hugged me tight again. “Bethany! You fucking whore! I can’t believe you!”
“Whore?” Mark said, looking between us.
“She had sex with her new boyfriend,” April glared at me, “Wait a minute, you two are at least boyfriend and girlfriend, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
She looked at Mark, “She had sex with her new boyfriend! And she did it before the two-month rule she had set! That fake ass rule! I knew she would break it!”
“No shit?” Mark said as he walked to the refrigerator and grabbed an apple. “Wow. I can’t say that I am not surprised because I surely didn’t expect that. How long have you two been seeing each other?”
“Um…” I took a seat at the kitchen table. “Just over a month now.”
“That’s not bad. Most guys wouldn’t have waited that long, so I tip my hat off to the guy.” He sat down next to me at the table. “So, when are we gonna meet him?”
“Yeah, Bethany,” April said, zeroing in on me. “When are we going to meet him?”
“Um, I don’t know. I guess… he can come around whenever you guys have time. I mean, he is busy himself, but I’m sure if I give him a heads up, he won’t have a problem meeting you guys. He knows all about you.”
“Well, then it is settled. You find out when and then after that, we will set something up. Like, a double date or something. I think that would be great.”
I stayed at April’s house for a few more hours, talking and eating with her and her husband. I loved the fact that they were both excited for me. Things were going well until she asked me about school. I had forgotten all about that, especially since Gavin stepped into the picture. “Oh, yeah. Um, I’m going to get back to that soon. I mean, I’ve just been so busy, you know? I haven’t had the time to get focused on it again. The school sent me a letter earlier this week, prompting me to finish up, but I just haven’t gotten around to it.”
April put her hand on her stomach and made a circular motion. “Okay, Bethany. I understand, but don’t lose track of what you want to do because Gavin is in the picture. If anything, he will understand and help you get to your goal. Does he know about it?”
“Um, a little bit. I think I mentioned it at the beginning when we first signed up on that website, but that’s it.”
“Shit!” She stood up as quickly as she could, then rushed into her study. I got up and followed her down the hallway and into the room. She planted herself at the desk behind the computer. “I forgot. I need to remove my damned card from that website. Shit. I don’t need to get charged again, especially when you found your man just a day into it.”
I watched her log on and remove her information, smiling at the fact that she was the reason I found Gavin in the first place. I appreciated her as a friend, and the least I could do was make sure they met each other. I called Gavin, but his phone went to voicemail. It was late in the evening, so I figured he was busy trying to get Vinny ready for bed. “Well, I think I am going to head home now. Dinner was great, April
, and thank you for showing me how to make it. You know, one of these days, I am going to have to cook for us.”
“Yeah, I think so. I think I’ve taught you well enough for you to make a few dishes. So, yeah, surprise us. Maybe you can cook for me, Mark, and Gavin one day. I think it would be a good idea.”
“Yeah. I’ll let you know.”
I left her house and headed home. The sun had just sent its last rays over the horizon. Street lights flickered on while I let my car idle at a red light. Gavin called me as I waited. “Hello? Did you call me?”
“Yes.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Everything is perfect. I was just calling you because my friend April wants to meet you. I figured that whenever you have some time, we could meet up with them and hang out. After all, she is the reason that I even signed up on that website.”
He laughed. “Yeah, sure thing. That won’t be a problem. We can get together, but let me check my schedule first so I can make sure I don’t have anything going on.”
“Okay. I’ll call you when I get home and settle in.”
“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”
I smiled. “Alright.”
After I hung up the phone, the light switched to green, and I traveled through the intersection. Just ahead, there was another red light that slowed my pace. As I eased my foot onto the brake, I noticed bright lights behind me. High beams blinded my vision as I looked through the rearview mirror. Jerks. I shook my head as the music thumped from the speakers of the vehicle behind me. Loud bass rattled the trunk. I couldn’t wait for the light to turn green so I could pull away from the obnoxious driver. As soon as the light switched, I pressed the gas pedal and sped off, leaving the car behind me.
A few minutes later, a white truck appeared on my side, riding parallel to my car. I smashed on the brakes in the middle of the street once I realized that it was the same truck I saw when I was out with April. Behind me, a car slammed on its brakes and blew its horn, but I was oblivious to it. With a panic gaze, I watched the white truck ride slowly down the street. The person in the car behind me honked the horn again, but this time, the driver leaned on it until I moved out of its way. Once I pulled to the side, he rolled past me slowly, yelling curse words in the process.
I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking as I parked in front of a small store. I looked in the direction that I saw the truck, praying that it didn’t circle around and come back to me. I couldn’t see anything inside the truck because the window was too heavily tinted, but I had a feeling it was Anthony. Get a grip, Bethany. Get a grip . My hands continued shaking like I was in sub-zero temperatures. My eyes were wide open as I saw my reflection on the side window. The lights from the store beside me lit up the area, and at that point, I was afraid to move. I didn’t know if that was Anthony, and if it was, I was afraid that he was going to follow me home. Instead, I made a U-turn and went back to April’s house. I didn’t want to chance it, and if anything happened, I knew that April and Mark being there would be better than me trying to handle him on my own. I had no idea what to do next, especially if Anthony had followed me to Roanoke. He was nothing but trouble waiting to happen.
Chapter Nineteen
GAVIN
“Dad, I feel like I have to throw up.”
Vinny walked into the kitchen with a disgruntled look on his face. His bag was still strapped onto his shoulders, but his hands were on his stomach.
“What did you eat this morning?”
“Just some pop tarts, and I drank some juice. I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“Do you think you need to stay home?”
He winced. “No. No, I think I’ll be alright. Maybe it will go away once I move around a little more. I want to go to school, though.”
That was another way he was the complete opposite of me at times. I would’ve cashed in on any opportunity to stay home from school. Faking sick just to get the day off was my routine, but Vinny hated missing school. He felt that he was missing some important information if he didn’t show up, and up until his mother kept him out of school this past Monday, he had perfect attendance. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m positive. Can you walk me to the bus stop?”
I grabbed the keys, then walked beside him as he slowly trudged to the stop. He looked out of it, but I wasn’t going to force him to stay home, especially if he said he was alright. It was one of the ways he reminded me that he was far more mature for his age. He knew what he could handle and what he couldn’t. As the bus arrived, he looked at me. His face was scrounged together as if he was trying to withstand pain. “I’ll be alright, Dad. Don’t worry.”
I sighed. “Alright, son. If it gets bad, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll leave work and come get you, alright?”
“Alright.”
I watched him get on the bus, then ease into his seat. After they drove off, I went back to the house to gather my things so I could leave for work. As soon as I showed up, Shirley had a few papers ready for me on my desk. After the rough first day she had at the job, I thought things would get better with her, but they didn’t. She messed up orders and sent shipments to the wrong buildings. At times, she forgot to write down meetings that I had scheduled for the day, and it made me look like a complete fool, especially when high profiled businessmen showed up, and I had no idea that they were supposed to be there.
I still gave her the benefit of the doubt, though, because I knew she was trying her hardest. Even still, my patience was running thin. I took my suit coat off and placed it on the coat rack, then took a seat at my desk behind the computer. A lot had changed since Bethany and I had started to iron out our relationship. I glanced to the right of my computer. A picture of her was framed right on the corner of my desk. There was a time when I thought that I’d never put a picture of a woman on my desk. Why would I? That alone would ruin the chances of me sleeping around with one of my secretaries or sexy interns from time to time. But now, things had changed. I didn’t mind boasting her as my woman, and I hoped that things went further between us, but only time would tell.
It was 10 am when I heard a knock on my door. “Come in.”
Shirley peeked into my room with a smile on her face. Her gray curls dangled on the sides of her head. “Um, Mr. Wallace. Sorry to bother you, but Hendrix Company is here to see you.”
I lowered my eyes, “Hendrix? Today?”
“Yes, sir,” she said, cowering. “I think I must’ve overlooked them. However, they are standing in the lobby right now, waiting for your presence.”
“Shirley, come on, now. Hendrix?” I said, standing up, “This is a major supplier in–” I stopped myself before I allowed my anger to explode from my mouth. This was the second time that she had done this is the past two months, and one time was already too many. I tapped my foot against the floor, then removed my suit coat from the rack. “Is the meeting room ready?”
“No, sir. Not yet. I still have to clean it out a bit.”
I wanted to curse her out, but I couldn’t. I knew for a fact though that this would be the last time I had to deal with her incompetence. I thought she’d gotten the picture after the first time she did it, especially since it caused me to lose a potential partner, but she was still making the same mistakes. “Fine, Shirley. Fine.” I looked around my office and straightened a few things out, then re-positioned the chairs around the table. “How many of them?”
“Four, sir.”
“Four. Great. Send them in.”
“I am sorry, Mr. Wallace. I don’t know how I forgot about–”
“Just – Just send them in, Shirley. Please. We will talk about this later.”
“Very well, sir.”
She ducked out of the room. I tried to calm myself down before the men came into my office. Shirley had to go, and I knew it, but now wasn’t the time to concern myself with that matter. A few minutes later, the men walked into the room. “Hello, gentleman,” I said as I invited the four of them to th
eir seats. “I am sorry for the space, but there was just a little confusion on my end, and I apologize for that. It shouldn’t be a problem though.”
The meeting went off without a hitch, surprisingly. As the men left my office, Shirley came in with another message. “Um, Mr. Wallace, sir,” she said, timidly, “your son’s school is on the phone. Line 3.”
I exhaled. “Alright. I’ll take it.” I sat down at my desk and grabbed the phone. “Hello?”
“Mr. Wallace?”
“Speaking.”
“This is Nurse Chambers at Morris Elementary. It is about your son, Vinny. He has thrown up a couple times, and right now, he is complaining of a stomachache. I think it would a good idea if you came to pick him up. It doesn’t look like he will be able to finish the school day.”
I rubbed my fingers on my forehead. “Alright. Yeah, I’m on my way. I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.”
“Alright, sir.”
I hung up the phone and grabbed my suit coat, then walked towards the elevator. “Shirley, no more meetings today. I will be out of the office. If there are any problems, please contact me on my cell phone. Can I trust you to do that?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Alright.”
“Um, sir,” she said, beckoning for my attention as I climbed onto the elevator.
“Yes?”
“Again, I am sorry about today. I don’t know how I missed it.”
“Yeah, it happens, Shirley. It shouldn’t, but it happens. You enjoy the rest of your day.”
I let the elevator close between us. She was going to have to be replaced. I tried to stick it out with her as long as I could, but nothing was changing. I called HR and let them know to start looking for another secretary to replace Shirley. I sped to Vinny’s school. When I walked into the nurse’s office, he laid curled up on the bed. To his right, Bethany was seated in a chair, rubbing his head and doing her best to comfort him. The anger I had about Shirley’s mishap immediately went away upon seeing her smile. “Hey, Gavin. The poor guy has been throwing up for the last hour or so.”
