Jealousy at TAC

by Richard Pinkerton

  Tucker itched to get on the work computer. Rita had been around all evening and there was no way he could risk getting online while she was in the building. He desperately wanted to chat with the goddess and continue the good work he had already done.

  Nadia had been great, telling Vanessa she had met with him, Cheeky Cherry, at the pools. He so much wanted to take advantage of that, having Vanessa believe he was the real thing. He also wanted to check out Nadia’s new FaceLink profile, the one she had made up especially to fool Vanessa - Carolisa. Tucker though it pure genius, creating a secret girlfriend for Rex who saw him behind Vanessa’s back.

  Tucker had been given tasks of his own to do. He had to continue to plant doubt in the mind of Vanessa over whether Rex could be trusted. He also had a note that Nadia had typed up that he was to leave lying around at school where Vanessa would find it. He pulled it out of his pocket, just having to read it again.

  Dear Carol

  I am finding it very hard to keep our relationship a secret from Vanessa. I have to make up a lot of excuses to get time to myself to come and see you. At least now with the Lamborghini, it will be a lot easier. Vanessa thinks that I’m seeing others of my friends, when really I’m seeing you. Most of my friends even go along with it by talking about stuff that never happened, just to make her believe I was with them.

  Still, I don’t know how much longer I can keep up this charade. It was great to spend time with you the other night, but I had to make up another story to Vanessa about where I was. I think I need to tell her the truth. Tell her that my feelings for you are stronger than my feelings for her, but I don’t know if I can hurt her like that. I don’t think she’d be able to handle the rejection. So I guess we have to keep going like this for now. I think the best I can do is to gradually try to lose her trust by not being completely honest with her about things. Hopefully she will start to lose faith in our love and be the one to end things. Let her be the one in control, that’s what I have to do and then I won’t feel so bad when it’s over and I reveal my love for you. I love you Carol. I really do.

  Rex.

  Tucker chuckled evilly to himself. He pocketed the note and continued his job of mopping the glasswork on the outside of one of the bar fridges, with a cloth. ‘That is so good. Vanessa is bound to accuse him of seeing this girl and he’ll deny it outright.’

  He had photographs of an unknown girl. That girl was to be Carol and he would make sure that photographs turned up in Rex’s possession at the opportune times.

  Rita entered the bar. ‘Tucker, I’m finishing up. I just want to warn you that just because I’m gone does not mean you can skive off and jump on the computer. I mean it.’

  ‘No worries, Rita. I’ve had enough of that computer anyway. Computers are for geeks.’

  As soon as she had gone, Tucker chuckled. ‘Now it’s time.’

  He hurried into the staff room, took a quick look around and then jumped onto the computer. He logged into FaceLink and was delighted to see that Vanessa was online.

  He sent her an IM. ‘Hi Vanessa. Sorry I missed you yesterday.’

  ‘So am I. I wish you had come earlier. You didn’t need to be so shy.’

  ‘I can’t help it.’

  ‘You’re so beautiful. You have no reason to be shy, but I guess I understand. It’s a situation you’ve probably never been in before. It’s not like I’m a guy.’

  Tucker typed, ‘I’m glad you’re not.’

  ‘Me too. So you got to talk to my sister?’

  ‘She’s very nice. Not as beautiful as you though.’

  ‘You think so?’

  ‘I think I love you.’

  There was a long pause from Vanessa before a message came through. ‘What? You don’t even know me!’

  Tucker flinched, realising he might have made a mistake by saying that. ‘Just seems like I’ve known you for ages.’

  There was another long pause before Vanessa replied again. ‘Cherry, we’ve never even met face to face. We’ve only ever chatted a little bit. Don’t go expecting too much from me.’

  ‘I won’t.’

  There was yet another pause. Tucker took the opportunity to cast a glance to the main doorways leading into the staff room in case another staff member appeared.

  ‘I would like to meet you,’ Vanessa said.

  It was music too Tucker’s ears. Well in this case, beauty for Tucker to behold on screen. But it was not the right time yet. He had to have Vanessa fall in love with him online before they met, otherwise she would freak once she realised Cherry was really him. ‘I don’t know. I think I’m still afraid.’

  ‘Don’t be.’

  It was time to put the next step of the plan into action. ‘Can we talk on the phone and continue to chat too for a while, so we can get to know each other better?’

  ‘I guess so.’

  ‘Will you give me your cell phone number?’

  There was a pause before Vanessa replied again. ‘Ok. Do you have one?’

  ‘No. And I often don’t have access to a phone. I’ll ring you.’

  ‘OK, but don’t be upset if you ring and I can’t speak to you.’

  ‘That’s ok.’

  ‘029-323 4903. Why don’t you ring me now?’

  Tucker froze. It was an offer too tempting to resist, but it was just not on the cards. He had agreed to give the phone number to Nadia so that she could ring Vanessa and pretend to be Cherry.

  ‘Can’t right now. Mum’s using it. Can we chat for a bit more here?’

  ‘Sure.’

  Tucker breathed a sigh of relief. He wrote the number down and pocketed it. Now came the next step to further their plans. He had to fill Vanessa’s head with more doubts about Rex. ‘Nadia told me something.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Don’t know if I should tell you.’

  ‘Tell me.’

  ‘She’s going to be seeing your boyfriend Rex. Alone.’

  ‘When?’ Came the almost immediate reply.

  ‘I’m not sure. Tomorrow night. Or the night after. They’ve organised to meet.’

  ‘Rex never told me that.’

  ‘Would he?’

  There was a pause then, ‘Of course.’

  ‘Well that’s what Nadia said.’

  ‘Why would she tell you that? I don’t get it.’

  Tucker had to think fast on that one. ‘I think she wanted me to think I had a chance with you.’

  ‘Oh.’

  For close to thirty seconds Tucker sat there waiting for her to say something else, but she didn’t. Perhaps he had achieved what he had set out to do. He typed something else. ‘I don’t think you can trust him.’

  He held his breath hoping that she wouldn’t type something angry in reply, but she typed nothing.

  Tucker wondered if she was even still there, so typed in another message. ‘You still there?’

  ‘Y.’

  ‘Something wrong?’

  ‘N.’

  Tucker felt anxiety creep upon him now. Had he angered her so much she no longer wanted to chat with him.

  ‘Did I upset you?’

  ‘A little.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘Not your fault.’

  ‘You angry with Rex?’

  ‘I’m angry with Nadia.’

  ‘But Rex is to blame too, right?’

  ‘No, she’s manipulating him.’

  ‘Why would she do that?’

  ‘She wants him for herself.’

  ‘But she can’t make him do anything he doesn’t want to do.’ Tucker felt very impressed with himself for sounding so logical.’ Vanessa didn’t reply again so Tucker continued. ‘Seems to me like Rex is doing what Rex wants to do and he doesn’t care about you.’

  ‘You don’t know him!’ An angry smiley came up next to the words.

  Tucker flinched. He figured he’d better back off before he really burnt his bridges. ‘I’m sorry. You’re right. You know him better than anyo
ne.’

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.’

  ‘N.’

  ‘You can trust him.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You’re lucky to have someone so loyal.’

  ‘Yes, I am.’

  ‘Nadia was probably making stuff up.’

  ‘Yeah. Maybe. But it doesn’t matter, because Rex tells me everything.’

  ‘Did he tell you about that girl he was with? The one in the photographs I sent you?’

  There was yet another long pause before she replied, ‘Don’t worry about that.’

  ‘He’s loyal to you. He must have. Never mind. Forget I asked.’ Tucker snickered and spoke aloud, ‘He hasn’t told you, has he? You’re in denial.’

  He jumped suddenly as the door to the staff room opened and Rita bowled in. ‘Tucker! I don’t believe this! After I told you not to too!’

  Tucker cringed. He quickly typed in one last message. ‘Gotta go. Mum.’ He quickly closed down his web browser.

  ‘That does it,’ Rita snapped. ‘It seems no matter how many chances I give you, you don’t give a stuff. Tucker, get your things together. It’s over.’

  Tucker started. ‘What?’

  ‘It’s over. As of this moment you’re fired. You no longer have a job here at the Te Arawa Tavern.’

  As Tucker neared the doorstep of home, the butterflies in his stomach went crazy. His body tensed up and his breathing accelerated. The terrible moment had arrived, the moment he’d have to tell his mother he had been fired. He hoped desperately that maybe she’d gone to bed extra early and that he could delay telling her until the next day. One thing he’d decided he wasn’t going to do was pretend he hadn’t been fired. He’d done that before and the stress was just too great. Even though he would have hell to pay when his mother learnt the truth, at least it would be a torture that was only temporary. At least he hoped.

  Unfortunately, his mother had not gone to bed and when he entered the house, she greeted him. ‘You’re back early. I was hoping... I mean I thought I wouldn’t see you again until the morning!’

  ‘I was doing such a good job, they let me go home early,’ he said, but then flinched. He’d told himself he wouldn’t make up a story, but it had just automatically come out. ‘No, that’s not true.’

  ‘You mean you just told me a lie?’ Her mother stepped up to him, an evil expression on her face.

  ‘Sorry,’ he whined.

  She slapped him hard across the shoulder. ‘I’m getting sick of your lies. You’re getting too darn fond of lying! It’s about time you started to learn to tell the truth!’

  ‘I got fired, Mum.’

  ‘And I’m getting sick of you getting fired too. You’re too darn fond of getting fir... What did you just say?’

  ‘I said I got fired. Rita fired me. It wasn’t fair. She was just being an ubbhead. I didn’t do anything wrong.’

  ‘You got fired?’ Her jaw dropped and eyes widened. ‘YOU GOT FIRED?’

  ‘Yes.’

  She exploded, ‘OHHHHH, that’s just great, that is! That’s just maaarrvelous that is. Are you completely and utterly useless? Why can you never hold down a job? Why can’t you ever do anything right for once?’

  ‘I’m sorry. But all I did was hop on the Internet and it was during my break too.’

  ‘The Internet? You were on the Internet? What were you looking at? Oh, you don’t need to tell me, I can work it out. You were looking at pornography, weren’t you? Weren’t you?’

  ‘No, Mum, honestly I wasn’t. I was just looking at some training on how to do cleaning better so I could do a better jo...’

  ‘Don’t lie to me, you disgusting little pervert! You were looking at pictures of naked women, weren’t you? Sex, sex, sex, that’s all you ever think about. You’re getting too darn fond of thinking about sex!’

  ‘I wasn’t, honestly!’

  ‘What are we going to do, huh? What are we going to do? We need your extra income coming in otherwise this darn family doesn’t survive!’

  ‘I’ll get another job, Mum. I promise!’

  ‘Damn right you’ll get another job. I’m not putting up with some lazy freeloader living in this house. You’re too darn fond of freeloading! I’ll darn well make sure you get a new job and I’ll be there at the job interviews to make sure you don’t screw it up! By curry, I oughta get that strap and give you a good thrashing! You’re a useless as a glob of spit in a fire fight, you are! Damn it. You can go to bed right now. No supper. I don’t think I can handle seeing your stupid fat face again tonight. Go on, scram!’

  Tucker hurried to his room. He couldn’t believe he was getting off so lightly. He’d take the narrow escape, but he had a horrible feeling he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

  CHAPTER 18:

  Sanders on the Warpath