by M. A. Lee
“I told you, it is all taken care of,” Isaac replied again, this time his voice rose in what sounded like anger and fear mixed together.
Before I knew what was happening next, both men began walking toward where I was standing just feet away. I didn’t have time to think. To move. To hide.
“Lauren?” Isaac asked in shocked bewilderment.
“Who is that?” the man asked. He was medium height with slicked-back brown hair. He wore an all-black suit and a smug smile that gave me the creeps.
“That is... no one,” Isaac stated as his eyes screamed apologizes at me.
I wasn’t sure what hurt worse; Isaac calling me a no one or knowing that he was lying to me about something very, very wrong.
4
Isaac
How could I have done that?
A no one! I just called the woman of my dreams a no one and she heard me. I am the biggest moron in the entire world.
Fuck.
The look on Lauren’s face as she ran away was a mixture of hurt and anger and I had put it there.
She would hate me. Damn, I hated me too.
I never wanted her to find out this way. It was only supposed to be a few times. Marco promised me I would get my money and then our deal would be over.
All I ever wanted to do was make Lauren happy. To provide the life she deserved. I wanted to pay off my house. To pay off the shop, so she wouldn’t have to work and I could take care of her like the queen she is.
Now, I might have screwed up the best thing that ever happened to me.
5
Lauren
Jumping in my car, I quickly turned the ignition and floored the car into drive. As I drove, I could feel the tears spilling from my now pained eyes. I screamed and yelled and cursed into the air as complete agony and anger coursed through my body.
Noticing a red light up ahead, I slammed on the breaks and skidded to a stop before I drove straight through the intersection. My body jerked forward with the sudden movement and it caused me to only scream louder inside my car. Slamming my fists against the dashboard, I cried out from the sharp pain from the contact. How could this be happening? My heart was aching and anger was boiling deep inside of me. There were moments where I almost picked up the phone to call Mel or Cole and let them know what was going on, but I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, so what would I say? Besides, they were having a date night. I didn’t want to ruin their night with my misery.
After what felt like forever, the light turned green and I hit the gas pedal and drove way above the speed limit until I reached our house. The home I had once considered to be happy and full of love. Now, I was questioning everything.
“What the hell was that?” I screamed as Isaac came barging through our front door.
“Let me explain,” Isaac begged as he tried to reach for my hands.
Shoving him away, I rushed to the other side of our living room. I didn’t want him touching me or near me either. I almost tripped over a large box containing designer clothes I had brought home from my job at the upscale boutique downtown.
“Let you explain what? How you can call me a no one? How you are lying to me about something?” I screamed.
“Don’t push me away. Just calm down and I will tell you everything. I just didn’t want you to find out this way,” Isaac cried out as he pleaded with me to listen to him.
This man held my heart. My hopes and dreams. My love. How could he betray me?
“You have one minute to explain before I make you leave,” I stated firmly.
My eyes quickly diverted down to the diamond shining on my ring finger. My heart sank even more as I struggled to comprehend what was happening.
Sighing, Isaac ran his hand through his hair before he began. “Lauren, before I tell you this, you have to promise me that you will listen to me until I am done talking,” he begged.
“Isaac, you are scaring me,” I said as I searched his fearful eyes. The once bright blue eyes were now a faded shade of what they once were. His hands shook as he held onto mine and his face was torn and full of mixed emotions. A deep purple and black bruise were developing below his right eye and his hands were cut and scraped. How had I not noticed those before?
“Please baby, I have to tell you this,” he began as his voice trembled. I had never seen Isaac afraid before and watching him shake and grow timid in front of me, sent pain throughout my body.
As Isaac stood before me, I looked at him. Really took him in. His wavy blonde hair was the same. His body was built because he loved to go to the gym and workout. One of his tattoos peeked out from under his light blue t-shirt hinting at the sexy designs just hiding beyond the eyes reach. He was the man who had used his business degree knowledge and money saved to purchase the tattoo parlor from Smalls when he fell on hard times. His blue eyes were locked on me as I observed him. Anyone else looking wouldn’t notice the difference but I did. Something about him was off. Different.
“Lauren a few months ago a man came to the shop to get a tattoo and we began to talk. He mentioned he had a nice car he needed some work done on, but wanted to find a trustworthy mechanic. I called in Cole and the man gave Cole an incredible opportunity to work on a brand new Porsche. He needed a new paint job, tires, and engine. It seemed odd at first, but when he paid me a thousand dollars more than what Cole quoted him. It was only supposed to be a one-time deal. But, he brought more cars. Cole couldn’t keep up and finally turned him down,” Isaac paused and looked at me to make sure I was still listening.
“Ok, but what does this have to do with you? Why are you acting like you have done something wrong?” I yelled.
Isaac opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. It took him another minute before he could finally form a sentence. “I decided to tell him that Cole couldn’t keep up and he would have to find another shop, but the man became enraged. I realized then that these were stolen cars. What I was having Cole do was changing out the items that could be identified by the original owners. I told the man I wouldn’t have Cole do any more work. He understood but refused to leave me alone just yet. He offered me more money if I just housed the cars here overnight. He would send someone to pick them up each morning before Cole arrived. That’s what we were doing today, finalizing our plans. I told him I couldn’t do it anymore. I was so afraid to tell you at the time because you had just started talking to me again and we were in a good place. I love you so much, Lauren. I wanted to prove to you that I could be someone good enough for you. That I could pay off the shop and buy us a new house for after we get married.”
“How could you do that to Cole? He is your best friend. This is illegal, you both could get into trouble,” I reasoned as I hoped he understood what I was saying.
“I know,” Isaac said quietly as he shook his head. “The money was too good to turn down.”
I threw my hands up in the air with exasperation. “Money! I don’t care about the money. You know me, Isaac. I love you for you, not for the money,” I cried. “We have a house. Why would you think we would need another one?”
“Lauren, that house was mine and Cole’s before I met you. It is full of a life filled with other women and heartache. I thought it would be nice for us to buy a house that we both loved. Something where we created the memories,” Isaac said in a low voice.
I couldn’t believe Isaac thought I was so materialistic that I wouldn’t want him because he wasn’t wealthy.
“I know. I am stupid, please forgive me,” Isaac said again.
“Is there more to tell me?” I asked, ignoring his plea.
“Yes. I had told him a week ago that I was done working for him. He made threats of turning me into the cops then leaving town. He threatened to burn the place down. He knew I didn’t want to give up my shop or ruin Cole’s, but he also knew that I was aware of how dangerous he is. When he offered me the money, it was a bargaining tool. He owned me and knew it too. He came to the tattoo shop yesterday and told me he had one last jo
b for me to take and then he would leave me alone. We were ending our deal tonight and I just have to get the money together for what I owe him in my take. The men who come and pick up the cars give me the money. I take my cut and give him the other half. Only, this last time, the men were short a few thousand dollars,” Taking a deep breath, Isaac nervously searched my face for a sign of my emotions.
“Thousands of dollars?” I asked nervously, afraid of what answer I would receive. “This is insane.”
Stepping across the room, Isaac made his way to me. I was shaking with anger and hurt and he knew I was about to explode. Isaac slowly reached out and took my hands in his. I allowed him to comfort me for a short time.
Releasing his grip on my hands, I swallowed down the vomit that was slowly creeping up my throat. I closed my eyes and prayed this was all a dream. This couldn’t be true. My Isaac would never do something so reckless and stupid and dangerous. It’s not possible.
Slowly opening my eyes, I saw Isaac watching me with such a pained expression that I almost threw up right there.
“Say something,” he pleaded as I sat motionless.
“Are you in trouble?” I asked, my voice flat.
“Yes. I have to help him with one more truckload of cars and then he said it would be over. I do not want to have another brutal visit from him again, I have to do this. Lauren, I swear I will fix this, but you have to understand. I will take out another loan. I will sell the shop. I will pay him back and I will never do anything like this again.”
“The cuts and bruises?” I asked, ignoring everything else he had just said.
“Marco sent a few of his ‘buddies’ to the shop today. That’s his name. He wanted to remind me that I was on a deadline and he was not happy with me. He has already threatened to take the tattoo shop from me if I don’t get him his money by Friday.”
“What have you done,” I said as I refused to make eye contact with him.
“I can fix it,” Isaac stated gain.
Shaking my head in anger, I slowly stood and began pacing the apartment floor. “I don’t understand how this could happen. You don’t drink. You got a loan from the bank. How did you get yourself into so much trouble?” I screamed at him as the tears began to flow down my cheeks. Now allowing him time to answer, I continued with my rampage. “You promised me we would have a good life together. You promised me you would never drink or lie to me. You broke all of your promises. You broke what we have and what we could have had.” I shouted.
“Lauren, I am in trouble. I feel like my life is out of control. I’ve even started drinking alcohol more than just casually. I can’t stop drinking. I feel myself slipping back to the old life that almost destroyed me. I need you baby. Please don’t give up on me.” He began to sob, slow tears at first then loud deep cries. “You can’t possibly understand my reasons for doing this. You came from money. You lived a life of privilege and never needed or wanted for anything. I don’t know what that feels like. I got lost in the idea of money and financial security,” Isaac sighed as he tried to explain his motives.
I stood and watched Isaac break in front of me. When I met him he was the strong one. He was the one who had fixed his life and helped me move forward. How could everything change and revert back to old so fast?
Rushing to his side, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me. As much as I didn’t want to and I could hear the voices inside my head screaming at me to run away, I decided to stay. I decided to protect and comfort the man who brought me back to life. In his dark hour of need I would not turn my head away, because a year ago, he could have turned me away when he saw that I was dealing with a damaged best friend. Instead, he chose to love me and guide me out of the storm and back to the light.
“I hate what you did, but I love you,” I cried into his neck as I held him close to me.
“I promise Lauren, I will fix this. You just have to stay with me. You have to help me. I will never heal and stop drinking and being out of control if you leave.”
I knew it was wrong for him to place such an enormous weight on my shoulders, but my heart wouldn’t let me turn away. I was watching my Isaac slip away from the sweet man I loved, into someone I didn’t know. If I wanted a future with him, I had to help him.
“Isaac,” I said as I placed his head in my hands as I forced him to look at me. “I am giving you one month to fix this. You have to stop drinking. You have to be honest and tell me everything. If you break that promise, you will lose me.” I said the words with such finality I felt Isaac shiver beneath my touch.
Nodding his head, okay, he pulled me back to him and continued to sob into my shoulder.
6
ISAAC
My heart was just ripped out of my fucking chest.
Lauren. My queen. The woman I didn’t deserve, had forgiven me and given me time to fix the terrible mistake I had made.
Any pain or fear that Marco could instill in me could never amount to the pain I would feel losing Lauren.
She had trusted me and I had broken that trust, but I had a plan to make everything right.
Cole had shown me an advertisement for local business owners to submit their stories to possibly be featured in the local paper. The article could gain me more exposure for the shop and show Lauren that I am not just some guy covered in tattoo’s that owns a little shop. It could show her that I am worth her love and devotion. That I can be the man she deserves.
“This could be great for business,” Cole stated as he handed me the form to complete.
“What about you?” I asked. Cole owns his own auto body shop and this would be great for his business too.
Pausing, Cole looked at me for a minute. I slowly understood that I had just touched on a sore subject. Not only had I hurt Lauren, but I had broken my best friends trust in me, too. Cole had been there for me when no one else was. He and I both understood what it was like to feel not good enough for someone but to rise above the hate and make something of ourselves.
“Look, man, I know we are cool and everything now, but I don’t want my shop featured. You do your thing,” Cole said.
From the way he spoke, it was clear we weren’t exactly cool anymore. I wanted to be mad, but I couldn’t. I deserved his wrath and his unease. I would just have to prove to everyone that I was worth forgiving.
7
Lauren
Sometimes, your heart can deceive you. I have learned that there are people in our lives that are only meant to hurt us. Sadly, this is a lesson we learn once it is too late.
“Hey, I have some good news,” Isaac stated one morning over breakfast.
“Really?” I asked, hoping this had something to do with his promise to me.
I took a sip of my coffee and waited for him to continue.
“Yesterday at the shop, a man from the local paper came in and told me they wanted to do a feature article on me. It’s a new series they are unrolling called, ‘The City’s Best Young and Upcoming Entrepreneurs,’ and they want to write an article about me and the shop,” Isaac said with a huge smile spreading across his face.
“That’s wonderful,” I exclaimed. While I had hoped for him to say something else, this was amazing news too.
“Yeah, I am really excited about it. They want to write about how I came from a troubled background and made something out of myself. You know, it really had me thinking about my life,” Isaac said as he started to look sad again.
“What do you mean?” I asked, my nerves starting to roll around in my stomach.
“Well, I was able to make something of myself, but there are so many kids out there without positive role models. I want to donate my time to the Big Brothers and Big Sisters chapter here in town. I’ve screwed up and I need to do something to better myself and the community,” Isaac finished.
His words sent chills down my spine. Tears welled up in my eyes and I had to fight back the tears. Isaac was so amazing. Even after his own trials and tribulations, he was thinking abou
t others. He wanted to continue to better himself. This paper made the right decision by selecting Isaac to feature in the paper.
“Isaac, I am so proud of you,” I said as I rushed to his side and wrapped my arms around his neck. “When are they going to do the article and interview?” I asked.
“Sometime next week. They want to take pictures of the shop and us,” he said with a bright smile.
“Wonderful, this is just what we needed,” I added as I kissed him.
And I was right, we needed this fantastic news because sooner or later, we would be reminded of the troubles from our past.
AFTER ISAAC AND I FINISHED our breakfast, we both set off for our day of work. Being an adult sucked compared to my college life. I wanted nothing more than to be worrying about finals or campus parties instead of working an eight-hour shift and paying bills.
I spent my lunch break sitting on a bench in the park, allowing the shade from a large oak tree to cool me off from the scorching summer heat. Oh how so much had changed. Summer didn’t mean anything but anymore to me. It wasn’t exciting when you had to work five days a week instead of lounging by a pool.
I finished working early, so I decided to go and surprise Isaac at work. He had been in such a depressed state lately, I wanted to cheer him up somehow. I hated that he put himself; us, in such a dangerous situation, but I was proud of him for recognizing what he had done. He had made a promise to me that he was done. He wasn’t going to work for this Marco guy anymore.
Spotting me walking into the shop, Isaac smiled and waved at me. “I’m almost done with this client and then I am all yours,” he called to me.
“Take your time,” I called back.
Glancing around, I took in the black walls that glowed from the neon signs and electric paintings that scattered the space. Loud music blared from the speakers above as I sat down on the leather sofa in the waiting room. The same sofa that Isaac had carried Mel too the first night I met him.