by Bria Marche
“You’re out of your mind. Get this crazy woman away from me before I call the police. Jack has been with me for almost seven years. I think I would know if he was married or not.” Sasha was furious, huffing, and gulping down her fifth Mimosa.
“Obviously, you don’t know shit. And go ahead, call the police. Every policeman in this town is my friend. Jack is familiar with them too because he lives here, you dumbass.”
“Mia, shouldn’t you take it down a notch?” Tina pleaded. She was sure in a matter of seconds, fists would fly and supplies in the salon would break.
“Fine. Karen, you talk to her. You have seniority anyway,” Mia hissed.
“Shit… okay, I’ll do it. Sasha, please sit down. We have a lot to tell you. Vic, take that damn Mimosa away from her. Tina, make a pot of strong coffee. She needs to be stone cold sober if she’s going to comprehend what we have to say.”
Tina made coffee and handed Sasha a cup of the black brew.
“I don’t drink black coffee. I want a lo-fat Caramel Machiatto.”
“You’re drinking it. This isn’t a gourmet coffee shop. Now take the damn cup,” Mia growled, an inch from Sasha’s face.
“Fine, but I’m not going to enjoy it.”
“Okay everyone, please. Sasha, you actually need to pay attention to what we’re about to tell you. It’s going to affect your life just like it has ours. It’s very important and serious. Just hear us out and don’t interrupt.” Karen did her best to remain calm and speak in a low toned, soothing voice. “Jack is a two-timing jerk. For some reason he’s been married to either me, or Mia, since he met you. Maybe it’s an ego thing or a career tactic, I don’t know.”
“Who is Mia? I’m really confused right now,” Sasha mumbled.
“I’m Mia. Jasmine is a fake name. I’m legally Mia Barnes, the wife of Jack Barnes, and have been for over two years. Jack is playing you, Sasha, just like he’s played me and Karen all this time. Why haven’t you ever questioned him? Why don’t you know more about his life?”
“I thought I did. He said he lives with his brother and it’s a complicated situation. I’m busy too, you know. Being a beautiful model is hard to maintain. I have to keep up my looks and hair. And there’s my parents.”
“What do they have to do with anything?” Vic asked, dumbfounded.
“I miss them. They live in France, so I’m gone a lot. Jack understands.”
“Jack doesn’t understand shit,” Mia snickered. “You’re making his life easier because you’re busy all the time. Has Jack ever asked you to marry him?”
“Well no, but marriage is so old fashioned.”
“Whatever… stop making excuses for him. Jack is married for one reason, and it’s to advance his career. By looking like the wholesome ‘family man’ he can advance in the business. That is that type of industry he’s in, you know. Family values, kids, etcetera, etcetera. It makes him look settled and honest, which is actually a load of crap. But then there’s you. You’re his plaything and have been for years. You look good on his arm, as long as you never run into his bosses and colleagues. There’s no way he would ever let them meet you, because they all know he’s married. I’m sorry to say it, Sasha, but you’re just his hot looking piece of ass.”
“How dare he treat me like that. Is this true, or did some other envious model set me up?”
“It’s true, and I’m sorry I got angry with you. You’re a victim too. I’ve known about his cheating for months. Then, I found out he was cheating even when he was married to Karen. We have to get even with him. Jack can’t get away with this any longer,” Mia said, now trying to convince Sasha to see things her way. “Here’s proof, just in case you need more convincing. Karen, bring the photo albums over here, please.”
Mia opened both wedding albums and watched as Sasha flipped through the pages, shocked and speechless. She touched Jack’s face through the clear plastic album sleeve as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“May I have more coffee, please? I’m so embarrassed,” she said, as Tina handed her a fresh, steaming cup. “I don’t deserve this, but neither do you, Mia. Aren’t you going to divorce him?”
“Of course I am, but he needs to pay first, or he’ll keep doing the same thing over and over to other women. We need to take him down in front of his co-workers. They have to see what a slime-ball Jack Barnes really is. His career is the only thing that matters to him. We can help him tarnish his own image and I know the perfect time to do it. But first, you have to allow us to use some photos I took of you and Jack. I made sure your face was masked in all the pictures. There’s one thing that’s crystal clear. Jack Barnes is fooling around with someone other than his wife. We have to use these photos or we’ll never be able to pull this off. Let me show you what I’ve got.” Mia opened her backpack and pulled out a manila envelope.
“Not the dreaded manila envelope,” Sasha said, as she blew her nose.
“I’m afraid so.”
“You were following Jack and me? For how long?”
“It wasn’t long, just a few times. As soon as I got the pictures that would incriminate Jack, I stopped. That’s the truth,” Mia said.
“I can attest to that,” Karen agreed. “I was with her.”
“Me too, at another time,” Vic piped in, proudly.
“God… I’m so humiliated. Okay, let me see.”
Mia opened the envelope and pulled out ten large, glossy photos of Jack and Sasha in an array of intimate poses.
“Why didn’t I suspect anything after all these years? How stupid can I be?”
“You had your own career, and family to visit. You were preoccupied. Don’t blame yourself. Here, have some foie gras,” Karen said.
“We have ten days until Jack’s promotion party. That’s the night he’s going down,” Mia said, with an affirmative nod.
“Sasha, you’ve got two choices. You can stand up to Jack and join forces with us, or you can continue to be the other woman for life. You’ll get no respect from him, but he will expect sex from you. You’ll never feel like you mean much to him because he’ll keep you hidden from his colleagues and friends, if he has any. So what do you say?” Mia asked.
“I say okay… reluctantly, because it’s so hard to believe. My question is, how am I going to avoid him for the next ten days? If I see him, I’ll blow it and confront him.”
“Leave him a voice mail saying you went to France. Tell him you’re sorry, but there wasn’t time to say goodbye in person. There was one seat left on the flight you needed to take.”
“I guess that would work, but what if he sees me somewhere? His office isn’t far from my apartment.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Vic said.
“You even know where I live?”
“Affirmative. We know everything about you, Sasha. Keep that in mind,” Vic sneered.
“Okay, I guess I’m in.”
“Meanwhile, you can stay with Karen,” Vic said.
“What? I didn’t invite her to stay with me. She can stay with Tina,” Karen growled.
“Fine, you can stay with me, but mind your manners and don’t do anything stupid. We can get really scary when we’re pissed off,” Tina said sternly. “Now let’s have some wine.”
Chapter Twenty Nine
It was just after one o’clock when Tina and Sasha arrived at her apartment in Manhattan to grab some clothing for the next ten days. Sasha dropped a note in the mailbox for the postman to stop her mail delivery until July 19, and left a short voice mail for Jack.
As she relaxed behind the wheel on the drive back to Tarrytown, Tina turned up the volume on the radio, opened the driver’s side window and inhaled the fresh, clean air. The sun warmed her skin.
“My hair!” Sasha wailed.
“Seriously? Get a grip. The window is staying down. Put your hair in a ponytail if you’re so worried about it.”
“Sorry. It looks like I’m going to be bored out of my mind for a while, right? I mean living in a small, drab
, old people’s town has got to drive you crazy, doesn’t it?”
“Excuse me? Where do you get off judging where I live? For your information, there are a ton of people that would give anything to live in Tarrytown. I’ve lived there my entire life, and I love it. There’s no other place I’d rather be. It might be a quaint village, but it’s far from boring. It’s historic, with plenty of charm. There are parks, wonderful shops, and plenty of fun bars and restaurants to go to. Plus people call each other by name. They even have the names of each other’s pets memorized. Do you know your neighbors by name?”
“I’ve never asked them their names. I’m far too busy to chat with them.”
“Right. That’s a real shame, but Tarrytown might rub off on you. Enjoy it during the daytime, because once Jack gets home from work at seven p.m. you’re on house arrest.” Sasha threw a shocked look at Tina, then they both burst out laughing. “How about dinner downtown? We can show you around before it gets late. Bottoms Up is a great place to eat, and it’s pretty lively too. We should call and see if Karen is still in town. We’ll all go out together.”
“That’s nice of you, Tina, thanks.”
“Sure, no prob. Here’s my phone, call Mia. See if everyone is still hanging out.”
“You want me to call?”
“Um yeah… have you noticed I’m driving?”
“Oh… right,” Sasha said, as Tina handed her the phone.
“Hello, Mia? Tina and I are on our way back to Tarrytown. She, or we, were wondering if Karen was still there, and if all of you want to go to Bottoms Up for dinner later. Would you ladies like to do that?” Sasha asked, pensively.
“Yeah, Karen is still here. We’re just hanging out. Come to the salon when you get back.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“Sasha?”
“Yes, Mia?”
“Chill out. We aren’t going to bite you. There’s a slim chance we’ll all be friends someday,” Mia said, as she hung up the phone. “Wow, that girl is uptight. Plus she’s over the top full of herself. No wonder she and Jack got along so well. They have the same personalities.”
“That is so going to change if Sasha intends to hang with us for the next ten days. We’ll show her how normal, decent people behave. She’s beautiful for sure, and lucky to have the looks to earn a living off that beauty, but her personality? That’s going to get a complete overhaul,” Vic piped in.
Mia, Karen and Vic spent the next hour cleaning the salon and putting away the props they had out for Sasha’s photo shoot. The dried out appetizers were thrown away, but Mia munched on a few carrot sticks that were still pliable. The crystal glasses glistened like new, and the starched table linens were neatly folded and placed in the back closet. Classic rock poured out of the surround sound speakers while the girls sang as they cleaned. On occasion, they would break out dancing with the brooms. The day turned out okay after all. They couldn’t ask for a better end result, even though Mia’s conversation with Sasha was heated for a while. They now have her siding with them. Jack has no allies, no lover, and soon, no job.
“Sasha never even mentioned the fake contest. She was probably too wasted to remember why she came to the salon in the first place,” Vic said, chuckling.
“Well, no matter what, we should still give her some advertising. I did get a few beautiful head shots of her. Karen, you can make some jumbo posters of her for the salon, can’t you? We’ll put them on the windows showing the great makeup and hair styles Hair Brained does. It will also get Sasha’s gorgeous face known out here in the burbs, not just in Manhattan.”
“Hey, could you imagine the expression on Jack’s face if he saw Sasha on a huge salon poster here in Tarrytown, at Hair Brained, no less?” Karen said.
Mia choked on her wine, picturing it in her mind. “That would be a look I’d love to videotape. I’d put that sucker on YouTube in a flash. You know we’re going to have to go over the plan I have in my mind for Jack’s demise, but we’ll have to do it privately. I don’t think we can discuss it in front of Sasha. We don’t know her, and she hasn’t earned our trust yet. I think it’s better to keep her in the dark in case she has second thoughts. I do want her there with us that night, but she can’t be in on the plot. It has to go down just like I’m picturing it. I won’t let anyone ruin my idea, it’s too perfect.”
“It’s happening at Jack’s promotion party though, right? We can’t waste a huge opportunity like that. He won’t know what hit him. I hope he gets everything he deserves, and then some.”
“Oh he will, Karen. Blindsides are beautiful, and this one will go down in the history books at Plan-It Kidz. Let’s keep the wine out. Tina and Sasha should be back any minute. Everything else is cleaned up and put away, so it’s time to relax and have a few drinks.”
“Amen to that, sister,” Vic agreed, as she poured each of them a glass of Merlot.
***
The girls decided an early dinner was the smartest way to go. At five-thirty they piled into two cars and drove the short distance to arrive front and center at Bottoms Up Bar and Grill. They had no intentions of running into Jack, now that he didn’t have a reason to stay late in the city.
“This is the lively, happening place you mentioned, Tina?” Sasha asked, with a groan.
“Really, Sasha?” Vic snapped, becoming annoyed with her already. “It’s five-friggin-thirty. Things don’t start hopping around here until at least seven. How many bars in your neighborhood are packing them in this early? Never mind, you live in the city. The bars are always packed. Anyway, keep your opinions to yourself, got it?”
“Yes, I got it. Sorry.”
The five of them went inside the darkened bar area and plopped down on the vintage, red vinyl barstools. “Oh my,” Sasha blurted out, as she took a seat and looked up at the ceiling. Dollar bills covered every square inch of ceiling space above her head, with something written in black marker on all of them. Old license plates adorned the walls, and vintage posters were scattered throughout the restaurant area. “I’m surprised. This looks like fun. I’m accustomed to going to, you know, high end, minimalist looking places. Why are the dollar bills on the ceiling?”
“Just for shits and grins.”
“What does that mean?” Sasha asked, raising her perfectly shaped eyebrows.
“Never mind. You’re supposed to write something memorable and the date on a dollar bill. Freddy will pin it to the ceiling for you. It’s something to talk about, that’s all,” Tina explained.
“I want to do it too!” Sasha said, now excited.
“Well cough up a buck and you can,” Vic snickered.
“I don’t have a dollar. Excuse me, sir. Can I buy a dollar with my credit card?” Sasha asked Freddy the barkeep.
“Oh my friggin God, Sasha. Put your damn credit card away. Here’s a buck. Freddy, bring me your marker,” Mia said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Tomorrow you’re going to the ATM and getting some cash for yourself, got it?”
“Yes, Mia. Thanks for the dollar. Now what do I do?”
“Now you write something.”
“What should I write?”
“Seriously, this shouldn’t be that hard. You aren’t filling out a job application for Pete’s sake! Just write whatever you’re feeling, okay?”
Sasha was bewildered. She spun the barstool around looking in every direction for some inspiration. A joyful expression lit her face, and she finally appeared happy with her decision. She feverishly scribbled something from end to end on the dollar bill.
“There,” she said, pleased with herself.
“Well, can we read it before Freddy tacks it to the ceiling?”
“I guess so,” she replied, a bit embarrassed.
Mia took the dollar and silently read the words Sasha just wrote. “July 8, 2014 - My life is about to change. I just met my new best friends.”
Mia was dumbfounded and saddened by the words in front of her. She couldn’t speak, and quickly brushed away the tear rolli
ng down her cheek. Luckily, the room was dark. She passed the dollar around for the other girls to read. Sasha was a victim in Jack’s life plan too. Mia had to remember that. She was an innocent, maybe a dingy one, but an innocent, none the less. She didn’t deserve the treatment they dished out today. Her beauty couldn’t mask the loneliness she must have felt. There was a hole deep in her heart. Between the four of them, they would fill that void. Sasha would become one of them. They were now five.
They let go of the anger and sarcasm, and welcomed Sasha into the fold with open arms. She needed their friendship and support, just like the rest of them needed each other.
Chapter Thirty
Jack arrived home in a particularly foul mood. He played Sasha’s voice mail just before leaving work. He couldn’t believe his ears when he heard her say she was on her way to the airport, and leaving for France. She said she wasn’t sure when she would return, but she’d call soon. How dare she fly to France without telling me first. They always had dinner and crazy sex lasting hours before she left town. He expected that of her, and now he was furious. Jack tried her cell phone numerous times, but it went straight to voice mail.
Mia was home, but not hungry. She made no attempt to cook for Jack, even though she expected him on time tonight. Poor Jack, there’s nowhere for you to go anymore. She happily relaxed on the patio, reclined to the perfect position on the chaise. The sun was setting behind the trees reducing the glare on her tablet as she read. The frothy beer hit the spot as she delved deep into the latest romance novel from her favorite author.
She heard the overhead garage door as it creaked opened, then closed with a loud thud. The service door slammed after Jack entered the kitchen. My, aren’t we pissy tonight? I wonder what you’ll use as an excuse for your attitude this time. The familiar sound of the liquor cabinet opening filled Mia’s ears. First, the clank of the rocks glass when it hit other glasses as he pulled it out. Now, the bottle of Scotch opening. Listen for the pour. Hmmm… you didn’t put the bottle away. Guess it’s going to be one of those nights.