“I know, sweetheart. But I worry. It’s just what I do,” she tells me with a sigh. “Before I forget, some of the girls and I are going to go see that new movie about the magician named Mike? Magic Mike. I think that’s what it’s called.”
OH SHIT! “Um, Grandma, that movie isn’t about a magician named Mike. It’s about a guy whose name is Mike and he str…” and she cuts me off.
“Sweetheart have you seen the movie previews of his moves? He’s magic alright.” she tells me.
Oh shit, blah, blek and gag! “Ugh! Grandma. That’s not cool. I’m outta here. No more sharing unless it’s recipes, please!” I shudder, as I head for the door, her laugher following me.
Sorry, Channing Tatum, Grandma just ruined you for me, forever!
After starting my car, I notice it’s been detailed. I’m guessing my dad probably made sure it was in working order. I get to see them all this weekend when we go to my Uncle Brock and Aunt Paige’s to finally meet Callie. Butterflies tickle my stomach at the thought of meeting this precious little girl. I get the CD I want loaded, Billy Currington, That’s How Country Boys Roll and I’m off pulling down the driveway for work.
I park in the back employee's lot of Dan’s Grocer and head to the side door with my key card out. Before I swipe it, I take a deep breath and tell myself this is one of many steps I’m going to have to take in order to get my life back to a place I feel safe and normal again. I need to do this. I won’t let Rocky take away my future happiness. I’m moving forward with Max and our families. Hopefully some day in the not too far future, we’ll be starting our own life and family together.
I swipe the card and when I hear the click, I pull the door open and head in. I start down the hall to the break room that holds the employee lockers but I stop in my tracks when I get to the doorway. The scene that greets me has tears springing to my eyes and it takes me a moment to catch my breath. The entire room has been decorated with balloons and streamers; a Welcome Back banner hangs in the center of the room and standing beneath it is Nora Lee, Bernice and Kaytlin.
Their faces break out in grins when they see my reaction; each obviously pleased that their effort had the desired effect on me.
“Oh wow, you didn’t have to do this for me.” I open my arms as Bernice walks up and gives me a big hug.
“We know we didn’t but we wanted cake.” I laugh as she pulls back from the hug and Kaytlin rushes over to take her place.
"It was early so we got donuts too. We’ll do the cake around lunch time.” Kaytlin says as she squeezes me a tightly and rocks us side to side. “Glad you’re back. Nora Lee was driving us crazy.”
Nora Lee making a scoffing sound. “I’m driving y’all crazy? You can’t be serious. Ya’ll drive me crazy. I’m surprised I haven’t been locked away in the looneybin.”
“Me too.” Bernice mumbles.
“Maybe she escaped. We should call the state hospital. See if they’re missing anyone. Give ‘em a heads up to head she’s over here and to come get her.” Kaytlin adds with a giggle.
I can’t help but laugh. I sure did miss this. Nora Lee pushes them to the side and comes forward but stops and points to Bernice and then Kaytlin.
“You two, y'all are going to make me cross over.” We all start laughing as Nora Lee pulls me into a quick hug. “The others will be here at their normal time. We wanted to give you some quiet time to walk around the store and get reacquainted with the register.” I nod as a thank you. “If you want to shadow for a while, go ahead. We have plenty of people so just take your time and get comfortable.”
Kaytlin and Bernice grab my hands and we start walking through the store. They catch me up on work gossip and tell me about a few new cute male customers that have been coming in. We get to the front of the store where the registers are and they stand back and talk while I familiarize myself with the everything. After doing that for a few minutes, we walk back towards the deli and storage room. We spend some time walking through the aisles of products until we hear Nora Lee page us to the break room. When we get there, the morning shift has arrived and everyone takes turns welcoming me back and giving me hugs. It’s about ten minutes before we open so I head toward the employee locker room to grab a few things when my phone dings. I pull it from my pocket and see a text message from Max.
You’ll be great. Love you. He knows I’m stressing and even though we aren’t together he’s still making me feel safe and loved.
I love you too, I quickly text back and put my phone in my locker and head out front to checkout.
After watching and helping the others bag items for a while I decide to get back into the swing and go to my register and turn my welcome light on. After the fourth or fifth customer, it’s like I was never away. There’s a slow down after lunch so we all take a few moments for bathroom breaks and to organize our work stations. I’m leaning down to grab some bags from underneath my counter when I hear a man’s voice, “You’re new here, huh?”
I look up, embarrassed to be caught off guard and see a man who looks to be a little older than me standing on the other side of the counter holding a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk. He’s smiling but there’s something not quite right about it. I stand but take a few steps back and reposition myself with a couple of feet between myself and the counter. I look around to make sure I’m not alone; relieved when I spot Bernice and Kaytlin close and checking out customers. I take a deep breath and try to relax a little. If I’ve learned anything, it’s to trust my instincts and something is off with this guy.
“Yes, something like that.” I wait for him to set down the milk and bread so I can ring them up, but he just stands there looking at me, tilting his head as if assessing me. I don’t know this guy but I’m guessing he’s probably just a creep.
“Um, did you want to buy that?” I ask gesturing to the items he’s holding.
“Sorry. Yes.” He laughs and sets them on the counter.
I logon to my register and pick up the milk to scan it. “I’m Jedidiah, but my friends call me Jed. You can call me Jed.”
I send him what I'm sure he knows is a fake smile. Creepy name for a creepy guy and I won’t be calling him Jed or Jedidiah.
“Hi. Nice to meet you. I’m Jaycee.” I replay as I scan the milk.
“I know who you are,” he tells me.
I’m reaching for the bread when his words cause me to freeze. His eyes bore into mine as he watches me closely. Sweat starts to pop out on my brown and panic slides down my back. He knows my name? Just as I'm about to run screaming from my station, he speaks again. “Your name tag, Jaycee.” He points to the small plastic square pinned to my chest.
I laugh a little nervously and feel a bit embarrassed. “Oh, yeah.” I scan the bread and load his things into bags. He hands me a twenty-dollar bill and I ring it up and give him his change and receipt. It almost drops to the ground when I try to avoid touching him but he catches it.
“Everything alright, Jaycee?” he asks as he tucks his change in his front pocket. His voice is laced with insincerity. It’s almost taunting. What’s his problem? The panic begins to rise again when I hear Bernice call out.
"You okay, Jaycee?”
I don’t answer. I’m frozen. I don’t know if I’m imagining things. I don’t know if I should run. I watch almost in a daze as he walks off while still keeping his gaze trained on me. I feel like all the progress I’ve made was an illusion because here I am unable to breathe. The girls are by my side in an instant.
“Turn off her light. I’m taking her to the break room. That guy is such a fucking weirdo. We should have stepped up when we saw him here.” Kaytlin says to Bernice. She flips off my light as she takes my other arm.
“I’ll go with you.” Bernice says and they lead me down the aisle. As we’re walking, I start to come back to myself.
“Okay, so it’s wasn’t just me? He gave y'all the creeps too?”
Bernice mock shudders. “You have no idea, Jaycee. Dude is as shit creepy as
they come. He’s like the Norman Bates meets Lawnmower man creepy. He must be new to the area because he just started coming in a couple of weeks ago. He walks up and down the aisles and hangs out near the registers like he’s a spy or something and then when he checks out, he only buys maybe gum or a soda. Today was the most I’ve ever saw him buy or even say.” Bernice tells me.
“Awesome. Lucky me,” I say under my breath.
When we make it to the break room we all sit down. Nora Lee comes out of her office and starts over to us.
“What happened? Are y’all okay?” she asks, concern evident on her features.
We all shake our heads but Kaytlin answers her. “That super creepy guy went through her line and gave all of us the heebie jeebies. I think Jaycee was a bit more sensitive to his creepiness.”
She comes over and sits down with us. “I’ve seen him in here. Boy, are you girls right. Do me a favor and keep an extra close eye on each other when he’s in here. We all have the same feeling, but until he does something wrong, I can’t ban him from the store. For now, just be extra vigilant, okay?” We all nod. “Okay, let’s cut the cake and take turns letting everyone come back for some and then, Jaycee, you can take it home with you.”
“I’ll take a few pieces home for my grandma and Max but y'all can keep the rest here.” I tell her as she starts to stand. Bernice starts clapping and I grin when I see her finish with a fist pump. Okay, despite Norman Bates meets Lawnmower man, Jedidiah/Jed guy, I’m having a good day. I’ve missed everyone so much. I’m so thankful to the Lord to be back.
About fifteen minutes before I’m to clock out, I start getting my till and paperwork together to turn into Nora Lee. I walk into her office and she stands and takes the till and places it in the safe. She doesn’t sit back down behind her desk but instead walks over to me.
“So, did you really feel okay up there?” she asks and I smile at her.
“Yes, sorry about freaking out over that customer. I’m okay. I’ll do better.” I promise and lower my eyes to my feet.
When I hear her whisper my name I look up and her expression is soft. “Jaycee, you did wonderful. I’m so proud of you. You’re taking your control back. Not everyone can do that. Some give up. Some stay. Some leave too late, but we all leave with scars.” Her voice becomes thick with emotion. “Don’t let this defeat you. Keep fighting. The Norris’, they gave me back my fight.” she waves her hand for me to close the door and then points for me to sit in the chair. She stands beside her desk and leans against it as she starts to speak. “You, like me, have people in your life to fight for you. Fight with you. Jaycee, I’ll fight for and with you.” She takes a deep breath before she goes on.
“A few years ago I found myself in a situation where I was a victim but now I’m a survivor. If it weren’t for the Norris’, who were my next door neighbors, I’d probably be dead or close to it. They knew I was too scared to call the police when my boyfriend at the time was hitting me but they weren’t. Every single time they heard a cry or crash they called 911 and the police would come and hall my ex off to jail. They’d come over, nurse me, tell me I was better than this life and deserved more. They offered me money to just run, or a room in their very own home so they could protect me. I’d always been too scared to leave. One night when things got really bad, my ex threw me out the door and I fell down on the driveway. I was bleeding and couldn’t move. My ex had his arm raised and was about to hit me again when Mr. Norris came out with his shotgun. He shot it in the air and then pumped it, walked right up to us, put it an inch from my ex’s face and dared him to touch me again without ever saying a word. I’d never seen Mr. Norris look like that. He was shaking. I could tell it was taking everything in him not to pull the trigger. Luckily, Mrs. Norris had called the police. Once we heard the sirens, he lowered the gun and walked calmly back into the house as Mrs. Norris pulled me off the ground and helped me into their home.
She cleaned me up as the police questioned me. That night they took my ex to jail and because of repeated arrests, the judge denied bond and a month later there was a short trial in which my ex pleaded guilty to all counts and is serving five years. He’s been in four and will probably get out early for good behavior. Behind bars he suddenly became a model citizen and a righteous Christian.” she sighs and goes to sit behind her desk as I listen to her in disbelief. This woman is tough as nails or so I thought. I can’t imagine going through what she did and knowing that the man that hurt her is close to having his freedoms back. I feel myself hiccup with emotion.
“That night, Mrs. Norris told me about their only daughter, Christina, who got involved with an abusive man. They didn’t know. She started using drugs to deal with the emotion and physical pain living with a man like that was doing to her, and she hid everything from them. They thought she’d just turned off onto the wrong path. Christina committed suicide about eight years ago but she left a letter confessing what was really going on and begging her parents’ forgiveness. She just couldn’t go on and didn’t want to hurt or hurt them anymore. I can relate, Jaycee. Those thoughts crossed my mind too.” I watch as her eyes water and she looks down at the papers on her desk. She clasps her hands together and then brings her eyes back to mine. “I was heading down the same path and I guess they sensed it. Told me they needed me to help with their store for just a little while and then they’d help me move on. Mr. Norris is the Dean of one of the Universities. This store belonged to Mrs. Norris’ parents. When her father and then a few years later, her mother passed, they took it over but needed help. That was four years ago.” I watch as she smiles.
“They kept me so busy. Always calling me, me, for help.” She shakes her head and sighs again. “They knew my self-worth was gone and they gave it back to me. They knew if I were still and quiet, I’d reflect on the negative since that was all I’d known for so long, so they kept me busy with positive productive things. Seems like it was months before they left me alone. They wanted to give me good thoughts to have when I needed them.” A few tears roll down her cheeks and she wipes them away. “They saved my life.”
“I’m so sorry you went through all that.” I whisper, shaking my head.
She smiles and stands and walks over to me. “I’m not.” She pulls me by my hand to stand and looks me in the eye. “Not me. It made me strong. I found a new family. A strong, loving family that taught me wonderful things about others and myself. I found a side of me I never knew existed and you will too.”
I get what she’s saying. I take a deep breath and pull her close. “Thank you, Nora Lee.” It goes without saying that it took a lot to share this with me. I’m so grateful. I walk out of her office and head to my locker. After grabbing all my things out, I find my keys from my purse and look at my phone. No messages. I swipe the screen and send Max a quick text letting him know I’m heading home. I wait a couple of minutes but when I don’t get a reply I start for the employee back entrance. I glance over a Nora Lee’s door and call out, “See you in the morning.”
As I turn my back to push the door open I hear her yell back, “Don’t be late, Jaycee!” I smile and push the door open as my phone chimes.
Couldn’t wait another minute.
Huh? I stop and stare at my phone, trying to make sense of Max's reply. I slip it in my pocket and continue on towards the employee lot. When I look up and see Max leaning against my car with flowers in his hands, I smile and rush over to him and he opens his arms just in time to catch me. I press my lips to his and let him know how much I missed him and how glad I am to see him.
After a mini make-out session, we both get in our cars and he follows me back home. When we get inside, I go to the kitchen and find a vase for the flowers. I put them in water, and then make my way to the bedroom where Max has changed into some basketball shorts and a t-shirt. I cross to my dresser and pull out some of my Victoria's Secret pink yoga pants and an oversized off the shoulder sweatshirt. I'm changing when Max comes back out and sits down on the end of the bed
and watches me. After I get changed and drop my dirty clothes into the hamper, I walk over to Max and straddle his lap and stare into his eyes and I finally release a breath I’d been holding since that creepy Jed customer came through my line...Even with everyone’s reassurance until I made it back safely into Max’s arms, I wouldn’t be able to really relax.
“Well, we made it through the day.” he says with a smile.
“Well there’s was a moment I almost broke and called you to come to me.” I admit and look down. “I got scared.” I whisper, a little ashamed I’m not stronger.
“Scared? Why? What happened?” Max asks and I feel his body tense as he goes on alert. Anger, fear and concern flash across his face so I quickly try to ease him.
“It was just me, sugar. A customer came through the line and I was paranoid or he was really creepy—" Max cuts me off before I can continue.
“What do you mean creepy?” he demands.
“Sugar, it was nothing. Kaytlin and Bernice told me that all think he’s creepy. I thought it was just me and I started feeling panicked, unsure if I was ready to be out on my own but once I found out it wasn’t just me, that this customer, Jed, he’s just super creepy, I was okay.” I say trying to reassure him.
I push him back on the bed and follow him down. “I sure did miss you, Max.” I say and lean down and kiss him.
He runs his hand up my back and tugs my hair gently. I raise up and look down at him.
“But you’re okay?” he asks searching my eyes, still not believing me.
“Yes, Max. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.” I say and frown knowing I’ve upset him.
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