by Lara Henley
“I’m a size four.” Carla walked away to a back room where I was guessing they kept all of the stock. She re-emerged with two uniforms that were a size four.
“Be sure to wear extra-comfortable shoes. I like to wear Merrill’s or Born. They have a lot of cushion and support.”
“Thank you.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent a text to Aunt Silvia to let her know to come have breakfast with me. I also got excited to tell Drake I got the job.
Me: Got the job. Start the day after tomorrow. I’m so excited Drake! This is a new beginning.
Drake: That’s great. I’m so proud of you. Are we still meeting up today? I’d like to take you out to celebrate.
Me: Of course Babe, I can’t wait to see you. I will call you when I leave my aunt.
Drake: See you later.
“So, where ya from,” Carla asked me, making me look up from my phone.
“I’m from Texas, but I’m here staying with my aunt and uncle for a little while.” I didn’t want to divulge too much information about myself.
“That is far away. I look forward to working with you. I didn’t know how long I was going to last pulling doubles. Heather left us high and dry. I knew that girl wouldn’t last. Judy, God love her, wanted to give her a chance.”
“I look forward to working with you too. I’m going to go over and wait for my aunt. She is coming in to have breakfast with me.” I really didn’t know what else to say to her, oh yes I did.
“Do you have a phone book?” I asked. Carla looked at me as though I had told her the world was on fire.
“Phone book? No one uses phone books anymore, honey. Whose number do you want to find? If it is here in town, then I probably know how to get ahold of them.” Great, then I wouldn’t have to go on a national man hunt to find her.
“Her name is Lucy Garcia,” I said.
“Lucy, Lucy.” She was searching her mind. “OH, Lucy. Yes, she lives over on Wilshire Boulevard with her husband Max. Lovely girl. Let me see if I can track her number down for you.” Carla walked away and went back over to the booth that Judy had interviewed me in.
I was in deep thought when Aunt Silvia strolled in. I forgot how easy it was for her to be beautiful. She looked like a movie star with her purse hanging from her arm and over-sized sunglasses. Any man would be lucky to have her on their arm and Russ had won the jackpot. She sat down on the other side of me, removed her glasses and set them on the table.
“So, do I need to ask how it went,” she asked enthusiastically.
“I got the job. I start the day after tomorrow.” I opened my mouth to say more when my phone rang. I looked at and it was an unfamiliar number.
‘Hold on, I need to get this.” I slid out of the booth and pressed the answer button.
“Hello?” There was no sound.
“Hello?” I said again
“Misty, is that really you?” a female’s voices came shouting through the line.
“Yes, it is. May I ask who is calling?”
“It’s Lucy, silly girl! OMG, I can’t believe you are here! Where are you? Can I see you? I have missed you so much.” She was the same old Lucy, talking a mile a minute. It felt so good to hear her voice.
“Lucy, oh Lucy. I’ve missed you too! I am at Maggie’s Diner. I got a job here. Of course you can see me! But today isn’t a good day. How about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow is great. Oh I can’t wait!” I heard a crying baby in the background. Lucy is a mother? We had so much to catch up on.
“Listen, I have to go. I will call you tomorrow for details. Wait, how did you get my number?” The moment I said that, Carla walked passed me and winked. I knew exactly who had given her my number. I would have to remember to give Carla a big hug. She had just made my day brighter.
“A friend of a friend that works at the diner. I immediately called you.” I knew she was beaming because I could hear it in her voice.
“Good to know. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I’m so excited and I can’t wait!” We said our goodbyes and I strolled back over to Aunt Silvia.
“That was a friend that I was at the house with. She moved here because I had told her about it. She asked to meet tomorrow. I told her that was ok. Is it ok with you? I don’t want there to be any more mishaps like this morning.” She smiled so brightly at me.
“You can do whatever you want baby girl. All that I ask is that you notify me of your whereabouts so that I don’t worry. I’m happy you will get to see your friend.” She grabbed my hand and stroked it. “Now let’s eat. I am starving. The twins had me running late this morning so I didn’t eat.”
We grabbed our menus and ordered. I ordered Stuffed French Toast, while Aunt Silvia chose the lighter option of oatmeal and fruit. It was no wonder why she was in such great shape. Carla came quickly with our order. I noticed that Carla moved with a little extra pep in her step for her age. She seemed to be very active and entertaining. I liked her from the second she had said, “How may I help you?” I knew we would get along swimmingly. We dug into our food and practically ate in silence. When we were finished Aunt Silvia motioned Carla over for the check.
“Can we have the check please?” she asked.
“This is on the house in celebration of Misty coming aboard,” Carla said, smiling warmly.
“Well then, thank you.” Aunt Silvia got up from the booth, slipped on her glasses and headed towards the front door. She forgot her purse, so I snatched it up and took off after her. This day had been so good and it was only mid-morning. I had a place to live, a job, and my friend was close again. The only thing that was missing was seeing Drake. I missed him and I couldn’t wait to lay my eyes on him. My life was already shaping up nicely and I couldn’t wait to see what else was in store for me.
Chapter 14
Drake
When I left Misty this morning I was dreading going home because I knew I had to face my father. I didn’t want to be angry with him or my mom, but I couldn’t help it. I hoped he would get better. Pulling the truck into the driveway, I shut the engine off and just sat there for a second. I exited the car and made my way to the front door of the house. Flipping through the key ring I found the house key and put it in the lock to open the door. I heard arguing coming from the kitchen so I headed towards it.
“You were supposed to wait to tell him. He is going to hate me more than he already does. Damn you for doing this,” my father said rather loudly. My mother covered her eyes with her hands and sobbed softly into them.
“I don’t hate you. I don’t hate either of you.” Both of them paused and looked over in my direction. My mother removed her hand and my heart ached as I looked at her tear-stained face. They didn’t deserve this, no one did.
“Listen to me. It was messed up that you didn’t tell me, but I understand. I am going to be angry for a bit, but I will get over it. Dad, I just want you better. I don’t want to lose you, either of you.” I stood in that kitchen and cried like a little boy. My mom wrapped her arms around me and sobbed with me.
“I love you, Son. I’m going to fight this with everything I have. My test results came back. I was going to wait until Sean was here, but as of right now I am cancer free. The doctor says I still have to be monitored, but I’m going to be fine.” That news made me cry even harder. When did I become such a sap? I didn’t even care. Finally calming down, my father pulled my mother and me into a hard embrace. I could count the number of times my father had told me he loved me on one hand, and there were even fewer times that he hugged me.
“I’m going to take a nap. This has been a bizarre couple of days.” I hugged them both and kissed my mother again before heading to my room. All of these emotions where taking their toll on me. Men were not supposed to feel like this. They were supposed to be strong and protect. Right now I felt weak and vulnerable. I needed to see her, I needed to touch her; she was the only light that could help me see in this dark hole I was in.
Making it up to my room, I stripped my clothes
off and crawled into bed. I didn’t sleep well last night; I was too busy watching Misty. I still wondered what those marks on her stomach were. The thought of someone hurting her made my blood boil. How could someone hurt my beautiful angel? I needed to stop being so wrapped up in her or I was going to scare her off.
I needed to focus on where my life was going. I felt like I had no purpose. No reason for being. Misty made me feel alive; she made me want things I never wanted before. I couldn’t give up on life as long as she was in it. My father always looked at my mother like she was the only person on the planet. I never ever thought I could have that. Yeah I loved Sara, but the love I have for Misty, there was no comparison. Misty completed me. Sara was just a notch in the belt. She did teach me about love and what it was like to be in love. Misty was teaching me there was so much more to life. I had always been the golden boy, the one people wanted to be. I never understood why anyone would want to be like me. I didn’t have anything to offer the world. Sure I was smart and good looking, but that wasn’t enough to carry you through life.
I felt my eyes getting heavy; I was doing too much thinking. I was just so tired. I knew I would see Misty later, so a power nap should be ok. A few hours later I awoke to a ding on my phone. It was Misty telling me she got the job. I was so proud of her. Her luck seemed to finally be turning around. I quickly texted back and returned the phone to the night stand. I fell quickly back into a deep sleep dreaming about my angel again. When I popped my eyes open several hours later, I was in a panic. For a moment I didn’t know where I was. The light peeping through my blinds calmed me. I figured out I was in my bedroom. I grabbed my phone to see if Misty had called, but had nothing. It was damn near one o’clock in the afternoon. I was sleeping the day away. I never slept the day away. My freaking emotions were all over the place and I felt like I was about to explode. I scrolled through my phone and hit the name that popped up on the screen.
“Hey bro, what’s going on? You back in town?” Kyle was who I guessed I considered my best friend. He was very shallow and a womanizer. He always gave me hell about only being with Sara.
“Yeah I’m back. Got in the other day,” I said, trying not to sound irritated. I heard laughing and music going on in the back ground.
“And you’re just now calling me? What is going on with you? You‘ve been acting so different the past few months.” I really couldn’t answer that question. Kyle was used to me being wild, fun, and carefree. Things had changed over the past few months. I no longer wanted those things.
“Nothing man. I hear giggling. What’s going on over there?”
“I’m having a few friends over. Why don’t you swing by with Sara?” Oh shit, he didn’t know yet.
“Sara and I broke up. So I’m riding solo.”
“I won’t say that I’m sorry to hear that. The girl was a world class bitch. I don’t know how you stayed with her so long. Well bring your ass over and get loose. You deserve it. You’ve been cooped up in that college for far too long.” Kyle didn’t have to worry about money. His family was in the oil business and he was going to inherit millions when his grandfather passed away. Kyle was smart. He graduated in less than two years from Harvard University Business School. I was envious of him. Everything just came so easy for him. He was smart with his money and made very sound investments. He didn’t have to work if he didn’t want to.
“I’ll be there.” I ended the call and got up to get ready for this get-together at Kyle’s house. I knew I shouldn’t go over there, but I needed to let loose like he had said. Misty hadn’t called me yet so I had nothing else to do.
I hopped in the shower, washed my body and hair, and was out in less than five minutes. I threw on a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt, grabbed my Olukai flip flops and headed out the door. I figured I would bypass shaving. Women liked that rustic look anyway, didn’t they? I hopped in my truck and headed over to Kyle’s house. Kyle’s house was three times the size of mine. He lived further east of town in East Gate Village. This was where the richest people lived. I pulled up to the gate and was greeted by Sam, the security guard.
“Welcome back, Mr. Mitchell. Congratulations on graduating.” I liked Sam very much.
“Thanks. I am here to see Kyle. He is expecting me.”
“Yes I know. He called down. Have fun.” Sam pushed the button and the double black steel gate opened.
“Thanks, Sam. Have a great day,” I said as I drove off. I saw him wave back at me in my side mirror. Kyle was very rude to Sam and I didn’t know how Sam put up with his crap for so long. I was going to have to be careful when I brought Misty around. These people could be very vicious if you were not part of the crowd. I pulled up next to a dozen Lexus’s and BMW’s. It was the standard cookie cutter car for the rich. “What the hell am I doing here?” Sighing, I got out of the car and headed to the back where the pool was. When I got back there I saw more than a small get together. This was a full swing party. I saw girls drinking their apple martinis and guys with beer in their hands. There were a handful of people bouncing around a beach ball in the pool. Kyle’s pool was made of a deep red brick and it also had a mini house that mimicked the big house. That was where Kyle resided. He never liked staying in the house with his parents and little sister Emily. Now Emily was a very sweet girl. I hadn’t seen her in a few years due to me being off at college. She was the same age as Misty. Shit Misty! I almost forgot I was going to be seeing her.
“Hey douche bag. Long time no see,” Kyle said, slapping me on the back.
“Ahh, you know. I try to stay busy.” Sarcasm was never my strong point.
“Whatever. Go grab a beer my very single friend. It’s time to get you hooked up. There are a bunch of hoes here today.”
“I’m good on the hoes, but I’ll take a beer.” The nerve of Kyle. He knows I am not that type of guy.
“Don’t be a pussy. Get you some. We have easy access,” he said while making a jack-off motion with his hand. He was such a jackass, but I knew who he was. I couldn’t say the same for myself. I would love to be able to say I knew who I was. I hoped Misty called soon because I was headed down a path I would truly regret.
“Shut the hell up. I’m going to grab a beer.” I walked over towards the outdoor fridge.
“Don’t forget to grab some pussy while you’re over there,” Kyle yelled across the yard. A roar of laughter broke out.
“Suck ass dick head,” I responded and continued to get my beer. Come on Misty, call already.
It was going on four p.m. when my head began to get fuzzy. I’d had five beers and was shooting the breeze with old high school friends. A smoking hot brunette caught my attention from the corner of my eye. She looked very familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. She was tall and was wearing a very small, tight-fitting dress.
“Emily, get out of here!” Kyle screamed.
“Get over yourself Kyle.”
“Dude, Drake, help me get her out of here. She is too young to be here.” What the heck was I supposed to do? I lifted myself from my seat and jogged over to her, nearly tripping over a chair in the process.
“Hey Em, what’s up?” She had definitely grown up since the last time I saw her. She was beautiful but still couldn’t hold a candle to Misty.
“Did the jerk-off send you over here? Tell him to go screw himself. He is always trying to control what I do. I have parents.”
“Don’t be like that. He is just looking out for you.”
“Yeah, well maybe. He never lets me have any fun.” Was she really pouting? She crossed her arms and was tapping her foot.
“Let’s get you inside before the man bursts a blood vessel.” Kyle was looking directly over at us. I gave him two thumbs up as I escorted Emily into the house. I saw the relief move across his face.
Emily and I stepped through the sliding door and before I could turn back around she was in my arms kissing me. I didn’t back away from her, I let the kiss continue. My mind was fuzzy and confused. I guess I
shouldn’t have had so many beers. I heard ringing in my pocket but chose to ignore it. I was so engrossed in the moment. Emily finally broke away.
“I have wanted to do that for so long. I have always had a huge crush on you, but you only thought of me as my brother’s dorky little sister. I am no longer little. I am all grown up.” She gestured at her body. I looked as her hands directed and she was definitely not a little girl anymore.
“Listen Em, you are beautiful, but we can’t do this.” Her eyes saddened a bit.
Before I could get anymore words out she was kissing me again. I let me hands caress her back. Then Emily jumped up and wrapped her legs around my waist. I pushed her against the wall and kissed her deeper.
“Ahh Misty, you feel good.” I felt a sharp sting across my face. I opened my eyes to a very pissed looking Emily. She slapped me hard across the face again.
“I’m not Misty.” She stormed off further into the house. Shit, Shit, what the fuck was I doing? I knew I shouldn’t have come here. My guilt started to rise in my throat. As if on cue my phone rang. Of course it was Misty. How the hell was I going to tell her about this? Maybe I didn’t have to. She didn’t know any of these people. They didn’t know her. I would have to find Emily and make sure she didn’t tell anyone.
“Hey beautiful.”
“Hey, sorry it took me so long. My aunt took me with her to buy a new car. Anyway, I am ready to see you.” How could I not tell her? But if I did she would never trust me. Maybe I was over-reacting, it was just a kiss and we weren’t even together now.
“I’m ready to see you too. Where are you and I will come get you,” I said, trying not to show the guilt I was feeling.
“I am at home. Come now. I have something I want to show you.” She was so excited and it warmed my soul.
“Give me an hour, Peaches, and I will be right over.” She agreed and I hung up to say my goodbyes to Kyle and the gang. I found Emily and she promised not to tell, but who knew what she would do.