by Chance, Abby
“I saw you. But I won’t tell.”
“Okay, I’ll cover for you,” she said.
“I’ll be back in two days,” I said. “I promise.”
I grabbed my bag and hurriedly exited my room.
Chapter Two
My mother’s home, while small and somewhat cluttered, was a marvel of obsessive cleanliness. There was not an ounce of dust surrounding any of the hundreds of religious-themed figurines lining everything from top of the fireplace to the shelves above the toilets in both of the home’s bathrooms.
My mom was elated to have me home, so much so, she slaved away the evening of my arrival preparing my favorite dish of biscuits and gravy.
I sat at the dinner table. I leaned to the right and noticed the etching of a bear I carved when I was 7 years old. Still looking fresh as if done a day ago, I smiled and reminisced as mother placed my plate in front of me.
“You know, that is the primary reason why I haven’t bought a new table,” she said, with a smile.
“Aww, mom,” I said, with warmth in my heart. “It has a native feel to it, doesn’t it?”
“I honestly thought you were going to grow up to be an artist,” she said, as she sat on the other end of the table.
I bit into the biscuit, my eyes lit up like torchlights. Nostalgia and wonderment overwhelmed my senses. “My goodness, this is amazing,” I said, catching a large crumb from rolling off the side of my lip.
“Glad you like it,” she said. “So what happened?”
“Oh yeah, sorry,” I said, while masticating gravy and biscuit mush. “You were right, the place is too dangerous.”
My mother’s brows curled up. They always did that when she was proven right. “I knew it. So what happened?”
“Well, the war next door in the Congo spilled over the border and explosions could be heard just a few miles away. Only the die-hards stayed behind,” I said, again lying through my teeth. I would have to sacrifice an entire week of television and internet for penance as soon as I got back to the convent.
“Is it okay if I stay here a couple of nights?” I asked.
Mother smiled from ear to ear. “Of course,” she said, with pep in her voice.
We continued our dinner late into the night, catching up on years of missed conversations and dialogue. It was good to be back home.
Chapter Three
I woke up to the sounds of sparrows chirping outside my window. I reached my arm out to tap the snooze button on my alarm clock, but instead knocked Spirit, the limited edition, albino My Little Pony off the nightstand.
Mom brought out all my old toys as soon as I left for the convent and placed them all over the room, probably to remind her of the good old days, where I would run into my parents’ bedroom and bounce on top of dad and her, while I begged for pancakes.
I got up from my twin-sized bed, which was decorated with a frilly princess comforter and matching bed set, and put on my slippers. I noticed a note stuck to the door. I got up and grabbed it, rubbed my eyes and aimed it toward the sunlight that shone through the bedroom window. It read, Gloria’s in town, she wants to see you, call her 412-555-3657, in mother’s beautifully skilled handwriting.
I folded the note and placed it on my dresser and headed to the kitchen to get a bowl of cereal. As I poured a bowl of Cap’n Crunch, I thought long and hard about getting in touch with Gloria. I didn’t think I was in the mood for an awkward meet-up that most certainly would involve discussing a certain situation in a hot tub. However, I grew up with Gloria, and we were practically sisters as we went through school together.
I picked up the cordless phone and walked into my bedroom with cereal bowl in hand, and dialed Gloria’s phone number.
“Hello,” said the familiar, high pitched, cheery, and overtly feminine voice.
“Gloria?”
“Jessie? Oh my God...how you been?”
“Okay, I guess,” I said, while chomping down on a crunch berry.
“What are you doing tonight?”
“Umm,” I paused, scanning the room for a hair brush. “Nothing, I guess. I’m at mom’s and there really isn’t anything to do.”
“You want to hang out for some coffee?”
“Sure. What time?”
“How about six?”
“Yeah...yeah...sounds great! I’ll be at the coffee shop at six.”
Everyone knew what the coffee shop was.
“It’s good to talk to you again, Gloria. I’ve missed you.”
“Me too, there is so much that I want to talk to you about.”
“That makes two of us,” I said. “I’ll see you later.”
“Later, Jess.”
I hung up the phone and went to my closet to see what my prospective wardrobe looked like. My dresses, shirts, shoes all looked a bit dated, except for the small, skin-tight, black dress. The one I wore the night of the hot tub event.
I wanted to meet up with Gloria tonight, I had no money, and no car to shop for a new set of clothes. The little black dress had to make do once again.
Chapter Four
I went down to the grocery store to stock up on some of the food I had voraciously eliminated from my mother’s kitchen upon my arrival. I had to admit, my mother’s pantry of Twinkies and Oreos was a welcome change, albeit extremely unhealthy, compared to the convent’s choice of wheat crackers and dehydrated dates.
I wore my little black dress and left the veil and plain dress at home. My intentions weren’t to hooch it up, but the little black dress was the only outfit that fit me. Even though I didn’t want to call attention to myself, I knew in the back of my mind that it would.
As soon as I entered the store, every single pair of eyes that belonged to a heterosexual man, no matter the age, lasered in on me. It was, to say the least, intimidating. My every move was under scrutiny. Who was I kidding? I could have tripped, fallen on my ass, or walked with a limp and their static expressions of salivation would probably never change.
I perused the aisles with a discriminating eye toward the tastiest and unhealthiest snacks. My mother was by no means a health freak, but I took advantage of my temporary stay by stocking up on the most sinful snacks, and inundating her home with foods with the highest levels of high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.
After I was done stocking up on the essentials, I moseyed on over toward the meat and seafood section. An older man, with a hooked nose, cheap blue tracksuit, and glistening lips, kept following me down the aisles. I ignored him and continued examining the quality of the chicken.
As I inspected the price of a large chicken breast I was startled by a soothing, confident voice. “He’s following you, isn’t he?”
I looked to my right and the most handsome butcher in the history of butcherdom stood before me, in a clean white smock. “Oh, him?” I said, pointing toward the old lecher who peered at me while examining the Yuban. “Yeah, I think he’s harmless though.”
“He’s a regular. I see him following all the pretty girls around the store. You’re right, he’s harmless. But if you want me to tell him to leave you alone, I’ll do it,” the blonde, slicked-haired mincer of meat suggested.
“Thanks, but I’m okay.”
“Matt, by the way,” he said, reaching over to shake my hand. His sleeve retracted and I could see a smattering of tattoos running up his arm.
“Jessie...” I said. I almost dropped the chicken to the floor as I awkwardly placed it in my other arm.
“Whoops,” Matt said. “If it hits the floor I’d have to throw it away.”
“It’s okay, I was intending on buying it anyway.” I put the chicken into my shopping cart and began walking away. “Nice to meet you,” I said, with a pleasant nod.
“Wait,” Matt said.
I cringed for a brief moment. Not because he wasn’t cute, adorable or rugged, but I just didn’t want to disappoint the young man once I told him I was a nun.
“You live around here? I’ve never seen you in the
store before.”
“Yeah, I do. It’s just that I don’t do the shopping for the people I work with,” I said with brevity.
“Are you a fireman, I mean...firewoman? God, I feel so stupid,” he said, smacking his forehead. “I just thought you meant...I’m confused.”
“I’m a nun.”
Matt’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Then he furrowed his brow in suspicion. “Wait a minute, where’s your thingy,” he said, pointing to his forehead.
“Oh, you mean my veil?”
“Yeah...”
“We don’t always have to wear it, you know?”
He then put his hand on his chin and eyed me from head to toe. “A nun, huh?”
“Hard to believe, isn’t it?” I said, as I crossed my arms, hoping Matt took a hint.
“Well sister, I hope your shopping experience has been pleasurable,” he said, putting his hands into the apron’s pockets. “Is there anything else I could do for you?”
Matt was trying to come off smooth with his last question. As if the question warranted a phone number or further inference by me. He was cute, but I promised mom dinner and I did have a date with Gloria.
“No thanks, I appreciate your help,” I said. I smiled, turned around and pushed my cart toward the checkout line.
Chapter Five
It was a rather warm and balmy late summer evening when I pulled up to the coffee shop in mom’s 10 year old, silver Toyota Camry. I exited the vehicle, closed the squeaky driver’s side door and scanned the outside tables and chairs for any sign of Gloria.
Among the trendy patrons, a raven-haired, thick-lipped, high-cheekboned stunner stuck out like a priest at a gun show.
“Gloria?” I asked.
“Hey, Jessie,” she replied, taking small baby steps toward me and giving me a long bear hug. She stood up and seemed a few inches taller from the last time we were together.
I took a step back. “Did you grow an inch or two?” I asked.
“No silly, I have my favorite black stilettos on. What do you think?” she said, lifting one of her long fit legs into the air.
“They’re real nice. I like them.”
“Thanks,” she said. “You look great by the way. I see that you still fit into that nice dress of yours.”
I crossed my arms across my chest and tilted my head in slight embarrassment. “Yeah, its kinda the only thing that looked decent on me while I’m staying at mom’s.”
Gloria sat down in her chair and motioned for me to do the same. “So what’s going on? Why are you at your mom’s?”
I sat down in my chair and made sure the skirt of my dress didn’t ride up my thigh too much. “I don’t know if this nun stuff is working out.”
“Really? Wow! You were so committed last time we talked.”
“I know, but Gloria, it’s…just…it’s that I think I’m addicted to bad things.”
Gloria flashed me a devious grin. “Like what?”
I looked around the other tables to see if anyone was eavesdropping. I then looked into Gloria’s large, brown eyes. “I don’t know how I feel about that night in the hot tub,” I said, as I looked over my shoulder.
“You’re still hung up over that night?” Gloria said. “That was nothing. I’ve moved on. It’s just a pleasant memory.”
“It was wrong. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m addicted to that type of pleasure now. I’ve been chasing the dragon ever since.”
“Really? So you’ve done other stuff since then?” she asked, as her eyes opened wider and her grin longer.
“Yeah, kinda.”
“Ooh, you gotta tell me!”
I looked around and felt it was only a matter of time before some church goer was going to recognize me. “Let’s go somewhere where I won’t be subjected to judgment.”
“You want to get a drink?” asked Gloria.
“Like a soda?” I asked.
“No, like spirits, cocktails...beer?”
The last time I had a drink was with Gloria. I was the first one to admit, it felt good getting a little buzzed. It made things a lot easier and freer to digest. I quickly realized I was a free girl for a couple of nights. I was young, pretty and I don’t think God cared if I tested my dedication for a couple of nights. I was already knee deep in a shit pool of sin; forgiveness was always around the corner. Besides, it’s not like I robbed a liquor store or something. “Sounds good, lets go.”
“One of my good friends is a bartender at a bar. He’ll let us drink without checking our I.D.’s,” Gloria remarked.
“Sure, let’s go.”
Chapter Six
Max’s was a small bar across the street from the post office, all the way at the end of town. It had been there since World War II and the surrounding area was in the midst of a revitalization, evidenced by the many buildings sporting nothing but scaffolding and fencing. There was a small parking lot in the back, with only two cars parked with their fenders almost touching the exterior of the bar. Gloria gave me an unsure look before opening her door. “Looks kinda dead. You still want to do this?”
“Well it’s kinda early, maybe more patrons will stream in. Besides, I kinda like the privacy,” I said, as I grabbed my plain leather purse.
We both got out of Gloria’s Benz and walked into the bar. The place was empty, except for a patron in his sixties, wearing a trucker hat and a long sleeved denim shirt, who was glued to the old television in the windowed corner of the bar. The bartender’s back was turned toward us, fortunately, he seemed rather young, judging by his thin waistline and broad shoulders.
“This place is a dive,” I said. “At least it’s quiet.”
“Yeah you’re right, but we’ll be able to talk about your little escapades,” Gloria said, giggling. “Let’s go meet Matt.”
Interesting, my second Matt of the day, I thought.
Gloria walked up the bar and sat on the stool and slapped her hand on top of the bar’s serving area. “Hey gorgeous.”
As Matt turned around, I immediately recognized the tattoos on his arm, as they looked awfully familiar. He almost dropped the glass he was drying as soon as he made eye contact with me. Matt paused for a moment and muttered, “Oh, hey.”
Gloria looked at me and then at Matt. “Do you, umm, know each other?”
I smiled and responded, “Well, kinda.”
Matt let out a little chuckle and added, “I met Jessie here at the grocery store earlier in the day.”
“You remembered my name? Impressive,” I said.
“I see,” Gloria nodded.
“So, you’re a butcher and a bartender?” I asked.
“My buddy Ryan and I own this place. I got a job as a butcher to help pay for the loan that helped us pay for the bar. As you can see, business isn’t really thriving. But once they get this area up and going, we’ll start to roll.”
“Well, I think your investment is going to pay off,” I said.
I kept my eyes on Matt a little longer, as I wasn’t being rushed to my next destination this time around. He definitely looked cuter without his butcher apron and silly paper hat. His arms were slender, but toned and muscular. He had two sleeves, one with a prominent Asian Carp the other with a dragon design. Sure, not the most original artwork, but quality ink nonetheless. His jawline was smooth and defined, testosterone was something he surely didn’t lack. His slender jeans highlighted the muscular pop in his thighs. Matt had a lower body built for exertion and stamina, probably a bicyclist.
“You’re over 21, right?” Matt asked us, with a sly wink.
Gloria winked back. “Let me get my I.D.,” she said. The older patron looked over his left shoulder at us for a brief moment then turned his attention toward the Hollywood propaganda show on the tube.
“Two margaritas,” Gloria asked Matt.
“Strawberry?”
Gloria looked at me. I casually nodded. “Sure, make em’ extra strong, okay?”
“Two extra strength margaritas, comin’ right up,”
Matt bellowed, as he gripped the shakers with his large hands.
We both sat on the stools watching Matt’s backside go to work. “What do you think?” asked Gloria, nodding toward Matt’s direction.
“He’s cute,” I said.
“He’s got a kinky side.”
“Oh yeah? How do you know?”
“I’ll tell you in a bit, so what happened with you?” asked Gloria, with giddiness overwhelming her.
“Hold on to your horses, let me get my drink first,” I said. I wanted to be relaxed before I spilled my deepest and darkest secrets.
“Here you go, ladies,” Matt said, as he slid us the margarita glasses. I took a sip first “Oh my goodness,” I said. “Great job there, Matty.”
“Thanks,” Matt blushed.
“Okay, so spill the beans,” Gloria demanded, playfully.
Matt overheard Gloria’s question and asked, “About what?”
“Butt out Matt...you’ll know eventually,” Gloria whimsically quipped.
“Gloria!”
“Just playing, go on.”
“Okay, so I went on a missionary trip to Africa.”
“Wow, really? What part?”
“Zaire.”
“Damn, that really is like Africa, Africa,” she said.
“So there was this international French soccer star helping out with the mission...”
“...what? Who?” Gloria interjected.
“Does it matter?”
“Uh, yeah. My father is die hard soccer fan. So, who was he?”
I leaned in close to Gloria, “E’tienne Sahko.”
Gloria’s eyes opened wide and she briefly shouted, “E’tienne Sah...”
I immediately covered Gloria’s mouth before she could finish his name. Matt, while cleaning up the bar, looked over at us, nodded his head and smiled.
Gloria whispered, “What did you do with him?”
“I jerked him off in a shack.”
“Oh my God, you bad girl you,” Gloria sibilated.
“Yeah I know,” I said, as I put my hand against my forehead and shook my head.