She rushed into the bathroom to check her appearance. She checked her hair and makeup to be sure Anthony saw what she saw. Just because she was tired didn’t mean that Anthony had to see her looking a complete mess. She strolled down the spiral stairway and knew right away by his posture that he had been with Carrie. His eyes were lazy and he also had that look of sexual satisfaction. The right on time yawn only confirmed her thoughts. She pushed them away.
“Hi baby,” she greeted. “Are you ready to eat?”
“Of course,” he said. “You know I’m always ready for whatever you put in front of me” He yawned again. “I had the roughest day babe.”
I just bet she thought. She’d play along too. It wouldn’t be much longer anyway and Carrie could have his lying ass.
“Was the store busy?”
“Yeah,” he said. “It was like rush hour after you left. Business is booming in ways that I only imagined.”
He said it like she wasn’t the one who kept the books. Like she wouldn’t be able to pull the receipts and see exactly how much business had actually “boomed” tonight. She sighed at the thought that she had gotten herself in this tangled web of deceit. She definitely knew what she was dealing with when it came to Anthony. She just didn’t expect him to be so outright disrespectful.
They’d met at the hospital. His hand was busted and she was assigned to follow up treatment after the doctor stitched him up. Anthony had hit the dashboard instead of his ex-wife once he found out that she’d been sleeping with his brother Kevin. That night, he questioned the paternity of his twins and his entire marriage. Samantha had consoled him because she knew how it felt to be let down by people you loved. She happened to be on duty when he came back to get the stitches out. He told her how much he appreciated her empathy and the care she had given him. Of course she was flattered. Anthony had the most beautiful eyes she’d ever seen. They were so dark that they looked like midnight.
After dating him for a while she noticed how he thought he had a lot of game and flaunted it. She saw straight through him though. Her sympathy went out to the women that didn’t. He was nothing more than a leech who would take any opportunity to gain more for himself. Pennies on the dollar even. To be honest, she slightly admired his ambition though. From experience, she knew what it felt like to go after what you wanted and actually succeed at getting it. The game plan and thrill of working it through was like no other.
She prepared the table while he let out another pathetic yawn. Talk about overkill. Okay she got it. He’d been screwing his brains out and wanted her to know. Or, better yet, he wanted her to believe that he was too exhausted to have sex with her. She wondered if he even bothered to shower or brush his teeth.
After he scarfed down his meal she heard him say, “Whew thanks for the grub. I’m ready to crash babe. I’m gonna hop in the shower and head straight to bed.” He got up and came to the kitchen to give her a kiss but she backed away.
She stuttered. “You smell like pizza and you know how my nausea gets these days.”
“Okay,” he shrugged. “I’ll see you when I get off tomorrow then.”
She watched him walk away. He had confirmed that she wouldn’t be getting any tonight. Sex was the one thing he was actually good at. Oh well, she was tired herself. She had to be to work in a few hours and she didn’t want to be late. Her leg was numb again and she needed to loosen it up before going in. Everyone wondered how she found the strength. Day by day she told herself. She had to keep striving to be better, get better and have better.
Samantha rushed to her doctor’s appointment. Getting off early was not an easy task in her field. People thought the nurses had it rough but she believed the aides had it rougher. At Per Diem medical, being a nurse aide was just like being a nurse. The only difference is that you weren’t allowed to pass meds. Although she didn’t discuss her personal life with her co-workers she still had to have a good reason for leaving early. The facility was always understaffed and the turnover rate was like a revolving door. They didn’t ask personal questions but the head nurse reminded her that she’d have to bring back a doctor’s slip.
“Hello Samantha,” Dr. Jordan said cheerfully. “How are you today?”
“Well, my legs a little swollen but other than that I’ve been feeling better than usual.”
“That’s fantastic. The new regime must be working its magic.” He carefully inspected her leg then started writing out a prescription.
“Shoot, I’m on enough meds already,” she said.
He chuckled. “Well, what I’m writing isn’t anything major. These are just water pills to relieve the fluid in your leg. Have you been on your feet more than usual?”
“Yes,”she sighed. “I’ve been working the night shift at the facility and then the store during the day.”
“You know you’re supposed to be taking it easy. I know this newfound energy allows you to go longer but you have to let it build up to that one hundred percent. We need you to be on point for every aspect of the plan.”
“You’re right. Besides that, I’ve been following everything else to the letter.”
“Have there been any setbacks? “
“It’s going as well as expected I guess. I’m determined to follow this through. Some days are definitely better than others. Overall, everything seems to be on schedule according to the chart”.
“Don’t get distracted,” he told her. “If we continue to follow the process our results will be on the winning side. Try to eliminate as much stress as possible and by all means stay focused. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. We’re making progress. Here’s the prescription for your leg and your refills. Remember to take them with food twice a day.” He smiled. “We’re in this to win. I’ll continue doing my part, you just make sure you stay on top of yours.”
End of sneak peek. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story. Please be on the lookout for “Diva in Despair”...coming soon.
Dawn Jennings
RENT MY OH'S Page 4