Seven Years of Bad Luck

by J. L. Mac

“Are you an artist? Did you do these?” I peeked through a cracked eyelid to see Ben shuffling through the many sketches while we waited at a red light.

  “Hey, give me those, and no, I’m no artist, but those are mine. My friend is an artist, and this is his work.” I had both eyes open, and the sun was much too bright to keep them that way for long. I snapped my sensitive eyes shut.

  “My apologies, I didn’t mean to intrude, but can I just say that these are beautiful. What will you do with them if you don’t mind me asking?” I cracked my eyes open again to attempt a fitting answer. He looked at me quizzically, and I couldn’t help but admire those beautiful blue-green eyes of his.

  “I, uh, I will have them…permanently.” It was a highly vague response, and I expected him to push for a more specific answer but he didn’t. He just nodded his head and focused back on the traffic around us.

  “So, if you are not the artist, then who is?”

  “His name is Fred.”

  “Your boyfriend, I assume.”

  “No. Not my boyfriend. Fred is a friend of mine. He lives back home in El Paso.” Even in profile, I could see Ben’s face grow serious, and his brows bunched together.

  “I thought you said you lived here when we met in Book Ends.”

  I felt the need to reassure him. “Well, yes. I only just moved to Dallas from El Paso. I had business to attend to in El Paso, that’s where I’ve come from today.” I put my fingers to my temples and began rubbing at the unforgiving pain there.

  “I see.”

  We arrived at the hospital a short while later. Ben sat beside me in the waiting area and did a good job of distracting me from the awful pounding headache I had.

  “God, I hope this doesn’t take all night. You know you can leave. I appreci Cve.fontate your help and all, but really I’m fine and I can call my friend to come get me.” He turned his intense gaze on me.

  “I won’t leave you alone here.” The moment he spoke those words I felt my face drop, and my heart clenched in my chest. I couldn’t help but remember that the last time I was in a hospital someone else spoke those exact words to me but for far different reasons. I felt the threat of tears coming, and I did my best to battle them away. Ben noticed the shift in my expression.

  “Hey, are you all right?” He leaned in close to me when he spoke and placed his warm hand on my knee. I could feel his breath against my skin again, and it had the same effect on me as it did earlier in the airport. It was warm and coaxing against my body. I felt the urge to wrap my arms around him but ignored it.

  “Yeah, I’m okay.” My voice sounded unconvincing.

  “You don’t look okay.” I was getting uncomfortable and worried that if he kept pushing I would start crying, which would only add to my humiliation.

  “Really I’m fine. Why are you even here? I don’t need a sitter.” My words came out more clipped than I had intended, and I felt a little guilt for it the moment I said it.

  “Well, I beg to differ. As far as I can tell, you are perhaps the clumsiest person I have ever seen. If I leave you to your own devices, you’re likely to injure yourself further. Who knows, you could get run over by a city bus or something while juggling your lipstick around like you did that book.” With the mention of the book, my indignation began brewing again. I was glad to feel any other emotion beside sadness.

  “I am not clumsy. I have a lot going on lately, and I’m…distracted. Besides, I don’t wear lipstick. I wear tinted gloss thank you very much you Book Thief!” He clutched his hand to his stomach, tossed his head back, and he laughed uproariously. I was tempted to join in the laughing with him but fought against the urge to enjoy the moment. His laugh was infectious and quite sexy. I felt a stirring between my thighs.

  Kat, seriously? You’re a joke! This man has just insulted you and you can’t seem to get a hold of your sexually deprived self?

  “Do I amuse you? Am I some sort of joke to you? A comedian?”

  He slowly gathered himself and came down from the moment. “No, I don’t think you’re a joke, though you are entertaining.” He shrugged his shoulders.

  “Go to hell Ben.” I said flatly.

  “They won’t have me,” He mumbled.

  “What did you say?” I swiftly jolted from my relaxed position in my seat to look him in the face.

  Cn>

  “Nothing,” He mumbled again and ran his large hands through his ridiculously beautiful chocolate brown, wavy locks.

  Oh, back to being a man of many words.

  When I relaxed my arm on the arm rest between the two of us, I noticed Ben glance down at the hospital bracelet on my wrist. He scrunched his brows together and looked confused.

  “You know you shouldn’t do that to your face. You’ll get wrinkles prematurely.” He looked up at me and relaxed his face into a charming smile; his eyes were sparkling at me with something unspoken in them.

  “Why, Miss Kathleen Cooper, are you worried about my appearance?”

  My eyes went wide at the sound of my full name rolling off his tongue. “How do you know my name? I never gave you my full name.” His eyes glanced downward to the bracelet on my wrist which held enough information for any proper thief to steal a person’s identity.

  “Oh, I see. I should have caught that. Are you planning on murdering me or something, because only stalkers or murders pay attention to things like that.” I lifted my wrist with the bracelet and waved it at him. “Oh, and why were you at the airport?” He beamed another panty dropping smile in my direction that made the butterflies in my stomach flutter at Mach speed.

  “No Kathleen Cooper, I am none of those things. I assure you I am a law abiding citizen, and I was at the airport for the same reasons you were. You know, to fly to and from a predetermined destination. I just returned from a business trip when I saw you trip and fall.”

  Smartass!

  “So what do you do?” He paused for a moment and returned his amused look to meet mine.

  “I’m a lawyer.” The minute that bit of information passed over his lips I let out a dull chuckle.

  He looked at me with confusion riddled across his features. “Does my occupation amuse you?”

  “No not at all. I just find it…fitting that you’re a lawyer. I could have guessed that one.” He playfully narrowed his eyes on me, and then he too laughed.

  Ben never inquired about my occupation, so I didn’t reveal any details. He grinned at me and patted the bracelet on my wrist. We didn’t speak much more while I waited to be seen. After seeing the doctor and undergoing a few tests to make sure that I had no serious head injury, I was released from the hospital with the diagnosis of a monster headache.

  “Well Ben, thank you kindly for your help, but I can take it from here.” He looked down at me while we stood in front of each other at the hospital entrance. I had my hand outstretched to shake his, but he made no attempt to shake my hand.

  Well, Kat, don’t you feel like a blooming idiot in spring.

  “I will take you to your home. You shouldn’t be alone.” I shook my head subtly to avoid more pain.

  “I am quite capable of getting myself back to my apartment Ben. I will be sure to avoid the city buses.” I shot him a half grin to which he chuckled.

  “Fair enough. Would you like me to return you to your car?” I smiled at him while I privately reveled in my small victory over Mr. Pretentious-Sex-on-Legs.

  “Yes Please. Thanks.” Once we arrived bac

  k at the airport parking lot, I said adieu to Ben after expressing my thanks to him once again, he scribbled down his phone number on a piece of paper and gave it to me with instructions to call him if I needed anything. I didn’t give him my phone number nor did he ask for it.

  Chapter 7

  ‘Get out of jail card’

  Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Day 218 since Aidan. I slept like the dead after returning from El Paso. I was both physically and emotionally exhausted, and sleep came easily, for once. Cheyenne was still in bed short
ly after 8 am when I heard a knock on our apartment door. I abandoned my coffee on the kitchen counter and crept to the door.

  I opened the door to a delivery man who held out a clipboard and pen to me.

  “Kathleen Cooper?”

  “Yes, that’s me. What’s this?” I quickly signed for the delivery, which was a rectangular package about the size of a shoe box.

  “Ma’am, do I look like a psychic?” The delivery man drawled in a southern accent.

  I glanced up at the irritating oaf and shook my head. The old me drew back her metaphorical privacy curtain and let loose on the jerk. I cocked my head to the side and quirked up one eyebrow.

  “No I don’t suppose you are psychic pal. Just talking out loud.” With that, I slammed the door on the delivery man.

  Who the hell would be sending me a package? No one has this address yet.

  I opened the package and removed the tissue paper to discover what the box encased.

  The book.

  I was a bit speechless when I removed the cookbook Ben and I verbally tussled over. There was a handwritten note in the bottom of the box as well.

  ‘Kathleen, for your someone special. –Ben, the Book Thief.’ I couldn’t believe that Ben the Book Thief and supremely arrogant lawyer would be so…nice.

  He probably just took pity on your pathetic self. There was no return address or information about the sender on the package. Just a simple label addressed to me and the note from Ben inside. I did, however, have his name and number scribbled on a piece of paper. I entertained the idea of calling him for a moment before I decided against it. I was relieved to have gotten the book in the end for Cheyenne’s birthday, but had no intentions of seeing or talking to Ben ever again. I would need to stay as far away from him as I could. The last thing I needed was another Aidan in my life. Ben had trouble written all over him, and I knew to stay as far away from trouble as possible, at least, for the time being.

  I quickly repackaged the gift and hid it beneath my bed. Cheyenne’s 28th birthday was in four days. I made a note to myself to start planning what we would do for her day. I chose not to tell Cheyenne anything about my encounter with the handsome book thief. She would only ask questions that would surely lead to spoiling her birthday surprise.

  We spent the majority of our Wednesday hanging out and talking while both of us sat in front of our own laptops in the living room. Cheyenne was busy looking for employment and I was aimlessly browsing the internet for birthday celebration ideas. I didn’t even get to research the three firms I had applied to.

  Thursday and Friday came and went and I didn’t accomplish much at all. I had Ben on my mind. I was undeniably attracted to the man but couldn’t understand how he could be so smug yet still kind enough to attend to me at the hospital and send me the book I wanted for Cheyenne. I had to remind myself that he was a lawyer, which in my opinion, made him sneaky as a snake.

  Saturday, May 18th, 2013. Day 221 since Aidan. Cheyenne and I decided to venture out of our comfy little apartment and take part in some bar hopping with the locals. We both agreed that it would be better to celebrate her birthday a day early since her actual birthday fell on a Sunday. We both primped and pampered ourselves before heading out on the town. Cheyenne looked hot in her curve hugging, champagne sequin mini dress and impeccable makeup. I had Cheyenne raid my wardrobe for something suitable.

  “Seriously Kat! This is not even worthy of being called a wardrobe!” She waved her hand toward my closet door with an exasperated expression marring her pretty face.

  “What? I don’t think it’s all that bad. Maybe a little outdated, and I might have far too many boring work clothes but…you know…I just don’t shop much.” I shrugged my shoulders and huffed.

  “Don’t shop much? By the looks of these clothes of yours, you don’t shop at all! We are so fixing this problem tomorrow. How do you expect to get a man with nothing decent to wear?” Cheyenne threw her hands up and held them there while she waited for whatever sad excuse I was attempting to formulate.

  “I don’t need a man, Chey. I am all about going to get some new clot Ksom

  “Okay fine! Clothes, tomorrow! Now, shall we go raid my closet for something fantastic to put on you?” Her beaming white smile was the signal that the subject was dropped and we were on our way to happier topics.

  “Lets!” I cried with enthusiasm to please Cheyenne.

  She ended up choosing an incredibly revealing little black mini dress. It was completely backless except for one wide black satin band that crossed over the top of my back, only concealing a vertebrate or two. The dress only just barely concealed my backside from prying eyes. The bottom of the dress rested high on my upper thighs and was hemmed with a wide black satin band which matched the same black satin band that held the dress across my upper back. It had tiny little cap sleeves and was a body contouring fit. It was purely scandalous and put me in serious danger of exposing my goods to a lucky on looker or two. I made a mental note to not drink too much or drop anything on the floor.

  Cheyenne looked very pleased when she shoved me in front of her full length mirror. She had me wearing a great pair of long dangle earrings that reminded me of a disco ball the way they glittered. She also slid a cuff bracelet onto my wrist and demanded that I replace my simple diamond pendant necklace with the choker she had chosen for me. As for the shoes, she browbeat me into wearing a peep toe, studded heel, leather, zip back pumps. The only feature on these shoes that I loved was the wide cuff that enclosed each ankle. They were obscenely high and uncomfortable of course but I had to admit they were very flattering. In short, my best friend dressed me up like a high priced hooker, but I was glad to feel sexy for the night. Cheyenne completed my mini makeover by fixing my long auburn hair into a loose up-do, applying smoky eye makeup that she insisted suited my green eyes, my tinted lip gloss, and topped it all off with a spray of perfume.

  We chose to go to a popular club as our second destination of the night. The first place we went to was too low key for Cheyenne’s taste so we gulped down our drinks and headed on to the next place. The second club was packed with people dancing and drinking. We went directly to the bar keeping up with tradition and quickly downed a lemon drop each then ordered our cocktails.

  We sat at the bar and chatted each other up. I saw Cheyenne motion over my shoulder with her eyes so reading my best friend I gave a nod signaling my understanding. I waited a three second count and then casually turned my body a bit to eaves drop on the two ladies who stood at the bar beside us. That’s when things got interesting. I heard one of the ladies chatting not so quietly to her friend.

  “I guess this place is just full of street walkers tonight.” Her friend giggled annoyingly at her snide comment, then followed up with one of her own.

  “You see these two?” She motioned her head in our direction.

  “I bet these two have slept with at least a half a dozen of the guys in here tonight.” They both laughed like school girls, and I could no longer resist myself. In a clear voice I dove head long into a verbal spat with the two grown ass teenage Kn ahed likers.

  And cue former self!

  The old me peeped through my exterior for the second time in such a short period and I was tickled with the development. I smiled broadly and let loose.

  “Hey Chey, do you hear that? We’re street walkers?” She gave me a wink indicating that she was prepared to play along.

  “Oh! See, I thought we were prostitutes. Is there a difference other than the job title?” I smiled wide when I saw the two women gaping at the show we were putting on.

  “No, not really much difference, Chey. But listen, these two over here seem to think we are terrible street walkers. They only gave us credit for a half a dozen men in here!” I took a casual sip of my cocktail. Cheyenne was Oscar worthy in her role playing mode.

  “NO!” She mocked a look of being aghast. Her eyes were wide and her mouth formed into an O.

  “We have banged at least t
hirty or forty of the penis’s walking around in this joint!” Her instigating joke only further pissed off the two.

  “Exactly my thoughts Chey.” We both turned and smiled cattily at the two ladies who stood beside us with a look of shock and anger on their snotty faces. I leaned toward them, lowered my voice and threw out my next card.

  “But don’t worry ladies, if you plan on picking up a guy here tonight just give us a heads up as to who the unlucky bastards are that way when he tries to walk away from you two for us we will send him back your direction…unfucked.” Cheyenne now stood beside me shaking with laughter, and the two women were ready to combust. The one woman who apparently thought that her abundant frame could squeeze into a supermodel size zero decided to put her plump finger in my face.

  “You two are skanks!” Things got even sketchier.

  “I suggest you remove your hand from my face, or we are gonna have problems.” At that point Cheyenne stood slightly behind my outstretched left arm that held her back from pouncing on the bigger one.

  “Fuck you whore! You think you can just walk in here dressed like that actin’ all fancy and talk like that to me?” She sent a fine mist of saliva flying out of her mouth when she spoke and it made my blood boil.

  “I dress how I please, and it is not any fault of mine that you two behave like high school freshmen out of jealousy that another woman can be attractive. God forbid, right? Now, put your fucking finger away!” My voice was teetering on becoming a shout. I still held Cheyenne back.

  Suddenly, some drunken guy came barreling towards me from behind and crashed into both Cheyenne and me. We were both launched forward at the two women. They immediately started slapping, pulling, punchi Klli intong and scratching at us. We had not meant to start a fight but with the help of the drunken man who sent us charging forward, we were indeed in a fight, in a bar.

  Brilliant Kat! Check ‘bar brawl’ off the bucket list.

  Out of nowhere a large, handsome man with dirty blonde hair and tattoos stepped into the scuffle and peeled all of us apart. Cheyenne was still trying to charge at the two women like a bull when the handsome stranger scooped her up by the waist and drug her outside over his bulky shoulder. I followed willingly while the other two women hung back at the bar screaming obscenities at us. The police arrived and all of us including the handsome stranger were toted off to the police station to sort out who did what. Lucky for us when we were given an opportunity to make a phone call, I remembered shoving Ben’s scrap of paper with his phone number into my purse.