by Unknown
“Deliveries past five have an extra fee,” the woman replied in a monotone. He flashed a smile as well as the wad of cash from his pocket. He knew he probably shouldn’t let on he had so much cash on him, but he didn’t care. He felt on top of the world at the moment, and he wanted everyone to know it.
The woman bent down and pulled out a catalog from some invisible shelf behind the counter. He flipped through designs looking for something unique. The first several pages were peonies and roses. He wanted something better than that. Then, he saw an arrangement of white lilies and pink tulips with baby’s breath to fill up the rest of the vase. It was perfect.
He loudly punched the page with his finger, catching the woman’s attention. She nodded and rang him up, taking the money from him without flinching or even looking up at him. “It will arrive between five and five-thirty.”
He nodded and saluted her goodbye before walking out the door. It was on to the next destination; the corner market. He wanted to cook her a perfect dinner, one she’d always remember. He planned on getting enough fish for a feast.
His steps turned into a new swagger that he hadn’t felt in a long time. He could see women looking at him walking down the street and on his bike. He nodded and smiled at passers-by who winked and smiled at him. It was like he was walking on air. He was sure that he’d get Melanie to forgive him, forget about everything he’d done if he blew all this money on her and went all out. He had the best life possible, as far as he was concerned.
He pulled up to the market, ready to make some more outrageous purchases. There was a young Asian man at the front counter who looked nervous as Andy walked in. He was probably new, probably the son of the owner training to take over. Any other day, Andy would go easy on him. But he was sorry to know that he was not going to be this poor guy’s favorite customer that day.
“I’ll take a dozen of the live kumamoto oysters, a pound of Alaskan king crab, two rock lobster tails, two yellowfin tuna steaks, and three pounds of swordfish steak.” The boy behind the counter stared at Andy in disbelief as if he has just asked for him to kill somebody. “Could you be prompt, I’m kind of in a hurry.” And it had been such a good day. Andy was beginning to get irritated as the boy looked around stupidly at all the fish, wondering what was the right thing and how much to get out of each. Andy tapped his foot which seemed to make the boy even more nervous and clumsy.
Andy ran his fingers through her hair trying to keep calm, but annoyance was about to turn into full blown rage if he wasn’t careful. He’d been that way for a couple of days, very easily angered. He wasn’t ready to admit why, and he tried to put it out of his mind.
The boy went into the back, finally, and got some help. Looking at the man he brought out and then at the boy, it seemed Andy’s instincts had been right. The two of them looked almost like twins, so they had to be related. They started talking to each other in their language, Mandarin perhaps, and Andy began feeling agitated again. Why didn’t anyone train him first on measurements and what each kind of fish looked like?
Finally, the older man started pulling out Andy’s order and showing his son how to use the scale. They were turning Andy’s massive order into a teaching moment. He could feel his blood begin to boil as he sweated it out, tapping his foot on the ground and his nails on the counter. He had wanted to make it home before Melanie did, wanted to surprise her with the smell of his cooking. But at the rate those shitheads were moving, he’d be lucky to be home in time to cook before bedtime.
He brought his fist down hard on the counter, no longer able to hold his emotions in. The older man sent the boy back to the counter, pointing at the cash register while he continued to get the order ready. Finally, someone with some sense was going to get him out of there in a reasonable amount of time.
The boy started ringing him up so he could pay while the old man finished up getting all the fish together. Perfect -- they had figured out multitasking. He could see the boy’s face, looking like he was having a stroke or choking on something, when the final total came up on the register.
Andy couldn’t help but give a smug grin as he pulled his cash from his pocket again and began counting. The older gentleman was placing all of his order into a paper bag and spotted the money that was being slapped down on the counter. They acted like they’d never seen that much cash in one place before. Both of them let their eyes get so big, Andy was sure they were just going to pop right out of their head.
“Keep the change,” Andy said generously as the older man handed the heavy paper bag over the counter. He was definitely going to get his feast.
He strolled out of there giving a wave goodbye to the two men. He didn’t feel so bad for them anymore, knowing that he probably gave them their biggest order of the day. He put the bag of fish in the basket at the back of his bike and grabbed for his phone. He glanced at the time and stomped his feet a bit like a child. He was really going to have to get a move on if he was going to have the dinner ready in time.
He needed to make one last trip, to the mall to grab some kind of jewelry for Melanie. Women, whether they wore jewelry or not, always thought of it as the best gift a guy could give. It was a gift that meant a man had spent his hard-earned money on her that she could show off to everyone else. It also emblazoned them with the status of “taken.” It let other men know she was desirable but off limits and other women know that she was better than they were. It was the hierarchy of women and relationships. He’d learned it a long time ago.
As he started up his bike, he ignored the fact that he felt a strange tingle on the back of his neck, the kind that let you know someone was watching you. The problem with having been an addict in the past is knowing when you’re falling into it again, and Andy could feel it in his chattering teeth, his misfiring nerve endings, and his depressed soul that he was trying to hide with attitude. He honestly felt like he was going to die if he didn’t have more.
He couldn’t help but think about the fact that Zoey’s place was on the way to the mall. He would pass right by that part of town. He sighed deeply, thinking about whether or not he should risk it. He didn’t want to get held up any longer knowing Melanie would be home in just a couple hours. But he also knew he couldn’t be around her like this and fix things. He was too irritable. He had to try something. He would have to wean himself off of it and get a grip on reality again.
He took off with a purpose, knowing that he was headed straight for Zoey’s, the decision having been made. He’d have to beg for forgiveness later.
Somehow it didn’t surprise him that Zoey answered the door in a nightie, two men already traipsing through the house scantily clad. She had a pipe in her hand, and he knew it wasn’t just nicotine she was inhaling. “What brings you here today, Andy? Have you come to join my little party? I have to say, I don’t recall sending you an invitation.” Everything that came out of her mouth sounded sexual.
Andy was sure to keep his eyes trained on her face, his mind set on one mission only. “I came to replenish my stash, Zoey, that’s all.” It came out sounding pretty cold and harsh. Hopefully, he wasn’t pissing her off or else he’d probably be shit out of luck.
“Well, in that case, come in and have a seat. I’ll have what you want ready in a moment.” She glared daggers at him, letting him know she was not happy with his rude intrusion. At least she hadn’t said no. That’s all that really mattered at the moment.
Andy sat down on the sofa, pretending to play a game on his phone so that he didn’t have a reason to look up and accidentally get a full frontal view of one of her male companions. But it didn’t do much good as he felt hands begin to massage his shoulders. He looked side to side to see that the hands on him were female but way too dark to belong to Zoey.
He jumped up on his feet and flipped around to reprimand whoever it was. It was a dark girl with large, bright eyes and long lashes and nails. Most of her looked unnatural and fake, like she’d had surgery on every part of her.
“Sor
ry, I thought you were another one of Miss Zoey’s male visitors. I’m Michelle.” She held out her hand to shake, and Andy took it reluctantly. Really, Miss Zoey, what kind of party was this?
“Ah, I see you’ve met Michelle,” Zoey called out as she came back into the room, a small plastic bag in her hand. “Michelle, this is Andy. He’s a friend of mine. Michelle here has just moved from Martinique, and I’ve decided to take her in and show her American society. She earns her keep as a servant of kinds. She does laundry, bathrooms, back massages….”
She trailed off as Andy held out a chunk of cash for her. She took his hand and forced him to slip it into the pocket of her robe before she placed the bag into his jacket pocket. He could smell some kind of flowery perfume on her and pulled away quickly. “Thanks,” he muttered, making his way back out through the door. He wasn’t going to let her talk him into staying any longer. He’d have to find somewhere else to snort it, maybe the mall bathroom. He was that desperate.
He let his hand feel the plastic in his pocket before climbing back onto his bike. “This is the last time,” he said to himself before taking off.
CHAPTER FIVE
Melanie couldn’t be still as she paced the apartment, waiting for Andy to walk in the door. She’d found a note on the counter saying he had gone out and not to worry about dinner because he was taking care of it. It seemed like a nice gesture, but after what she’d found in the closet when she was pulling out some jeans made the whole nice thought go to hell. She was nervous and felt her body was shaking. It was way past time to confront him about his behavior and now this thing that she found. It was so confusing and frustrating.
Just then, she heard the knob turning and in came Andy, carrying a big paper bag with a huge smile on his face. Melanie tried to keep her wits about her as he set the bag down on the kitchen counter and came up to her. She wasn’t going to just let it go this time.
She braced herself as Andy gave her a sultry kiss and took off his jacket. He was looking a little thinner these days, and it actually suited him well. It was hard not to just jump him right there. “So, I made a trip to the market today and got all my favorite seafood, only the best for my baby. I thought it would be nice to celebrate you officially moving in. How does that sound?”
She gave Andy a weak smile as he began to unload the paper bag onto the counter. She felt like she was going to choke at the sight of how much he had bought. It was enough to feed a whole house full of people.
“Oh, and I also got you this.” He pulled something out of his pocket, a little black box with gold lettering on it. For a moment she felt her heart begin to melt. She took the box from him and opened it to find a gold charm bracelet inside with a motorcycle charm already on it as well as a heart. There was plenty of room to add more, and she got the feeling it was a high carat count as well.
She felt her resolve failing. How could she be mad at him when he was doing such romantic things for her? But then again, gestures like that always reeked of a guilty conscience. She knew she still had to say something.
“Andy, we need to talk.” Melanie sighed and collapsed into a dining room chair as if she were exhausted. She was already switching out much of his furniture for hers, temporarily upgrading the style at least a little until she could afford to redo the whole place.
“Okay, go ahead. I’ve gotta get dinner going so that we get to eat before midnight.” He chuckled, and it was like nails on a chalkboard to Melanie knowing she was about to ruin his good mood.
“You’ve been acting strangely lately, Andy. You lose contact with me. You missed AA without warning. And then, you missed breakfast with my mother.” It felt good to finally get all of it out in the open.
“I know, I know babe. Things have been really tough with work, I told you that. It’s made me really tired and off schedule. I am really sorry. That’s partially why I went all out tonight. I’d really like to make it up to you.” His sheepish grin almost succeeded in charming her as he turned around for a moment to flash it at her from a distance. She put her head in her hands for a moment, taking all of it in. Work was no longer a good excuse, and she knew it. But how could she bring it up without ruining everything?
“I realize that it’s been a difficult time, Andy, but the strikes are adding up. I can’t ignore it anymore. I need to know what’s going on with you. Are you okay? Are you going to be at the next AA meeting? Where do you go when you’re not here? I mean, I live here with you now. It’s getting serious, and sometimes it feels like I have no idea who you are or what you do when you aren’t at home.”
Melanie could feel the fight in her becoming about much more than a little bit of strange behavior. She couldn’t put her finger on the reason why, but somehow she felt betrayed and used. She felt like something was going on, a whole world of somethings maybe, that she knew nothing about. It just didn’t seem right knowing how quick he was to share his hectic life with her from the beginning.
She watched him as he placed something in the oven and turned down the heat on one of the burners. He had all four of them going. How an apartment could handle such power usage she was not sure.
He walked over to her and pulled up a chair where there wasn’t a table sitting in between them. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Melanie,” he said, taking her hand in his and kissing it. “Things have been crazy, and I see now how that’s not a good excuse, but it’s the only reason I have for you. Sometimes, we just have to go with the flow good or bad, right? But nothing is wrong. Nothing is going on. You don’t have to worry. Let me do the worrying here, okay babe?”
His eyes sparkled, dancing in the light as he looked into her as if he was being so honest. She wanted to believe that nothing was wrong, but how could she after finding what she had? Maybe it was time to bring it up.
She was about to open her mouth when the doorbell rang. She stared at it as if something evil had come for her. “You better get that, babe. I think it’s for you.” Andy patted her hands one last time before heading back to the kitchen as Melanie stood up and headed slowly for the door. Who could it possibly be? Andy seemed to know who it was.
She cautiously opened the door to see a young boy standing there with a vase full of beautiful flowers; some of the most beautiful flowers she’d ever seen. “Delivery for Melanie Verratti,” the boy said, practically shoving the flowers at her. She took them, proudly, almost feeling like she might cry. She wasn’t quite sure if her emotions were from the fact that he had planned something so beautiful or because she felt that it was all ruined now that she knew he was hiding things from her.
She thanked the boy and shut the door, taking the time to slowly sniff each flower individually, taking in the scent. She wanted to remember the beauty, the sweetness that was there before she had to bring the whole night crashing to the ground.
It mixed with the surprisingly wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. She walked over to take a peek, setting the flowers down on the dining table on the way. They would make an amazing centerpiece. She hoped they’d survive for a long time.
As she looked over the counter she could see soup and pasta both boiling while he baked and fried two different kinds of seafood, and there was more where that came from. It looked like it was going to be an amazing meal. She just hoped they could still have it after whatever fight they would have ensued.
Melanie sighed, building up her courage to say what she knew she had to. She took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen, standing on the opposite counter as Andy. She was close enough to wrap her arms around him, so that’s what she did, leaning her head into his back.
She ruffled his hair affectionately before stepping back a bit. “Andy, I saw the gun. Now tell me what’s going on.”
Even from behind she could tell that he’d frozen still, shocked by her admission. There was no backing down now, and he couldn’t lie to her now that she had caught him red-handed.
He turned around to face her, and she could see his chest rise and fall in
a resigned sort of huff. “I didn’t want to scare you or drag you into this, Melanie. I’m protecting you. But I guess that’s not my decision to make.” He shrugged his shoulders, and Melanie bared her eyes into him, feeling worried about what he could have to tell her. “I told you that the Colombians have decided to use Satan’s Cubs MC exclusively. That means bigger shipments much more often. We almost constantly have a team out there; some that go to the west coast, some to the east coast, and some right up the middle. The more cargo we have and the more money we make the more enemies we have, Melanie. Those enemies could be other cartels or other gangs. Either way, they’re dangerous, and sometimes they can even attack us on the road. The Colombians decided we needed extra protection. So, two people on each run have a gun. I’m one of those people, babe.”
His eyes looked sad at the admission, and Melanie wasn’t sure what to say. She thought she’d known what she was getting into when he explained it to her, but it had gotten so much more intense. If he needed a gun, it really must be dangerous. It sent a shiver down her spine picturing him shooting a gun at people, weaving in and out of traffic on his bike.