by Amy Brent
“Don’t worry Jessie, I’m not stupid I don’t think you’re going to fall in love with me or anything. It’s fine.” She led him to the door he had surprised her in only a short time before.
He relaxed with her words, thankful that he hadn’t gone too far. It was best they leave the situation alone.
Lynne
It had been two months. Two. She chewed on her thumb nail as she paced the floor terrified. Everything had been perfect the first time, and then she had vowed to stay away from Jessie Randolph altogether. The truth was neither of them stood a chance. They met for lunch, and made love regularly, something neither of them talked about, but yet it never stopped. For hours they talked and laughed about everything and she found herself feeling more for him than she should.
Now everything was falling apart, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Brad, who she now realized never gave much thought to her in the first place, knew something wasn’t right and she had finally decided to end it with him. That, and the other situation she had going on. She was frozen to the spot but ready to answer when he came into the room to face her once more.
“Tell me Lynne, what do you have going on that could possibly make you walk away from me, and hurry up I have to get in there.” He gave her a half glance as she decided to put it off once more. The banquet room was quickly filling up with people, and she knew that she would fare better later.
“Later, for now go enjoy the event.” She waited for a response from him, but instead he left her standing there as always.
She sighed, gently running a hand over her stomach. Everything was different now, and she needed to think about more than just herself. She knew Brad wouldn’t miss her, he was always gone now with new friends and she didn’t quite ever get invited. She pushed through the heavy curtain and made her way towards the table reserved for them. She saw him then, standing along the far wall.
He watched her, and she loved it. If she were honest she would go so far as to say that she loved him. Even now he was surrounded by two beautiful women, much like Brad in the other room. She did her best to lift her chin up, avoiding him entirely. He would miss her probably at first, but then he would replace her with someone better, more suited for him. Someone he could bring to these events and be proud of.
She felt the pain of it all at once, the neglect from Brad, and the beauty of what she had with Jessie. The commonality was the same between them, neither wanting to give an inch of the real world up for her. She knew it was time to go, once and for all. She stood then, glancing at him once so that she could remember the way he looked at her. She smiled and turned to leave.
Everything happened at once then. She walked along the long hall towards the front of the building and yet she felt him there before he even said a word. She knew he wanted to ask her why she had been avoiding him, and why she never made time for him anymore.
Turning she faced him, his gaze looking at her intently. “What are you doing Lynne, and don’t give me some BS story because I’ll know it, I always know it?”
“I ended it with Brad, and I am leaving. It’s for the best for all of us.” She touched her hand to his face, taking him in all at once.
He pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. “No you’re not. I’ve been trying to get you to face this between us and now you are running from me.”
“Really Lynne… so you are cheating on me with this piece of shit?” Brad moved down the stairs to grab her arm, yanking on her fiercely.
“Brad let me go.” She tried to pull back but he held her tight.
“Let me guess Jessie, you saw her and thought it was as good an opportunity as any to get back at me huh?” Brad pulled her closer to him.
“Listen Brad, I’m only going to tell you this once and once only. You let her go your sonofabitch, and I mean now.”
She noticed the deadly calm that surrounded him and she knew he meant it.
“Or what Jessie, you can’t do a damn thing and you know it. You touch me and that’s your career right down the drain.”
She frowned looking at Jessie.
“I don’t give two shits about that Brad, what I care about is Lynne.” She felt her heart swell.
“Hmm so this has nothing to do with Rachel does it?” She looked at Brad who sneered at her. “Yes sweetheart see I stole a girl away from Jessie once, and he vowed he would take one from me. So I hope you didn’t place any high hopes in your love life with him.” Brad laughed.
She felt her heart breaking in little pieces when she looked at Jessie and saw his crestfallen look. “Once I did say that, but it was a long time ago, and long before you.” He spoke directly to her.
Brad gripped her tighter. Looking down on her as she smiled at Jessie. She felt the sting of his hand as he slapped her hard. Her knees hit the floor with such force she felt the wind being knocked out of her. She knew Jessie would go for him now, just like he wanted.
“Jessie don’t.” She stopped him before he could move. “He’s not worth it Jessie let it go.”
“Tell her the rest of it Brad, tell her why.” She noticed the white knuckles Jessie had clenched at his side.
Brad laughed loudly. “Same bitch different day. She was good for a ride; unlike the dead fish I get with you.” He gestured towards her. “You know I don’t get it anyway Jessie. I see you leave every field party and every even with a new girl on your arm. All of which are way better looking than her. What gives, why did you come back for more?”
Jessie let his hands relax and Lynne finally stood once more, wiping a slight trickle of blood from the corners of her mouth.
“It doesn’t matter Jessie, don’t give up your career for this.” She moved to walk towards him but Brad pulled her back once more.
“Brad stop… listen to me ok.” She was scared and yet she had to calm the situation down. She had no choice… “Listen, if you like your career you need to let me go, let me go from here and let me go out of your life. If you hurt one hair on my head, I am going to the campus and telling everyone who will listen to the fact that you beat up a pregnant lady.”
Both men stopped in their tracks, neither wanting to move. “Well the bastard isn’t mine, I haven’t touched her in months.” Brad let her go then and she moved away from him.
Jessie was still looking at her, surprise on his face. She knew he had a lot of questions, most of which she would answer later.
“You know what Jessie; you can have her. She can never quite seem to get herself together. No matter what I do she won’t lose weight or give a shit about me.” He started to leave.
“You were lucky to have me Brad.” She didn’t turn or say another word instead she left into the night to find her car.
The police were there suddenly, easily placing the blame on Jessie. They cuffed him, and took him. Throwing him into a car as he was violently cursing about everything under the sun. She knew he had done nothing wrong, and he would be out in no time.
“Lynne, go make sure everything is fine.” He glanced down at her stomach and back up to meet her eyes. She never responded, she had chance to as they started asking her questions. It was the least she could do for him. She looked over, not surprised to see Brad laughing with one of the officers.
For now, she just wanted to go home. She moved shakily taking a step away from him, and closer to her car… and freedom.
Jessie
He was in a damn cop car. Of all places he had vowed to never find himself back in one of those. He kicked at the seat in front of him, furious. She was pregnant, and he knew it was his. They had spent too much time… He swore under his breath. Somewhere along the way he had fallen in love with her, and he had been a coward to never tell her before now. He had stood there while she sat alone and that alone killed him. He had learned more about himself over the last two months than he had in a lifetime of partying and vengeance.
He spoke to the judge, biding his time until he could go. He knew she would likely leave and he would then be forc
ed to follow her until he figured out where she had gone. If he could just see her he could tell her how he really felt.
When the morning finally came he was out of the building like a light. He slipped into the cab that was waiting for him and went straight to her apartment. He knew she was gone, he felt it before he even knocked but he had to try. She was gone, and with her was his son or daughter. He sighed, he had resources, he had more money than he knew what to do with after all. He would find her just as soon as she settled somewhere. He hated the idea of her being alone, especially when she could be there with him.
Slowly he made his way down the apartment stairs. He wanted to make things right, he wanted her! He realized he had no car and would need to call for one, but for the moment he wanted to walk, to clear his head. He rounded the corner of the small strip mall by her complex. He never really paid much attention to what was there, always passing it by as he’d made his way to her. He looked up and smiled as he passed a bakery. She loved bread, and he hated how she starved herself in the beginning. He loved her now, healthy and beautiful.
He heard the tinkle of laughter in the store. He followed it, hoping to make what he wanted a reality. He saw her there, laughing nervously as the man behind the counter turned over a chunk to her. She was so beautiful it almost hurt him to look at her. He waited, knowing she would come out soon. When she did he watched her pause, waiting for him to say something.
“Wait… before you say anything please let me explain.” He jumped in first.
“Rachel was my friend; a neighbor I grew up with. Brad dated her for a year or so and when he was done he hurt her, badly. She never would tell me what he did but she was horribly depressed after that. I beat the shit out of him for hurting her that way and I did vow to take a girl from him. But the truth is I’ve done that 100’s of times. You are different, and you have been from the moment we first had lunch. I love you Lynne, I have for a long time and I want you to stay… to be with me and let me love you.”
She waited as he spoke and he noticed the tears flowing freely down her face.
“I’m so emotional all the time.” She wailed, but she nodded at him nonetheless and he wrapped her up in his arms.
“You make me a better person Lynne, you make me want to fix the past and focus on the future.” He whispered against her hair.
“I love you Jessie, and I want to be with you too but there I one problem.” She gazed up into his handsome face.
“What’s that?” He frowned.
“I’m going to eat a lot of bread with this pregnancy.” She smiled and he laughed loudly before pressing his lips against hers once more.
THE SEAL’S SURPRISE BABY
I knew I was going to have a tough night when the group of marines walked into the bar.
It was a Tuesday night, which was usually a pretty slow night. We had all the regulars here: the handful of lonely men who sat on the same bar stools every night, nursing their drinks; the couple who got a table near the window, splitting a bottle of wine; and the table full of rowdy college kids, who always insisted on getting the exact same table and always got separate checks. I was keeping myself busy stocking up behind the bar, taking advantage of the slow period to make sure we had plenty of napkins, straws, and sliced limes. But then half a dozen burly men with buzz cuts and boisterous attitudes strolled in and took over two tables near the center of the room.
One of them walked up to me and slapped his hands down on the bar, grinning wide. He wasn't in uniform, but I could tell he was a marine by the dog tags around his neck and the USMC t-shirt he wore. A couple of his friends were wearing fatigues, probably having just gotten off duty. They'd no doubt come from the base a few miles up the road, near the docks.
“Couple of pitchers of whatever you've got on tap, little lady,” he said.
I turned an annoyed look on him. I hated being called “little lady,” both because it was a sexist term meant to put a woman in her place, and because at my weight, no one called me “little” without meaning it ironically. But I kept it professional, and simply asked him, “You boys want to run a tab?”
He handed me a credit card to swipe. “You bet. And keep 'em coming, okay?”
I poured him the first two pitchers and added them to the tab. The marines worked up quite a ruckus as they started drinking, I kept an eye on them as I served the few other customers that came in. I usually didn't have any serious trouble when the boys from the base came down here. They were loud, they took up a lot of space, but they were good tippers and they didn't harass anyone. Mostly, they just gave me a headache.
That would have been all, if not for the second group that came in about half an hour later. There were four of them, and they were as muscular and hopped up on testosterone as the first bunch, though they were quieter about it. They had more of a deadly grace about them. They took a seat at a table near the back, and one of them walked up to place an order.
When I poured drinks for the man and his buddies, he looked me right in the eye and said, “Thank you, ma'am.” He had a slight southern accent, and held himself with more dignity than I would have expected. He wasn't too tall, but he was broad in the shoulders and had a solid build. He wore a navy blue t-shirt with a logo on the breast, depicting an eagle clutching an anchor and a trident in its talons. Above the logo were the words “U.S. Navy SEAL.”
He took the drinks back to his friends and they sat and shared a toast. I didn't expect any trouble from them at that point. But I was in for more than I'd bargained for.
I noticed the marines leaning close and whispering something to each other, right before one of them came over with their empty pitchers and ordered a refill.
I filled the pitchers and handed them to him. Then he leaned close and asked, “And can you do something for me, sweetheart? Send a round of drinks to our friends over there.” He nodded towards the SEALs.
I took a deep breath, knowing where this was going. “What do you want me to send them?”
He smirked. “Four Shirley Temples.”
I sighed and shook my head. I made the drinks—as long as they were paying customers, I'd give them what they wanted—but I gave the marine a serious look and said, “I don't want any trouble from you boys, now, you hear? You keep this nice and friendly.”
“Don't worry, Miss,” he said with a wink. “We're just showing our navy buddies our appreciation.”
I delivered the four bright pink cocktails to the SEALs' table and nodded over to the marines. “Courtesy of your friends there, gentlemen.”
The SEALs frowned at the drinks and cast some scowls at the marines. But the man I'd spoken to earlier played it real cool. He picked up the drink and turned to the marines, raising his glass in a salute. The rest of the SEALs followed suite.
“Mighty kind of you ladies to buy us a round of your favorite drinks,” he said.
The marines scowled. A couple of them slapped each other on the arms and pointed at the SEALs, leaning close and whispering to each other. Both groups cast death glares across the room at each other.
“Don't go starting trouble, you understand?” I told the SEAL.
He nodded and took a sip of his Shirley Temple. “Nothing to worry about, ma'am. I wouldn't dream of letting anything inappropriate happen in your bar.”
“You'd better not.” I headed back to the bar to deal with a couple of other orders from my regulars. I kept watching the marines and the SEALs as much as I could. I knew their types, and I knew this little pissing contest wasn't over yet.
The next round started a little later, after both groups had a few more beers in them. A couple of them headed to the men's room. When they returned, one of the taller SEALs patted one of the marines on the shoulder and said loud enough for the whole bar to hear, “We need to get these boys out on a boat. This boy here clearly doesn't have his sea legs.”
The marine just glared at him, clearly not getting the joke.
The SEAL snickered and added, “I saw you swayin
g in there so bad it looked like you were about to fall in! And don't they teach you marine boys how to aim.”
The marine stepped closer, shoving his face in the SEAL's. “I keep trying to work on my aim,” he said, “but your momma can't seem to hold still and keep her mouth open.”
And that was the trigger that set off the whole lot of them.
The SEAL that had just been insulted raised a fist. All of the men at both tables shot to their feet. The gentlemanly one moved the quickest, grabbing his buddy's arm before he could take a swing. “Now, Charlie, don't go doing anything that would make the nice lady kick us out of here, all right?”
I raised my chin and looked all the men over in a broad sweep. “You all settle your britches, you hear me? I thought they taught y'all better manners than this.”
The men slowly separated, a couple of them straightening their shirts and holding their chins up high. Though one of the marines couldn't quite manage to keep his mouth shut. “The navy needs to teach their boys when they've bitten off more than they can chew.”
The tall SEAL, Charlie, looked over his shoulder at the six marines and said, “Maybe he's right, fellas. Six on four? Maybe a couple of us should sit this one out and give them a fighting chance.”
The marines made condescending sounds and laughed. “Maybe you should shut your mouth before you say something that makes me forget my manners,” one said. He made a fist and slammed it into the palm of his other hand.
I slammed my hand down on the bar. “That is enough!” I shouted. “All of you, out, now. You're all done here.”
There were various protests, with both sides blaming the other. Fingers were pointed, names were called, and curses were hurled across the room.
I wasn't sure who swung the first punch, but before I knew it, the entire group of them was engaged in a giant rumble. I grabbed my phone and called the police, ducking behind the bar as fists started flying. One of the men broke a glass pitcher over another's head. Two men started grappling and they fell back onto one of the tables. It collapsed under their weight and shattered into a thousand pieces. Another man was slammed back into the wall, knocking down several pictures and a neon sign, which broke and sent up sparks.