Ms. Bitch: Finding happiness is the best revenge.

by Tricia O'Malley

  “Aiden, no. Not really. I just… you’re traveling with another woman across the world. What else am I supposed to say?”

  “It’s really not like that. We stay in hostels most nights, which is separate quarters for men and women. I’m trying to speed up my travel plan, and cut more from it so I can come to you sooner. I think about you all the time, Tess. I wish you were here with me.”

  Tess squeezed her eyes shut, imagining him on the beach, wishing she was walking next to him. “Aiden…” she trailed off. “I just don’t see how this will work.”

  “What can I do to make you believe it will?”

  She paused, took a breath. “Let’s be honest here – I have a hard time trusting. I’ve been through a lot this year, Aiden. A lot of people have let me down. I think you’re asking quite a bit of me to believe that you won’t be one of them.”

  “Then I guess I’ll just have to show you,” Aiden said, his tone stubborn.

  “It’s just that…you’re there. I’m here. I have to deal with the reality of the situation.”

  “The reality is that I committed to this trip before I knew we would ever be together. I’d booked my flights, paid my way, and I had to come. And…frankly, I’m miserable.” Aiden’s frustrated tone carried through the phone.

  “I highly doubt that,” Tess said, even though a tiny sliver of glee worked through her at those words. “I see your pictures and your videos. You’re exploring all these amazing places. It hardly looks like you’re struggling.”

  “It is amazing here. But it would be more amazing with you. I think about you all the time. The only thing that brings me joy is being underwater and even when I am there, I wish you were diving next to me. I thought traveling like this was what I wanted…but it’s not. I hate packing up my backpack every day. I want to settle in a spot for a bit and explore. This just isn’t what I thought it would be.”

  “So? Leave the trip then.”

  “I’m trying to shorten it. I’ve already cut out several months. I want to get back to you sooner. I’m…this is really hard for me,” Aiden’s voice caught, and Tess’s heart tripped at his obvious distress.

  “It’s hard for me as well, Aiden. I’m trying to move on with my life. You know I really care about you, but I have to put what’s best for myself first. And playing this ‘if it’s meant to be it will be’ game just doesn’t cut it for me. I’ve had an incredibly difficult year. I can’t live my life in the gray area anymore. I can only deal in absolutes. What I know is I care about you, you’re across the world, and I don’t trust that you’re going to come home to me, and that we’ll be together. I’m sorry, I wish that I could be more believing in the happy ending…but I just have to protect myself right now.” Tess squeezed her eyes shut, knowing her words were hurting him as much as they were hurting her.

  He continued to message her every day, trying to prove he would be there for her. She could have unfriended him and blocked him, if she really didn’t want him in her life, but Tess must be a glutton for punishment, because she craved his emails. She’d examine each message for meanings, trying to see the words she wanted to hear from him woven between the snippets about the dives he was doing or the towns he was visiting. In time, the ache would ease, Tess told herself. She just needed more time.

  Time was delivered to her the next morning, in the form of canceled flights due to tornadoes at the Atlanta airport. When she realized she wouldn’t get into the Bahamas until Tuesday, and would miss the dive boat for the live-aboard altogether, Tess called Janie.

  “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what else to do.”

  “This sucks! Now I’ll be on the boat alone!”

  “Hopefully, you can have dive buddies in the other guys,” Tess said, unsure of how else to make the situation any better.

  “Are you still coming down?”

  “Yes, I will be there mid-week. On Friday, I leave for Cat Island for the shark-diving trip. I’ll just spend a few days by myself on the beach or whatever and then meet you when the boat comes in.”

  “Seriously, I can’t believe this happened.”

  “I can’t either. There’s nothing else for me to do. All the flights connect through Atlanta, and it’s such a huge airport that they are backlogged for days now.”

  Tess spent the next three days hunkered down, writing, writing, writing. If the universe was going to force her to slow down, she might as well be productive. By Tuesday, she was more than ready for palm trees and sunny skies, and was relieved to have a seamless journey all the way from her front door to toes-in-the-sand.

  Nassau teemed with life, much larger than Cozumel, and not exactly the relaxed island pace that Tess was hoping for. At least the hotel she’d booked had a nice sandy private beach, and her room had a balcony with a nice view. Checking in, she realized how many eyes were on her, traveling alone. Or perhaps she just felt that way.

  Tess found an abandoned umbrella at the far end of the beach, not interested in joining the drunken crowd at the pool that was currently competing in a limbo contest. Her plan was to spend the next few days steadily working her way through her to-be-read book pile, and to do pretty much nothing else – maybe get a dive in one day, depending on her mood. Settling in, Tess sipped the mojito the waiter had brought her, wincing at the overly sweet concoction. They’d obviously tried to conceal rail rum with too much simple syrup, and she wrinkled her nose at the drink, placing it in the sand by her chair before opening her book.

  “Hey mama! Bahama mama! Mmmhmm, I like my girls thick, you know?” A man walking the beach, his accent thick with the island melody, immediately crossed to her chair and sat in the sand next to her.

  “I’m not interested.” Tess pulled her cover-up around her.

  “Aw, come on, mama. All the ladies come here to meet men like me. They come off those cruise ships just looking to score. And you? All alone here? I know what you’re looking for, sweet thing.” The man reached out and traced a finger down Tess’s leg. She slapped it away, glaring at him.

  “I don’t want you to touch me. I’m not here for that. Leave me alone.”

  The man just grinned, settling back into the sand, his eyes on hers. “The ladies never leave me unsatisfied. You look like you could use some satisfaction. I can see it in your face… so tense.”

  “I don’t care what the other women come to this island for, I’m not interested. Get the hell away from me before I call security,” Tess said, already looking to where the waiter was hurrying his way back, shaking his head at the man next to her.

  “See? Tense.” The man stood and laughed, putting his palms up. “No worries, mama, no worries.” He faded away as quickly as he’d arrived, and Tess swallowed in distaste. She’d forgotten how forward men could be to a woman alone on a beach. She understood it was a cultural thing, approaching women so blatantly, but it still managed to creep her out. Back when she’d lived on the islands, she’d learned to have a strong backbone and shrug it off, which in turn led the locals to accept her as one of their own. For now though, she was fresh meat and she’d have to be careful about standing her ground with any man that approached her.

  “You okay, miss?” The waiter crouched by her chair, nodding to the man who whistled his way down the beach. “He can be a bit pushy.”

  “I’m fine. I’m just not here for that,” Tess said.

  “What are you here for?”

  Tess gave him a sharp look, only to find his eyes curious on hers.

  “Some peace,” Tess murmured, “I only want some peace.”

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Aiden checked in with her even more frequently now, worried about her traveling on her own.

  “Just be careful,” he kept insisting and she’d smile at her phone, loving that he cared enough to worry over her.

  One day, she met up with a dive group and did two dives. They fed the sharks on the first dive – something Tess didn’t approve of; she wouldn’t have gone if she’d known about it – and the ot
her turned out to be a wreck dive. They descended as a group, and she was astonished to see the instructor point to the wreck and then head back toward the boat. Aiden would never have left a dive group to guide themselves, let alone on a wreck dive. When she climbed back on the boat, she couldn’t believe the instructor was sitting there checking their names off a list, casually munching on an apple. Even more astonishing was when they asked for a tip when the boat returned to the dock. Despite herself, Tess turned and looked at the instructor.

  “Why should I tip you? You didn’t lead a dive, you just checked our names off a list. Anyone can do that.” Perhaps she’d been spoiled with Aiden as a guide, but it was glaringly obvious that not everyone practiced the same high standards of guiding as he had.

  Saturday arrived and Tess picked up a taxi out front of the hotel, looking forward to seeing her friend. They’d arranged for her to come to the boat, so Tess could see where Janie had stayed for the week and meet the crew. The taxi driver chatted the whole way, reminding Tess that tomorrow was Easter Sunday and it would be best to get a taxi back home early, as nobody would be working late tonight. Easter was a time of huge celebration for the island, and there would be parties lasting well past midnight and all the next day. It was good advice, and Tess promised to follow it.

  The sun was just setting over the docks as Tess wandered her way down, passing all different sizes and types of boats until she saw Janie waving at her frantically from in front of a long black boat with a mock pirate skull on the side.

  “Hi! How was the trip?” Tess asked, hugging her.

  “Great! I ended up having a bunk to myself, which was awesome, and I did really good with my diving.” Janie chattered in her raspy smoker’s voice, pulling Tess onto the boat to introduce her to all the other divers. It was a mix of ages ranging from twenty- to sixty-year-olds, but they had one thing in common that Tess noticed immediately.

  “I’m so sorry I stuck you on a boat of all men.” Tess winked at Janie as they ate the final meal the crew had prepared for everyone.

  “None of them were my type, unfortunately, but you should chat up that cute one,” Janie said, nodding toward a tall guy with dark hair and defined muscles.

  “Nah, I’m not looking for a man.” Tess bit into a piece of cornbread.

  “Still crushing on Aiden?” Janie had dived with Aiden briefly when they were together in Cozumel.

  “I miss him.” Tess shrugged a shoulder and looked out at the water. “But it’s probably best that I’m alone for now.”

  “I don’t blame you. I was alone for a long time after my divorce. It was good for me.”

  “Hey! Janie! We’re going out – you ladies want to join?”

  “Yes!” Janie answered for her and tugged Tess along until they found themselves chattering their way toward a bar down the road. In moments, they rolled up, and Tess knew these guys were ready to party when they ordered a tray of shots. Knowing how quickly nights like this could get away from her, Tess decided to pace herself. She laughed as they downed shot after shot, playing pool and a massive Jenga game.

  When the bar was ready to close, they all tumbled outside, the guys looking for another place to party.

  Two taxis sat out front. One driver in a neat suit, smiled pleasantly at them. The other driver motioned toward his car.

  “You have to take a taxi to the club,” he insisted, and Tess met his eyes. She didn’t like the way he looked her up and down and she moved closer to Janie.

  “We don’t have to go to the club, we can just go home.”

  “No, let’s go dancing!”

  Tess moved to the other taxi and the group split, agreeing to meet at the club.

  The taxi pulled to a stop in front of a remote bar, with a second-story open air club, and the driver got out to open the door for them, the second taxi pulling alongside them.

  “Excuse me, sir?” Tess asked the pleasant driver.

  “Yes, miss, what can I do for you?”

  “Would you be able to come get me in an hour and take me to my hotel? I was told the taxis won’t run late tonight, and I want to make sure I get home.” Her hotel was on the other side of the island, and there was no way she was bunking on the boat with any of the rowdy guys in their group.

  “Yes, miss, I will be back in one hour to pick you up.” The taxi driver smiled at her as the other car emptied, the guys loud and happy as they joined them.

  “Can you believe he calls himself Dr. Love?” The guys laughed at the creepy driver who had looked her up and down.

  Tess ignored him, following them into the club.

  “Why are you going after only an hour – this will be fun!” Janie slurred, having heartily embraced the shots.

  “Because I have a flight out in the morning and need to get back to my hotel,” Tess said, moving to talk to one of the guys in the group. “Hey, you’re okay with getting her home, right?” A firefighter, he had been nice to talk to through the night.

  “Yup, we’ve got an eye on her. Kept her from falling off the boat this week.” He cheerfully hooked an arm around Janie’s neck. Happy she would be taken care of, Tess found a barstool and watched in amusement as the group danced raucously to the upbeat music. Despite herself, she’d had a shot and had even joined them on the slick wooden dance floor, most likely making a fool of herself to the Bahamians who lingered at the bar and watched them.

  “Your taxi’s here,” Janie called, what felt like mere minutes later – the hour had passed quickly.

  Tess said her goodbyes and walked outside. She stopped short.

  “I’ll be seeing you home.” Dr. Love stood by his taxi.

  “No, the other guy is supposed to come get me,” Tess insisted.

  “He’s the one dat sent me. Had an airport ride on de other side of the island, won’t get ’ere in time.” Dr. Love opened the front door of his taxi. “Last ride of de night, we’re all closing up for de holiday.”

  “I can wait for him,” Tess said, feeling uncomfortable.

  “He not coming back ’dis way.” He remained standing by the door, waiting.

  Tess remembered what her earlier taxi driver had said about not getting stranded. She did have a flight to catch in the morning, she reminded herself. Despite her misgivings, she moved to get in the back seat of the car.

  “No, no, in de front. I’ve got stuff for my party in de back,” Dr. Love said.

  Reluctantly, Tess got in the front, staying as close to the door as she could. She pulled out her phone. Happy to see her service working, she immediately began texting.

  “Tell Dr. Love why you’re here.” Tess rolled her eyes at his use of the third person.

  “Visiting friends, diving. My boyfriend is meeting me back at the hotel,” Tess lied.

  “Why your man not with you?” The man was taking his sweet time getting back to her hotel and her nerves kicked up.

  “He flew in today. He’s waiting for me.” She held up her phone so he could see the text messages. “I can’t wait to see him, it’s been ages. He’s such a great guy.” Tess chattered on during the interminably slow ride, praying that Dr. Love would stick to the main roads. When the hotel finally loomed into sight, Tess breathed a sigh of relief. She had a twenty-dollar bill already in hand as he pulled up in front and let the engine idle. Tess all but threw the money at him as she pulled the door handle.

  It wouldn’t open.

  Turning to him in shock, she screeched as he launched himself at her, pinning her arms to her side and shoving his slimy tongue into her mouth. A rush of adrenalin shot through Tess, and she surged forward, knocking her forehead against his, biting down on his tongue.

  “Bitch,” Dr. Love seethed, still holding her down as she struggled.

  Tess lost it, wrenching one arm free and connecting her elbow with his chin. She released a blood-curdling scream. His hands fell from her to grab his face and she turned, scrambling with the lock on the door. Tumbling out of the car, Tess shouted at the bellman racing down
the sidewalk of the hotel, “He assaulted me!”

  The bellman reached her as the taxi squealed away, taillights fading into the night.

  “Are you okay? What can I do?”

  “He tried to…” Tess gasped, spitting the taste of him from her mouth, and wiping the back of her palm across her lips. “I need to file a report.”

  “With the police?” The bellman raised an eyebrow at her. She could see the disbelief on his face. As much as she hated it, Tess knew that the police would do nothing about an assault claim. It was just how it was. A small island, everyone knew someone in the police force, or somebody’s cousin was the judge. If she wasn’t a local, she wouldn’t get much help.

  “Just with your security team,” she said, resigned and still shaking. “Don’t let anyone hire that taxi.”

  The bellman nodded, looking relieved. He stayed with her while she made the report, and then walked her to her room.

  “Do you need anything?” the bellman asked, and Tess just shook her head. She cringed away as he reached out and patted her arm. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Tess bit out.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Tess arrived at the local airport the next day in a particularly sour mood. Being reminded of her own vulnerability was an experience she didn’t wish to repeat anytime soon. However, she was traveling alone, and it had been a harsh wake-up call to the reality of what could happen if she wasn’t more careful. All night, she’d lain awake wondering why she’d gotten in the damn taxi with him. She could have sucked it up and gone back to the boat with her friends. Or called his bluff and waited on the other taxi driver. But a man had told her what to do, and she’d followed, not trusting her own judgment in the matter.

  What if Vicki was right? What if she was too reckless? What if the life she wanted to have only led her to harm? She felt so alone now. If she had gotten into real trouble, would her sister have helped her? If Tess had swallowed her pride and called, would Vicki refuse to answer?