And I Trusted You (17 page)

With those words, Adrianne started walking toward him. When she reached him he began to put her arms around his neck and tried to kiss him.

Eric removed her arms and turned his head away from her. “You are not my choice. You never have been. It’s an easy choice because you are poison and Teresa is the cure. So, you can leave here today with the knowledge that I do not want you. We have sex, we didn’t make love and that was a onetime thing. I didn’t want you then and I don’t want you now. I never will. Come on Teresa, let’s go home.” The couple began to walk off. Adrianne was shocked.
“How could he resist me? Look at me, I’m prettier, have better skin and I’m better in bed?”
Adrianne thought to herself. She was furious that he had turned her down again. She was right to get the sex by taking it.

Before Teresa knew what was happening, she felt her neck being jerked back.  Her shoulder length hair was caught on something. She instinctively reached up to free her hair thinking it must be a branch that she hadn’t noticed, and felt a hand. She grabbed the hand and squeezed and twisted the wrist as hard as she could, then spun around to face the owner. To her surprise, it was Adrianne. “She must have lost her mind”

Eric was already a good distance ahead so he did not see Adrianne attack. But he heard the result. Adrianne screamed when her wrist was twisted. As this was happening, Teresa punched Adriane in the eye repeatedly. She also kicked Adrianne in the knee, which caused her leg to buckle. When this happened she fell to the ground. Teresa, jumped on top of her and sat on her chest. She grabbed her by the hair and began beating her head on the ground. Adrianne was screaming and her arms were flying around but she wasn’t hitting Teresa. Teresa took one hand and poked at Adrianne’s eyes so she couldn’t see them went back to banging her head on the ground.

Finally, Eric heard the screams and noticed that Teresa wasn’t with him. He ran back to the place where the two of them were on the ground fighting. He was surprised at Teresa. He knew she disliked the woman, but he didn’t think she would fight her. But, then again, Teresa had a bad temper once she got angry. It took several tries to get Teresa off of Adrianne. Someone had called the Police. Once they arrived, and Ambulance was called for Adrianne. One of the kids playing nearby told the police, “The lady on the ground pulled the other lady’s hair.” As a result, Teresa did not get charged. It was self-defense said the Police officer.

Eric and Teresa walked back to their car. Teresa brushed her clothes off and waited for Eric to say something. “Dang, did you have to beat her like that?”

“I was thinking about choking her to death, but decided against it since I want to be the one raising my children.” Teresa explained.

“Well, I bet she’ll think twice before she pulls anyone else’s hair. I guess she thought you couldn’t fight.” Eric said.

“I guess so. I don’t know why. I have brothers. Of course I can fight. I may not be ex-military like her, but I can handle myself when I need or want to.”

“Yeah, I see.” She said with a smile.

Months later Adrianne finally admitted the child was her former husband’s in open court. She said she only told Eric it was his child to get him to come back to her. Her present marriage wasn’t working out and she knew Eric was a good provider. He had bought a nice house, had a couple vehicles and had a small business. She wanted that kind of life. Especially since her second marriage was in the dumps. She wasn’t working and they were on welfare. She had three children by three different men.
“Sucks for her.”
Teresa thought.

She never expected Eric to tell Teresa about the one “morning” stand and it was something she thought she could hold over his head to get what she wanted. She always wanted him, but Teresa’s hold on him was too strong for her to break. The love he felt for her was more powerful. And surprisingly, she stuck by him through everything. He is a good man. But now she has a bigger problem. Teresa know Adrianne  didn’t wanna run into her anywhere. She had told her how she felt about her and then there was the physical altercation. “I don’t think she wants any more of that. She was in the hospital for a few days.”

***********

              After she was released from jail for assault, Adrianne reread the letter for the third time, she realized she was gonna be worried about this situation for a long time. She heard her husband coming down the hall and hurriedly put the letter in her panty drawer. She tried to go to bed to get some sleep, but it was a restless night.

***********

Eric and Teresa wrapped their arms around each other and sleep peacefully for the first time since this whole mess came to light.

The End

The Shop

I walked into the shop’s back door thinking of the orders I had for the day. Sonny told me on Friday it would be really busy this week. He had placed several large orders for some new rims and tires. The customers would be coming in to pick them up. In addition, there were customers who wanted to have body kits put on their cars. As I walk into the back office, I wonder “What I’ve gotten myself into?” True, I don’t have a certain time to be at work.  I can leave and come back, but I also don’t have any benefits, either. I am away from my children. The time I used to volunteer at their school is spent working here so I will be home when my husband gets there. Oh, and that is another problem. My husband hates that I am working. I asked him about taking this job and he didn’t have a problem with it. But his mood has changed lately.

Anyway, I flick on the lights and count the cash drawer. As I am doing the early morning stuff to open the store, Sonny comes in.

“Hi, I hope you came ready to work today. We have a lot to do.” He says walking by and gingerly patting me on the butt.

“Yes, I did come ready to work and keep your nasty hands off of by goodies.” I said slapping his retreating back.

“See, that’s what I like about you. You don’t let me get away with anything.”

“Yeah, whatever. Touch me again, and I’m gonna kick your butt. Don’t make me cuss up in here. Now, what time is the first job coming in?”

“They’re scheduled to be here at 11am.  If they get here early, I can go ahead and do the installation and be done before lunch. By the way, are you buying lunch today?” Sonny asks from his desk.

“No, I’m not. I’m meeting Ed for lunch.

We complete the opening procedures and wait for the customer to arrive. Sonny is doing a rear spoiler installation, which shouldn’t take long at all. He isn’t much to look at, but he is good at what he does. He has the best prices in town on aftermarket car parts for world. In fact, that’s how we met. My husband and I had come to him to purchase a rear spoiler and some wheels. Sonny overheard Ed and I talking about me finding a job and he offered me one after several meetings. Now, it was surprising that Ed didn’t mind me working for him or even agreed to it. You see, Sonny is a ladies man. I mean he must have over ten girlfriends. Some of them know about each other and they are happy with that. And, to top it all off, he’s married, but separated from his wife. They have two boys together.

I personally don’t see what the women see in him. But I think it’s the lifestyle. He buys whatever he wants and pays cash for it. He has four cars and a motorcycle. One day he’s driving his Benz and the next day he’s driving a ’64 Chevy. There is no doubt he loves vehicles; cars, bikes, trucks, everything. And he is good. He can fix almost anything. He’s picky but good. Oh and he also has a house on the beach and just bought a 3500 square foot home on the outskirts of town. 

Just as I am going to the restroom, our customer walks in. I’m expecting to see a man, but it’s a female. She has bought a new Lexus and ordered a spoiler for it. I’m not sure how it will look, but Sonny has convinced her she will be the first person with one and it will look great.

As she comes in and hands her keys over to Sonny, I give her the remote to find something interesting on the TV to watch. Sonny goes through the bay area and drives her car in. “Would you like a cup of coffee or a soda, Mrs. Henderson?” I inquire as I check the appointment book.

“Nah, I’m good. I hope this isn’t gonna take all day. I have a hair appointment in two hours.” She says turning the channel to the Lifetime Network.

“It shouldn’t take too long. You should have plenty of time to make your appointment. It helps that you came in early.” I say coming around the counter to straighten the magazines on our small table. As I stand up, the phone rings. “Hello, Sonny’s World World. How may I help you today?”

The person on the other end of the line is interested in buying some new tires. He is looking for a deal since he and Sonny went to high school together. I explain that we have the lowest prices in town and he should come on down and look at our selection. He agrees and says he’ll be down before the end of the day. “What’s your name? I want to make sure I talk to you.” He finishes.

“Tasha and I’ll probably be here, unless I’m at lunch. We look forward to seeing you.” I say then hang up the phone.

“Tasha, could you come here a minute please?” Sonny says sticking his head inside for a second.

I walk to the first bay to see what he wants. “Yes?”

“Who was that on the phone?”

“A friend of yours from high school who’s looking for a deal on a set of tires. I told him he should just come on down and take a look around. I went ahead and let him know we already have the lowest prices in town. He says he’ll be here before the end of the day. Why, are you expecting a call?”

“Yeah. If a Mr. Langston calls, make sure you give me the phone, no matter what I’m doing. I’m thinking about getting into a second business.” He says tightening a screw.

“Okay. Is there anything else you need while I’m here?” I politely ask.

“Yeah, come a little closer. I need to touch those luscious breasts of yours.” He says smiling devilishly.

“No, you don’t. Call one of your women for that! And you need to make sure you finish with this as soon as possible. Mrs. Henderson has a hair appointment in about an hour and a half. Are you almost done?” I ask peering around to get a better look.

“Yeah I’m almost done. In fact, tell her to go ahead and wait in my office. I have a couple of things to discuss with her. I’ll be in, in about 20 minutes.” He says working.

I turn on my heels and go back into the office. Mrs. Henderson is sipping a soda and watching the Golden Girls. Once I return to the counter, she comes over. “How long have you been working here, ‘cause you weren’t here the last time I came in?” She wants to know.

“I started a few weeks ago. He needed someone to answer the phone while he does installations and I needed some extra money. My husband agreed and I started working.” I explain pointing to the bay area.

“Oh, I see. How long have you been married?”

“Eleven years and I have three children. Do you have any?”

“Yes, but all of my children are grown and moved away from home.” She says with a smile. “I thought you were Sonny’s new girlfriend. I know he has one, but I don’t know what she looks like.” She confides sheepishly.

“Oh, No. I’m definitely not his girlfriend. I’m very happily married. Besides, he’s not my type.” I reassure her. I can tell by the way she’s been acting since she saw me behind the counter, that she thinks I am a threat. She is obviously using her money to be able to see him. The things some women will do are unbelievable. “One thing is for sure. Sonny is a handful. But that’s not the kind of thing I like to deal with. By the way, Sonny says for you to go ahead and wait for him in his office.” I say picking up the remote to turn the TV channel.

“Oh, okay.” She says walking inside with a broad smile.

Five weeks of working here and I’ve seen all kinds of things. Sonny is a true playa. His wife calls every other day, asking to see or meet with him. A woman from North Carolina will call to be sure it’s okay to come down for the weekend. She’s called three times since I’ve been here. His everyday girlfriend, Lisa, who can’t stand me, comes by at least once a day, if she knows I’m working. Then, there are other woman, which Sonny calls business partners. I don’t know how he keeps it all straight. It would drive me crazy but, to each his/her own. I can’t understand how the women do it.

A few moments later, Sonny walks from the bay area on his way to the bathroom. He washes his hands then goes into his office. He closes the blinds, and locks the door after closing it. I’ve never seen him do this before. Anything is liable to happen with Sonny, though. I walk to the bathroom to refresh my makeup. As I am coming out, there is a knock at the back door. I open it since we have customers entering from the front and the rear. Rear entrance requires someone open the door for you. Upon opening the door, I’m surprised to see Lisa, Sonny’s girlfriend.

“Sonny, is here, right?” She says walking past me. She never speaks to me. I think she’s jealous of me working with him, but she doesn’t want the job. He offered it to her and she turned it down. But that’s her problem, not mine.

“Yeah, he’s in his office with a customer.” I reply closing the door behind her.

Lisa hurriedly walks to the front of the shop. She walks to the counter and takes a seat. After a few minutes, she picks up the remote and changes the channel. “How long has he been talking with him?”  She wants to know.

“Him who?”

“The customer. It is Mr. Lawson, right? I told him about Sonny’s shop and he said he was coming down to talk to him.”

“Oh Mr. Lawson called, but that’s not who’s in the office. Sonny is with a different customer about some work being done on the car. She came i…..” before I can finish my statement, Lisa jumps up and runs to the bay area. She is only gone a few seconds. The next thing I know, she’s running back toward the counter. She runs past me and begins banging on Sonny’s office door after discovering it to be locked. I can hear shuffling as Sonny yells. “What Tasha?”

“This isn’t Tasha. Bring yo’ cheatin’ self out here. And bring that hussy with you.” Lisa screams as she continues to hammer the door.

“Oh, it’s you, sweetheart. I’ll be done in a minute.” He says sweetly. You could see the lights come on again in the room. I hear something fall then I hear a small groan. Lisa is standing there looking like she wants to kill someone. I slowly back away and go sit in one of the armchairs across the room. There’s gonna be a show today.

About five minutes later, Sonny and Mrs. Henderson emerge from the room. Sonny doesn’t have any mirrors in his office, so Mrs. Henderson doesn’t know her
hair is flat in the back and utterly disheveled on top. Lisa takes one look at her and starts swinging. Poor Mrs. Henderson isn’t ready. She is caught square in the nose with Lisa’s right fist. As Lisa is coming around with her left hook, Sonny grabs her wrist. “Stop it! What are you doing? We were just discussing the repairs to her car.” Sonny says struggling to hold Lisa at bay.

It is all I can do to sit across the room and keep from laughing aloud. Didn’t he think something like this might happen one day? And how can he go into his office and have sex with a customer with me outside? They aren’t quiet about it at all. He deserves everything he gets. “Tasha, would you bring Mrs. Henderson’s car around for her please? She will be leaving for her hair appointment, now.” He politely instructs me.

I walk out of the room to get Mrs. Henderson’s car. As soon as I walk out of the door, Lisa begins hitting Sonny. His 6’3” frame just stands there and takes it. Lisa is all of 5’6” and has on a pair of flat shoes. She is a hospital executive. I kinda feel sorry for her. NOT! They deserve each other.

I return and Mrs. Henderson runs to me, grabs her keys and leaves in a hurry. And, she was worried about me. Finally Sonny picks Lisa up like she’s a piece of paper and takes her into his office. He slams the door shut with his foot, closes the blinds and I laugh aloud. I laugh until my side aches. How can he be so stupid as to get caught? They spend about 20 minutes in the office. When they came out, Lisa is smiling and Sonny throws a scowl at me. I look at him, shrug my shoulders and check my watch. I hadn’t realized how late it was getting with the “live” show going on.

              “Sonny, I’m going to take the bank deposit and get some supplies for the office. I should be back in about an hour.”  I go to the cash register, take out a couple of bills, grab the bank bag and head out the back door. The last thing I want is to be there when he and Lisa are making up, fighting or whatever is gonna happen.

As I drive to the bank, I think about what I’ll cook for dinner. I decide I’ll go ahead and get the shopping out of the way. Since we have a fridge at the office, I can put the food in there until time for me to go home. I drop off the bank deposit then head to Office Depot. I spend as much time as I can there. When I’m done, I drive back to the office and Lisa is gone. Sonny is sitting in his office when I came in.

“Tasha, why didn’t you tell me Lisa was on the way?” He accusingly questions.