Easter's Lilly (4 page)

“
Marilyn,” he started. “You are worth more than I could ever give you.” He shut the car door and got into the driver’s side. I was puzzled. What was he up to?

We pulled into the parking lot and it was packed. There were tons of very expensive cars parked in the parking lot and I suddenly felt very privileged to be invited. He valet parked the car and we walked in arm in arm. I carefully scanned the faces looking for anyone familiar. Okay, so maybe I was looking for one face in particular. I noticed a man with brown hair, wearing a ponytail. He had a suit jacket on and was wearing a black, old-fashioned hat. When he turned and looked at me, my heart sank into my stomach. It was Johnny. He was with a tall, thin brunette in a tight, short black dress. I could almost see her bare chest coming out of that dress. She looked cheap and bought. She was all over him like a wet T-shirt. He nodded to me. He was the king of unspoken acknowledgement. I nodded back, as though I thought this would go unnoticed by Pierre. “Is this going to be a problem?” he asked, obviously disappointed in me.

“
N-no,” I answered. “I’m sorry. You have my full attention.” I was still watching Johnny from the corner of my eye.

Although he did not appear to believe me, we walked around a bit and socialized. We intentionally stayed away from Johnny and his date. We were finally seated at a table for two. He ordered us a bottle of Chardonnay and took my hands. “Lilly,” he paused for a minute, “tell me something about yourself that I don’t know.”

“
I don’t know,” I answered. “Like what?” I was unsuccessfully searching the room to see where Johnny had settled.

“
Like maybe how Johnny meets you outside the restaurant every day after work and Jim has a restraining order against him.”

My mouth hung open. I suppose now was the time he was going to use this against me. I knew it was coming. I just didn’t know when.

“
I don’t know what you’re talking about, “ I answered. I pulled my hands out of his.

“
You
do
know that Jim would probably have John arrested and you fired, if he knew about your little secret.”

“
What do you want, Pierre?” I asked. This dinner had suddenly taken a turn for the worst. I noticed Johnny and his date were seated in a convenient location. They were sitting fairly close to us and Johnny’s eyes were on me.

“
You should be a little more discrete,” he answered. “He’s been watching us since we got here.” He looked at Johnny and shot him a nasty glare. “It appears that you are having a hard time detaching from him as well.”

“
We’re not dating,” I answered. “We’re just friends.”

“
Why didn’t he invite
you
here?” he asked.

I must admit that I thought that was a pretty good question. Somehow he seemed to always know where I was. “I’m guessing he wasn’t originally planning on attending.”

“
Somehow?” he asked. “Do you know who he is?”

“
Can we talk about something else please?” I asked.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. It looked like a ring box. My heart began to palpitate. He opened the box and there sat the largest diamond I had ever seen. I looked over at Johnny and his face had turned a deep shade of red. I thought Johnny was going to have a stroke or pull out a gun or something. Pierre got down on one knee and held the ring up for me to view. “Lilly, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

I quickly reached over and closed the ring box. “What’s wrong with you?” I asked. “Put that away before anyone else sees you.”

“
I think it’s a little too late for that.” He looked over at Johnny. He was blatantly staring at us.

“
Well, at least you got my name right,” I answered. “Why would I marry you Pierre? This is our first date.” I was hoping this was some kind of ridiculous joke. But he seemed pretty serious and he never smiled.

“
Is that a yes?” he asked.

“
No,” I answered sarcastically. “That is a NO.”

“
I suggest you reconsider,” he responded. “My work visa expired and if you don’t marry me, I may have to go public with your little affair.”

“
Fraud is against the law,” I replied. “And besides…” I paused and looked over at Johnny who was still glaring at us. Then I whispered, “There is no affair.”

“
Take some time to think about it.” It became obvious that he wasn’t kidding. He was going to blackmail me into marrying him. “I have a lot of information on your
friend
, as you like to call him.”

The meals arrived and I picked at my steak for a few minutes. “I’ll think about it,” I answered. I needed to figure this out.

Dinner was great but Pierre was sure he could have done better. We both ordered coffee at the end of our meal. “So, I understand that you sing,” he said unexpectedly.

“
Yes, I do,” I answered, making every attempt to be cordial.

How about I take you to Redneck’s after dinner? It’s a little country bar down the road and the band always invites people on stage.”

“
Rednecks?” I asked. “I don’t know if I like the name.”

“
It’s a very close knit group of people. You’ll like it,” he continued.

He paid the bill and we headed out. I half expected Johnny to follow us, but he didn’t. I watched him watch us leave.

Chapter 4

Cheating Heart

We pulled up to a small little building with loud music pounding into the parking lot from inside. Pierre held the door open and I walked inside. All eyes were on us as we were terribly over dressed. The room smelled very much like Johnny’s bedroom. Cigarette smoke held like smog over the dance floor and stale beer was the prominent stench. We sat at a little table by the band. I pulled a tissue out of my purse to wipe the liquid off of the table… whatever it was. The lead singer was finishing up an old George Jones song and the crowd was clapping enthusiastically. “We have a guest singer tonight,” he announced. “My brother Bobby would like to sing a song he wrote. Give it up for Bobby!”

The crowd roared as a very handsome man in cowboy attire got onto the stage. He had a small ponytail behind his cowboy hat, cleaner and neater than Johnny’s. I must admit that my heart skipped a beat when I first laid eyes on him. He had dark hair and dark eyes. He was thin, like Johnny but much better looking. Good looks were not Johnny’s appeal. At this point a waitress came over and dropped off the beers that Pierre had ordered when we first walked into the bar. His voice was smooth and alluring. I was entranced by his performance. He must have noticed my swooning because as soon as he finished, he looked and me and said, “Aren’t we a little over dressed?” I could feel the blood rushing to my face. The pounding in my ears made me think Pierre could hear it. “Do you sing?” he asked.

“
She does,” Pierre answered as he gave me a nudge to get up.

“
Great!” he replied. “Your name?”

“
Lilly,” I answered. I was hoping the floor would open beneath me and swallow me whole.

“
Like the flower.” He smiled. “Let’s hear it for Lilly!” I got on the stage and he handed me the microphone. Everyone was clapping madly.

“
Forgive my attire,” I started. Someone in the back whistled. “I’ll remember to bring my boots next time.” The crowd laughed and clapped louder. “How about some Cheatin’ Heart, boys?” I directed my question to the band and they began to play. Just then Rudy walked in with a girl and they sat at a small table by the door. He started to clap loudly and disorderly, which made me miss my cue. Everyone looked at him and the band stopped playing. Rudy had an intimidating appearance. He was blond with spiked hair and always wore a black leather jacket. His cigarette was hanging casually out of his mouth.

“
Oh don’t mind me,” he shouted, pulling the cigarette away from his lips. “Cheating Heart is a great song for you.”

Bobby signaled the band to start playing again and I sang trying not to look at Rudy. He walked over to Pierre and put his arm around him. I could see them exchanging words, and then Rudy walked back to his seat. When I finished, everyone clapped and I sat down with Pierre. Pierre took my hand and quietly whispered, “Let’s go.”

“
What?” I was surprised. “Why? What did he say to you?”

He yanked me out of my chair and I stumbled to my feet. Bobby took notice as Pierre hurried me towards the door. As we walked briskly passed Rudy he grabbed my arm and stopped us. He whispered, “I’ll tell Johnny you send your love.” I looked at him curiously as Pierre pulled me in the other direction, out the door.

“
What on earth is wrong with you?” I asked.

“
Are you and Johnny married or something?”

“
Don’t be ridiculous,” I answered.

“
Are you together?”

“
No, I already told you that.” I was starting to get impatient. “What did Rudy say to you?”

“
Nothing,” he answered. “Don’t worry about it.” We drove in silence to my house. “Thanks for dinner,” I said. The energy between us had become strained.

“
Anytime.” He attempted a weak smile. “Think about what I said.”

I walked into the house and my mom and dad were in the living room pretending to read. “How was your date?” my dad asked looking up from his reading glasses.

“
It was fun.” I was still preoccupied with how tight my dress was and couldn’t help but readjust it. “He proposed, you know.”

“
What?” My dad leapt to his feet. “Why would he do that?”

“
He said he loves me,” I answered. “Crazy, right?”

“
Please tell me you turned him down,” he groaned as he sat back down.

“
Of course I did.” I smiled. “My heart belongs to another.” He smirked at me.

“
I mean it, Lilly. Stay away from Malone.”

“
Yes sir,” I said in a militant tone. I excused myself and went to bed.

For the next few days there was no Johnny. I was missing him and started to feel a void inside. Pierre continued to propose, day after day, but since Johnny was no longer waiting for me, I figured there was no hurry.

I hung up my apron and walked to my car. The spot John had always waited for me was deserted. I got into my car and drove to Rednecks. Bobby was at the bar talking to his brother. They were drinking draft beers and when I walked in they stopped talking and called me over. “Can I buy you a beer?” Bobby asked.

“
Please,” I answered. He was signaling the bartender and ordered me a draft. Just then a Hispanic man walked through the door. He was dressed in cowboy attire from his hat down to his boots. His eyes were black and they caught mine immediately. He sat in the corner and ordered a beer. He looked completely out of place. He talked to no one and seemed to be watching me. “Thanks,” I said, a little distracted when the beer arrived.

“
So, what brings you here to our humble, little watering hole?” Bobby asked.

“
I was bored,” I answered. “No one to play with.”

“
The band is getting back up there in a few minutes. Would you like to sing a duet?” He smiled a captivating smile at me. I was glad I went.

“
I would love to,” I answered.

We were up there for only a few seconds when Rudy came in. He sat with the Hispanic guy and watched us. I was beginning to feel a little frightened. Why did Johnny disappear and why are his friends following me? I saw him slip something to the man and head for the door. “You have a lovely voice,” Bobby said to me. “Do you play anything?”

Still distracted I answered, “I play guitar.” I watched Rudy leave. His eyes never left mine as he disappeared into the darkness.

“
Bring it next time,” he replied, noticing my preoccupation.

“
Maybe,” I answered. I was having trouble concentrating. “We’ll see.” I smiled and headed out. As I put the key in the ignition I saw the Hispanic man walking out the door. Okay, I thought. Now I
know
he’s watching me. All this meant to me was that although Johnny was keeping away, he was having me watched for some reason.

The next day I followed the same routine. Bobby and I danced and sang and his brother Joe and I became fast friends. I was slowly becoming one of the regulars. Instead of going to The Crossing with Johnny, I was hanging out with Bobby at Rednecks. I was starting to wonder if I would ever see the cinnamon colors of the rocks being teased by the waters edge again. At least not with Johnny by my side. Maybe it was time to let go.

—

I got to work at 5:30 as I always did. Jim was waiting for me at the front door. This was bad; I knew Pierre had ratted me out. I took a deep breath and got ready to face the consequences of my actions. “Hi Jim,” I said as casually as I could.