Facing Redemption (10 page)

             
“Lady,” John said and leaned back to take her in from head to toe. “You don’t wanna know the kind of hurt I know.”  John was trying to intimidate her.  It didn’t work.

“The names Andrea – Andie for short.  And you’re right I don’t, but it doesn’t mean that I haven’t seen it all before.   All I was saying was,” she stopped and sighed.  “Look, when you realize the drinking won’t help ease the hurt, I know someone who can help.”

             
She dropped a business card on the table, and turned to leave. 

             
“Thanks,” John said quietly before putting it in his pocket.  He was too drunk to read what it said or to notice her name and number written on the backside.

             
Andie left shaking her head, and beating herself for trying, when she knew better.

Chapter 14

1985

Washburn Air Force Academy

             
“You ready rich boy?”  Matt challenged him, before they both started laughing.

             
“If you’re ready to eat my dust!”  John retorted.

             
After the second year into his academy training, John had turned a huge corner.  He was at the top of his class, and his background didn’t seem to matter anymore.  He was no longer the kid whose dad got him into school – but the guy everyone had to beat.

His best friend, Matt, who was part of his initial hazing, finally befriended him after seeing that the so-called ‘rich boy’ had some grit.  John had earned his respect, and from him John learned how to be a great cadet.
             

Every afternoon, after classes they would run the ropes courses challenging one another for the best time.

So far Matt had beaten him twice that afternoon, but only because John let him have the advantage.  By their third time through, John easily pulled ahead taking the clear lead.  He scaled the rock wall, descended down the rope, and ran through the nets.

             
After exiting he jumped to the last rope, and swiftly flew across the sand pit.  From there it was clear John had the advantage, and he ran to the finish without breaking a sweat leaving Matt a solid minute to catch up.

             
John stood smiling as his friend struggled to finish without shame. 
             

             
“What?” John shouted out with his arms out wide.  “You want a piece of this?”

             
Matt slowed as he jogged past him, and shoved him aside.

             
“You bastard!  You were playing me today, letting me win.  How long have you been practicing in order to gain that kind of lead?”

             
John smugly smiled in return and shrugged his shoulders.  Jogging backwards, he teased, “I guess you’ll have to start practicing to catch up now.”

             
“Beat you back to the showers.  First one ready buy drinks tonight!”

             
“Deal.”  John said as he took off again.

             
Within an hour, both were sitting drink in hand, admiring the local beauties trolling for a pick up. 

             
“How many townies have you seduced Mikale?’

             
John took a long swig of his beer.  “Me?” he questioned.  He shook his head and finished swallowing his drink.  “None.”

             
“Not a one?”  Matt said incredulously.  “I can’t believe that.  Not with how many hang all over us when we’re out.  A military man is a hot commodity in these parts.”

             
“Maybe so, but I’ve been striving for that whole military discipline thing if you haven’t noticed.”

             
“What?  Some woman hurt you so bad that you have no balls left?”  Matt laughed.

             
John frowned.  “Something like that.”

             
“Aw man, you know the easiest way to get over a woman is to get under another one, right?”

             
John laughed at his friend.  “Whatever.  Shut up and drink.”   He set his empty beer down, nodding to the bartender for another.

             
“I’ll get that.”

             
A perfectly manicured hand slid a ten-dollar bill toward the bartender.

             
“Well thank you ma’am,” John smiled.

             
“No thank you.  It’s not often a woman like me gets to buy a boy a drink.”

             
“Boy?  Who you calling boy?”  Matt interjected on John’s behalf.

             
“Are you two even old enough to be in here?”  Her red lips parted in a wide smile, showing slightly yellowed teeth.  She pulled out a cigarette from her purse to light up.

             
“Of course,” John replied, standing up to offer his seat to her.

             
“Oh you don’t need to do that, but I’ll take it.”  She smiled.

             
Matt, spotting his chance, quickly started talking to the dragon lady, while John scanned the room.  Yes, there certainly was plenty of fresh meat to pick from in a place like this, but he’d promised himself to never take advantage again.  And if he were to, it certainly wouldn’t be with a woman like the one behind him, who was puffing on a stick trying to get his attention.  He’d let Matt take her if he wanted her. 

             
John was more interested in a game of pool than he was getting laid tonight.  He checked his wallet for cash, and walked to the game room for a friendly game.

             
“Hey Mikale!  Where you off to?”  Matt hollered across the bar.

             
“I’ll be around.  Catch up with me before you leave.  I’ll still drive you back.”  John yelled across the crowd.

             
As John turned the corner, he bumped right into a local college girl exiting the bathroom.  Her beer spilled all over the both of them.

             
“Oops.  Sorry,” she giggled, and wiped off her shirt.

             
“Oh man.  All over my nice shirt too.”  He teased with a grin.

             
Thinking he was serious, she started brushing his chest with a napkin.  Just being touched for the first time in a few months like that had him thinking things he shouldn’t have. 

             
“No really.”  He gently pushed her hands away.  “I was just kidding.”

             
“Oh.”  She looked up at him with the most innocent eyes.  “So you don’t want me touching you then?”  It was her time to tease this time.

             
Oh man. 
John was in trouble.  “Um, no … that’s not what I meant.”

             
Not sure of the rules, John decided to tread lightly.  He promised he wouldn’t take advantage of anyone again.  He didn’t promise to never have sex again.  The two were completely different.  Maybe Matt would have to find his own way home tonight.

Chapter 15

Timothy must have sat there for at least an hour debating on when to call his mother.  It was time to ask her for his grandmother’s diamond, and he expected that she’d respond one of two ways.  She would both scream in excitement, and start planning a wedding before Chastity even accepted, or she’d be crushed that her ‘little boy’ was getting ready to promise himself to another woman.

Although he desperately loved his mother, he wasn’t always able to talk with her very easily.  She often went off on tangents and left him wishing he’d gotten her voicemail. 

             
Laughing to himself at the thought, he finally lifted his office phone from the cradle. 

             
A soft knock sounded at his door.

             
“Come in,” he replied with phone in hand.

             
Janie his assistant popped her head in.  “I just wanted to remind you that your two o’clock is running a little late.”

             
“Janie, you never cease to amaze me.”  Timothy shook his head and smiled at her.  “With all this technology of IM’s or intercoms, you always give me such personal attention.  That’s why I’ve got the best office assistant a guy could have.”

             
“Yeah, that’s me.  Good old reliable Janie.”  She said with a sigh, and sheepishly retracted. 
If only I had a shot with a guy like him.

             
Janie had been his office assistant since the day Timothy and his law partner started up their practice six years ago, and Timothy knew how blessed he was to have such amazing help.

             
“Hey, will you shut the door on your way out?”  Timothy asked with phone in hand.

             
Janie nodded, shut the door, and made her way back to her desk.  Her hand hovered a few seconds before finally hitting her intercom button.  She hit mute so that she could listen.

             
Timothy’s law partner, Scott, walked up from behind and quietly leaned in to whisper in her ear.

             
“What you listening to?”

             
“Oh!” Janie screamed and hit the off button.  “How dare you sneak up on me like that Scott!”

             
“Really?”  Scott rounded his way to the front of her chair and sat on the corner of her desk.  He leaned over to look through Timothy’s office window.  “Cause from where I sit, I’d say I wasn’t doing anything sneaky – you were.” 

             
Janie felt like slapping off the grin he was wearing. 

             
“You know he’s going to ask her to marry him, don’t you?”  Scott smugly asked.

             
Janie’s face fell for a second before she realized she was giving him the satisfaction he didn’t deserve.  She quickly recovered.

             
“I have a meeting to prepare for.  You’d better leave now.”  Janie ordered.

             
Scott took one last look through his partner’s office window and felt a small tug of jealousy.  Timothy was getting the woman of his dreams, while the woman of
his
dreamt of his partner.

             
“Yeah, I’d better.”  Scott lingered, feeling bad for taking his jealousy out on Janie. “Janie …” he tried to apologize.

             
“I said leave.” Janie froze him out.

             
“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to … I guess with all this love in the air around here…”

             
“You were trying to rub it in again?”  Janie glared.

             
“No I just meant … never mind.”  Scott sadly smiled as he watched her gather her things and walk down the hall.

             
Timothy watched the exchange between his partner and assistant through the window, but didn’t have time to wonder because his mother beckoned on the other end of the line.

             
“Hey Tim!  It’s only Tuesday.  You usually call on the weekends.  Is everything okay?” 

             
His attention quickly averted back to the reason at hand.  Timothy’s hands began to sweat.  He loosened his tie and he cleared his throat.
             

             
“Yeah, everything’s great mom.  In fact that’s the reason I was calling.  I umm…”

             
“Yes?” his mother inquired.

             
“I umm – wanted to know if I could have …”

             
“You want the ring!”  She said a little too loud.  “Oh my gosh.  You’re going to do it!  You’re going to make me a grandmother!”

             
Timothy laughed.  “Well hold up on that one mom.  No one’s pregnant here.  I just want Grandma’s ring that’s all.”