Savior In The Dark (2 page)

“I’
ll be in when I am done here. The police asked me if I knew the person who helped me. I said, “No, that I only saw him earlier that day at the Deli. Then he came over to the police, and told him he was the one who called the cops and also helped me. He came over to me. I am grateful for what he did, but still wondered how he knew this guy was going to attack me.

He introduced
himself to me. “Hi, my name is Victor Vons and I’m sorry. I happened to see this guy watching you, so I stayed around the corner. I sensed something. I thought he was trouble, and I saw him acting weird, pacing up and down the street. When he saw you, he came running towards you. So I stayed to see what he was up to. I was right, he was trouble. He looked like a drug junkie, looking for money.” I couldn’t be mad at him. I thanked him again, and I got the nerve to tell him my name. “My name is Sophie St. John. I was just heading to work and this idiot attacked me. How did you disarm him? That was a big knife.”

He just laughed, and he just gave
me that big smile and a grin. He tells me he is a teacher of martial arts, “I teach self-defense classes. I just stopped to get a few sandwiches for my co-workers.” That explained why he was so sweaty. At that moment I felt protected.

         He shook my hand and planted a kiss on
my hand. I was all tingly inside from that gesture. I looked to see if he had a ring on his hand. I didn’t see one, but that didn’t mean anything these days.  It was like he knew what I was looking for. Oh my, was I embarrassed. He told me he was single, and nobody was waiting for him. He asked for my phone number. I fumbled in my purse for a piece of paper and pen. He had one ready. Smooth, I thought, maybe, just maybe. He told me he had to go, that his co-workers were waiting for their sandwiches. He says goodbye and told me, “This is your phone number, right?”

“Of course,” I replied. “Why would I give you a false one?” He told me that some women do.

“Well, exclude me from that group of women,” I told him.

He walked me to my car and then just walked away. I couldn’t stop staring; he had a nice body from head to toe.
My heart and my stomach were doing flips.  Maybe now, after meeting Victor things would change. I hoped it would. I could dream of him all day.

      Then I noticed Victor walking back towards me and I said, “Are your friends going to want their sandwiches?”

       He laughed, and said “Yes, they are waiting, but I wanted to make sure you were okay. Is that okay to do? I am sorry if I am scaring you.”  I told him he wasn’t
.
             

       
I was impressed at what he had done. I told him I was running late for my job. I had to go. As I turn around, he touched my arm and it felt like a jolt thought my body. I didn’t say anything; I just stood there and said, “Hmm is there something you wanted?” I felt like a school girl slurring my words. I thought he might have been thinking what an idiot I was. Then he said, “What time do you get off?” My first reaction was “Why?” I wanted to kick myself for that, but he said, “So I can make sure you get home safe; you were attacked once. Who’s to say you won’t be attacked again?” He looked at me with his green eyes waiting for my reply. The way he was looking at me was like he was digging into my soul. His hand on me was so warm and was a soft hold, tender. Thoughts of sweet passion ran through my mind, making me just keep staring at him and I forced myself awake.

    
Someone looking at me like that, I would normally get nervous, but not with him. I “Oh, I am sorry,” I said. “I’m not really sure it is a 24 hr Diner, so your guess is as good as mine, but it is usually about 6:00 or 7:00 am.” He nodded in acknowledgement. He liked how I got nervous around him. He loved the way I looked at him with interest. Then he asked, “Would it be okay if I came by since I heard it has good food?” I started laughing. And he said, “What did I say that was so funny?”

    
“I don’t care if you come,” I replied, “but if you eat anything just have the dessert. I would not recommend anything else. The cook Hugo cooks depending on his moods, so don’t say you weren’t warned.” Victor now starts laughing a bit and says, “Thank you for the warning. I’ll keep that in mind.” He still had his hand on my arm and said, “Oh sorry, I forgot about where I had my hand.”

      “Y
ou can put your hand anywhere you want,” I replied in a low, sultry voice. And I thought to myself, “What the hell am I saying? I don’t even know him; I just met him today, or well, yesterday. I really have to go before I say something stupid. I really need to get to work. Henry’s a good guy to work for, but he is one of those bosses who will hold things over your head. Like I did this favor for you, so now you owe me. God I hate that in people. But for now I have to put up with it.

Chapter
2
-
The confrontation

                                      
~~§§~~

    I was turning
into the parking in the Diner and ready to go to work or so I thought. As soon as I walked in, my co-workers attacked me and asked if I was okay. I was so tired of people asking me if I was okay. I almost shouted, “Leave me alone!” But I held my tongue and thought of Victor how he took that guy out so fast. I was very impressed indeed. But I was hoping Victor would show up later or sometime, I wasn’t sure if I would get attacked again. Leaving late was not a good idea too long after dark, and if I did start working late hours, maybe I would ask Victor about his self-defense classes. One should always be prepared. I had learned that the hard way. Wondering to myself, was this planned for me? What luck, to have met a handsome man that was very well mannered and just made me melt inside and out?

       At the moment I thought of Ray. He was always a needy person that just got to me; he was such a mama’s boy, still living with his mother at twenty-seven years old. I was out of my parents’ home at nineteen. I had two jobs. I always worked really; didn’t have time for a relationship, but the one I did have was pretty much over after I did get to know him; he was handsome but boring. Then with Ray, I thought I was in love. He surely prove to me I wasn’t. His true colors were seen after ten months with him. And to think, he could have been the one to spend rest of my life with. He just saw me as a trophy on his arm. I think he did me a favor instead. I saw his true colors before if he had any intention of marriage, which he spoke more of than I did. I really felt sorry for him and whoever he was with now. In a sick way, I wished him the best, and hoped he’d find happiness. But then on second thought, I hope he rots in hell for deceiving me the way he did.

      As I was entering the Diner, my God, what did my boss do? They all stopped what they were doing and all came up to me; it was like an inspection you would get from the TSA Officers at the airport. I’ve told them, I was fine, not hurt, that I am OKAY. I had to say it loudly because it was like they didn’t believe me at all. I was overwhelmed that they would care about me. Even Hugo the cook, came out to make sure I was okay. That was a shocker. He never came out, unless we have an unruly customer. But he did ask if I was okay, like the others. I was impressed that they truly cared about me. I shouldn’t have been so hard on them. I told them all, “I’m sorry guys if I upset you all; I’m just a bit jumpy after my incident. Please forgive me for my tone and actions.” They all told me it was okay. They understood, and they were not mad; they just wanted to make sure I was okay. Five minutes later everyone was back to work as usual.

     I guess I was th
e one who was too jumpy, but I didn’t tell them about Victor. Then they all would have asked me more questions. That was one thing I was going to keep to myself. It was something I would keep to myself until he showed up there. My co-workers would question me later, how I knew him and so forth.  Ever since coming to work there, everyone had been nice to me. Henry, the owner, then came to me to make sure I was okay. I told him “Henry, if I didn’t think I could work, I wouldn’t be here; I would be at home.” Then he understood me, and respected me, claiming that most other girls would have ditched him. I had to remind him that I was not like other girls, who would have bragged about it.  They are the type that would have said something to anyone who would listen to their gossip. I was not like that at all. I came to work and stuck to myself. I didn’t like talking about my co-workers, but Amy and Mary had a bad reputation for bringing home strays.

     I was wondering where he was at. He did say he might stop by. I must have
looked at the door every time a new customer came in to the Diner. My eyes were glued to the door, looking, waiting and hoping he would stop by.

    A few hours passed by. As I was washing some tables, cleaning them off of crumbs and garbage, I hear
d the door chime notifying me that another customer was coming in. This time I didn’t look, and my friend Mary was helping me. She gasped “Wow” and I looked at her and she told me, “Look what just came inside the Diner, a new, fresh hunk of goodness. Wow, baby comes to mama.”  I didn’t turn to look; I couldn’t believe it; he had come. I tried not to get too excited, but he saw me and came towards me. Something in my gut told me it was Victor. Mary was in disbelief as she thought he was coming to her, and saw he wasn’t talking to her but to me. The look on her face was priceless. I had my back to him, and Mary whispered that he looked like he was coming towards me.  She was right, he was. I felt a tap on my right shoulder. “Say excuse me, Sophia, could I have a word with you?” He almost sounded so erotic that I almost forgot he meant me. Then before I could answer, Mary had to say something to him, to put her two cents worth in. She told him, “I can help you if you need something?” I saw Mary throwing her chest practically in front of him. Then I said, “Oh hi Victor, I see you found this place with no problem.”  I could have sworn Mary had the most stupid look of envy on her face. I was laughing inside. I heard Mary literally stomp off like a child, who did not get her way.  It was priceless to see, that someone, a man especially, hadn’t shown the slightest interest in her and her big breasts that she shows off proudly every day to get good tips. But I have to give her credit from the three of us working there; she does get the most tips. Guess she figured out a way to use her body in another way then having them exposed, as she did in her last job, some strip joint she worked in a few years back.

        Victor said
hello, and answered my question, “Yes, a few people I train have been here and said the food is good.” I look at him and tell him by putting my finger in front of my lips and say to him, “Whoever told you that lied.’ He laughed and I laughed with him, as a few regulars looked at us and wondered what the joke was. I asked him if he needed a menu, and he said sure. I took a look. As he sat down at my station of tables, he asked me, “So what would you recommend?”

      “D
o you want me to lie or tell you the truth?” I replied. He went on to tell me that I should not say that to him, with a grin. I tell him in a soft voice,
Being that you saved me
, I thought,
I would save you from an overload of fat and grease
. But if were me, I would have said, “The Salad with either cold cuts or chicken”.

    
“Sound good,” he said, “I will have both; oh can I have it that way?” I tell him yes and ask him what kind of dressing he wanted. Italian? Ranch? Thousand Island? Or blue cheese? He is in deep thought, looking me up and down, then said, “You pick for me”. I was like so any one huh? He says yes. So I go off and say okay. Italian it is.

   
   As I go off to put his order in, I felt his eyes on me. I felt some comfort knowing he was here, and wondering if he were attracted to me as well. Guess I would find out.

       As, I came to bring him his dinner, he asked me when I had my break. “In about
half an hour, if it is not busy,” I replied.

      “Okay, let me know,” he said.
“I hope you don’t mind me hanging around till then?” I told him it was no problem. I walked back to my station and grabbed the orders that were placed by other customers. As I was walking, in a trance-like state, I was thinking, what could he want to talk to me about? It was strange to me, but exciting at the same time.

Chapter
3
-
My Break

                             
           
 
~~
§§
~~

     
Henry came up to me and saw that I was working and he felt bad after the ordeal I had gone through and told me so in the back room as I was getting more napkins from the supply room. “Amy,” he said, “You look very tired. Why don’t you just go home? We are okay. The other girls will help out. I already talked to them. They will save your tips from the tables you waited on. And I will pay you for the rest of the night. Go home relax. As though looking at him for the first time, I didn’t know what to do, either to thank him, or to tell to stop playing with me. I almost felt like it was a joke. I told him Henry that was nice of him, but I should stay for a while. I could use the money from the night I was not here. I need to make it up.