Wrecking Ball (5 page)

“Four
hundred,” I said again as my eye caught Sophia bending down to lay herself across the bar.

“Holy shit
, Brandon. Are you serious?” he asked in disbelief.

“Yes
,” I
spit
out, my eyes fixated on Soph.

“I don’t know
, man. Those are some awesome tits.” He grazed his chin with his fingers while running his eyes over Sophia
. I swear if he mentions her tits one more time I’m going to rip his balls off.

“And I’ll write your chem paper due next week.” I would hate myself later for this, but at that point
I would’ve sold my soul to the devil to keep him from her. If he didn’t take the money I offered and the paper, I was fucked. My parents kept me on a tight budget to keep me focused so I didn’t have much more to offer. My next move would’ve been punching him in the nuts.

“Shit
,” he grumbled and let out a frustrated sigh. “I’ve been trying to hit that for months now.” He ran a hand through his hair as he stared at Sophia who just laid her head near us. “Hi, Brandon.” She smiled. “Nelson, we doing this or what?” she asked as she pulled the bottom of her tube top up exposing her perfect flat stomach. My fists clenched at my sides as images of his mouth on her perfect stomach rolled through my mind.

With a frustrated growl he turned to me and said, “Fine, but I better get an A on that fucking paper
, and I want the money by Wednesday.”

“You got it.” I nodded feeling a little of the tension in my body ease.

“Brandon here just paid me a shit ton of money to give him my shot. You’ve got an admirer.” Nelson said to Sophia before he laughed as he headed towards the D.J. box. I wanted to kick his ass for saying that, but my attention fell to her as she stared at me with a confused expression.

“What was that about?”
she asked.

“You didn’t say no.” I sm
irked. “But it wouldn’t have mattered if you had.”

“Hey
, guys. Brandon Dalton just bought my shot because he has the hots for Sophia over there. Let’s all give him the encouragement he needs.” Nelson was holding the D.J’s microphone when he started chanting
lick it, lick it, lick it
and the crowd joined in.

Oh yeah, he was
definitely getting his ass kicked.

“Well, you better get goin
g, lover boy.” She grinned and held the salt shaker out for me. She didn’t need to tell me twice. I bent down and ran my tongue across her smooth stomach, savoring the taste of her skin. Once I salted her wet flesh, Alisha filled her belly button with tequila and placed a lime in her mouth. Our eyes met briefly and I winked at her just before I dipped down and licked the salt from her stomach. The crowd led by Nelson started chanting,
shoot it, shoot it
and as I pressed my mouth to her navel I felt her tense, and when the crowd started chanting,
suck it, suck it
, I moved to her face and as our eyes met, I very slowly took the lime wedge from her mouth, letting my lower lip drag across hers for a moment.

The crowd roared with shouts and Ryan and Jake were slapping me on the back with praise. I held out a hand to Sophia to help her sit up which she took after sliding down her top to cover her stomach.

“So have you recovered?” she asked as she pulled her hair to the side.

“Recovered?”

“From your head injury?”

She was talking about the day we met at the lake.
“Oh, yeah.” I nodded. “I think I’m not as…what was the word you used?” I looked up to the ceiling imitating her at the lake. “Confused, was it?”

“Well?” She gave me a pointed look and I knew she was giving me an opening to ask her out again. “Go on then. Do it.” Her lips curved to a half smile.

“I’d like to take you out.” I stated half expecting her to say no
.
Up until this point she’d found a way to either shut me up or shut me down. I had come to expect the worst and hope for the best. Either way, I wouldn’t stop asking until she said yes.

Her gaze remained fixed with mine for a long moment before she rolled her eyes, shrugged, and said,
“You can pick me up at seven tomorrow. I’ll give you my address when my shift is over.” Then she traipsed back behind the bar where Alisha whispered in her ear and smirked at me. Sophia’s gaze met mine again, before she turned and started making drinks.

And just like that, I had gotten my date with Sophia.
I had never had to work so hard for just a date. But something told me she’d be worth it. I have to admit, my balls felt two times smaller since the day I met her. She really made me work for it and a woman shutting you down or making you feel like an idiot can really hurt your pride. But I knew the best things in life don’t come easy and they don’t come cheap. Sophia was the best and she deserved the best and that is what I would give her.

When I turned back to Ryan and Jake, they both shook their head
s. “Would you look at that shit-eating grin on his face.” Jake laughed as he removed his ball cap and ran a hand through his hair before sticking it back on. “She must’ve agreed to go out with him,” he said to Ryan.

“Pathetic.” Ryan rolled his eyes, but got distracted when a tiny brunette passed by.
He immediately started following her onto the dance floor.

But I was the one that was pathetic.

Sophia

“We’re go
ing to Mom and Dad’s?” I ask Tia incredulously from the passenger seat of her rental car. She waited until we were half way there to tell me, knowing I wouldn’t go if I had known before we left. This is the world adventure she wanted to take me on? Our childhood home?

“Yeah. I haven’t seen them in a year. I figure I better squeak it in.” Tia pops a piece of Trident gum in her mouth
before offering the pack to me.

I shake my head no.
“Couldn’t you have done this before you came to me?” I’m in no mood to play middle man between Tia and our parents. They get along for the most part, but Tia enjoys getting them worked up, mostly my father, with tales of her wild adventures.

“It’s just a nigh
t, Phi. Geesh.” She rolls her eyes from the driver’s seat of her rental car.

Grace and Gary Campbell are two fine southern conservatives that love the Lord and live frugally. Unfortunately, there is nothing conservative about Tia and
when you mix oil with vinegar… you know how it goes. My parent’s relationship with Tia has been futile to say the least. We were raised to get an education, find a good man, and make babies. Tia stuck her nose up at that and did the opposite. Instead of finding true love, she found lovers. Instead of going to college, she took off for world travels, becoming a student at the school of life. Though it took many years, my parents have mostly come to terms that she’ll never do as they heed. But even still, Tia avoids home, maybe visiting once or twice a year, usually at Christmas and my mother’s birthday.

“Please don’t provoke them
, Tia,” I warn. Last time we were all home for my mother’s birthday, Tia announced she was considering getting breast implants. My father nearly had a coronary.

Tia smiles and nods,
running a hand through her thick blonde hair, but says nothing. I cringe internally. This is going to be a long two days.

My mother and father aren’t expecting us and I have no idea what to tell them when my mother asks, “Why aren’t Brandon and the girls with you?”

“Because I begged Brandon to let me steal her away for a week or two. I may not make it back to the states for a year or so,” Tia pipes in and I could kiss her. She knows I’m not ready to talk about it with them. And her bomb about not coming home for a year or two is sure to get my father upset and keep his focus off me.

“Why so long, Tia?”
my father grumbles, obviously displeased with Tia’s announcement. Gary Campbell, a retired police officer, is an easy target for Tia. I learned a long time ago, my father and Tia had a completely different relationship then he had with me. Once, when Tia was sixteen, she got caught skipping school and when my father grounded her for six weeks, she fasted in protest because she’d have to miss her homecoming dance. Tia didn’t eat for three days. My mother was to pieces and so, by the fourth day, my father told Tia she could go to the dance.

I was never jealous of Tia. She was my bestie, but I knew
if it had been me, my father would have let me starve. I asked him, “Daddy, why’d you let her go?”

His smile was weak and he didn’t meet my gaze when he said, “Sophia, sometimes
the Lord presents us with dilemmas and we have to handle them best we can.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what he was talking about, but I knew he too, like most people that stepped into Tia’s pat
h, fell victim to her very effective methods of persuasion. 

“My friend Antonio
and I are going to Scotland.” Tia shrugs and plops down on the sofa.

And there it i
s. Tia baited my father. Looks like we’ll have another Tia scolding before the evening is through.

Wait for it. Three…two…one
...

“Who is this Antonio
fellow?” Dad asks as he plops down in his recliner, his thick brows furrowed in disapproval.

And he bit.

Age has begun to seep its way across my father’s face, fine lines now having turned into bonafide wrinkles and hints of gray in his eyebrows. “Hope he’s treating you right.”

“Just a friend.”

“You know, Soph. I was just about to start dinner. Why don’t we let your father and Tia catch up while we get supper going?” My mother takes my hand giving me a knowing look and leads me into the kitchen. Tia smiles sweetly at me as Mom pulls me through the doorway.

“You sure we should leave them alone?”
I ask my mother once we’re alone in the kitchen.

My mother chuckles softly.
“Tia likes to ruffle his feathers. He hasn’t learned she enjoys the attention.” She opens the fridge and begins pulling out lettuce, tomato, and cucumbers for a salad.

“I’ll make the salad
, Mom,” I offer as I pull out a knife and cutting board and take a seat on a stool at the kitchen island.

We set about making dinn
er, a simple salad, corn on the cob, and my mother marinades some chicken for grilling.

“So
, my dear…” She places her hands on the counter facing the kitchen window. “Tell your mother what’s going on with Brandon.” She doesn’t bother looking at me so she misses my attempt to look like I have no idea what she’s talking about.

I pause momentarily. “What do you mean?” I
drop my gaze and continue chopping the tomato in front of me.
Damn.
I do not want to have this conversation with her.
What would I tell her? Hey, Mom, Brandon kissed another woman and I’m contemplating ending our marriage
.

When she spins around, h
er eyes soften as if she’s pitying me for trying to deny something is wrong. My mother is a wise and beautiful woman and age has been merciful to her. In her late fifties, she still exercises and tries to eat well to keep in shape. Her mind is still sharp as a tack and she doesn’t miss much, so it shouldn’t surprise me that she picked up something was wrong the moment I walked through her front door. “I know you better than you think I do, Sophia. You’d not leave your husband to run off and vacation with Tia without a good reason. Are you two having problems?”

When my gaze meets hers she nods and
reaches across the counter and pats my hand. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Good because I don’t want to.

“Just tell me, is it so bad it may end in divorce?” Her face twists slightly as if she’s bracing for me to say the unthinkable; that yes it is that bad.

I
set the knife down and sigh heavily. “He didn’t sleep with anyone, but Mom, I don’t want to tell you what happened because I don’t want you to think less of him and please don’t tell Daddy anything’s wrong.” I don’t know why I’m protecting Brandon’s image, but I know deep down if we do stay married, my mother and father may never be able to look at him the same again, and that could make things very uncomfortable.

She lets out a little chuckle. “It’s a good thing you came wit
h Tia. He’s distracted with her so I think you’re safe.” She skirts around the counter and sits on the barstool next to mine. “I don’t know what happened, but I think I have a feeling, and I’d understand more than you think.”

My mind immediately fumbles over itself wondering if my father was unfaithful to my mother.
How could he cheat on her?
As my gaze turns towards the door that leads to the living room, my mother clears her throat.

“Not him
, Sophia. It was me.” My jaw feels like it’s on the floor.
My mother cheated on my father?
I have no idea what to say so I stare at her blankly hoping she’ll say,
ha ha just kidding
. Noting my shock, she smiles apologetically, than takes both of my hands in hers. “It was the most selfish thing I’ve ever done, and I’m horrified to be telling you this. It’s not something I’m proud of dear.” Her gaze drops to our hands and I can tell she’s ashamed. This conversation is already so surreal. When you grow up thinking your parents have the perfect marriage only to find out something happened that made it far from perfect, it kind of knocks you on your ass.

It takes me a moment to absorb her confession.
“So why are you telling me?” I murmur.

“Because I think Brandon loves you dearly
, and I know what it is to make a giant mistake you’d do anything to take back. Now I won’t tell you who or when or how—”

“I appreciate that
,” I interrupt her. That’s the last mental image I need, but I can’t help but wonder if it was someone I know. My mother has always been attractive and a bit of a southern flirt calling everyone sugar and sweetie. Maybe some guy took that as invitation and my mother went with it.

She straightens her back and glances sideways as if she’s thinking about how to get her point out best. “I had no good reason for it
, Sophia. It was selfish. An attractive man gave me attention and I enjoyed it and it went a little too far.”

“How did Daddy find out?” My heart aches for my father knowing what he must’ve felt.
I mean, I guess I know exactly what he felt. I’ve always known, even as a child how crazy my father was over my mother. I grew up determined to find that kind of admiration in a husband for myself.

“I told him
,” she sighs and my eyes widen in disbelief.

“Why?”

“Because I’m a good woman
, Sophia. I hated myself afterwards and knew it would eat me alive if I tried to hide it from him forever. It was out of character for me.”

“Wh—what did he say?”

“He was very hurt and angry, obviously. It took a solid month before he’d speak to me.”

I try to remember a time where I might’ve picked up on that kind of tension between my parent’s, but can’t. They did a great job hiding it. My mother watches me, eyes full of regret. I can see she’s ashamed of herself.
“Did he threaten to divorce you?”

“At first, when the news was new and raw.
My world crashed when he threatened it. I love your father so much the thought of losing him sends me over the edge. I expected him to be hurt and angry, but I don’t know why I was so shocked he mentioned divorce. I gave him his space and time, I tried not to push him, but after three months, I couldn’t bare it anymore. So I went to him and said, ‘Gary, I know I’ve wronged you, and you’re hurt, but we either need to try to fix this and move on or you need to tell me you’re done with me. If you’ll stay with me and love me, I’ll never stop trying to make it up to you.’”

“What happened?”

“Obviously, he forgave me,” she says dryly. “In fact, Tia was conceived that night.”

“You’re kidding me?”

“My point,
my
dea
r,” she continues, “is today, people who are supposedly in love tuck tail and run for the hills anytime something bad happens in a marriage. It’s easy to run, Sophia. Hide from it. But the thing is we’re all human. We all make mistakes. Your father could’ve thrown me out, been done with me over one horrible decision I made, but he did something bigger. He forgave me. Forgiveness is the most unselfish thing you can do for another person. It’s also the hardest sometimes.”

“I want to forgive him Mom, but it’s so—”

“Hard?” She chuckles. “Sophia, whatever you decide, we’ll be behind you. I’m not telling you to suck it up. That’s not what this is because every person has to make this decision for themselves, but let me point out one thing. Look at my marriage. You never would’ve known that happened unless I told you. We’re genuinely happy, Sophia, and have been for a very long time. The moment I messed up, I hated myself for wronging Gary. He’s my world and when I thought I might lose him, I vowed that if he forgave me, he’d get every ounce of me, faithful, loyal, and honest. And he has.”

“But why
, Mom? Why’d you do it?”

“I told you. I was selfish. In most marriages, there’s always one who gives
a little more, has more patience, and takes less. In my marriage that person is your father, and correct me if I’m wrong, I think you’re that person in yours. You’ve always been like him.”

I hesitate before responding. I’ve never thought I gave more, but maybe in a lot of ways I have, but in the biggest way, it’s been patience. I have always shown extreme patience with Brandon. “I just don’t know how to stop feeling so betrayed.”
And that is the truth. Even when I’ve told myself I should forgive Brandon, the bitterness from his betrayal burns inside of me and wipes out any idea of forgiveness.

“You know how when you
cut your finger, you put a Band-Aid on it?”

I nod to her confused.

“Eventually you have to remove that Band-Aid and let the wound breathe, which is scary because it hurts when you touch it against something, or maybe gets salt in it while cooking, but eventually you have to expose that wound, or it will never heal. You’re wounded right now, Sophia. To heal, you have to show that wound to Brandon, expose it so he can help you mend it. I know you’re afraid he may do it again, but that’s something you have to decide. After everything, all of the years of love, babies, jobs, laughs, tears, and fights, is he worth exposing that wound?” She pats my hand as tears well in my eyes. “If you decide you want to work it out, Sophia, make no mistake, it will be hardest for you. You’re the one that’s been wronged. You’re the one that has to put the pain behind you to move on. But I have a feeling if you can, you won’t regret it, dear.”