that all went unanswered.
AARON PLEASE, PLEASE LOSE MY NUMBER. Her response shocked me. I sent back a quick reply.
WHAT DID I DO WRONG?
Her next text hit me right in the solar plexus:
WILL YOU PLEASE JUST LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE! WHAT PART OF NOT FUCKING INTERESTED DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?
I think it was the word “fuck” that sent me over the edge. Such a simple word, but it screamed at me with such blatant disrespect from the woman who was supposed to be my soul mate.
I threw the phone on the passenger seat and started driving again, but I didn’t get far before it started ringing. I grabbed it, thinking maybe Tia had come to her senses and wanted to apologize.
A quick glance at the caller ID revealed that it was not Tia, but Ross. He had been calling me three or four times a day to check on me, but I definitely wasn’t in the mood for one of his pep talks about how I should go back to work to take things off my mind. He just didn’t get it. I needed some time away from everybody. I ignored the call and kept on driving, not knowing where I was going until I pulled up in front of the flashing neon sign: BENNY’S BAR AND GRILL .
Benny’s was located in a questionable neighborhood in Jamaica, Queens. Ross, Pippie, and I had adopted the joint as our own personal watering hole right about the time Pippie moved up from Virginia. Benny’s was a hole-in-the-wall, but the drinks were cheap, they had a pool table that took quarters, and quiet as it’s kept, their cook made the best cheeseburgers in New York.
I sat down at a booth in the corner. I’d walked in with the intention of having a drink to dull my senses; however, the smell of those greasy burgers from the kitchen reminded me that I hadn’t really eaten since the night of my bachelor party.
Not long after I sat down, Jewel, the barmaid, came over to take my order.
“Your boys have been looking for you.” Jewel smiled, whipping out a notepad.
“Yeah, well, if you see them again, don’t tell them I was here, okay.”
“Your secret is good with me,” she said with a wink. “Now, what can I get you to drink?”
“I’ll take a Jack and Coke. And can you bring me a cheeseburger and fries?”
“Sure thing.” She stepped away to place the order but then turned back. “Um, Aaron, I heard about you and that girl you was supposed to marry. If there’s anything I can do to help—and I mean anything—just holla,” she said.
Well, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what that meant. I’d never really paid much attention to Jewel in the past. Not only was I in a relationship with Tia, but Jewel had a reputation for being pretty loose, and I wasn’t normally into women like that. But with her overly friendly gesture and my need for some comforting, she definitely had my attention now.
I’m not going to lie; the thought of what she was offering was tempting. It had been almost eighteen months since I’d made love, and I can’t emphasize enough how taxing that can be on a man. I truly missed that physical intimacy. Waiting for our wedding day was worth it, I thought, but seeing as how Tia never made it down the aisle, I sort of felt like I’d been played for a fool. Jewel’s offer was appreciated, not necessarily because she was this superhot woman that I couldn’t resist, but because it was comforting to think that someone was interested in me. I’d been pretty down on myself ever since Tia’s rejection.
I smiled my thanks then gave her a very flat “I’ll let you know.”
“Please do.” I watched her sashay away to the bar, purposely throwing a little extra something in her hips for my benefit. Like I said, I’d never really paid attention to her in the past, but now that I got a good look, I had to admit she had a really nice figure and an exceptionally nice ass.
By the time I finished my burger and downed two Jack and Cokes, Jewel’s shift was over and she had taken up permanent residence in the seat next to me,
AARON PLEASE, PLEASE LOSE MY NUMBER. Her response shocked me. I sent back a quick reply.
WHAT DID I DO WRONG?
Her next text hit me right in the solar plexus:
WILL YOU PLEASE JUST LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE! WHAT PART OF NOT FUCKING INTERESTED DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?
I think it was the word “fuck” that sent me over the edge. Such a simple word, but it screamed at me with such blatant disrespect from the woman who was supposed to be my soul mate.
I threw the phone on the passenger seat and started driving again, but I didn’t get far before it started ringing. I grabbed it, thinking maybe Tia had come to her senses and wanted to apologize.
A quick glance at the caller ID revealed that it was not Tia, but Ross. He had been calling me three or four times a day to check on me, but I definitely wasn’t in the mood for one of his pep talks about how I should go back to work to take things off my mind. He just didn’t get it. I needed some time away from everybody. I ignored the call and kept on driving, not knowing where I was going until I pulled up in front of the flashing neon sign: BENNY’S BAR AND GRILL .
Benny’s was located in a questionable neighborhood in Jamaica, Queens. Ross, Pippie, and I had adopted the joint as our own personal watering hole right about the time Pippie moved up from Virginia. Benny’s was a hole-in-the-wall, but the drinks were cheap, they had a pool table that took quarters, and quiet as it’s kept, their cook made the best cheeseburgers in New York.
I sat down at a booth in the corner. I’d walked in with the intention of having a drink to dull my senses; however, the smell of those greasy burgers from the kitchen reminded me that I hadn’t really eaten since the night of my bachelor party.
Not long after I sat down, Jewel, the barmaid, came over to take my order.
“Your boys have been looking for you.” Jewel smiled, whipping out a notepad.
“Yeah, well, if you see them again, don’t tell them I was here, okay.”
“Your secret is good with me,” she said with a wink. “Now, what can I get you to drink?”
“I’ll take a Jack and Coke. And can you bring me a cheeseburger and fries?”
“Sure thing.” She stepped away to place the order but then turned back. “Um, Aaron, I heard about you and that girl you was supposed to marry. If there’s anything I can do to help—and I mean anything—just holla,” she said.
Well, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what that meant. I’d never really paid much attention to Jewel in the past. Not only was I in a relationship with Tia, but Jewel had a reputation for being pretty loose, and I wasn’t normally into women like that. But with her overly friendly gesture and my need for some comforting, she definitely had my attention now.
I’m not going to lie; the thought of what she was offering was tempting. It had been almost eighteen months since I’d made love, and I can’t emphasize enough how taxing that can be on a man. I truly missed that physical intimacy. Waiting for our wedding day was worth it, I thought, but seeing as how Tia never made it down the aisle, I sort of felt like I’d been played for a fool. Jewel’s offer was appreciated, not necessarily because she was this superhot woman that I couldn’t resist, but because it was comforting to think that someone was interested in me. I’d been pretty down on myself ever since Tia’s rejection.
I smiled my thanks then gave her a very flat “I’ll let you know.”
“Please do.” I watched her sashay away to the bar, purposely throwing a little extra something in her hips for my benefit. Like I said, I’d never really paid attention to her in the past, but now that I got a good look, I had to admit she had a really nice figure and an exceptionally nice ass.
By the time I finished my burger and downed two Jack and Cokes, Jewel’s shift was over and she had taken up permanent residence in the seat next to me,
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