Happenstance (18 page)

God, I don’t even know what she’s talking about much less where
it is.

“You sure it’s in my house?” I ask. She nods.

“Fine, go pick it up then and take it.”

“Right now?” she asks hopefully and raises both eyebrows. I’m
starving and don’t have any food in the house, I can’t be waiting around while
she’s looking for her shit.

I shake my head. “No, can you come tomorrow?”

“Ok, deal. Tomorrow,” she says.

And I’m hoping that’s the last time I’ll see her.

Chapter
Twenty-One

March 2012

Victoria

I wake up early to the smell of Cuban coffee brewing in
the kitchen and I sneak up behind my grandmother to give her a hug. She’s
surprised but turns around and hugs me back. She smells like Royal Violets Eau de
Cologne which is what us Latinos call “baby cologne”. My eighty-seven-year-old
grandma smells like a baby. I love her. I love that she’s my height and I can
easily lean my chin against her neck and take a whiff.

“Abu, did you sleep well?” I ask her once I notice the dark
circles under her eyes. She looks tired and older somehow. I know she’s not a
young duckling anymore but I feel as if she’s aged years since I saw her over
the holidays.

“You know I always have trouble sleeping
mija
,” she pats my cheek with her
soft hands. “Now sit down so I can give you some
Café con
Leche
.”

“Yes ma’am.”

We sit down together for breakfast and talk like we usually do.

“Why didn’t Jared come with you? What plans did he have this
weekend?” she asks. I look over at her, I had already told her this but I guess
her mind lately isn’t how it used to be so I tell her again.

“It was his turn to work Saturday,” I answer her. I blow on my
coffee before taking a sip and thinking about my conversation with Jared yesterday.
We spoke when he got out of work and he sounded occupied.

“He told me yesterday he was working on a project for the house. I’m
not sure what it is,” I tell her.

“Oh? Does his house need anything fixed up?” I thought that same
question to myself but I couldn’t think of anything and Jared was so cryptic.

I shrug.
“Not that I know of.”

She smiles and taps my arm. “Well I’m sure it will be great, he’s
crazy about you.”

I smile myself and glance over at her. “I hope
so,
I’m going to
really
move in with him.
I’m telling him today.”

Abu raises her eyebrow.
“Really?
You
finally officially decided?”

I nod. “I talked to the landlord, and, besides, I love him.”

For some reason I’m coy about admitting it, but my grandmother
leans in to give me a hug.

“As you should be,” she says and kisses the top of my head.

“Should be what?” my brother walks in the kitchen and gives Abu a
kiss on the cheek. It doesn’t escape me that he’s wearing black pants and a
wrinkled long sleeved dress shirt.

“You just got in?” I ask incredulously. It’s seven in the damn
morning!
Only in Miami.

“Yup,” he answers and opens the fridge for some water.

“Damn, who were you with?”

“Savannah . . . and a few other people,” he asks and avoids my
eyes.

“Savannah huh?”
I glance over at my
grandma but she’s getting up to clear the table.

Andres is still avoiding my eyes.

“What’s up with her?” I ask.

“None of your damn business,” he snaps. Whoa. This is what
happens when you party all night and don’t sleep I guess.

I get up from the table. “Well luckily I don’t have to deal with
your cranky ass. I’m leaving now.”

He ignores me and walks towards his room.
Sheesh.

“Drive safely,” Abu says and gives me a hug. I need that damn
baby cologne so I can wear some myself when I’m home and missing her. She picks
up Lucky to smother him with hugs and kisses and makes me take a plate of Flan
(for Jared she says, but damn if I’m not going to try some as soon as I give it
to him).

Sending me away with his dessert (I mustn’t eat any until he
tries it first), a new toy for Lucky (her only great grandchild), a bottle of
water (in case I get thirsty and don’t feel like stopping at a rest stop), and
giving me a lecture on driving safely, I’m finally on my way home.

Chapter
Twenty-Two

March 2012

Victoria

I’m too excited to drive straight to my apartment. I
only made one stop on the expressway because I had to let Lucky out to walk. I
get to Jared’s house at 11:18 which is a great time to tell him the good news
and grab some lunch. Earlier this week, I emailed the landlord to ask about
getting out of the lease and he wrote back it wouldn’t be a problem as long as
I give him at least a month’s notice. Just like that, not a problem. I smile at
the thought of pulling into my driveway each night and sharing it with Jared
when I notice his car isn’t the only one there. I frown and park behind him
noticing the Gator magnet on a black Mercedes Benz. Obviously, someone he went
to school with. I open up the windows for Lucky just in case Jared isn’t home and
grab my bottle of water before walking out of the car. I didn’t drink any on
the drive so I wouldn’t have to stop and pee, but now I’m thirsty.

Knocking on the door I step back and wait. Then wait some more. I
can hear noise in the background like a saw and some hammering? He has to be
home but what is he doing back there? Maybe he’s out in the yard and I turn to
walk towards the back entrance when his front door opens. I smile and turn
around but my smile quickly fades and my heart drops to my stomach. Lisa.

Not just Lisa, but Lisa in an oversized men’s white t-shirt,
short shorts, and barefoot.

The t-shirt says:
“That’s
what,” she said.
It has to be one of Jared’s. That has Jared written all
over it! What.
The.
Fuck?

And now she has the nerve to cross her arms over her chest and
sneer, “You again?”

Me again?
Seriously?

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I ask.

How could this be happening to me?
Again?
She walks out like she
owns the damn place.

“I should ask you the same
thing,
I
thought he had gotten rid of you by now.”

I feel my body begin to shake and I fist my hands to try and hold
it in together. I can hear the water bottle crackle in my palm.

“Why would he get rid of me if I’m about to
move in?”
I ask her, or maybe I’m asking myself, who knows. She snorts
and rolls her eyes.

“Please. He’s played that game with other women before. But he
always
comes back to
me,
I told you he keeps secrets. I knew he’d get sick of your ass soon.”

I can’t hold back anymore, she accentuated ‘always’ and it grates
on my nerves. There is nothing I want more than to smack the smirk off her
face. So that’s what I do. I smack her right across the mouth. Never in my life
have I been in a fight or hit someone other than my brother upside the head and
even
then
that was with love. Not
even my ex husband’s whore did I hit. Lisa lifts her hand to her cheek and gapes
at me. “You stupid bitch!” she lifts up her hand as if to hit me back but I
grab it by the wrist.

“NO, listen to
me
you stupid
ass bitch. I don’t give a
fuck
what
you think Jared meant to you, but he’s told me all about your skank ass and I
know he would never go back to you.
Ever.”

“That’s not what he was telling me last night,” she sneers at me.
I try to focus on my heart rate in the veins of my neck before I slap her
again.

“What the
fuck
?” we
both turn and see Jared glaring at us from the doorway. Actually, he is glaring
at Lisa and in turn I glare at him. “What are you doing here and what the fuck
are you wearing?” he asks Lisa.

It’s all just too much; Lisa in his white t-shirt and Jared
without a shirt on. He’s not wearing a fucking shirt! My head is swimming. Jared
walks over to me and puts his hands on my waist but I push him off and throw
the water bottle at his feet. I am so sick of it all.

“Oh, that’s just classy,” the bitch says. I flip her off and start
walking away from them.

“Lisa, get the fuck out of here! We’re
done,
you hear me? Get the fuck out and never speak to me again!”

Done with what? Weren’t they done
months
ago according to Jared? I can’t hear anymore as I
practically run to my car door. But Jared is right behind me.

“Baby, it’s not what you think,” he side steps to get between me
and the door.

“Funny, I keep hearing that.” I am drained and tired.
Tired of the fighting, of the lies, of the heartache.
I am
done and I tell him so. “You know what Jared? I’m the one who’s done.”

“You see Jared? Now we can go back to what we started.” I see
Lisa over Jared’s shoulders with narrowed eyes glaring at me. As if
I’m
the one in the way here.
I’m
the fucking inconvenience. I step
forward to get in her face, but Jared presses his hand on my stomach and turns
to her. He grabs her by the arm and drags her to her car.

“Jared! Why do
I
have
to leave?” she whines as she tries to stand her ground, but Jared is too strong
and keeps dragging her. “We can fix things, I can make –“

“GET THE FUCK OUT!” I see her eyes widen in shock and frankly, his
tone startles me too. Never have I seen him this angry. I should be happy he’s
making her leave but really, I’m just disappointed. Disappointed in myself, in
him, and why she’s here.
Don’t cry, don’t
cry,
don’t
cry.

 
Jared walks over to me and
wraps his arms around my waist. “Don’t leave baby. It really isn’t what you
think, please let me explain.”

I can hear Lisa’s car as she pulls away from the driveway and I
close my eyes. Why me? Why do all these whores win? I exhale through my nose as
I open my eyes.

“More explanations, Jared?
No, it’s alright.
Just let me go.” I push forward, palms on his chest, but he won’t budge.

“No,” he whispers. “Baby,
please,
”
he begs but I keep pushing until I’m able to get him to take a step back.

“You’re not even giving me a chance,” he whines. I look up at him
bewildered and something in me snaps. This was so typical, these men always
turning things around on me.

“A ‘chance’?”
I shove him as hard as I
can. “I gave you a fucking chance when I told you to get rid of her!” I shove
him again. “I told you to get rid of her or you’ll get rid of me!” I scream at
him because I don’t know how else to explain to him that he should have tried
harder. I try to shove him again but this time I’m weak and shaking. I can feel
the tears fall on my face.

“I told you I would and I did! It’s not my fault she decides to
come over here to pick up her crap and does crazy shit!”

What is he even talking about? What crap? It doesn’t make any
sense. He’s yelling at me and I’m crying; this is pointless. I hate him and I
hate her and every man who has ever cheated on a woman.

“I come here,” I try to talk through my tears, “and find you both
half naked, what do you think it looks like Jared?” I know I’m doing the ugly
cry so I shove him again but I’m too weak and he won’t budge.
Of course.
This just makes me angrier at myself. Why can’t I
learn not to cry?

“I was out back working on
something
,”
he says through clenched teeth. “So I took off my shirt, so what? It’s hot as
shit here. She was supposed to call me first; I didn’t know she was here. I
don’t know what the fuck she was thinking by putting on my shit, but I sure as
hell wasn’t thinking about her!”

Yada
,
yada
,
yada

“Lies!”
I shove him again, harder this time.
“All lies! That’s all you guys are good for! Fucking lying, I’m sick of it. I’m
sick of you and Eric and her and everyone!” I’m hitting him on the chest and
sobbing, my eyes filling with tears, making everything a blur, and spilling
over but he doesn’t stop me.

“
I’m
a fucking liar?
Me? You don’t even know what you want! You say you know, but your mind won’t
let you live!” he lets out a scream in frustration and runs his hands through
his hair and pinches the top of his nose.

Finally he looks at me.

“I’m not him Victoria,” he says softly. “I can’t fight his
battles, I’m not going to. If you want to leave…,” his voice cracks, “then
fucking go.” And with that he finally moves out of the way. I get in my car and
drive off.

Chapter
Twenty-Three

April 2012

Victoria

It’s been two miserable weeks since our break up. He hasn’t
called me once. I, on the other hand, call his office and then quickly hang up
not letting it ring more than once. Pathetic, I know, but I was torn up inside.
Thankfully, I’m keeping busy at work, organizing a field trip and coming up
with ideas for the end of the year show and award ceremony. Maggie and the
girls want to take me out for drinks to celebrate me winning the Rookie Award
but I’m not in the mood for celebrating.

“Come
onnnnn
,” pleads Maggie on the
phone. I giggle, she is relentless that girl.

“Maybe next weekend?”
I ask, hoping
she’ll say yes and drop the subject.

“That’s what you said last week!” she whines. “I’m serious, if
you don’t go next weekend I’m going to go over there and drag your big ass out
myself!”