Trinity seemed so easy to talk to and she wanted to tell her everything. But, there was no way she would open her heart up to a complete stranger. What surprised her is that Trinity could see right through her. She could see through the smile. She could see that she wasn't completely happy inside. She wondered if everyone around her could see it too. But, Trinity was trained to spot when someone was putting up a front. Certainly no one else could tell that she wasn't as happy as she pretended to be.
Chapter 8
It was three o' clock Friday afternoon and she had just gotten home from another day at the accounting firm she had been working at. She had gone in earlier that morning and was surprised to have gotten off before five. It was month end for a lot of companies, but she had finished her work earlier and was able to assist her immediate supervisor in some other tasks before leaving for the day.
She had almost been working there for two weeks and she loved every moment of it. The work was enough to keep her busy and interested and she felt she had the freedom to be an individual when it came to her work. She also felt comfortable that she could go to the immediate supervisor and ask questions and make suggestions without her feeling that she was after her job or something. Some other employees had told her to hang in there while on temp because they were planning on hiring a couple people on full time when the hiring freeze was lifted on their department in a few months. Annette wasn't going anywhere. She would stay temp at the firm for as long as it was reasonable. She had called the agency earlier this week and requested that they not put her on any new assignments and that she wanted to keep on the current assignment. Even if things didn't work out at the firm, at least she would be happy doing something she loved for the time being.
She smiled to herself thinking about the date that she and Anthony had planned for tonight. She loved to go to a local comedy club every once in a while where her favorite comedian was performing. A co-worker at the firm gave her two tickets when she couldn't attend because the babysitter she and her husband had for the night called out sick. She begged Anthony to hold off his night at the studio to go with her. He finally gave in. She promised Anthony that she would make it worth his while. She decided she needed to go shopping for something sexy for later that night. She saw a sexy new dolly in Frederick's of Hollywood the other day that she just had to have. It took her only fifteen minutes to change out of her work clothes into something more comfortable, stylish, and worthy of a trip to the mall.
She was getting ready to pick up the phone to call Bianca to see what was up with her when she heard a noise coming from under her car. It sounded like she was rolling over something, but the noise was continuous and never ending. She slowed down and listened and cringed when she realized what the noise was. It was coming from the tire on her back driver side. Shit! It sounded like she had a flat! She pulled over slowly on the right side of the expressway and maneuvered her car over as far as possible from the highway. When she opened the door and looked down, her suspicion was confirmed when she saw that her tire was as flat as could be. She slammed the door shut and took a deep breath. Lord knows that she didn't have the slightest clue how to change a flat tire and even if she did there was no way she was getting out in that traffic to change one. She had heard about a lady getting out of her car the other week to change a tire in the dark and someone knocked her door off just as she was getting out and she could have almost been killed. She dialed Anthony's cell phone, hoping that he was home by now. He worked half days now at the radio station, so she knew that he had been off for at least three hours. The phone rang and rang and she got his voicemail. There was no reason to leave a voice message. It wouldn't do any good, she needed to reach him right now.
"Answer the phone," she muttered to no one into thin air. She dialed his number again and found that it went straight to voicemail this time. Certainly, he hadn't been screening her calls.
There was no reason for her to call Bianca, because she was just as dumb-founded as she was when it came to changing a tire and she knew that Denise was still at work. She used her GPS navigation system to get the nearest tow and flat repair service number. It would probably be quicker anyway than waiting for Anthony to pick up his phone and while in a hot car on top of that. When the operator answered the phone, she gave her name, number, and location. The operator on the other end ensured her that help was fifteen minutes away. She turned off her engine and let the windows down to keep from getting over heated. Her choice of outfit for this unexpected setback was not doing her any justice. She wore a sleek silver halter top, black skinny leg pants that fit like a second skin, and black pep toe leather pumps. Sterling silver and black jewelry that she purchased last month at Neiman Marcus complimented her edgy look.
Sure enough, a little over fifteen minutes later, a tow truck pulled up behind her white BMW. A tall dark skinned man walked up to her window.
"Hello. Flat tire?"
"Yeah. Thanks for coming."
She began to open the car door. The man stopped her.
"Can you manage to get out on the other side? There is heavy traffic coming in this direction."
She nodded and swung her legs over the seat and opened the passenger side door. The man took a look at her tires as she stepped outside the car away from the traffic. When he came around the other side, he took one look at her and his serious expression turned into a grin.
"Why aren't you a pretty lookin' thing?"
She cracked a smile. "Thanks." Suddenly, she felt uncomfortable in what would normally be a comfortable outfit for her.
"I guess you're all dolled up with places to be. Well … I better get your flat changed out real quick so you can be on your way." He took one more look at her before bending down to check her other tires. "You know, your tires don't look so good, ma'am. When was the last time you bought new ones?"
"Umm … these are the same tires I had on there since I bought the car," she mumbled, scratching her head.
"How long ago was that?" he asked, standing up.
"Over two years … "
"Ma'am, you need some new tires. These tire treads are worn pretty badly. Who does your regular maintenance?"
"Sometimes my boyfriend takes it somewhere in town for me about every three months."
"Well, either you need to fire the maintenance man or get a new boyfriend because you're ridin' on worn out tires, honey."
"Will you be able to put the spare on?" she asked.
"Yeah, but you should go straight to a service or repair shop to get some new tires. I don't suggest you go ridin' on these ones any longer. Pop your truck for me, pretty lady."
"Okay."
She watched as the man changed out her tires. She decided to try Anthony's cell phone one more time, but it went to voicemail. She guessed that she would have to go get her tires changed out on her own. Looks like they won't be making it to the comedy show tonight. She looked at her watched. Maybe the car repair shop could get her in and out fast and they could still make it. When the repair man had finished replacing the flat tire with the spare, she paid the service fee in cash.
"Do you know where I can get some tires really quick?"
"Yeah. Actually, I get my car repairs done at a service shop that is only one exit up. I've been going to him for about two years and his men do a pretty good job. My company also does a lot of business with him. I bet he can get you in and out in no time, if all you need is some tires."
"Okay. Can you give me directions?"
"If you want … I'm headed that way back to the junk yard. Follow me up to the next exit and you'll see the shop on the right about two miles after a car lot. When you see Advanced Motors Repair and Tire Shop, you turn in. I'll keep going when I see you've turned in the right way."
"Thanks." He held the door for her as she hopped back in her car from the passenger side. When he pulled out, she followed him onto the expressway.
She called Bianca, who immediately answered her phone and told her what happened.
"Oh, man, that's messed up. Did you call Anthony? Do you need me to come down there and pick you up?"
"No, I'm following the tow truck driver to this place for new tires. Advanced Motors Car Shop or something like that."
"Okay, well call me after you check your car in."
As she hung up the phone, she saw the repair shop that the tow truck driver was talking about and pulled in. As he said, he totted his horn, waved his hands at her, and kept going.
She looked around and her doubts about the quality of the tire shop were reassured when she saw other BMWs, Mercedes, and luxury model cars waiting to be serviced. At least, they specialized in repairing luxury type cars like hers. She didn't know where Anthony was taking her car to get serviced, but she would sure mention to him that no one told her that she would eventually need new tires. When she got out of the car, a man smoking a cigarette leaning against the side of the building pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and eyed her with his jaws dropped in aw. Annette scrunched up her nosed and smacked her teeth. He could have at least offered to open the door for her. When she got inside, she was pleased to see some civilized people in the store in what looked like a sitting area over on the other side. There was a lady with two kids running around in the waiting area, with another baby in a stroller. A man in a business suit was bent over his laptop, with several manila folders opened on the chair beside him. A man and a lady were sitting together, flipping through magazines.