“Where to, Miss Lays?”
“I want to go look into getting a piano.”
“Fuck, I hear those things cost out the ass. This Carter dude leave some money before he split?” she jokes, trying to make me laugh.
“I have some ‘oh shit’ money I’ve been holding on to and I think I’m ready to use it now.”
“Sounds like a plan. We’ve got to stop and grab something to eat though, because the caveman fucked every calorie from my body,” Jeanette groans, jumping up from my bed.
“Also…I want to get a tattoo,” I blurt out.
Jeanette swirls around and gives me a look like she doesn’t know who I am. “Now we’re talking,” she says, doing her classic eyebrow wiggle. “Get that ass up, Lays. We got shit to do, and you can’t wear that sheet in public.”
Crawling from my bed, I grab a pair of black leggings, a cream off-the-shoulder sweater and a pair of pink peep-toes before I head into the bathroom. I drop the sheet and take a look at the marks Carter left all over my body. My mind flashes to the day I woke up in the hospital with a different set of marks. I’d wondered if I’d been raped that night, and no one would tell me. I had wondered that maybe my mind had blanked that part out, but last night I felt Carter slip past that barrier. Maybe that’s part of why I’ve been holding myself back. Carter said I was waiting for him, but maybe I was scared that the first time I’d have sex, I’d find out a shocking truth. Luckily, that didn’t happen.
Pulling my hair up, I turn on the shower and jump in. When I wash between my legs, I can still feel him there. I love and hate the feeling. I jump back out and quickly brush my teeth, re-pile my hair on top of my head and get dressed. Giving myself one last look in the mirror, I determine that this is the best it’s getting today. My eyes are still swollen but I can’t bring myself to care right now. I slip from the bathroom and grab the picture off my bed. I walk over to the trash can and toss it in.
“You sure you wanna throw that out?” Jeanette asks.
I nod my head and grab my purse and keys. I’m ready to start my new life. I won’t ever forget Carter or the gift of freedom he has given me but it’s time to move on with my life. It’s time to be free.
Two months later
I hear the doorbell ring, and yell, “Be right there!”
I know it’s Justin but he’s ten minutes early and I still need to get dressed, having only done my hair and make-up. I look down and trace my finger over the tattoo I got two months ago. The days and weeks seemed to drag on since then, and a small part of me kept thinking Carter would show up. He didn’t. The tattoo of his name on my ribcage is a reminder that he would always own a part of me, even if at times I hated him.#p#分页标题#e#
Slipping a yellow sundress over my head, I grab a pair of woven wedges that will look perfect for the barbeque. I locate my bag and my phone and open the front door.
“You look great, Layla,” Justin beams, leaning in and giving me a kiss on my cheek.
“Thanks, same to you. You look more casual than usual,” I say. It’s true, because he normally wears suits. Today Justin has on khakis and a polo. With his blond hair and blue eyes he looks like a strapping, corn-fed good old boy.
“I thought I’d try something different for a change. You ready?”
“Yep,” I answer, and make my way down the sidewalk to his white Volvo. He opens the door for me, and I slide into the passenger seat.
Things with Justin have been good. We’re not dating anymore, and he asked to remain friends. I thought people always said that but never ended up doing it, but Justin really wanted to try. We seem to talk more now than we did when we were together. I don’t have many friends, besides Jeanette, so I’m trying to engage more with people. Plus it helps that he’ll always lend a hand when something goes wrong at my house. It’s nice to have a man you can rely on.
I was excited when Jeanette asked me to come over and barbecue at her place. The pool had just opened up in her complex, and I wanted to get a little sun. I’ve been spending my free time enjoying having a piano again, and haven’t really been making an effort to be sociable. I was happy when she invited me over, but shocked when she told me to bring Justin. I guess Saint who, shockingly, is still around, told her to play nice. Saint seems good for Jeanette, but she doesn’t really talk much about him. I don’t think she wants to show how in love she is when I’m still pretty broken up about Carter. I tell myself I’m moving on, but some days there’s no hiding from the lie. I’m interested to see how Jeanette and Justin behave today.