Let me make it up to you.
Why did he have to say those words?
***
The sound of the entrance door opening and shutting awoke me and I sat up, rubbing my eyes to get rid of the sleepiness. Dad entered the kitchen when I looked up. It was already two in the morning. I'd fallen asleep on the kitchen chair and my neck didn't like it one bit. It was stiff from the uncomfortable position on the table top and I could barely turn my head.
“Hey dad.”
He sank down on the chair across from me and rubbed his face. “Shouldn't you be asleep? It's late.”
“I must have fallen asleep on the chair,” I said with a small shrug. “You woke me.”
Dad poured himself some cold coffee. “So how did you enjoy the party?”
“It was okay. How was the birth?”
“It went well. I hope you and your mother had a lovely time without me.”
“Don’t worry we didn’t fight. I just wish Mom would stop quizzing me about my life.”
“She asked about Frank’s son?”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course. She’s probably already designing wedding invitations.”
“Will there be a wedding?”
“Not you as well,” I groaned.
He shrugged. “Your mother and I want you to be happy.”
“Women can be happy without a man at their side.”
“That’s true. But being alone is not for everyone.” He bent down and kissed my forehead, then left the kitchen and headed upstairs.
He was right. I always wanted to act like the tough single woman who could deal with anything by herself, but if I was honest with myself, I wanted someone to take care of me, at least occasionally. There were happy singles out there. Mona was one of them, but I wasn’t and would never be one of them.
***
The next morning, I got a text from Leon telling me that Mona had the flu and couldn’t take my shift for the night. I wasn’t even disappointed. Staying longer would only give Mom more time to question me about Adrian. She’s already tried unsuccessfully to pry more information out of me during breakfast. I told my parents I had to leave during lunch, and Mom’s face made it clear that she thought I was making it up.
It was late afternoon when I arrived in New York. I headed for the rental car station, not wanting to pay for the car for another day when I didn’t even need it. Sadly that proved a stupid decision. Returning the rental car took forever and now I had to hurry to make it to work in time. I rushed to my apartment building and quickly changed into a short black skirt, high heels and a tight white blouse – my most effective work clothes. I wished I had more time. I wanted to talk to Amy about the party and what Adrian had said, but that would have to wait until tomorrow. She wouldn’t return from work for another two hours anyway. I didn’t allow myself even a single glance toward Adrian’s window as I picked up everything I’d need for work. Then my eyes landed on Bruno; he’d curled up on the sofa and was snoring. Jack was always particularly hot headed on weekends, but I could hardly leave Bruno alone all night. My eyes darted to the clock. I was going to be late. I picked up Bruno who wiggled in my arms in protest, and grabbed my purse from my kitchen counter, then I practically ran out of my apartment and threw the door shut.
I didn’t wait for the elevator. It always took too long. Instead I took the stairs. When I finally arrived at Jack’s bar, I was only five minutes late. It didn’t stop Jack from screaming at me, especially when he spotted Bruno who was hiding behind my legs.
Only Leon’s jokes whenever I passed the bar and his encouraging smiles kept me from losing my mind completely. Of course, fifteen minutes before my shift was over the biggest asshead customer ever got annoyed because we were starting to close up and gripped my blouse to stop me from walking past him and ripped off all but two of the buttons. I had to use a safety pin to close my blouse so I wouldn’t flash everyone with my pink bra. After that, Leon told me he could take care of the rest and sent me home. I didn’t even protest. I grabbed Bruno and was out of there.
It was after midnight when I finally stepped up to the front door of my apartment. I couldn’t even remember the last time I was this tired. I think it wasn’t even a physical thing; my brain just needed a time off after all that had happened in the last two days.
I rummaged in my purse for my keys and when I didn’t find them there, I went through all of my pockets, of which there weren’t that many, namely only the ones in my coat. My skirt was too short and tight to provide room for additional pockets. I didn’t find my keys anywhere and finally came to the horrible conclusion that I must have forgotten them in my apartment earlier during my hasty departure. Thunder rumbled in the distance and a soft drizzle had started coming down, coating my coat and naked legs. I shivered as I pulled out my mobile and dialed Amy’s number. It went to voicemail. Trying not to sound too panicky, I left her a message, then I dropped the phone back into my purse and leaned against the door to escape the rain.