ME: Well, this diverged quickly. Not that I think there’s a time period for sexting, but 7 am is probably not the best.
Mr. Surly:Are you offering, Kitten? And this wasn’t sexting. If we were sexting, you’d know it.
ME: I feel like whatever answer I give, will only get me in more trouble here.
Mr. Surly:I kind of like when you’re in trouble.
ME: Yeah, I’m going to stop replying now.
Mr. Surly:Are you scared, Kitten?
ME: NO!
Mr. Surly:That’s a pretty bold standpoint, then. I’ll leave you with this… I enjoyed our banter and look forward to more. Have a great Sunday, Loren.
ME: Thank you, Wells. You too.
ME: I enjoyed it too.
I couldn’t help the grin on my face, and I sat my phone down for a second to take another sip. I didn’t want to admit Wells had just lifted my mood. I never would’ve believed it a few months ago. Gearing up for the last message, I opened it, preparing myself.
Brian: Loren, I thought there was more time. I’m sorry.
Brian: If you want to say goodbye, you have thirty minutes to get here *Pic attached*
Dropping my phone, I gasped, standing up from the chair. “No, no, no.” Frantically, I began rushing around the condo, looking for my shoes, bag, and keys. Once I had them all, I scrambled out of the door, barely remembering to lock it before I ran down the hallway, punching the elevator button. Thankfully, it opened, and I rushed in, hitting the ground floor agitated. I kept tapping the close door button, eager to get going. The elevator felt like it took forever to go down, stopping on multiple floors, and I regretted not taking the stairs. By the time I exited, I was flying out the door, ignoring the protest of the people behind me.
I took off looking for a taxi and jumped in the first one I found. I didn’t think I could drive in this state, and I hadn’t had the time to call Nat. A taxi was my best option.
“Glenview. Step on it.”
The cab driver glanced in the rearview mirror, taking in my nervous state. “Yeah, sorry. It doesn’t really work like that in real life, ma’am. If I speed, I’ll get a ticket and lose my taxi license. I’ll get you to Glenview as fast as safely possible.”
He merged into traffic, and I looked out the window, my leg tapping a mile a minute as he began the drive. I went to reach for my phone to check the time when I realized I’d left it on the counter, dropping it in my haste.
“Fuck!”
“Everything okay, ma’am?”
“Yes, it’s fine. I just need to get to Glenview, like twenty minutes ago.”
“I’m trying, ma’am.”
By the third time he’d called me that, my neck tightened, and my jaw twitched. It wasn’t as bad as when younger girls called me ma’am, but it wasn’t sitting with me today to hear it. I breathed through my nose, attempting to calm myself before I blew a gasket in the back of this cab. It wasn’t his fault my ex was an asshole.
Thirty minutes later, we finally pulled up to my parents’ house, and I threw some cash through the window, not caring if it was too much. I just needed to get inside the damn house. Running up the steps, I knocked on the door with urgency. My mom opened it a few minutes later, sniffling and wiping a tear from her eye. At the rate she was opening doors lately, I was beginning to worry they had to let some of their staff go. Jacqueline didn’t open doors, and yet both times I’d been here recently, she had.
Either they were in money trouble, or she’d been waiting for me, and this whole tearful act was just that, an act. I didn’t know which scenario I preferred.
“Mom, tell me he’s still here. Where’s Barkley?”
“Oh, Loren. You just missed him. We tried calling you, dear. You really should answer your phone more.”
“No, that can’t be right! I made it in time! Why wouldn’t he wait? This wasn’t about him! What even happened?”
“Loren! Stop shouting on the stoop and come in for some breakfast. You’re embarrassing me!”
Ice water ran through my veins, the grief turning to ice-cold fury as I took in my mother. “No, Mother, I don’t think I will. You clearly think so little of me that you wouldn’t even wait five minutes for me to get here. I’m so sick of playing your games. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m done. If I could divorce you as my mother, I would.”