Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
“I don’t mind at all! I told you that the sooner we get married, the better in my eyes. So, did you see anything you liked?”
“Well, maybe, but one of them is booked clear out until two years from now, and the other—” The doorbell rang, stopping her train of thought. “You expecting company, honey?” she asked.
“Naw, I’m not.” He grabbed his phone and looked at the door camera. After blinking, he focused his gaze. No, it couldn’t be… He looked closer, then clenched his mouth. Shit. I think it is… The doorbell rang once again.
“Kage, you okay? Who is it?”
“Hold tight, sweetheart.”
He left the kitchen and paraded to the front door. Checking the security camera one more time, he shook his head, then opened it.
Two familiar hazel eyes looked right back at him. The woman stood there dressed in a long yellow, white and pink floral dress. She had a thin, yellow shawl wrapped around her shoulders, and thick-soled flat sandals on her feet. Her chest displayed a tattoo of his name … He remembered it well, though now it was faded with time.
“Hey, stranger.” She chuckled. “Long time, no see. Damn, you still look good, Kage.”
“Lorna, what are you doing here? I told your ass I never wanted to see you again, and that’s what I fuckin’ meant.” He stood in the doorway, but left it cracked a hair. Her smile faded, and she looked rather puzzled.
“I thought you… I thought… Well, I guess now I’m not a hundred percent sure.”
“What the fuck do you mean you’re not a hundred percent fuckin’ sure? I ain’t seen you in years, and then you show up outta the blue, uninvited and unannounced. How’d you know I lived out here anyway, and why’d you presume I’d be home on a damn Thursday afternoon? Some of us work for a livin’, instead of playin’ hooky for some nookie… skippin’ away from work to a rundown, roach and bedbug infested motel to fuck a coworker that looked like a meth and crack addicted Phillip Seymour Hoffman.”
She crossed her arms and rolled her tongue around her jaw, shaking her head.
“I see you still have a mean and vindictive mouth on you.” The woman sighed loudly and turned away. “Just awful as can be, down to the bone.”
“I ain’t awful. I’m truthful, and if the truth happens to be awful, then that ain’t my fault.”
“I also see all this time has passed, and yet you’re still sore over my lapse in judgment.” She looked into the distance. “I was wrong… there’s no denying that. I paid the price. Lost a good man and a good marriage over a fling, but damn it, Kage, we was practically kids,” She faced him again, her eyes pleading. “Kage. Jesus… I said that I was sorry. I meant it, too.”
“You’ve got it all wrong. I got over it just fine, Lorna. I ain’t still sore about your affair. That was a long time ago, just as you said, but you ain’t try and call first, send an email, nothin’. You just show up on a man’s doorstep with no explanation, and that makes me feel a lil’ froggy. Now, what can I help you with so that I can go on about my day? I got company, and I’m busy.”
She readjusted the shawl on herself, and he noticed old bruises and strange marks along her arms. Stepping closer to him, she looked into his eyes. Lorna used to be beautiful, but now, she was a shell of her former self. She looked as if her soul had been sucked from her form, and her life, too. She was unhealthily skinny, her hair thin and dull, and she didn’t look as if she were taking care of herself, despite the pretty dress and shoes.
“…He lied to me. You ain’t pining over me no more,” she said in almost a whisper, then shook her head, her face flushed.
“Who is he?”
“Your—”
“Don’t even say his name. I know who he is.” He grimaced. “So that fuckface son of a bitch set you up to do this, huh?”
She nodded. “Yes… offered me money, too.”
“Not surprising. Did you take it?”
“…Yeah. I wasn’t going to tell you, in fact, us even talking about this is not on code or part of the plan, but after I realized he’d not been truthful regarding your feelings for me, there was no point in continuing the charade. Anyway, your grandpa said he’ll give me more, too, once I swing by here. It’s a nice amount that he offered, but not enough to last more than a couple of months. Speakin’ of which, that brings me to the second reason I’m here.” I knew it… “I, uh, I’m a little desperate. I’m behind on my bills. My old man unexpectedly died,” She cleared her throat and blinked hard, as if trying to forget something dreadful. “And uh, I need some money.”