Authors notes: This is the first installment of the story let me know what ya'll think more to come soon!
-SN
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No one ever tells you how difficult it is to get back into civilian life. Ten long years I was in the military and I had it great. I had a decent house every time I moved all to myself. Bought pretty much whatever I damn well wanted during that time. I didn't really think about what I would need when I got out.
I've only been out for six months but I'm really struggling to keep my head above water. Living with an old mentor who became my friend and her husband. I barely made enough to pay them rent and feed myself. Luckily the only thing I did have going for me was I paid my car off while I was in the military so all I really had to worry about was insurance. Which I'm currently late in paying.
"Good Afternoon Ma'am, how may I take your order?" An elderly lady stepped up to my cashier as she spoke my fingers punched in what she wanted as my mind droned into its world of self-pity and misery. The elderly lady finished and my next customer approached. About halfway through taking their order I stiffened as a wave of nausea hit me. All I could do was clench my ass cheeks together and nod my head 'yes' gingerly as the feeling got worse. My body got real hot ungodly quick, my vision began to get a little blurry and noises became a steady ringing in my ears.
"Miss? Are you alright? You got pale all quick like." I hardly registered what he even said, just put up one finger mumbled excuse me Sir and waddled to bathrooms.
I must have spent an excessive amount of time in the bathroom trying to put myself together because one of my coworkers came in. "Hey, Azida?" it was Angie, a young High School kid who became infatuated with me. "W-what?" I managed between dry heaves. I could almost feel her cringe as she shuffled back. "Carlos said once you feel better to just go home for the day he's already clocked you out. "That as..." I couldn't finish as another wave of bile made its way up my stomach.
After some time, I finally stopped heaving. I picked myself up off the floor and shuffled to the sink to cleaned myself up as best I could. I looked like shit, my normal soft dark tan skin was ashy and dry. My grey eyes looked sunken in, and my hair which I kept shoulder length made me look like I was hung over, or high, or both.
I washed my face as best as possible, getting what little makeup I wore off, wetted my hair and jammed my visor back on my head.
Shuffling out of the bathroom, I trudged through the kitchen to the back of the store where we kept all of the store supplies. The breakroom, if you could even call it that, was a tiny nitch in the wall barely big enough for everyone's coats and two people to squeeze into.
Picking out my own coat I turned to find Angie blocking my way out. She handed me a child's cup. "Here," she said, "it's sprite to help your stomach feel better."
"Thanks" was all I could get out. I pushed passed her.
"I'll be off soon, do you want a ride home?" She called after me. I shook my head no and kept walking.
Stepping outside felt kind of nice, winter was just around the corner and I could smell snow on the air as I deeply inhaled. I pulled my keys from my coat pocket hitting the boop-boop button unlocking the car, throwing my coat in the passenger seat, I turned on my little blue four-door and rolled down the windows. 'The cold will be better for me than this damn soda' I thought as I tossed it out the window and onto the pavement.
Green numbers flashed on the dash, 21:43 "Fuck me" I hadn't even been at work for four hours. 'Maybe next week I could convince Angie to give me some of her hours.' The girl was barely seventeen and started working there shortly after I did. I tolerated her, but she had grown attached to me and wanted to work every time I worked. Thankfully she couldn't work past 10 on a school night and most of my shifts I worked late.
Pulling up to the house I parked in my normal spot just past the driveway on the street. 'Oh, good lights are still on' I thought and turned off the car. 'Maybe Steph will be willing to make me some canned soup or something' Slightly cheered I walked up to the door and I pushed my key through the lock. "Hey Steph I got sent home, I pretty much died while on-" I meekly said as I stepped through the door and shut it.
The little happy I felt was immediately washed and replaced by rage. Stephany was on her knees, nude. Her husband Terry was standing over her, jeans around his ankles one hand around her throat the other coming down to smack her. My instincts kicked in and rushed to my friend's side, right fist cocked back. I punched him on the side of the head. "What the fuck!" he went down clutching his ear.
"Like hitting women Terry?" I shouted, "Try that shit again motherfucker, I'll kill you." I felt something pulling my arm back as I raised my foot to stomp on him. I shook my arm to get free and stomped and brought my foot down on his face. Only when I felt something smack the back of my head did I turn around
"Azida! I said stop. It's not what you think." Steph smacked me again. Shocked I pointed at the shitbag crumpled at my feet. "Not what I think Stephany? How am I supposed to interpret a grown ass man hitting his wife like that?" She grabbed a blanket from the couch and finally covered herself and knelt next to her husband cradling him.
"We were role-playing." she sighed in exasperation. "Why the hell are you even home?"
"I was sent home sick, I was throwing up my lungs, so Carlos sent me home." Flabbergasted I fell back onto the couch as she picked Terry up off the floor.
"I'll be right back, please stay right there." I only nodded as she helped her husband limp to their bedroom. Kicking my shoes off I slumped into the couch and sighed as the nauseating feeling came back. After I let my stomach settle for a few minutes I got up and heated up some canned chicken noodle soup.
Stephany finally came back out as my soup was finishing. "Well?" She padded next to me wearing in a loose shirt and sweats. She reached into the freezer and pulled out a pack of frozen mixed vegetables.
"I'm sorry Steph I legit thought he was hurting you." I wasn't sorry Terry was a prick and deserved it
"I know." She nodded, pausing while she looked around the kitchen. "We like to role-play Dom and sub roles sometimes. He wasn't really hurting me." I sipped my soup as she spoke. I knew from past experiences that she was into that kind of stuff, but I didn't think it went past what we used to do.
"Terry wants you gone." she put her free hand on the side of my face.
"Fuck, it's just one thing after another." I dumped the rest of my soup down the sink suddenly not hungry. "What did you say?"
"I tried to convince him otherwise, but he wasn't happy that I offered you our place when you first got out. He knows we have history, and this is just the excuse he needs."
I nodded. "How long do I have?"
She shrugged sadly, "He wants you gone now, but I won't let that happen I'll smooth things over best I can. Think you can manage to find a place in two weeks?" I nodded and shrugged.
"Yeah, I'll be gone by then." She stood up and kissed my head.