A Bump to the Heart

I was sitting alone in a local coffee shop, minding my own business. I'd made arrangements to meet someone - a woman - after speaking to them online and on the phone. It was her suggestion we meet, and she had selected the location. But I'd been stood up...again. Maybe she changed her mind, maybe she'd been watching the coffee shop, saw me and changed her mind. Who knows? All I knew was I was sitting here, alone, nursing a cup of now-cold coffee.

God, I hate my life.

I work really hard in sales, and I'm really good at it. But the fact I work almost all of the time and the fact that I'm shy around women makes it very difficult to date. I have all of the material things I could want - a nice house, luxury car, nice clothes, jewellery - I had everything I wanted. But I would give my left arm not to be alone all of the time.

All of a sudden, I was brought back to the present by the sound of a man shouting and a loud slapping noise. I was then knocked almost off of my chair by a woman colliding with me.. I steadied myself, and looked around to see what was going on.

"What the...." I said.

The woman was now sitting on the floor with her hands covering her face. I could hear her crying. I looked up to see a mean-looking guy standing over us, ready for a fight.

"Hey!" I shouted, starting to stand and face him "What the hell?"

"Sorry" he started. Then looking down at the woman he said "Fucking whore!. Go to hell!". Then he spat at her. With that, he turned and stormed out of the coffee shop and off into the distance.

I turned to the crying woman and asked "Are you OK? Are you hurt?"

"I'm OK" she replied, as I helped her into a nearby chair. As I did so, one of the staff appeared, curious to find out what had happened and to make sure no-one was hurt I'm guessing. I was kneeling in front of the woman, encouraging her to let me see her face to make sure she wasn't injured,

Moments later, we were surrounded by people eager to know what had happened, and if they could help. A staff member made her way through and asked "Can I get you both anything?" the staff member enquired. "You've both had a nasty shock. I'll get you some coffee. It's on the house". Within moments she was back with two steaming hot cups of coffee and placed them on the table beside us,

"I'm sorry" she started. "I'm sorry you got involved".

"Don't worry about it" I replied. "He doesn't appear to be coming back".

I went on "Would you mind telling me what all that was about? You don't have to if you don't want to"

"Can you give me a few minutes to get it all straight in my head first" came the reply.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your name? I'm James".

"Alannah" she replied.

"Well, in spite of the circumstances, Its nice to meet you".

At that point, my mobile phone decided to start bleeping and ringing. "Bloody phone" I cursed under my breath. "It's my day off".

I said to Alannah "I'm sorry, but please excuse me for a moment, I have to take this". Alannah nodded and I made my way outside. I spent the next few minutes updating my office with what they wanted to know, then I asked if everything else could wait until I was back in the office in the morning as I was dealing with some personal stuff. I hung up and went back inside - to finish my coffee if nothing else.

Alannah was still sat at the table, nursing her coffee. She had wrapped her hands around the mug and I could see a red mark starting to show under her right eye.

I sat down and indicated to her eye and asked "Do you want something to put on that?"

"No thanks. I'm OK" she replied

She quietly sipped her coffee, then she asked me "Do you really want to know?"

"Only if you want to tell me" I said. I'd like to help if I can, and if you'll let me".

"Well, Darren, the bloke you saw me with, and I have been together for just over a year. I recently found out he was cheating on me...again. Someone he met at a club in town. One of my work colleagues was there and recognised him. She was about to go and say hi when she noticed he wasn't with me. She took some photos on her phone and approached me at work a couple of days later. She told me she didn't know how to tell me, but that she'd seen Darren with this woman - a very young blonde with big tits - and he was all over her like a rash. I told her I didn't want details, but to bear them in mind in case I did want them later on.

I went home a little earlier than usual that day, and found Darren in his usual place - sitting in front of the TV playing video games. I asked him to shut it off as I needed to talk to him. Eventually he did, but I could tell he was annoyed. I calmly asked him what was wrong in our relationship, and he told me nothing was wrong, and that he loved me. I felt betrayed, so I told him what I had been told. I asked him "Why were you at a club with another woman, and why were you all over her? He didn't answer. I went on "I thought we had a pretty good sex life. Were you not getting enough sex?" I asked.. Then he got really angry and stormed out. I was pretty sure the relationship was over, and if I couldn't get some satisfactory replies I would end it. But, a few hours later he was back, all contrite and apologetic. He told me that nothing happened bar some kissing and groping, and that he was really sorry. I was crushed. I didn't end it there and then, I couldn't,

That was a couple of days ago, I mustered up the courage this morning to tell him that the relationship was over and I wanted him out of my apartment. He just...exploded. You saw the rest.

All I could say was "I'm so sorry. Do you have anyone you can call on for support?"

"No" was the answer. "My parents are dead, I don't have any brothers or sisters. I have friends, but they never liked Darren and can be judgemental. "I can do without the 'I told you so' looks at the moment."

"Well, if you need anyone to talk to, or vent, you can always call me" I said. "Here's my mobile number. It's on pretty much 24/7. "I'm not expecting anything from you. It's just that sometimes things can seem easier if you talk to someone about them."

"Thanks, but no promises" said Alannah. "And thanks for your help today".

As she got up to leave, Alannah bent down and kissed me delicately on the cheek. Then she walked away, leaving my nostrils full of the delicate perfume I hadn't noticed she was wearing.

I drained my cup too, left the coffee shop and went about the chores I had planned for the rest of the day.

A couple of days later, I was in the office when my phone pinged up a message. It was from a number I didn't recognise, so I opened it. It read:

"Hi James, it's Alannah. Sorry to bother you. Is your offer to talk still available? I'm a mess ATM, and Darren's being an arsehole about everything. I could use a friend right now. Can you help me please?".

Without thinking, I walked out of the office and dialled the number the message came from. After a couple of rings it was answered by a man.

"Who is this?" he demanded.

Not wanting to make things any worse for Alannah, and assuming I was talking to Darren, I answered "My name is James. You shoved Alannah into me in the coffee shop recently". Is she alright?"

I heard him start shouting "Are you fucking this guy to get back at me? Slut!, he said, then the phone went dead.

I was panicking, but there was nothing I could do - I had no idea where she was. I went back into the office and tried to concentrate on work. But Alannah kept appearing in my head, and I kept wondering if she was OK. But as I couldn't do anything I only had one option, and that was to put the whole situation behind me and move on.

A few days afterwards, my phone rang again whilst I was on a sales call.. It was from a withheld number. I picked up and used my salesman's voice, in case anyone in the office was eavesdropping.

"James Greene"

"Mr Greene. James Greene?" said the other voice

"Yes" I replied. "Can I help you?"

"This is Detective Guardian from the Police. Do you know anyone by the name of Alannah Stone?"

"I met someone called Alannah the other day. I don't know her last name. Is she about 5'7, slim but athletic build with long flowing auburn hair?"

"Your description is accurate, Mr Greene" said the Detective. "Can I ask how you know Ms Stone?" he asked.

As I said, we only met a few days ago. I'd like to call her a friend. Why? What's happened?

My heart started to sink, expecting the worst after what I'd heard Darren say.

"We found her after a neighbour was concerned for her safety and called us. She's in the hospital. We're trying to locate her family and are calling everyone in her phone".

"Oh no! Is she OK?" I blurted, then managed to compose myself. "She said she didn't have any family, and her parents are deceased. I don't think she has anyone else. She mentioned friends, but no names, I'm afraid"

"Oh" came the response. "Would it be possible to get a statement from you and ask you some questions to exclude you from our enquiries?"

"You haven't told me how she is yet" I replied.

"Oh sorry" said the detective. "She's been quite badly beaten by the looks of it. Someone really did a number on her"

"Darren" I muttered under my breath.

"Sorry?" queried the detective.

"I'll tell you everything when I see you. When do you want to meet?" I asked

.

"Can you come to the station? I'll be back by four?" he said.

"I'll see you then. Which hospital?"

"The General. Hamilton Ward, I think".

"See you at four. Thanks for the call."

I called my office and told my boss I'd be out for a day or so.. He groused that I thought I could do whatever I wanted because I was such a good salesman. I told him that it was important and personal.. I didn't want him getting all up in my business. I also told him I had my phone and laptop on me and would try and get some work done. That done, I jumped in my car and headed to the hospital.

I got there just after two in the afternoon, and saw that visiting time was due to start soon. I made the most of it by going to the small shop inside the hospital and buying the biggest bunch of flowers I could find, and a teddy bear. I then consulted a map to find out where Hamilton Ward was, and made my way there.

I asked about Alannah at the nurses station, and they pointed me in the direction of her bed. I peered around the curtain and gasped when I saw her injuries, probably too loudly as it woke her. She looked up at me, eyes wide.

"What are you doing here James?"

"The Police called me from your phone looking for family members. They told me you were in here. "How are you feeling?"

"Cuts and bruises. Lots of bruises" she said "But it could have been worse.

Could have been worse? How?" I asked.

"Darren only used his fists. He could have used a weapon. He's hit me before" She said.

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed. "He's a psychopath!"

"When I called him to tell him to come and get his stuff, he flew into a rage. He almost smashed the door in when I didn't get to it fast enough to open it., which was just after I messaged you. He slapped me round the face and I fell. As I got back to my feet, I saw him throw my phone and came screaming at me. He started punching me...and that's all I remember.:

When I came round, Darren was gone and someone was hammering on my front door. When I answered it, the police were there. They brought me here."

Alannah started to cry. I felt all I could do was hold her hand and try and comfort her. To try and cheer her up, I said "Well, hopefully they will find him and arrest him.

I went on "When do you expect to be discharged?" I asked.

"Probably later today, but to be honest I'd rather stay here. I don't feel safe going home - Darren might come back" Alannah's eyes filled with tears as the thought of it hit home.

"Can you stay with a friend?" I asked.

"No-one has any spare room" replied Alannah.

I thought for a moment. "I have a spare room. If you want to, you can use that until you can get yourself sorted and your locks changed. I'll take you home to get some clean clothes and personal stuff. Would that be OK? I can put a lock on the bedroom door if you would like, but I'm not like that anyway".

"Why are you being so nice to me? Are you sure? You don't know me" she asked.

I answered "Alannah, I like to help people where I can. It's not a knight in shining armour thing. I can see you're having problems, and I can't work out why but I want to help. I don't ant anything from you in return. I'm a firm believer in paying it forward. Someone helped me a long time ago and put me on the path I'm now on. I'd like to do the same for someone else.

"Thank you James" she said. "I wish I'd met you years ago. All of my relationships have been crap...so many bad decisions" here eyes filled with tears again.

"Look forward Alannah" I said. "the past is the past. Once you have your current situation sorted, try and move on".

Alannah nodded again. "I'll try" she said.

She then asked "Are you sure it would be OK to stay at yours? I don't want to impose"

"Of course. I have to go and see Detective Guardian at the police station and give a statement at four, and there is some stuff I need to do at home. If you can call me or get the hospital to when you're ready to go and I'll come and get you. I also have to get some food in - due to my working habits I usually either survive on ready meals or eat out."

I had just finished my chores at home, been shopping and had crashed in my favourite armchair when my phone rang. It was the hospital - Alannah was ready to go home.

I picked her up and suggested we go to her place first to get her stuff she'd need for a couple of days. We pulled up outside a smart apartment block overlooking the marina. "Very nice" I thought.

"Would you come in with me please?" She asked.

"Of course" I replied. "Just get what you need until we can get a locksmith out, if that's OK with you".

Hannah opened the front door and we went inside. As I shut the door behind me, I heard a deep male voice and Alannah shrieked. I rushed to where she was, Darren saw me and went for us both. I pushed Alannah out of the way and he clattered into me. I hit my shoulder on the door frame as I went down. When I hit the floor I tried to roll out of the way before he could pummel me. That didn't work so I shoved him off me and kicked him in the chest to push him further away. A moment later I was on my feet and heading for the bedroom to make sure Alannah was OK. As I took my first step, a fist hit me in the cheek, sending stars into my vision and rocking me to the core.. Another fist followed, but I saw it coming and blocked it. I've never really had to fight anyone, but my instincts kicked in and have never let me down yet.

I kicked his right knee as hard as I could, forcing it the wrong way and making a cracking sound. Darren screamed in pain and fell to the floor. With Darren immobilised, I pulled out my phone and called the police, and asking for an ambulance as well for Darren.

"If you know what is good for you, stay down. I don't want to fight you, but if you insist I can do a lot of damage. The Police are on their way. You've assaulted me and Alannah is a mess. I'm going to press charges" I shouted.

"Fuck you!" Darren spat. "She's a slut, and you can have her. She's a crap lay anyway".

"I wouldn't know" I replied. "We're not sleeping together. I'm just helping her out. By the way, you'll have to let Alannah know when you can get your stuff as the locks are being changed tomorrow"

"Bastard"! Darren raged..

I went looking for Alannah after speaking with Darren. I found her a few moments later in the bedroom, sitting on the bed. Her body was racked with sobs.

"I'm such an idiot" she said.

I just shushed her and pulled her to me. We sat on the edge of the bed hugging until she stopped crying. The police showed up shortly after and took Darren away. Alannah and I both gave another statement to them, detailing what had happened. The officer said I might be arrested for kicking Darren, but he would let us know..it was self defence after all.

We got everything sorted in Alannah's flat, packed up some of her clothes and personal items, and went back downstairs to the car.. As we got in, my phone rang. I said "It's my boss, I had better take this" and got out of the car and walked a short distance away to take the call.

Bob, my boss, was on the other end of the phone, and he sounded pissed off.

"I need to know what is happening James" he said. "You can't just disappear".

"Pardon?" I replied. "It's a personal matter, like when your girlfriend left and we all covered for you. I'm still not done, so I'll be working from home for a day or so. Don't worry, I have my laptop and phone with me and will be working as much as I can."

"No, Bob argued. "I want you in the office in the morning, or don't come back at all"

I'm sorry, I can't do that. I need a couple of days to sort this out." I replied

"Really?" Bob said angrily.

"Really" I said.

"Then you're fired." Bob said, with finality.

"Fired? You're kidding!". I couldn't believe what I was being told..

"Nope. You think you can do what you like because you're a good salesman. That ends...now" Bob told me.

"OK. I'll be in tomorrow....to clear out my desk. I'll sort it with Nigel and HR."

Surprised, Bob said "What? You don't need to do that."

I replied "Oh yes I do Bob. You fired me and I'm going to take you to a tribunal for unfair dismissal." and with that I hung up.

I got back in the car and said to Alannah "If its OK, I'll be around for a while. I just got fired by my arsehole boss."

"What? Why?" Alannah was shocked.

"I told him I was going to work from hone for a couple of days. While we got you sorted - I work in sales and I can work pretty much anywhere. But my boss told me to be in the morning and if not, not to come back. I told him I wasn't able to do that, so he fired me."

I told her, matter-of-factly..

"You got fired because of me? I feel terrible" she said.

I replied "No. Bob fired me because he's an idiot on an ego trip, trying to prove who's boss. I sell almost double of pretty much everyone else in the company because I put the work and effort in. I work 24/7...almost. First in the office, then later on at home. Quite often I'm still at work at 10pm at night. I know I'm not indispensable, I'd just appreciate some slack. It's not as though I'm taking time off, I'm just not in the office.. Anyway, I'm not worried. I've got plenty saved, and could probably survive for a couple of years before I needed to get another job, and I'd still have plenty saved.. I've thought about setting up on my own too.

"Don't feel bad. Everything happens for a reason. I'll call my HR department in the morning and tell them what's happened, and that I've contacted a solicitor regarding an unfair dismissal claim. That call should be interesting...." I said.

Alannah was very quiet on the way home. When we arrived at my house, I pulled onto my driveway.

"My god! It's huge" Hannah whispered. I thought about making a rude comment, but decided against it I knew she was talking about my house.

We went inside and I showed her to her room, including the bolt I had installed on her door. I also showed around the house, making sure she knew where everything was.

"Thank you again" she said meekly. She threw her arms around my neck and made to kiss me, but I stopped her.

"No" was all I said, and she recoiled quickly. "This isn't what I want.. I don't want anything from you, unless it's what you want. I'm not sure you know yet.". "You need rest, food and to heal. When you're better, we can think about dating if you still want to."

"Dating?" she giggled. "Are you serious?"

"Perhaps dating is the wrong word." I corrected myself.