All of my writing is fiction, and the stories and characters are products of my imagination. They were created for my fun and, hopefully, your enjoyment. Some of the events in the stories are not particularly condoned nor encouraged by the author but are there to create and enhance the story of the imaginary characters and their lives. Comments are always encouraged and carefully reviewed. All characters within the story that need to be are 18 years of age or older. I hope you enjoy! And take a second to vote and comment.
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I hated the evening traffic. I hated the morning traffic too, but at least then, I was well-rested and well-fed. In the evening, I was tired, impatient, full of ugly words to scream at anyone who crossed me...and hungry. And there seemed to be plenty of idiots around, so the air was usually filled with those words. No swearing--I avoided that, but lots of words that weren't very flattering of their actions or intelligence.
There was a reason for my antagonism; I think spurred by equal parts of jealousy and melancholy. Either way, it seemed never-ending and made my journeys to and from work frustrating and exciting. My work as an HR assistant was anything but exciting, but it provided me with an adequate income allowing me to have my own apartment, at least until Colin and I married. He wanted me to move in with him, but I resisted. In a few months, we'd be married, and I knew that both our mothers, while not protesting verbally, would be very disappointed if we did that. It didn't mean we couldn't spend nights at each other's abode on occasion, which I'm sure wasn't a secret from the two ladies; it just wasn't done in public.
Of course, when I finally arrived at the apartment, someone had parked in my spot. Parking spaces weren't actually assigned, but I always parked in the same spot, so I considered it mine. Colin always laughed at me when I complained about walking a few extra steps to my door since I'd be spending an hour at the gym a little later. Still, it was annoying.
It was a cold January day, and that made the extra steps doubly annoying. Snow would have completed the irksome situation, but it wasn't predicted until next week. I wouldn't worry about that until it happened. In the meantime, I had something else to worry about--our wedding. Colin was hoping for June--insisting on June was more like it. I wasn't sure. I knew if I agreed to move in with him, he'd agree to delay the wedding. In fact, I think his only reason for insisting on June was to force me to move in. We seemed to thrive on those types of activities.
But I needed to call Colin.
"Hello, babe. How was your day?"
"How are all my days, Colin? Shuffling papers, answering the phone, drinking coffee. Not a lot of variety. Thank goodness for my desk calendar, or I wouldn't know what day it is."
"We need to talk about you finding something else. I think you're wasting your talent."
"Wouldn't be the first time, you know."
"Bonnie, you had your chance, and it didn't work out."
The look I gave him wasn't exactly a glare but had to be close.
"No money, no sponsor, and competing against thirty men, most of whom had both. It wasn't a chance; it was a gesture. A freaking hollow gesture."
Silence from my phone and a rather blank look on his face, but I could see that he was still there.
"Sorry, Colin. You may be right."
"Maybe, after we're married, we can figure something out."
The marriage thing again. Eventually, everything went to that. If we were married, we'd save lots of money. A single rent, one cable subscription, multi-car discount on auto insurance, and only one set of utility charges would save us lots. Colin's salary as a high school math teacher, along with his football and track coaching, would keep us comfortably, if not extravagantly. My salary, added to his, would provide added comfort for our life together.
"I know. You still hoping for June?"
"I'd love that, Bon if we can work it out. I did some checking on places for the reception."
I felt my muscles tense. He was going to make this happen, no matter what. How much should I resist?
Naturally curious, I replied, "And what did you find?"
"We need to figure out how many will be at the reception, so we'll know what size hall to reserve. And, they're filling up fast, so it's important to get the reservations made early."
"Sounds like you're on top of things, Colin."
"Bonnie, this is about
us
, not just me. We need to do this together."
"I know, hon. We will."
I did know, at least intellectually, I did. It was just that when it was time actually to do it, I drew back and made excuses. It often angered me when I did it, but it didn't stop it from happening. There was something nagging at me, and I hoped it would disappear. I knew I was a bit of a pain to Colin with my seeming reluctance to complete the wedding details or even to agree on a date. I did love him and thought maybe I could help him feel a little better.
"You had dinner yet?" I asked, changing the subject.
"No. Not sure what I want, either."
"How about if I stop and get some Chinese and bring it over? We can have, well, you know, a pleasant evening." I ended that with a silly giggle which I knew he'd understand.
"Whoa, that sounds perfect. What Chinese are you thinking of?"
"Something simple, I guess. How about shrimp chow mein?"
"I could handle that...and you as well when you get here."
I always did enjoy Colin's "handling." He knew exactly what I liked and how I liked it, and I'm not talking about shrimp chow mein. We'd eat that, and then he'd eat... My body was heating up just thinking about it. And if we were married, it could happen more often. Or maybe it was so good because it didn't happen that often.
"You still there?" an expectant voice asked.
"Yeah. All that talk got me thinking," and I'd allowed the phone to move so Colin couldn't see my face any longer."
A loud belly laugh echoed over the phone. "Better hurry then. Too much thinking, and we'll never get to the chow mein."
"Shuddup, smart ass." That was about the extent of my profanity, if it could be considered profanity. "I'll be there in a few, and it's your turn to think now."
I hung up and ran to the bedroom to quickly change my clothes. I took off more than I put back on, which I usually did when I went to Colin's for an evening "quickie." Sleepovers (haha) were saved for weekends mostly. It was much less complicated that way.
At least going to Colin's was mostly secondary and side streets, so I didn't have to encounter the idiots that I did on the way home from work. The Jong Mei was only a block out of the way so that simplified things as well.
The takeout was ready when I got there, and Colin was ready when I got to his place as well. We did get the food partly eaten before heading to his bedroom for an hour of ecstatic and erotic sexual pleasure. He certainly knew where my buttons were and how to push them...over and over. When I left, I could barely walk and had agreed to some serious wedding discussions the next weekend. I might need to do some planning.
I was home at ten when my phone rang. A number I didn't recognize, but I answered.
"Hello."
"Is this Bonnie Heskett?"
"Yes, who's this?"
"A name I hope you remember. Pete Clark."
In an instant, my mind went back about eight years. Pete Clark. Pete owned two late-model stock cars that dad and I raced against. My dad, Zane Heskett, had raced when he was young but then had just provided the car that I drove on weekends at local tracks, happy to be my mechanic and mentor. I was competitive, but when he had the sudden heart attack and died, my racing career ended prematurely. At the time, there was no one who had a car and was looking for a driver, and without dad, I had no money to provide one for myself.
Pete Clark had the two cars, one of which he drove himself and one that he prepared for his best friend to drive. Somehow Pete had stumbled onto some money, and before long, he owned an Indy car that was very competitive. A couple more years, and he was responsible for three Indy cars, and I'd seen speculation that he had a fourth.
