"If you didn't have bad luck, you would have no luck at all."
This is what Cassandra heard her whole life. Thirty years later, it still rang true. She was having one of those days, weeks, months.
Walking out of the courtroom, Cassie knew that Jake would be mad. She had lost the case. He was going to be pissed. She threw her manila file in the trash. All of her painstakingly procured evidence was not even heard, she was not even heard. Lighting a cigarette, she winced at the taste and feel in her throat. After a few steps and a few hits, she threw that down as well.
She had just gotten them evicted. With only 5 days to move everything and find somewhere else to live. This was not an easy task in Charleston. There were places to live, but not where she wanted to . It was all going to be a mess. She was there on principal and she had just lost miserably.
"Fuck."
Dodging traffic, Cassie was across the street and into her car in minutes. As she pulled off the curb, all she could think about was telling her husband, Jake. He was against it in the first place. "Let sleeping dogs lie he says."
"Fuck, I hate it when he is right."
Too soon the apartment was in her windshield. Too soon she was home and she was not ready to face the hubby. She audibly sighed when his truck was not in the driveway. By some saving grace, she was given a little time.
Quickly Cassie went into the house and jumped in the shower. She had no qualms in using her body to deter Jake from what had transpired at court. She had every intention of making him forget all about it. She smiled. Men were so easy. They have two heads and enough blood to use only one. This was a woman's gift and Jake was no different. Cassie liked them a little dumb. They were just easier to deal with.
Cassandra hadn't married Jake for his mind. She had married him for his body and his abilities. He was a little taller than her 5 foot 8 frame. Maybe just an inch or two taller, but it was enough that you had to slightly incline your neck to look into his eyes. Dark slate blue eyes that just made you want to melt. He had a way of looking at you that would make you dampen in her nether regions. Every look was a suggestion. Paired with strong muscular arms and a trim waist, it was hard to say no to him.
They had been married for about four years now and Cassie had learned to hate angering him. He didn't yell and scream, as she sometimes wished he would. He would leave, or ask her to. He would shut down and not talk to her for days. He would sulk.
Her hands rubbed over her body in quick motions. Other days she would go slower, take pleasure in the feel of her own hands. But not today. Today, her thoughts kept her from feeling the same shivers that she usually felt. Today, she was trying to get done as soon as possible.
As she was stepping into her white lace panties, Cassandra heard the front door close. Cursing to herself, she forgot the bra and walked into the living room. She stopped suddenly when she seen who was in the room. There stood Jake and his boss!
Jake had a horrible grimace on his face, while Donnie had a look of unadulterated lust in his eyes. She quickly palmed her breast and squealed. Another moment passed before she had her wits about her enough to realize that she should get out of the room. Jake's footsteps were quickly following her into the back bedroom.
By the time she was in the room, he was practically pushing her in to shut the door.
"What the fuck are you doing? I text you earlier and told you Donnie was coming over for dinner!"
Cassie sputtered, unsure what to say. "I haven't checked my phone, I had to turn it off in the..." She cut her sentence short, not wanting to talk about court in the current state of affairs.
"I just got a call from the landlord. Reminding me that I had five days from today to get out. What the hell did you do?"
"I am sorry okay? I thought we would win, but the judge wouldn't even look at my evidence. I was railroaded!"
"Did you even cook anything?"
"No, I just told you I haven't read your text."
"Fuck this, I'll be back when I am ready."
Jake turned on his heels and stormed out of the room. Cassandra was left clutching her bare breasts and watching his disappearing back.
Hours went by and by 3 in the morning, Cassie went to bed. Tears streamed down her face as she went to sleep.
The afternoon she awoke at around 2 with a serious headache. Looking into the mirror, she grimaced. Her blond curls were stuck to the side of her head because she hadn't had time to blow dry it after her shower. It hung in limp strands on the sides of her face. Her eyes were still red from crying and her vision was still blurry from the vodka. Just as well.
Then she realized that he still was not home. She had a sinking feeling. She knew exactly what he had done last night. This wasn't the first time he had stayed out all night. Making her wait around. Well not this time!
Cassie hurried back into the bedroom and slid her small pink suitcase out from under the bed. She threw a few clothes and toiletries inside of the bag. She almost walked out of the bedroom before she realized she was still basically naked.
She smiled for the first time that day or maybe that week. There was a weight lifted off of her shoulders. A new spring in her step. She should have done this a year ago. She smiled again when she imagined how Jake would feel when he got home and she wasn't there. She did not know where, but Cassie was not going to be there when he got home.
She drove for a while. She started out North on the state highway and it was an hour before she looked around. Cassie was about 20 miles outside of Lexington. She spotted a small hotel to her right and pulled in. Getting out of her car, she grabbed her purse and walked towards the office. She waited for a few moments before she rang the little silver bell on the counter.
It was several more minutes before she heard a noise coming from the back. A man emerged from the back office door. He was in his early twenties and had an unkempt look of someone who didn't care. A Grateful Dead T-shirt proclaimed him the druggie that she imagined him to be. With a touch of impatience, her gaze swept over the young man. The smoke smell and the look in his eyes made it clear why she had waited so long.
"I need a room for a couple nights."
"Cool man. How many people?"
"Just me."
Her words were clipped and she meant business. She passed him her credit card and took the pre-offered key card. She thanked him quickly and walked out the door. She found her room quickly and sank down into the soft bed moments later. Before long she was fast asleep. Hours passed before she woke up again. The sun was down and Cassie was a bit disoriented.
Stretching languidly, Cassie went outside and lit a cigarette. She got half way through it before she flicked it over the edge of the bannister. Spying the pool on the side of the parking lot, Cassie decided to go for a quick swim while it was empty.