Decisions, Part III

The water slowly rolled down the wall, dancing in and out of the scars left from the vase.

Smoke slowly curled up from the old battered Sony tv, remnants of happier times.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod...

"You fuckin' whore. I treated you right! Why the fu... You know what? Nevermind. Jesus, why di... Argh!"

The slammed door was quickly followed by a shuffling of drawers and tossed clothings. The tell tale scraping of metal hangers on the rod indicated he was grabbing his work clothes as well.

The door flung open and it was almost comical, Don holding three suitcases, four suits in the plastic covers, and an Ogio duffel bag filled with shoes, were it not for the fact that she had just ripped apart his world.

Don was from the thriving town of Ellingera. Not too big, but big enough to blend into the background if you kept quiet. First loves, the two of them had a whirlwind romance through high school. Everyone assumed that they shared that magical moment after Senior Prom, but both were virgins on their wedding day.

Moving to the city opened Brooke's eyes to what lay beyond E-Z-Stop and City Cafe. The work blended the days and the exciting highs of city life muted the small town values that brought them there.

Jake understood Brooke. Jake showed Brooke that a wide world existed beyond just this little city. Jake was never without some excitement. Jake discussed experimenting with candy dish parties.

Don was...Don. Wasn't she beyond the simplicity that was their relationship? All they did was sit at home and watch tv. Or go to the movies. Maybe dinner at the diner around the corner. It wasn't much at all.

In for a penny, her grandmother used to always say.

The front door slammed.

In for a pound.

Decisions, Part II

With the wheels in motion, Ash tucked the iPhone into her "nestling" pocket. It was a custom job sewn into the heavy terry robe, located several inches below her navel. She gave sexting a new meaning.

She couldn't help but smile as she thought about what would be when the flash of steel and flesh passed in front of her. Searing pain and the tell-tale coppery taste quickly replaced the guilt-ridden smile.

"What the hell's so damn funny?" Jake was Jake. He grew up poor white trash in a nuclear family of five with Daddy earning six figures. Jake was a bit of an anomaly: All the money in the world couldn't clean him up, nor would it ever teach him life. The money gave him a sense of entitlement where none belonged, and Jake simply took what he wanted.

"Nothing Jake..." It was amazing how fast she could reply in such an even tone. She'd never take this off of anyone else, much less an asshole like Jake. But he was her first. There was something special there. Or there was.

"I'm going out with the guys to Billy's bachelor party. I'll be back tomorrow for lunch. Pick up my dry cleaning tomorrow." He so slightly pinched her chin, turned her face to kiss her cheek, but as his lips approached her, her intoxicating smell enthralled him, and he pulled her up.

He grabbed an ass cheek firmly, pulled her close and dived into a mouthful of kiss. Ash struggled at first, then fell into that trance of automatic reciprocation. Right as she was drifting into bliss, he abruptly pulled away, smacked her ass and quipped, "Damn baby, you still hot! Sheee-it! I'll see you tomorrow. And don't forget my dry cleaning!"

Maybe it was his way of saying sorry. Jake was still a good kisser, Ash thought, but she was quite tired of his hands.

BzzzZZZzzzz!

Oh my, Ash silently quipped.