CHAPTER 1 – NEXT EX

Fiction

“Where is he?” Sia puffed as she checked the freshly applied makeup on her almond shaped eyes.  Her date was late. And if there was one thing she couldn’t stand it was someone wasting her time. “Damn, doesn’t he know how much time I take to be this hot? He could at least be on time. Strike one,” she said aloud.  Dating seemed like all Sia did these days. To be honest it seems like all she had ever done.  That was until she meet Rus a couple years ago.   But now that was a not-so-distant painful memory.

After calling off her wedding last year to Rus everything had been a whirlwind.  Most of the time she dated to avoid the pain of what happened.  What a fool she was; she thought.   For girls like Sia fairy tales really didn’t happen her mom had said. “Besides when was the last time you saw a foster child with a dysfunctional family and a kid end up happy?”  Her mom continued with a laugh. Sia agreed.  She knew that those ending weren’t meant for her and she would never make that mistake again.  As she sat on the couch in her townhouse clicking her four inch stiletto on her area rug she thought back six months ago to the call that changed everything.

At the office Sia wasn’t allowed to have her phone on her so she keep it in the drawer of her desk. Normally the only people that really called her were Rus and Javier. Rus was her finance and she just never got enough of him.  From the first day they meet he became her safe place.  There was no one else in the world that she loved more than Rus other than God and her son Stephen.  Javier however was another story. He was her son Steven’s dad. For him just keeping a job was a daily challenge. So they only talked as needed. Which was more than she liked most days.

However, today she heard the repeated buzz from her top drawer. Between patients she glanced at her phone quickly and recognized the 314 area code as St. Louis, Mo, her home state, but the number didn’t register.  Sia had moved to Indianapolis a year ago after breaking up with Rus. They had been dating for two years before she moved and he still wasn’t ready to settle down.   And though she loved him she had to do what was best for her son. A son needs his father she had come to realize. So she moved to Indianapolis where Javier and his very large family lived. To Sia family didn’t mean much anymore. Her family hated her and didn’t care if she lived or died. But she wanted so much more for Stephen. So she took a leap of faith and moved.  To her surprise shortly afterwards Rus declared that he couldn’t live without her and popped the question. They decided that In the meantime he would stay in St. Louis for a year and then relocate to Indy with Sia and Stephan. Everything was finally coming together or though she thought.

When Sia went to lunch she checked her phone.  Five voicemail messages. Strange, she thought. Maybe Rus was calling from a different number. Sia hit the voicemail icon on her Galaxy 5 and listened.  “Sia, this is Tara. Rus’s baby’s mother. I need you to call me back ASAP!. You won’t believe this!”.  “Damn”, Sia said exhaustively. A call from Tara was never good. She looked down at her ring. A two carat princess cut diamond stared back. Lord knows she had earned it dealing with Tara. Normally Sia didn’t like to talk bad about other mothers but Tara was as crazy as they got. It baffled her how Rus ended up with someone like her. She never worked and lived off of child support and the state. And the going rate for having four children by Rus was affording Tara a pretty nice life. There was really no reason to put it off. Without listening to the other four messages she decided to call back.  Sia knew that she would need to see what was up with Tara before she really started acting nuts. Tara was a terror to say the least. She hit the call button and held her breath.

Sia was jolted back to reality with a hard knock at her door. “About time”,  she said loudly and yanked the door open.

My Scariest Date Ever: The Tale of The Pregnant Knife Wielding Ex!

I want you to know that what I’m about to share is 100% true. Only the names have been changed. If I hadn’t lived it I wouldn’t believe it either. One thing for sure is you won’t ever feel the same about dating again.

“Well you sound like you’ve done well for yourself” I said with a half smile.   Thank goodness I was on the phone because my face would have given me away for sure. Pure boredom. For the last thirty minutes my newest love interest had bragged on his recent accomplishments.  Sully worked for Eli Lilly; one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world, had a beautiful custom-built home and made money in the stock market.  And boy oh boy was he proud.  So at 9pm on a Tuesday night I found myself drowning in his ego. This would be the first time that my inner voice would scream “RUN!” and I would ignore it but unfortunately it wouldn’t be the last.  I continued to entertain him, adding a “wow” and “that’s amazing” on queue. Besides, according to recent reports there are slim pickings out here.  And lets face it.  I’m sure that the guys that are left are probably lacking something that the earlier draft picks had.  This one was fresh out of humility.

We “meet” about three weeks prior to this conversation on POF.  For those of committed relationship status that means Plenty of Fish; an online dating site. Well, they were right.  There are definitely plenty of fish.  However, I think a few may have been affected by a recent oil spill or something. It doesn’t take one very long before Plenty of Fish becomes Plenty of Fuck Ups.

Anyway, we did the usual dating dance. However, one afternoon we meet at The Indianapolis Art Museum.  I’ve always thought museums were great first date ideas.  Never too crowded at museums and you get to appreciate the beauty of creativity.  I was impressed that Sully and I shared a similar interest in art. It was quite romantic as we stood in front of the Picasso on the third level.  The museum instantly became “our place”.  After several dates at the IMA Sully asked if he could take me to dinner.  I agreed. I liked him enough and we had talked and texted non stop since we meet. This man seemed to have a genuine interest, I thought.

The Eagle’s Nest is a five-star rotating restaurant on top of a swanky hotel in downtown Indianapolis. Very impressive for a first dinner date I said to myself. And as I cut into my steak I smiled. It was so decadent, like eating dessert with the perfect wine pairing. I admired the stunning view of the city as we made small talk. At dinner I noticed a scare on Sully’s left underarm. So I asked what happened. And here begins the “I hate my ex” dance. He told me how his ex was crazy and while in a fit of rage she cut him with a knife. Shocked I asked more questions. But he shut me down instantly. “Baby let’s just enjoy our dinner together. I’ll tell you all about it later,” He said. I jumped up threw my drink in his face and said “Tell me now asshole. Because honestly I don’t like you that much and I don’t want to deal with your drama later!” Ok. I didn’t say that. But I wish I had. This would undoubtedly be the second time my inner voice screamed RUN. I ignored her again.

We decided to go back to his place for a night cap. Of course this was his idea. He just had to show me his newly built bar. After saying no to his request weakly several times, I caved. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, the inner voice was ignored again. The house was beautiful and immaculate. We sat at the custom bar, music playing in the background softly. Another seemingly perfect moment. Dating experiences like this were the ones you shared with your girlfriends; pouring over every detail with a smile and wine.

After we were comfortably seated across from each other he raised his arm showing his scar and said “want to hear what happened?” I did actually. I slowly removed the wine glass from my lips giving my full attention.  He started to explain that his ex wife was actually his separated wife.  According to Sully one day she discovered his hidden infidelity with a women out of town and snapped.  She ran at him with a knife and hit an artery. It gets worse. When the police were called he was reluctant to press charges against her being that she was the mother of his two children.  CPS was notified and both children had been temporarily removed from his home.

I sat there in shock. How long I wasn’t sure. The framed pictures of his kids on the wall played in my head. I looked at him again, my head slightly cocked to the side in an attempt to make sense of what he said. Two decisions were made at that very moment. The first, ummm you’re still married I’m out. The second; I can’t date a man with this much drama no matter how much he spent on dinner. As I looked off in space his face became a blur, his voice became muted. Then the strangest thing happened. I realized that someone was looking right back at me. And that someone wasn’t Sully. In the shadows of the perfect date stood a women. And she was in the house with us.

AAAAAAGGGGHHH!! This time my inner and outer voice screamed out loud in unison. Sully jumped and turned in what seems like a single movement. She moved methodically closer her eyes locked on me. “CAREN! CAREN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE! YOU KNOW THERE’S A RESTRAINING ORDER! CAREN! He yelled. We locked on each other and in that moment I thought of all the times I didn’t listen to myself in an attempt to please another. My life flashed before me. I thought of Mason. Yet I said nothing. Time seemed to crawl. She dutifully  crept through the kitchen. But it wasn’t until she rounded the corner stopping  next to the J Henkel knife set that I saw her bump. She was pregnant.

I’m sure Sully was still screaming her name. I briefly remember him yelling ” WE ARE GOING TO LOSS THEM FOR GOOD!” Yet all I could hear were my own thoughts, my own fears. I glanced at the nearest exit. Then she spoke. “Why are you in my house?” she said harshly. I started thinking of all the Dr. Phil shows I’d ever seen.  Abuse, alcoholism, bad parents but damn nothing was coming to me about crazy separated wives. “WHY ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE!” she yelled this time. And just like that I was taken back to when I was pregnant and Mason’s dad wasn’t there. How alone I felt with my broken promises, how pissed. And I knew immediately what to do. “WHY THE FUC….” she started in almost a rage. She reached for the knives. “Caren, are you pregnant?” I asked softly. She stopped. “Are you pregnant?”

For a moment her face softened. She was a mother; a mom. Like any mom whether human, bear or lion she was ready to protect all that she believed to be hers. “Yes.” she said ,looking to be about 6 months along. “But why are you here?” she almost pleaded. I knew that I had to form a new alliance quick. He’s on his own I thought. It’s his fault we are all in this damn mess anyway. Let him be the first to get it. “Caren, we were just talking about you. I’m Teresa Sully’s friend. I’m sorry about what has happened.” I said. ” You have to leave now” she said walking past the knives. Maybe she really didn’t want things to get crazy but if they went there she had nothing to lose it seemed. “You told me you wouldn’t have anyone here, YOU PROMISED,” she pleaded to him as the tears silently dropped. ” Is this what you like, black ass barbie dolls…. really?” Waving her hand in my direction; her tone shifting as she talked. I started to interject but thought twice. This wasn’t the right time to defend my fashion choices.

“YOU NEED TO GET OUT!” She returned to me. My head turned to the nearby window. Ice covered the glass with a November kiss. On the sill was the lingering of a recent snow. I regretted my choice to wear the 4 inch stiletto boots. Yet this was my moment. Maybe my only moment.   Two things had to happen fast.  I needed to appeal to her as a women in pain and not say anything else to him. “Caren, first I’m going to ask for a favor”. She squinted her eyes and waited. “I’m asking that you give me the benefit of the doubt. I was brought here by Sully. I realize a lot has happened but honestly isn’t that between you two. So I’m not leaving unless you or him take me home.” At this point I could have gave a damn who took me home as long as I survived.  “Why don’t I give you both time to talk and when you’re done I would appreciate someone taking me home please.” Hesitantly I moved past her towards the living room in the way that one would move around a vicious animal. My heart raced like a horse.  As I passed her she turned and started to follow me. Her chest was on my back and I saw her hand reach out. I braced myself to be ready for this fight for my life. Instead she reached past me and turned on the light to the living room. “Please have a seat here while we talk and I will make sure you get home.” She said sadly. The alliance was made.

There would be no bloodshed that night. Yet it is not lost on me that my life was spared. Many have lost there lives for less.  Sully drove me home in silence. Caren and the memories of the night were still in the house when we left. I didn’t care why she was there because my prayers had been answered. As Sully dropped me off at my door he started his “I hate my ex dance”  again. He asked me to be patient with him while he worked out his situation. This time I was the one that stopped him in his tracks. Turning, I looked him dead in the eyes and said “My life is worth more than your drama sweetie. My son IS still at home. Don’t ever call me again.” We never talked on the phone again after that day. Once,  I saw him in passing at a youth football game. No questions were asked. No pleasantries exchanged. We had both survived to make better decisions.

Teresa Clay