Lunch was not going well. Carol stared down at her half eaten taco. She didn’t want discuss the Superbowl party and the behavior of Beth’s brother.
“How was I to know Justin would be such an ass? I told him to call and apologize,” said Beth. “That you would appreciate that.”
“He did.” Carol had quit counting after the tenth message on her machine.
“I told him to send you flowers at work to show you he was sincere.”
“I got them.” He sent her daisies which he knew Carol hated because they made her sneeze. The “let’s finish our date” inscription didn’t make her feel any better. She figured family love was very blind because to her, Justin was a jerk.
“He wants to take you out Friday to make it up to you. He’s been trying to ask you out himself but you haven’t been answering your phone.”
Carol blessed whoever developed caller ID. “No. I don’t want another date.”
“You can’t mean that. He’ll make things right. He wanted me to tell you money is no object.”
“Beth,” Carol said trying to get her friend to focus on what she was saying. “No. No calls, no flowers. No anything. I don’t want to see Justin again.”
“You make it sound like he did something unforgivable. It was just some unkind words.”
Carol tried to keep the anger out of her voice. “I don’t take verbal abuse and I don’t give second chances.”
“Now you’re being cruel.”
“Cruel? Did he tell you what happened?”
“He said there was a small misunderstanding,” said Beth. “There’s no reason to be upset.”
“Upset! He got drunk and nasty because the Seahawks weren’t playing as well as he thought they should. And you were supposed to be there, remember? I was doing you a favor showing up at this party.”
Some party, thought Carol. “He didn’t want me talking to anyone, not even my friends. He grabbed my wrist several times to keep me at his side.” She pulled up her sleeve to show the ring of purple flesh.
“He says he was jealous ‘cause you were the prettiest woman there.” Beth smiled.
“He had nothing to be jealous about. I won’t be around someone who’s abusive. I can’t be any clearer than that.”
“But you shouldn’t have left before halftime. You embarrassed him in front of his friends.”
“We came in separate cars. I left when I was tired of his behavior.”
Beth got up from the table and dropped her trash into the container. “You just need to spend a little time with him. He’s not a bad guy.”
“Have you listened to anything I’ve said?”
“He really likes you. I thought you two had a connection.”
“Come on, Beth, one date doesn’t make a relationship. Please, just let it go.”
“He was just playing around. That’s the way guys are.”
“Men don’t manhandle women,” Carol said. She stood. She would never get Beth to see the flaws in Justin. Even scarier Beth thought that what her brother did was how brothers, men, treated woman.
“I promised him everything would be okay,” said Beth sullenly. She was close to tears. “You know you’ve destroyed our friendship. She walked away flipping open her cell phone.
Carol thought it sad but a good thing.
*****
Carol drove home. The altercation with Beth left her shaken. She drove by rote through the neighborhoods, to her duplex. She opened the kitchen door to find her beagle, Barney, anxiously waiting her arrival.
“Did you miss me boy?” She knelt down to hug her dog. The dog gave a sharp bark and backed away.
“Hello, Carol,” said Justin as he stepped into the kitchen. There was a smug smile on his face.
Carol stood. “How do you know where I live?”
Justin continued to smile at her. “I have my ways.”
She tried to get around him. “I want you out of my house!”
“I don’t think so.” He closed the door and flipped the deadbolt. “We have some things to talk about.”
“I have nothing to say to you.” She could feel her heart beat and she backed away from him. She glanced around for a convenient weapon but didn’t see any at hand. She needed to get to the sliding glass door.
“Beth said you didn’t understand my feelings about you. I guess she didn’t do a very good job of convincing you of my affection.”
“I don’t date drunks.” Barney whined at her feet.
“I’m not a drunk. I just enjoy drinking beers. A woman should understand that.”
“Not this woman. Now, please get out of my house.”
She made her run for the sliding door, flipping the lock and slid the door open. Barney ran through the opening. Carol shouted, “Barney, get Winifred!”
Justin grabbed her upper arm and pushed her toward the couch, ignoring the open door.
“Your neighbor isn’t home. You and I’ve got all the time in the world.”
He pushed the coffee table aside. “Let’s get down to business.” He removed his jacket and threw it on the couch.
Carol’s eyes grew wide. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Finishing our date.”
Carol knew no one would hear her if she screamed. “What do you have to prove by raping me?”
“It won’t be rape because you’ll like it.”
A small growl came from the open sliding glass door.
Justin laughed as he pulled his shirt from his pants. “There’s nothing your wimp of a dog can do.”
The beagle wasn’t a threat to Justin. But there was more movement from the doorway.
“Justin, I going to ask you one more time to leave. If you do, you won’t get hurt.”
He laughed. He started to undo his zipper when he heard a deep low snarl. A ninety-five pound German shepherd came through the open patio door. The dog’s hackles were up and teeth were bared.
Carol moved as far from a smiling Justin as she could. “I told you, you don’t want to do this. Winifred, protect!”
The beagle stood aside. The shepherd obeyed her mistress.
Copyright ©2006 Kathleen Strasser All Rights Reserved