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“It’s strange... without her.” And choked back the sob that began at the back of my throat. Dad side eyed me, and I swallowed it back. Liquid pricking the corners of my eyes and threatening to breach. I cleared my throat.
He clapped my back roughly and said quietly, “I know.”
I stepped back and turned myself around to face him, back leaned against the glass enclosure. My father dripped with power and confidence. I always wanted to be just like my father, but Judas…
“Did you cheat? Was that the final straw?” I said, looking at the faded black flooring.
He snorted, shaking his head. “No. I didn’t cheat. She just didn’t want to be where I was. She decided she didn’t like me anymore.”
Tall, dark and handsome; Judas inherited Dad’s every muscular Greek genetic. Me however, I was more of an intellectual. Head always in a book or looking for my next research project.
“So why here? If all these ghosts and memories of her are here?” I annunciate the words, poking fun at his sappy comment.
“The house will be ready soon. Just keep yourself busy, okay? Eyes on the prize, right? UC!” He smiled a symmetrical, crest white smile. I couldn’t wait to meet the woman at the fancy beach house, who won over my father in a mere evening.
I didn’t want a mom-stand-in, I just wanted my old life back.
All those richmen whom I took for granted. Became bored, or no longer entertained by.
I was loyal to almost all, but there was one particular incident that would technically be called an affair. The only reason it got out of hand was because the girl almost committed suicide over me. I was the only person to give her a female orgasm. First female she took as a lover. As she came repeatedly, tears in her eyes and gasping for air; she sprayed my kneeling, naked body until it was sheen. I couldn’t get rid of her after that.
My husband, found out via e-mail. Her panicked attempt at reaching me since my phone was on silent. I went to her. Not completely heartless. And in a fervour, I finger-fucked her in the hallway of a theatre downtown. In my haste, I left my laptop open and husband number one discovered it. One phone call and Glen knew about our illicit public display and my lover revealed. He divorced me almost instantly, if that was possible.
I sat beside the ocean on the wrap-around deck at the back of the beach house, drinking chardonnay at one pm on a Tuesday. I read about ten books since I got here. The flight from Colorado was Two and a half hours, but since I tied one on during my red-eye, exhausted and hungover, I slept a full day after popping a Xanax. I grew up in a wealthy family, but I had nothing to show for it now. The adultery and prenups were enough to leave me broke. And while my parents became old in Florida, they asked me to hold on to Dad’s Marina for just a little longer.
Mom passed, and Dad was in a full-care elderly community. I was the last child, both of my parents already in their late thirties. Augustine’s was the restaurant my father opened after the Marina. It was very popular along the California coast in its hey-day. Now, I struggled to make the rent each month. He told people my mother, ‘blinded him with her kindness and confidence’. They married fast, two young entrepreneurs with wealthy families. It didn’t take long for them to create their own small empire, and by the time my siblings and I were in elementary school; it was worth just under a million.
I’m being generous with that number, but I based my guess on my deep attachment to my parents and the name they had made for themselves here. I wasn’t much under pressure, and my track record gave me a faded reputation around this town. One I hoped to salvage.
Kostas would be here soon, and I still had a lot of setting up to do.
I walkedinto the Marina with a feeble expression and a slouched posture.
I didn’t do well with conversations. I was socially awkward and often spoke in a way that was confusing to some people. Or, as I like to call them, morons. Just because I spoke particularly didn’t make me pretentious or strange. It just made me who I was.
I had come to terms with being the ‘intellectual’ one. I wore it proudly throughout school. I couldn’t picture myself being a server; brightly, asking for drink orders and popping in now and then to make sure everything is satisfactory. The thought nauseated me. I approached the mahogany bar; it looked weathered.
“Hey, um, you hiring? I have a resume with me.” I asked the girl behind the bar. She looked as if she’d just arrived. She placed down her bag and grabbed a frosted glass.
“Yeah, I think so. Hey Draya! This kid wants a job.” She shouted enough to make me jump. She had a loud projection. My cheeks flamed, and I turned to see who I assumed was Draya. She extended her hand to me, and I immediately notice the giant diamond ring on her finger.
“Hey there, I’ll take that resume from ya.” The smell of her strong fuchsia perfume stung my eyes. She was bottle blonde and about my height. It made me wonder what she offered me. My stomach twisted.
“Nice, all wonderful experience. Except no restaurant experience.” She cocked her head slightly, as if she recognised me.
“I’m superb with computers if you need that kind of thing.” I said, shoving my hands into my linen pants.
“Well, by the size of you… you could be a bouncer. Wait, are you one of Hannah’s boys? You must, you have her eyes. She was good friends with the owner of this place.” She put a hand on her hip.
“Yes, Hannah’s my mom. We just moved back. Well, not with my mom… she isn’t with us. She left. Well, I mean…” I tripped over the sentence, over-sharing with a woman that I had just met five minutes ago.
She laughed loudly and touched my shoulder. “You’re adorable. I have a position open for night-hours security. But it’s from six at night till midnight, when our offices close for the day. Can you stay focused on screens and surveillance?”
“I can definitely do that. Sure.” I shook her hand, a feeling in my gut that my mother had more to do with me getting the job than anything else.
“I will e-mail you the details and paperwork. You can get it to me anytime. Can you start tomorrow?” Someone tapped her on the shoulder, murmuring something about a member who had arrived.
“Sounds outstanding. I mean, great. Thanks.” They ushered her off before I could even give her my e-mail or phone number.
