RING RING!!!
"Hello."
"Hey, um, is John there?"
"This is John."
"Hey, John, it's Sara."
I sat there for a few seconds, utterly stunned. Sara had gone back to her abusive husband, again, several months back. I had gone to high school with Sara, and had been friends. High school was a rough time for me. New school coming from a worse time in junior high, I was at the lowest point in my life. Sara had been one of my closest friends early in high school, in a time I really needed friends. After high school, we had drifted apart until about 7 years later. We bumped into each other, and we hit it off almost right away. We'd dated for a little while, but she unexpectedly and suddenly broke it off.
I found out about 7 months later that she broke it off to go back to her abusive boyfriend. Of course, the reason I found out 7 months later was that she once again came round to try and hook up with me. I felt for her and took her in when she was trying to leave him. Of course, once again, we hooked up. I've always been a sucker for a damsel in distress. After a few months, once again she disappeared. This happened several times, and during one of these disappearances, she even married the bastard. Every few months, she'd decide that she wanted something better than an abusive husband and struggling to make ends meet, so she'd call me up. And being the sucker I am, I'd take her in for a few months.
This time, however, I was still angry after the last time. You see, everyone has their breaking point. Some people just take longer to reach it. This was the sixth time she'd called me up like this. Last time she even filed for a divorce, but before she could finalize it all, she went back again. Now, here she was calling me again. It always started the same.
Of course, this all took about a second to flash through my head.
"Hey, Sara. What's up?"
It's hard to sound uninterested and uncaring. Truth is, I still knew I cared, but I was still angry after the last time. I had spent a pretty penny trying to help her get on her feet. I still felt conned.
"Well, I did it. I left Brian."
Bullshit.
"Really? Good for you."
"Well, it's hard, you know. I don't really have any money. I'm staying with a friend from work."
"OK. So where are you working now? I know that you often worked for Brian with his construction business."
"I'm working at Wal-mart over on the south side. It pays crap, but I needed something. Brian's business was slow, what with the economy the way it is. So I got a job there to help make ends meet."
"Sure, I understand." Truth is, the economy didn't hit me too hard. I mean, don't get me wrong, my stocks and investments took a plummet, same as everyone else's. But I made good money in computers. I had always been fairly gifted on computers and worked as a Network Analyst. Top that off with a sizable inheritance from my parents and I was set pretty well. I had re-invested in some real estate that was doing well. I would buy places that were run down for rock-bottom prices, and then repair them and rent them out or sell them, depending on the situation. Right now, I was even living in one of the apartments I had been working on. It was an old independent living community that had closed down, and I was re-working it into becoming an apartment community.
"Well, I was wondering what you were doing later. Maybe I could come around and we could catch up or something?"
"Yeah, sure." I knew she was going to try and make off with whatever she could while she forgot about her problems for a while. I went ahead and gave her the address and told her to stop by in a few hours. I was going to sit and plan for a little while...
So right about now I should tell you a little about me. I'm in my late twenties and of above average build. I'm not some sexy guy who runs the bar rampant when he gets there. I'm 5'11" and just under 200 pounds. I guess I'm fairly muscular, since I hit the gym every morning before work. All in all, I think I'm fairly average. My friends tell me I'm anything but, and that I'm quite a catch, but I've got a pretty humble streak in me. Actually, I've got a low self-esteem when it comes to women. Anything else, I'm as cocky as they come. I'm just not that overtly social.
I was a tad overweight in my youth. Not that I was the fat kid. In fact, I was never the fattest kid in class. But I changed schools between 5th and 6th. The first day of school, the class bully came up and started in on my mother. Now I was always a momma's boy, so one good turn deserves another. I started in on his mom. He flipped, way more than I ever expected. Afterwards, the teacher pulled me out of class, and told me that when he was 5, the kid had found his mom after she committed suicide. I suddenly felt terrible and, instead of defending myself when he made fun of me, bottled it up. Well, kids are like sharks, and from that point on, they smelt blood in the water.
I changed schools in high school, which is where I met Sara. She was a tiny thing, being no more 5'4" and weighing maybe 100 pounds if she wore a heavy coat. She had (and still has) shiny brown hair that went straight to mid-back. I was new to the school and she liked me from the start. She wasn't too popular, but that was just fine for me. She developed a crush on me, swooning over my eyes; which, by the way, are the shade of a light blue sky (most women love the color). I didn't care for her in that way, and I tried to let her know that. Truth is I was still reeling from 3 years of hell. Junior high had me near suicidal. For a while, I thought about killing myself, but my friends, and particularly Sara, gave me something to keep going.
When I bumped into her a few years back, she looked about the same. She'd gained about 20 pounds, but at least half of it had to be in her breasts. She was flat as a board in high school, but she was up to a C cup now. I found out she'd had a baby, but had to give it up. Life was tough for her and I listened to her sob story. Of course, I learned later that this was just the first time she would lay it on me.
So now here we are...
I had been thinking about what I was going to say to her for a while now. I'd called up a couple of my friends, to mixed results. Most, of course, said to just tell her to fuck off and be done with it. However, a few had more sadistic thoughts. Not a one of them said to give her a real chance. Sometimes, you just got to do what your friends tell you.
I was stirred out of my reverie by a knock on the door. Of course, I knew who it was, but I had to go through the motions. I waited a few seconds and spied through the peephole. Sara was standing there with a giant over-stuffed handbag (which obviously had several outfits in it), and was dressed in a tank top that quite obviously showed of her cleavage. She wore what may have been the tightest pair of jeans she owned as well.
"Hold on a sec," I fiddled with the locks, giving myself a few last seconds to get my mind fully focused on the task at hand.
"Oh, hey Sara," I said as I opened the door. "Come on in."
"Hey John." Sara immediately came in and looked around. My apartment wasn't spectacular, as I didn't like to keep too much. I owned a house out in the suburbs: my parents' original place. I stayed there on occasion, but I usually lived in one of my apartments, as I oversaw the progress in my off hours. This apartment complex was nearly complete, as work was going on in on one of the other wings on some final touches. I would start renting it out next month, after I found a manager for it.
I lived pretty simply. I had a couch and a couple recliners. I had a flat-screen, since it was much easier to move. I had a few pieces of art up on the wall, things I've found and liked over the years. But I didn't keep a lot, no bookshelves. I've always been a techy kind of guy, so I had a few gadgets. My computer was hooked up through my entertainment system, so I never really needed to tote around too much.
Sara almost immediately walked over and draped herself on the couch.
"I've left him, John."
"Really? I mean, for real this time?" Of course, I knew she hadn't. Or at least, I didn't care anymore. But I felt that I had to go through the motions.
"Yeah. I found him with another woman. Again. This time, its for real. I mean, I know I've said it in the past, but I don't ever want to see him again. Its different this time."
I know I can't say it enough, but bullshit.