To Meet Again

It was one of the hottest days in California. That summer sun was beaming down like it had its eye on the world, it was so hot but that didn’t matter to Paula. She felt like she was on cloud nine, just sitting passenger next to her boyfriend Jackie. He had her smiling ear to ear, telling her how beautiful she was, how she was the best thing that ever happened to him as they cruised around the streets of Encino in his ’84 Ferrari Testarossa in fire engine red, her favorite color. The hot was wind whipping her hair around whenever Jackie floored the gas as they had all the windows down.

Enjoying the feeling of him pressing a kiss into her hand as he held it in one hand and the other on the wheel. Pulling up to the light they gazed at each other lovingly. They didn’t see it coming. They were so into each other they didn’t hear the screeching of the tires, but they felt the impact. Someone had slammed into the back of them, jerking them forward.

“What the hell.” Jackie mumbled, “Are you okay?” He checked on her first, looking her over.

“Yea I think so.” She spoke softly, a little shaken up. Before they could figure out what had happened the car behind them had slammed their door and sound of heels clacking angrily.

The look on Jackie’s face made Paula concerned, it changed from worry for her to fear. She didn’t get a chance to figure it out when she felt this searing pain in her hair. Nails digging into her scalp and she was being pulled through the window!

“You bitch! You think it’s okay to sleep with my husband and I wasn’t going to do anything about it!”

“Ava! Wait it’s not what it looks like.”

“Fuck you, Jackie. Did you think I wasn’t going to find out? And as for you bitch you better hope there is a God because I’m not going to stop whooping your ass until he tells me to!”

Oh my God it’s his wife, Paula thought to herself as she covered herself the best way she could while punches rained down on her. She didn’t know what to do, Paula has never been much of a fighter, and she had what was coming to her to her. She knew Jackie was a married, a family man, but he had this charm about him that made her not care. Jackie jumped out of the car and was trying wrestle Ava off of Puala who still had a tight grip on her hair. She could feel strands being ripped out.

“Ava come on now let her go. Let’s talk about this.” Puala did end up thanking God because Ava abruptly released her hair and turned her wrath to her husband.

Punching, scratching, slapping him. Whatever way she could get to him, and he was he was trying to keep her at bay. Paula didn’t care she just knew she needed get out of there. She prayed that God would get her out of this and if he did, she promised she would never deal with a married man again. They were blocking traffic for crying out loud! People got out of their cars to watch the show.

“Oh now you want to talk. You weren’t doing much talking a moment ago! I saw you with your tongue down that tramp’s throat! Ten years! I gave you ten years of my life! Three kids and this how you treat me!” By now she was crying, “I am done Jackie. I am done!” As Ava spoke every word, she was still swinging at him.

Paula felt like the worst person in the world, she ruined this woman’s life.

“Baby please don’t do this. I’ll never do anything like this again. This meant nothing to me. Please don’t leave me.” He begged her, damn near down on his knees.

In that moment Paula’s heart broke for herself. She felt as though she was reduced to nothing. She was labeled an object and not a person by the man she’s been seeing for three months. The man that she thought loved her, he was the one who made her feel a love she had never felt before and she was willing to give up everything for. He wasn’t going to give everything up for her though. She saw that now.

Paula took a survey of herself; there she was sprawled out on the dirty sidewalk like she was a piece of trash that floated through the Encino streets.

“Ava, she didn’t mean anything to me I swear to you. I just had a weak moment.” Jackie said carelessly waving his arm back at Paula. If being called that didn’t sting this sure did. He was now chasing her around her car trying to prevent her from driving away.

“Get aways from me Jackie.” Ava had enough. Never would she had thought the love of her life, the man that she pushed out three of his big-headed children for would do her this way.

Got her feeling like she’s a part of a three-ring circus. There were people pointing, laughing and staring at them. Was she not good enough? Was she not young enough? Ava just knew she was hot, pissed off and embarrassed.

The man whose dirty draws she washed, cooked for cleaned for and dealt with his family’s bull shit thought it was okay to step out on her. Ava pushed Jackie out of her way, snatched her car door open and locked the door as soon as she jumped in.

“Ava! Open this door right now! I’m not playing with you girl.” He screamed and banged on the window, like he had the right to be the one upset. Ava tried her best to tune him out, she was shaking with rage, trying to get her key into the ignition.

Taking a deep breath, it calmed her nerves just enough to be able to stick the key in. She threw the gear into reverse and was ready to skirt away from this whole mess. She planned to get home before Jackie did and she was going throw all his clothes out onto the front lawn, call her brother and see if he could change the locks. Stepping on the gas she backed up until she heard a thump and screaming.

“Oh my God.” She whispered. Did she hit someone? That was the last thing she needed to go wrong today. Putting the car in park, she hurriedly jumped back out of the car to inspect what’d she hit.

“Jackie!” He was laid out on the grown writhing in pain, she rushed over to him, “Oh Jackie, I’m so sorry!” She cried, “I didn’t see you there. I didn’t mean it.”

She might have been pissed with him, but not so much she wanted to kill him. She just knew she was going to jail. All these people seen what she did, how she was acting. Paula on the other hand had been a part of this long enough. Afraid she might be next, she gathered her bruised body and ego off the ground, reached into Jackie’s car through the window she was dragged from to grab her purse and then she bolted away from the scene.

As she sprinted away, she promised herself that she would never think of Jackie or his wife ever again. For all she knew for the past 42 years he was dead and his wife went to jail. Until today, she was in a cozy little café with her daughter in Venice. It was in an artsy area. She and one of her daughters decided to come here to spend some quality time together when she spotted him ordering at the counter. He was a lot older and a grayer, but still handsome as ever.

“Well I’ll be.” She mumbled.

“Mom? What are you looking at?” Her daughter Amya questioned as she followed her mom’s eyeline, “Who is that?”

Paula contemplated on telling her daughter about her life before she became a married woman. To her family she’s just mom, the judgmental, overbearing, overprotective mom. When in reality she just wanted to protect her girls and made sure they didn’t make the same mistakes she made in life. Oh what they hell she thought Amya is grown woman she can handle it.

“That is a man I dated when I was younger. He was married then.” Amaya’s eyes got as big as saucers. She couldn’t believe what her mother was saying, “I know, I know.” Paula held her hand up. It was one of those pot calling the kettle black situations. About a year ago Amaya was messing with a married man, and her mother told her she was going to hell for it and that she would never approve of it. They just not too long ago got on good terms again, “I just didn’t want you to go through what I did.”

Amaya sighed because that situations was one of the many moments her mother was right. She told her that man wouldn’t leave his family for her, but she was so in love with him that he could have sold her own soul back to her and she would have brought it, no questions asked. She finally snapped back into reality when she found out she was pregnant and that man just about went ballistic. One thing she appreciated about her mother is when she showed up on her doorstep in tears she didn’t say any I told you so, she wrapped her arms around her and let her cry. Amaya swallowed her argument and took a peek over at the man again, he looked like he was trying to slyly look over their way.

“Why don’t you go speak to him?”

“Nooo I couldn’t do that.” Paula shook her head, “What if he’s still married or married to someone else?”

“Mom it’s just to say hi. How’s life? I’m not telling you to go start up another affair with him.” Making her mother give her a sideways glance, “I’m just saying what could it hurt. It’s just a friendly hello.”

Paula did kind of what to know how he was doing, how had life been for him. How was he still alive after being ran over by a car, “How do I look?” She asked her daughter. Paula wore a pair of light washed jeans, a simple pink t-shirt and a pair of white Birkenstock sandals. A simple outfit for the warm day, but she wore it well.

“You look fine mom. Good enough to still him from his wife again…if you wanted to.”

“Amaya!”

“I’m just kidding. Now go over there before they give him his order.”

Paula huffed out her before she stood up, smoothing her hands over her clothes. She was nervous speaking to this man after all these years. Slowly she made her way over to counter where he was waiting for his order. He stood there looking as smooth as he did 42 years ago in a pair of black slacks and a black polo shirt with a white and blue stripe going across his abdomen.

“Jackie Brooks?” She questioned apprehensively.

“Paula Waters? My is that really you.”

“Well its Paula Richards now, but yes it’s me.”

“Look at you! You haven’t changed a bit.”

“I think the wrinkles would disagree.” She chuckled, “You however still have your charming ways.”

“Let my grandkids tell it everything I say is played out.” Paula threw her head back in laughter.

“I know what you mean. My granddaughter tries to teach me those tik toc moves almost every day and I never get them.” They both let out a quick laugh before turning serious, like they both thought of that day at the same time.

“So…”

“About that day.” They both expressed at the same time.

“I’m sorry you first.” Paula said.

“Paula would it be okay if we sat and talked for a moment? That is if you have the time. I don’t want to hold you up.”

“Well I am here with my daughter.” She glanced at the table she was occupying where she caught her daughter engrossed in what was happening with her and Jackie, giving a little eye roll, “But I think she’ll be okay with us talking for a moment.”

They went and found a little table in the corner, he pulled out the chair for her, it gave her memories of their first date. He took a seat himself, and they sat in a spell of silence not knowing where to begin. What do you say after 42 years? I’m glad you’re not dead? Sorry I let my wife beat you up?

“How is Ava?” Paula blurted out, shocking them both, “Um, sorry. I don’t really know how to start this and it’s just kind of wild to me. Seeing you after all these years.”

“It’s okay, I don’t really know how to either.” Jackie breathed out a laugh, “Well Ava is doing well after she divorced my ass. She’s actually on a cruise right now with her husband, our daughter and her family.”

“Well that’s…good. I’m glad she’s doing well. Honestly, I thought she killed you that day and I thought she was going to get me next.” Paula told him, smirking a little, making light of the elephant in the room.

“No, I get it. I probably wouldn’t have stuck around either after seeing someone get ran over by a car. It was the darndest thing though, being laid out in agony and seeing you sprint away. I didn’t know you could run so fast!” They both laughed loudly and got a few looks from other customers, but they didn’t care.

“What happened after that day?” Paula asked.

“Well Ava and some of the onlookers helped me into her car and she took me to the hospital. She actually stayed until I got well enough to move around on my own again and then she left me in the dust.”

“Wow.” Was all that Paula could get out. She didn’t blame Ava. Paula didn’t know if she could have been as courteous as her.

“Yea she took me through the ringer with the divorce.” He chuckled, “But I deserved it and I’m sorry to you too. For that day and dragging you into all of my mess and not protecting you that day.”

“It’s okay. I was a willing participant, and I had that ass whooping coming to me.” They both laughed, “I can tell you one thing that day scared me straight.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…as I was running scared for my life, I promised myself that I would never deal with a married man again. That I would wait for the right man to come find me.”

“And did you? Find the right man?”

Paula looked down and smiled, “I did.”

“So you’re married?” Jackie’s heart sunk a little bit he was at least hoping she was divorced, but what did he expect. Paula was a catch back then and she still is now.

“I was. He passed about two years ago. Cancer.”

“Oh Paula, I’m so sorry.” He reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

“It’s okay. Those last couple of years it was hard to watch him go through that. But I had the best years of my life with him.” Clearing her throat she felt herself get a little misty eyed, “What about you? Did you get married again?”

“I did and divorced again. It’s been eleven years now. Didn’t have it in me to try a third time.”

“What! Did you cheat again?”

“No it was the other way around this time. I guess it was my karma for how I treated Ava all those years ago, but she didn’t have to cheat on me with her trainer.”

“Oh Jackie!” Paula was shocked and amused.

“Ha, ha laugh it up. I deserve it, I know.”

The two talked for almost and hour. Learning about what each other has done over the years. He was enjoying retirement life and she still worked, she was an art teacher now. They showed off pictures of their grandkids. They told each other about their life as parents, he found out that she had three girls, and she found out he had one more after Ava.

They really could have gone on for hours and they would have until Paula got a text from Amaya telling her she needed to go. Amaya had to pick her own daughter up from daycare.

“Oh!” Paula exclaimed looking at the time, “I would love to catch up some more Jackie, but I rode with my daughter, and she has to pick up the baby from daycare. This was really good though getting to see you again.”

“I’m glad I got to see you too Paula, but I don’t want this to be the last time I see you ever again. I can’t let you get away a second time. Would it be possible for me to get you number?” He asked making, Paula blush.

“I don’t see why not.”

“Would also be okay if I take you out on a date some time?”

“I would love that.” Paula made her way back over to Amaya all smiles.

“Sooo how did it go?”

“I have a date for Saturday night!”