“This is very true.”
Yawning, Gret glanced at the clock on the wall. “I have to be up pretty early for practice in the morning. I’m going to turn in. Make yourself at home. The kitchen is through there and my bedroom is just on the other side. If you need anything, just holler.”
As he got to his feet, I leapt into his arms. “Thank you so much.”
Sweetly, he kissed the top of my head. “You deserve a break every now and then, Etta. It’s honestly my pleasure.”
* * *
I had never felta bed so damn comfortable in my life. Gret’s guestroom was better than any hotel I had every stayed at in my life. A huge flat screen took up most of the far wall. The dresser had a basket of all of the travel size toiletries anyone could ever think of needing—he even had a few bath bombs in there for crying out loud. The queen bed was covered in soft purple sheets and a plush down comforter that felt like a cloud was hugging you—add in the pillows that must have been made by angels and I was in awe.
I didn’t think that it could get any better until I walked into the en-suite bathroom. It was covered in pale marble with dark wood flooring. The tub is what did it for me. Tucked in the corner was the most magical crawl foot bathtub that made me want to get in and never leave.
After brushing my teeth and washing off the pound of makeup I had on my face, I crawled into bed. Grabbing a pen and paper off of the nightstand, I started to make a list of everything I needed to buy the next day to get me through until I could figure out where I was going and how to get my stuff from my mom.
My mom.
I hadn’t thought about it until that very second. I needed to tell her what happened. After my father died when I was seven, she was all I had. Letha James was the strongest woman I knew and she never faltered on telling me how she felt. My mother hated that I was with Lee. She made it a point every time we spoke to remind me that I was throwing my life away. Five years of fighting strained our relationship. I thought that I was proving her wrong the entire time, blindly in love with the wrong man. The entire time, I should have just listened to her.
On the top of the list:call mom and let her tell you ‘I told you so’.
Then the list continued:
Makeup
Panties
Clothes
Shoes
Staring at the four words written out was hilarious. I didn’t need a list for that shit. I needed to buy everything. My entire life was being reduced to boxes being shipped to a home that I wasn’t particularly welcomed in anymore. All because I fell in love with the wrong guy.
Fucking insane.
Putting the pad and paper down, I turned off the lamp and tried to get comfortable. As I was left to deal with just my thoughts, I realized how immature I had actually been over the years. Of course there were tons of people that met their soulmate when they were a teenager, but how could I ever think that I was one of those lucky few? I felt so foolish to not have seen the signs that were glaringly obvious in hindsight.
“You’re an hour late,”I barked as Lee walked through the door.
Throwing his keys and wallet down onto the coffee table he yelled, “You knew when we moved here that I was going to have to put in more hours. I am the new fish swimming with a million sharks out for blood.”
Lee started to take a seat on the couch.
“What are you doing?” I asked as I grabbed my bag before slipping my heels on.
“I am going to sit here and watch the damn game. It was a shitty day and I don’t want to deal with you or anyone else, for that matter.”
“We have a function for your damn company tonight. I am doing you a favor singing at this damn thing.”
Lee pointed to the door. “Then go. I’m not fucking going.”
“You’re the one that always says we have to make sacrifices for your damn career and now you’re just going to be a jerk and sit on your ass while I go and look like an idiot because my boyfriend couldn’t be bothered to make a fucking appearance?” I unzipped my dress, letting it fall to the floor. Standing in my heels, slip and bra, I added, “If you’re not going, neither am I and they can just be without entertainment for the evening.”
“Get that fucking dress back on.” Lee scrambled to his feet. “I’m not the one that is going to look bad because you are scared to go alone.”
Thinking backon that night and countless others, I realized that I really was just a joke to him. Ultimately, Lee had the balls to be honest with me and the rose-colored glasses had finally gotten ripped off my face.
The most bitter pill to have ever pass my lips had hit me hard. I was better off without him. At last, I could be the personIwanted to be.