Michelle Monkou - Here and Now

“I recognize it.”

“Don’t give it back. It would mean a lot to me if you’d keep it.” He placed his hand under her open palm and gently closed her fingers over the bracelet.

“I know that you’ve put a lot of thought into this. I also think that you knew I would be here. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have given it to me. I’m not sure where you are in your life or what problems may be plaguing you. But you can’t expect me to fill in the hole,” she remarked, her voice hardening.

“I’m not trying to buy your affection. Friends wouldn’t do that to each other.”

“Take it back.” Her voice shook slightly, but her eyes were clear of any tears. She pulled her hand from his and dropped the bracelet in his shirt pocket. “When I took a job here, it was because this was my goal after I got my physical therapist certificate. I’m here to work. I want nothing more from this. You’re now my boss, and I want nothing but an employee-boss relationship. Anything more or anything less and I’ll have to find another job.”

After Laura had long disappeared down the hall and around the corner, Chase only had her lingering, gentle scent and the memory of touching her hand to keep him company.

Laura didn’t go out of her way to avoid contact with Chase. She didn’t have to. She had full days of completing therapeutic massages and daily reports for each athlete. Three weeks after her start, she continued to feel that her decision to pursue physical therapy was the right move—even if she was working for Chase. Any free time or breaks were spent with her coworkers, getting to know them.

Occasionally, she did catch a glimpse of Chase as he coached the track team on her way home. The main street narrowly snaked through the campus, linking several side roads into a network of roads. Laura had no problem driving at the posted low speed limit because it allowed her to see him at work unnoticed. She figured watching him was safer.

From all the signs, Chase seemed to be honoring her wishes and leaving her alone. She still wanted to know how he knew that she’d be working there. What man walked around with a birthday gift for an ex-girlfriend waiting for the appropriate moment?

One thing was clear, he’d thought about her. She’d never admit it to him, but he’d touched her very deeply with such a thoughtful gift. His act had rattled her defenses. She couldn’t deny the warm tingle that had seeped in between the cracks in her armor.

Determined to keep Chase from invading her thoughts any further, she accepted her coworker’s invitation to go to happy hour at a local bar and then head to a club in downtown Atlanta. She couldn’t remember the last time that she’d gone dancing.

She wanted to freshen up instead of going right after work. She raced home, mainly taking side roads to avoid most of the traffic. A half hour later, she’d showered and dressed. Satisfied with her makeup she fluffed her hair out after wearing her usual pony-tail. However, she wasn’t satisfied with her clothes. She looked bland.

She selected gold coiled drop earrings. They dangled boldly from her ear lobes. The bronze-gold color mixture stood out against the silk black shirt with tiny gold threads.

“What the heck am I doing?” she questioned the mirror. A yawn overcame her, to which she noisily succumbed. She peered into the mirror. “What a poor excuse for a party girl.”

She hadn’t dated much since breaking up with Chase. Who could blame her? Rejection stung. Not only had Chase’s family told her that she wasn’t up to par, Chase grew increasingly critical of her. It all coincided with his meteoric rise on campus, then at the state championship.

She slipped on a sensible pair of black flats. The wide shaped front made her feet look like square blocks. She frowned debating on what to do next.

A car horn honked. A few seconds later, her cell phone rang.

“Hey, Kasey.” Laura walked over to the living room and pulled back the curtains, spying her friend’s red Jeep below. “I’ll be right down.”

“Hurry up,” Kasey yelled her response. She hit the annoying horn to punctuate the order.

Laura grinned. Kasey was the most outgoing and happy person that she’d met on the job. Her stories of her crazy weekends left Laura feeling a bit envious. All she could talk about of her weekends were the cable movies she watched.

She looked down at her feet once more. With an irritated grunt, she kicked off her shoes. “Darn it, life is too short.” She pulled out a three inch heeled pair of mules. Turning from one side to the other in front of the mirror, she gave a somewhat satisfied grunt. She glided her hands down the sides of her hips frowning at the inches that seemed to expand on a daily basis. Maybe the black jeans in a darkened room would help mute the imperfections.

Another honk sounded. She flicked off the light switch and hurried out of her apartment.

“Looking good. You know how to clean up.” Kasey grinned at her. Her loud perfume matched her loud voice and her equally loud personality.

But it was all good. Laura returned her grin and settled in the car.

“First stop is The Inner Circle,” Kasey announced.

“Sounds very exclusive.” Laura worried that maybe she’d underdressed. Looking at her friend and comparing outfits, Laura imagined that she’d be the Pollyanna-type next to Kasey’s exposed assets.

“Tonight the club’s only open to the staff, that’s about it. Most of the staff hangs out there before we go our separate ways. But there’s also a few other companies in the area that come to see who is our fresh meat. Can’t complain, though. We do the same with their people.” Kasey leaned over and squeezed her hand. “Can’t wait to show you off.”

“Look, I’m only hanging out. Mainly because you insisted,” Laura protested. “I’m not looking for a man.”

“These days, no one looks for a man.” Kasey impatiently honked at the car in front that didn’t pull off a second after the light turned green. “This is the age where we sample the goods, but don’t stay for the feast.”

“Well, I’m not hungry.”

Kasey laughed. Laura couldn’t help smiling. She suspected that her friendship with Kasey would be full of adventures. She hoped that she had the stamina to keep up with her.

They pulled into the parking lot, which looked fairly full. Most of the nearby parking spots were gone with only handicapped spaces available. Kasey parked between two mini-vans. Then she reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a blue hanging handicapped sign. She hooked it on the rear view mirror gave Laura a wide smile and exited.

“Kasey, you’re not handicapped!”

“I know. It’s my mother’s. When I go out at night I use it. Figure it’s safer to park near the entrances to the clubs.” Kasey strutted off in her tight-fitting scooped-neck T-shirt and jeans that looked two sizes too small.

“Kasey, you can’t park here!”

Kasey didn’t turn around and was at the entrance.

Laura ran after her. “Give me the keys, then. I’ll park it.”

Kasey tossed the keys to her and disappeared through the doors.

“What a wench,” Laura muttered.

She got into the car and drove around to the side where there were several open spaces. She didn’t care if Kasey was irritated by her citizen-of-the-year performance a few seconds ago. If she didn’t move the car, she’d think about some person with physical challenges struggling to get into the bar while she and her friend, whooped it up inside.

Unfortunately, she knew all too well what it was like to be considered less than normal.

“Laura?”

Laura recognized the smooth tone that used to call her endearments like pretty lady, sexy brown eyes and her personal favorite, sweet buns. Her cheeks warmed. Thank goodness for the cool evening.