Chapter 19 – Jenny
Where did Ty just run off to? I think. I can feel myself getting mad, and my protective instinct kicking in that wants to get mad and assume the worst, but I calm down by reminding myself of all the great things Ty has done for me since I met him, and how every time I have jumped to an assumption with him I’ve ended up being wrong.
Something must have come up, I tell myself. He’ll be back.
My phone rings. It’s Kristen. I answer.
“Hey, babe. How are you?”
“Jenny,” she says, her voice quivering. “Can I … can I get a ride?”
“Kristen, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m at the Motel on route four. Could I get a ride?”
“Yeah, of course. Is everything okay?”
I already know it’s not. Must be something to do with those guys from the other night. This is another reason I steer clear of arrangements like that. Even if I was able to have sex for money, which I’m not, it’s just so dangerous to go off by yourself with men you don’t even know.
“Uhm, yeah. I just … I just need a ride.”
“Okay. I’ll be right there,” I assure her.
“Thanks,” she says, sounding a bit relieved. I swing a U-turn and speed back downtown towards route four. It’s a small highway and the speed limit is only fifty-five, but I’m going eighty, my foot heavy on the gas. Route four leads out into the sticks, and the motels down this way are pretty shady and worn down. There’s only two reasons anyone rents a room out here: sex or drugs—or both.
What should have been a fifteen-minute drive took me just under eight minutes. I pull out my cell as I turn into the parking lot. Kristen answers on the first ring.
“What room?” I ask her.
“One fifteen.”
“Kay, I’m parking now.” I hang up and find a spot two doors down from her room. This place is a dump. The pavement is cracked and broken. The place doesn’t look like it’s had a paint job since the day it opened, and half the room numbers have broken off. Kristen is opening the door as I walk up.
“Hey! Are you okay?” I ask her, wrapping my arms around her and hugging her tightly. I can tell she’s been crying. “They didn’t hurt you did they!? Did they hurt you? Rob you? I’ll kill them!”
“No, no, no,” she says, sniffling and wiping at her eyes.
“Oh, thank God. I’d break some faces!”
Kristen manages to laugh quietly as I step into the dingy motel room. Someone obviously had a “good time” here. It smells like bodies and booze. The air is thick and sticky. The sheets are all twisted up on the bed. Bottles of alcohol are strewn about and what looks like the remnants of some lines of coke are scattered about on the bathroom sink. I can see the shame in Kristen’s eyes.
“So they’re gone?” I ask her.
“They’re gone,” she replies, shaking her head. “Not like I’d want them here anyway. They were so disgusting, Jenny. I can’t even tell you. I should have listened to you. I feel like … I just feel so dirty. I couldn’t resist the money, Jenny. I couldn’t …”
She’s embarrassed. I can tell. This is a total “I told you so” moment for me, but that would be wrong. Hopefully this is enough of a wake up call for her, and if not, I’ll have a talk with her later. But not now.
“Come on, get your stuff and let’s get you out of here,” I tell her.
“I’m ready,” she says, shouldering her purse.
“Okay, come on.” I tell her, taking her by her hand and leading her out of the disaster room. Even though this place still smells slightly of trash, it’s better than the air in there. At least there’s a breeze outside.
“You got your car,” she observes.
“Yeah, Ty helped me get it.”
“Who’s Ty?” she asks, and I realize just how out of the loop she is with what’s been happening with my life. I bite my lip as we both get into my car.
“Yeah, uhm,” I start, not sure how to begin. “He’s a guy I met at the club the other night.”
“What!?” she bursts out, turning to me with a look of disbelief. “You’re seeing a guy from the club!?”
“Yes, but he’s different, Kristen!”
“Oh, God,” she gasps, slapping both hands against her forehead. “You sound like me.”
“I swear, Kristen. He—he’s just different. I thought he was an asshole, but—”
“Jenny! We have rules!”
“I know we do, but listen! Okay, he came over to my apartment, and—”
“He what!?” Suddenly the tables have turned and Kristen is questioning me.
“Well, I needed a ride home … and it’s a long story, but the dogs actually liked him! They didn’t bark or growl or bite. They licked his hands! It was unbelievable.”
“That is strange …” she muses. “But still. A guy from the club?”
“I know. I know,” I say. “But seriously. If I told you what’s been going on you wouldn’t even believe me. You might actually meet him.”
“What, you’re going to introduce me!?” she gasps.
“He might … he might be at my apartment when we get back.”
There’s nothing but stunned silence from beside me. I take my eyes off the road and look over to see Kristen just staring at me, eyes wide, mouth agape, like I just told her I have discovered the worlds first real live alien and it’s living in my basement.
There’s not a whole lot more to be said as we drive home. Kristen just needs to be around friends right now, and I don’t want to inquire any more details about last night. She had a bad time, and that’s really all I need to know. Just as long as she wasn’t hurt, what she needs now is to be away from it all and around people who care about her. And that’s me.
Ty’s truck is in the driveway when we get back to my apartment.
“Is that—” Kristen starts to ask.
“Yes.” I say.
She gives me a look that’s half excited half inquisitive as we get out of the car. I open the door to a sloppy greeting from Bruno and Chester. They haven’t seen Kristen in a long time and practically knock her over as they greet her.
“Hey, guys!” Kristen says effusively, patting them both on the head as they lap at her with their long tongues. “Long time no see! Yessss—”
Kristen’s voice cuts off when she looks up to see Ty standing in the middle of the room. My legs go weak as I see he’s shirtless. In fact, he’s wearing nothing but a towel and is clearly on his way to the bathroom to take a shower.
“Hey,” he grins at Kristen.
“Hi …”
Long silence …
“I’m Ty,” he finally says. I can’t help but smile.
“K-Kristen,” she mutters quietly. Ty chuckles.
“Nice to meet you. I’m gonna shower real quick, Jen.”
“Okay.”
Ty walks to the bathroom and I can just see Kristen’s mind working as she looks over his toned body. Kristen is a very visual person and checks guys out as much, if not more, than they check us out. The bathroom door shuts and as soon as she hears the water turn on she turns to me in disbelief.
“Okay, wow,” she exclaims. “Now I see why you broke the rules.”
I laugh, sitting down on the couch. “It’s not just that, Kristen.”
“Did you see those abs?!” she says, sitting down and getting right in my face.
“Uh, I’ve seen a lot more than that.”
“What?!” she practically shouts. “You fucked him? You fucked him!”
A guilty look comes over my face and I can’t help but smile. We both know how big this news is for me. It’s been so long since I’ve been with anyone, and having basically sworn off men after my ex, it must seem like the return of Christ or something to Kristen.
“How’s his …” Kristen holds up a pinky finger.
“Yeah, it’s more like—” I reply, holding up my forearm and slapping it with my other hand.
“You’re joking …”
“Nope,” I laugh. “Still a little bit sore actually.”
“Stop it,” she says, slapping me gently on the arm. “Why do you luck out!?”
“I think it’s Karma,” I say. “After all the shit I had to put up with in the past the universe finally decided to send me a good guy.”
“So you two are like—together?”
“I don’t know,” I say slowly, realizing I haven’t actually thought about this myself. What are Ty and I doing? It’s all happened so fast. I was opposed to even getting close to him before. And then things changed.… “We haven’t really had that talk yet.”
“So it’s just a sex thing,” she says flatly.
“No,” I correct her. “It’s not that. We just … we haven’t had the talk yet.”
“So what are you going to do?” she asks me.
“I’m not sure,” I say, running things over in my mind. “I mean … he is great. I thought he was this cocky asshole, but he saved my ass from these assholes outside the club the other night. And he watched the kids for me so I could work—”
“What!?”
“And he helped me get my car back from Greg’s who was trying to scam me. I mean—he’s really great.”
“So when’s the wedding!” she cackles. I can’t help but smile.
“We’ll see,” I say slowly. “I just—I have to make sure I am smart about this. I don’t want to bring another man into my life and have it not work out. It’s just not me I have to think about. I have Ella and Josh too.”
“Yeah,” Kristen says, leaning back. “Well, he’s showering in your apartment. I think you’re going to have to make a decision pretty soon.”