Fuck!

I need to stop being a wimp and just call Leah. I’ve been stalking her like a fucking pervert. Once in a while, I go and stand outside the diner and just watch her finishing her shift. Laughing with Olivia as if she hasn’t got a care in the world.

I wonder if she still thinks about me? If she regrets that weekend?

I’ve been staying at hotels with my new fake ID like a fucking chump. Everything I’ve ever had is gone, even David.

The moment I wired money to an account in the Cayman Islands he was gone like a bat in hell. He didn’t want anything to do with me anymore, and simply shook my hand and said, “It was nice while it lasted.”

I nodded as if I agreed with him and then I thought about our business arrangement, there was nothing nice about it. And I was relieved it had come to an end before things got out of hand.

I hardly knew Leah, but the idea of something happening to her would have been too much to bear. I’m trying to figure out what’s going on inside her head, she left her ID and went back to work as if nothing had happened. She wasn’t angry toward me, and the crazy part was when she went back to the diner her friend and her parents greeted her with open arms. Something that even took me by surprise.

I heard a few rumors that her mom is getting out of hand, getting into drugs and all sorts of shit down in Seychelles. I know that it’s going to be a matter of time before Dad puts an end to it all. The only person that will be left will be Leah, and even if she’s no trouble, Dad will make sure that she’s gone too.

I need to stop being a chicken and just see her. Tell her that she can’t just slip back to being a waitress. Her mom’s causing trouble, and sooner rather than later, it’ll catch up to her.

She doesn’t deserve it.

She said that she wanted to go to college, what happened to her dreams and aspirations?

I watch as she starts walking with her friends and starts to wonder if maybe, just maybe Leah’s found something better than a career and this is why she’s staying in the job.

She’s found love in a family, and it’s exactly what she needs, not what she necessarily wants. I wonder if that’s something worth dying for, but then again that’s something I’ve never known. A situation like this has never been an option for me. And it makes me want her even more. Maybe she can show me how to love really. Something I thought I was doing with my dead wife. Something that I found out was a complete lie.

I decided I needed to stop being a chicken and just meet up with her. I know there’s a little boat business in Mexico that I have my eye on. Something I’ve thought about for a while.

I’ll hire someone to send tourists around on the boats. I have the cash in my bag, and I love Cancun. It’s always been one of my favorite destinations. The Mexicans are friendly, and the food is always to die for. Not that I ever will, but everything about lying low and living by the sea is exactly what I need.

It’s Tuesday, the day I used to go to the diner. The day I first met Leah. I take a deep breath as I open the door and sit at the same table.

It’s not long before I feel that all eyes are on me. Either it’s the owners, or her friends or even Leah. I don’t look up. I’m growing my beard and want to look like one of the locals and with my knowledge of Spanish. It won’t be hard to sound like them.

She smiles as she comes over. If no one knew any better, they would think we were strangers. We were more than that, but back to where it all began.

“Hi, do you have any apple pie?”

Her smile turns to a frown as I wait for her response. I could add in some small talk. That was the reason for me coming here in the first place, but I don’t feel like it. I want to give her the envelope, the one she left behind and tell her to use it. She has no choice, especially because the shit’s about to hit the fan sooner rather than later.

The rumors have been confirmed and Dad’s planning a hit on both her mom and stepsister. I could warn her and tell her that I’ll help save them. But I don’t think she’ll want me to do that. Then again, I could be wrong.

“Yes…” She wants to say something else, but then another customer’s calling for her attention. She comes back seconds later with not only a slice of pie, but coffee too.

The place starts to get busy. A lot busier than I remember and as many times, as Leah tries to come back to my table. A customer calls, or an order’s ready for her to be served. I shouldn’t have come in now. I’m due to leave tomorrow, and I’ve had enough time to contact her, but when an old acquaintance called to tell me about the hit on her mom I had to warn her somehow, and this is the only way that I know how to do it.

I left her a little something if she wants to get in touch. Not a number or even a contact. I simply left her the money, the fake ID, and a one-way ticket to being with me.