Moving On

Romero

Manny and Max weren’t happy when they found out that not only was Romero not going into the family business, he wouldn’t even be doing the doorman gig anymore. Of course, he’d help out if they were ever in a bind and needed him, but he had a goal and he was sticking to his plan.

After a year of doing the doorman thing exclusively, he started landing jobs at other bars and clubs. He needed the experience of dealing with more than just throwing a bunch of drunks out on their asses.

He landed a job at a sports arena working security during concerts and events. The bigger celebrities had their own security, but the small-time celebs needed to be escorted in and out. As different as the venue was, compared to his uncles’ bar, the sexual encounters were surprisingly similar. His choices in this case, were of a more sophisticated caliber but the outcome was still the same. The women may have been classier on the outside, but to Romero they were just as hollow on the inside and the act itself, just as meaningless.

The biggest difference was while the women at his uncles’ bar looked up to him as if he were on a higher level because his uncles owned the joint, these women had the fucking nerve to look down on him because he was the security guard to their gig. They’d spread their legs just as easily as the girls from the bar and moaned just as loud. It was laughable. Though most of the time he didn’t feel much like laughing.

One night he walked the back stage, keeping an eye out for any eager fans that might sneak back to get a closer look at the musicians performing that night. The music blared so loud you could actually feel it vibrate through the halls.

Thoughts of his next step to get to his goal consumed him. He’d already enrolled in an online course required by the state to get his business license. Talking to Angel and Eric helped him stay on course. They were always talking about the next semester and having to pass this or that prerequisite. Even though he never talked about his own goal, he had a lot to take care of before he got to where needed to be.

The main thing slowing the process for him now was money. His uncles had it, but he wasn’t about to hit them up. He was doing this on his own. That was part of the reason he sought out another job—more money. His uncles had offered him more money to stay but he knew it was a hand out. Most of the time he sat out there for hours. Some nights he saw no action at all. How the hell could he justify a raise for doing nothing more than sitting and keeping an eye out?

Loud voices jolted him from his thoughts. He turned to see a man and a woman arguing just outside the ladies’ room at the other end of the hall. He hurried toward them. From what he could see, they both seemed to have the proper backstage passes around their necks. Their argument was escalating. The music was loud, but so were they, and Romero could make out what they were arguing about.

The second Romero saw his other hand go for her throat, he broke into a sprint. He felt something ignite in him and the memories of that night with Cici in the parking lot assaulted him. “Get your fucking hands off her!”

They both turned, startled by his voice. The man backed away from the woman just seconds before Romero reached them. Romero slammed him against the wall. “You think you’re a tough guy, hitting women? Hit me, mother fucker!” He held his hands open to his sides dying for this guy to take a swing.

“All right that’s enough,” someone from behind Romero yelled. Romero kept squeezing and the man’s face began turning red. The rage he felt got worse by the second. The coward didn’t even try fighting him off. Romero reached for the passes that hung around the man’s neck with his other hand and ripped them off. He had every right to throw anyone out who started trouble. This guy had started more than that.

He pulled his hand off the guy’s neck and grabbed him roughly by the collar of his shirt instead. Romero hauled him off toward the exit. “Where are you taking him?” A bald man surrounded by a few bodyguards asked.

Romero didn’t even turn to look at him, trying desperately to calm himself before he did more than he should and responded. “He’s out of here.”

“Do you know who that is?”

“I don’t give a shit.”

As it turned out, he should’ve given a shit. The man he’d thrown out was the brother of one of the boys in the wannabe boy band performing that night. Even though the band was still up-and-coming, their clout was big enough to get Romero fired.

It was a pisser, but a well-worth-it pisser. All this time he thought he was over what had happened to Cici that night. Seeing that man put his hands on that woman brought back the ugly memory. He played the scene repeatedly in his head every night. The look in her frightened eyes just before he slapped her, then seeing her body fly backwards. Images of her swollen bloody lip made him squeeze his eyes shut. There was no doubt in his mind that if he had to do it over, he would pound Fred’s face into the ground until he was unconscious.

After what happened at the concert, he was wondering about Cici again. Was Fred still beating her? Was she even alive still?

His uncles had been arguing, going back and forth all day. This time it was about Aida. “I’m not busting your nuts, Man. I’m just saying you’ve only been seeing her a few months and already you’re talking about moving her in? How do you know she’s the one so fast?”

Max still appeared to be trying to figure out who they were talking about. “You don’t remember her, Max?” Romero didn’t understand his own sudden interest. It bothered him to no end to think she wouldn’t have had to live through that, if it hadn’t been for him.

“I think I do now.” His confused expression went hard. “If it’s the one I’m thinking, Manny’s right. Trouble—so stop wondering about her and get your ass outta bed. We’re going bowling and you’re coming with.”

Isabel

If it hadn’t been for Isabel’s insistence, Valerie might’ve taken her real estate license exam and dropped out of school. Valerie didn’t share Isabel’s enthusiasm for school. But in an act of friendship, and the selfish need to keep her new best friend around longer, she convinced her to stay and at least get her AA. Once Valerie had earned her degree, she was gone. Not wanting to get used to a brand new roommate, and knowing without Valerie there, things just wouldn’t be the same, Isabel decided to finish school while commuting from home.

Pat had transferred to a school out of state, making Isabel’s last two years of school easier. No one loved her decision to become a schoolteacher, least of all Pat, but her parents supported her decision. She knew her mom was secretly thrilled that Isabel had decided to follow in her footsteps.

“I just hope you’re not going to stop just because you get your credentials, Bell. If teaching is what you want to do,” Pat had said, with the roll of her eyes. “No offense to Mom, but you can at least take it a step further and teach at a university level.”

Unsure why she’d never been able to stand up to her oldest sister, Isabel actually agreed to consider it. Her sister had cheerfully made the announcement to everyone in the family. Ever since she’d started teaching full time, not only her sister but her father began asking her when she was going back to school. She was just getting used to her new role in life and they wanted her to squeeze in more school time?

Valerie moved out of her dad’s place months ago and had kept trying to convince Isabel to move in with her ever since. She was on the phone with her again on the way home from work. “Isabel, you promised when we were in school that we’d get our own place once we graduated. You can organize this place however you want. I’ll follow the rules, scout’s honor!”

The school district she worked for was actually closer to Valerie’s place than her parents’ house, and if she did go back to school, she would be much closer to the university also. The only reason she hadn’t agreed to it yet was because she was the last one home now. Pat married a highly decorated Navy Lieutenant Commander and moved out over a year ago. Her other siblings never bothered moving back into the nest after they left for school. Gina now lived in New York, while Art stayed in Los Angeles. Their dad was supposed to retire a few years ago but he kept putting it off. Isabel hated leaving her mom alone. But she had promised, and deep inside she really did feel it was time to get her own place.

“Oh my God, this is going to be great!” Valerie gushed. “And Alex has his own place now too, so he won’t be over that much. He prefers we hang out at his place anyway.”

Isabel didn’t comment. Valerie and Alex still had their off and on roller coaster relationship. At the moment, it was on. But she knew it was just a matter of time before things went south again. Isabel didn’t understand why Valerie couldn’t just let go once and for all.

*

A few weeks later, she’d moved in and everything was put away exactly as she required things to be put away. Of course, Pat came by to put in her two cents about her new place. “Personally, I would’ve stayed with Mom and Dad until I saved up to buy my own place. But since you’re going back to school, maybe this is best for now.”

As usual, Isabel took the criticism with a nod and a smile.

The months passed, and Valerie kept her promise about not having Alex over too often, though Isabel didn’t mind having him around. He was pleasant enough, but he was clearly more comfortable having Valerie stay over at his place. Valerie spent so much time over there, Isabel began to wonder if maybe she’d move in with him. Then one night after he’d disappeared for almost a week, Valerie went to his place and confronted him.

Isabel had seen Valerie upset about Alex many times since meeting her, but this was by far the worst. After years of speculating and assuming she knew what he was doing when she wasn’t around, she caught him with another girl at his place. Valerie knew all along he kept the company of other women when she wasn’t around but seeing it for herself was devastating.

Even after Valerie cried for hours and probably the entire night—Isabel finally left her alone in her room—Isabel still assumed that within days or perhaps weeks this time, Valerie would get back with him. But it didn’t happen. She finally decided she’d had enough.

As hard as Isabel knew this must be for Valerie, they both agreed it was for the best.

Valerie hadn’t dated anyone in months, so Isabel felt a little guilty when Lawrence, a guy from a few doors down, asked her out. He was a little older and a professor at UCSD. It seemed ideal. Valerie was excited for her.

Pat, of course, found reasons not to like him. “Why is he still living in an apartment at his age? He can obviously afford a house.”

“He says he’s comfortable here and he says being a real estate owner does not define you as a person.”

“That,” her sister said with a sneer, “is lack of ambition. I hope he doesn’t put those kinds of thoughts in your head.”

Isabel couldn’t muster up the energy to argue. Maybe if she actually liked Lawrence, she would. She’d dealt with his kind before plenty of times: know-it-all, brainy guys. What she couldn’t get past was how boring he was. She was so sick of boring. From her first boyfriend to Lawrence and every guy she dated in between—boring. But then how did she expect to attract anything different? It’s not like she was Ms. Excitement. Just about anything she’d ever done in her life that was remotely exciting had been thanks to Valerie. She sighed. She was doomed to be with a boring guy. Just like her sister’s husband and she hated to say it, as much as she loved him, just like her dad.