Chapter 19
Colt
I didn't want to hear anymore. It was the words that I feared, and I didn't want to hear it all the way through. So, I stopped her mid-sentence and told her that everything was fine. She didn't have to explain herself.
“Just give me the papers and I will sign them now. I wouldn’t want you to miss another flight.”
“I'm sorry, Colt.”
“Don’t be, you’re right. I should have realized that this was a long shot. I know that it seemed silly to think that I had somehow, that we had somehow found true love in one night. It won't happen again.”
“I don't want you to be mad at me Colt.”
“I'm not. It is good to know where I stand.”
She sighed loudly, and I could tell that my words were bothering her a little bit yes. I did back way the fuck off or I wasn't going to be able to make it through. I told her that I was going to get Ralph to get her a driver to the airport.
“Why don’t you want to talk about this?”
“I don't think there's anything else to talk about, Candy. Do you?”
She must have seen that I was bothered because she finally just dropped it and didn’t say another word. She actually started to get her things together and walking away from her killed me.
I went into the kitchen and told Ralph that he could stop.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“She is going to go, and can you just call Ernest and tell him that I need him to gas up the car and take her to the airport as soon as possible?”
Ralph was not usually good at holding his tongue down, but tonight he was, and I was thankful for that. I didn't want to have to explain myself anymore, I didn't think I could take it. The weekend had been an emotional rollercoaster and now I was coming back to earth, and I can't say that I liked it very much.
“Will do boss.”
“Thanks Ralph, I don't know what I do without you.”
This will be one of the times that he would have something smart. It was usually sarcastic as hell, but not today. I hated to think it but, it seemed like he could feel my pain is well.
I started walking out of the kitchen and he startled me with his voice.
“It is all going to work out the way it's supposed to Colt. Just remember that and you will feel better.”
Because of how he was, he threw me off guard because he wasn't really into the hippy, dippy, bullshit like that. We didn’t believe in fate or destiny. That’s what I told myself anyways. The fact, that I've been holding out for seven years for a girl that I'd met once, was more than a little ridiculous. If I didn't think that we were fated together, then why the hell would I waited so long?
I went back to the hallway and knocked on the door of the room that she was using. It felt weird all of a sudden to be around her and I didn't want to impose. How quickly things have changed in the blink of an eye.
“Do you mind if I come in?”
“Of course, not come on.”
I walked in and I could see that she was already pretty much packed. It wouldn’t be long before Ernest was ringing the bell and he would be taking her away from me. This time, he was going to take her away from good and I don't think I was ever going to see her again. It was bad enough seven years ago but now it just seemed worse. At least this time I hadn't woken up alone, but it didn't change the fact that I was going to miss her. More than that, I was going to miss what could have been. we could have been damn good together.
“Do you need help with anything?”
“No, I think I got it.”
I stood at the doorway and I can't really express how weird it was to not be touching her. It was about a couple of hours ago that we had fallen asleep in each other’s arms, exhausted from be together all day, but now I was expected to stand here and pretend like it never happened. I didn't know how to do that, and I wanted to hurry it along.
“So, do you have the paperwork? I don't want to keep you waiting.”
She told me that there was no rush, but obviously that wasn't true. If she hadn't been in a rush, then I would've been able to talk her into staying for a while longer. She was the one that claimed she had to get back to work and the man she was going to marry.
When I didn't back down about the timing thing, she went to the bag and it was then that I noticed the stack of papers. I should have gone over them, there was no telling what was inside of it. I was a lawyer. I knew better than to sign something that I hadn't read, but I trusted her. I didn't trust her this day, but I trusted her to do the right thing when it came to the divorce.
After my signature was written down and my initials where put in all of the right spots, I flipped the papers back together and handed them back to her.
“Here you go Candy. Now you have everything that you came here for.”
I didn't say anything to the fact that I questioned if that was what she needed. Her life did seem a whole lot more complicated than it looked in the beginning. I had thought that she was a woman in love, and maybe she was, but it sounded like she had responsibilities and obligations that came first.
I was walking out of the room, needing to put some space between us before I did or said something stupid.
“Wait, where are you going?”
“I am going down to the kitchen to make some dinner. Ernest will be here in a moment and I will ring you when he arrives. I will make sure that you don't miss the next plane.”
“So, you aren't even going to say goodbye?”
It was the way that she said it, or more accurately, it was the tone of her voice when she said it. I could tell that she was really bothered by the concept of me leaving without saying goodbye and I wanted to believe that it was because she really cared. I didn't know if that's true, but that is what I wanted to believe.
“I didn't think you would want me to. You seem rather determined to get me out of your life, came all this way to do so. Now, you have what you want. I don't think you have any more use for me.”
“Please don't be upset about this.”
I wasn't upset, it was more like a bitter feeling that I didn't think was ever going to go away. I can't believe that I had been such a fool. I should have known better and now it looked like it was going to be biting me in the ass instead. I just should've known earlier. It made me wonder if this is what it was like for the girls that I casted aside. Maybe this was my payback for hurting so many other women. A little tit for tat from the universe.
“Be safe Candy. I hope everything works out the way you want it to.”
I couldn’t bring myself to congratulate her on her new fiancé and upcoming wedding. I just didn’t want to think about her getting married to someone else, so I didn't say anything. It wasn't going to end well if I did.
She vaulted into my arms and wrapped them around my neck. She was holding me so tightly that I didn't think she was ever going to let you go. This was more than just a hug, but with Candy, there really was no telling what was going on. She was a confusing woman.
“I'm going to miss you too, Colt. I can't tell you how good it has been to be here with you. I needed this rejuvenation and a new outlook on everything. You have changed my life, in a way that I never would have thought possible.”
Meanwhile I had no idea what to think of that. I let go of her and kind of pushed her away a little bit, so that we would have the space that I needed. This was just some sort of torture that did not have a happy ending and I didn’t want to go through it.
“I will buzz you as soon as Ernest is here. Okay? Looks like you have a little bit more packing to do, so I will make sure that you have all the quiet that you need to do it.”
“Thanks Colt. Will I see you before I leave?”
“Probably not. It’s probably for the best.”
She agreed with me with a shake of her head, but I could tell that it wasn't the answer that she had been looking for. Or at least, it wasn’t the answer that she had been expecting from me.
“Okay.”
...
That was all that she said as I was walking away, and I didn't look back this time. She didn't try to stop me again either. I think we both knew that whatever was going on, was not going to get better. It was over between us, and the weekend that I have blackmailed her for was over. Now she was leaving, and I had to get my shit together because she wasn’t going to be coming back.