Common Sense Doesn't Become Me (17 page)

Somewhere around seven o'clock that night,
Wally told me to go home. I told him I couldn't, seeing as I just
ordered a large pizza and had about three more hours of work I
wanted to kick out before I would be in bright and early tomorrow
morning. It was in that moment that my boss stopped and looked at
me dead in the eyes as he said what he had to say next.

"We all get caught up in our own personal
life drama, but Amber, you are the only truly committed employee I
know that once you realized I needed you, you were there. I can't
thank you enough. You're a hard worker, organized and smart."

I raised my eyebrows. "Gee Wally Woo, I was
afraid you might have chewed my ass for calling in for the last
three days."

"Nah. Besides, shit didn't hit the fan until
about an hour before you showed up. I know if I called you, you
would have rushed right over. You're dependable that way. If you
ask me, that boyfriend of yours, he's not worth it. You deserve a
man who appreciates you, and that goes for your mom too. Maybe
someday she will." His smile was full of sincerity and concern.
Wally Woo and I spent a lot of hours talking about each other's
lives in a supportive way, and I guess right now, if felt good to
hear those words from him. It gave me a bit of reassurance of who I
am as a person is not so bad after all.

I laughed. "Well, I think the boyfriend
probably is worth the trouble. I just think we need some time right
now. The best thing for me is to throw myself into my work as a
distraction and for that, I guess I have you, the production line
crew, and the auditor to thank."

"Lines up by the way. Crew starts back up in
the morning. I'm just glad I didn't have to deal with that and the
auditor." He tipped his white sideways ball cap, with the shiny
brand sticker still on the brim, and started to turn to walk out of
my cubicle, but I stopped him.

"Hey Wally. If I had just been an ounce or
gallon, more mature, you would not have had to fend for yourself in
the first place. I am sorry my personal life affected me. It won't
happen again. Believe me, I swear; I am grown up now."

"Geez girl. Don't go all high and mighty over
the rest of us. You act mature, and then I have to act mature. No
sense. I like it when your life entertains me. Besides, remember
that last crazy bitch, I dated. Just keep it real." He did a peace
out sign and was gone.

Sometime after ten p.m., I left my cubicle
with a half-eaten large pizza in a brown cardboard box and stepped
out into the dead of the night to about the only car left in the
parking lot. The security guy walked me to my car and then asked me
if I was going to take my pizza home for leftovers. Not that he
looked to have been on any low-carb diet as of late since his belly
was bigger than a nine-month pregnant woman was, so I offered him
my leftovers, which he took gladly.

Pulling up to my apartment building, I
noticed a few lights on in apartments, most of which were being
illuminated by late-night TV watchers. Mason's was pitch black,
which made me think that he could be in 6D's. I tried to figure out
which apartment might be hers, assuming their numbered apartments
were the same as my buildings but reversed. Then I felt my head
pound and realized I was trying too hard to make something out of
nothing. Even if it was, now was not the time to deal with it. I
desperately needed a good night's sleep so that I could be at work
by seven in the morning.

My alarm went off as soon as my head hit the
pillow to go to sleep, I was sure of it. However, the sun was
peeking, and the night had passed. I did not even remember fluffing
my pillow before I fell asleep.

I jumped in the shower and washed briskly.
Then I attempted the ten-minute get ready for work plan. It
consisted of wet hair, twisted in a clip with only a few bangs out
in the front and side. While those dried, I painted on enough
makeup to hide the circles under my eyes and gave myself some color
on the cheeks. Two swipes of mascara per eye and a finger fluff to
my bangs, and I was ready to deal with work.

I tossed on jeans and a blue Crawly
embroidered polo over my basic white bra and cotton panties. I
didn't think I would need to worry about lingerie for a while. I
needed to focus on work and only work right now, not that Mason did
not creep into my thoughts every minute instead of second. That in
itself was an improvement.

As I pulled out of my parking space in my
apartment lot, I noticed that Mason's car was not in his parking
spot. I tried not to think about where he was or what he was doing,
but I did.

Once I got busy at work, my whole week played
out in my head and there was one very important person I had not
let in about what happened on Monday after my car died. Sometimes,
I wanted to give her a break from all my drama. I decided to grab
my cell phone and hide out in the office supply cabinet while I
caught my best friend up on my week of weirdness.

As soon as I got the logistics out, and
quieted my babble about what happened, Marion chimed in. "It sounds
like it went from bad to worse. I wish you would have called me. I
just figured you were busy at work and hopefully making up with
Mason. I didn't think it was all that bad. You know I'm here for
you."

I took a deep breath and replied. "I guess I
feel like I am nothing but constant drama. I wanted to sulk this
one out on my own for a bit. Not have you worry about me for a
change. Seeing as soon as the twins arrive, you will have enough to
handle with them instead of always bailing my emotional mess out.
It wasn't so bad, you know, not calling you and crying. Besides,
the two pounder bag of M&M's helped, along with Aunt
Heather."

"Let me guess. You ate all the blue ones
first." She snickered.

"You know it girl." I taunted.

"Well, next time, don't leave me out if you
need me. A shoulder to cry on is what we do for each other. Maybe
because everything seems to fall in your court lately, you might
have forgotten about all the times you've been there for me, when I
needed someone."

She had a point. I guess, I just felt like my
drama was on red alert, while that may be true, it wasn't long ago
that Marion's was just as crazy.

Marion spoke up and said something that made
me think even harder about my role in my family. "Hey. How many
times have you been there for your dad, you know when he is drunk?
How many times have you sobered him up and made him presentable
before your mom got home from work? Then there is Bethany. Sure,
she is book smart, but fashion and street smart; she is not. How
many times have you been there to help her with that? Huh?" She
laughed as I got out a mumbled 'I guess'.

"Now. Your Aunt Heather, sweet, dear, party
hardy let the good times rolls still stuck in the eighties' Aunt
Heather? How many times have you bailed her out of a situation?
When my dear, it should be the other way around. Although, I don't
recall you ever landing in jail or naked in a city pool at
midnight. She's crazy. Not to mention the fact, that you have been
your mom's emotional punching bag. She has turned to you whenever
things aren't right with her life and tried to focus on yours with
nit picking at you. Really, did you think you are all that messed
up? Because you are the most dependable, lovable, sweet woman, I
know. Not to mention, you are smoking hot. I know you don't think
you are sometimes, but you don't always see what other people see.
And yes, where would Wally Woo be without you? He is the lamest
production manager or boss in general that I have ever worked for,
when I worked there, but he is loveable, and you do make him look
like an excellent boss. Without you, he would probably be back on
the production line."

I let all of that sink in. I spit out my hair
that I was chewing on at the same time I was knocking a number two
pencil against a filing cabinet. I looked up at the fluorescent
light in the supply cabinet and bit the side of my lip, and then I
smiled. "Thanks." It was a soft-spoken sincere word, and I knew
what she said had some merit.

"The babies are hungry and I am coming to get
you for lunch. I need a cheeseburger or pizza; I don't care which.
These babies do not agree on cravings, and my prenatal yoga class
left me hungry. You need a lunch break, and babies need to
eat."

I laughed out loud, which caused an older
female coworker that was happening by to open the supply closet
door quickly, perhaps thinking something else was going on in here.
I waved innocently, and held up my cell phone and mouthed the
words, 'personal call'. She closed the door and walked away.

By the time Marion made it to my office
cubicle, I was feeling a whole lot better. As soon as she stood
before me, I stood up and hugged her. When I pulled back, I smiled
with a twinkle in my eye. "Let me log off." I turned to my
computer, clicked a few keys, I grabbed my purse, and we walked out
of my work to a fresh summer's day. It was in the moment that I
took a deep breath in that I felt so much better now that I had
decided to share my sorrow with my best friend. I needed to enjoy
our lunch talking about the babies and new summer fashion. I wasn't
going to let work woes or Mason crowd my brain with worry. Whatever
happens will happen. I just needed a break from all of that for
now.

Chapter Thirteen

It's too bad that
when things start to look better, a black billowy cloud rushes in
looking like a bull with horns and breathing steam. Just when I was
ok with life going back to how it was before Steve, before Mason,
and knowing that I had a lot to look forward to, with or without my
sexy man, things got a little dicey.

Turning back into the parking lot at work, as
I was cruising at a slow speed looking for an empty spot up close,
I witnessed something I never thought I would ever witness.
Conversely, maybe I did, but I kind of forgot about HER!

There on the front walk of my work, right in
front of the doors that opened into the office, and the entire row
of cubicle offices that house my fellow employees, was Steve's
wife. Standing next to her was Mason. Standing between her and our
receptionist was our male security officer with the big belly.
There seemed to be shouting between the two women, Steve's wife and
the company receptionist. The security guard was breaking a sweat
in the hot summer day, and Mason looked confused. Then as I watched
Steve's wife push Mason with her hands to his chest, her mouth
screaming something, that is when I did something really... stupid.
I hit the gas instead of the brakes as I had been coasting through
the parking lot watching all this, and I hit the president's brand
new Silver Range Rover.

The sound of the smack of my tiny red
two-door used car against the Presidents Range Rover was loud. The
dent in his car was minimal. Although, I might be fired over
ramming a brand-new car. Nobody with a new car wants to deal with
this. Better to just fire the imp who did it. My red used-car lot
special deal of a car had its front end bashed up and a jacked up
hood with steam coming out of the front of my car. I was sure I
would not need to worry about repairing the leaky radiator that had
just decided to start leaking on me this morning. I was going to
need to replace the whole car and most likely without a job or a
possible let's make up boyfriend. Mason obviously now knew the real
story behind Steve, not the skirted view that I gave him.

Just as I was trying to focus on the look of
Mason's face, I realized that something wet was oozing down my
forehead, and my vision was fading out as if the unfocused button
was being hit repeatedly, causing everything in front of me to get
fuzzier by the second.

I heard voices. I was sure of it. One of them
was Masons, but I was not too sure what he was saying. I felt hands
touch me, but my head pounded. Then the next thing I remembered
thinking was, thank God Marion decided to drive her own car to the
restaurant.

Coming to, was eventful. Some strange man's
face was in mine asking me if I could hear him. He knew my name,
but I did not remember getting flat on my back and meeting this
guy. I would have done a head slap to my head if I could but my arm
did not want to go up. Then I remembered; I pulled an Amber Jones
stupid stunt. It was all coming back to me. The vision of my
coworkers battling Steve's wife, mixed with Mason hearing all about
his girlfriend, well on hold girlfriend, dating a married man. That
was the one main fact I left out when I told him about Steve. I had
mentioned he had a girlfriend, but not a wife. That had been too
embarrassing of a fact.

Just a minute after the ER staff claimed me
to be stabilized and that a young gentleman was waiting to see me,
I was ecstatic because perhaps Mason was not so mad at me after
all.

I watched a very worried Mason slowly move my
ER curtain aside and a weak smile crawl across his face. It was in
his eyes, those beautiful sultry eyes, that I saw the care and
concern that wrapped me up in happiness. If he didn't care or was
mad, he wouldn't be here. "Hey." He spoke out with a hoarse voice
than he cleared it. "Mind if I come in."

I let a smile creep onto my face. "Please." I
got out with a very groggy voice. I went to reach for my water, and
he rushed over to where it was at, held it up, and put the straw in
my mouth. I took a sip as I let my hands wrap around his. It felt
nice to touch him, even if it was just a small gesture.

As soon as I stopped drinking my water, he
set the cup back off to the side, pulled a small chair up next to
the bed and held my hand while staring at me. Finally, he got off
his chest what had him so worried.

"Hey. That was scary today. I'm glad they
said it was only a slight concussion. You ok?" His eyes held the
look of a man who was not sure where he stood.