The Denver Cereal (18 page)

“
Well, I want to know,”
Tanesha said. She put her hands on her hips as if she wouldn’t give
it up until her question was answered. “I mean, every girl has a
chance to do porn. I have. Jill has. And we needed the money. Why
did you?”

“
I never worked in the
adult entertainment industry.” Val’s hands bounced her ‘A’ cup
breasts. “Don’t really have the parts, now do I?”

“
I saw those pictures,”
Sandy said. “You’re bigger in the pictures.”

“
I was pregnant in the
pictures,” Valerie said. She shook her head slightly. “My husband
was deployed to the Middle East. I took those pictures for him. The
pictures were forcibly removed from him. They were sold to the
press by my stepsister.”

“
Trevor’s whore?” Heather
asked.

Valerie nodded.

“
She sucks.” Sandy had a
sheepish expression on her face. “Why does Perez hate you so
much?”

“
He has a crush on a
friend of mine . . . You know, my first ex-fiancé?
Sean?” Valerie shrugged. “He thinks I’m keeping him from his true
love.”

“
Oh,” Heather said.
“Sorry. We didn’t mean to . . .”

“
It’s all right.” Valerie
shook her head. “If people believe this stuff, I need to get used
to explaining my life. It’s just complicated, you know?”

The women nodded their
heads in unison.

“
Well, that Wes?” Tanesha
said. “You know, I never liked that man. I always thought he
was . . . slimy. And too old. I bet he has to take
those blue pills.”

“
TANESHA!” Jill’s
horrified voice echoed in the small apartment.

“
Uh-huh,” Sandy and
Heather said in unison. “We thought that too.”

Valerie laughed at the
truth reflected to her in these strangers’ faces.

“
I especially don’t like
him now,” Heather said. “I mean, you seem so nice. And he’s
just . . . blech.”

“
Why?”

“
He is not saying nice
things about you,” Tanesha said.

Val’s took a quick breath.
“How bad?”

“
Bad,” Tanesha
said.

Sandy and Heather’s heads
bobbed up and down.

Valerie closed her eyes.
She crossed her arms so her hands held her in a tight hug. The
world seemed to wobble on its axis. She felt like she might throw
up or faint.

Feeling movement in the
room, she opened her eyes. Mike. Mike wrapped her in his arms.
Holding him to her, she knew she was right where she was supposed
to be, exactly where she belonged.

Home.

~~~~~~~~

Jill tiptoed across her
living room. When Mike and Jacob arrived with food, Katy was ready
to entertain. Even lagging a little, she kept the adults laughing
with her endless stories of her hospital adventure.

After everyone left, Jacob
insisted on caring for Katy to give Jill time to deal with her
life. Jacob and Katy played with Barbies for a while. He taught
Katy how to play tic-tac-toe. When Katy’s eyes drooped, they
watched her favorite cartoons on videotape.

Jill peeked in a couple
times to see how they were doing. Katy and Jacob went from playing
on the couch to lying on the floor. Jacob made a bed for Katy out
of the couch cushions. The last time Jill checked, they were sound
asleep. He woke when she touched him.

“
Oh sorry,” Jacob said. “I
haven’t slept much in the last couple days.”

“
I don’t know why.” Jill
smiled.

His chuckle woke Katy.
Katy opened her eyes to watch them whisper back and
forth.

“
My boss called. He can’t
find something he needs. Would you mind watching Katy for an hour
or so? I should be right back.”

“
I’m happy to hang out
with Katy. Is that all right with you, Katy?”

Katy nodded her head up
and down.

“
Would you mind if Katy
and I went to the Castle?” Jacob asked. “I’m sure Mike and Val
could use some help getting ready for dinner.”

“
I want to go to his
house, Mommy,” Katy said.

“
Okay, Katy-baby, let’s
get you dressed for dinner. I’m going to get your stay-the-night
stuff together so you can sleep if you need to.”

Katy nodded.

“
When does she take her
medication again?”

“
In an hour,” Jill said.
“Do you mind just hanging here while I take care of
this?”

“
Not at all.”

Jill gave Katy a quick
bath and dressed her in her hand me down “fancy dress.” Katy was
beginning to sag again by the time Jill finished packing Katy’s
pony bags. She carried Katy into the living room but stopped,
stunned, at the door. Jacob had cleaned up the toys and couch
cushions. He even replaced the rug where it belonged. She shook her
head as if she couldn’t believe what she saw.

“
Mommy, I think I need to
sleep,” Katy said.

“
Should we stay here?”
Jacob asked.

“
No, she sleeps like a
rock. If you don’t mind keeping her with you, she’ll sleep almost
anywhere.”

Jacob took Katy’s worn
leather saddlebags. He arched his eyebrows in question to Jill. She
smiled and nodded toward the door. He opened the door so she could
carry Katy from the apartment.

Walking down the hall, she
said, “The bags are another long story. For now, you should know
that these are Katy’s pony bags. I’m sure she’ll tell you all about
them when she’s feeling better.”

He followed Jill out of
the apartment. Jill set Katy in her car seat and was surprised when
Jacob took the passenger’s seat.

“
You can drop us off at
the workshop,” he said. “We can take the tunnel into the
Castle.”

“
I usually take the
bus.”

“
You may as well take the
car. Do you have money for parking?”

Jill looked in her purse.
She had a dollar in quarters and a prescription for Katy. She would
use the dollar for the meter but the
prescription . . . As if he had read her mind, Jacob
set a hundred dollar bill in her purse.

“
For the meds,” he
said.

She blushed.
“I . . .”

“
Don’t worry. I’ll put it
on your tab.” He winked.

“
Thanks. I didn’t
know . . .”

“
How to get the
prescription filled? I figured as much,” he said. Jacob took her
cell phone and dialed his number. “Now you have my number. Just
call me when you’re done and I’ll meet you at the
workshop.”

She nodded and drove to
his Detroit Street workshop. Jill waved at Jacob and Katy when she
pulled out. Driving down Detroit Street, she watched them waving in
the rearview mirror.

Her baby girl in the arms
of her . . .

Boyfriend?

Ah shit.

~~~~~~~~

“
What’s next?” Mike
asked.

They were sitting in the
Jeep. They had spent the last hour in Store of Lingerie in North
Cherry Creek. The owner, Cindy Johnson, had escorted them into a
private fitting room, where Valerie teased Mike with lingerie.
Mostly, she looked at underwear and bras for her new Denver life.
Jacob had planned for everything except decent
underwear.

“
Want to do something
really fun?” Valerie asked.

“
More fun than watching
you try on lingerie for an hour? No, darling, there’s nothing
better than that.”

In a swift motion, Valerie
slipped her knee over Mike’s lap. Sitting facing him, she kissed
with long, pulling motions. As fast as she was there, she moved
back to the passenger seat. Mike was so dazed it took him a few
moments to speak.

“
Yes, dear,” Mike
said.

“
So you want to do
something fun?”

“
Whatever you
say.”

Valerie laughed. His arms
moved around her to kiss her. She turned her head away. He laughed
and kissed her cheek.

“
What did you have in
mind?” Mike asked.

“
Safety deposit
box.”

“
Your wish is my
command.”

~~~~~~~~

“
But . . .
but . . .” Jill couldn’t breathe.

“
Get the fuck out of my
office!” The rolls of fat under her boss’s chin vibrated with his
scream.

“
I have sick time. I have
vacation time. I . . .”

“
I don’t give a shit what
you have or don’t have. If you don’t get the fuck out of my office,
I will have you arrested!”

“
My
daughter . . .”

“
You are such a whining
little bitch,” he said. Imitating her voice, he whined, “My
daughter.”

“
Listen, you have no
right . . .”

Jill started and jumped
back when he let out a rage filled scream: “AGHHHH! I don’t give a
fuck about your daughter or you!”

He jumped from his seat so
fast that Jill cowered as if he was going to hit her. He pushed his
bulk past her to the door.

“
Please, sir,” Jill
whimpered. “I’m very sorry you couldn’t find the email. You’re
absolutely right. It’s entirely my fault.”

“
Damn right, it’s your
fault.”

“
I really need this job.”
Jill couldn’t keep herself from begging.

“
That’s not my problem
anymore.”

He wrenched the door open
and pointed.

“
Please, Mr.
Ashforth.”

“
Get the fuck out of my
office and my company. If I even THINK you’re near the building, I
will call the cops.”

He grabbed Jill by the
elbow and dragged her through the office. While horrified employees
watched, he shoved her out the door. Jill landed in a heap on the
sidewalk. He threw her purse at her. Her purse opened in mid-air
spilling its contents all over the sidewalk.

Her nylons ruined, Jill
scrambled to pick up her purse as a woman ran across the street to
see if she could help. They picked up her belongings together. When
Jill looked back at her office, she gasped, bit her fist, and then
went blank.

Unsure of what to do, the
woman found Jill’s phone on the sidewalk. The stranger pressed send
to dial the last number Jill had dialed.

“
Hello? I’m sorry. I am
in . . . uh . . . Denver. I saw this
woman thrown out of an office. I think she was assaulted but I
can’t tell. She’s very upset.”

“
Where is she?” Jacob
asked.

“
Brighton Boulevard and
East 36
^th
Street,” the woman said.

“
I hate to ask you this,
but will you stay with her? I certainly will compensate you for
your time. She gets overwhelmed
and . . .”

“
You don’t have to
compensate me. I’ll stay with her. I have time,” the woman said.
“Just come and help your friend. I’ve never seen anything so
awful.”

“
I will be there as fast
as I can get there,” Jacob said.

Clicking off his cell
phone, he looked at Delphie. They were standing in the middle of
his apartment while Katy slept on his bed.

“
You were right,” Delphie
said.

“
Just tell me. She’ll be
all right?” Jacob asked.

He slipped his arms into
the jacket of his black Brioni “power” suit. Delphie straightened
his tie.

“
She will be fine,”
Delphie said. “I’ll stay here with Katherine.
Just . . .”

“
I know. Be myself,” Jacob
said. “Can I kill him?”

Delphie smiled. “You know
what to do.”

“
You’ll talk to Dad?”
Jacob asked.

“
I already have,” Delphie
said.

“
Thanks,” Jacob
said.

“
Jake?” Delphie hugged
him. “I love you.”

“
Love you.”

He was halfway down the
long stairs from his apartment when Delphie called his name. He
turned, and she threw him a box of Kleenex. Catching the tissue
box, he stopped short for Valerie. Valerie came out of the house
and waited for him on the landing. She nodded.

When Valerie walked across
the grass, the crowd and photographers began screaming her name.
Jacob ran toward the garage. Using his remote, he started the Aston
Martin DBS while the garage door opened. Valerie moved toward the
opposite edge of the property. The photographers and crowd followed
Valerie, and the driveway cleared of people. Jacob drove the
silver, two-seat sports car to the fence. With the Denver Police
holding the stragglers back, Jacob hit the street.

Gratefully, Monday
afternoon traffic was almost nonexistent. He took Colfax to Park
Avenue West. Even with a few red lights, he managed to make good
time. Turning on Broadway, he made the easy transition to Denver’s
oldest warehouse district on Brighton Boulevard.

Nearing 36th, he noticed a
Denver Police cruiser and a policeman talking to Jill. She was
sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. Jumping from the car, he
jogged to her. He dropped to his knees to scoop her up.