The Beginning
Chapter One:
January 28th, 2019:
This was my last day off, and I was spending it cleaning. I groaned as I tied up a trash bag. Why the hell do I even stay? My boyfriend has not even looked for another job. Everything was falling on me. Bills, keeping the house clean, everything.
I was getting tired of him playing his video games while I was working. There were some days I thought about smashing the damn thing. Between him playing his stupid games and talking to other women, I was done.
As I took out the trash bag, I saw snow falling softly. Really? The weather app had shown that it wasn’t supposed to snow until this evening. Once again, the weather reporter was wrong.
I quickly made my way through the side yard to get back inside. Justin, my boyfriend, had made a run to the county landfill. I was sitting out the bags that were already in the house. Of course, this was the first time he’d offered to help with the house.
Just as I got inside, I heard the faint ding of my Facebook Messenger. There were only three people who used Messenger to talk to me. My aunt and cousin in Virginia, and my best friend in California. When I unlocked my phone, I saw it was someone I didn’t know.
Hi, is this Nita? My name is Holly, and I need to talk to you.
Why does she need to talk to me? Recently, Justin has been secretive with his phone. About two weeks ago, he took a trip down to Pueblo. He said that he was going to visit his aunt Connie. I had no problems with him doing that because she has dementia. Her time on earth was growing shorter and shorter.
So, I replied:
This is Nita. What do you need to talk to me about? I have a few questions for you, too.
Suddenly, the coffee I had just drank felt like it was about to come back up. I sat down at the dining room table and lit a cigarette. Justin was gone for the moment. Maybe she could answer the questions that were weighing on my mind.
Ding! That would be Holly replying.
Are you with Justin?
She was straight to the point. As of right now, our relationship is in the air. If I find out Justin is cheating on me, I will walk away.
I don’t know at the moment. May I ask you a question?
I didn’t want to ask this question, but I had to know. If I ask Justin, he’ll lose his temper. It would turn into a yelling match between the two of us. He would also lie to me, like he has done before.
Holly was quick in her reply.
Sure, what do you want to ask?
I took a deep breath as I gathered my thoughts together. My hands shook as I typed.
Did he come down and see you a few weeks ago?
My heart started to race as I waited for her reply. As I went to knock my cigarette ash in the small, black ashtray, I missed it, and the ashes landed on the table.
“Shit,” I mumbled as I tried to brush the ashes into the ashtray.
Ding! Her message was a long one, and my blood started to boil.
We met up at the mall here. While Justin was here, he wanted to buy me an engagement ring.
I bit down on my tongue. How could Justin do that to me? I gave up my life in Canon City. My department boss was training me to take over his spot in the lumber yard. Damn, I was stupid for thinking that he loved me. I wonder if she knew how he got the money to see her. So, I decided to ask Holly my question.
Have you ever wondered how Justin had the money to come and see you?
That’s what has me pissed off. I was too generous with my money. When Justin asked me for money, I said sure, no problem. Now, I was the foolish one. As I was getting up from the table, Holly messaged me back.
Justin told me that he works odd jobs here and there. That’s how he had the money to come and see me.
As I was getting ready to message back, I could hear Justin’s truck rumbling into the neighborhood.
I gotta be quick because I hear Justin coming back. Justin’s not working at all. He lied to you and me.
I hope that Holly caught on that I was the one who gave him the money. Justin’s truck was getting closer. I messaged her again.
Justin’s almost back to the house. Thank you for being honest with me.
Justin couldn’t know that I was onto his lies. I got up quickly to find something to do. His bird, Mystic, let out a loud squawk when she heard his truck. I started to dig through the pile of clothes at the foot of the bed. There were no more chances for me to give him.
This house was trashed now. When I first moved in, I kept the house spotless. At that time, I wasn’t working. I stopped cleaning when I noticed signs that he was talking to other women.
I heard the backdoor open as Justin said, “Hey, where are you at?”
Before he could see me, I plastered a smile on my lips. “I’m in here,” I said as I yanked out my travel bag.
He peeked around the doorframe with a smile that dropped when he saw me packing. “What are you doing?”
I looked up from picking through the clothes. “What does it look like?”
“Well, we do need to do laundry too. You go back to work tomorrow.”
In the quiet house, we heard the faint ding of my Facebook Messenger. His dark brown eyes darkened as he glared at me. “So, you’re talking to your other man.”
“Oh, shut up with that bullshit,” I exploded as I threw a pair of jeans in the bag. “The one who accuses the other of cheating is usually the one doing the cheating.”
He didn’t say anything but looked down at his phone. I watched him closely as he stood there. “I’m not talking to anyone. What are you talking about?”
“Well, then tell me who Holly is?”
His eyes widened when I mentioned Holly’s name. He stammered out, “She’s just a friend. What are you saying? That I’m not allowed to have friends.”
I laughed out loud before I said, “She’s more than a friend. You wanted to buy her an engagement ring.”
Justin stood there quietly, clenching his fists. I knew that I had him when I said that. Then he spoke, “She’s lying to you. I never wanted to buy her an engagement ring. If anything, I was asking for her opinion to buy you one.”
I shook my head as I said, “You’re lying to me. Try again.”
“Why do you think I’m lying to you?”
When I looked at him, he stepped back from me. “You used your aunt’s condition as a cover-up story. In reality, you went to see Holly. That’s a low-down, dirty trick. To use your aunt because you knew she wouldn’t remember you.”
I was done with lies, especially Justin’s lies. When I first caught him last summer, I should have left then. I believed his lies and empty promises. Even my cousin in Virginia told me to leave him. I should have listened to her.
Justin quietly said, “I do love you, Nita. If you're planning on leaving me, please stay. I promise I won't mess up again."
I spun around to face him as I said, “If you loved me, cheating would have never crossed your mind. Damn, I gave up the life I started in Canon City. For what? To be a live-in maid? Hell, you don’t even want to be intimate with me. Why should I even stay? Give me one good damn reason.”
He looked down, not saying a word. I shook my head as I gathered up my phone and cigarettes. Then I went into the bedroom and grabbed my bag.
The door caught my coat as I was leaving. I heard a jingling sound in my pocket and fished out the keys. As I closed the door, Justin said, “Please don’t leave me. I made a mistake. Please forgive me. It won’t happen again.”
I laughed instead of answering him and walked down the steps. The snow was steadily falling down now. I knew that there was ice along the side yard. Slowly, I made my way to my car. When I reached my car, I heard the back door closing. I hurriedly threw my bag in the car. As I looked up, I could see Justin quickly making his way to me.
“So, you’re just going to leave me like that?”
“Yes, I am. I forgave you after the first time. People told me that I was stupid to take you back. You know what? They were right. This time, I'm wiser to your game. I'm not going to give you another chance to hurt me."
He started to speak, but I didn’t give him a chance. I jumped into the driver’s side and locked the doors. He was not going to lure me back with empty promises.
The drive out of the neighborhood was a slow one. Even with the windshield wipers going, I was having problems seeing the road. I had to inch up the hill. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the steering wheel. There was only one time I fishtailed. Just a tiny fishtail.
There was very little traffic on the highway. I just had to watch out for these idiot tourists. They act like they know how to drive in this kind of weather. Even though I have lived up in the mountains before, I still get nervous.
This time, I was not going to go back to Justin. I wasn’t even going on dates. The walls are going up to shield my heart now. I could not afford to fall for someone else. All I would end up with is disappointment and heart ache. I'm getting up there in age to start all over again with someone new. Here, I thought that I had found my happily ever after, my forever. The person I was going to grow old and gray with. I was let down by love, let down by my heart.
A Backstreet Boys song called “Shattered” started to play. The words of the song hit home. My heart was shattered beyond repair. I felt like this was my fault. When Dean, my second husband, passed away, I was lonely. I let the loneliness get the best of me. Now, I would rather be lonely than get hurt again.
What I didn’t know was that Fate had other plans for me. That me leaving Justin was going to set off a chain of events. It was going to open a giant Pandora box. When? Only time will tell.
