And Who Knew?

What I Saw Shocked Me

This book is more like a side hustle even though I have enough on my plate already. This book might not have the best performance because of that. I was just excited to start this, so . . . Yeah! Feel free to leave a comment, just don't smash a promoter in my face. For the thousandth time, I'm not interested!

no, I don't want my book on anything else, no, I don't want to make any money off it, no, I don't want a promoter, and no, I cant talk on anything but Pinterest if you absolutely have to talk to me. sorry.

a few quick, short ideas are also very welcome!

"April, honey . . ." I walked down the hallway, calling out to my wife. We were supposed to be discussing combining classes for a few days so that we could go over the nutritional facts of a healthy diet. Boring shit, really. I was an English teacher, and she did P.E. I was going to help her go over abbreviations and such. I turned the corner and peeked. I heard the soft murmur of her voice mixed with a man's. I recognized it as the math teacher of ninth grade. God, I hate math. Who the hell puts numbers with letters, anyways?

"It's not like he . . ." "Come on, just for a few . . ." "Look for . . ." "Worry . . ." I couldn't catch what they were saying. I knew I wasn't close enough to hear, but I didn't want to risk anything.

"He's busy with the special student, remember? He won't be looking for you anytime soon" Lies. I just finished sending her off after a good pep talk about how to say "stop" without getting angry. Or were they talking about someone else? I doubt it, I'm what kids prefer over the actual counselor. I moved to the doorway and peeked at what they were doing.

What I saw shocked me. He had his FUCKING hands around April moving his arms up and down. She gave him a quick peck on the lips. For a second, I saw red, but a kid in the hall stopped me from doing anything crazy. I can't make a scene at school. No fucking way. I backed up, and I ran as fast as i could out of the school. School was nearly over anyways; the bell would ring any second. I nearly tore my key ring from the belt loop as I pranced down the parking lot into my car. I scrambled into the seat and started her engine, then teared out of the parking lot down the road. I didn't know where the hell I was going, but I didn't care enough to check the signs. I pushed my foot down on the accelerator. If I kept this shit up I was bound to get a speeding ticket, but who cares?

~

Okay, I'm a bit calmer. I drove to my house and packed a few sets of clothes into a suitcase. I wasn't staying with her. Maybe there was some mistake and I just saw things wrong. Maybe they were family and kissing wasn't weird to them. Right? I zipped my suitcase shut and lugged it over my shoulder. A picture of me and April crossed my eyesight and I was quick to shoot my hand out to flip it over. I didn't even want to look at her right now. The suitcase's plastic parts hit the door frame and I flinched. I didn't bother checking for a mark as I stomped to the driveway and hauled my suitcase into the back seat. I then drove to a hotel.

.

.

.

SCREEEEEEEEECH. I slammed my foot down on the breaks. 

"Dammit! Fucking squirrel . . ." I waited for it to pass and I drove on.

"Huh?" It won't go. No matter how hard I press on the pedal, the car won't speed up. I parked the car off the side of the road and hopped out, wondering why the hell it wasn't moving. I peeked at the tires.

Skid marks. and a hole mark. Great. To be fair, I've had these tires for two decades. Since I was fifteen, before I got my driver's license. If I remember correctly. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. Now what was I supposed to do? 

Well, it still worked, right?

I managed to lug all the way to the nearest hotel. Not the one I wanted to go to, but it was good enough. But where are all the cars? I parked, got out of the car, and walked toward the hotel doors. It flashed a big "CLOSED" sign on it. Someone was standing there, almost like they were guarding it. I paid no attention.

"Sorry, sir-" I shrieked and jumped, falling face first into the pavement. I turned my head so my cheekbone landed on impact. Stinging and throbbing, I brushed off the grit and turned to face whoever I momentarily wanted to slap. A girl with mousy grey hair with brown eyes looked at me. She could have been a teenager at my school. Hell, she could have been in one of the classes I taught.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we're not open to the public. This is a dedicated government-led hotel for people with a special license."

"Oh, um, thanks." Dammit.

"Have a good day" She said, opening the doors with no effort at all. She didn't insert a key to it or anything. I huffed and walked off. I jumped again, feeling something tap my shoulder. An old woman was trying to grab my attention. She looked brittle and held multiple cards in her hand. If I remember correctly, she was the person "guarding" the doorway.

"Would you like to come inside?" I tried to calm down and remember my morals. Treat elderly people with respect.
"Yes, ma'am"  She handed me a card. A tarot card. It said "the lovers" and was upside down.

"What's this supposed to mean?"

"Be patient, dear" She handed me another card. I backed away a little. But I decided to listen, because this seemed strangely important. "The Chariot" It was upside down again.

Another card. "Justice" It was upright.

Another card. "The Hanged Man" It was upright.

Another card. "Death" it was upright.

"The Fool" It was upright.

"The Tower" It was upright. Now I knew this card. This card meant danger.

"Uh . . . Who are you?" She didn't say anything, only handed me a seventh card one that was different from the others.

"Seven, only for a secret never to be told" and then she walked away. I didn't care to chase after her. I blinked and looked back at the hotel, only for a different, much larger one to stand in it's place.