Perception

Part 6: Stay Away from Kelly York

I went to trade in my car. It went faster than I expected and it had me thinking maybe I should've taken Wayne up on his offer. "Enjoy your new car Mrs. York." the car salesman said. "Um, it's Ms. York." I corrected him. "But thank you." He waved and turned to go back inside the dealership. It was only 5:30. I decided to call Wayne and see if he was still up for that dinner date. He said that he was and we both decided to meet up at Layla's. "The food here is great I think you'll like it." Wayne said and instinctively wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. I flinched and he immediately withdrew. "Sorry, I forgot." he smiled sheepishly. "It's okay...just, give me some time." We walked side by side together to the entrance of Layla's. I could hear the live jazz band playing as we approached. "Hello and welcome to Layla's." the male greeter said. "Hello, we have a reservation for two, it's under Turner." Wayne answered. The greeter, whose name I now know to be Calvin because of his name tag, looked for Wayne's name on his iPad. "Oh, yes, we have you here, please, follow me." Wayne nodded at me and we both started following Calvin. "Here we are." he said. "Your waitress will be with you shortly."

Wayne pulled the seat out for me and I sat down. Once he was seated I told him how nice Layla's was. "I used to know Layla when she owned this place." he told me. "Her daughter runs it now, Layla passed a few years back, she had breast cancer." "That's awful." I said. "Hello, welcome to Layla's!" the enthusiastic waitress said. "My name is Kim, I'll be serving you this evening." she smiled. "Can I start you off with our house wine?" she asked us. We both scrambled to look at the drink menu, realizing we had been ignoring it the whole time. "Sure." I said after a minute. "What is the house wine?" "It's a merlot, deep red, sweet wine made in Napa Valley California. It's really good." she whispered holding her hand over her mouth as she spoke like it was a secret. "That sounds good." Wayne added. "Two glasses of Napa Valley merlot, got it." she winked and disappeared in the direction of the bar. We sat quietly, each of us seemed to be squirming, looking for conversation. I picked up the food menu and started reading. The jazz band played on and it seemed that was the only thing we had to keep us from feeling completely uncomfortable. "The steak looks good." Wayne said. I wanted to tell him I hadn't had red meat in over a year. It was the last meal I had with Devon. A well done filet mignon, topped with red onions, and mushrooms. But instead I said 'I think I'll have the salmon.' Finally, Kim came back with the wine. "Are you guys ready to order?"

Wayne placed his order for his steak to be medium rare, baked potato and side salad. I had the salmon over wild rice and a side of broccoli. Kim jotted down the order and again, disappeared after a wink. Again, we sat uncomfortably listening to the jazz band. I took a sip of the wine and thought about how accurate Kim's description was. It was deep red in color, sweet and full bodied with a wonderful fruitiness that I liked. I was so caught up in the thought of how good the wine was that I forgot about Wayne. After Devon, being in the company of men just wasn't something that I needed. I learned to enjoy my own quiet comforts. But Wayne wasn't used to dining with someone who was alone in her thoughts. "So." he said loudly trying to be heard over the jazz band. In my opinion he didn't have to speak so loud, I guessed he was trying to get my attention. "So?" I responded with a girlish smile I hadn't used in a while. "Jazz band is nice." he said and I knew it was for lack of anything else to say. "Are they here all the time?" I asked not because I really cared, but because I wanted to seem like I was in the moment with him. "Actually, this is the first time I've heard them play. There are a couple other regulars, and there's also a woman who comes in and sings live as well." I smiled and nodded.

Just then, Kim rounded the corner with our food balanced in her arms. "Steak for the Mr." she said sitting Wayne's food down in front of him. "Salmon for the..." "Lady." I said cutting her off before she could identify me as the 'Mrs'. "Oh, yes, sorry." she said pursing her lips, her eyes giving a look of confusion. I suddenly felt bad. I didn't mean to come off like that. "Were not married." Wayne told her holding up his left hand and shaking his naked fourth finger. It lightened the mood as he had intended and we all laughed. "Can I get you anything else?" Kim asked. "If you wouldn't mind, that wine you recommended was wonderful. Can you bring the bottle?" I asked her hoping she wouldn't peg me as a complete bitch. "Sure, no problem." she smiled with that wink and I guessed all was forgiven. As she walked away I picked up my fork and took a stab at the salmon. It was soft and fell apart leaving me with only shreds. I tried again and this time I got a forkful of the soft fish and some wild rice. I put the fork in my mouth and immediately spit it out. "Is something wrong with the food?" Wayne asked me looking alarmed.

I couldn't speak. I knew I looked ridiculous because I felt ridiculous. But the sight of him, standing there, looking back at me. I didn't know what to do. Was it really him? Or was he a figment of my imagination, again? I thought Devon the devil was a part of my past. I had moved 300 miles away from him. I had uprooted my life, given up everything I'd ever known, made a fresh start...to escape him. And here he was, standing there, looking at me. And he wasn't alone. What woman would be fool enough to get in bed with Devon? One who didn't see the horns just beyond his hairline. When our eyes met, he smiled. It was the same old sinister smile I always got from Devon. This was confirmation that he was really here, in the flesh. That he'd found me. Despite all the running and hiding, car switching, cell phone number changing, job changing tactics I'd tried, he found me. And I was devastated. "Kelly?" Wayne was still saying, leaning across the table, patting my hand. I couldn't take my eyes off of the devil in the room. Wayne turned to see what had me in such a trance.

"You know him?" he asked. His question broke my thoughts and I nodded that I did indeed know him. "But I thought you were new here?" he asked. "Can we just go?" I asked in a panic. "Yeah, sure, okay." Wayne answered, confused. He called Kim over and asked if we could have to go boxes and the check. "Is everything okay?" she asked. "Yes, something unexpected came up." he told her. He didn't know how right he was. "Are you alright?" Wayne asked me when she walked away. "I just have to get out of here." I told him. "I'll explain later." I watched as Devon sat with his date, smiling, laughing, acting like a normal human being. After Kim returned with the boxes and check, Wayne offered to go pay the bill. I said I would pack the food to go. I began packing the food when suddenly there was a shadow over my head. "Kelly." a man's voice said so softly you'd never believe it belonged to a psycho. I turned to face him. I felt the blood rush from my face. My finger tips went cold, my heart started beating fast and I felt the urge to run. My body began to jerk back and forth as I fought to keep my feet planted on the ground. "I love the pearl earrings." he said as he reached out to touch them. I screamed. The loudest blood curdling scream I could muster. Everyone in the restaurant turned to look at us. The band stopped playing. Wayne ran over to me yelling if I was okay.

"Who's this guy?" Devon asked sarcastically. I just stared at him not able to think or move. "Kelly, who is this? Is he bothering you?" "He's nobody." I finally answered. Devon laughed. The woman he was with came over then and asked him what was going on. "This is Kelly...Kel-ly York." he pronounced each syllable of my name dramatically. "She's an old girlfriend." he said smiling like a lunatic. "I hope I've nothing to worry about." she said half smiling. "No, no, sweetheart. I was just saying hello...she's in the past now." he told her pulling her close to him. He kissed her on the forehead and I cringed. Wayne must have sensed what I was feeling. "Stay away from Kelly, man." he said. Devon smiled at him then at me. "Stay away from Kelly York." Wayne said again, this time with more definition in his voice.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Devon found her!! But Wayne has stepped in and is trying to be what she seems to need. A protector, a friend...a lover?? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^