Sandcastles | Completed

18 | birds of a feather

• • •

I was hoping the name was a coincidence, hoping that this woman, Elijah's wife, wouldn't have come to my job to do whatever it was that she wanted.

But no. It was Leah Baker in the flesh, standing in the coffee shop looking directly at me.

She and Maria were talking, so when Leah's gaze met mine, Maria turned around to see who she was looking at, "Oh there's Ken. I told you her cigarette breaks are never long."

Leah laughed but it didn't reach her eyes, "I was hoping it wouldn't."

"I'll watch the register for you." Maria offered.

I shook my head, "You don't have to. She's leaving."

"Am I?" She asked in amusement, "We haven't even talked."

"I don't care. Don't ever come to my job about some shit like this."

I was upset, maybe to the extent that some would call it overreacting, but I hated being ambushed. Why would she approach me at my job? Why would she approach me at all?

Maria looked between us, "You want me to call security?"

"Is that really necessary? I'm just trying to have a conversation with the woman who's fucking my husband."

"Yeah, I'm calling Derrick." Maria asserted, "That's something you do on your own time. Don't bring that in here."

Exactly.

"I'm not sure what he's told you, but we're trying to work it out. I don't know where you fit into that, so it'd be really nice if you willingly exited the equation."

"Girl fuck you." I replied angrily, "I don't even know you and you call yourself coming to my job."

"You don't have to 'know me'. I know Elijah, my husband. And here you come ruining a marriage."

I was wondering if the bitch was delusional. I never planned on repeating what Elijah told me, so as I badly as I wanted to point out the fact that the marriage was over the second she cheated, I didn't.

But I still found a way to say, "I can't ruin something that doesn't exist. Please walk out the door before I hurt your feelings."

The customers were getting a show today.

"You can't hurt my feelings." She laughed, "Elijah goes through phases. At first, he's attentive, he wants to know everyyyything, and then he doesn't care. Right now, you're in phase one. When phase two comes, I'll show you the way to your therapist's office so hopefully, you won't try to kill yourself." She paused and winked, "Again."

Her words were meant to hurt me, and they did. Mostly because I wasn't expecting her to know that.

I hadn't told Elijah that.

"Eat a dick and die, Leah. I would show you the way to your therapist's office, but you'd probably fuck the doctor." I paused and winked, "Again. You bird ass bitch."

She removed Derrick's hand from her arm like it was infected, "Don't touch me. I can walk out myself."

"Well get out." He spat.

Maria was still taking orders, trying to pretend nothing was going on, "Look either order a coffee or leave. You guys act like you've never seen an argument before."

"Bye Kensley. Enjoy the rest of your day."

• • •

Maria let me go home early after she saw that I wasn't in the right headspace. I didn't go home though, I went to the field and tried to decide how I felt.