[TonyPerry] Now It's Your Turn To Run

Cinco.

It’s been two weeks since I started seeing Tony. And it’s been two weeks that I've wasted an hour a day on this guy. I hate to use that word, waste. Maybe I'm not wasting my time just yet. Perhaps he needs more time to trust me.

I just, this is a lot of time to put towards someone who doesn’t want to be here. I don’t find it fair to all the other people who want my help. They don’t find it fair that I'm spending an hour a day with a guy who doesn’t want to see me.

He hasn’t brought his friend to the sessions anymore, and I'm starting to think that he was putting up a front for his friend. And at this point, I just don’t care what his friend wants from him. I want him to want this, or I'm just going to tell him to find someone else.

“You there, baby girl?” My dad’s voice startles me, and I look up at him from across the table. “I asked you how work is goin’.”

Nodding my head, I force a smile. “It’s going. You know I can’t discuss specifics with you. Just one client who is starting to waste my time, so I have to figure out what I want to do about that.” He’s everything I ever needed in a dad, and I don’t think that people realize that.

Every step of the way, he was there for me. I can remember him trying so hard to explain to me what was happening to my body when I had my first period. He would go and stock up on ice cream, pads, and tampons when my time of the month was coming up.

I could talk to him about anything. There were times when he wasn’t exactly coherent, but I knew that he was listening.

Looking back, there were only a handful of times when he would be high when I was around. He was good about that. No junkies were allowed at the house. No drugs were left around in the house. And there was no way in hell I was able to get my hands on any of the drugs that he was selling.

“You gotta let those people go, Braelyn.” My dad nods his head, in agreement with himself. “You don’t need no one who is gonna give you a hard time, you got me?”

Rolling my eyes, I nod my head. I hate when he talks like this, as if he never went to school. He never spoke like that when I was home. But, your environment shapes you, and I can see how he stopped caring about his grammar. “Dad, I have the obligation to help people. Remember, you’re the one who told me to become a counselor?”

Groaning, he crosses his arms over his chest before leaning back in his chair. His arms haven’t lost the muscles, and I remember every time a guy would show interest in me. All my dad had to do was cross his arms over his chest, and they would suddenly look huge, which they were to begin with. The tattoos covering his skin were scary enough, but the muscles were what truly scared the guys away.

“I’ll be fine, daddy. Honestly, I think that he wants help, but the change is scaring him. It’s like that for a lot of people. I just didn’t expect it to take this long.”

He begins mimicking me; it’s his way of telling me he doesn’t agree. “Your time is important, baby girl. You better remember that. Anyone who doesn’t value their time with you isn't worth it.”

If he was as horrible as people say he is, he wouldn’t care what I did with my life. “I know, and I have to go. I’ll see you in two days, okay? I love you.”

&&

I sit down on the barstool beside her, groaning as I order a beer from the bartender. “You have no idea how long I've needed this.” Running my hand through my hair, I smile at the bartender as he hands me my beer. “Thanks.”

“You know that I'm always up for a night out.” Jenny and I have been friends since pre-school. She’s the most stable friend I ever had. We went to college together and were roommates all four years. Her parents didn’t freak out and tell her that she couldn’t hang out with me when my dad was arrested. I think that they knew I had nothing to do with it. Hell, I was naïve until all of the details came out about my dad.

“Let me tell you, you chose the right profession.” She’s a nutritionist, and I swear she always has good days. I've never heard her complain about her job or her clients. “It’s like you can never turn it off.”

Rolling her eyes, she holds up her beer. “Because this is what a nutritionist should be drinking. You know that I don’t always practice what I preach. Neither do you, so tonight we’re not thinking about work.”

“I don’t want to go back to the hotel, dammit. Let me the fuck go.” The voice, I recognize it. I've heard it for an hour every day for the past two weeks.

Spinning around on my stool, I see Tony struggling against two guys, both who are trying to escort him out of the bar. “Give me a second, Jenny.” I don’t wait for her to respond. Instead, I slide off the stool and walk over to him.

I sigh loudly, and then tap him on the shoulder. “Mr. Perry, how are you feeling?” His eyes grow wide when they land on me, and I can tell that I startled him. “Are you feeling tired? I think you’re feeling tired. You know, you’ve probably had a long day. You're a busy man, aren’t you? Why don’t you go home and sleep for a while. I'm sure the bar will be here when you wake up. Besides, I would like to see you in your bed.”

His friends look at me, and their eyes are wider than his. The tall one, well over six foot, looks down at me. “Who the fuck are you?”

I ignore him, placing my hand on Tony’s arm. “Come on, Tony. You need some sleep if you’re going to come and see me tomorrow.”

With that, he nods. He stands up straight, nodding his head once again, as he wrestles his arms free. “I got this.”

“Tony, remember, tomorrow I’m back to being Dr. Matthews. So get some sleep so you're ready to talk about what happened tonight.”