Cursed Ch. 03

As I turned to walk away, I heard Amber say, "You have pine needles in your hair."

I had made an attempt to wash Tiffany's hair the night before but had succeeded only in getting off most of the mud.

I turned back to Tiffany and said, "Amber hasn't cooked the eggs yet. You can have a quick shower if you want. Otherwise, we can have breakfast ready in ten minutes if you want to take your time in the shower later.

Tiffany said, "I'm really hungry now. I can be ready to eat in ten minutes."

I made an extra batch of coffee while Amber cooked the ham and eggs. She put in more cheese than I normally do but everyone to their own taste. Tiffany sat down at the dining room table just before the eggs were done. She had brushed her hair but still looked like she'd been hit by a truck.

I poured her a cup of coffee and said, "We can talk later. I imagine you might have some questions about last night. I know I do."

She glanced at me for a second before quickly turning her attention to her coffee. I felt that a chasm had grown between us. I couldn't help her if she didn't want it. I was probably wasting my time on a fantasy.

Tiffany had seconds and thirds on the eggs. I thought Amber and I had gone overboard on the eggs because the chipper young girl had enjoyed cracking them so much, but the whole batch evaporated along with a mound of toast. After breakfast, Tiffany commented on what a great cook Amber was. Amber climbed into her mother's lap and gave her a hug. Tiffany winced.

I said, "I picked up Amber from the sitter. I thought you needed the sleep. Amber can watch a movie while you get cleaned up. I talked to some of my Army buddies last night, and I think we can help with your loan problem. We can talk about that later."

Nearly two hours later, Tiffany came out to the living room dressed in well-worn jeans and an old flannel shirt. Amber and I were engrossed in Disney's Aladdin. Heavy makeup hid most of the cuts and bruises on the young woman's fatigued face.

She said, "Have you seen my keys? I need to go out."

I got up and pulled her keys out of a bowl by the door. I had taken them from Tiffany's cold, numb hands the night before.

I said, "Your car is in the driveway. It's freezing outside. Surely you're not going out without a coat. I tossed yours in the washer along with your muddy clothes, but you could take one of my wife's coats."

I opened the hall closet and offered her a choice of two warm winter coats.

Tiffany glanced at me and looked away. She took one of the coats and said, "Thanks."

She put her hand on her daughter's shoulder and said, "Amber, I'll be right back. Be good."

She went out and came back a couple of minutes later. "It won't start."

I said, "I need to get some things from the grocery store. I can drive you where you need to go."

Tiffany said, "I need to go to the drug store again. I should have bought a bigger size yesterday."

I said, "Give me a minute to get my list together. Aladdin is almost over, and Amber can come along."

Tiffany didn't even look at me as she said, "Thanks, that would be nice."

When I opened the garage door, I saw that Tiffany's car was blocking mine. I went and got the keys to my wife's car. It hadn't been run in awhile and was overdue. The nearly new Honda Accord started right up. Tiffany went to the drug store, while Amber and I got some things for the week ahead. I wasn't sure if they were staying but buying groceries a day at a time gets old fast.

Tiffany and I didn't get a chance to talk until after Amber went to bed after dinner. I had enjoyed helping Amber with her homework. In return, she had helped me cook chicken fillets for dinner.

I had opened a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc for dinner, and I split the last of it with Tiffany once Amber was in bed.

She stared at her wine and said, "Last night was hideous. The payday loan collector took a couple hundred dollars from me last night and beat me up because I didn't have more. He left me lying in the mud after he was done having fun. I don't know how I got back here. I certainly don't know how I ended up in your bed."

She gave me a furtive glance and went back to staring at her wine.

I said, "You had hypothermia when you got to my door in the middle of the night. You were wet, muddy, and freezing cold. It looked like you had been in a fight. I should have called 911, but I wanted to get you warm right away. I was happy you revived as fast as you did in a warm bath. I didn't notice how battered you were until I began to wash off the mud. I'm sorry I didn't call 911. I probably destroyed any evidence. I put you in my bed, and you started shivering again. I crawled in with you to provide warmth. I promise we didn't do anything. I left you sleeping when I went to pick up Amber from your sitter."

Tiffany took a sip of wine and went back to staring at the glass. She said, "I'm glad you didn't call the police. I don't need the trouble."

She looked at me for a moment and said, "So nothing else happened between us other than you seeing my naked body? I guess that would make you no different than half the men in town."

I laughed, "You were as cold as a corpse and basically comatose. I prefer my women warm and enthusiastic."

A brief smile touched her mouth as she examined my face hoping I was being honest. I felt the tension leave the room. "Now, that would make you different from most guys."

Thinking of her naked body was making me aroused, so I changed the subject. "Last night, I talked to an old Army buddy that I trust completely. He was my sergeant in Afghanistan. When we were stationed at Fort Bragg between deployments, we had to help our soldiers deal with payday loan problems all of the time. I think we can help you if you let us."

"I don't see how you can help. I signed the loan agreement. It's perfectly legal. I was just stupid, and now I'm trapped."

"That's the same attitude my men had when they were ensnared by those bastards. You'd be surprised at how reasonable these loan sharks can be when visited by a bunch of pissed off soldiers. You don't have anything to lose."

"Ok, I guess it's worth a try."

"Great, now how much did you borrow and when?"

"It was October 11^th. Amber was really sick with a drug resistant bacteria. I had to borrow $1200 from The Helping Hand loan company for an expensive antibiotic. I would have paid it back, but got I sick with the flu and missed a weekend at The Pink Pussycat. It just got worse when my roommate left without paying the last month's rent. I couldn't make both my rent and the payday loans. My landlord didn't threaten to break my leg, so he didn't get paid. I got evicted Friday. The payday thug found me and got all of my pay and tips from Friday. Last night I left most of my money in my locker. The thug was angry. I only had two hundred dollars, and he roughed me up."

"You keep referring to The Helping Hand collector as the thug. Do you know his name?"

Tiffany wrinkled her brow and said, "No, he never told me. Does it matter? He's a nasty bit of work."

"That's Ok. I'm sure the loan company knows who he is. I have to work tomorrow, but Sarge and I will get a team and visit The Helping Hand after work. Those guys generally keep late hours."

"Thanks for offering to help. If I can get to my locker on Tuesday, I'll have enough to pay an installment to the thug and get a room for Amber and me."

"Look, Tiffany, you're welcome to stay here until you get on your feet. I know you must be a good person to have raised someone as awesome as your daughter. Besides, I enjoy having the two of you for company. I haven't felt so alive since my wife died."

"But I can't afford to pay rent for something as nice as this."

I laughed, "The house is paid for. If you feel obligated, you can do some light housework to pay for meals. I'd love some help cleaning. Amber is already cooking meals. I think I'm getting the best of the deal."

Tiffany looked at me and started crying. She whispered, "Thank you."

I wanted to hug her but instead said, "It's late, and I need to get some sleep. You've had a rough weekend too. I'll talk to you over dinner tomorrow before we pay a visit to The Helping Hand."

Tiffany said, "Oh shit, my car is dead. What time do you get up? I need to get Amber to school, and I have to get to my job at the grocery store by 9."

I shook my head in wonder at this woman who was working two jobs.

"Amber can take the school bus. It stops for the kids next door about 8. What are your hours at the grocery store? If I drop you off, I won't be able to pick you up until 6."

"I'd feel better driving Amber to school. It's on the way to the supermarket. I have a short shift tomorrow. I'm off at 2, but I can walk home and pick up my daughter on the way."

"You're going to walk four miles? Why don't you just take my wife's car until you can get your's fixed? Then you could drop your daughter at school."

* * *

Tiffany

The next morning was a scramble. My body felt worse than I had the day before, and I had to push myself. Amber seemed to be out of sorts and resisted getting ready for school. Steve left for work before us, and I headed out in his wife's car. I felt nervous driving such a nice car when I felt so drained. I sleepwalked through my shift as a cashier at the supermarket. Just before my short shift ended, Ashley came through my checkout lane.

Ashley said, "Can I take you out to a late lunch. We really need to talk."

I accepted my best friend's offer with misgivings. I could only imagine what we needed to talk about. Maybe something like me having sex with her husband? After my shift, she took me to a nearby sandwich shop.

Ashley said, "My husband didn't come home Saturday night. I know he was at the club until it closed. Did he drive you home?"

I prevaricated, "I didn't see him when I left. I was the last one out, and I locked up. There was no one in the parking lot except the fucking payday loan collector."

Ashley said, "Oh, my God, what happened?"

"Luckily, I left most of my money in my locker. The bastard was pissed when I only had two hundred dollars. He beat me up and told me to bring a thousand dollars on Tuesday night."

"Oh Christ, Ashley, I thought you looked a little raw. For a moment, I even imagined my asshole husband had raped you. You have to go to the police."

"I can't. I signed the loan agreement and got behind in my payments. It's all legal, and now I'm trapped. I have to make a payment on Tuesday."

"Tiffany, you can't go alone."

"I have to. He warned me about bringing anyone along."

Ashley sat back and stared at me. "Sometimes, you can be so pig headed. At least you can do is bring something to protect yourself. No telling what will set the asshole off."

I gasped when she opened her purse and showed me a small pistol.

"I can't. I've never shot a gun before."

"Tiffany, it's really easy. This pistol is perfect, and you can borrow it. I have another at home. Come on, I'll take you to a practice range. It's only for use as a last resort, but I cannot have my best friend getting beaten up."

"But don't you need a license?"

"Silly, no one bothers. It's so small no one will ever know."

I spent the next two hours learning how to shoot her small Ruger LC9s Pro pistol. Ashley assured me that despite its light weight, it was very effective at self-defense ranges. I didn't know what she meant by light weight or self-defense ranges. In the movies, people are firing big badass pistols the length of a city block. Her pistol was a lot smaller than the ones in the movies, but it felt heavy to me.

Ashley bought a box of 50 cartridges at the range and had me fire all of them at a target 10 to 20 yards away. She was a good teacher, and by the end, I was hitting near the middle of the chest of the silhouette every time. Ashley cautioned me that using a gun in self-defense was not like shooting targets. It's very stressful with adrenaline pumping through your body. You need to be sure of your target and take your time to breathe before you shoot. If you are lucky just showing your weapon will make your adversary back down.

When Ashley was satisfied, I could handle the small Ruger she said, "It won't do you any good to be proficient with a pistol if you don't have it with you. I know you like to wear flannel shirts, so this belly band should do the trick."

My best friend helped me adjust the velcro fasteners for the belly band. The pistol disappeared under my baggy shirt. She told me I could wear the pistol under anything except the tightest tops. She had me practice drawing the pistol from under my shirt.

I went home with the pistol strapped to my abdomen. I felt more confident than I had for weeks. If Steve couldn't get the payday loan guy to back off, I was sure I could protect myself. After getting raped the last time, I was almost eager to shoot the motherfucker.

* * *

Steve

Monday after work, I called Sarge about our date with the Helping Hand payday loan company.

Sarge sighed and said, "Sorry, Steve, we are going to have to put it off until tomorrow night. It seems that the Helping Hand has a weekly all hands meeting on Monday nights. If we wait until tomorrow night, there will be a lot fewer people to cause problems."

One of the things Sarge had taught me in Afghanistan was patience. It wasn't my strongest quality, but I saw the merit to his suggestion. Much as I wanted to charge into the payday loan office, our chances of success with a small team were higher if we waited. I thanked Sarge for the heads-up and went home.

Amber was sitting at the dining room table, working on her homework. She said Tiffany was napping in the bedroom. I asked Amber to help me with dinner. I had young girl set the table while I crushed some garlic into a frying pan with some butter. I tossed some frozen meatballs into a baking dish and shoved them in the oven. I put on a pot of water for spaghetti and put Amber to work brushing slices of Italian bread with the garlic butter. Amber had the bread ready by the time the meatballs were cooked. I let her wrap the bread in aluminum foil before tossing them in the oven. I tossed the meatballs into a pan of spaghetti sauce. Amber and I made a quick salad. I let Amber add the dried pasta to the boiling water. While the pasta was cooking, I sent Amber to wake up her mother. I opened a bottle of Chianti that had sat in my cupboard since before my wife got sick.

I don't know how Tiffany managed to look so hot in loose jeans and a baggy flannel shirt. Maybe it was the first hint of a smile I had seen on her face. Maybe it was the long slow stretch she made as she stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

Tiffany said, "Something smells wonderful. I didn't know I was hungry until Amber woke me."

Amber said, "Mom, I hope you like dinner. Steve helped me cook pasta."

Eating a simple dinner with Tiffany and Amber brought back memories of all of the meals I had shared at this table with my wife and two daughters. Amber's chatter reminded me of happier times. I felt a lump in my throat as I realized how lonely my life had been.

Once again, I was impressed with their appetites. If I kept eating like this, I was going to have to spend more time exercising. Sarge had already scolded me for being out of shape. I was pretty sure he would be on my case once my ribs healed. Well, who was I to argue? My run in with the payday thug had convinced me that I needed to spend some time practicing hand-to-hand combat in Sarge's gym.

After dinner, Amber went back to her homework while Tiffany and I cleaned up. When we were alone in the kitchen, I said, "I'm sorry. We have to wait until tomorrow to talk to the owner of the payday loan company. They have a weekly meeting on Mondays. Sarge wants to wait until it isn't as busy."

I was surprised at Tiffany's reaction. She accepted the delay without a problem. She seemed to have found some inner peace.

Tiffany said, "It's Ok, Steve. One day won't make a difference, and I appreciate your offer to help. I'm sure everything will work out. Amber and I should be out of your hair soon."

My heart sank with Tiffany's plan to move out soon. Tonight's glimpse of domestic bliss was just a fantasy. Of course, they needed to be on their own, and I needed to get on with my life. Little did I know that fate had no intention of letting any of us get on with our lives.

* * *

Tiffany

They call it comfort food, and Steve couldn't have chosen a better dinner. I had fond memories of my Mom serving spaghetti and meatballs to my Father and me. For the first time in months, I felt a sense of hope. My best friend Ashley had loaned me her handgun and my abject fear of the payday thug had diminished with each hole I had drilled through the target. Steve was a complete stranger, but he had provided a safe and warm home to hide my daughter and me. I couldn't believe my good fortune. Steve promised that he knew how to get the payday guys off of my back. One of us was bound to succeed.

Maybe it was the wine, but I found myself laughing at Amber's jokes. I even smiled at Steve a couple of times when I caught him eyeing me while he encouraged my daughter's exurbance. His kindness and wit reminded me of my father, although Steve's rugged physique was the opposite of my dad's skinny frame. He was at least a dozen years older than me but still considerably younger than my dad when he died.

For a while, I managed to forget what I had done to earn the money in my locker at The Pink Pussycat. For the moment, I wasn't a stripper and a whore. I was a mother eating a wonderful dinner with my daughter and a friend.

Tuesday morning, I dropped Amber off at school and drove Steve's Honda to the supermarket. A couple of cashiers phoned in sick, and they asked me to work late. During my lunch break, I called the school and asked if they could make sure Amber got on the correct school bus for Steve's house. I had protested last night when Steve gave Amber a key to his house, but now I realized what a smart idea it had been. Amber had been used to returning home to an empty apartment on days I worked late in the past. She would be Ok with returning to Steve's familiar house.

It was nearly five when I finished at the supermarket. I borrowed someone's cell phone to call Amber at Steve's place before I left and told her I had an errand to run. I hoped to be home by six or seven at the latest. It was dark by the time I got to The Pink Pussycat. I was surprised that there was only one car in the parking lot. I didn't plan on staying long and parked next to the other car by the employee entrance. A floodlight above the door illuminated both cars as well as the loading dock left over from the days The Pink Pussycat had once been a warehouse. Tony liked the loading dock since it made it easy to manage the steady stream of beer and food deliveries.

I got out of the Honda and walked over to the employee entrance. A blinking red light by the door indicated the alarm was set. I had a key, but I couldn't get in unless Tony turned off the alarm. I was surprised since Tony always had the club open on Tuesday nights for the regulars. How was I supposed to get to the money in my locker?

As my distress mounted, I heard the door to the other car open. Ellen, a long time waitresses, got out and asked, "Tiffany, do you have any idea what's going on? I'm supposed to be working tonight, but this door is locked, and the front is dark. I tried calling Tony, but it went to voicemail. Do you think he's sick?"

"Sorry, Ellen, I don't have any idea. Tony usually opens it up for the cleaning crew around noon. He certainly didn't tell me he wasn't going to be open today. I really need to get to my locker."