The Right Woman?

"Are you sure it was her? How much did you pay for her?"

"I'm sorry Jerrod, but I'm sure it was her. She is so gorgeous and... I paid her fifteen hundred dollars for the one night. Damn, I'm sorry Jerrod."

"How many times was she your escort? If she was that good, I know you went back for more."

"Two times, she was my escort two times. I went back to see her after that but she was gone. I never saw her again till tonight. I swear it's the truth. Jerrod, we've known each other most of our lives. I wouldn't lie to you. It was only the two times."

"Larry, I don't want you to tell anyone about her past. I don't know what's going to happen now, but if I find out you have told anyone about her, you'll have to deal with me, and believe me, you don't want any part of me right now."

"I promise, Jerrod, I promise not to even mention her name. Jerrod, it was at least six years ago and I'm married to Jenny now. I am sorry, Jerrod, I really am."

If it was before I knew A.J., then it wasn't Larry's fault that he paid to be with her. It did seem odd that he would pay for a gal at the same time he was with Jenny, a good looking redhead herself. I remember how wild Jenny was way back then. I knew I needed to hear the truth from A.J. before making any overly rash decisions. Damn, why did I fall for her? Now I had to wonder if she was serious about me. Was our love making real or was she acting? Damn, damn, damn!

I went back out to the party and acted like there wasn't a problem, but inside I was hurting; I was hurting bad. I loved her and now my life as I knew it was completely changed.

In the days that followed I tried to contact her but she wasn't answering or returning my calls. She sent Adrianna to finish her company's work at our plant. Adrianna was more than capable of doing the work. All three of the partners were good at their positions. It's just that I missed A.J. Adrianna was a beautiful woman who was getting married in a couple of weeks. She had spent quite a bit of time at our plant also, helping set up the system.

I asked Adrianna about A.J. and she asked me as nice as possible to not put her in the middle. She did tell me that she thought A.J. loved me and had no idea why she went back to Cleveland. She said she thought that A.J. and I made a great couple and would probably be together forever.

"Jerrod, you are two of the nicest people and seem to be made for each other. I have never seen A.J. as happy as when she is with you. I honestly don't know what happened. Maybe she just needs time. I saw her a couple of days ago and she really looked sad. All she's doing is working. I sure hope you two can resolve your problems. You two were made for each other."

"Adrianna, she won't talk to me. How can I resolve anything? Can you at least get her to call me?"

"I'm sorry, Jerrod, just give her a little time, please. She's my best friend and if she wants to talk to me, she will."

"Do you know anything about her past? You know, before she attended MIT?" I asked.

"Just that she was an all A student in Las Vegas and transferred here. She said she gambled a few times, had beginner's luck and won thousands of dollars. She said she quit gambling after that. She used most of it to help start our business. Mark and I are paying her back monthly. I don't know if I should have told you that, so please don't let her know I told you."

"It's okay. She told me about it," I lied. I had no idea about her ever gambling. I didn't want Adrianna to think she gave out a company secret.

I decided to heed Adrianna's advice and just give it time. I stopped trying to call A.J. for awhile and just tried getting on with my life. It was nearly impossible. Everyday my thoughts were about A.J. Damn, this being in love is for the birds. I was much happier before I met A.J. That's not true. I was at my happiest when I had A.J. at my side. Damn her!

A few weeks went by and I never heard a word. I tried calling her again without a response. I know that I was getting on Janet's nerves. She told me I needed to get a better handle on my life. I was making everyone around me miserable. Then one day a smiling Janet came into my office.

"Why are you so happy?" I asked Janet.

"Because you are going to take me out to lunch today to that fancy restaurant you always took A.J. to."

"And why am I going to do that? I thought you were tired about my complaining." Janet could still make me smile.

"Because, Boss of mine, I talked to A.J. yesterday and you and I have to talk."

"What? You talked to A.J.? What did she say? Why hasn't she answered my calls? Where did you see her? Is she back? Come on, Janet, say something."

"Easy, Jerrod. No, she isn't back in town. You were becoming such a pain in my behind that I went to Cleveland yesterday and talked to her."

"What did she say?"

"You're not getting off that easy. I want my nice lunch. Is it a deal?" she asked.

"Of course, but you better tell me everything."

We were sitting in the restaurant and Janet ordered a meal. My stomach was a mess of nerves but I did order a chef salad and a drink.

"Okay, Janet, start talking," I said.

"First, Jerrod, A.J. told me to tell you that no-one other than me knows this whole story of her life. She hoped that no matter what happens in the future between you two that you would promise that no-one else will ever find out. I told her that you would keep her life private."

"Of course I will. I have no intention of hurting her no matter what the outcome of our relationship," I said.

"A.J. is deeply in love with you. She told me her whole life story and I'm supposed to highlight it for you."

Janet told me about A.J. growing up and going to college. She then told me about the escort service and how A.J. did it for the money to finish college and help out her parents.

It was then that she explained about Larry. She said something about being an escort for a younger guy and that a couple of weeks later the same guy came back. It was Larry, the man she saw at the party.

Janet explained how he had drugged her and raped her anally and had brought in another woman who had lesbian sex with her. The other woman was Jenny.

I was at a loss for words when I heard this. Larry had drugged her and he and Jenny used and abused her. I was really pissed about that. She might not have been my girlfriend at the time but we never took any woman without her consent. Now to find out he did this to A.J. really pissed me off.

Janet said that this was the low point for A.J. and that's why she left Las Vegas - to get out of that lifestyle.

"Why didn't she tell me, Janet? We've been dating for months."

"A.J. told me that no-one, not even her friends or family know about her past. When she met you she liked you a lot but wasn't about to tell you about this part of her life. When you two got intimate she said she wanted to tell you but you said it wasn't important anymore, that you really cared for her. She said she tried to tell you numerous times after that but you didn't want to hear it. The more in love with you she became, the more she knew she should tell you about her past but by then was afraid of losing you.

"The bubble burst when she saw you talking to her rapist at the party. That's what she considers Larry - a rapist. He drugged her and took advantage of her. Knowing that she never told you about her past, she became scared and ran. She said she could never face you again. She was afraid and embarrassed to face you. She said she loved you so much but couldn't go through life with you constantly throwing her past up at her. She wished that part of her life never happened but she can't change that now."

After explaining everything to me, I asked Janet what could I do. I needed to see A.J. to see if we could work out a solution.

Janet handed me an envelope. "What's this?" I asked.

"It's an invitation to Adrianna's wedding Saturday. A.J. says if you think you can forgive her past and work out a future together that you should show up at the wedding and be her escort. If you can't forgive her, she will understand and try and go on with her life and you can go on with yours. She apologized for everything she put you through. Jerrod, she really does love you."

I had a lot to think about. Janet reminded me that my life wasn't the most moral either. I loved A.J. but would I be able to leave her past in the past? I know that she would never want me to bring it up again. It's why she had Janet talk to me.

I stepped into my dad's office. "Dad, I need to ask you something. It's very important. If someone wronged you but you still cared for that person, what would you do? I should tell you that the person apologized for their wrong doing. Could you just let it go, and forgive them?"

"Jerrod, I know this is about A.J. You know I love the girl. I have no idea what went on between you two and I don't want to know. I can't make your decision for you, but let me tell you a little story about a guy named John.

"John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, 'If I were any better, I would be twins!' He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

"Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, 'I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?'

"He replied, 'Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or ... I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or ... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.'

" 'Yeah, right, it's not that easy,' I protested.

" 'Yes, it is,' he said. 'Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life.'

"I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

"Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident.

"When I asked him how he was, he replied, 'If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?'

"I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

" 'The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,' he replied. 'Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or ... I could choose to die. I chose to live.'

" 'Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?' I asked.

"He continued, 'The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action.'

" 'What did you do?' I asked.

" 'Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,' said John. 'She asked if I was allergic to anything?'

" 'Yes,' I replied. 'The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'. Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'

"He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude ... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday."

"Jerrod, you now have two choices: you can go see A.J. and between you two, you can right any wrongs, or you can tear up your invitation and go on without her. Only you can make that choice."

I knew my dad was right. I was the only one that could make this decision. I chose A.J., but first I had to have a talk with my friend, Larry. I went to his office and asked his receptionist if he was in.

"Yes, Mr. Brice, he's in his office with his wife, Jenny."

"Great, I want to see both of them," I said as I walked past the receptionist and into his office.

"Jerrod, what are you doing here?" he asked, looking quite nervous.

"It seems you left out a part of your story the other day. Did you drug and rape A.J.?"

"It was a long time ago, water under the bridge. I told you I wouldn't say anything to anyone," he replied.

"You took Jenny with you and raped her because she wouldn't let you fuck her in the ass. Am I right? I ought to come across that desk and beat the living shit out of you."

Jenny spoke up. "Jerrod, please don't. What we did was wrong, we know that, but we can't change it now. We were young and drunk. We have a family now. We promise never to mention it to anyone. Please don't hurt Larry."

"If I ever hear that either one of you ever mention a word about this to anyone, I promise you that I will come back here, cut off your husband's balls and jam them down your throat. Do I make myself clear? This isn't an idle threat. It might have been years ago but you two hurt the woman I intend to marry and I will do whatever it takes to keep her past a secret."

"We promise, Jerrod. On our two boys' lives, we promise never to speak a word of it."

I walked out of Larry's office thinking of my plans for Saturday. Like Dad said, I had two choices and I chose A.J.

--------------------------

On Saturday morning I got up early and gave myself plenty of time to get ready for the wedding. I had a couple of hours' drive to Cleveland. I left giving myself plenty of time to get there. I had to make a stop at the jewelry store and pick up an engagement ring. They were a little crowded and I was running a little behind schedule. I finally got my ring and left the store.

I got about ten miles up the road and realized I forgot the invitation. I didn't know exactly where in Cleveland the church was. I glanced at my watch and quickly turned around and headed home to get the invitation.

After getting it I started off again. I was now running more behind. I got in some heavy traffic due to road repairs in Akron. I was afraid I was going to be late. I was having trouble finding the church so I swallowed my pride and pulled into a gas station and asked for directions to the church. I could hardly understand the man. I wish he spoke some decent English, but I think I got a general idea where the church was. According to my watch the service had already started when I had pulled into the parking lot.

First Baptist Church, great, I made it. As I approached the door I noticed most all the people were black. I didn't see any white people. I thought this was strange when a man at the door asked if he could help me.

"I'm here for the wedding," I said.

I handed him my invitation and he told me I was at the wrong church.

"What? I can't believe this. The stupid guy at the gas station told me to come here."

"I'm sorry, sir, but you want the First Baptist Church on the other side of town. Here, let me draw you a map on how to get there."

"About how long will it take me to get there?" I asked.

"A good twenty minutes to a half hour. Good luck to you."

I thanked him and headed down the road. I hit the damn road repairs again. Every road seemed to have orange cones on them. I was really running late now. I was starting to get nervous; what if I missed her?

I was nearing the church and a lot of the cars were pulling out. I pulled up in front of the church and ran in. I looked at the sign that said Adrianna and Ryan's Wedding, and knew I was at the right church. I started walking around looking for A.J. I saw a couple of people leaving out of a back door. I didn't get a chance to say anything to them. I walked into the sanctuary of the church and it was empty. I was on the second floor of the church and I looked out a window overlooking the parking lot. I saw a woman with red hair holding hands with a tall man.

It was A.J.! I watched as the man kissed her cheek and she gave him a hug. He opened the door for her and she got in.

I got the window opened a little an yelled, "A.J.! A.J.!"

She kind of looked around like she might have heard me but the man with her closed the door and got into the car and they pulled away.

I was devastated. My heart had dropped into my stomach. I found myself walking back into an empty sanctuary and sitting in the front pew. I'm not a religious man. The only times I have ever been in church was for weddings and funerals, but I sat there in this front pew. I felt something come over me. I'm not going to say it was some spirit or anything like that, but I did feel something.

I felt myself get up and walk a few feet to the altar and kneel down. I started crying. I didn't say a word, I just cried. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and it was a preacher, reverend, father or something.

"Just let it out brother," he said. "Just let it all out."

I don't know how long I cried. "Do you want to talk about it?" said the reverend.

"I lost the only woman I have ever loved," I replied.

"Was it the woman that just got married here?" he asked.

"No, that was her friend. She was the maid of honor."

"The nice looking red haired woman?" he asked.

"Yes, A.J. How did you know?"

"I didn't, but earlier today before the wedding the red haired lady was sitting in the same pew where you sat. She got up and knelt at the altar where you are kneeling now and she was crying also."

"Did she say why she was crying?" I asked.

"No, I asked her and she said it was in God's hands now. You know you can still catch her at the reception. I'm headed over there myself right now if you would like to follow me."

"I'd love to. Please show me the way."

I followed him to the hall and found a place to park. It was pretty crowded but I found a parking spot. I ran and opened the door and entered the hall. I looked over the crowd hoping to find A.J.

I saw her and my stomach dropped again. She was on the dance floor with the man I saw in the parking lot. He had his arms around her waist and she had her head on his shoulder. She even looked a bit teary eyed.

I was getting ready to turn around and leave when a woman stopped me.

"They look good together, don't they, Jerrod. You are Jerrod, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry. Do I know you?" I asked.

"No, we never met formally. I'm Janey's mother."

I looked again at the couple dancing and said to A.J.'s mother. "Please don't tell her I was here. It was a mistake. I must go."

"You don't understand, Jerrod. Janey's dancing with her brother, Bobby. Her escort didn't show so Bobby pinched hit. He didn't want to see his sister alone at the wedding."

"Her brother, Bobby?" I repeated.

"Yes," she then yelled kind of loud and most people near us looked up. "Janey, there's someone here to see you."

A.J. looked up and saw me. She started crying as she kicked off her shoes and came running toward me. She put her arms around my neck and kissed me passionately in front of everyone.