The Green Ticket (32 page)

“To Alex? Oh, come on, she knows me. Alex! Alex, sweetheart! Tell these nice men that it’s no big deal. We know each other!” Kevin started shouting to me. I paused and looked at him. He was sweating and it looked like he laid in a spilt drink when he took his Henry-assisted tumble. He did not look like a businessman, a husband, or anyone with class or an ounce of respect. I felt for him–– for a just a second. I wondered if he realized how badly he fucked up this time, and how publicly.

Without a word, I turned around and kept walking towards the stairs. I was determined to hold the tears in, at least till we got to the limo. Carmen and Lila flanked me, and I could see Henry, Max, and Kyle quickly following behind us. Hannah and Peter came after them. Right when we got to the top of the stairs, Dani appeared.

“Hey, guys! Where are you going? What happened? Alex, what’s wrong?” She took one look at my face and knew a disaster had taken place. A disaster named Kevin Dohlman.

I didn’t say anything, just looked at Dani and slowly opened the coat I was wearing. Showing her that my outfit now consisted of a mini-skirt and white lace bra.

“What in the hell? Who did this to you?” Dani searched my face, and I saw her expression darken. “I’m so sorry, Alex. I thought...I didn’t think he would...I apologize for him. I can’t believe he would pull this tonight. In front of everyone. Oh, God, did everyone see?” Her eyes welled with tears, and I felt terrible for her. Her husband clearly had a lot of issues, and it was always Dani’s job to pick up the pieces after the hurricane and put everything back together.

I nodded, still unable to speak. Lila took over for me. “We’re going to get going. Kevin is in the process of being thrown out by security. You might want to help him.”

Dani stared at me for another second, her pain cutting right into me. “I’m really sorry about this, Alex. I...I’ll call you tomorrow.” And she rushed to the dance floor, where we could now see that Kevin was being physically removed by the bouncers, screaming his head off about lawyers and lawsuits.

We made it unscathed to the lower level and out into the night. Our limo was just around the corner, and Tony helped us all in. As I sat down and laid my head on Henry’s shoulder, I realized how exhausted I felt. How exhausted I felt every time I did a Blissful function. Whether it was working, meetings, phone calls, whatever–– Blissful always left this feeling with me.

“I don’t know whose coat this is,” I said meekly, wrapping it tighter around me. “I just stole someone’s coat.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure out who it belongs to and make sure they get it back. I’m sure they won’t mind you borrowing it,” Lila said, sitting to the right of me.

I nodded my head. I thought the tears would come once I made it to the limo, but they hadn’t showed yet. My body just felt numb. I had to quit my job. There was no way I could continue on after that night. How could I have an ounce of respect for myself if I did? “I have to quit, don’t I?” I asked my friends. They were all in the limo–– Lila and Henry on my sides, Hannah holding hands with Peter, Carmen sitting in between Max and Kyle, and Emma sitting beside Corey. My own little support group.

“Could you stay?” Emma asked me. “Could you stay after this incident?”

I shook my head. “There’s no way. No way. How would I act around Kevin? The employees? What kind of example would I be setting for them if I just brushed this under the rug? That they all need to lie back and take whatever shit Kevin throws their way? I can’t do that. I just can’t. I’m better than that.”

“You are better than that, Alex. Just keep remembering that. You’re better than what just happened in there.” Henry squeezed my hand and kissed my temple.

The limo first dropped Max and Kyle off at their place. Peter was staying at Hannah’s and Henry was staying with me. “I’m going to hop out here, too, if that’s okay with you, Alex. Unless you want to stay up and chat at all. I’ll come back to Wacker,” Carmen said. Even in my current condition, I could see she was finally closing the gap of “friendship” between her and Max.

“No, please. Don’t worry about me. I’m exhausted and just want to sleep. I don’t want to think anymore until the morning. Have a good night.” I managed a wink at her, and she winked back before grabbing her clutch and exiting the limo.

The rest of our group rode back in near silence. Tony helped us all out of the limo and tipped his hat to us as we filed silently inside Wacker. Everyone gave me a hug as we parted, even Corey. I remembered thinking I liked him as he grabbed Emma’s hand and led her down the hallway. Lila unlocked our door and we stepped inside the apartment.

“Well. Great night, everybody. Let’s try that again next year, shall we?” I said bitterly, throwing my clutch on the kitchen table. I ripped the stupid Louboutins off my feet, wanting to throw them as well but realizing that carelessly treating shoes that could very well cost thousands of dollars wouldn’t be my smartest move. “What a fucking joke.”

“It is a fucking joke, Alex. I mean, what the hell are you going to do tomorrow? What do you even say to him? To the employees? Dani? What the hell is Dani going to do?” Lila fired off questions that she knew I couldn’t answer. Henry sank onto the couch, shaking his head.

“I really don’t even know if I can think about this anymore tonight. My head feels like it could explode. But there is no way in hell I am going back to work for him. No freaking way.”

“Can you sue? Could you have any sort a case of sexual harassment against him or something?” Henry asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Honestly, I doubt it. He has so much money anyway he could hire much better lawyers than I ever could. I know he’s won lawsuits before when he definitely should have lost. Money buys everything in his world.”

“But Henry’s right. You’re quitting because of what he did. You’ll be out of job because of his actions. And what about the money that he’s given you? You could show how he’s tried paying you off.”

“But that’s going to make me look bad. I accepted it. I helped keep his secrets because he kept handing me checks. What does that say about me, about my character? I look like any cheap hooker would, choosing money over my morals. Why didn’t I just get out of it right away?” Tears leaked through my eyes. I should have known better. I should have gotten out. I should have told. Should have, should have, should have.

“Alex, you can’t blame yourself.” Henry grabbed my hand and led me gently to the couch. “It’s not your fault what Kevin does. And remember what we talked about a few weeks ago? You were going to use that money to help start your own business. It’s not like you were taking the money and going on shopping sprees and buying cars. Or worse–– it’s not like you started sleeping with Kevin, too.”

I thought of Allie once Henry said that. Was she being paid by Kevin? Was she getting “bonuses” on the side? I wondered if her fiancé knew. I wondered if Dani knew. I wondered if Allie was sleeping with him when we had our heart to hearts when I had first started Blissful. “I just have too many questions right now. I want to sit down with Dani and get this figured out. I like her. Maybe she knows about Kevin’s infidelities, maybe she just doesn’t want to believe them. But I don’t want to believe Allie. She told me she thinks Dani knows and sticks around because Kevin has money. But what if that was just a lie? Allie’s been lying to me since I came on board. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was making Dani out to be this terrible person. She’s the one cheating on her fiancé. Sleeping with her boss. Sleeping with her friend’s husband. I cannot believe what a mess this is. My dream job. What a joke.”

We went to sleep shortly after that. I decided I would call Dani tomorrow and ask her to meet me somewhere where we could talk, really talk about what the hell was going down at her business. And I needed to turn in my resignation –– effective immediately. I had to start looking for new jobs. I had to call Alicia and explain what the hell happened. That was going to be a terrific phone call. My sister was going to be livid. Maybe another trip to Seattle was in my future; just to get away for a second and breathe and try to forget these past six months.

I fell asleep cuddled in Henry’s arms, dreading the next day.

$$$

“Okay. I’ll see you in an hour. Bye.” I hung up the phone with Dani after making plans to meet at the deli by Blissful. Dani apologized about eight times in our ten-minute phone conversation, and said she really wanted to meet with me as well. I had woken up early that Sunday, made it to church with Henry, Hannah and Peter, then came back to Wacker to shower, change, and prepare myself for lunch with Dani. Henry and Peter had gone back to their house, but Henry left me with a kiss and plenty of words of encouragement. The girls all gathered in apartment 12, watching me get ready.

“I just wonder what she’s going to say. Will she make excuses for Kevin? Make you feel like you were in the wrong? Or will she be totally against him and want a divorce?” Emma wondered, watching me pull my hair back in a ponytail.

“If she doesn’t at least separate from Kevin for a while, I will be fucking flabbergasted. I know marriage is tough and all that bullshit, but this man clearly doesn’t know how to stay faithful. I’m dying to know if Dani has knowledge of the other affairs. Or of Allie! Shit could get very real at that spa.” Carmen added her thoughts to the situation.

“I think it’s so sad. Kevin really could have a lot going for him. Money, business, wife, kids. It’s sad he wants to throw all that away just to have sex with other women. What is wrong with men?” Hannah wondered.

“They’re all pigs. Selfish, usually lazy, pigs. Text us throughout lunch, Alex. Seriously. We’re going to be on pins and needles over here,” Lila said.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get all the details soon enough. How do I look?” I was aiming for business casual with a crisp white shirt tucked into wide-legged khaki pants and nude pumps.

“You look good. Here’s your binder.” Lila handed me my bulging black binder that was always filled with Blissful documents. This morning, it also contained copies of my letter of resignation. 

“All right. I’m going to head out. I’ll text you and let you know how it’s going.” I was out the door with a chorus of “Good luck!” ringing in my ears. I climbed in my Camry and directed it on the familiar path to Blissful. I was sad that I wouldn’t be making the drive anymore. I was sad that I lost a job that I truly enjoyed, one I thought I was good at. I was disappointed in myself that I hadn’t spoken up sooner. Maybe if I had, it wouldn’t have come to what happened at my birthday party. Maybe Dani would have left Kevin months ago. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

I pulled into the deli parking lot with time to spare. Dani was notorious for being late, so I gave myself a few extra breaths to pull myself together. Not one for confrontation, I knew this lunch was going to put me eons away from my comfort zone.

I grabbed my binder and exited my car and, to my surprise, found Dani seated at a booth already. “Hi, Alex,” she greeted me, getting to her feet and giving me an awkward hug. “Thanks for meeting with me today.”

“Thanks for meeting with me,” I said, dropping into my seat. Dani looked like hell, the first time I could remember ever seeing my boss not looking polished and put together. Her face was free of make-up, making her look more like she was twenty-one instead of twenty-eight. Her hair was pulled back into a haphazard ponytail, with strands falling all around her face. The dark circles under her eyes made me wince and I could see puffiness there as well. I knew it wasn’t directly my fault, but I still felt like I was causing her pain in some way.

“Well, I guess we should just dive right in, huh?” She let out a nervous giggle and I followed suit. This was so freaking uncomfortable. “Alex, I want to apologize for Kevin’s actions last night. He was completely out of line, inappropriate, and I know his behavior cannot be excused. He clearly drank too much and forgot that he was in an official work capacity, not just partying with his buddies.”

I nodded, thinking it sounded like Dani was just making excuses for her douchebag husband. Great. So she wasn’t going to do anything more than apologize on his behalf. The selfish prick couldn’t even do it himself.

“Kevin wanted me to ask you not to press charges against him. He offered to get help in exchange for your silence.”

“Excuse me?” That was it. “You’re here not to say sorry and mean it, not to make sure I’m okay, but to make sure I won’t press charges? Are you kidding me?” The anger flew out of my mouth. I couldn’t believe the audacity of Dani. And to think I once thought of her as my friend. I flipped my cell phone open under the table and shot off a text to Lila’s phone:
she wants to b sure i don’t press charges. WTF!

With that, Dani’s face crumbed. “I am sorry, Alex. You don’t know how sorry I am. I hate this. I hate apologizing for him. I hate sticking by him and trying to make sure everything’s okay, always. I hated seeing your face last night and knowing what you must think of me. I am sorry.”

My resolve weakened. Dani looked like a lost little girl. “Dani. Please talk to me. Talk to me like a friend, not someone you have to put a show on for.”

Dani’s floodgates really opened at that. “It’s horrible, Alex. I don’t know how to get out. I hate just standing around and watching him go so downhill. He’s my husband. I love him. He’s the father of my children. I think he needs help, professional help. But he won’t listen to me. What do I do? Do I just leave? Break apart a family? Start over on my own? How can I? What do I do?”

I got up and sat next to Dani, putting my arm around her shoulders. “Dani. Listen to me. Kevin does not treat you right. He does not treat you fairly. I’ve been watching him for months and I can’t stand it. I’m here today to talk to you, but also to put in my letter of resignation, to begin immediately. I can’t stand being around him for more than six months. You’ve been married to him for, what, eight years? That’s quite the feat in itself. But you need to get out of it. What he’s doing to you and the stress you have to be under and the influence he might have on your daughters–– you just have to get out.”