“Are you going to do this again?”
“No, sir.”
“Good, send him around back.” I hung up.
“I’m having trouble with my guard. He won’t tell me the names of anyone coming.”
“Hah!” Andrew slapped his knees. “You are screwed.”
“No, I’m not,” I sighed.
Chapter 38
Mercedes
Brenda was in her office talking to a young woman who came in with a swollen eye. I didn’t want to hear any of it. I didn’t like to think about that kind of thing, but I could hear her sobbing in the office. There was something unsettling about that sound. It was like listening to a precious vase break over and over again.
Brenda’s computer was completely worthless. It had a paint program, a text writer, and solitaire. I could never fully understand solitaire. Everyone thought I was a complete idiot because of it, but it was hard. I didn’t know what was going on, and they didn’t give out instructions, so I tried to distract myself by doodling.
I’d gotten quite good at it. I was halfway through a rose made of black and red blocks when the door opened, and the girl walked out. I gave her a quick, sympathetic smile before she walked out, then turned around to see Brenda standing behind me with her hands on her hips. “You got back with him.”
“What? No, dear God, no.”
“Yes, you did. I see you on the phone talking out there on break. You foolish little girl. Did you see that?” she motioned towards the door.
“Yeah, I did.”
“So? What are you doing?”
“I made a mistake.”
“Don’t give me that crap.”
“Brenda, did I tell you what happened?”
“No.” She seemed defensive.
“So, you don’t know anything about him, right?”
“Well…”
“And you’re trying to get me to make a major life decision. Why?”
“Because I saw you crying in my office, and you told me that everything I said was true. It hit home, didn’t it?”
“I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Is that what he told you?” she asked.
“I’m doing the right thing, and I know it’s not something you can accept. You see a lot of battered women, but I’d like you to leave it alone and allow me to make this decision. And trust that it won’t affect my ability to perform my job.”
“What am I supposed to do when you start coming in looking like a bag lady again?”
“Can you wait until it happens? Please?”
She took a deep breath. “I mean, it’s not right. Deep down, you have to know that.”
“I’m not the girl you think I am, Brenda. I can smell men like that a mile away.”