Save Me, Sinners
On any other day, I would want to know the full story but not today. I just don’t want to be a part of anything that involves David. Besides, I have to get back to work.
“Can I get you anything else?” I ask, coldly.
“What? I thought bartenders were supposed to be good listeners?” he laughs.
“But I'm no bartender,” I can’t stop the smile from spreading.
“Okay, look. This drink wasn’t the reason I came here,” he says, looking me in the eye.
“I figured that much out.”
“Why don’t you come to the match with me?”
The direct request surprises me. For a moment my heart flutters at the thought of watching David play in the final but there is no way I’m going to let myself get hurt again.
“I can’t.” I shake my head.
“You probably think all jocks are bad guys, but we aren’t. I know David. I haven’t seen him with that gleam in his eye for any woman except you. And if what I know of women is right, it wasn’t a fling for you either. Obviously you both care about each other.”
“No I don’t,” I snap back.
“Look, girl. If you’re worried about the whole thing with the article then let me tell you one thing. I don’t care what anybody else says. I don’t believe for a second that it was your doing. And I pride myself on being a good judge of people.”
This is the first time someone has directly talked to me about that whole mess and a dam breaks. All the feelings of guilt and the events that transpired come back. I tried to save Davi
d’s reputation by rejecting Max’s offer to slander him and yet, Max outplayed my hand.
“It wasn’t my fault,” I say quietly.
“I know that.”
“But does David know that?” I look up. Willie’s face is glum.
“I'm not sure what he believes. I tried to bring it up with him but he refused to talk about it.”
“It was all Max’s doing,” I say, coming clean. “First he fired me for not co-operating with him to run another scandalous piece on David and then he used the article that I had written but edited it completely to change the narrative... and there was nothing I could do about that.” I grit my teeth, my temper rising at the thought of Max’s treachery.
Willie smiles. “I just knew that you could never do something like that!”
“It doesn’t matter Willie. What is done is done. What happened between me and David..,” I look away. “It was a one-time thing. Sure, it might have been special… but he has his own family, his own life and I have no place there. We belong to two different worlds.”
“Family? David has a family?”
“I’ve met Lucy and Harry, so you don’t have to pretend that they don’t exist,” I say, not in a mood to play games. Willie thumps the bar with his hand and laughs out loud.
“What is so damn funny?”
“Lucy is the biggest gold digger I know. She only came to LA because she got fired from some reality show and as always, she wanted to use David to get in the headlines. There is a better chance of pigs flying than of David and Lucy ever being together again.”
This is news to me. A tiny spark of hope flutters in my heart but I squash it immediately. Too many things have gone wrong already and so many wrongs could not be righted.
“The only connection between them is their son. Nothing more,” Willie smiles. “Besides, he’s thrown her out of the house and she’s living elsewhere now.”
Once again, the hopes rise in my heart and once again they are squashed. I clear my throat and cross my arms.
“David and I are history, Willie. I appreciate you coming down here, but… I'm sorry... I can’t do anything for you or for David.”
Willie smiles, but there’s a hint of disappointment on his face. “Well, I gotta go anyway. I'm expected back at the stadium. Sure you don’t want to come to the game with me?” He tries one last time.