The Dare

“I see.” Karen rolls her eyes when she hears the discomfort in my voice.

“Don’t be so judgmental. God, I’m getting things together. We can’t all have a business like you.”

“I didn’t say that,” I insist. “I’m not trying to put you down; I just need to see how this will work.”

“I just need a chance to get started, that’s all. A spring board and everything will be okay.”

I forgot how much Karen likes the idea that everything should be handed to her on a plate. She holds on to the belief that she should sit back and wait for everything to fall in to place. She talks about me having a business as if I didn’t work my damn ass off to make that happen. As if it isn’t still hard work right now.

I need to express my worry in a way that won’t send Karen running because Amelia won’t be happy with me for it. With that in mind, I pause for a moment and try to get my head in order, to find the right collection of words to make this okay again. It isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do with Karen staring at me expectantly the whole time. She knows that I’m struggling, and she seems to be relishing it.

“Hello, Zack.” The cold female voice distracts me from my thoughts and causes me to twist around.

“Latesha?” I gasp as I see her glaring down at me with sheer hatred. I know I was an asshole to her again because of all of this and I know I need to make it up to her, but this isn’t the time or place. Can’t she see that I already have enough of a drama on my hands without making it worse? “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you don’t want me here?” Latesha’s lip up curls in rage. “You want me in the office where you can keep me hidden, huh? You like having your assistant there only when you want her?”

“Huh?” Clearly, she is getting at something, but my brain it too foggy to work out what.

“You don’t want me to talk about us in front of your wife?” She waves her hands towards Karen, effectively bringing her in to our weird one-sided conversation as well. “I suppose you don’t want her to know that you don’t tell anyone in the office about her, no one knows that she exists, so you can fool around with me as well as her? Well, like I said to you, Zack, I deserve so much more than that. And so does your wife.”

Latesha looks at Karen square in the face and I silently beg my ex to clear things up because I have no idea what’s going on, but Karen smirks and shakes her head as if this whole thing amuses her. Her silence reminds me of just how manipulative Karen can be and brings a sense of ice-cold fear tearing through my body. If I let Karen say anything then she might make it worse, which will of course bring more unnecessary drama in to my life. I rise to my feet rapidly, desperately wanting to end this before it can get out of hand. Well, more so.

“Latesha, can we talk about this outside, please? I don’t think this is the place?”

She snatches her shoulder away from me before I can touch it. “Hide me again? Is that what you want? Well I refuse to be hidden. Your wife knows about us now, and she can do with you what she wants. Since I didn’t know anything about you being married while we were together, take this as me officially ending things because you are a scum bag. I hope you end up alone after this because that’s what you deserve.”

With that, she storms off towards the door. I start to follow her because although I’m still very confused as to what all of this is, I know that I need to make it right. If there is one thing that I can take from that rant and know that she was right about it, it’s the fact that I should have treated Latesha a whole lot better. I chose to keep my private life a secret from her, that wasn’t her fault, I am the one who has pushed her to one side with no explanation, I am the only person who has done anything wrong. I’m a massive idiot.

“Latesha,” I call after her as she half runs off. “Latesha, wait.”

If I didn’t have Karen in the café and I wasn’t dealing with my ex for my daughter’s sake then I would run after her, but I can’t. I guess it’s better that it gives her time to cool off before we chat because I haven’t ever seen Latesha as angry as she is right now. She is spitting with rage, ready to yell some more…