Into The Fire - E. L. Todd Page 0,94
forever. My head would explode and I would murder all her clients one-by-one. I couldn’t be home with the kids while she left and went on fake dates. Perhaps she hadn’t really thought about it, but it was true. The occupation simply wasn’t reasonable.
“Oh?” Mom asked. “Why is that?”
“Because I don’t like her job. She’ll find something else.” I was always honest with my parents so I didn’t see why I should stop that now.
Alessandra wanted to argue with me but she kept her mouth shut since my parents were there.
Smart move.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Mom said. “It’ll be too difficult to be a mother while working that kind of job.”
“Exactly.” Maybe my mom would wear Alessandra down.
Alessandra was dead silent.
We ordered our food then made small talk about the shop. It was nice to hear them ask me questions about my work and what I loved rather than me hiding it from them. Maybe they finally accepted who I was. It’s what I wanted for so long. Who knew having Alessandra in my life was the answer to that.
Our dinner arrived and we continued to talk while we ate. Alessandra was still in a sour mood but she hid it from my parents. I picked up on it because every time I touched her thigh, she pushed my hand away. She would give me an earful later. But I could handcuff her to the bed and blindfold her. Then I could do things that would make her forget all her anger.
I wanted to add pepper to my meal so I turned to Alessandra. “Could you pass the pepper, cream queen?”
Alessandra noticeably stiffened at my words.
I waited for her to pass it.
Both of my parents stopped eating and stared at me with terrified looks.
What did I say?
Alessandra slowly passed me the pepper, her cheeks bright red. Then she kicked me hard under the table.
“Ouch.” I rubbed my shin.
An awkward silence filled the table. It had the weight of a thick blanket. It was suffocating and heavy. We continued to eat but now everyone’s faces were glued to their plates. No one made small talk.
“I’m going to kill you,” Alessandra whispered to me.
“Why?”
She kicked me again. “If you can’t figure it out, you’re hopeless.”
***
“I hate you.” Alessandra smacked her clutch against me once we were in the apartment. “I told you not to call me that in front of them.”
“It slipped out, alright? It’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal?” she shrieked. “You humiliated me.”
“Look, you really think my parents think we aren’t having sex? My parents know how I am, Alessandra.”
She chucked her clutch at me. “Argh!”
When she growled like that it was pretty hot.
“Your parents must think I’m a whore.”
“No, they don’t. They think you’re my better half.”
She gripped her skull. “I’ve been embarrassed a lot in my life but that has to be the most humiliating thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“They probably forgot about it by now.”
“No, they didn’t!” She stomped her foot.
“And I doubt they even know what that means.”
“They aren’t stupid, Ash.”
“I don’t know…have you talked to them lately?”
She pointed at her front door. “Just go. I don’t want to hear you speak right now.”
“But I have more to say.”
“I don’t care! How dare you tell them I’m quitting my job.”
“You are.”
“I’m sorry my job bothers you but I’m not walking away from it.”
“This is what’s going to happen. You’re going to quit and I’ll cover your bills until you find something new.”
“But I don’t want something new,” she barked. “I don’t want to have a boss and sit in a cubicle all day.”
“This job isn’t practical and you know it. How do you expect to ever have a serious relationship when you do this for a living? You’re acting like I’m crazy for having a problem with it but I can guarantee any other guy would. You really see yourself doing this when you’re a wife and mother? Let me tell you right now, my wife isn’t going to be an escort. I told you if I ever settled down, I would be insanely possessive and never let a man even touch her arm. You wanted me all to yourself and you got what you wanted, but there’s a lot of extra shit that comes along with it.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and stared me down.
“It’s just a job, baby. You’ll find something else.”
“How would you feel if I asked you to quit?”
I rubbed the back of my neck.