Translation of Love - By Alice Montalvo-Tribue Page 0,43
the dirty dishes I had left in the sink the night before. Sleeping alone in my bed again last night, I struggled to fall asleep. Lately it seems as though the only time I’m free from the memories of the past are the times when I’m with Victor. My goal over the last two years was to become self sufficient, to be in total control of my life and to protect myself at all costs, but when I’m with him I find that I lose my will to fight so hard. Does allowing him into my life mean that I have to give up all of those things that I worked so hard for? I’m just not so sure anymore.
Victor called me on my way to work this morning to let me know that he would be stuck in the studio most of the day. This meant that he wouldn’t be able to pick me up but instead was sending Rob to pick me up. I tried to tell him that I could drive myself but he wouldn’t even entertain the idea of me driving by myself in New York City. He promised that he would be at his apartment by the time I got there. This makes me kind of nervous. Just the thought of an hour and a half drive with a strange man, whom I’ve never met, puts me on edge. I sent a text to Jordan to see if she thought I was overreacting, to which she replied.
Yes. You are overreacting as usual. Victor likes you, he’s not gonna send a psycho to come pick you up. Just relax and enjoy your weekend.
Her response calmed me down enough to see that she was right. Victor wouldn’t send someone untrustworthy to pick me up. I put my fears to rest and was able to go home, shower, change into a casual dress, and pack a bag for the weekend. The car pulls up to my house at around six o’ clock and a beast of a man gets out and comes to my door. I open before he has a chance to knock. The sight of him leaves me absolutely speechless. This man is huge. Scary, intimidating, run for your life kind of huge. He has a low cut buzz cut, piercing blue eyes, and a scar just above his thin lips. I start to look down and notice that he has quite possibly the largest neck of anyone I’ve ever seen, broad shoulders and well defined muscles that can be made out underneath his t-shirt and jeans.
“Ms. Brooks? I’m Rob. I’m your ride this evening, ma’am.” His deep voice makes my heart race. Not in a sweet, seductive way, but in an, oh my God he can crush me like a twig, kind of way.
“Hi, Rob. You can call me Elle.”
“Alright, Elle, can I take your bag?” he asks, looking at the paisley weekender bag sitting on the floor in front of me.
“Sure.” He grabs my bag and I follow him to the awaiting car. He opens my door for me, waits for me to get in, then puts my bag in the trunk. He gets into the driver’s seat and takes off. We drive in companionable silence for some time as we head north on the Garden State Parkway. I know that we have well over an hour drive ahead of us, maybe longer if the tunnels into the city are backed up.
“How long have you been working for Victor?” I ask. I might as well make use of this time and get to know him a little, maybe then he won’t intimidate me so much.
“I’ve been guarding him for a little over three years now.”
“Is that common to be with one client that long?”
“Depends. For me, not so much. I’ve been with him the longest.”
“Was that by choice?”
“Yes. We work well together, understand each other. Of all the clients I’ve ever worked for, Victor is by far the most easygoing and the nicest.”
“Good to know.” It makes me happy that he’s a good employer. How he treats the people who work around him says a lot about the type of man he is.
“You’re special to him.”
I look at the rearview mirror and can see Rob’s eyes on me. “Excuse me?”
“In the three years I’ve been with him, he’s been in one relationship. Other than that, he’s never made this kind of effort for any woman. That tells me you’re special.”