Free Both Sides of the Fence 4: Bad Blood by M.T. Pope Page B

promising. I could see me marrying him and starting a family with him. Sure, he had his moments, but I was willing to look past them because I had my own issues going on as well. I thought tonight was the night I was going to tell him about my past. I wanted to continue this relationship with honesty like he did with me. No more lies.
    I was sitting at a nice, charming table in the back of a restaurant that was sophisticated and classy. It had white tablecloths, candles, soft music playing, and low lighting to give off a romantic ambiance. It was enchanting as I looked around the room at the twelve or so tables that were spread out across the room. It was an adult atmosphere. I was still in disbelief that I was even in a setting like this one without causing a scene or something. I was a scene maker for sure. Well, at least I was a scene maker. I had grown up some and I was quite proud of my reserved attitude. I was wondering if it was a lasting change or one that I had forced onto myself. Well, time would tell.
    Troy had texted me a few minutes ago letting me know that he was running late but he was on his way. He was caught up in traffic on I-695. Traffic on I-695 could be problematic if you caught it at the wrong time of day or if an accident occurred. I knew that he wouldn’t be here for at least another fifteen or twenty minutes. It was all right with me because I was loving this place and the wine that I ordered was keeping me good company. I loved being an adult. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment. I even swayed in my seat a bit.
    My moment of solitude was interrupted by a tap on my hand that was calmly sitting on the table. My eyes popped open and then I closed them again hoping that I was dreaming.
    This couldn’t be happening. This had to be my karma or something. I couldn’t believe it. Shit! Shit! Shit! I screamed in my head.
    I slowly opened up my eyes to the reality before me. “Antoinette,” I spoke as dryly as I possibly could. I wanted her to know that she was not welcome here, at all. But then I looked at her attire. It was a chef’s uniform. This bitch, excuse me, woman, worked here. This was her place of employment. Ugh! I would have thought that since this was well outside the city limits I wouldn’t run into anyone I knew or who knew of me, but alas, here I was with a run-in in front of me.
    “I was having a rough day until I came out here for a break, looked across the room, and saw you.” She was smiling like the Cheshire cat.
    It made me sick to my stomach.
    “You a sight for sore eyes, girl. Ump, ump, ump.” She leaned over and looked me up and down from the side. “Your ass spilling out of that seat you in.”
    It made me feel creepy. “Really?” It was rhetorical, but I knew this bitch, I mean woman, was going to misinterpret it any way I said it to her. She was causing me to revert to my old ways. This is what happens when your past shows up all of a sudden and catches you off guard. They want to drag you backward. No, sah, not today!
    “Yeah, girl.” She smiled hard, again. “You got that ill na na.” She even danced a little in her seat to the beat that was probably playing in her head.
    Truth was it played a little in my head as well. But I moved past the moment because I wanted her to move on past this one. “Antoinette, this is not the time for this. Actually, there is no time for this.” I looked at her with as much seriousness as I could muster up. I was hoping that she got the point and moved on graciously and with haste.
    “Oh, you out on a date?” She looked at me with a little surprise on her face. “You got you a little bitch you about to work over tonight? Y’all want some company? I can’t promise I won’t dominate the scene but I can’t wait to taste you again.”
    “What!” I looked at her in shock. Every part of that statement was crazy. She looked crazy saying it. Her ass had to be about fifty-five or older. Who in the hell was she going to toss