Imbalance Pt. 03

That was a bit of news. I couldn't say that I was upset at hearing it.

"What happened, if you mind me asking?"

"No, it's fine. Me and Doug were kinda doomed from the start. I mean, I do love him, and I believe that he loves me. But we didn't do ourselves any favors by starting things out like we did. Then, when things started going bad with his patent, he became filled with so much anger and hatred towards you. Not to mention the two of you pinheads acting like Mayweather and Pacquiao, behaving like a couple of juvenile delinquents."

"I was Mayweather." I joked. Her face twisted into a playful smirk.

"What, obnoxious and full of himself?"

"Ha, ha. Hilarious. Have you gotten funnier since we divorced?"

"Whatever slugger. Anyway, it's really put a strain on things. I just can't have that kind of negativity around the girls. You know? You are their father, and they love you. I don't think he can accept that and become a conducive to our lives."

She started crying, and I grabbed her in for another hug. Her arms wrapped around my back as she squeezed me. When we finally let go, she wiped her tears again.

"I know that this is gonna sound self-serving, but you did the right thing. Doug isn't the guy for you. I know that you feel that he was there for you, but trust me on this. You're right when you say that your relationship was doomed from the start. Everything about it built on him helping you get over me. All he had to do was be the complete opposite of me. I honestly don't think the two of you actually knew each other."

I remembered the choice that I gave Doug, and what he wound up choosing. I could have brought that up to her, but she didn't need that right now.

"I hate to admit this, but Doug and I are more alike than you think. There's a reason why we were best friends."

She smiled sadly and nodded her head. "Thanks Frank. I know you mean well, but that doesn't help."

I silently nodded and said no more. I just brushed my hand across her cheek before I opened the door and got into the truck. I turned the ignition and the engine rumbled to life.

"Don't forget about dinner. It's an open invitation." She said before I closed the door. I smiled and nodded. She took a step back as I pulled the heavy metal door shut, and then put the truck in drive. I watched as Claire waved goodbye and I drove off to my new home.

"After we get you moved in, you owe me a beer." Terry said from the passenger side.

"Sure thing Terry."

"Why don't we go get that beer in a place full of TnA. Wanna go to Sal's?"

Thinking of Sal's made me think of Sandra. It'd been a few months since I last saw her. That night at IHOP was still ingrained in my memory. I thought about her from time to time.

"Nah. I'm not in the mood for that. I know a good sports bar though."

"Lead the way."

The truth was, I couldn't go to Sal's and see Sandra wearing a Starlet costume. I really couldn't watch Terry, or anyone else, drool all over her.

I knew that person was a fake. The flirtatious sex kitten wasn't who she was. I felt a connection with her the first night I met her, but that was built on the façade of Starlet. The real connection that I made was when I sat with her in that restaurant, watching her devour her plate. Or when I was back in the room, crying my eyes out. That was who intrigued me. The real Sandra was a complex creature who hid behind a stone cold mask.

But she wasn't stone cold. A stone cold person wouldn't have held a complete stranger while he bawled over his ex-wife. Or listened as that stranger told her all that he was going through. No, a person who does that has a good, caring heart. A heart that had probably been broken one time too many and had to retreat into a shell to protect itself. Yet, it still cares. It can't help it, despite itself.

***

"James, if that's you by my car you better just walk the fuck away! If I have to call Bruno out here, things will go very badly. Trust me, that never ends well."

Starlet's voice shouted out into the darkness of the parking lot. I held my hands up in the air in surrender.

"Sandra. I'm sorry for scaring you. it's me." I said quickly, hoping that she recognized my voice.

"Frank?"

"Yeah."

I saw her visibly relax as she walked over to me.

"What the fuck are you doing lurking around my car?"

It was dark outside, seeing that it was about 2:00 in the morning, but the street lights as well as the illumination provided by SAL'S large, ostentatious, glowing neon sign provided enough visibility that I could make out her face.

"I didn't know of any other way to see you. Who the hell is James?"

I swear that I saw a hint of a smile start before the scowl returned.

"No one important. Why didn't you just come inside of the club?"

I nervously stuck my hands in my pockets. "I don't know. I guess I didn't want to see Starlet. I wanted to see...you."

"Frank..."

"No Sandra. Just hear me out, okay?" She stopped whatever she was about to say and nodded.

"Look, I feel something for you. I don't know what it is, but it's something. You were there for me when I needed you."

"Frank..."

"Don't interrupt. Because I know what you're gonna say. You don't do the Girlfriend Experience. You aren't built that way. Or some other excuse that you tell yourself to keep other people out. But those are lies, Sandra. You know it."

She didn't say anything. I waited for her to respond but I got nothing. Then, she just brushed past me and started to get into her car.

"So, you're just gonna walk away?"

She spun around and glared at me, her face filled with venom.

"YES! I'm going to walk away because I know how this story ends. Tell me, what do you see for us? A sweet courtship, with roses and intimate dinners? Love making in the moonlight after a romantic date? Becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. Then what? You wake up in the morning and go to work. When you come home from work, that's when I'll go to MY job. Here. Giving lap dances. Grinding on hard dicks and getting groped. Having men throw dollar bills at me for a peek of my tits. And then I come home, crawl in bed with you, and laugh as we talk about our hard days at work. Is that what you see for us?"

I stood there quietly for moment, letting all of that sink in. She continued.

"Are you gonna introduce me to your parents? Your kids? What will you tell them about me? How we first met? I've been down this road Frank. It doesn't end well. Not for me. So yes, I'm gonna walk away. I suggest you do the same."

She got into her car and started it up. Just before she could back out of the parking space, I jumped in her way.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY FRANK!" she yelled out of her window. I stood my ground until she angrily got out of her car and stalked over to me.

"Sandra, look. I don't know the answer to those questions. Okay? But I feel something for you. You feel it too. If you didn't, you wouldn't be so angry right now. All I want is to get to know you. That's all. We don't have to date. We can just be friends. But I want to see you some kind of way."

She stopped and glared at me for a moment. Then she crossed her arms and looked off to the side. I didn't say anything more. I just let her think. She was still standing here instead of calling Bruno to come out and kick my ass, so I knew I didn't have to say anything else.

"God! You're fucking annoying!" she finally spit out.

"Soooo, is that a yes?" I asked tentatively. She didn't answer. She just uncrossed her arms, reached in her pocket and grabbed her cellphone. Then she put in her passcode and handed it to me.

"Put your phone number in before I change my mind."

"Really?"

"Yes. Hurry up. It's already changing."

I smiled as I grabbed it from her and did as she asked. Her demeanor had softened some. I could tell. She still wasn't smiling, but the anger that she felt a moment ago was gone. She stood there, with her hand on her hip, but there was no irritation in her countenance.

"You promise to call me?" I asked as she snatched the phone from my hands. She just turned around and walked back to her car.

"Stop being a little girl. I'll call you. Now move out of the way before I run you over!" She said over her shoulder right before she got into her car. I moved out of the way and let her back up.

She passed me as she backed up. Then she stopped going in reverse and put the car into drive. However, she didn't speed off right away. I saw her shoot me a look. It wasn't a smile, exactly. But the look lingered for a moment longer than normal.

It wasn't Starlet looking at me. Not the cold bitch, or the sarcastic woman. It was Sandra. One of those rare glimpses of the girl inside.

But she caught it, looked out of her windshield, and drove off into the night.

***

They say that every story has a definite beginning and an end. But that's not true. Every story continues on into infinity, long after the writer has finished telling the tale. It may morph, blending new characters and new situations, but it never stops. Multiple stories intertwine everyday as people constantly flow in and out of each other's lives. The main star in one story can become a costar in the next. One tale's villain can be another tale's hero. Or friend to the hero. Or just some innocuous person that the hero bumps into on the street.

Everybody has a story.

Cameo Characters:

Terrence "Terry" Ross from "Selfish Spouse"

Cassandra/Sandra "Starlet" from "Struggling to Survive"

Jason "Jace" Morrison from" Deployment"

Sarah from "Deployment" (Epilogue)

Brief mention of James Worthy from "Struggling to Survive"

Author's Final Note:

For those of you who enjoy my writing, and wanted more from Frank and Sandra, I plan on writing a follow on story featuring them. I felt that there were too many dynamics in that relationship to do it justice by making it a smaller plotline in this story. I think they need a story all their own to explore what makes Sandra tick.

The Loving Wives portion of this story is over. Frank and Sandra's story will more than likely go in romance. But who knows where those characters will take me. Unfortunately, I haven't started on it yet, so I don't even have a title to give you to look out for. I apologize for that. I always need a break in between stories. So much of myself goes into writing them that I often feel exhausted when I'm done. My brain needs to rest. Hopefully you can catch it when I finally write it.

I also want to make note that I enjoyed blending storylines together. It made things more challenging, and it added an extra element to the writing process. I will look to do more of that in the future. As long as both storylines are able to coexist without contradicting, I will look for opportunities to do so.

Thank you for reading. You guys are awesome.