Chapter Four
Date Night
I hadn’t intended on returning to Philadelphia for quite some time prior to my confrontation with Anna. Instead I had been looking forward to spending some peaceful down time at my home, but that was off for now.
I stepped into the bar an hour earlier than usual and made my way to my seat. I hadn’t seen Anna yet and I was beginning to feel alarmed, when she suddenly appeared by my side.
I looked at her in surprise, “Aren’t you working?”
With a curve of her lips and a telling smile she said, “I asked for the night off when I saw you come in. I thought we might go out on a date.”
She’d completely taken me by surprise yet again! With an impish smile she tugged me off my seat towards the door. I was the source of envious male stares as we made our way to the door.
We stepped outside into the muggy evening air. I was in a near panic of indecision as to what to do, so much so that I slightly stuttered as I asked, “I …..ah. Where do you want to go?”
She looked up at me out of her compelling green eyes and asked, “Where do you usually take your girlfriends out on a date?”
It was embarrassing to admit what I had to.
“I’ve never taken a girl out on a date. Actually I’ve never had a girlfriend to start.”
Oh this was awkward! Her eyes seemed to glow softly with some soft emotion and then she said, “Well I guess I’ll be your first then.”
What did she mean by that? Her eyes changed and the humor that always seem to be near the surface came back out as she tugged on my arm leadingly towards the parked taxi. I recognized the taxi driver as Bill and I realized how neatly I had been set up. She was good!
I opened the door of the taxi for her and her eyes danced in merriment, as she brushed past me to get in. I got in and Bill started off, leaving me to wonder where we were headed to. I glanced at her, but she wasn’t given anything away. Her hand had captured mine when I had sat down and I looked down at our connection of touch.
She had entangled her fingers with mine. As a rule I didn’t like being touched, but as shocking as her touch was I didn’t mind her touching me at all. Everything was so completely different with her!
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Cheap date.”
And that was all she would say. Later I stared in surprise at the mall entrance before us as Bill pulled away from the curb, with a smile on his face.
“The mall?” I exclaimed somewhat surprised by her choice.
“Sure!”
She tugged on my right hand as she started for the door. “But what are we going to do here?” I asked puzzled.
“Just walk around hold hands and talk. I told you it’s a cheap date. It’ll be fun I promise!” She said girlishly with a grin as she continued to tug me along.
It was a very large mall and we did a lot of walking and she did a lot of talking. I don’t think her mouth ever stopped and in a way I hope it never did.
Typically I didn’t like to be around people who talked a lot, but with her I wanted to hear everything she had to say.
“Mr. Tyre I’m hungry and I think it’s time that I bought you dinner.”
Amused by her offer to buy me dinner I let her pull me into a fast food place.
At the cash register she held up a twenty dollar bill, “I’ll have you know if you are wondering that yes I truly did earn this money and that it’s not some of yours.”
I respected her attempt to show me the genuineness of her desire to do something for me, but I really wished she’d just let me pay for everything.
She was chewing on a french fry when her face grew suddenly pensive, which was so unlike her. She put the rest of her fry down and reached across the table and touched my hand and I waited to see what had brought this change over her.
“I want you to know how much I appreciate all that you’ve done for me Tyre! Walking me home, giving me your gun, your money, especially the taxi, but as much as your kindnesses mean to me they are not why I’m here with you on this date. I’m here because I want to be! I want to spend time with you and I very much want to be your girlfriend completely outside of what you have given me.”
I saw a bead of moisture slip out of the corner of her eye and she wiped at it laughing a little nervously, “You will have to excuse me I get very emotional very easily.”
She started to pull her hand out of mine, but I reached out and caught hers between both of mine, which surprised her. I wasn’t going to leave her hanging in the wake of her emotional declaration to me, but that meant I had to say something emotionally responsive and that was a very hard thing for me to do.
She seemed to be hanging on what I was about to say for her next breath, “You’re the only girl I’ve wanted to be with and it means a lot to me to know that you like being with me. I didn’t think any girl would ever want to be with me.”
Both of her eyes were tearing up now. Had I said too much? She brushed at the tears on her cheeks as a smile started to emerge.
“You put yourself down too much Mr. Tyre! If other girls knew what I know about you they’d be lined up around the block knocking on your door!” She finished passionately.
I highly doubted what she’d just said about other girl’s wanting me. I let go of her hand and she finished wiping at her eyes. I sat there feeling awkward in the aftermath of my statement and gratefully she was the first to break the ice.
Her eyes full of their familiar sparkle she asked, “Wanna buy me ice cream?”
I grinned, “I’d love to.”
It was becoming a familiar thing, feeling her hand in mine as we walked.
“This isn’t your idea of a date is it Tyre?”
I glanced at her as we made our way through the sea of people around us completely unnoticed by them.
“It wasn’t, but you’ve opened my eyes to some of the possibilities of what a date can be.”
“What’s your idea of a date?” She asked inquisitively.
“I guess what you see in the movies. Dining out at a fine restaurant and then some noteworthy event, like a concert or something.”
“That’s a good idea too, but it’s more expensive and you don’t get to talk as much. By now I’m sure you’ve realized that I like to talk. A lot!” She added with a self deprecating laugh.
“No really?” I said chuckling in response.
She abruptly stopped, “What is it?” I asked concernedly, before looking around for someone with a gun about to shoot innocent bystanders.
I didn’t see anyone more threatening than the sour faced woman passing out extra calories in the form of free pretzel samples. I glanced back to Anna to see her looking at me deeply.
“I liked that. You chuckling just now. You’re like a completely different person, when you laugh! ”
“You do it to me.” I responded honestly.
She gave me an intense look, “I’m going to make it a goal of mine from now on to make you laugh more.”
I shook my head despairingly, even as some deep part of me really hoped she would succeed in doing just that.
After a while she asked, “So do you like movies?”
I nodded.
“What kind of movies?”
“All kinds except for horror. I frankly don’t see the point in those movies. There’s enough horror in the world without fabricating more.”
“I couldn’t agree more with you there!” She said echoing my statement.
Then she asked, “So do you just like to watch them at home or do you like to go to the theater?”
“Both, but I really like the theater. I like the still darkness of it and the sense that I’m about to see something that I’ve never seen before. I find it sort of relaxing.”
“When was the last time you went?”
“It’s been a while.” I admitted.
“If it’s something you like doing then why don’t you do it more often?” She asked curiously.
I paused for a moment before answering, “As much as I like the experience of watching the movie in the theater I don’t like the feeling of being alone that I have while I’m there.”
She squeezed my hand, “Well now you have me! Maybe our next date could be going to see a movie.”
“I would like that.” I admitted softly.
“It’s a deal.”
I glanced at her again, but she wasn’t looking at me at the moment and I studied her. She’d just given me something precious, her time and attention focused solely on something that I wanted.
It made me want to give her something in return. I glanced around and my eyes picked out a jewelry store and I seized the opportunity presented.
I led her in the direction of it and she glanced forward and put two and two together, “Oh no you don’t! This is a cheap date night and in the spirit of cheap date night nothing expensive can be bought or eaten!”
She pulled back on my hand resisting my path to the store and I pulled her close and whispered directly into her ear, “I’m your boyfriend and I hereby overrule cheap date protocol. You’re getting something and that’s my final word on the matter!”
She didn’t resist me any further, but meekly followed me into the store, which surprised me some. I had expected her to put up more of a fight, at least vocally. Admittedly I had a lot to learn about females, and this one in particular especially.
Upon entering the store my mind switched back to the purpose of my visit and I immediately thought of emeralds to match her eyes. Upon seeing what they had though I changed my mind.
The emeralds were too dark for her and didn’t capture the spirit of her and then I saw the peridot collection. There lively light green color was perfect for her, one necklace in particular was especially so.
I was about to just ask for the necklace, when I thought, ‘why not more’? I glanced at the earrings they were pretty too. Did she wear earrings I’d never noticed if she had or not.
I glanced up and one ear was free enough of her hair for me to see that her ears were definitely pierced. Come to think of it I’d never seen her wearing any jewelry. She’d probably sold it all to make ends meet. That wasn’t happening again I had already made sure of that.
Whether I was in the picture or not Anna wasn’t going to have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to get by ever again. In addition to the fund I had set up for her, I had also made her the primary beneficiary of my will. If a bullet found me tomorrow she and Kevin would at least be safe and taken care of. That was something of a comfort to me.
I looked up at the woman across the counter, “I’d like the entire set.” The woman beamed at me and started collecting the pieces together.
“Would you like the ankle bracelet and broach as well?”
She asked sounding like she was already counting up her commission for the sales.
“Yes.”
I glanced over at Anna to see that she was completely speechless. I smiled inwardly at the knowledge that I knew what it required now to stop her from talking.
The mall was going to close in about a half hour, as it was almost 9:30 somehow. Where had the time gone?
I hailed a taxi and held the door open for my silent Anna. During the drive something wet touched my hand and I glanced at Anna. She was silently crying beside me as she played with the jewels of her necklace.
A tear must have ricocheted off one of the stones on to me. I put my arm around her and pulled her closer to me and she laid her head on my shoulder. Her leaning against my left side hurt, as she was pressing on the bullet wound on my side, but I didn’t say anything wanting more than anything just to give her the comfort that she needed right now.
“It’s been a long hard road for you hasn’t it?” I asked softly.
She nodded.
“Well, not anymore.”
She started to raise her head, but I pushed it back down onto my shoulder.
“The work I do is dangerous and the guarantee of survival isn’t very high at times. I don’t have anyone I really care about in my life except for you. I was going to just give everything to charity, but I’ve reserved a fund out of it for you.”
I handed a slip of paper to her, “That has all the banking information you’ll need to access the account and here’s the debit card for the account. On the back of the paper is an address and a phone number. The man’s name is Flint and if you’re ever in need of help and I’m not around or I’m dead, contact him and he will help you. He’s a good man and you can trust him.”
She took the paper and the card, but the tears hadn’t stopped.
“Now I’m a cautious man by heart, which is why I’ve done all of this. I certainly don’t plan on leaving life anytime soon. I’m having far too much fun believe it or not dating you, but just in case now you have everything you need to be secure with or without me. I want to make it very clear that there are absolutely no strings attached to any of this. I could get out of this taxi right now and never be seen by you again and none of what I’ve given you would change.”
At my words her hand clutched onto my knee, as if to ensure that I’d stay in the cab and by that one action she unlocked yet one more part of my heart that I had thought was completely shot away.
“I do have one request as to what you do with your money. I want you out of your apartment and neighborhood as of tomorrow! I will help you move.”
She nodded in response. Time passed by.
“I don’t deserve any of this.” She whispered.
I felt her slimly muscled shoulder under my hand and squeezed, “That makes two of us. Money being as rare as it is in life to us at times has never been as rare in my life as simply having a good time. Anna you’ve given me nothing but a good time and I’m very grateful for every moment of it!”
Her hand drifted across my chest to rest over my heart as the diamonds mixed in with the peridot stones on her bracelet winked reflecting off of the street lights.
“You don’t ask for much.” She said softly.
“I’ve learned to be content with what I have as tomorrow can always get worse rather than better in the pursuit of more.”
We were at her building and I escorted her inside. She opened her door and started to say something, but did a double take look at me.
“You’re bleeding!”
I glanced down to see that my coat had fallen open and the wound on my side had bled out past the bandage onto my shirtfront.
“Oh it’s alright, nothing to worry about.”
She practically dragged me into her apartment, which I noticed was as thread bare as I had expected it to be. She sat me down in a rickety chair and left to pull a case out of a drawer and then she was back taking my coat off. She paused at the sight of the double pistol shoulder harnesses I had on.
“I never even guessed you had those on! How do I take them off?”
I showed her how to take them off and she laid each of the guns carefully onto a nearby table with their harnesses and then she took my shirt off.
I watched her eyes coast approvingly over the hard muscles revealed by the absence of my shirt. I may be short and on the slim side, but that didn’t mean I was a pushover.
She focused in on the gash on my side getting onto her knees on the floor beside me.
Her expression of concern grew stormy with passion, “What quack of a doctor botched up this stitch job?”
My eyes danced away from her questioning gaze.
“You did this!” She slapped my cheek none too softly and mumbled something under her breath.
She left and came back with a needle and thread and to my surprise started re-stitching the wound shut. It stung, but it hurt a whole heck of a lot less than my attempt at closing it up had.
Glancing at her work I commented, “It is quite apparent that you’ve had some experience at this.”
She didn’t look up as she said, “I was well into the second year of my nursing degree when I got pregnant with Kevin. Things fell apart after that. My father disowned me and my family in general won’t have anything to do with me. It got worse after Kevin was born.”
“Kevin’s father?” I asked softly prompting her.
“I made a mistake. I thought there was something more there then there was. I was just another conquest to him. He wouldn’t have anything to do with me when I refused to have an abortion.”
“Anna?”
She glanced up, “He’s the one that made a mistake!”
She glanced down back at her work as she finished up. “Thank you, but I was very foolish and I made a poor decision in a mate. But not this time!”
She said glancing up at me pointedly. She poured the alcohol on the wound and I winced sharply. She’d caught me off guard again as she’d distracted me with her words and eyes.
After I recovered from my grimace of pain I commented as she was bandaging my side up, “You would have made a great nurse.”
Then I added “A lot of girls wouldn’t have made the tough call that you did having Kevin knowing what it would cost you.”
She smiled, “Best thing I ever did was have Kevin! He somehow makes it all worth it. I just wish…” She trailed off.
“Wish what?”
She shook her head and stood up and started cleaning up her supplies, as I put my shirt back on. I started to pick up one gun harness, but she stopped me and I glanced at her to see that she had a spark in her eyes as bright as the jewels that she wore.
“Mr. Tyre our date night is not yet complete.”
I glanced at my watch and saw it was almost ten o’clock.
“Don’t you have to go get Kevin?”
With a gleam in her eyes she grasped the front of my shirt and tugged. I got to my feet not sure what was happening. She led me over to a threadbare couch and pushed me down to sit on it.
“Mrs. Reed doesn’t expect me until 11:30, which is when I usually get home. So you see Mr. Tyre we have an hour and a half to have ours ourselves a good time.”
Her words and movements were pure seduction and I was way out of my league. Her skirt slid up as her knees pressed into the couch cushions to either side of me as she straddled my lap. She unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt and I couldn’t take the silence or the situation anymore.
“What are we going to be doing?”
Boy did that ever sounds stupid and pathetic of me, but she only smiled and I tried to hold on to rational thinking processes. Her hands settled on my shoulders as her eyes laughed at me in erotic torment.
“We are just going to kiss Mr. Tyre. Just like this.”
She leaned forward and kissed me solidly on the lips. She pulled back slightly to gaze into my eyes and I felt like I had to be honest.
“I’ve never done anything like this Anna.”
Her expression softened, “I know, but it’s high time that you did. This is the way it’s going to be. We kiss, as I count on you to be the gentleman that I already know you to be.”
She kissed me again.
“Ready for your first couch makeup session Mr. Tyre?” She asked teasingly.
I nodded.
She grasped my hands which were hovering in midair to either side of her and pressed them firmly down onto her hips.
“You can touch Mr. Tyre, but no clothes come off.” She said waving one finger in the air warningly in front of my face.
Her hands slid onto my shoulders as she kissed me again. Both of her hands rose to frame my face. It was a long kiss and she started to pull away and I followed her for a moment.
She laughed softly “I do believe you’re getting the hang of this Mr. Tyre.” She said as she idly ran one finger over my lips with her other hand still holding the side of my face.
Her gaze turned smoky with passion, as she glanced up from my lips she was stroking with a finger to my eyes, “If you desire something more than this Mr. Tyre.”
She took her fingers from my lips and wiggled her empty ring finger. “Two rings and a promise of forever and I’m all yours darling anyway you want me.”
She brought her lips back to mine and this time she didn’t stop the kiss. She was so intoxicating! Why would anyone spend all their fortune on drugs and amusements, when two rings and a promise could give an endless supply of highs whenever needed. I really started to wish I had two rings in my pocket and a preacher in the closet.
Kissing and feeling her was the foundation of a growing addiction. I’d simply never have enough of her! After some time we both pulled back breathing heavily. She rested her forehead on my shoulder.
“Is it always like this?” I huffed out.
She turned her face to me her eyes alive and full of appreciative passion for me, “It’s never been like this! What have you done to me Mr. Tyre?”
What had I done? I didn’t feel like the same person as I was before we had begun this make out session and she was asking me what I had done. She straightened away from me slightly and I saw a sensual gleam spark in her eyes. I felt my breathing pick up in anticipation of what this amazing woman would do next.
Her tone was rich as she idly asked, “So you seemed pretty into this Mr. Tyre? I had you pegged as a bit of a germaphobe.”
She was right there, when it came to people and animals I was very germ conscious, but not so with her apparently. Right now I couldn’t have cared less what germs she harbored. She could have the bubonic plague and I’d still be kissing her and I told her as much.
She chuckled, but then her voice deepened seductively as she asked, “I think you’re ready for this, but if you’re not let me know.”
“What?” I stumbled out with.
She brought her face back to mine to speak directly against my lips. “There are many ways to kiss Mr. Tyre. The French do it something like this.” She breathed out, as she opened her mouth on mine.
Through the fog of passion I felt her startle against me suddenly and then she drew back from me abruptly. I thought her face beautiful all the time, but seeing it now as her lips were swollen, her face all flushed as her hair lay across her eyes, ‘Wow!’ was all I could think.
“I have to go pick up Kevin!”
She was kidding right? I glanced at the clock and it read 11:35!
That had to be the fastest hour and a half of my life, as well as the most meaningful. She was grinning at me now and I wondered why?
“I have to go honey.”
Okay I understood that, she could go I wasn’t stopping her. She laughed softly and shook her head at me teasingly, as she reached back and grasped each of my hands that were gripping the cheeks of her bottom tightly.
I flushed redder than I already was from all the kissing. I hadn’t realized I’d been gripping her so intimately or possessively. She brought my hands up and kissed the palm of each hand.
She didn’t say anything, but her eyes were laughing at me as she slid back off of my lap to stand. She turned to go, but then turned back to me as an earnest look pushed past the passion that still clouded her eyes.
“I’d like it if you’d stay and meet Kevin.”
I nodded and sat up straighter. Her hands twisted together in front of her
“Umm… something you should know about him is that he’s….”
“Autistic.” I said cutting in.
Her eyes widened in surprise, “You already know? You’re okay with that?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”
A sudden tear slipped out from the corner of her eye and she stepped towards me to lean down and kiss me hard for a moment. Drawing back she whispered “I love you!”
And then she ran from the room and I heard her knock on the door across the hall. I loved her too.
Our story wasn’t like the movies portrayed it. I’d loved her since I’d seen her, not even knowing anything about her. And then she’d surprised me by singling me out and showing me what a good time was.
I believed her that she loved me as unbelievable as that was. I’d go buy the rings right now and line up a date, if I wasn’t so scared. Surprisingly it wasn’t the emotional intimacy and private disclosures that would happen within a marriage that was scaring me. It was the danger that I would bring to her and Kevin, because of my many enemies.
How could I ever live with myself if something happened to her or Kevin, because of something I’d done? It was going to be a hard decision any way I looked at it. I heard a noise and I stood up and turned to see Kevin.
He looked at me for a long moment and then he continued on into the room to a worn out and way outdated desktop computer. He turned it on and sat in the chair in front of it and started to play a game. Anna came up and turned the screen off. He looked up at her and then went to turn it back on, but she stopped him.
“Kevin turn in your seat.”
He obeyed and faced me. There didn’t look to be anything wrong with him physically although he was probably more like seven years old than six. Anna came and stood beside me and took my hand.
“Remember what trust means Kevin?”
The boy nodded.
“This is Mr. Tyre. Mommy trusts Mr. Tyre.” She said holding up our clasped hands as she said those words.
She let go and led Kevin up to me.
“Show mommy that you trust Mr. Tyre, Kevin.”
The boy’s emotionless face glanced up and stared at me for a moment and then the boy placed his hand in mine and I gently closed my fingers over his.
I heard Anna breathe out a sigh of relief, “Good! Whatever Mr. Tyre says, you do it, just like you do for mommy and Mrs. Reed understand?”
The boy nodded.
“You can go back and play your game now.” Anna said softly and the boy did just that.
He gazed at the simple game that came up on the screen and began to play it and I realized that was how he relaxed. Anna came to me and laid her head against my chest and I brought my arms around to hold her. The boy looked from the screen to us and pointed at us.
“He wants something.”
Anna glanced over at Kevin, “He wants to know what we’re doing.”
Anna slipped her arms around me and said, “Kevin this is what love looks like.”
Her words and the feel of her arms settled the dilemma I had been going through. It would be two rings and a promise and may God help me keep them safe from my past! I so wanted to be a part of a family. This family!
The boy turned back to the computer screen, but Anna’s arms stayed where they were and so did mine. We stood there for quite a while.
She drew back, “I’m sorry, it’s late and you need to rest. Thank you for the good time tonight.”
I kissed her and said, “Likewise. Good night Anna. I’ll be here in the morning to help you move.”
She nodded and saw me to the door. I glanced over her to the boy still at the old computer.
“Doesn’t he go to bed?”
She shook her head exasperatedly, “He won’t sleep! I’ve tried everything! He’ll be awake for days! He doesn’t seem to need sleep the way I do.” She said on a defeated note.
I nodded and looked back at her. The way she was looking at me as she leaned with one cheek against the half open door was a clear testament of love that she wouldn’t have been able to deny if she had wanted to.
“Thanks for everything Mr. Tyre!”
I couldn’t help it. I pulled her onto the hall and kissed her again for a long moment. I stepped back reluctantly from her and started down the hall.
“Sweet dreams Mr. Tyre. I know you’ll certainly be in mine!”
She said calling out after me. To me she was a dream, a dream come true. I turned the corner in the hall and stepped into a deep shadowed alcove and waited.
Two hours went by. A little before two o’clock in the morning I heard the sound that I’d been waiting for. The rustling of keys told me that I had hit my mark. I’d seen the look t