What Kind of Man Would I Be?
Killing two birds with one stone this week! My entry for Week 50 of the 52-Week Writing Challenge is also flash fiction for the Lyrical Fiction Friday challenge.
Lyrical Fiction Friday is sponsored by author Marquessa Matthews at Simply Marquessa.
Each Thursday, she posts a lyric as prompt with its video and the challenge is to write a fiction piece to post on Fridays or whenever is good for you.
Feel free to use the prompt, another lyric from the song or whatever you are inspired to write!
My post is from the December 7th challenge,
“It makes no sense to be falling…you’ve got her, I’ve got him, should not even be calling…”
…only I flipped the script and wrote from the male’s POV. This is part one.
Rick groans, burying his head under the pillow. The phone is ringing for the third time in as many hours. He has a breakfast meeting at six and a final sound check at eight before catching his flight home to Dallas. At this rate, he’d be a zombie.
Rick shifted to see the clock on the nightstand and confirm the time.
11:47.
Just over three hours since he’d asked her to stop calling him… for good. In her usual it’s-all-about-me desperate state of mind, Lisa ignored the request.
The ringing ceased and saying a silent prayer of thanks, Rick relaxed and closed his eyes.
But sleep wouldn’t come.
Instead, the prickly fingers of guilt sauntered up his cowardly spine and assaulted his brain.
It was easy to get upset and blame Lisa, but it was a lie.
He was culpable too.
Long lunches, frequent phone calls, a stolen dinner… and the kiss. He never said no, never turned her away.
When Lisa accompanied her music producer husband to a business appointment with his company six weeks ago, Rick was struck by the haunted, lost look in her eyes.
She may as well have been part of the office furniture though as far as her husband was concerned. He didn’t acknowledge her presence as he rambled on about the specs of the music studio he wanted them to build in his home.
The few times Rick glanced in her direction, Lisa stared at him like a woman in need of rescue.
It made him uncomfortable.
Relieved when the meeting ending, he shook hands and sought refuge in his own office.
He was speechless seven hours later crossing the parking lot to his Denali, to find Lisa sitting in a pearl colored MKZ waiting… for him.
Exiting her vehicle, she made sure the side split in her black silk wrap skirt fell open, exposing her legs.
Finding his voice, Rick attempted to speak, but she cut him off.
“You look like a man who understands.”
“What?”
“You have kind eyes.”
“What are you doing here… uh- ”
“Lisa.”
“I’m sorry for not remembering your name, but what are you doing here?”
He glanced around the parking lot, thankful for the first time to be the last one to leave the office for the day.
“No apologies needed. Billy never introduces me by name, only as ‘my wife.’ He likes to own things.”
“Lisa, why are you here?”
The haunted look returned to her eyes.
“I’m not sure. I-I… you…” She went silent as her head dropped.
Rick shifted his weight from one foot to the other, not sure what to make of this situation.
“Are you okay? Can I call someone, your husband?- ”
“Lisa jerked her head up while holding her arms out in front of her.
“No, please. Don’t call him. I’m fine.”
The tears welling in her eyes said otherwise. “I-I only wanted to talk to someone who heard me… who listened, and like I said you look like that type of man.”
“Thank you, Lisa. That’s kind of you to say, but I have a woman waiting at home for me to listen to her and three children I’d like to see before they fall asleep.”
Something dark passed over her face but it disappeared before Rick could identify it.
“Wow. You’re married.”
“Yes.”
“How old are your kids?”
“Little Ricky is two, Mia and Kelli are five and eight.”
“How long have you been married?”
“Thirteen years in November.”
“Oh my god, you don’t look old enough to be married that long.”
He smirked.
“Thanks.”
Rick took a step towards his truck.
Lisa followed.
“Billy and I have been married six years. No kids. He says they don’t fit our lifestyle.”
“So that’s it? He says no, and you don’t get kids?”
She folded her arms across her chest.
“He plucked me out of the accounting department of a catering company. Wined and dined me. We traveled all over the world. I was living a fairy tale existence. Eleven months later we were married.” She wiped a lone tear off her cheek. “And it’s been downhill ever since.”
“Why do you stay?”
Lisa laughed though it sounded more like choking.
“I signed a prenup. His attorney said it was normal for a man like Billy to protect himself.” She looked away but continued to speak. “I didn’t care, I was in love. When things got bad, I told him maybe we made a mistake. He laughed. He laughed at me.”
Returning her gaze to Rick, anger radiated from her face.
“It seems not only would I be penniless if I divorced him, but Billy would also blacklist me. My degree wouldn’t be worth the paper it’s printed on.”
“I’m sorry, Lisa. He’s got you in a corner.”
“Tell me about it.”
Rick did feel for the trapped young woman, but he wanted to leave.
“Lisa, I- ”
“I know… you need to leave.”
She backed toward her own vehicle.
“Your wife’s a lucky woman. I hope she knows that.”
He smiled.
“Thanks, but I’m the lucky one.”
He opened the driver door but before climbing in, Rick glanced over his shoulder.
“Lisa?”
“Yes?”
“Take care of yourself.”
That won him a full grin, then she turned and almost skipped to her car.
Rick sat up on the edge of the bed and scrubbed his hands down his face.
It should have ended there, but it didn’t.
Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.
©2017 Felicia Denise, All Rights Reserved
