Chapter III

Have you ever noticed how people are like icebergs?  That saying “only the tip of the iceberg” is so damn true.  No matter how well you think you know someone, there's still all that berg left under the water that you cannot see, no matter how close you get.  And the closer you get, the bigger the chance of smacking dead into the hard, unforgiving ice hidden deep in the depths.

 

Not to say that Jet kept it all hidden, exactly, she just kept the worst things below the water line as best she could.  I don't blame her, not entirely.  I just wish she had been able to trust me with some of the stuff below the water's surface.  What showed above the water line was so stunning to me, so beautiful and at times even ethereal in its complexities.  I would have gladly learned to deal with what lurked beneath, given the choice.

 

Seven and a half weeks after we met, about three days after our first adventure in recreational spanking together, the water line suddenly dropped a couple of feet.

 

We were eating together one Wednesday night in the bar at Carrabba’s and had already polished off three decanters of red wine.  I had noticed an old girlfriend coming in with a friend at some point during the meal but hadn’t paid much attention or given it any thought.  As soon as Jet excused herself to go to the ladies room though, the old girlfriend was tapping on my shoulder.  When I turned she enveloped me in a big hug as well as the smell of her flowery perfume.

 

“Andy!” she gushed.  “How nice to see you!”

 

“Hey, Angie, how are you?”

 

“I’m good, great!  Look at you, you look so great!”

 

Her voice was about eight decibels too high, even for the semi-hopping bar area.  I cringed mentally when she called me ‘Andy’, a nickname I had never liked.

 

“Thanks, Angie, you too.”

 

She smiled a very lipsticky smile and tossed her hair back over her shoulder, arching her back as if presenting me with her breasts.  I felt embarrassed for her, the way I had when we had broken up.  We had only been dating for a month or so, but she reacted as if we had been engaged.

 

“So what have you been doing?”  Angie put her hand on my forearm and leaned in a little.

 

“Not too much, just working and staying out of trouble.”

 

I moved my arm away casually and picked up my wine glass to take a sip.  I scanned the room for any sign of Jet, but couldn’t see around Angie too well.

 

 “Me too!  It’s been so boring lately!  Why don’t we get together sometime soon?”

 

I was about to mention that I was there with my girlfriend when Jet came back.  Angie was standing behind the chair that Jet had been sitting in and was blocking her from sitting back down.  When Jet said “Excuse me…”, Angie clearly pretended not to hear her.

 

I picked up my hand and motioned behind her toward Jet.

 

“Angie, this is my girlfriend, Bridget.”

 

Angie’s smile froze a little and she turned slowly.  She was several inches taller than Jet, lanky and long armed. 

 

“Sorry, sweetie, I didn’t even see you there!”  she said, oozing insincerity.  She ignored it when Jet reached out to shake.

 

Jet smiled, so pleasantly and warmly that I was surprised.

 

“That’s okay, sweetie, I couldn’t help but smell you.  Is that Baby Soft or Exclamation?  I always get that cheap crap mixed up.”

 

I had no idea on earth what Jet was talking about, but what I assumed was a jibe certainly hit the mark.

 

Two red spots appeared on Angie’s cheeks and her mouth opened a little.

“You know, Angie, I’d love for you to stop hanging all over my boyfriend so that I can sit down.  Do you mind?”

 

Angie’s nostrils flared and she flicked her hair back over her shoulder before crossing her arms.

 

“If I were you, I’d be worried, too.  I naturally figured you were a cousin or a pity date, but if Andrew wants to date a short fat pygmy, well then I guess that’s his decision.”

 

I didn’t even see Jet throw the punch.  All I knew was that suddenly Angie was half in my lap and that Jet had evidently put her there.

 

The short fight that ensued immediately afterward consisted mostly of Jet smacking the crap out of Angie while I tried to get up and around to pull her off.  Two other customers finally helped me break it up.

 

By the time the police came, Jet was strangely calm, although she wouldn’t speak to or look at anyone, myself included. 

 

Angie spent the whole time shrieking about crazy girls and lawsuits, facial damage and compensation.  A busboy and the manager took her outside to try and calm her down.

 

Jet was arrested for assault without a word of protest, with hardly a blink actually.  When a policeman asked her for her side she simply shrugged.  He told her what Angie had reported and asked if it were true.  Jet replied with a single word.

 

“Yup.”

 

More than two hours later we were finally leaving the Manchester police department building, Jet holding a court summons.  When she had walked out into the lobby when they let her out and she saw me sitting there, she stopped short for a moment as if shocked to see me sitting there.

 

As we walked side by side but not touching to the car, she spoke in a raspy voice as if she’d been crying.

 

“I didn’t think you’d be there.”

 

“Of course I was there, what else would I do?”

 

She shook her head and walked a little faster towards the car.  Once inside she buckled her seatbelt and sat with her hands in her lap, staring straight ahead. 

 

I started to put the key in the ignition but stopped before it got there.  Jet was still staring straight ahead as if in a trance, and it was starting to worry me. 

 

“Jet?  Hon?”  I spoke softly.

 

 She turned toward me slowly and silently, eyes a bit dazed looking.

 

“Sweetie, are you okay?”

 

She nodded.  “Yeah, I’m okay.”  She sounded dazed, too.

 

“Listen, why don’t you spend the night at my place tonight?  We can sort it all out in the morning.”

 

She shook her head slowly.  “No, I’m gonna go home tonight.  I’ve gotta talk to Emily.”

 

I sighed.  “You sure?”

 

She nodded silently and didn’t speak again until we pulled up in front of her building.  She opened the door as soon as I was at a complete stop and tried to get out without saying a word.  I stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.

 

“Jet, hold on a second.  Please, talk to me.”

 

She sighed and turned around, and I recognized the beginning of tears by the way she was holding her mouth.

 

“I’m really sorry, Andrew.  I’m sorry I hit your friend.  I don’t know why I even did that.”

 

She turned as if to go again, but stopped short at the sound of my voice. 

 

“She wasn’t my friend, Bridget, that’s not what I’m worried about.  I’m worried because I’ve never seen you like this before.”

 

“Don’t be worried about me, it’s okay.”  She turned to face me completely, still teary eyed. 

 

“I’ll call you tomorrow, alright?”

 

I nodded.  She leaned forward and gave me a quick kiss on the lips before getting out of the car. 

 

I watched her walk inside, then I sat there looking at the security door long after she had disappeared through it.

 

Reviews

[Trish D.]

A great chapter!
I couldn't help but admire Jet even though the way she handled the rival was totally unacceptable, there was still a great hero quality about her in her calm acceptance afterwards. This was a very interesting story.

[Suze]

Thanks so much, Trish!!!

[Samuel Dickens]

Oh, boy, I can sure feel for this guy. He didn't do anything to deserve this.

You might want to re-word this sentence--it's a bit clunky--"When she had walked out into the lobby when they let her out and she saw me sitting there, she stopped short for a moment as if shocked to see me sitting there".

This one, too--"She sighed and turned around, and recognized the start of tears in her eyes and by the way she was holding her mouth."