His Mistress

Twenty-Six: His drink

Levy

I dropped her off at the school. She said bye as she opened the car door and got out.
"Thanks for the ride," she said and closed the door shut. I watched her walk away. I watched as her hips swayed and her hair fell to the back of her neck. I waited until she was out of sight.

"Fuck!" I said banging the dashboard with my hands. I wasn't supposed to have sex with her again. She came to my house. If she had showed up even 30 minutes earlier and saw my wife...How did she even find out where I lived?
I looked at my watch. It was almost almost noon.
The phone rang and I answered it from my car.
"Yo," Darren's voice filled the car. "What's going on man?"
"Nothing, just at the school," I replied.
"My man, you sound depressed as fuh. Julie finally left you," he joked.
"Nah I tried to leave her," I replied.
"Daaamn, we need a drink," Darren said. "There's a bar at Carlson Avenue and Finch. It's called The G spot. Meet you there in 10?"
"Darren it's twelve in the afternoon," I reminded him.
"So? It's happy hour somewhere. Just come man."
"Alright, alright," I gave in.
"Cool, see you in a bit bro," he said before he hung up. He was right, I did need a drink.

I drove to the bar which was about fifteen minutes away from the campus. When I got in, there was about four other people in the bar. I looked and saw Darren sitting at the bar, flirting with the bartender. I sat down beside him.
"My man!" He said giving me a dap. "Loretta, please give this man a scotch," he said talking to the bartender.
I took off my coat and hung it over my barstool.
"Bro, I haven't heard from you in over four months man." He said.
Darren used to be my old college roommate. We went from being friends in high school to college. He was my longest standing friend. No one knew me as much as he did. When I first got together with Julie, he was the first to say that he didn't like her but I ignored him. Julie and him would fight all the time about everything until they finally decided to be cordial. I thought he was just jealous. Turns out he was right.
"I know, I know," I've been busy. He brought his beer to his lips.
"I could imagine," he puffed, a small exhalation of air escaping his mouth. He drank.
"So you're out here too?" I asked him.
"Nah, Just visiting a friend and thought I should link you up." The bartender placed my drink on the counter.
"Eight-fifty," she said. I gave her a 10 dollar bill. "Keep the change," I told her.
"So what's going on with you?" Darren asked "You tried to leave Julie," he laughed. "I bet she didn't like that at all." 
"She went crazy when I told her," I slumped back a bit in my seat.
"And you're surprised? Bro the only person who didn't know Julie was crazy, was you. Even Julie knows Julie is crazy," he shook his head. "You should have listened to my warnings man" he kept going. "What made you finally come to your senses?"
I didn't say anything for a few second. I trusted him. But a relationship with a student? I couldn't say it aloud.
"It's a girl, isn't it?" He asked. He laughed.
"A student," I admitted to him, after all he was my best friend.
"Not again!" He throws his head shaking it.
"What are you talking about again?" I asked." I never slept with a student before."
"Bro, you don't have to lie to me. The student back home. Carlton University. What was her name again. Umm." He closed his eyes trying to recall. "Tiffany! Isn't that why you left to come here?"
"I never slept with that girl," I defended myself. "For weeks she threw herself at me, seducing me, trying to get me to sleep with her but I never did."
"So then why'd you leave?"
"I had to. She was telling everyone we slept together. I found out she was trying to do some reverse psychology shit. Making it look like we slept together so I would just cave in since the rumours were already out and the damage was already done."
"Damn," was all Darren said. "Did Julie believe you?"
"I didn't tell Julie about it. I knew she wasn't going to believe me. She thinks we came here because I got a great job opportunity with a significant raise. I mean I did get a raise, that wasn't a lie, but that's not why I left. I couldn't go back to that school man. She ruined my reputation. No one charged me or fired me but the way the other profs were looking at me, I knew they believed the rumours. It was only a matter of time."
"But doesn't leaving make you look guilty?"
"No, it makes me smart. I left before things got formal and an investigation would have to take place. I was being proactive." I took a gulp of my drink.
He scratched his head.
"That's crazy man," he said. "But now you are sleeping with a student." He pointed out. I sighed.
"Yeah but she's different man. Different than any student I've ever met. She didn't try to chase after me. I pursued her. Athena is more than some hookup."
"What happens if you get caught?" He asked me putting down his drink.
"I could get suspended, fired even," I said.
"I'm not knocking it, but be careful bro. These young girls are very unpredictable and some of them straight crazy."
"Huh" I replied. "You're telling me...Athena showed up by my house this morning."
"Waaah?" His face was shocked. "Did Julie see her?"
"No, she wasn't home thank God. But she knows," I admitted to him.
"Fuck, she knows?" He took a gulp of his beer. "So when's the divorce happening?"
"It's not, she doesn't want one." I paused a second before saying "she's pregnant."
Darren spat out the beer in his mouth.
"Dude," he said eyes wide open. "I'm scared for you. Honestly I really am." He started laughing. "Bro this is unreal." He waved at the bartender. "Loretta, please another scotch for my friend here. Actually scratch that, make it straight tequila."
"Darren, c'mon man, I have a class in four hours," I told him.
"Last one I promise" he assured me. "Trust me, you need it." The bartender brought a small glass with tequila. "Take the drink man." He said handing me the drink.
I took a shot of the whole thing. Saying everything aloud made it all too real. Fuck was I going to do?
"So what're you gonna do man?" He asked me.
"I have no idea," I said playing with the drink in my hand. "None at all."