Chapter Two
In spite of all the tenant drama, I was excelling at the apartment rental business and felt I had found my niche. The empty units were quickly filling and my boss was very impressed. Life seemed to be going too well.
An apartment was part of my salary and after careful consideration; I picked one on the top floor. I had a great view of the capitol building's gold dome. The job was quite a step up for me financially and I finally had spending money. My first purchase was a stereo. The next necessity was a car. In downtown Denver most people didn't own a car, mainly because it was a hassle and expensive to park in the city. It was much more cost effective to take public transportation or walk. The car I had moved there with had blown the engine so I had been without for a couple months. Seeing my parents was difficult, especially since they lived an hour away. My brand new Geo Metro solved that problem.
Domestic violence seemed to be everywhere. I couldn't get away from it. The couple in the unit directly below mine would often fight to the point that I could hear. The screaming made it hard not to eavesdrop.
One night I heard the man yell, "What the hell's wrong with you?!"
I didn't know exactly what was going on but it couldn't be good from the sound of the woman's tearful pleas. The commotion ended in the slamming of a door. I knew he had to be abusing her and it unnerved me. I wanted to help this woman but I didn't know how. Nothing had really worked when I needed to be saved from Jason, not even the police.
This awoke a recurring nightmare that I had tried hard to forget. For weeks, I dreamed I was running through endless, shadowed hallways, one leading into another. Jason was methodically in pursuit, like a predator after his prey. My lungs burned and I gasped for air but I didn't dare stop.
His voice suddenly seemed closer. "Come out, come out wherever you are!"
I panicked even more and tried to make my feet go faster. A trace of light emanated from the dead end of the current hallway. It was my escape from the darkness, literally. Just as I was about to step into the light an arm wrapped around my neck and tightened. At that very moment, I jolted awake in terror. I couldn't help but wonder if it was a sign of something to come.
When my stereo could no longer drown out the noise and the other neighbors complained, I decided it was time for the couple to leave. I was getting tired of evictions.
At least the majority of the renters were good ones. Ann, a newly turned lesbian, liked to come by my office and chat. She always made me laugh.
She told me once, "I've dated my fair share of men. Wanna know what I learned? Men are stupid. They don't know how to use their brain, at least not the one in their head."
I couldn't comprehend coming to the point where I'd forever give up on men, but I felt it wasn't for me to judge.
Ann surprised me one lunch hour with a slice of pizza.
I smiled and said, "This looks so good. Thanks."
"Oh it was nothing," she paused before adding, "You look pretty."
I thanked her for noticing my new outfit. The plum silky blouse enhanced my green-flecked eyes and long, blonde highlighted hair. My dress pants made me look almost skinny. After being with Jason, it was nice to show off my wares without fear of retaliation.
Ann was still staring at me when she asked, "Are you busy after work?"
"No. I don't think so."
"You should drop by for a drink."
"Is anyone else going to be there?"
"Probably not."
I said, "Let me see how the day goes and I'll get back to you."
After she left the maintenance man, Mick, called me over to his desk. His office was right in the next room.
Mick nearly fell off his office chair as laughter overtook him. "She actually did it!"
I looked at him puzzled and asked what was so funny.
He told me between chuckles, "Ann said she was going to ask you out. She has a major crush on you!"
My mouth instantly fell open. I was so embarrassed and my cheeks felt as if they were on fire.
Mick continued his irritating laughter and asked, "You didn't know?"
I replied sheepishly, "No I didn't have a clue."
I felt like such an idiot! I wasn't sure how to deal with the situation so I did my usual and ignored it.
Lynn insisted that I should let her set me up with her friend, Devin. He was remodeling the apartments I managed. It was hard not to notice his bare chest when he came into the office for water. Devin had piercing blue-green eyes and shoulder length, wavy brown hair. He was tan and muscular but not very tall. He had said hi to me a couple of times but that was it.
"Devin really has the hots for you. I think you should give him a chance," Lynn urged. "Lynn, I'm not interested." I protested.
He wasn't really my type anyway, he was older and more of the biker type. Besides Jason was still way too fresh in my mind, it had left an extremely bitter taste in my mouth.
I changed the subject and talked to Lynn about Ann. She told me I needed to set her straight on my heterosexuality as soon as possible. I groaned. I had hoped to avoid that conversation, thinking my no show would have given her the hint.
But that wasn't the case. Ann took me off guard on one of my lunch hours. "Hey Shelley. I never did hear back from you. You must have had plans?"
"I've been meaning to talk to you." I hesitated, searching for the right words. "Were you wanting me to come over as a friend or something more?"
"Ah, I was asking you out. I guess that didn't come across?"
"I didn't realize that's what you were meaning or I would have told you that I'm straight."
She nervously laughed and apologized.
I felt bad for putting her on the spot like that so I said, "You don't need to say you're sorry. I hope we can still be friends."
"Of course."
I was relieved, that was settled amicably.
Lynn wouldn't stop talking about Devin. I started thinking about the fact that he was more mature and he didn't seem to have a problem with working. I decided it might be worth a try, but my shyness made it hard. I was pretty reserved around people I didn't know.
Devin came into my office one day and said, "Hi."
I quietly responded, "Hi."
"Good song."
The radio on my desk was softly playing a 70's rock tune. It helped break up the monotony of my quiet office.
"Yeah this is a good song."
Not knowing what else to say, I sat there like a bump on a log cursing my inability to find words.
"We should go to happy hour sometime."
I smiled and answered, "Yeah, we should."
Devin was friends with the janitor at our apartment complex. Roy liked to spend time talking with me during my down times at work. So that Friday night I went for drinks with Lynn, Roy and Devin. I opened up after a couple of beers and had fun. These meetings continued the next couple of weeks. The more time I spent around Devin, the more comfortable I became.
He finally asked me out on an actual date and I happily accepted. We went to a quiet restaurant and had dinner.
At first it was awkward being alone with him but after a couple of beers we laughed and talked. Then we kissed for the first time and sparks flew.
The following weekend he asked if I would like to meet his friends. I was nervous but it was a chance to be with Devin again so I agreed. We went to a sports bar and the first friend he introduced me to was a guy named Kyle. For some reason he made me uncomfortable. He was a big, burly biker and it showed in his attitude. As the night went on, Kyle voice became increasingly loud and it really grated on my nerves.
He pulled my chair over to his and insisted, "You belong with me!"
I was not happy but unsure how to handle him.
Devin stepped in immediately and insisted, "She's not like that, man. Leave her alone."
I had no idea what his comment meant but I took it as a compliment.
Devin began spending more time in the office with me. I enjoyed this and the lunch breaks we took together.
Within two weeks, we spent the night together in my apartment.
We awoke the next morning to sunshine and birds chirping. He told me that he wanted to take me out for breakfast. We walked hand in hand towards the car. Devin's work buddy, Steve, was painting the trim on the building with a few other workers. By their grins, I realized they knew exactly what had taken place the night before. I wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground.
Devin laughed.
That didn't help and my embarrassment turned to anger as I said under my breath, "It isn't funny!"
To add further insult to injury Steve commented, "Looks like you two had a hell of a night."
I already disliked him and it definitely intensified at this point.
The relationship with Devin went so fast that I barely had time to catch my thoughts. Before I knew it we were officially a couple.
A short time later he professed, "I love you."
I didn't know whether to be shocked or happy. I decided to be flattered. My only concern was over the fact that he was living with a supposedly platonic female friend. Devin insisted he was looking for a house to rent though. We hadn't been dating long before he found a two bedroom house in southwest Denver. He moved in and threw a big housewarming party. We celebrated with a keg and quite a few friends. After the beer was gone, the party was moved to a local bar. People kept stopping by our table to talk with Devin.
It wasn't a big deal until a woman came by. "Can I talk to you privately?"
Later I asked him about the woman and he said, "Oh it's nothing, don't worry about it."
Alcohol fueled my normally quiet mouth and I insisted on an answer.
Devin reluctantly admitted, "My brother and I used to sell coke."
A big red flag went up in my head.
He sensed this and assured, "She wanted me to hook her up but I told her I don't do that anymore."
I wasn't sure what to believe and after thinking about the situation I decided to leave with Lynn. She thought a change of scenery might help. I was already feeling no pain and didn't care where I was going as long as she drove. The rest of the evening was filled with way too many beers. I hoped to drink away the dark cloud of doubt looming over my head. Lynn didn't drop me off at Devin's house until early the next morning.
He met me at the door. "Where were you?"
"With Lynn."
"I knew that. But it's 5 o' clock in the morning."
I could see the concern in his eyes. "I passed out at her apartment."
"Well she should have called. I would've picked you up."
I couldn't disagree and I felt bad. My earlier doubts were pushed to the back of my mind.
Usually after work we went to the bar and then Devin's house. His fridge was always fully stocked with Budweiser. He liked to pound beer after beer. I couldn't do that, nor did I want to. The hangovers were getting old so I took a night off to recover. Devin wanted to spend time with his buddies. He said he would come to my place afterward. I waited and waited until I finally drifted off to sleep.
The next morning I confronted him at work.
He apologized and said, "I was partying with the guys and lost track of time. I'm really sorry. I'll make it up to you tonight."
After work Devin took me to his house. Immediately I noticed a plate with a rolled up dollar bill on top. This explained his no show the night before.
Irritated, I accused, "What the hell?! You were doing coke last night!"
He was shocked and admitted, "Yeah I did some coke. Babe, c'mon don't be mad. If it bothers you that bad, I promise I'll never touch the stuff again."
I looked him in the eyes and it seemed as if he was telling the truth. I naively thought he took me seriously and he knew it was me or the drugs.