Reject Me (Kin #5)(12)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I didn’t hear from him at all as the days passed. A part of me yearned to reach out to him, to see if he was okay, but my family talked me out of it. They said he needed to learn a lesson, and being alone was going to teach it to him.

Maryland takes driving under the influence very seriously. Two weeks after his arrest Jamey was ordered to spend thirty days in jail, reduced to fifteen. His license was suspended for six months, and he had to go to drug and alcohol classes. What made it worse was that he never drank or did drugs. This one-time occurrence had left him in a heap of trouble.

He called me the day before he was ordered to report to the jail to surrender himself and put in his time. I didn’t hesitate from answering.

“Hey.”

“I’m gettin’ ready to turn myself in. I just wanted to hear the voice of the person who got me into this situation.”

“Seriously? You think it’s my fault that you drove drunk?” I was so pissed at him.

“It is your fault. Had you gotten into the damn car and come home with me none of this would have happened. My mom hasn’t talked to me in two weeks, and I’m probably goin’ to have to move out as soon as I get back. Thanks for nothin’ you bitch!”

“Bitch? Screw you, Jamey. You’re just pissed because I walked away. You think that you’re God’s greatest gift to women, and you’re wrong. Get over yourself.”

“You’re the one that wanted someone like me to love you. Think about that!”

“I’m done with this conversation, and with you. Good luck in jail. I hope you get raped up the ass.” It made me feel good to act on his level.

“Fuck this, and f**k you!”

He hung up before me, which pissed me off more.

While locked up, I took some time for myself to reflect on the last year of my life. After talking to my parents I decided that I wanted to enroll in community college for the next semester. My parents wrote the check for school faster than I could blink. With all of the money that I’d been saving, I treated myself to a new laptop to be able to do my homework efficiently.

I had a good month before school started, but needed to buy books and other supplies. One day, when visiting the used book store for what I needed, I met this guy who began helping me out. I could tell he was older, and felt comfortable when I noticed him wearing a wedding ring on his finger that he wasn’t just trying to hit on me. His name was Wayne, and by the time I’d checked out with what I came for I’d learned that he was a widow. His wife passed away at twenty six years old from a rare form of lymphoma. He explained that they’d dated since high school, had a child before she’d gotten sick, and married just before she died. He then explained that it was the anniversary of her death. I could see nothing but pain and struggle in his eyes. I felt so sad for him that I went to the neighbor store and purchased two coffees, one to take back to him. We sat at a reading table in the front of the store and discussed our problems, as if we were old friends. I told him all about Jamey, the good and the bad. Unlike my family he listened to every word, giving me positive advice, instead of what I was used to getting.

I didn’t know if it was pity that drew me to Wayne, or maybe just desperation on my part. I wanted to feel something; anything more than the constant heartbreak that had been consuming me. I wanted to be friends with someone that wanted to be friends with me. Our connection wasn’t romantic, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t have been open to it becoming more. I liked Wayne. I sympathized for how hard his life had been, and how much pain he dealt with on a daily basis. I’d watched my brother suffer to the extremes, so hearing another man’s challenges from loving a woman only gave me hope that somewhere out there was a man that would treat me right.

After that day at the bookstore we met frequently, mostly to talk. Though a handsome man for being in his late twenties, I was attracted to his devotion to his wife and child, Abigail. His daughter, now five, was the light in his life. After one week of our new friendship we’d become social media friends and I got to see the slew of pictures that he took of his growing child.

Each time I met with him I felt like we connected on a level that I’d never experienced before. Maybe it was what happened in adult relationships. I really didn’t know, because I’d only ever been young and naïve.

Jamey never called me while he was locked up, and he certainly didn’t make an effort to see me once he got out. If it wasn’t for my seeing Lacey, I would have never known. Though my friends and family checked on me frequently I knew they all had their own lives to worry about. Joey and Lacey were buying a new house. Between running a new business and packing up their things, they weren’t in the mood for company. Shayne and Ashley were always busy. By the time he came home from work at night all he wanted to do was be alone with his wife and kids. I understood it, but felt left out just the same. It was as if I couldn’t ever find my place; the feeling of belonging.

I’ll never forget when I saw Jamey for the first time.

Almost two months had gone by, two months of getting to know a real man with morals and manners. I’d just finished an afternoon lunch with Wayne when I realized I was out of solution for my contact lenses. Since I hated wearing glasses, I asked if Wayne could let me run in the store so I wouldn’t have to go back out later. He pulled up out front and waited for me like he said he’d do.

I’d no sooner grabbed the solution when I turned to see Jamey at the register. He was buying a pack of smokes, something he’d quit when we were still seeing each other. He spotted me before I could turn around and hide.

“Long time no see, Pey.”

“Yeah. It’s been a while.” I tried not to look him in the eyes, but it was an epic fail on my part. All of the reasons why I loved him came rushing back into my mind, and I couldn’t’ stop them if I tried. “How are you?” I really did care.

“Good, I guess.”

“I see you’re smokin’ again. You should quit. It’s bad for your health.”

He smiled and I felt my body melting. I missed being in his arms and feeling how only he could make me feel.

“Yeah, well it ain’t like anyone’s worried about my health.”

He waited until I paid for my solution to walk me out, and honestly I’d forgotten all about Wayne being outside. “Don’t say that.” I stepped toward Wayne’s car and it finally hit me. Jamey looked around the parking lot for my car, suddenly realizing that it wasn’t there. “I’m with a friend.”