Chapter 5

"I'm going on my lunch break Denise," I say to my assistant as I walk out the door. It's 2:30 and I head out to the Diner. As I get into my car, I think about stopping back over to D.J.'s to see if she'll come out. It's afternoon, they can't be too far. I begin to head over to the apartments to go through the same routine I've been going through. I park the car on the side of the building so that none of these dogs damage my car. No one is standing by the entrance and I make the climb to 13B. When I reach the door, I just

Knock,knock.
Instead of being greeted by the scared little boy, I see the bountiful brown hair that once laid beside me every night. Then I see her face. Those big brown eyes the had the glimmer of green that could only be seen when a person stares deeply into them under the golden sun; those red lips that become even redder after eating pints of strawberries all day in bed and do nothing but make her brown skin glow even more. But there is something different about her, something feels strange. I put up my defense as I push past her.

"You finally opened the door."
"You finally stopped banging."
Instantly I know what is different; she has no fear.
"I figured you would come to your senses soon enough. Where's your boy?"
"He's out."
"Don't get short with-"
"You asked a question, I answered. Is there anything else you want?"
She looks at me square in the eye and I know its time to do business.
"Where are the papers Ruth?"
"I don't have them."
"Fuck you mean 'you don't have them?' Where the hell are they Ruth?"
"I don't know. And even if I did, do you really think I'd give them to you?"
"You know as well as me, if those papers ever get out, you're going down with me."
"I know this, Jacques. But I'm telling you, I don't have them."
"Well if you don't have them who the fuck does Ruth?," Then I realize, "It's your boy, he has 'em doesn't he. Doesn't he! Where the fuck did he put them Ruth?"
"D.J. does not have them and neither do I, so if you will excuse me..."
She begins to head to the door. I can hear the children outside playing games. The cars whizzing down the busy mid-day streets. Suddenly, the room becomes unbearably hot. I feel the anger rise in me like the temperature outside. I grab her by the wrist.
"Listen to me-"
"Let me go!"
"Listen to me!"
She continues to resist, making me hold onto her even tighter.
"Ruth! Give me the papers, give me the damn papers!"
"No! Stop! NO-"
DARKNESS
The room is completely black with only the sun lighting up the room through the open blinds.
But I don't let go. I want her to remain close to me.
"What the hell happened?"
"The hell if I know! Now let me go!"
"Shut up!"
"Leave me alone!"
She breaks lose and runs towards the back.
I stand alone, in the darkness. With only the light shining down on me.
Then I see her. With only the light shining, I can make out those big brown eyes that have no glimmer of green but instead are darker, almost black. I see those red lips, that once used to tremble in fear but instead serve as a warning to what was coming out of them
"Get. Out." The red lips close. They are locked. And the gun she holds in her hand is loaded.
"This isn't the last you'll see of me." And I walk out the door.
Well this was a change of pace. As I walk down the stairs, the smell of apples hit me. Its coming from the diner. Apple pie and that damn diner, that's how it all started. I go back to the day when i first met Ruth. When I first saw those eyes, those lips, that face. I remember wanting her just because every other guy wanted her. That was when I had nothing, when I was nothing. But she was the first person to have faith in me, the first to stand by me as I made my way to the top. I go back to the day when we moved into our first apartment and she baked her apple pie. I remember the birthdays and holidays, and she would always bake that apple pie. "Remember when we first met, Jacques? Remember what you did? Ordering me that yucky apple pie from Deena's. You tried to impress me so much that day, carrying it over to me and everything. Then right before you got to me, it fell right on the floor, you going down with it. Oh it was a sight. And now, we can eat all the apple pies we want, Jacques. And I promise, they will never fall. I will never let them fall." I get into the car and I pass by the diner only to see a line going all around the corner.Policemen are jumping the lines, children are pulling on their mother's dresses impatiently waiting. I look into the window and see a man receive what looks like cookies and a cream pie. I remember the days of standing in the line with Ruth, joking about what kind of pie we would order for that day. I am tempted to go inside and order myself but I look down at the clock to see its nearly 3:25. Shit. I snap back into reality. The diner, the pie, the first time we met, was a lifetime ago. Things are different now. I can't keep going back into the past, not when she is the enemy of my future. She wants to play hard, I'll come back harder. Pulling a gun out on me was a dumbass mistake, that bitch has to know what she just did.. what she just did makes this a war.

I drive back to the office, rolling up my windows so that I can no longer smell the pie scented air.