What They Left Behind
Ben was having a great time with Annie. So much so, that he was now doing the unthinkable: taking a day off from work. Every Saturday he and Annie would go out on a date. He hadn’t even thought of Val once since he and Annie became an item.
On their twenty-eighth birthday, Ben gave Gennie a call and told her all about Annie. He wished Gennie could come up so she’d be able to meet her, but with Michele in school and Rory’s schedule, that was impossible right now. Maybe when he and Annie were a little more serious perhaps they could fly down to Los Angeles and meet them.
Ben celebrated his birthday at the restaurant with all his staff, Malcolm and Colleen and even Rusty and Gracie. Annie got along splendidly with all of them. Gracie even hinted strongly to Ben that he should marry her.
It was one o’clock in the morning before they left the restaurant. Ben walked Annie back to her apartment. They were about ten yards away when Annie stopped dead in her tracks. Ben noticed a man standing at the front entrance of her apartment, knocking at the door. He wore bell-bottom jeans and a black bomber jacket. His shoulder length hair was blond and shaggy.
The look on Annie’s face was one of pure terror.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her.
“Turn around,” she said.
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
“Who’s that at the door?”
She didn’t answer him. She simply turned around and walked back down the street, her face turned to the sidewalk. He followed her.
“Is that someone I should know about?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“It’s someone I…don’t particularly want to see.”
“Like who?”
She said nothing.
“One of your brothers?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know? It’s got to be somebody.”
“Why don’t I sleep over at your place?”
“It’s that bad?”
“Yes.”
Ben sighed. “Okay.”
They said nothing until they arrived at his apartment. They entered through the back door.
“You know, if that’s an old boyfriend, I completely understand. I’ve got a history, so I don’t expect you not to have one.”
Annie sighed.
“It’s a boyfriend, right?”
“Yes.”
“That’s fine. You can stay here for a couple of days if you like. Eventually, he’ll figure out that you’re not around and leave.”
“I hope so.”
“Don’t worry, Annie, he will.”
They had a great time at his apartment. After two days, Annie’s anxiety about her old boyfriend was gone. She decided to return to her own place, but once they entered her apartment, Annie was still hesitant about staying.
“Something’s not right,” she said.
“Like what?” Ben asked.
“I don’t know, but there’s definitely something going on here.”
“I don’t think so,” Ben said. “Everything looks fine to me.”
“I don’t want to stay here, Ben.”
Annie’s paranoia frustrated him, but he kept his feelings in check. “All right, you can stay at my place for a week if you like.”
“Good,” she said. She was already out the door. “Let’s go.”
They turned the corner and we’re about to go down the stairwell when they ran into the man they had seen two days ago. Ben was surprised by how old he looked. From far away, Ben guessed he was in his mid to late twenties, but the lines around his eyes, forehead and around his mouth made him appear to be in his forties. He had long sideburns and was scruffy looking, especially around the chin. He didn’t look like Annie’s type at all. He wondered how she got mixed up with him.
They just stared at each other. Annie slowly walked backward.
“Tu vas avec moi à la maison,” He said, quiet but stern.
Annie shook her head.
“I’d hate to break it to you, buddy,” Ben said, “but she’s with me now. Why don’t you go back home and get yourself a new girl?”
The man’s eyes narrowed.
He grabbed Annie’s arm. “The old lady and I are leaving right now, whether you like it or not.”
He didn’t know what it was, but Ben suddenly snapped. He ripped Annie out of the man’s grasp. Even though he had several inches in height and weight on Ben, Ben punched him in the stomach and then the face. He kicked him between the legs until the man fell to the floor. He was in a fetal position, moaning.
“Change your mind yet?” Ben asked, towering over the man.
The man grabbed his bleeding nose.
“Sortir d’ici maintenant,” Annie said to him.
“Fine, I’ll leave,” the man replied, “but maybe you should tell your new boyfriend that you’re already spoken for.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ben asked. He looked back at Annie. Her face was twice as pale as it usually was and tears rimmed her eyes.
“What I mean,” the man spat out condescendingly, “is that she’s already married…to me.”
Ben was so shocked he couldn’t even comprehend what he was saying.
“That can’t be.”
“Well, it is. And if you had half a brain, which it seems you don’t, you’d leave her right now. The only reason she wanted me was because of my money and that’s the only reason she wants you. Don’t be surprised if she takes at least half of it before she’s through with you.”
Ben grabbed the man’s leather jacket and shoved him down the stairwell. “And if you had any brains, which you don’t, you’d leave right this second or else I’m going to kick your ass again.”
Before the man could say another word, Ben slammed the door leading to the stairwell. He looked back at Annie. She had her head in her hands and was crying. Ben wanted to comfort her, but there were some things he wanted sorted out first.
“Obviously, there’s some stuff you didn’t tell me about…like the fact that you’re already married.”
Annie didn’t say anything, but continued crying. Ben just stared at her, feeling betrayed.
“You know, I thought you were the one,” he said. “You don’t know how close I was to proposing to you. When were you going to tell me about this?”
“I wanted to tell you,” Annie said, sobbing. “It’s just that…I wanted to get away from my past.”
Ben sighed. “I’m going home.”
Annie brushed the tears out of her eyes. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but quickly closed it again.
Ben glanced at her one last time, then he left.
Chapter 52: March 16