Habitude, page 6
“Mr. Kansen, meet my girlfriend, Faith Brandt.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, Faith.” He shakes her hand and continues, “I’ve had the pleasure of employing Jonathan for the past four years. He is an absolute asset to Kansen Corp.”
“Jonathan has spoken very highly of your company.”
He smiles even bigger. “Well, we certainly think very highly of him. What is it that you do?”
“I am a kindergarten teacher at Hilltop Elementary.”
“A teacher? That’s a mighty admirable profession.”
“Thank you, Mr. Kansen. I enjoy helping young minds and fostering their love of learning from a very young age.”
Mr. Kansen turns to Jonathan. Hooking a thumb towards Faith he says, “You got yourself an angel.”
Jonathan smiles at Faith. “She is very special, yes sir.”
Faith smiles at both of them, feeling the heat in her cheeks.
“Well, I’ll leave you two love birds to it. Enjoy the beer garden!”
“Thank you, Mr. Kansen.” Jonathan shakes his hand, and Mr. Kansen heads off again.
The line moves forward, and they advance. “Would you like to sit back down at the picnic table after we get our drinks, or should we find something else to do?”
“Let’s find something else.” That picnic table encounter with Vern has left a nasty taste in her mouth she would rather forget.
Just after Jonathan orders, another man is coming up to them. This time, Faith recognizes him. It’s Tom. As he walks up, the woman behind the counter hands Jonathan their drinks.
“Hey, guys! I didn’t know you were coming! I would have made Jackie come, too! We could’ve had a double date.”
“Why didn’t Jackie want to come with?” Faith asks.
“Oh, she said she had too much homework to do. I get her determination, but she recently got her bachelors, and now she’s going for her masters. It’s a lot.”
“Yeah. I know that I needed a break after I finished my bachelors. I’m not sure how she does it.” Faith says.
Jonathan is a bit puzzled with why Jackie would be going for her masters when she’s working as an elementary school teacher, so he asks, “Why is she going for her master’s degree?”
Faith answers, “She’s actually going for school administration. You have to teach for so many years before you can become certified as a school administrator or principal.”
“She wants to be a principal?”
Tom replies as if he’s a recording, “She wants to incite real change within the school system.”
“She’s always felt like she could run the place better. I think it started in high school and it simply became an even stronger urge in college.”
Jonathan looks to Faith. “You said that isn’t something you want, right?”
“No, I feel like my place is in the classroom with the kids.”
Toms says, “I wish Jackie felt that way. Then she might actually have some free time to spend with me.”
Faith tries not to judge people, but when her best friend’s boyfriend is standing in front of her more or less saying he wants her not to follow her dreams, she thinks that’s a red flag. She mentally notes the conversation to bring up to Jackie later.
Jonathan notices Faith is quiet, “I get it though, man. I’ve been at Kansen Corp for just over four years. I’m working my way up the ladder, and at times, it cuts into my personal life. It sucks, but it’s what I need to do right now in order to secure my future.”
He puts his hand on the small of Faith’s back, both signifying that he supports her and that he sees her as his future, not only Kansen Corp.
Faith is grateful for the gesture and his attentiveness to her feelings. He always seems to know what she’s feeling before she voices it. It’s reassuring. Tom nods his head understanding what he means, but it’s still clear to Faith he’s feeling slighted by Jackie and her other commitments.
Chapter 11
Lassitude
Noun; a condition of weariness or debility, fatigue
Tom leads them over to where he and a few other guys are playing cornhole. Faith has almost managed to forget about Vern and Candi until she spots Candi standing near the cornhole boards, under the arm of a different guy now. Faith wonders how long she has been over here and where Vern went. Then she remembers that Jonathan asked her to ignore them. She takes a sip of her cider.
Jonathan leans over nudging her shoulder with his and asks, “Are you doing OK?”
“Yeah.”
“I saw you looking at Candi.”
“You’re the one bringing her up right now. Not me.”
“Right you are.” He quickly turns to watch the guys playing their game.
“Are you any good?” Faith motions towards the boards.
“I’ve been known to win a few games.”
“Want to be my partner?”
“For literally everything.” He looks at her smiling, proud of how quickly he came up with that.
Faith smiles, then looks to the guys playing and says, “We’ve got next.” She thinks to herself how much she likes Jonathan being so forward.
Tom partners up with the guy Candi was just all over. “You should have picked me.” Candi puts her hand on Tom’s chest, clearly shameless in her flirting.
Tom takes a step back so that her hand can no longer reach him without her taking another step forward. He says, “I’ve got the partner I wanted.”
Candi giggles in a poor attempt to make it look like Tom was only kidding, then goes to sit at one of the tables surrounding the boards. Faith smiles at Tom, impressed with the way he handled her and secretly hoping that if Jonathan were ever in that situation he would deal with any woman half as well as Tom dealt with Candi.
When the current game is done, the four of them step up to the boards opposite one another. Jonathan introduces Faith to Pete, the guy Tom partnered up with. They go back and forth, tossing bags and trying to get them into the hole on the board across from them.
Jonathan has proven himself to be a good partner. He and Faith are winning. It seems as though no matter what Pete and Tom do, they can’t score any additional points. They end up canceling out any that Jonathan and Faith earned that round.
Faith and Jonathan finally make enough points to win the game. Candi is right there behind Jonathan, cheering him on. Before Faith can walk over to give him a hug, Candi beats her to it. Faith watches the recognition flash across Jonathan’s face. He immediately removes himself from her embrace, carefully pushing her back a couple of feet.
“Get off me.”
“What? I was simply congratulating you for winning.”
“I don’t want your congratulations.”
Faith smiles to herself, watching all this unfold. She is torn between going over there to give Candi a piece of her mind and allowing Jonathan to put her in her place.
There are at least a dozen people standing there watching Candi be made a fool of. None of them saying a thing. Faith looks around at the scene in front of her, seeing numerous camera phone apertures aimed at Candi. Faith’s heart sinks, she knows this could have lasting effects on Candi and she can’t just stand here and watch, no matter how bad her behavior.
We all make poor choices at times and deserve forgiveness; not to have those choices held over our heads indefinitely, certainly not virally.
Faith steps forward, looking directly at them and says in her most stern teacher voice, “I don’t believe those are necessary.” They all appear a little sheepish while they slip their phones back in their pockets and purses.
Candi takes a step towards Jonathan. Instinctually, Faith gets in between them. “Excuse me, but maybe it would be a good time for you to head home.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” She practically spits in Faith’s face. The smell of hops and barley fills the small space between them.
“His girlfriend.”
“Ha, OK. Sure.”
Jonathan steps up beside Faith putting his arm around her. “She is my girlfriend. I think it’s time you go home, Candi.”
“I’ll leave when I decide to. Thank you.”
Faith looks at Jonathan and says, “We should go. She obviously wants to continue this scene.” She gestures towards Candi an expression of pity on her face.
“Why don’t you tell her all about our amazing night together, Jonathan?”
Jonathan’s eyes get huge, and Faith can see anger pulsating right below the surface. She grabs his arm as he takes a deep breath, looks at Faith, and says, “Don’t believe her. I never touched her.”
“No one tells me no.” Candi glares at Jonathan.
Tom can’t stand there simply watching this any longer. He holds his finger up and says, “I sure the fuck have told you ‘no’, so obviously that’s a lie.”
Still holding Jonathan’s arm Faith turns and starts walking away. Jonathan following. Tom and Pete step in line behind them leaving Candi standing alone with a bunch of onlookers wondering what the hell happened.
Tom and Pete sit down at a picnic table not too far from the drink building. Jonathan gestures towards the parking lot. “We’re going to get out of here, guys. Thanks for the game of cornhole. We’ll have to have a rematch sometime.”
Tom stands and gives Faith a hug. “It was nice seeing you guys. Have a good night.”
“You too.”
Chapter 12
Beatitude
Noun; a state of utmost bliss
They take the short drive to Jonathan’s condo. Once they’re in the foyer Faith says, “That was kind of crazy. It could have been worse, but what was she thinking?”
“I’ve never seen her like that before.”
“Maybe she had too much to drink.”
“That could be it. I definitely don’t think your presence had a very positive affect on her though either.”
“That’s not my fault. She shouldn’t be so easily intimidated by another woman. Certainly not by a woman she doesn’t know anything about.”
“To a woman like her, you are extremely intimidating. You have everything she wants.”
“You mean because I have you?” He’s awfully sure of himself she thinks.
“Yes, you do, but it is so much more than that. She’s never had the confidence you have. She could never hope to, for whatever reason. You are a beautiful and successful woman. Your attractiveness is not solely based on the size of your tits and how much of them you’re revealing.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean it. Add in the fact that even after the way she acted you still tried to help her shows you have a heart of gold.”
“I know you do. I’m not doubting your words. Thank you. It was terrible watching people be so mean to her. As if they didn’t see her as a person and was just something they can post on social media for clout.”
Jonathan leans in to kiss her, but Faith puts her hand against his chest pushing him back. Jonathan shoots her a puzzled look.
Genuinely, she tells him, “Thank you for standing up to her.”
“I will stand up to every woman that tries to come in between us. I promise you that.” Both his tone and his facial expression showing how serious he is about his promise.
“Thank you. You can kiss me now.” She smiles moving into him.
And that’s just what Jonathan did.
When he pulled himself away, he says, “I should get dinner going. Did you want some wine?”
“Yes, please.”
Jonathan pours her a glass of cabernet sauvignon and starts preparing the small cut of prime rib.
“How does prime rib and assorted veggies sound?”
“That sounds delicious.” She smiles, grateful for his cooking skills.
“Good. Is there anything you don’t like?”
“Not really. I’m pretty open to trying new things.”
Jonathan raises his eyebrows. “Oh, really?”
Feeling her face get hot, she replies with a flirtatious smile, “You know what I mean.”
He laughs a little. “Yeah, I think I do.”
Faith smacks him arm playfully and laughs too. She takes a sip of her wine, and Jonathan gets back to making dinner.
“So, when are you actually going to let me help with dinner?”
“When we have dinner at your house. And that is only because I won’t know where anything is.”
With a storm rolling in, they decide to eat dinner in the dining room. They watch as the shelf cloud is coming in quickly over the bay blocking the sun. As they sit down to eat, the rain begins to fall hard and fast. Lightning flashes across the sky lighting everything up outside eerily.
“Is there anything we need to do because of the storm?”
“What? Like batten down the hatches?” Jonathan laughs then continues, “Nope. Everything outside is good, and these windows are made to withstand hurricane force winds. We are in the safest place possible for a really big storm. I don’t think this one will be that bad, though. Mostly just thunder and lightning.”
As soon as he finishes the word another streak flashes across the sky followed quickly by a loud rumble.
“OK.”
“Are you OK with spending the night here? No pressure, but it would probably be safer for you to stay.”
“Yes, I’m fine with staying.”
“Great.” Jonathan smiles.
Faith’s mind moves from the storm back to their time at the beer garden. She wants to ask more about Candi. She doesn’t want to have any uncertainty about what did or did not happen between the two of them, especially when they go to bed together. She’s afraid if she doesn’t ask now, she won’t be able to stop thinking about it.
“I’m not sure how to ask this…” She moves her vegetables around on her plate with her fork.
“Just ask it.”
“It’s invasive, and you might feel like you’re beating a dead horse, so to speak.”
“Faith, you can ask me anything.”
Lightning flashes across the sky, lighting the room really brightly for a quick second before disappearing. The rain is pounding fiercely against the window beside them. Another crack of thunder follows.
Reluctantly, she says, “OK, I would like you to tell me more about everything that happened with Candi. I’m only asking you to do this because I don’t want to have any of this in the back of my mind when we go to bed.”
“I understand. It isn’t invasive. If you need reassurance, I can definitely do that for you. But there’s not much more to know since nothing happened. She came onto me at the Kansen Corp’s holiday party. The party was in January. Mr. Kansen rented everyone rooms at the Amethyst hotel, that way no one had to drive home. We were all having a nice time, hanging out having dinner and drinks. Candi was hanging on a couple of different guys that night, similar to today except that she had already slept with them. I think that’s why she set her sights on me. She was very flirtatious and touchy.
“I had been drinking, but that didn’t change the fact that I didn’t want her. She didn’t take the hint at first. She stayed close even though I was more or less ignoring her. When I went to head to my room, she grabbed my arm as if she was going to walk with me. I told her I wasn’t interested in having any company. She insisted that she was going to her own room.
“When I got to mine, she tried to play it off as if it was her room too. I told her it definitely wasn’t and that she needed to leave. She did. I hadn’t even opened the door. Luckily there were some people walking down the hallway, and I don’t think she wanted them to see her getting rejected.”
Unsure of what she expected to feel, knowing more about what happened that night left Faith with a few more questions.
“Has she come onto you since then? Before today, I mean.”
“No. She flirts with nearly everyone, but she hasn’t actively tried to pursue anything more with me.”
They’ve finished eating, but neither of them are moving a muscle to clean off the table. The discussion is too important to be interrupted.
Jonathan understands Faith needing reassurance, but he did tell her at the beer garden that Candi hadn’t come onto him again. He doesn’t want to feel like he’s getting the fifth degree when he hasn’t done anything wrong. Even if he had slept with Candi, it would have been before Jonathan had even met Faith. He decides it would be best not to mention these things to Faith. Maybe at a different time if something like this reoccurs.
Instead, Jonathan grabs Faith’s hand and asks, “Are you doing OK?”
“Yes. She was acting so strange. I simply need to put the pieces together then my mind can be at ease.”
“I don’t have many more pieces to give you. I’m sorry. I wish I did.” He says shrugging his shoulders.
“I know. Thank you for telling me all that.”
“Of course. You understand I wouldn’t have taken you there if I thought it was going to cause an issue, right?”
“Yes, I get that.”
“OK. I had no idea Candi would act that way.”
Faith thinks to herself for a moment and then says, “You’re a very up front person. I like that. I know that what I see is exactly what I get. There’s no surprises.”
“Only good surprises.” I hope, he continues the thought silently.
“Yes, only good ones.”
With that, they both stand and grab their plates and utensils. Walking over to the sink, Jonathan can’t help but think of what happened last week when they were clearing the dishes.
A loud crack of thunder makes Faith jump. She drops the wine glass that had been precariously balancing on top of her plate. Red wine and glass shards fly everywhere as it hits the floor shattering.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” She sets her other dishes down and bends over to begin cleaning it up.
Jonathan shushes her and reaches for her. He warns, “Faith, you’re not wearing anything on your fee_”
Before he can finish his sentence Faith grabs her foot, blood gushing between her fingers. “Dammit!”
