Page 25 of Havoc
“This is Mike, my boyfriend. The date that you knew I would be bringing.”
“Right, well you and…Mike are right over there.” She points to the other side of the table. Great, I get to sit next to creepy Carl because being here isn’t enough of a punishment.
Rock takes my hand and leads me to our seats. A part of me is thankful that he insisted on coming. At least I have one ally here.
“So…” Carl turns to me. “You still working at the welfare office?” I almost choke on the sip of water I was taking.
“Excuse me?”
“Where you work, it’s like poor people right?” He takes a bite of his food as if he doesn’t deserve the spike of my heel through his eye socket right now.
I hear Rock chuckle next to me, glad that he thinks this is amusing. “I am a social worker. I help children who were abused. It has nothing to do with welfare.” The amount of effort it takes to keep my voice at a normal tone is incredible.
“I don’t see why you waste your time there. You can’t advance working for the city and God knows what you might catch doing that job.” He shakes his head as his mouth turns down in disgust.
My hand moves because I’m ready to bury my fist in his face. Rock catches it under the table before anyone can see. I’m half grateful to him for keeping me from making a scene and half pissed off because I wanted to see this asshole bleed.
The rest of dinner is a lot of the same questions.
Why do I work where I do?
Why did I move away from home?
Why don’t I visit?
Because of all you fuckers.
When dessert is served I say a silent thank you. This shit is almost done.
“So, Michael,” my mother says and for a minute Rock and I forget that’s him. “What do you do for a living?”
This should be good.
Christina brought home a biker who could kill you or have you killed at the drop of a dime.
“I’m part owner in an auto shop.” He wraps his arm around my shoulder as I watch my mother try to keep her face from showing the disgust she’s feeling.
“Well this had been an interesting night. See all of you tomorrow.” I get up pulling Rock with me, needing to be out of there. I just about pulled his arm off until we were finally out of the club. I finally feel like I can breathe again.
“Your family is really great.” Rock takes my hand laughing as we walk to his car.
“Tomorrow is going to be even worse.” I groan.
He presses me against his truck. “How about I take you back to the hotel and make you come so many times you can’t even remember your name much less that fucking dinner.”
“Now that’s an offer I’d be an idiot to refuse.”
