Taking My Ex

Mary Sawyer and Joseph Aboi had been dating for two years. They had made preparations to get married when they suddenly broke up. Months after their breakup, Mary was at work when her phone rang. Without looking at the caller’s tag she answered the call. “Hello…,” she froze when she heard the voice on the other side of the phone. She took a deep breath and answered. “Yes, I can hear you,” Mary said and crossed her arms. She quietly listened as she made faces. She smiled and shook her head. “Why can’t you tell me whatever you want to say now? Fine but does it have to be dinner? I can only do lunch. Sure, see you there.” Mary hung up and shook her mouse to wake up her computer. As she worked typing on her keyboard. Miranda leaned over her desk. “What has got you smiling from ear to ear.” She said to Mary who immediately stopped smiling the moment she realized she was doing it. Soon the smile crept back in. “Oh no, the only one who can make you smile like this is Joseph. Mary no, you promise. Do not go back to him nothing has changed. He will hurt you again.” Miranda leaned closer and pulled Mary’s swivel chair close to her. She gently grabbed Mary by the chin and turned her head towards her. All the while Mary kept typing. “Stop typing, this is a life and death situation. These guys have been abandoned for years. Abandoning them for a minute will not be the worst thing that happened to them.” Miranda turned off the Mary’s monitor. Mary looked around to see if anyone heard Miranda. “Calm down, it is just lunch. We are not getting married.” Mary turned back on the monitor as she said. “Just dinner, you stupid stupid girl. He would be having you for dinner.” Miranda said glaring at her friend. “Oh my god, no one would be having anyone for dinner. He said he wanted to talk. He probably wants closure. “ Mary said only for her attention to De divided when a young boy walked in. Miranda turned to check out what she was staring at. “Oh yeah, Jude was arrested again. Accounts gave Emmanuel money for his bail just this morning. I guess he bailed him out. This is the third time he has been arrested. We have to remove him from the program.” Miranda whispered to Mary. Mary heard the excitement in her voice she did not like. She got up and without hesitation, Miranda asked. “Where are you going? “ “I need to speak to the Director, he needs to give him another chance. Even with the program, he has been arrested three times. If we kick him out he would end up dead on the street or worse.” Mary said clenching her fist, she did this often. Especially when she was nervous. She wiped her sweaty palm on her pants. She carefully walked to the director's office knocking once before entering. Her walk could have been more dramatic if she could walk better in her heels. They were only three inches but stilettoes had never been kind to her. “Sir,” she said trying to keep her composure. “I think we should give Jude another chance. His mother is trying but without a father figure to instill discipline, it is.. difficult.” Mary sounded firmer than she intended to but she had both hands behind her clenched. “I am not kicking Jude out, I am letting Emmanuel mentor him. Like you said, he needs a father figure. But this is his last chance if he gets arrested or gets in a fight again. He is out, it does not matter what he is going through. There are other kids who need our help. Some more that he does.” the director said and pointed at the door. Mary nodded and walked out closing the door behind her. Everyone stared at her as she walked across the office. “I think I just got fired.” Mary pulled her chair back as her heart pounded in her chest. “He would not, he loves you.” Miranda tried to take Mary's hand but she snatched it. “Don’t even joke about that.” Mary frowned. “It is not a joke, have you not noticed how he looks at you.” Mary could not tell if she was joking or serious. “Stop it, he is married.” Mary found the topic uncomfortable. Her palms started to sweat. Once again she wiped out them on her pants and blew on them. The rest of the day was uneventful. At Ankra Youth and Child Development Center, they considered that a win. The next day as Mary picked out a dress she had her dinner date with Joseph in mind. She picked out a flowered blue dress with puff sleeves. “Yes, this says you broke up with me but I am doing better than you.” Mary placed the dress on her body as she stared at herself in the full-length mirror. “No” she tossed the dress and picked out a green one. This one was tight, it revealed her slender figure and thin waist. It also made her breasts pop. She quickly picked up her phone and called Miranda. “Girl, you should have told me we were blowing off work. It does not matter, where are we going?” In a small window of Mary’s phone, Miranda put on make-up occasionally looking into her phone’s camera. “Not blowing off work. I am still going. I just need to pick out the right outfit.” Mary picked up the two dresses. “Which one?” she asked before dropping them and setting her phone upright. “Okay, now tell me which one?” standing a bit further away from the camera she placed both dresses against her body in turns. “Don't tell me you are still going to lunch with Joseph. You told me he is violent, I can bet he is still the same.” Miranda dropped her eyeliner and picked up her phone. “Baby girl you need to get over him. It has been almost a year and you still have not dated anyone. I think that is the problem, you need someone to take your mind off him.” Miranda winked at her and she chuckled. “I only need your opinion on the dress.” Mary sighed and shook the dresses as she tried to get Miranda’s attention. “The one on the left.” On the left was a blue split-skirt dress with golden bow buttons. Mary quickly slipped out of the green dress. She put on the dress Miranda chose. “I will see you at work, bye” Putting on her shoes she could not get off the call quickly enough. When she got to work everyone stared at her. This was not the first time but this time around it was more obvious. As she walked to her desk she ran into the Director. He stared at Mary for a while before she greeted him. He responded but he was in a trance. He stood there not saying anything. Mary pointed in the direction she was going. “Excuse me,” she tilted as she passed by him. The director stood properly making way for her to pass. That morning she could not focus on work. She thought of her lunch with Joseph. She wondered what he wanted. “Does he want us to get back together?” Mary looked into the abyss dumbfounded. She wondered if she should be that excited to meet someone she broke up with a year ago. Before she realized it was noon. Half past noon to be exact, as she was walking out Miranda was now getting in. “Going for lunch, let me drop my bag and join you,” Miranda said briskly walking to her desk. When she got back Mary was gone. When she got to the restaurant there were a few people there but Joseph was not one of them. “Madam,” the receptionist called out as Mary looked around in search of Joseph. “Table for two, please,” she said and the receptionist seated her three tables away from the door. She sat facing the door so she could see him coming. She ordered a mocktail called Sunrise and sipped as she waited. About ten minutes later a talk dark man opened the door. The moment Mary saw him her heart started pounding. She could not tell if it was out of excitement or fear. Maybe both, she tried to swallow but her throat was dry. She took a sip of her drink. He was dark as night but someway somehow he always glimmered. Every bone in her body wanted to run and hug him. With some unnatural discipline, she was able to hold back. He wore a white shirt with blue jeans and matching white and blue sneakers. Even with a shirt on Mary could tell what was underneath. His broad chest made his shirt free on his lower half. His well-developed muscles made the shirt tighter around the shoulders and chest. When he got to the table, Mary got up and hugged him. Immediately she did she smiled. He smelt the same, she had known him for three years and he always smelt the same. The hug lasted seconds more than she would have liked. She did not want to be comfortable around him but she was. “If only he did not beat that man in front of me. Everything would have been fine.” Mary thought as her mind started to wander. “So how have you been?” Joseph asked scratching his beard. “I have been great, what do you want to tell me?” Mary said with a frown, she did not know how the frown came about but she did not want to let it go. “Right to business I see. Okay, I was hoping you could do me a favor. There is this client I am trying to work with. I was hoping to make a good impression so he signs with my company.” Joseph reached out for Mary’s hand but she pulled away. “How do you expect me to help?” Mary said as a smile crept in. “Well, he is a traditional man. He turns to trust people with partners more. I was hoping you would go with me to a party he is having this weekend.” ” Is he asking me out?” Mary thought moments before he ended his sentence. She wondered if it was a way to get back together. “Does it have to be me?” Mary said then saw Joseph frown the moment she finished her question. Her heart immediately dropped. “You know I have no female friends, It is fine.” Joseph got up before he could walk away Mary leaned in and grabbed his hand. “I mean I can get you a date for the party. Will that do?” Mary offered a sacrificial lamb. She could not punish him for one of the things she loved about him. When they were dating having no female friends made her feel secure. “That would be fine as long as she is family-friendly.” Joseph took Mary’s drink and took a sip. Moments later a waiter came and they ordered. Mary told him about some of her friends. As they talked Mary got to know he had no personal life. For some reason, this made her happy. He asked if she was seeing anyone but Mary ignored the question. After lunch, Joseph offered to accompany her. He walked her down the block and then called her a cab. They waved at each other as the got into the lanes. At the office, Miranda waited furiously. She had a lot to say to Mary and had been having the conversation in her head all the while.