Desperate Remedies, Lucky Day

      Amanda looked up from the counter of the coffee shop. She blinked. Was it possible? Had he found where she worked and came to see her? Mustering a bright smile, she said, “Hey, welcome to Java Bean, Jake. It’s been a while. What can I get you?”

           He gave a quick glance up from his phone. “Do I know you? Give me a large iced coffee.”

           “Sure.” A frown crossed her face. “You don’t remember me?” She punched in his order and said, “That’ll be five dollars.”

           His blue eyes, the color of a hazy sky, swept over her. “Do I know you?”

           “I’m Amanda. Don’t you remember? We met last year and went clubbing.” She met his blank stare. “You drank gin and tonics while I had red wine. You told me about an interview you had scheduled at a start-up and how excited you felt.”

He fumbled for change in his pocket.

Annoyance creased her face. “You said you’d be in touch.”

Pulling out a wad of dollars and coins, he tossed them onto the counter then looked down at his watch.

Amanda swept her blonde bangs away from her forehead then began gathering up the money. “By the way, congrats on your engagement. I read about it in the—”

           Jake stepped away, leaving her mid-sentence.          

           “Local news,” she finished.

Amanda stood, rooted to her spot, stung by his dismissal. Moments later, he returned for his drink.

“So, Jake.” She gave a soft cough. “Are you still at Harvard?”

           Shrugging, he sipped his drink and muttered. “What’s it to you?”

           “Just curious, I guess. I’m hoping to enroll in community college soon.”

           “Community college?” He laughed and turned to leave. “Good luck. Even they have standards.”

           Anger—simmering below the surface—rose like a dust devil in her chest.

“Jake, wait. There’s something you should know.”

           He sighed. “I noticed how you looked at me when I came in. You’re not my type, and besides, I’m engaged.” His eyes, hazy at first, now darkened. “Want some advice? Wear some makeup and lose some weight.”

           “My looks didn’t stop you from being with me after we went clubbing that night.”

           His eyebrows rose. “I must’ve been pretty wasted. I’m usually more selective.”

           Words exploded from her, unleashed and unchecked. “You have a daughter. She’s almost a year now. Her name is Isabelle, but I call her Izzy.”

           A thread of silence stretched between them.

“What did you say?”

           “Are you deaf or just stupid? Because of you, I have a daughter, so thank you. She’s amazing.”

           “You’re crazy!”

           She watched his face turn pale. “Look, I’m sorry, I was just—”  

           “Not my problem,” he said.

           Amanda stuck out her chin. “Maybe your fiancé would like to know how you treat women. How you mislead them. Lie to them. I’m sure she’d be interested.”

           Blinking, he said, “What did you say?”

           “Your fiancé. Bianca Masters, isn’t it? I read about her in the society pages. A former debutante now in pre-med.” Amanda grinned. “Izzy will love her.”

           Jake’s fist slammed down on the counter. “Don’t you dare contact her.” He leaned closer and whispered. “You’d better watch your step. You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

           The next morning, while she flipped through a magazine while sipping tea, the phone rang. She frowned when she noticed the name of her boss, Michael.

           “Hello?”

Michael’s words tumbled, one after another, as if he couldn’t wait to let them out. “Amanda, I have some bad news. I’ve been told to fire you. I’m really sorry.”

           “What?”

           “Some guy filed a complaint. Said you were coming on to him and making inappropriate comments. A witness confirmed it, and you know how corporate is with these kinds of things.”

           “Are you serious?”

           “I’m sorry. This—plus your last few no-shows—led to their decision.”

           “But those were due to a schedule mix up.” She glared into the phone. “You know that.”

           “Like I said, I’m sorry. I can’t do anything about it.”

           “I need this job, Michael! I have bills, and I’m saving for college.” Amanda pleaded. “Please talk to them.”

           Michael was silent, then, “I’m sorry, Amanda. I wish I could help, but this Jake person was pretty insistent, and again, he had a witness.”

           “He’s lying. There was no witness. The shop was empty.”

           After she hung up, Amanda sat at the kitchen table and opened her laptop. Several minutes later, she picked up her phone and dialed.

 “Hello, is this Bianca Masters? My name is Amanda Greene. I’m a friend of Jake’s.” She smiled. “Congrats on your engagement. I’m calling because there’s someone you should meet. Her name is Isabelle—Izzy for short. I’m sure Jake would love to tell you all about her.”

Amanda waited for Bianca’s reaction.

“I’m sorry, but who are you again? And who is Izzy?”

“I’m Amanda. And I’m not surprised Jake hasn’t mentioned me because we have a daughter, thanks to our one-night stand.”

“Are you telling me Jake has a child?” Bianca’s voice shook. “I can’t believe this.”

           Amanda looked up at the sound of the doorbell. “Sorry, I’ve got to go. Let’s do lunch sometime, okay?” She smirked and hung up, aware that the other woman was still talking.

           After peeking through the side window, Amanda opened the door and grinned.

“Hey, girl. Good to see you.” She gave her friend Nikki a quick hug. “Thanks so much for watching Izzy for me. Poor thing, she has a terrible ear infection, so I can’t take her to daycare.”

           “No problem. Is everything okay? You sounded strange when we talked.”  

           Amanda shook her head. “I decided I need a change, so I left the coffee shop.” She avoided Nikki’s eyes. “I’ll tell you everything later. Right now, I’ve got a few errands to run, so thanks again for coming over.”

           Nikki nodded. “Of course. Now, where’s my little Izzy?”

           Later that day, Amanda pulled her car into the last spot in front of her apartment building. When her phone lit up, she grabbed it and frowned. “What do you want, Jake?”

           “I told you not to contact my fiancé!”

           “I called her because you got me fired.”

           “You deserved it.”

           “I can’t speak for Bianca, but I really enjoyed our chat.” She hoped Jake heard the smugness in her voice. “Anyway, she was pretty curious—or should I say upset? when I brought up our daughter, Izzy. Of course, I told her you’d be happy to explain.” She smirked and added, “Bianca will make a wonderful stepmother.”

           “How much do you want?”

           “What?”

           “I said, how much do you want to call Bianca and tell her it was all a joke.”

           Amanda rubbed her stiff neck. Why did I let this go so far?

           Jake continued. “I know your type, Amanda. You have no class and no prospects. Women like you disgust me. You go around tricking men, hoping one day you’ll score. Well, today’s your lucky day.”

           Amanda looked around the street at the storefronts with barred windows and walls sprayed with graffiti. Her voice hardened. “I want enough money to move away and go to college.” She took a deep breath and did some quick math. “A hundred thousand should do it.”

           Jake cleared his throat. “My dad’s company is offering a scholarship, and I know he’ll let me choose who wins if I ask him. You don’t deserve it, but like I said, today’s your lucky day as long as you make this right with Bianca.”

           Amanda’s heart pounded. She could hardly speak. “Look, I really think you should meet her first.”

           “Who?”

           “Izzy.”

He scoffed, and her heart sank. “I just want you, and your bastard kid, gone. If you ever bring this up to anyone, I’ll claim that you falsified the scholarship application, and the company will make you pay back the money. Any questions?”

           Amanda leaned back and closed her eyes. He took her silence for a ‘no.’

“Where should I send the check?”

           She finally found her voice. “Are you kidding? I want you to drop it off to my manager, Michael, at the coffee shop by Friday morning. If you do, we can be gone by the weekend. Oh, and Jake?” She stopped when she realized that he’d already hung up.

The phone rang again. “Jake? I wasn’t done talking!”

           “No, it’s Nikki. I looked out the window and saw your car parked. Is everything okay?”

“Absolutely. I’ll be right up.”

Minutes later, Amanda rushed through her apartment door. “Hey, Nik, I just got the most incredible phone call.” She took a breath and told her friend about the scholarship.

           “That’s wonderful. Why didn’t you tell me you were applying for scholarships?”

           Amanda shrugged. “It was kind of sudden. How about we meet for lunch on Friday at that café downtown? Then I can stop by Java Bean. There’s something I need to pick up.”

           Nikki touched her arm. “That’s right. You probably want to pick up your last check.”

           Biting her bottom lip, she looked away. “That’s right.”

As soon as Nikki left, she heard a tiny cry coming from the end of the hallway. “Izzy, Mommy’s home. Where’s my baby girl?”

A small dog rushed into the room and jumped up on her leg. Amanda dropped to her knees and hugged the little dog. In a way, she thought, Jake was responsible for her adopting Izzy because after he ghosted her, she realized how much she needed something to ease her pain. Her emptiness. Her sorrow.

“Oh, Izzy . . . what has Mommy done?”