A Tip

She opened the door slowly, coming home late. The house was dark and she was sure that Devin had already turned in for the night, needing to get up early for work. She removed her shoes and her feet felt cool against the tile, a nice reprieve from the 12 hours she spent racing about at the restaurant. But she smiled as her hand dipped into her purse to replace her keys and felt the $100 bill still slipped next to her wallet. A hundred dollars. She was so happy she had stayed at Mr. Grey’s request. As she padded across the floor to the kitchen she could see that the light above the oven was still on casting long, deep shadows across the dining room. One shadow crossed a figure sitting in a chair. Slumped rather, as if unconscious or…her breath caught.

“Devin?” she whispered, not sure if she wanted to see if he answered or not.

He stirred and she felt herself relax and let the rest of the air in her lungs escape. “Lee?”

“What are you doing?” she asked. “You should be asleep.”

He was groggy and sat up in the chair. She could see his silhouette rubbing at his eyes. “Nah. I was waiting up for you. What time is it?”

“Almost midnight. Sorry.”

He stood, stumbled a little, then righted himself by placing a hand on the table. “Midnight? Is everything okay?” A pause. “Are you okay?” He came around the edge of the table, his pace a little quicker. “Are you okay, Lee?” She felt more than heard the tension in his voice. A worry that had been gestating in his mind even in sleep. She was always home by 10:30. Midnight? She should have called but the excitement and…

He was near her now. She could see a glimpse of his face in the single kitchen light. His eyes swollen from sleep, his brow center creased with worry. “Is it the car? Goddamn thing! Was it the battery again? I swear I’ll replace that alternator tomorrow when I get home. Wait, take my truck to work and I’ll take your car, get it fixed before you get home tomorrow night. So sorry, hon.”

“It wasn’t the car, Dev. I had to work late. Mr. Grey asked me to. You’ll never guess…”

Then he grabbed her. Swept her up in his arms, held her tight. “I know I worry too much about you but…” The words caught on an emotion. “I just…dammit, I just worry too much,” he confessed again. He kissed her on the neck.

“It’s my fault, I should have called. It’s just there was so much going on and by the time we closed up it was late and I didn’t want to chance waking you.”

He smiled that little lopsided grin he only offered when he was too self aware. “I could have called, Lee. But I didn’t want to come off like some crazed control freak.”

“Like that could happen,” she laughed. “I know you just worry. I would too. But I’m home and what a night I had!” She grinned, her exuberance threatening to explode from her right on the spot.

“Tell me,” he said, his eyes alight with fascination. 

“No, no. You need to get back to sleep. And in bed this time. Come on, I’ll tuck you in.” She grabbed his hand, felt the strength in it. She remembered the time he had to protect her from those drunken assholes at the State Fair. She was sure the three of them also remembered and probably still carried a bruise or two. He had been slow to anger but they were unrelenting and when they grabbed her, well, Devin stopped them.

But his hands were also gentle and playful when he touched her and she loved the dichotomy of their nature. They made her feel safe and they could also make her feel loved. She treasured those hands. They pulled at her and led her back to the table. He pulled out a chair, sat her in it then took the chair next to her and touched her shoulder. “Tell me.”

She sighed. “Don’t be mad at me when the alarm goes off.”

He shook his head. “Never.”

She recounted her busy day in detail, getting lost in reliving it. Devin sat quietly listening, his eyes never leaving her face, his amused crooked smile signaling his interest.

“And then you know who walks in just before ten?”

“The Pope?”

She slaps at his jesting. “Sure, the Pope. No. It was Daniel Franklin.”

Devin tilts his head, mild surprise on his face. “The Governor?”

She nods enthusiastically. “Yeah! He walks in with a party of six. And he asks if they are too late to get any food.”

“You close at ten.”

“Right! But Mr. Grey says we’ll seat him…at my table!” 

Devin throws up his hands. “Of course he does ‘cause you’re the best waitress they have.” She blushes slightly and waves his compliment away.

“Then Mr. Grey asks if I can stay and I say of course! So I stayed and they ate and drank five bottles of wine, Dev!”

“Whoa.”

“They were such nice people. Not stuck up or anything. They left at 11:30 and Mr. Grey just told me to get home and be safe.”

“That’s nice. No cleaning up?”

She shook her head. “And they were good tippers too. Too good, I think.”

“Why’s that?”

She fished in her purse. “They gave me a 30% tip on the bill and when they stood to leave Mr. Franklin shook my hand and slipped me this…” She produced the hundred dollar bill.

“The hell?” Devin’s eye’s got big and he grinned from ear to ear. “Oh my God, Lee. That’s on top of the tip? Wow, He’s got my vote!”

She laughed and waved the note around in the air. “Pretty good for a little over time, I think.”

Devin grabbed her again and kissed her. “You deserve it, hon. All the shit you take from those idiots and cheapasses down there. It’s so nice to hear you getting someone that sees your real worth and effort.”

“Thanks, Dev. Mr. Grey was so nice about it and told me thanks a dozen times. I showed him the money and he put his hand on top of mine and closed it. He said, ‘Keep it for yourself, Lee. You more than deserve it.’”

“I say, Amen.”

“No, Dev. We can use it for that alternator.” He was already shaking his head. He put his hand on hers just like Mr. Grey and closed it.

“You take that money and you buy something just for you. You work hard and get so little for it. I wish I could give you hundred dollar bills every day, Lee. Every single day. But today you got one and it is just for you.”

“But…” He stopped her talking by kissing her. It was a gentle, soft kiss but as it lingered it became more passionate, more needy. She returned the feelings and more. Then she was off the chair, Dev picking her up, carrying her. He set her down on the bed as she pulled his t-shirt off. He fumbled with her blouse and she pushed him back, turning the tables and straddling him as she pulled the blouse and her bra away. He looked at her and then into her eyes.

“My God you are so beautiful.” She answered with another kiss and from there things progressed rapidly. She was warm and safe. Safe from everything the cruel world encouraged and ignored. Safe from screaming and pain. Safe from abuse and hate. But most of all she was loved. Loved so deep that she could not contain it all. It was a beautiful life and she was happy.

Lee opened her eyes. Or rather, eye, since her left eye was swollen shut. So swollen that she was amazed that a single tear was able to squeeze past the ruptured, blackened lids and slip down her bruised cheek. Her husband lay next to her on the bed, his rumbling snoring waking her from her dream. She felt so sore, so damaged that she knew there was no way he would allow her to return to work the next day. He normally would leave marks either hidden from view or easily explained by falls and klutzy reflexes. But not this time. His rage was all encompassing. As she laid there she knew that this time she was lucky to be alive. 

She had been late getting home. Almost midnight. The Governor had shown up with his rowdy, drunken entourage at closing and Mr. Grey had begged her to stay when Doris and Coleen had already punched out. She agreed and while she did her best to make the Governor feel special, his guests only demanded constant attention and bitched about the food. In the end, when they left, they left a meager $20 tip on the table. Mr. Grey, apologizing for the Governor’s crass behavior, handed her a fifty as she left.

When she carefully opened the door he was right there, stepping in from the dark, his hand instantly around her neck. In her haste to leave she had forgotten to try and get some food to bring home. She apologized to him but he wouldn’t have it. He slapped her hard and she fell to the floor.  “Now you need to fix me some food. It’s late and you couldn’t even manage to bring me something home to eat. Nothing. I work my ass off all day to pay for this place and you can’t even provide a meal for your exhausted husband. Now get me some goddamn food so I can get some goddamn sleep!”

She cringed and made him a belated supper. She fixed him a drink to go along with it. Then came the questions, the undying suspicions. “Why were you late?”

“The…the Governor showed up at closing and Mr. Grey…”

“Right. Get his obedient slave to do whatever needs to be done. You’ll do anything he asks, won’t you?”

“I just wanted to help.”

“And I pay the cost! I see how I rate.” He started shoveling the food into his mouth, bits flying free as he shouted.

She pulled the fifty from her purse and offered it to him in hopes it would lessen his rage. “He gave me this for staying.”

Devin eyed the money then looked at her. “Is that what you charge for a fuck now? At least that’s honest work though he tipped you a bit too much,” he laughed. Then he stood up quickly, a crazed look in his eye. “No, wait. It was fifty for the whole lot, right? You blew them all for fifty bucks.” He moved quickly around the table and she tried to move away but he had her.

“You fuckin’ whore!” Then she saw it, his fist, tight, knuckles white in the clutch, raised beside him. Then there was pain exploding in her eye and a sickening crunch, possibly her orbital socket. She put up her hands to block him but he swung again and this time it was her nose. Her vision was instantly blurry from tears. She fell to the ground, her hands coming away from her face red with blood. Then he kicked her and the breath rushed from her lungs in a whoosh that left her empty and gasping.

“P…please stop, I…” He kicked her again and she screamed. Suddenly he was there, in her face, her hair snug in his fist.

“You scream again and I will end you right here and now. Now fix me another drink and get yourself cleaned up, you’re disgusting looking.” He returned to the table and continued to eat his meal. Lee rose on unsteady legs, watching the blood drip onto the floor, the whole time thinking she was going to have to clean that up. She made him another drink and then went to the bathroom to wash her face, desperately trying to not look in the mirror.

And now he slept next to her, passed out. She wasn’t allowed access to anything that could harm him, he had it all locked away. But she had mixed his drinks extra strong and in his violent state he hadn’t noticed. So after three cocktails he was too drunk to undress himself, falling on the bed and immediately asleep. And, as Lee had hoped, he forgot to secure her manacle to the bed. She was so used to wearing it whenever he was asleep or away that it felt strange without it. And his threats if she would ever tell anyone, it was a different kind of manacle, an invisible cage that barred all freedom. But she was free at this moment and she intended not to be restrained again.

Lee silently slipped from the bed and made her way to the kitchen to get a knife. 

Some nightmares exist outside of sleep. If you are in an abusive relationship seek help

National Domestic Violence Hotline - 800-799-7233