After She Said Yes Read online

  Jack was easy on the eyes. He had blonde hair and a bright white smile. Though it was dark in the club, it seemed like he had brown eyes. He had to keep putting his fingers through his hair to push it out of his face. He was tall and skinny. He definitely looks like a staffer from the capital. He was definitely a politician type. Jack and Eric seemed completely opposite. Aurora wondered how they could have become friends. She then chuckled out loud.

  “Hey,” Jack said nervously.

  Aurora raised her eyebrows, “Hey, what are you guys doing here tonight? Trying to find some chicks to take home?” She laughed awkwardly to herself. Wow. You are so smooth Aurora. Not...

  “No, my pal Jack just got out of a relationship,” Eric said, “We are trying to find him a pretty girl to talk to.”

  Jack nudged Eric with his elbow and said in his ear, “Why did you tell them that?” It seemed Eric wasn’t all that intelligent, and that Jack was the brain in their friendship.

  Jack looked toward the girls. “Well, yeah, I did just get out of a relationship, but I am here to have fun.”

  Jack looked in Aurora’s eyes, “What’s your name?”

  “Ahhh. Tanya.”

  “Wow, your name is almost as beautiful as you.”

  Aurora rolled her eyes, “I am sure you use that on every pretty girl.” She put her hand to her mouth in dismay. Oh! I just called myself pretty! She smiled.

  Jack said, “No, just to you. To be honest, I have been out of the game for a while. I don’t know what girls like anymore.”

  “Well, I am a woman, so….”

  “Ohhhhh, you are confident! I like that. How about we both stop talking and go dance?”

  She shrugged her shoulders and remembered how unhappy she was when she looked at herself in the mirror earlier that day. I guess I have nothing to lose. I mean, he seems awkward like me. I cannot let these moments keep passing me by unless I want to die old and alone.

  “Let me ask my friend first.” Aurora could hear Eric and Tessa talking about working out. Tessa did not look too thrilled at the conversation. Tessa waved her hand at the bartender for another drink. Tessa kept looking down at her drink and stirring it.

  Aurora tapped Tessa on the shoulder. “Is it okay if I go dance?”

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll find you if I need saving.” They both laughed. “Which will be pretty likely.”

  Aurora and Jack went dancing on the dance floor. Jack had to be over six feet, and Aurora was just over five feet. She was grateful she wore her dress boots that had a three-inch heel that night. They tried to dance, but it was extremely awkward because it seemed like Jack had two left feet.

  Aurora felt someone who wasn’t Jack grab her hand and pull her. She couldn’t see who it was at first. Then she realized who it was.

  It’s Melih? Oh my God. It’s Melih dancing with me!

  She was shocked because she thought it was out of Melih’s character to do something like that, but she liked it. She felt like a schoolgirl as the feeling of electricity ran through her veins. Her heart started to beat fast and her breaths became shorter and shorter. Melih’s hands were warm and soft. His grip was strong but gentle. He interlocked his fingers with hers. His cologne and sweat smell was intoxicating to her. She looked up at him and smiled as she stared at his lips. Is this really Melih? But he is too hot for me! He is Gannon’s friend.

  “Hey!” Jack said as he pulled on Melih’s arm. “I was dancing with her!”

  “It’s okay,” Aurora said as she touched Jack’s forearm. “He’s my friend. Give me a minute.”

  “Sure,” Jack said as he rolled his eyes. He stood there for a second and slowly walked away. Melih grabbed Aurora’s hand tighter. He then started to spin Aurora.

  “Well, hello Melih.” She looked up into his eyes and smiled as she saw the lights reflected off of his eyes. She had never seen him like that before.

  Melih still hadn’t said a word. He just kept dancing with her. Melih was a great dancer and light on his feet. When he was a teenager, he had sneaked out of his home at night to attend ballroom dancing classes. That and he always wanted to be a whirling dervish as a child.

  “What did you want to tell me the other day?” Aurora said.

  Melih twirled her around his hand and pulled her close. “It vasn’t about Gannon,” he said.

  Finally, he said something!

  Melih said, “Rora, I am shy to say.”

  Aurora replied, “Don’t be shy. What’s up?”

  “Rora…. I can’t,” Melih said. “You are Gannon’s girl.”

  “What? I am not with him anymore. I am divorcing him.”

  “Really? He is telling everyone you are getting back together.”

  “Absolutely not!” Aurora yelled over the music in the background. “I have been ignoring all of his calls, texts, and messages for over a month now.” Blood rushed to her cheeks. Why does he care, anyway?

  Melih seemed confused. “Calm down. Rora.” I am calm. I am just anxious. “It’s okay, but it’s weird he is saying dat. I am relieved you are not staying together. I hate Gannon for vhat he did to you. I can’t hang out vith him anymore. He sickens me.”

  “You and me both,” Aurora said.

  Melih didn’t even know everything that Gannon had done to her. He only saw the bare minimum of who Gannon really was.

  Aurora gave Melih puppy dog eyes and said, “Is that what you wanted to tell me, Melih?”

  “No.”

  “Why did you tell me this?” she said louder over the music. “Then what is it?”

  “It is da same-ding I should have told you years ago,” Melih said. “You know you vere my first friend vhen I came here to college.”

  “Okay. And?” Aurora said.

  After Melih didn’t respond, Aurora said, “Well?”

  “Uh, vell…” Melih hesitated. I should have told you sooner. I feel guilty for not telling you because I could have saved you from marrying dat idiot.”

  “Tell me what, Melih?”

  “What did Gannon do?” Aurora asked. “Or is it about Shazzy?”

  “No.”

  “Did you want to tell me something else?” Aurora said.

  Tessa grabbed Aurora, interrupting her and Melih, “Hey, that guy Eric was so lame.”

  Tessa checked out Melih from head to toe. “Who’s this?”

  “This is my friend,” Aurora said. “My friend, Melih.”

  Tessa had never met any of Aurora and Gannon’s friends because they would never invite her over. It was not Aurora’s choice. Gannon hated Tessa, but he hated most people who loved Aurora and could see through his facade of a personality, which got in the way of his controlling Aurora.

  Tessa said, “Aurora, let’s go somewhere else.”

  Aurora said to Melih, “I’d asked you to join us, but it’s just us ladies hanging out tonight.”

  Melih said, “I understand. I am here vith friends anyway.”

  “Well, message me sometime. You got my number.” She rolled her eyes at herself. How cheesy of a thing to say, Aurora. Wait, was that cheesy?

  “Okay, I will,” Melih said as he walked away and waved. “Have a good night.”

  Aurora and Tessa left the club. Aurora didn’t even say bye to Jack because she was in a state of euphoria. Her confidence level was high after going out that night. She was shocked she was getting positive attention from guys, especially from Melih. That came out of left field. Not only did Melih save her from Jack’s two left feet, but he also saved her from worrying about what Gannon had done. Wherever else Aurora and Tessa went that night, it would not distract her from thinking about Melih.

  Chapter 8

  Aurora had a lot to do at work for the coming month. She had a big gala coming up for her magazine, which they had every year since the magazine had started three years prior. They would choose a charity organization that they would team up with to raise money.

  One morning, Tiffany knocked on Aurora’s office door as Aurora was digging in
her desk drawer looking for some lead to put in her mechanical pencil.

  “Ms. Tousey?” Tiffany said, but it was muffled because the door was closed.

  “Yes,” Aurora said as she was still scavenging.

  “May I come in?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ms. Tousey, I had a question.”

  “Ha! Found it!” Aurora said as she pulled the lead from a tiny plastic box in the drawer.

  “Excuse me?” Tiffany said.

  “Sorry, I was looking for some pencil lead and I finally found it,” Aurora said as she said up straight. “What is your question?”

  “Well,” Tiffany said. “I was writing up the talking points you gave me for the meeting.”

  “Okay?”

  “Well, could you tell me a little bit more about why you want DAIS?”

  “Why? What is everyone saying?”

  “Well, uh,” Tiffany said. “I am just curious.”

  The choices were between the non-profit organizations Domestic Abuse Intervention Services, known as DAIS. The second was the Center for Resilient Cities, which focused on providing clean water and food to everyone in need in Madison.

  DAIS was important to Aurora because she was abused herself and met with a support group from DAIS, which was one of the many services they offered. Still, no one at work knew that Gannon had abused her. The people who were on the committee to choose the non-profit organization narrowed it down to two organizations. So naturally, Aurora wanted DAIS.

  “I have insisted several times that I just really believe in their organization.” I will never mention that they are helping me to get over my abusive relationship and childhood.

  “I know, but…”

  “If you must know, it is because I have a friend from college who was in an abusive relationship and they helped her a lot. I saw firsthand the work that they are doing,” Aurora said. “A-a-and I volunteer, as well.”

  “All right,” Tiffany said. “That is what I will tell them?”

  “Tell who?” Aurora asked.

  “I mean if Mr. Fratzenberg asks, or anyone at the meeting asks.”

  “Okay.”

  “Well, that’s all I wanted to know,” Tiffany said as she left.

  Later on that day, Aurora went out to talk with Tiffany at her desk when she overheard her staff whispering about something. She overheard some staff talking about how everyone thought it was weird for how passionate Aurora was about the organization.

  “I am thirsty,” Aurora said. “I’m going to get some water.” Aurora’s face got red after hearing the other colleagues talking.

  Aurora walked over by the water cooler in her office building to fill up her water bottle.

  “Oh….” Aurora cleared her throat to let them know that she was there. “Don’t let me interrupt whatever you were talking about.” The people talking flinched in awe.

  “We are sorry, Ms. Tousey. We didn’t see you there,” one of them said with a hesitation in their voice.

  “We didn’t mean to upset you,” they continued.

  “Oh. I am not upset,” she said as her voice cracked and her cheeks flushed with red. “Why would I be upset?”

  “Oh, nothing…” All of their faces became red and they all dispersed back to their cubicles.

  She smiled at them and quickly stomped back to her office. If only they knew what was going on with me, then they wouldn’t need to gossip. No, wait. They would probably gossip more. Especially since I lost all this weight, too. I can’t win.

  Since Aurora was in a place of power, she wanted to have others believe in DAIS, too. The only powerful person she was up against was her boss. His thick, wispy gray hair and strong jawline reminded her of George Clooney. He had the confidence that made you doubt your own self. The French cufflinks he always wore on the cuffs of his shirt under his suit sleeves were silver and engraved with the letter F, in old-fashioned calligraphy, which stood for Fratzenburg. You could tell the links had been passed down into his family for generations. She would always refer to him as Mr. Fratzenburg because he wanted it that way. It was as if he didn’t have a first name.

  The magazine was one of the many businesses that he owned. He didn’t know the first thing about articles or writing, but he was an entrepreneur and businessman. So he knew money. The magazine was a gold mine for advertising, but usually, he was “too busy” to meet with Aurora whenever she wanted to meet with him. He treated his employees like peasants. So, Aurora knew it would be hard to persuade him.

  She met with him in the conference room later that afternoon. The table was long with a glass top and Mr. Fratzenberg sat at the end of the table looking out the window with his legs crossed.

  “So, Aurora, tell me why you think we should choose this?” Mr. Fratzenberg said.

  “Well,” Aurora said. “It is a place I have been volunteering at.”

  “And?” He said as he looked at her.

  “Well, I know someone who was personally abused,” Aurora said. “My best friend, actually.”

  “What?” Mr. Fratzenberg said.

  “And when my best friend was going through this, she had no one to turn to. She was scared, and lost, and felt so alone. She couldn’t even tell me.”

  Mr. Fratzenberg started to look intrigued as he said, “Continue.”

  “Well, if she had known about DAIS,” Aurora said, “maybe she would have reached out to them to get help sooner.” If only he knew I was talking about myself...

  “But she got help eventually?”

  “Well, yes,” Aurora said. “She did eventually, and left the loser.”

  “But why DAIS?”

  “Why not?” Aurora said.

  “Okay. Today I am in a good mood,” he said as he put his fingers through his gray hair. “Whatever you like then, Ms. Tousey.”

  “Also,” Aurora said, “I have seen some of these women at DAIS and I have heard their stories. This shelter would be an amazing thing.”

  “Okay. Okay. I get it,” Mr. Fratzenberg said. “Let us go with that one then.”

  “Thank you.”

  “So,” Mr. Fratzenberg said. “What will they do with the money we raise?”

  “Well,” Aurora said, “they have mentioned to me that they are looking for money for a new abused and battered women’s shelter they were hoping to open.”

  “Okay then. Anything else you would like to talk about?” Mr. Fratzenberg said as he looked down at his Rolex to check the time.

  “No.”

  “D-A-Y-S it is.”

  “It is D-A-I-S.”

  “It’s okay,” Mr. Fratzenberg said. “You know what I meant.”

  “Since you are here, I have one more thing to talk about,” Aurora said. “I thought I would mention a pay raise.”

  “Well,” he said, “let us not get ahead of ourselves.”

  “Right.” Things would be different if I were a man asking for a raise. I will just keep writing and editing about fake happy lifestyles while you make all of the money for it. I just want to write about something real.

  Chapter 9

  Talking about the abuse at DAIS and telling them about my story indirectly made me realize how bad I want to move on with my life and get on with the divorce. Aurora, this is consuming your life. She wanted to file the divorce jointly, but Gannon refused to sign the papers. She had to file for divorce on her own. She probably didn’t need a lawyer for that, but she didn’t have time to deal with all that drama in between work. She had his divorce papers served to him when he was at a work meeting. That will get his attention.

  Before meeting with Gannon and his lawyer, Aurora met the lawyer at his office a few minutes earlier. Her lawyer, Erik Wulfblitzen, had a monotone voice. It seemed as if all of the emotions he had were drained from him. He was tall, and had gray wispy hair that resembled strands of silver thread.

  “Why do divorces in this state have to be so messy?” Aurora asked.

  “So lawyers have a job.” Aurora gave him
a stern look. Erik said as he hid his smirk, “Just kidding.”

  “It’s fine,” Aurora said. “I just feel this is dragging on forever.” Once you filed the divorce papers, you had to wait one hundred and twenty days until your court date.

  “So, when I am divorced, I have to wait six months before I can marry anyone again?”

  “That is correct.” She didn’t expect to get married any time soon after divorcing Gannon. She just didn’t want that looming over her head. She wanted to have him out of her life completely.

  “That law is a bit outdated. Don’t you think?”

  “Maybe,” Erik said, “but that is the law.”

  “So,” Aurora said, “is there anything I should know beforehand?”

  “No, this is pretty straight forward.”

  “He barely made anything in our marriage. I made and paid for everything. I know he has money, but he will not get it until his parents pass,” Aurora said.

  Erik opened his binder and looked through his notes and flipped through papers. Then he looked back at Aurora.

  “Are you sure you don’t want anything?” he said.

  “I am sure,” Aurora said. “He treated me like crap. I don’t want anything from him. I feel it will all be tainted.”

  “Okay,” Erik said. “You realize there is no going back, right?”

  “I know. I’m sorry to spring this on you,” Aurora said. “I didn’t know that I wanted this until I just walked into your office.

  Erik’s assistant knocked and came in. “Your three o’clock is here.”

  “Okay,” Erik said. “Send them in.”

  Aurora saw Gannon walk in, and she felt as if a black hole sucked all of her soul from her body. She gulped down a breath of air.

  “So,” Gannon’s lawyer said. His name was Maxwell Redding, and Aurora thought he was similar to her lawyer, but he was younger and had blonde hair gelled and combed to one side. “Are we here today to discuss financial matters?”

  “No,” Aurora said.

  Aurora’s lawyer glared at her and whispered, “Aurora, let me do the talking.”

  “So why are we here?” his lawyer said. We are here so I can prove to Gannon I am serious about divorce.