Page 4 of Protective

“My dad ran off when we were young, and my mom wasn’t the same for years afterwards, so it mostly left me looking after my sisters. I’m really close to them… for better or worse,” I laugh. “They’re a pain in the ass, but I love ‘em.”

“That’s nice they have you. I never had siblings. What about your mom?”

“She’s…. she’s in a world of her own. She remarried a few months ago, but she sort of went off the rails after mydad left. Don’t think she ever really found her way back. My grandparents, though, they had this great love story.”

“How long were they married?”

“Almost seventy years. Crazy shit, right?”

“That’s incredible. So, they never fought?”

“Nah. I mean… they’d bicker, but they never yelled at each other. She told everyone for years after he died how sweet he was, how much she missed him, how he never raised his voice with her. I think it was a big deal because she came from a really rough family.”

Heather sighs sweetly. “Ugh, that’s adorable. I don’t think love like that exists anymore.”

“Bad go at things?”

She drags in a heavy breath. “Really bad go at things. My ex was so sweet to start. Like, I saw us getting married and doing the whole thing, but it slowly twisted into something controlling and dark. I couldn’t share my feelings, so I started to feel trapped, and eventually, he cheated on me. Funny thing is, he’s turned into a stalker now.”

“A stalker?”

“Yeah. He calls nonstop, begging me to put everything back together. More recently, he started following me around. It’s weird. I’m going to work on a restraining order Monday.”

I’ll never understand weak men who think they’re tough because they push a woman around or treat her like shit because they can. Men are naturally bigger, scarier, and more physically dominant. That should be used with care, especially with the people you love.This is probably part of the reason women are so hyper-independent these days.

“Sounds like you need the restraining order.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty bad. What about you? You had any luck in love outside of the few dates here?”

I laugh. “No. Not at all. I haven’t given much attention to it at all until recently. All my efforts have gone into work.”

“I read online that you were in the military?”

“Army. I was a colonel, but I served all kinds of positions in my career. They’re all important. The best part was the people. I got to meet all kinds of folks from all different countries.”

“I’m not a military girl. What does a colonel do?”

“Oh, they’re leads of various missions out in the field. My role changed depending on the deployment and the severity of the situation. On my way up the ranks, I did a little bit of everything. Paratrooping, negotiations, and EOD.”

“What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s short for explosive ordnance disposal.”

“Damn,” she exhales quickly, “that’s way more impressive than a school counselor.”

“No way. You’re helping kids all day. That’s super impressive.”

“Well, that’s not what most people say. Usually, when I tell people what I do, they laugh.”

“Damn.” I swipe my hand down over my beard. “That’s rough. I don’t get it. Your job is admirable.”

“Well, I think it has something to do with how terrible I am at figuring out my own life. My friends think I’m not equipped to help kids.” She clears her throat. “I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud. Now you have confirmation that I’m crazy.”

“The only crazy part of that sentence was when you told me the people who are laughing at you are your friends.” Silence ensues, and I wonder if I’ve gone too far. “Sorry. I’m sure your friends are great, but I just… I don’t know. I’m sure you had to work hard at school for your career and I… I’m not sure why I felt protective over you for a second. It’s… yeah.”

A loud beeping sounds in the room signifying that we have five minutes left before the speaker turns off. Damn, that went fast.

“It’s over?” Heather’s tone is soft and sad, as though maybe she was enjoying our conversation. “I sort of liked feeling protected, but don’t worry about the friend thing. We all play rough with each other. It’s mutual. I busted on my friend Trish all morning for being single, and she’s the one that set this up. I think sarcasm might be our love language.”

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