Page 30 of Daddy's Bliss

“That you’re wrong for her. Just like the last one, Celeste. Neither of you understood her. Not like I do.”

It makes sense now. Inez doesn’t just hate me because she’s worried about Bliss. She hates me because she’s in love with her.

“I know Tandy. I know what she needs, but women like you and Celeste keep getting in the way. At least Celeste was a lesbian. But you…” Her face contorts in disgust. “You’re not even queer!”

“I am,” I say quietly, not wanting to antagonize her.

“Bullshit!” She yells the word, pointing the gun directly at me. I don’t move.

“I was in love with a girl named Selma in school,” I say. “My dad beat the hell out of me when he caught me with her. He hurt her, too…”

“Shut up. Just shut up. I don’t give a shit about your or whatever bullshit backstory you cooked up to fit in here.” Inez angrily wipes away a tear. “We used to go to Club Cross. Shut the shop down several nights a week, head down there… I’d watch her play, admiring her, waiting for her to make me hers, to recognize my devotion. When she started doing scenes with me, I thought, ‘This is it. We’ll be together now.’ But then, she just…stopped.” She suppresses a sob. “She said we weren’t a match and that she didn’t want to scene with me anymore because she felt like it would lead me on. She said she only saw me as a friend.” Inez shakes her head. “Can you fucking believe that? I held out hope that things would change, that she’d see how great we could be together. I told myself until it happened it was enough to have a friendship with her, to work with her. But with each passing year it’s gotten harder. When she met Celeste, I wanted to hurt that selfish little cunt. You just don’t know…”

I knew it wouldn’t last because Celeste was so possessive. When she broke up with Celeste, I thought there was hope, but she stopped going to Club Cross and threw herself into work. I waited. Give her space. That’s how much I fucking loved her! Now she’s with you and you aren’t like Celeste. She’s liking you. I’ve got to fix that.”

In spite of my fear, I find myself feeling sorry for Inez. I have so many questions for her. If she felt this way, why didn’t she tell Tandy? What gave her the impression that she and Tandy might have a future? I don’t ask her these things. I don’t express pity. Something tells me that doing either will only antagonize her. I don’t want to do that.

“What do you want me to do?”

Inez doesn’t say anything, and it dawns on me that she had no plan when she arrived here other than getting rid of me. She’s not thinking. I need to think for both of us. I can’t call for help because she has my phone.

“You’re coming with me,” she says.

My mind is racing. I remember reading something about how a person’s chances of surviving an abduction plummet if they allow their kidnapper to take them to a second location.

“No,” I say. If she’s going to shoot me, I’d rather it be here where at least someone in the building might hear and send help. But I don’t think Inez wants to shoot me. I just think she wants me out of the picture.

“You don’t have to do this,” I say. “If you want me out of the picture, I’ll leave.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“No,” I say, putting aside the guilt I feel for lying. Despite my pity for this disturbed would-be-rival, I’m pissed that she’s come into my house carrying a firearm. Hell, I’m pissed that someone as disturbed as Inez can even get a firearm, but that’s not something I can think about right now.

“You think you know Tandy?” I say. “If you did, you’d know that I begged to move in with her and she said no.” This is a lie, but Inez doesn’t know that. “I’m a novelty to her,” I continue. “That’s the only reason she’s interested in me. Yeah, we went to The Black Orchid, but I totally embarrassed her while we were there.”

“So why did she stay with you last night instead of coming home?”

“Because I asked her to. I knew she was disappointed. I thought I could make it up to her, you know? Sex…breakfast in bed…”

A cloud of jealousy shades Inez’s face but disappears as I continue. “She didn’t want either.” I begin to cry, amazing myself with my acting abilities. “Look, Inez. You can have her. She’s going to break up with me anyway.”

“I’m tired of waiting,” Inez says.

I want to ask her why she hasn’t talked to Tandy about this, but that’s not a suggestion I want to make while she’s standing here with a gun. As frightened as I am, the last thing I want her to do is head over to the shop and hurt my girlfriend.

“You don’t have to wait, Inez. Give me my phone. I’ll break up with her.”

Inez looks at me. “Seriously?”

I nod vigorously. “I don’t want trouble. I’ve had enough in my life. Tandy helped me get back on my feet, but I can see the writing on the walls. She’s going to get tired of me real quick.”

Inez reaches into her pocket. I hold my breath. She looks at my phone.

“Three missed calls,” she says. “All from Tandy.”

Fuck.I kept my phone on silent last night while Tandy was here and forgot to turn it back on. If there are message notifications from her on my lock screen, it means she may know that I’m not at work.

Inez turns the sound on. It dings with the notice of a voicemail, but it won’t play unless the phone is unlocked. She hands it to me.

---