Absolutely Unforgivable(6)

I started to protest and say “Of course not!” but he started kissing my neck and before I knew it, the sheet had given way. Jeromy was passionate and full of life and he had a way about him that got me caught up in his delight.

We spent the rest of the day in bed and most of the next two days as well, only venturing out when we absolutely had to, like to get subsistence. Jeromy didn’t keep his hotel kitchen stocked with much of anything.

Our second date I was sure wasn’t going to happen. I figured after I slept with Jeromy on the first date he would have blown me off, but I was wrong. The next day I had to work, I went back to the locker room to store my purse and throw my hair up in a ponytail. My eyes widened as I entered the room. It was full of roses of all shades, varying from the softest pink to the deepest crimson. The smothering flowery scent overwhelmed me. In one of the bouquet of roses I found a note that read “Thinking of you.” Jeromy, it turned out was a bit of a romantic.

I had to work until the bar closed that night but after work he took me to eat breakfast. We stayed up the rest of the night talking, getting to know each other better. For our third date Jeromy took me back to his place where he had cooked a wonderfully delicious meal for me.

The more time I spent with Jeromy, the more I wanted to be with him. His kisses took my breath away and his smile made my heart skip a beat. He had this charming way of making you feel like you were the only person in the room. I don’t think he was even aware he was being so charming. He was just being himself and the charm came naturally.

On our fourth date we decided to go to the flea market. It may not sound like a grand affair but it indeed was, as it was the very place where Jeromy won my heart. We walked hand in hand from stall to stall, while I looked for a new case for my iPhone and Jeromy looked at nothing but me. It was truly endearing.

Another reason I wanted to go to the flea market on this lazy Sunday afternoon was to stop by and see the new setup for Bell’s. When I was young, Tulsa had an amusement park that filled my childhood with many wonderful memories. But a few years ago the owner and his family were on the losing end of a fight with a corrupt city official. It was Tulsa however, that was the real loser in that ordeal. Now the city was without its landmark and a safe place for kids to gather. Bell’s Amusement Park had been in Tulsa and run by a member of the Bell family for generations and now it was gone.

Bell’s Amusement Park was my first job when I turned 16. It was the place I met my first boyfriend, had my first real date, my first kiss and my first heartbreak. No matter how many years pass, it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Recently, members of the Bell family had set up a small kiddy park at the flea market and I wanted to stop by and check it out. As we were walking into the area of the flea market that had the new Bell’s kiddy rides set up a small boy fell and skinned his knee. Without hesitation Jeromy ran to the boy’s side. He helped him up, reassured the child and helped him find his mother.

Most mothers would probably be horrified if some strange man was standing next to their child, but not with Jeromy. People just naturally took to him and trusted him. I stood off to the side watching the mother thank Jeromy for helping her son. I was awestruck by his gentle and compassionate nature. From that moment on Jeromy and I were an item and spent every minute we could together.

Thanks to his encouragement, I switched from working the night shift to evenings at the bar which allowed me to get off work by 9 pm and spend more time with him. And now instead of working four days a week, I was working only three days.

The tips weren’t as good on the evening shift but Jeromy more than made up for that. He was generous to a fault. He was always sticking money in my tip jar, far more than he should have but truth is, I wouldn’t have been able to pay my bills if he hadn’t. The evening shift was mostly a bunch of regulars and while they were nice, they didn’t have a lot of money to tip all that well.

I truly hated that Jeromy spent so much money on me but he seemed to enjoy himself when he did. The more he gave to me, the happier he seemed to be. He was just that kind of guy. There was nobody really that he didn’t get along with. He fit in with almost any crowd from the conservative businessmen, to frat boys and even with bikers. That worked out well since we seemed to attract a lot of bikers on the evening shift.

I wasn’t exactly sure what Jeromy did for a living so I finally asked him about it. He went on to explain that he was a landman. I had no idea what that meant but it turned out it had something to do with getting other people to let you lease the oil and gas rights they have on their land or something confusing like that. All I knew for sure was that when he made a deal with someone for their land rights, they always ended up with a lot of money and he seemed to get true joy out of making some really poor farmer into a millionaire almost overnight.