The Seventh Post

I honestly wonder if anyone will ever read this. I'm also not sure I care. The whole point was to have a method of communication to tell what happened and get this monkey off my back, so whether a reader exists or not is almost irrelevant.

Anyway, this morning, I'm in a Panera Bread Store on 145th in Broken Arrow. Again with the awesome wi-fi connection. I know people at the Wal-Mart that's right here, but I've never known them to come over here despite its proximity. People will travel miles and miles to work, but few of them will go somewhere close enough to walk to. Granted, I had to drive from the hotel a little over a mile away, but that's beside the point.

That hotel bill is going to deplete my funds rather quickly if I don't do something. I haven't worked since... Well, since October, and I've been eating through the savings I have ever since. I need a job, but one where I can control who does and doesn't see me. I also need one where they practically hire you on the spot so they don't dig too deeply into my background. Well, not that there's currently anything they would find (things take time to update), but living out of a hotel won't bode well for me. I could get something more legit when I get another apartment, but again, I have to be careful.

You see, Tara was into some things I never knew about until later. These things were so secret, she was able to easily keep me completely in the dark about them until... Well, until later.

The next time I saw her, she called me again, and asked to meet her at Woodland Hills Mall. Not an unusual choice, since the mall provides a good quarter mile of area to wander around in, but isn't it traditional for the guy to pick the girl up for a date? Then again, it's also traditional for the guy to call the girl, so this is all upside down. At least I'm still driving. That's another one of those things that became a staple I learned the reasoning behind much later as well. She always drove herself. Before we moved in together, we always traveled in separate vehicles.

Yeah, we lived together for about four months. Those were the quietest times we had together.

Anyway, when I got to Woodland Hills, I wandered into the food court area to see if she was around there anywhere. I realized we hadn't discussed where we would actually meet. Part of me at the time thought that might have been deliberate considering how much she seemed to keep to herself.

I wandered around that area for a little while before I decided to just sit and wait. No point in wandering aimlessly when she might or might not be there. After all, she had set up the meeting. Meeting... Like it's a business deal or something.

After a while, I went into Lollipops, which is a candy store right there at the food court entrance, and grabbed some chocoloate covered cookie dough (it's an obsession -- leave me alone) to nibble on while I waited. About the time I finished it, she showed up.

She was already inside the mall apparently since she came from the inside. She was also not surprised to find me waiting, nor did she apologize for either keeping me or not telling me where to meet. But when I expected to walk around in the mall, she asked if I wanted to head over to Olive Garden to eat. Being the agreeable chap I am, I said this was fine, and asked if she wanted to drive over or just walk. She looked confused for a moment, so I reminded her that we could walk through the mall and exit out Sears and be right there. She said I should drive, and we walked to my car.

On the way, I asked her where she parked, and she said on the other side of the mall. I offered to drop her off after we ate, hoping to catch a glimpse of her vehicle, but she didn't answer immediately.

Once we were seated at dinner, I asked what she was doing at the mall. She said she had to pick something up. An odd statement, considering she wasn't carrying any bags or items with her. I casually asked what she had to get. I guess I wasn't casual enough, because she gave me a slight smile, and asked if I trusted her. Now, to be honest, I didn't know this girl, nor were her actions thus far something to be considered trustworthy. However, I lied and said sure, I did.

She reached into her pocket and produced a small charm. I asked if I could see if it closer, but she said it was custom, and would rather hold on to it. I asked if she trusted me. She replied quite casually that if she didn't, I wouldn't be there with her. Now, I would just like to point out that that is exactly how she phrased it. That I wouldn't be there with her, not that she wouldn't be there with me.

So would she have been there anyway, whether I showed up or not? Was I a cover so she would look like she belonged there? Was I just filling the space across from the table?

Well, she never looked around or gave me the slightest indication that she were putting on a show for someone, because she was completely casual all evening. We talked about me, mostly. My life. My history. My past.

I told her I graduated in 97 from Broken Arrow High School. Spent some time in the Army. Got kicked out for reasons that are a whole other story, just not as serious. It was an honorable discharge. Went to college for computer programming. Worked at a firm where I could use my degree. I lead a very basic, simple life. She only nodded and asked very few questions. She did ask how I scored on the weapons in the Army. Proudly, I had to say I was expert on M16 and M60, but only Sharpshooter on grenades -- I just don't have a throwing arm, so what? I did tell her what I did in the military, but it's not important for this. Suffice to say, I had a very, very non-combat job. Never even got deployed.

I tried to find out about her, and learned she had graduated from Broken Arrow in 2001, so there was no chance of my ever seeing her there. She had gone to college, but she didn't say what for, and when I asked, she changed the subject to dessert. I miss the chocolate lasagna they used to have there. She said she works, but didn't say where or what she does. Not even a hint. I tried to ask about the time the food arrived. Oh well.

These are answers I have now, after the fact. I can't help but wonder if I knew then what I know now, would I have pursued her. Given that I'm in hiding, probably not. I would have spared myself the momentary pleasures for the cushy programming job I used to have.

The only event of significance during dinner was when she got up to go to the bathroom. Now, you may be saying, "Atari's paranoid," but I watched her go and then saw her speaking to a large gentleman in jeans and a polo shirt. She glanced up and saw me. Our eyes met. She pulled the guy out of my line of sight. She came back to the table a few minutes later. It's not as if we were dating at this point -- I'd only seen her a couple of times -- but I still felt entitled to ask who she was talking to. She said he was just a gentleman from her work she ran into on the way to the bathroom and left it at that.

After dinner, she guided me to a white Ford Escort parked in front of Macy's. She got out and waved good-bye but didn't get into the car right away. I did as I'd done with Rhema and drove a short distance away. She walked about four rows over and got into another vehicle I couldn't make out in the dark before she drove away. Actually, she didn't drive away. She got in the passenger side, so someone else drove away with her. Yeah, I definitely found that odd.

Unfortunately, my love of too many James Bond films had my mind racing and I had to see her again. Never knowing when to quit is a definite weakness of mine.

Well, I finished my bagel a long time ago, and the third cup of coffee is catching up to my bladder, so I'd best move on. I don't want to stay in one place for too long because you never know when they're watching and who might be on the way.

Oh, I did get her number after dinner.