Some Things Never Change

Around eight years old, Wayne had started stealing. At first it was other kid’s lunches when they were distracted with games. He would help himself to their food. He would also help himself to their toys and resell them to other kids for money to buy food to put on his table. Little Wayne always had that fear in the back of his head that he would get caught so he always put his stuff in Sizzla’s locker so that he never got caught. He didn’t like stealing and felt deep down that it was wrong so he moved on to card shaking. He was able to con a lot of his school mates out of money and would often get reported by the students that he fleeced.

He got hauled into the Principal’s office one day and it was a life changing opportunity for him. The principal reminded him of how smart he was and there were scholarships he could take advantage of if he only worked hard. He began to settle down and continued his studies but took a lot of ribbing from the guys. They teased him religiously and called him a nerd. Soon they began picking fights with him, he couldn’t let Sizzla fight all his battles for him. So he set aside his books and took to the streets with Sizzla. His mother didn’t seem to care if she noted his absences or late night appearances she never said a word.

When he started flossing jewelry and name brand clothing, she never asked how he came by them. Her only demand was that he put food on the table and gave her enough money to fund her addiction. The older he got the more he reminded her of his father. She would start quarrels for no reason. She was the only person that could abuse him and get away with it. When she was angry at the bad behavior reports she got from the school, she would pummel him with her fists. When he started to grow too tall for the strap, she flung whatever was at her disposal such as a hair brush or shoes.

The moment Wayne towered her, he never took any flak from her. After that he could give as good as he got and she washed her hand of him, tired of the disrespect and his nasty attitude. At the tender age of fifteen, he was the ladies’ man and he was bringing girls home like clockwork to have s*x regularly with them. He always used a condom to protect himself, no way he going to fund a baby on the little that he was earning. He didn’t want to catch any of those dreaded diseases either. He never grew attached to any of the young girls, they were always too clingy and wanted him to lavish them with gifts and take them on dates, that was money he didn’t have so he used them and sent them on their merry way. Now that he knew Lou he instinctively knew that no other woman could ever hold the same value and appeal that Lou did.

*****

Two weeks turned into two months that she hadn’t seen Wayne. Michael said that he needed a clean break and was doing fine. Not to worry, at the end of the month, he would be back to work like normal.

She had to stay strong even though the prospect of not seeing Wayne was hard to bear. She missed him sleeping in bed with her and the thought of going back to single life was hard to bear. Every time she thought about Wayne and his antics she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. She had experienced more good times with him than negative and she missed him terribly. She knew she was a pest in Michael’s ears constantly asking how Wayne was getting along with the program and when would he be well enough to return to work. Michael would always respond, have patience, all in due time, Wayne is coming along nicely, not to worry he would be alright.

She had invested a lot of effort into her relationship with Wayne and wasn’t about to give up on him despite her early misgivings. All her thoughts bubbled in her head, she continually paced the set, nearly bouncing over cameras because she wasn’t really looking where she was trotting most of the time. Wayne was a sore spot for her, she needed to refocus her energies on her acting and not Wayne if she wanted to maintain her job. She heard a noise come from directly behind her and she whirled around to the direction the noise came from to see Wayne standing by the door. She was in a state of shock, he was here and no one told her that he was coming. She had to pinch herself to convince herself that she wasn’t dreaming. Wayne was really there on the set. She couldn’t help but feel excited and smile more.

“To your places everyone, let’s get this ball rolling.” Shouted Michael.

“So you finally remember that I exist Lance?”

“I could never forget you Kiki but I needed to get some things sorted out before I could devote all my time to you.”

“How did you know where to find me?”

“GPS I bugged you. Just kidding. You always come here when you want to relax.”

Kiki blushed. “We have spent so much time together. I feel you know everything about me.”

Lance took her hand in his and placed a light kiss on her knuckles.

“No, not everything Kiki. I can never get enough of you. There is always something new I can learn.”

“I’m not going to be falling for your charm and deception anymore, leave that to the next fool you seduce.”

His grip tightened on her and his brow wrinkled in alarm. “Kiki you’re crying.”

“No I’m not.” She lied and looked away.

He raised her chin and slowly turned her face back to him lightly with his fingertips.

“Are you upset because I went away?”

She gritted her teeth and refused to answer, counting to ten to calm her rage. He was so self-assured and arrogant. Had he forgotten how he abandoned her apartment and left behind only a flimsy note? Calm down Lou, she repeated to herself, she needed to stay in character and not let Wayne’s unsettling nearness ruffle her feathers. She hatted the effect his nearness was having on her body, she jerked her hands out of his as a reflex to her inner turmoil. She could do this, she could act calm and collected around him and not let him see how much he affected her even though inwardly she wanted to lash out at him for abandoning her for months without any notice. So what if she was angry and had said heated words. He didn’t even give her a chance to calm down and talk things out. Why was he even here now? The show could go on without him for all she cared.