As soon as the text to Phil went from "delivered" to "read," Phil's name lit up my phone. I answered, began apologizing, and told him it was okay if he couldn't come and get me, assuring him it was no big deal. That I would deal with it. I didn't want to bother him. I felt like I was rambling, and I knew I was, because I didn't let him get a word in. It felt weird for me to go straight to him for help. Even though it shouldn't feel that way, because I considered him family, if my dad were still around, I would have just called him. My dad would be like, "Don't worry, I got you, Princess." He always made sure I was taken care of. Even when he couldn't make it, he would call Phil, and Phil would help out. My Dad knew Phil would help when he wasn't able to. Maybe that's why this felt strange. Still, I don't know what was up with me. I never felt weird about going to Phil for help until now. Seeing Chad must have really messed with me.
"Don't worry about it, little hippie. I got you." His words were like a warm blanket, wrapping me in a sense of relief and reassurance.
"Thank you… Big hippie." It took me a second to get the last bit out. His 'I got you' resonated with me more deeply than I expected, adding another layer to this already emotional rollercoaster of a day.
Thankfully, we hung up before I broke down in tears. I stood in front of where my bag hung and put my phone away. I stood there letting a few tears fall from my eyes. I took some deep breaths and reminded myself it was okay to have a bad day. It has been a while since I had a bad day like this. I also reminded myself that it is all a part of the grieving process. I took an extra few minutes to settle my emotions after the last of the tears fell before turning away and going back to work. When I walked by Kelly, I made a point to thank her again for letting me take a minute to make a call,or two, in my case, for a ride home. She still eyed me as I went back to my tables. She probably watched me a little to ensure I wasn't lying about anyone not giving me trouble before returning to her work.
I still got the shiver of dread from time to time, but I had no real reason for it. Did seeing Chad again really make me so uneasy? I didn't think so, but it was the only thing I could think of that might have been the cause of my otherwise unreasonable feelings of dread. I cleaned up my tables for the night and started tipping out. I looked at the clock. It was 7:45, and I really hope Phil wasn't out waiting too long for me. I felt bad enough just asking for help, but making him wait forever made it worse. I began to wrap things up as quickly as I could. I was almost 21 years old. I needed to get a hold of myself. I quickly said my goodbyes to the other employees and, lastly, to Kelly.
"Hey! Perfect timing, your ride just pulled in," Kelly told me when I went by to grab my things.
"Oh, good! Thank you for letting me know. I was worried I kept them waiting a long time." I told Kelly, feeling relieved that no one was waiting a long time for me.
"Not a problem, just stay safe tonight. I'll see you in the morning?" Kelly responded with a smile.
"Of course, I'll come in 15 minutes early to help set things up again and bring the muffins up to the lounge," I told her, feeling a bit excited about the chance of going back to the VIP lounge. Maybe I'll see that guy again and be able to ask him his name. Let alone be able to say anything to him. I don't want to scare him away with my staring. I hope I didn't already scare him.
I made my way out front. The only vehicle that was running was a high-class car. Not my godfather's truck. Did Kelly get it wrong? This car was probably waiting for someone else, so I stood still, looking around for Phil's truck. I heard a car door shut while I was looking the other way. The person who was waiting for that car probably finally got in. I was about to turn around and head back in. Clearly, Phil wasn't here yet. Should I call him? Crap! I should have probably checked my phone before coming out here like an idiot.
I was mid-digging in my bag, looking for my phone in the darkness, when a strong hand grabbed my arm. I screamed so loud that the people in the restaurant looked my way.
"Really, Danni?" Joel sighed. I am here to bring you home." Kelly came out running with a baseball bat. Two of the big guys on the kitchen staff followed after her.
"Everything okay?" She asked, looking between us.
"Yeah, sorry, I am just on edge and didn't see Joel approaching," I said, feeling the heat of embarrassment creeping up my face.
"Okay, if you're sure." She tells me as she seemed to be looking us over. She has always been very good at telling if someone was lying. I asked her how she always seemed to know when someone was lying. She told me body language was a dead giveaway.
"Yeah, I am sure." I smiled reassuringly. With one more glance over us, she gave me a little nod and turned around to head back inside. The two large kitchen staff members followed right behind Kelly.
"Come on, Danni, let's go," Joel ordered, and I quickly followed. I made it over to the extremely fancy car I noticed was running. I could only dream of owning something this nice. I am lucky if my father's truck, which is almost 30 years old, runs. Thankfully, he taught me a few things about cars and trucks before he passed. He wanted to ensure I could be semi-self-sufficient when dealing with vehicles. I still haven't been able to get behind the wheel of the truck yet. The memories of my dad were too strong to ignore when I tried to go for a drive in his old truck.
Joel opened the passenger side of his car for me. I thanked him and climbed inside. Now inside the car, I was able to find my phone in the bag using the overhead light. I should have checked my phone before walking outside; otherwise, I would have seen Phil's text saying Joel was getting me because he got called into an emergency meeting. I felt like such an idiot.
"Sorry, I didn't get your dad's message about you getting me. I was looking for his truck in the dark." I told Joel once he was in the car.
"Don't worry about it," Joel stated.
"I hope I am not inconveniencing you," I tell him. If his dad was pulled into an emergency meeting, I am sure I would have pulled him away from some important task that needed to be taken care of.
"You are never an inconvenience, Danni. But is everything okay? You do not usually ask for a ride or startle like that." Joel was watching me with a look that pinned me to the spot. I hated how well he knew me. I figured I'd best tell him the truth.
"I honestly don't know... I kept getting this feeling like I was in danger, I think seeing Chad bothered me more than I thought," I admitted. I couldn't lie to him, especially when he looked at me like that.
"Wait... You two have a history? What kind?" Joel asked, protective anger entering his tone.
"We... uh... dated... briefly. It did not end well... I don't want to talk about it." I told him looking away. I felt so ashamed about what happened. If Joel or Sean found out, they would probably look at me differently. I couldn't bare losing them too.
"DID... HE.. HURT... YOU..." A feral growl filled his voice as he practically bit each word out. He seemed to be trying to contain his rage, but I still didn't look at him. My own embarrassment of how dumb I was back then was too much to let him see.
"Joel, please..." My voice cracked. I didn't want to beg, but I would if he would drop it. "I don't want to talk about it..." It was hard to think about. I didn't want to talk about how Chad used me and tossed me to the side like worthless trash. Joel would start asking questions. I did not want to go over every detail of what happened and how stupid I was.
"Danni... if he hurt you. I need to know..." His voice softened, his hand landing on my thigh, his thumb rubbing comforting circles.
"Joel... I know... but there is nothing you can do to fix what he did... I can't take it back..." I didn't want to talk about it. I was going to break down if he kept pushing. I didn't want him to see me like that.
"Danni.... What did he do?" Joel asked so softly it hurt. I began to sob. I hated crying in front of people. I tried to hide it, even though I am sure he knew I was crying.
"Please... please just take me to the Robin's house... Jess is babysitting over there. I told her I would help out." I practically begged him to drop it without another word about it. He seemed to understand and pulled out of the parking lot.