Heathens Need Love Too - Chapter Four

Marcus spotted Heather immediately upon arriving at the restaurant in the building where she worked. She was reading the Chicago Sun Times and sipping a cup of coffee. She looked sophisticated in her gray business suit and white blouse. Her long hair hung loosely over her right shoulder. Even in her business attire, she still looked like a cover girl.

"Hey pretty lady," he said to her as he sat across from her at the table for two.

"Oh - hey!" Heather replied, looking up from the newspaper and then down at her watch. "I thought you weren't coming for a second there. I've been waiting here for over 20 minutes."

"Traffic is a mess out there. I'm sorry for running late," Marcus apologized.

"That's okay," Heather replied, "I decided to take an extended lunch anyway. I've had a busy morning and will most likely be working until pretty late this evening."

"I guess you're just a busy woman," Marcus noted.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Heather laughed.

"This is a really nice spot," he said as he looked around. The restaurant was not enclosed. Instead, it sat atop a revolving platform on the mezzanine level, surrounded by exotic trees, plants and a waterfall.

A young male waiter came and took their orders. Heather ordered the blackened tilapia with steamed broccoli and Marcus ordered a bacon cheeseburger with French fries. After the waiter left to go submit their orders, Marcus reached over the table and took both of Heather's hands in his.

"First of all, I just wanted to say that I've thought a lot about our conversation over dinner last night, and I respect the fact that you are celibate," he told her.

"Marcus, you didn't act like it at all," Heather said, frowning. "Maybe I should've waited to tell you but I just wanted to put everything out on the table before we went any further."

Marcus hesitated before speaking. "That's what's up. I respect your honesty too. As a matter of fact, I want to be honest with you about some things as well. There's a lot about me that you don't know."

"Well of course!" Heather stated "We just met."

"True that. But there are some things I could have told you that I--"

"I'm sorry Marcus - can you hold that thought for a minute?" Heather interrupted, gently pulling her hands away as she reached to catch her cell phone which was vibrating across the table. "Right before you came I called my sister and asked her to meet me here. I need to give her some money to deposit into my checking account for me."

"Hello? You're parking? Okay. Well I'm at the usual place. See you in a few."

"Oh," Marcus said as Heather hung up the phone. "I didn't know you had a sister."

"Yeah, I do. And we are complete opposites. You'll see when you meet her. She's a little 'extra'. I'm the oldest by a year and a half, but sometimes I feel like her mother. She's out of control these days. A new guy every week. I keep telling her to chill but she never listens."

"Well I would love to meet your sister, but I was hoping that you and I could talk about a few things privately," Marcus said, disappointed.

"She'll only be here for a few minutes," Heather responded. "She doesn't get off work until 5, so she's just coming in for a hot second and then heading right back out. She's at the end of her lunch break anyway."

"Okay," Marcus replied, relieved. He took her hands in his once again. "But before she comes, Heather, I want to at least tell you that I think you are a very special lady and I would like to explore the possibility of having a relationship with you."

Heather blushed as a huge smile spread across her face.

"I would like that too," she said nervously. "But Marcus, I'm just not sure you're going to be able to handle the fact that I'm celibate. That means we wouldn't be sexually intimate. I'm not going back on the vow that I made to myself and God."

Marcus was quiet for a moment as her words sunk in.

"Look Heather," he started "I hear you and I think we can work this out. I'm not going to pressure you."

Marcus wondered if he said the wrong thing as he looked at Heather's facial expression. In an instant, the color had drained from her face and she looked like she had seen a ghost as she stared past him.

"What wrong with you?" she asked to someone other than him, which indicated to Marcus that he was not the cause of her sudden mood change.

Just as Marcus turned his head to look behind him at whoever had gotten Heather's attention, he felt a large object strike him against the right side of his face.

Whack!

The combination of shock and the force of the blow knocked both Marcus and his chair over.

Heather screamed. Other patrons in the restaurant gasped as they observed the Jerry Springer-like commotion.

"You asshole!" A familiar voice yelled at him. "How dare you sit up here holding hands with my sister when I was just at your house last night!"

Upon regaining his focus, Marcus looked up and saw Mary standing over him with the giant black patent leather purse that she had just used to hit him upside the head. She appeared ready to strike again.

"I'm calling security!" was all that Marcus heard someone say before Mary kicked him in his side with her pointed-toe patent leather shoe.

"Stop it Mary!" Heather demanded, jumping out of her seat and running over to restrain her sister. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Mr. Mack Daddy - Marcus!" Mary spat angrily at her sister. "I was just with him last night!"

Confused, Heather looked down on the floor at Marcus, who was trying to gather the strength to get back on his feet.

"That's insane!" Heather replied. "I was with Marcus last night. We had dinner together. You obviously know him but he couldn't have been with you last night because he was with me."

Before the conversation could continue, a short, stocky man wearing eyeglasses and a security uniform came over to them.

"Is there a problem?" the security guard said, looking at both women and then down at Marcus.

"Let me help you up," he said to Marcus as he extended his hand. Ignoring the gesture, Marcus slowly stood up, holding his right jaw with his hand as the shock of what had just taken place began to wear off.

"He's a two-timing asshole, that's the problem!" Mary replied as she pointed toward the enemy.

"Sir, did either of these women assault you?" the guard asked Marcus, his tone very serious.

As both Mary and Heather stood there looking at him with tears in their eyes, Marcus thought carefully before answering.

"Naw, man. I just lost my balance and I fell" he replied.

"That woman with the black bag clocked him!" a guy shouted from a nearby table. "She's a psycho! Boy better watch his back!"

There was nervous laughter throughout the restaurant among the few people who chose to stay. Others were trying to pay their checks quickly so they could leave.

The manager on duty came rushing over to where the four of them were standing, nervously running his hand through his hair as he breathed heavily.

"I don't know what is going on Joe," the manager said to the security guard "but I need you to escort all three of these individuals out of my restaurant immediately."

"No problem Tim," the guard replied. He turned to Mary, Marcus and Heather. "I'm new here and still learning names and faces. Do all of you work in this building?"

"I do," Heather replied nervously.

"And what is your name?" he asked her.

"Heather. Heather Horace," she responded, her voice shaky. "I'm a loan officer for Easy as 1-2-3 Mortgage on the 22^nd floor. And this is my sister Mary, but she doesn't work here. She just came to get something from me."

"Well Ms. Horace," the guard proceeded "I'll let you get whatever it is you need from your sister but then I need you both to leave the restaurant."

"Sir," the guard said as he turned to Marcus "I'm going to have to ask you to leave as well. Do you have any business to take care of here in the building today? If not, I'll walk you out."

"No," Marcus said as he looked from sister-to-sister, his eyes pleading for forgiveness. "I guess I'm all done here."

"Stay away from me and my sister!" Mary yelled to Marcus as he began to walk away with the security guard.

"Ma'am, that's enough," the guard turned and warned her. "I'm being real nice here but you're pushing your luck. I suggest you not say anything else."

Mary fumed but refrained from speaking.

Marcus wanted to turn around and look at Heather but he couldn't bear to see the pain in her eyes.

Of all the things that could happen, he thought, this would of course be it.

When he made it back to the guest house, Marcus decided to get out of dodge. Judging from Mary's fury earlier, he concluded that it would be in his best interest to pack up and leave. Aaron would kill him if he found out there had been any drama on the premises while he was in Miami. Especially female-related drama.

Within an hour, he had gathered all of his belongings. He decided he would at least keep the Honda until Aaron got back to town.

After he had settled back into his apartment, he dialed Heather's office number but got her voice mail.

He dialed her cell phone number - same thing.

He let out a sigh of frustration as he threw his phone onto the futon.

"Damn, damn, damn!" he hollered out loud, raising his arms up toward the ceiling. "Sisters. Ain't that a bitch? What am I gonna do now?"