Hank

Doing the same thing for over a year was as stable as things could get for Hank. He was still working as a driver; the pay was extremely good and he got extra every time he had to stand in for Jamal.

At some point, Jamal had told Thea that the threat had stopped since the police found the culprit. Hank wasn't particularly concerned about the lies, he had a more flexible role presently as he was simply a driver. It was easy for Thea to have just fired him after learning she was safe but she didn't and here he was.

He was back at home after dropping her at her place. She had asked him to come in for dinner and he'd politely declined. Hank enjoyed spending his nights at home watching shows on his recently acquired TV. Most nights he was interrupted with a call from Jamal, his step brother always needed a favor. You'd think it'd be the other way around but it wasn't.

If Jamal wasn't begging him to get some ridiculous gifts for Thea because he missed one of their many date nights, he was urging/bribing him to take his place instead. Work was the be-all and end-all of his existence, and they couldn't hang because he was always busy.

Hank stretched his legs and ate smarties from the small bowl by his side. His mom was another family member he was trying not to have issues with. He had asked for her address so he could send her a smartphone and she had refused to give it up. He knew where she lived now anyway. The first thing he did with his salary was pay someone to find her, and she had an apartment on the other side of town with neighbors that cared about her.

His mom was a stubborn woman but she knew how to survive. He didn't worry about her as much as he used to. He sent her money twice a month since he knew she couldn't keep a job. He worked for both of them, it was no big deal. She had always been his responsibility and it was a cross he was humbly carrying.

Hank was saving most of his salary for his food truck, that was why it was easy to do the annoying things Jamal asked of him. He still needed his job.

Hank wore his clothes when he got bored of the TV show and he hit the bar closest to his home.

There wasn't much to do the following day as Thea wasn't going in to the office. She gave him a free day and he went back home to play tennis with his neighbor's kids.

Jamal called him in the evening and he groaned. He knew he was going to ask for another favor.

"Fuck you. This is my free day," he said when he picked the call.

"Will you calm down?" Jamal paused then continued, "Something urgent came up, and I won't be able to see Thea tonight."

"And?"

"She planned us a date night.."

"Then tell her you can't make it."

Hank was beginning to resent the couple. Jamal was using him as cover up and he was starting to get uncomfortable with the whole thing. Soon, Thea would catch up with the lies and he'd be in the middle looking like a fool.

"I don't want to let her down."

"How considerate."

The same asshole that slept in his bed once a month. Hank could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen Jamal at home.

"I'm sending you some money and the address to the restaurant. You know what to do."

Hank did few push ups before getting into the shower. He was going to break Jamal's face when he saw him next. Thea was waiting at the restaurant and Hank heard her sigh when he joined her at the table.

"Where's Jamal?"

Oh shit! She was pissed and he was in the crossfire. "He got tied up, something came up."

"I was hoping he would be free."

Hank could tell. She was wearing a sheer dress and even her hair was styled differently.

"I need to go."

Thea ran out of the restaurant and Hank took the purse she left on the table then ran after her. When he got outside, he saw her by the corner dry heaving. He rubbed her back and she flinched at his touch.

"Don't ever touch me you fucking, pathetic loser."

Thanks to Jamal, he was getting cursed out over a situation that wasn't his problem. "Sorry."

"Who are you? Why does he keep sending you to do his dirty job? You should be ashamed of yourself. You're so fucking pathetic."

Hank was stunned, she just called him 'pathetic' again. How was their marital issues his problems? The man didn't like her for god's sake. If she was so smart, she'd have deduced that already. Their marriage was apparently arranged and since she had stuffed her head with so many romance novels, she somehow thought something would change.

She began walking to her car and he followed closely behind her. "Go away, please."

"How am I the enemy?"

"For putting yourself in the middle. Why are you here?"

Hank asked himself the same question. He took the car key from Thea and drove her to an arcade bar, she complained all through the ride while he simply ignored her. He got them tickets and they went in. He looked around first before getting them drinks, more for himself than her.

Thea was looking at him with mistrust in her eyes and he was close to sending her home.

"If you want to go back to an empty house be my guest," he finally said.

"After bringing me here."

Hank sipped on his drink and eyed the pool table calling his attention. Thea stood close to him like a pest while he played. He realized later that he should have taken her somewhere else, she wasn't enjoying herself here and wasn't trying to hide it.

He saw her dialing Jamal's number on several occasions. Was she trying to get him fired? Her fucking husband planned this. If she wanted to hear it from his mouth and be miserable, that was her problem.

When he took her home later, he held in laughter as she said her piece. "Don't ever do that again. I'm your boss, and I don't know if you know what that means." She looked at him to see if it was sinking in. "I'm running the show here."

If he wasn't enjoying seeing her 5'2 self try to be authoritative, he would have been pissed at Jamal again for putting him in this position.

"I'm sorry for trying to make you feel less miserable."

"I'm not miserable."

Everyone could see she was miserable. He couldn't even recall the last time she joked with him. They had been close to being friends when he initially began working for her. She wasn't the same woman that teased him about not going on a date with her cousin. This Thea was so snappy and angry.

"Whatever you say."

"We're not friends. Get a life and stay out of mine."

Okay, that part hurt him a little. He walked away and she called him back for her car key. He would show up the following day but he was also counting his days on the job. He needed another job ASAP.