This time I see it coming. She slings a closed fist at my face but I duck, causing her to knock down a spice display. I keep talking because she needs to hear this. I'm probably not the right person to tell her, but she definitely needs to hear it.
"You need to take care of yourself Sarah. You may not know it, but people love you. I know bad things have happened to you, but for Christ sake... just let someone in. You are not alone in this. There may have only been one funeral, but four people died in that car. You're not alone." I repeat the last sentence for good measure.
As I walk away I fully expect to be pegged in the back of the head with canned vegetables. Surprisingly, it never happens. I leave the cart filled with groceries and walk directly to my car. As the adrenalin rush wears out, I begin to shake. I want to call to Brett, but I know this whole situation will only cause him more heartache. I remember words from months earlier.
If you see her again, you call me immediately. Not Brett. You call me.
I pick up the phone and dial Caleb instead. "Where are you?" I say as soon as he picks up the phone.
"Where are you, baby girl?" he responds flirtatiously.
"I just ran into Sarah at the grocery store."
"Fuck! Where are you, seriously?" he says, scarily concerned.
"Harps on St. Charles."
"Drive across the street and wait for me. Do not go home under any circumstances, got it?"
"Okay."
"Stay on the phone. I'm about five minutes away."
"Caleb, I'm okay. Really. I think she just-"
"What did she say, sweetheart?" His voice returns to the gentle softness I've become familiar with.
"Um...." Crap, he is going to be pissed when I tell him she slapped me. Maybe I can just leave that part out. When I look in the rear view mirror and see my swollen cheek and a small trickle of blood on the corner of my lip I know it's a lost cause. "She said a bunch of stuff but the gist of if all was for me to stay away from Brett."
"Are you okay?" He's asking about my emotional state. It's the obvious question after the last time I had the pleasure of talking to Sarah. However, tonight it has a much more superficial answer.
"Um..."
"Fuck!" he screams at my non-answer. "What did she do?"
"Calm down, I'm fine. She slapped me and it busted my lip."
I honestly think I can hear his head explode over the phone. "She did what?" he booms across the line.
"Stop, really. I'm okay. I'm just a little shaken up that’s all."
"Grab your purse, I'm almost there. Park your car. You're coming with me."
"Okay," I say, relieved at the idea of not being alone.
Caleb doesn't say anything else, nor does he hang up. When he parks next to me, he doesn't even give me a chance to get out of car. He snatches open my door and drags me out, using my chin to examine my face.
"Stop, I'm fine." I try to bat his hands away but he crushes me against his chest. These macho men really treat me like a rag doll sometimes. He doesn't say another word until we pull up in front of a small brick house in a family neighborhood.
"Come on, I need to call Brett.”
"No! You can't call him. He'll be so mad."
"Well it's about damn time he got mad, don't you think? He treats her like a china doll. Sarah went too far this time. He should be pissed. Maybe this will cause him to finally get off his ass and do something about her bullshit.”
"Caleb, please don't call him," I begin to beg. Things have been so great with Brett and me recently. The last thing I want is him diving back into the guilt-filled pit of Sarah.
"Sweetheart. I'm calling him. A man deserves to know when his woman has been assaulted. How exactly do you think you're going to explain that welt on your face to him?" Dang it! He's right. Crap, Brett's going to lose his ever-loving mind about this.
"I'll call him," I sigh.
"Nope, wrong again, baby girl. If you tell him about this over the phone there is no guarantee he will actually make it over here to pick you up. I don't want to leave you alone, but I have things to do."
"What are you going to do, Caleb?" I ask, scared by the look in his eye.
"Nothing you need to worry about."
"She a broken, disturbed, and insane woman." I feel the need to remind him.
"Jesus Jess, I'm not going to hurt her. What the fuck kind of asshole do you think I am? I'm just going to have a little conversation with her, and make sure it actually sinks into that crazy ass brain of hers," he says, putting his phone to his ear. "Sharp, get your ass over to my house. Jesse's here. Warning, you're going to be pissed." I hear Brett shout on the other end of the phone, but Caleb hits the end button.
"Well, that was a little dramatic, don't you think?"
"Probably, but it will get him here faster. Whatever bullshit he is making up in his head right now will probably be worse than what really happened. It should soften the blow for him."
"That's horrible and mean...but also brilliant!" I say, walking up to his front door. "Can we please go in now, I'm freezing."
I sit inside Caleb's surprisingly clean and well decorated house waiting for Brett. It only takes him about five minutes to get there, but I feel bad knowing he's worrying the whole way. He doesn't bother knocking when he gets there. He storms in searching for me.