Chapter 1
If you were just an observer walking into the Sizzling Steaks restaurant, you would immediately zero in on Tatiana Salinas. Even though she was only one of many women in the establishment, it would be her you would focus on because such striking beauty is usually only seen in movies or magazine pages. You would think, with maybe a smidgen of resentment, how she must never have to sit alone on weekend nights, how everyone must hang onto her every word, and how life must unfold with such ease for this divine looking creature.
You would be wrong.
It was Sunday evening and Tatiana was sitting by herself, waiting for her blind date. He finally arrived and asked the waiter to point her out to him before meeting her.
“Wow!” he exclaimed. He took in her past the shoulders straight jet black hair, voluptuous body, and striking face. The waiter smiled knowingly.
“She looks like a young Elizabeth Taylor,” he continued.
The waiter nodded. “With darker skin. Elizabeth Taylor with a tan.”
“Yep.”
He opened his wallet, handed the waiter money, and asked him not to tell her he was there.
“You're leaving?” the waiter asked with disbelief.
“Women that beautiful are trouble.”
“What?”
“Big trouble.”
The waiter shook his head as he saw the man thrust his chest up and swagger out the restaurant.
Sitting in a restaurant again the next day, Tatiana was grateful to have left her tense and poisonous office even for a little while to have lunch. Of course, having been stood up the night before still bothered her, but she tried not to dwell on it. Stuff happens! she kept telling herself. At least she wasn't alone today. She was with her coworkers at El Rancho Mexican eatery.
“Why would your blind date not show up?” asked Nydia.
Tatiana shrugged her shoulders. “You got me. Maybe he was grabbed by an alien from Mars.”
“Maybe he had an emergency,” Judith chimed in with her characteristic chirpy and kind nature as her natural yellow-blonde hair and light blue eyes sparkled.
“Then why would he not call to tell me?”
“Maybe he lost your number,” Judith insisted.
“Yeah, and pigs can fly,” retorted Nydia, her dark brown eyes in a disgusted sneer and her dark brown hair past her shoulders and showcasing her pretty but grimacing face.
“Have you talked to who set you up?” asked Judith.
“It was Beatrice in accounting, and she hasn't a clue. This guy was a friend of a friend. I'll tell you this, no more blind dates for me.”
“Don't let this experience sour you on blind dates,” offered Judith.
Tatiana frowned. She hadn't really wanted to go on the date in the first place, but Beatrice had convinced her. "Let's get off the subject,” she stated. "There's got to be something more pleasant to talk about."
“Yeah let's,” Nydia said. “Have we decided on what we're ordering?”
“Coming from South Carolina, I'm just so thrilled to be in El Paso eating authentic Mexican food,” Judith proclaimed. “Even though, as fat as I am, I should be ordering a salad.”
“Judith, you're not fat,” Tatiana stated.
“I am,” Judith insisted.
“What are you? A size seven?” asked Nydia.
“Unfortunately, yes. You should see my huge stomach and cottage cheese thighs,” Judith responded.
Nydia was a size fourteen, and Tatiana was a twelve. Nydia and Tatiana had already ascertained two character traits about their newest co-worker at Johnson Advertising Agency. She was a live version Pollyanna, and she had serious body issues.
“Have we decided what we're going to have?” Nydia asked again.
Judith stirred her beverage nervously. “Don't get angry, but I've invited Augusta to join us.”
The tea in Nydia's mouth came splashing out. “What?!!!” She was too upset to be embarrassed.
Petra, their favorite waitress, handed her more napkins. “Would you like to order now or are you still deciding?”
“We're waiting for someone,” announced Judith.
“I'll be back,” Petra said as she left.
“You didn't really invite her, did you?” growled Nydia.
Judith nodded. “I did.”
“Why?” Tatiana asked. "Your dental appointment last week wasn't painful enough?"
“Augusta isn’t a bad person. She just needs friendship,” asserted Judith.
Nydia grunted. “When I go to my butcher, he doesn't stop talking about the weather or the freshness of his beef. He needs friendship. When I go to my neighborhood store, the elderly lady behind the counter talks to me about her boils. She needs friendship. Augusta, however, needs a swift kick to her behind.”
“Nydia!” exclaimed Judith.
“Don't let Augusta fool you, Judith," Tatiana declared. "She's toxic and dangerous.”
“Stop saying things like that,” Judith said, looking at her watch. “I wonder what's taking her so long.”
“She's probably doing something for her husband like kissing his feet or wiping his butt after he goes to the bathroom.”
“Nydia!” exclaimed Judith.
“I call them as I see them,” snickered Nydia.
“Don't be so hard on her. All she needs is some TLC,” insisted Judith.
“She needs to get out of her total self-absorption. Her total selfishness,” Nydia asserted. “This is her speaking, ‘I,I,I, blah, blah, blah, me, me me, blah, blah, blah, Kenneth, Kenneth, Kenneth, blah, blah blah, Kenny, Kenny, Kenny’.”
“She isn't that bad,” Judith announced.
“She lives in a universe this big,” Tatiana assured, putting her thumb and index finger right next to each other. “She talks about herself in relation to everything.”
“Not to mention her total obsession with her king of the world husband, Kenneth, and her poor son, Kenny, living in the middle of two anti-social monster creatures,” stated Nydia.
“That is so cruel. I—” Judith stopped talking when she saw Augusta coming in the restaurant door and waved at her.
“Here comes the snake haired Medusa. Let the fun begin,” muttered Nydia.
“It's our duty as children of God to look out after one another. We'll have a good lunch,” said Judith. “You'll see.”
Tatiana glanced at Nydia who was shaking her head. Judith has no idea, absolutely no idea what she's getting into with someone like Augusta, Tatiana said to herself. People like Judith actually fascinated her—the ones who grew up in sunshiny homes with cookies baking in the oven and ballet lessons on Saturdays. Tatiana, on the other hand, knew all about barbaric mind games. She understood cruelty first hand and especially recognized it when it was walking in the door by the name of Augusta Bowman.
“You're here,” said Judith, getting to her feet and hugging her.
“Who picked this restaurant? You Tatiana?” Augusta asked, eyeing Tatiana from top to bottom.
“It's our favorite restaurant,” Nydia stated.
“Really?” sniffed Augusta.
“It was voted one of the best restaurants in El Paso,” Tatiana muttered between her teeth.
“Really?—the best restaurant?" questioned Augusta, her eyes scanning the restaurant with an unpleasant look.
"But if this isn't to your taste," stated Tatiana, "you should go somewhere else. Nydia and I won't be offended if you leave."
Augusta quickly shook her head. "Of course, I won't be rude and leave. In fact, I'll treat all of you to lunch," she declared.
“Thank you, Augusta,” expressed Judith. “That's so generous.”
Tatiana and Nydia rolled their eyes.
“You're welcome,” returned Augusta. “Judith, I like your blouse.”
“Thank you. It's an old thing,” Judith said modestly.
“It becomes you,” continued Augusta.
“I'm so glad
you were able to make it here,” expressed Judith.
“I almost didn't. Kenneth called me as I was about to head over here.” Augusta laughed. “My husband just can't do anything without me. He relies on me so much.”
“I know what you mean,” stated Nydia.
“What do you mean? I thought you weren't married. None of you are married, are you?” Augusta questioned, scoffing.
Judith and Tatiana shook their heads.
Nydia smiled slyly. “Nope, can't say that I am, but I do have a dog that needs me quite a bit.”
Tatiana had to bite her tongue not to laugh.
“You're not comparing a dog to a husband?!” snapped Augusta.
“Some dogs are much better than certain husbands,” Nydia declared.
Augusta’s eyes squinted in fury. “You only say that because you've never been married. You're forty, aren't you?”
“Forty-one and I don't intend on ever getting hitched,” Nydia stated.
“You shouldn't say that. Marriage is such a blessing when you find the person who really loves you. Take me and Kenneth. I took one look at him in high school and realized he was the man for me,” affirmed Augusta.
“Childhood sweethearts, isn't that sweet?” cooed Judith.
“Actually, Kenneth was my biology teacher,” Augusta explained uncomfortably.
“Yeah, biology,” snickered Nydia, “from an older man to a young girl—lots of biology in that.”
“He wasn't that old,” rushed Augusta. “He's barely in his fifties now, and I'm in my early thirties.”
“You had an affair with your biology teacher?” questioned Judith, perturbed.
“You don't understand. I didn't actually start sleeping with him until I was a senior. We were extremely compatible sexually. He said I was the best lover he ever had. He'd grab my hair,” Augusta explained, grabbing a handful of her bottled blond teased hair, “and pull until my scalp hurt. We'd go on all afternoon. We wore out his bed rails. Can you imagine?” she boasted proudly. “They were made out of steel.”
Judith looked like she wanted to hide under the table. Tatiana felt sorry for her but decided that Judith might as well get accustomed to her new friend discussing her sexual marathons with her sainted husband. It was one of Augusta's favorite topics.
“You wore out the bed? The one he shared with his wife?” Nydia retorted, disgusted.
Augusta cleared her throat. “That woman, a horrible woman, never knew how to treat him. The house was always filthy. I'd have to hold back from cleaning it. Believe me, that woman never knew how to hold on to her man.”
“Let me get this straight,” snapped Nydia. “You go to her house, have sex with her husband and expect a house in perfect order so you can be screwing in every room?”
“Nydia, please stop using that kind of foul language around me,” Augusta ranted.
“I forget that you're supposed to be a Christian,” Nydia announced. “You're so different from Beatrice Berry. I've always assumed Christians are supposed to be kind and generous like her.”
“There are different kinds of Christians," snapped Augusta.
“Would you like to order already?” asked Petra, sneaking up on them.
Augusta glanced at the menu with a twisted face. “I'll have a plain salad. No dressing. Kenneth doesn't like me fat.”
Tatiana glared at Augusta's size 0 body. She would have to gain a whole person and then some before she would come close to having some heft.
“We don't have salad on the menu,” Petra said.
Augusta sighed deeply. “You do serve it on the side, don't you?” she snapped.
“Yes.”
“Instead of giving it to me on the side, give me a whole plateful. Do you understand English?” Augusta retorted in a nasal tone.
“I've been speaking to you in English, so I must understand it,” Petra declared, irritated. As Nydia chuckled, Augusta glared at her. Nydia returned the glare with a smirk.
“I'll also have a salad, if it's not too much trouble,” Judith chimed in.
Petra nodded her head and then looked at Nydia and Tatiana as if expecting them to order.
Nydia's eyes met Tatiana's, and Tatiana read her mind.
“It's getting late,” Tatiana asserted as she glanced at her watch. “If Nydia and I don't go back to work on the Garcia account, we'll be in trouble. We'll just pick something up on the way back to the office.”
“But I was really looking forward to us having lunch together,” Judith rushed, disappointed.
Tatiana stood up. “Not this time.”
“I don't want to gossip or anything, but I thought I should tell you about something I heard," Augusta announced, a wicked sparkle in her eyes. "Bill was complaining about the sloppy work you guys were doing on the Garcia account. I told Suzanne that I was sure you were doing your best.”
Nydia's mouth was close to foaming. “What? Did he say—”
“C'mon, Nydia, let's go.” Tatiana pulled her arm.
“But—”
“We need to go.”
When they were safely outside, Tatiana turned to Nydia, shaking her head. “You fell for it. What have I told you?”
“But if Bill is saying—”
“Don't believe anything she says,” Tatiana declared with complete assertion. “She puts her spin on everything. Her mind and mouth are connected to evil. She's a big time hater. You know who she is. You know how that office runs.”