WHO WILL SHE CHOOSE? HER COP OR HER LAWYER?

EPISODE III

Turning down my street, I noticed a heavy police presence around my house. What did this crazy btch do now? I parked on the street since my driveway was occupied. I left everything in the car and got out. No one noticed me until Manda started shrieking.

"There he is. He stole my fcking car."

"Stop right there, sir."

"Is there a problem, officer?"

"The young lady called and said her car was stolen."

"I didn't steal my own car."

"Fck you. This is my car."

"Ma'am, step back."

"She called just to waste your time. This isn't her car. Run the license plate and the car will come back to me, Joesph Wilding Jr."

"Stay here." I looked to my left and Randy was speaking with an officer. I can't believe he let her do this.

"Sir, do you have identification?" I pulled my wallet out and handed him not just my license, but my business card. He looked at both and then looked at me. I wasn't about to let him try and bully me around.

"Give me my fcking keys." Manda tried to take my keys from me. They may have been hers a couple of hours ago, but not anymore.

"Ma'am, I said, step away."

"He has my keys."

"Sir, did you take her keys?"

"No. I took my keys."

"You fcking son of a btch. You're a fcking liar." The officer had to place her in a squad car just to keep her away from me.

"Sir?" The officer that took my ID called me. I walked over with a smug look on my face.

"Yes?"

"What's the story here?"

"We broke up. I told her to pack her sh*t and get out. I found out she was screwing my best friend."

"Why is the governor here?"

"He's my best friend." I let what I just said sink in before I continued. "I asked him to come and collect her for me."

"Here is your license and business card. Do you want us to remove her from the premises?"

"Before she leaves, I want to make sure she doesn't have any of my credit cards or anything that belongs to me. She should only have clothes."

"You should call a locksmith. Did you take her keys?"

"I took my house keys and my car keys. There is nothing on this keyring that belongs to her. If you would like, I can show you every key here fits a lock in my house."

"No. I believe you."

I watched as they went through the bags she had packed. Sure enough, she had gone into my safe and took my passport, five grand in cash, and some of the law firm's credit cards. Manda was placed under arrest for larceny and taken to jail. She could've left peacefully with Randy, but she decided to try and stick it to me. She fcked herself in the process. That worked out better for me. I looked around and saw that I was being spied on. I hated having nosy neighbors. They won't be hearing Manda's big mouth anymore. I'm sure they will be grateful for that.

"Dude." I forgot Randy was still here.

"It's done and over with. She won't be an issue now. I'm fine with it if you want to date her, but don't think I will join you on double dates."

"I told her I was here to get her. She told me to go fck myself. It's my fault she got caught and that you dumped her."

"It's both your fault. Randy fcking around in college was one thing. I'm looking for someone special. I loved Manda. I accepted her flaws, but I can't accept her cheating. Honestly, you did me a favor. Thanks. Now, go home before I rearrange your fcking face."

"Consider me gone."

They left Manda's clothes behind. Since it's Friday, she will be spending the weekend in jail. I'll drop them off at her mother's tomorrow. I spent the night taking pictures and cleaning up the mess she made. She's going to regret breaking my stuff and ransacking my house. Why do I always find the crazy btches? I went to text Tessa, then I remembered she was on a date.

Around midnight, I was satisfied my house was back to normal. I shut all the lights off except the one in the kitchen over the stove. I slipped out of my clothes and climbed into my bed, alone. Ever since my dad passed away, my love life has gone to sh*t. I should've listened when he warned me about Manda, but no, I thought I knew what I was doing with this one. I tried my best to fall asleep, but it wasn't happening. I put my clothes back on, collected Manda's belongings and put them in the car.

I found myself driving around doing nothing, except feeling sorry for myself. I found myself in the neighborhood of Manda's mom. Pulling up to her apartment, I saw the lights were on. I knocked on the door with the trash bags containing her clothes. The door swung inwards and Manda's mom was there in front of me.

"You."

"I take it she called you."

"She did. How could you have her arrested?"

"I didn't have her arrested. They found my passport, money, and credit cards mixed with her clothes. Not to mention she smashed sh*t all over my house."

"You broke her heart. She never cries and she was crying, over you."

"Listen, I'm not going to argue with you. I've done enough of that with her. She fcked Randy and that was the last straw for her. She doesn't know how to be faithful. She was crying because she could no longer use me. Here are her clothes. I don't want to see her or you again. Good luck paying your rent without me."

"What the fck are you talking about?"

"Manda wasn't paying your rent with her money. She was taking money out of my account for it. I'm sorry she's lied to you too. I blame you. You used her father. When you got what you wanted, you screwed."

"Joe, I have no idea what you are talking about. Her dad and I might have divorced, but she still sees him."

"Of course. She lied about that too. I can't deal with her anymore. I am giving her back to you. Good-bye Ms. Young."

I only knew of one place to go. There's a good thing about living where I do. The cemeteries are never locked. My dad had purchased plots for the four of us after my mom died. It was like he knew he was next. I lit the candles that were on the side of their headstones and sat down.

"Hey, mom, dad. I'm sorry to bother you so late. I just needed to talk to someone. I'm sure you saw the whole Manda fiasco. It crashed and burned for good. Now's a good time to say I told you so, dad. I don't know why I never listened to you. You saw right through her from the beginning. I asked Randy about Standing Falls. He's supposed to look into it. I want nothing more than to complete your dream. I also want to have a love like you and mom. I don't care if she is my mate or not. I can have something good with someone. I'm just going to concentrate on work and getting my hands on that town. It's the only thing I can do. I'm going to go to the office. There are actually a few things I need to finish. I love and miss you guys so much." I kissed my fingers and placed them on their headstones.

I did have a few cases that I needed to get into some more. Unlocking my dad's office was something I have done everyday since he passed. This early morning felt different. I felt free, like anything was possible. I made a pot of coffee and started on the first case. I thought it was a simple car accident case. The insurance company refuses liability. What a surprise there. My job was to look over the photos provided of the accident site and piece them together, figuring out who was at fault. As I read through the file I was surprised to find the seriously injured party was a seven-year-old boy.

He was in the backseat when his mother's car was hit. His leg had gotten pinned and was shattered. The jaws-of-life were used to free him. He was like that for forty-five minutes. The police report says the other driver smelled of alcohol, but passed a field sobriety test. He was within the legal limit. He claims my client ran a stop sign. My client says she didn't have a stop sign. I looked at the street names. It was a few blocks from me. I slammed the file closed and grabbed our digital camera. I needed to take pictures. Good thing the sun was rising.

I walked over, why waste gas. I looked at the file again. My client was traveling on W. Broad St. heading to the grocery store. I stood at the corner of W. Broad and Simon St. It was a two-way stop at four corners. Simon St. had the stop signs. I took more pictures than was necessary. I was winning this for that little boy. I fcking hate insurance companies. Walking back to the office, the sun was up. I stopped and looked at it for a little while. I haven't enjoyed the simple things in life in quite some time.