The Missing Piece Book One

36. Just One Chance

Luckily for Vanessa, her intoxicated friend couldn't make heads or tails of what she was doing and gently went to sleep before it escalated. Vanessa helped her to the bed but spent most of the time thinking how bad of an idea it was to get her drunk, Danesha made getting into a bed a task for Vanessa. When Vanessa finally got her to the door Danesha saw it fit to be an airplane, and was preparing for take-off.
"COME ON NESSA BE MY CO-PILOT!" she screamed into her ear,
"No no no, this plane is landing right over here," she said point and walking her to the bed.
"Awwww," Danesha said heading towards the bed "Nessa, I wish he'd leave us alone" she continued laying her head down on the pillows and drifting off to sleep.
"Me too," Vanessa said caressing her cheek as she slept.
Danesha woke up to the blasting sounds of music, or so she thought, her head was pounding from last night and the usual ringing of her phone sounded like a boat horn was right next to her ears, her brow clinched as she dragged the phone to her ear.
"Hello" she whispered into the phone, 
"Lil Miss? Is that you?" Big Poppa's deep voice emanating from the phone
"Oh hi yea it's me"
"You sounded different, I just called to give you an offer, Stephan told me everything and frankly I feel like part of this story he's giving me is missing" Danesha listened attentively even though her head was about to explode knowing that he knew everything, "I want you to come by the diner to tell me your side of the story ... well that's if you want to"
"Yes!" she said a bit too loud for her own self-forgetting her head.
"That's great come in anytime today I'll be here"
Danesha rolled over to face Vanessa who was now coming to,
"Wha...Was that about" she said her voice slightly muffled by the pillow as she rolled and stretched,
"It was Big Poppa, he wants to hear my side of the story"
"Ahhhhh so the big baby told him, well it's a good thing he wants to hear your side, he probably made it sound worse... Wait scratch that it can't sound any worse than it is" she said with a grin, Danesha scowled at Vanessa's comment but she was just grateful they got past it and could slightly joke about it. 

***

Danesha borrowed Vanessa's car since she had none now, Benjamin took back the car a few weeks ago, not like she wanted it, she wanted Stephan, she didn't care about the materials she would lose, she just really wanted him back, or at least talk. She didn't see her meeting with Big Poppa a way to get him back, just maybe a chance of talking to him. She pulled up in front of the diner and stepped out of the car in her white tank, black ripped jeans and strappy heels. She walked into the diner greeting Miss V,
"He's in the back," she said with a smile
"Thanks," Danesha said strutting towards his office, his door open, knocked catching his attention.
"Lil Miss come in sit down" he smiled welcoming her in.

Danesha and Big Poppa got comfortable, Danesha was ready to tell her side of the story, she just wanted to know what he knew.
"So um what did he tell you?"
"How about you just tell me your side so I can fill in the blanks"
" I see... I'll just start then"
She took two deep breaths looking at the older man, who looked exactly like the man of her life, it was like looking into the future. "Earlier this year I ran into Vanessa's boyfriend's father, it was just a friendly meeting, he asked me out, and I went, it was great to be finally noticed by someone," she said keeping eye contact, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips
"He made me feel wanted, and that's how I began I decided to stop after a while when he told me he was still married but I came into some difficulty with my job, and my rent needed to be paid, he offered to help me while I searched for a job, he said I wouldn't owe him anything but after I while I kinda liked being taken care of and that's when I started to take things serious with him. I knew it was wrong I know what I did was wrong and I have no excuse for it, but when I met Stephan that all changed I didn't see has much because I didn't care about him how I cared, and still care about him I love Stephan and I wanted to tell him, he was always so honest with me we never hid anything I was going to tell him the night of the party but some how Cheryl, his wife found out and then this while shit just blew up in my face, the pain on his face broke my heart because I did that no one else didn't do it, I did and every day since that day I regretted that, but I'm not gonna go around trying to make people pick sides I -" she paused before she coutinued "I fucked up, and it was my fault but that will never change the way I feel about Stephan"
Big Poppa looked taken aback as he processed everything she said "Hmm very different story and much more detailed compared to what he told me, that damn stupid boy" Danesha was shocked What did he tell him?
"He basically said you were having sex with some married man and your entire relationship was fake, and I knew that couldn't be true because the girl that came in here with him and is sitting before me did nothing more but love him, a lot of mistakes but she loves him" Big Poppa leaned on to the table his brow creased for a moment, then he looked up at her giving her that winning smile,
"So do you have a job yet?"
"No-I- No I don't have a job"
"Well Lil Miss you're hired, you start tomorrow"
"What??!?"
"Miss V will run you through everything today and you start tomorrow"
He said standing and waltzing out the door, while Danesha tried to gather herself before following,
"What do you mean, I can't take this job"
He paused and whorled around now in the heart of the diner,
"And why not?" One eyebrow raised demandingly
"I- I can't take it you didn't even interview me "
"Remember when we first met I told you if you ever wanted a job, I was serious, Miss V and I decided"
She glanced over to a nodding Miss V,
"And it's not a job out of pity, we like you here, you're the first girlfriend we've met and there must be a reason, so what do you say?"
Danesha smiled widely at him, "I'll take it".