The Next Day
The next day was Sunday. We didn’t have to be in until 11:00AM. George and I arrived and ran into Rich, a co-worker/friend of ours that hung out with us quite a bit. He was a mutual friend with Mark, but did not agree with his treatment of Dana as well. He was the one that actually tipped us off to the Security Guard’s “Point System”.
We told Rich what had happened the night before and it was kind of good that we did. Working on the first floor with Mark, he was an advanced scout for us and called us to get the heads-up when Dana showed up to confront mark about a half hour into our shift.
And almost on cue about ten minutes later, Mark comes up to the second floor to confront me. He was furious, which was understandable. Plus he always had a temper, so it’s nothing new. He repeatedly said that he couldn’t believe I of all people would betray him like that and that he was going to kill me after we got off work. What really did him in was when Dana confronted him, he really expected it to be George or Jay that told her. He immediately said that she was lied to and that whoever told her was just trying to get down her pants, but when it was revealed that it was me, his “alibi” no longer held water.
Moments after he threatens my life and leaves down the escalator, the elevator behind us dings and Dana comes stepping out. “Great timing. You just missed ‘your boyfriend’" I cracked.
“He came up here?” she asked.
“You didn’t think he would?” came to my head instantly. Apparently, it was more pressing to get some hair products from the drug store across from Penney’s in the mall after confronting a boyfriend about cheating then to possible alert me that I’m about to be killed.
I spent the rest of the day expecting to get beat up because I didn’t plan on fighting him. I was getting mixed support/condemnation from people throughout the day. The security guards thought it was “uncool” of course, but others were happy I did it.
The end of the work day came and I went outside expecting the worse. Mark came racing up in his Bronco and jumps out. “Here we go” I thought to myself at this point.
He was surprisingly calm when he got to me. He then says that he was planning to beat me up all day, but thought better of it. He wanted to know why. I told him I thought I was doing him a favor as he claimed he wanted to break up with her but seemed to be having trouble. A lie, and one that may have seemed like I was antagonizing him on top of it. In the end I told him. She asked me and I wasn’t going to lie to her.
He pretty much said “What’s done is done, but now we need to find a way to make you and her look like the bad guys and me the good guy.” He was serious. And it was the only way he would forgive me. I told him I’d do whatever he wanted. It was better than getting beat up. He proposed I tell her that I mistook his casual flirting with trying to cheat on her. So I did. I told her “Mark told me to tell you that I mistook his casual flirting with him trying to cheat on you.” It didn’t win her back.
Despite a little touch and go, Mark and I were back to our love/hate friendship. Although, I was on the “outs” with the “cool security guards.” One of which told me that he would have beat me up if I did that to him.