Disclaimer: I do not own Derek or Daniel Vinyard. But I do own Madison Long and Dahlia Prince. P.S. There is a reference to Fight Club!
Madison Long stood in the line, wondering whether to get a blueberry or chocolate chip muffin with her coffee. To-go. Everything in her life was to-go. In college, she never thought that being a psychologist would cost so much time. She wanted her patients to-go; she had wanted her degree to-go. When she first began her career in the local hospital, she never had regulars. Always just troubled youths, usually from a gang. She hated the part of town she lived in. She hated the fact that she hadn't the option for anywhere else to go. She could only do so much with her money and right now it was invested in her over-priced apartment. But her office would always feel like home too. Her patients now were usually ex-convicts or some still in jail, doing time for their buddies. She feared prison from all the horrors her patients endured during their stay. She couldn't even begin to imagine the terrors that went on there.
"Next." the clerk announced, startling Madison. She eyed the menu once more.
"Uh…a regular coffee and a…uh…blueberry muffin, please…to-go." she added. Madison waited patiently, hoping she wouldn't be late for her first appointment. A bell hung plainly on the door, ringing loudly, alerting everyone that someone had just entered the diner. Derek and Daniel Vinyard came into the small diner. Madison saw the two and rolled her eyes. Damn skinheads, she thought.
"What do you want?" Derek asked his little brother, Daniel, quietly.
"Can I just get a doughnut or somethin'?"
"Sure can. What kind?" Derek asked, sounding like a genuinely caring older brother.
"Chocolate." Daniel said, walking over to a table, lighting up a cigarette. Madison tried to ignore the two behind her. Even though she was in the clear (because she was white), she still was scared. She gripped her car keys tighter, contemplating leaving the diner or not.
Derek Vinyard looked at the woman in front of him. She wore a dark grey skirt, tighter around her hips, and a grey blazer to match. Her body curved inward in her midsection and then smoothly went down to her rounder, wider hips. Derek eyed her form head-to-toe. He thought her back end wasn't so bad and only wished that she would turn to face him, hopefully that wouldn't be too disappointing. Her hair was jet black and shined as though it were a glare on a window. He thought she was a gorgeous, white woman. He almost forgot that he already had Stacey. She was in his crowd and was, no doubt, a little rough around the edges. Danny was still seated, quietly. Derek looked to him and made a goofy face to his little brother, trying to show the interest in the woman who stood in front of him. He winked to Danny, causing him to laugh. Madison looked over to Daniel and saw him giggling at his brother. She shot her head around and looked at Derek.
She saw his shaved head and his rugged features. Although it was against her better judgment, she found him to be attractive. He had royal blue eyes and a charming smiled that was wrapped by a goatee-moustache combination. She felt as if she were staring at him, but in reality it was only seconds. He looked into her eyes and decided for himself that she really was gorgeous. He was never really emotional until it came to the whole race "issue" and he found it hard to believe that he was sizing up this woman who stood in front of him. But this woman was something else to him; he couldn't quite figure it out. Her hazel eyes, with an observant nature. Her pouty lips, so delicate, full, pink. Her cheek well formed in two small cups on her face leaving just the right definition of her cheek bones. Her skin looked smooth and creamy and glowed of an olive color. She turned back around. Derek regretted ever looking at her with such an intense stare. He knew he could scare any woman off if he looked at her the right way. Derek wanted to introduce himself but was too shy. That was the aspect of Derek's persona that people knew nothing about; he didn't know how to approach women.
Upon meeting his girlfriend, Stacey, she had been the one who approached him. She walked over, swaying her little bony hips and looked at him with a devilish stare. She whispered softly in his ear, speaking of the dirtiest things imaginable. And before Derek knew it, she was begging him to spend the night, softly caressing the crotch of his pants. Derek couldn't deny that he liked it but he felt a little pushed into it. He didn't like her that much. He always wanted a full woman who was admirable and was articulate.
Madison looked to the clerk and grabbed her coffee hastily. She turned around. Derek took a breath and began to say "Hi." Madison walked past him leaving his mouth agape. He felt a little crushed by her gesture. She obviously wasn't interested in talking or anything. Daniel burst into laughter. Derek shot his head toward him.
"What a ladies man!" Daniel exclaimed in hysterics. Derek smirked slightly, his cheeks growing a hue of pink.
"Fuck off." Derek laughed along, shaking his head with that embarrassed smirk, "she can go fuck her niggers anyway. I don't give a shit." Daniel laughed more. Derek still vented, "Nigger-lover." Was the only conclusion he could come to see why any beautiful white woman wouldn't want to speak to him. Derek looked out the window quickly and watched her walk to her car.
"Yeah, that's it. Or maybe she wasn't interested." Daniel insulted him. Derek looked back at his little brother and flipped him off.
"You're a real nice guy." Daniel taunted.
"Fuck her. She's just a waste of my time." Derek said as his final words before moving on to another subject.
Madison turned the key in the ignition and looked one more time into the diner. Why are you doing that? Just go, she commanded herself. She pressed her foot gently on the gas pedal and drove off.
Madison anticipated leaving this part of the city. Here, everyone fought everyone. It didn't matter if you were a good person or not, if you were of color or if you were a dedicated skinhead like Derek, you would constantly be looking over your shoulder. Madison had heard about Derek Vinyard before, back when he assaulted all the employees in a little grocery store. She never expected him to look like that. He reminded her of an ex-boyfriend she once had. Her ex was certainly handsome but deep down inside, he was scum. But, Derek Vinyard traced along her mind like a set of plans you had made; you try to remember them.
It was all his fanaticism about race that he had made him a fearsome creature. He stretched the limits on violence in the streets. She trembled at his organized crimes against other solely on their heritage. She had once had a patient from an attack of Derek's. The way her patient lit a new cigarette whenever his last one ran out, the way his body quivered when speaking about his incident, the way he now had despised his culture was all an emotional scar tattooed across his forehead. Nothing she'd say made him feel any better. She thought that people like Derek Vinyard would wind up in jail and rot in there for the rest of their days.
She walked into her office building with the rest of her coffee in one hand. She walked over to the elevator and waited for the doors to open.
Madison never pictured herself as a woman with a steady boring life, back in college. But, the more she worked the more she fell into the same routine. She'd get her breakfast. To-go. She would drive to her office through the ratty neighborhood into the bigger part of the city. Then she'd drag ass and watch the floors light up on the elevator meter. She'd walk into Dahlia Prince's office, her secretary, greet her, and then get her mail. Go to her own desk and start the day of revealing and confession. I am Jack's wasted life.
DING! The bell sang loudly to Madison. Her eyes lit up and she walked into the elevator. Today was different to Madison. She never usually ran into a person like Derek Vinyard every morning of her monotonous life. Not only because his reputation but rather that she had found him to be… attractive even though she pictured him to look as someone else. Madison sighed and took another sip of her bittersweet coffee, thinking about her bittersweet run-in with Derek Vinyard.
"So… have any dates?" Dahlia joked. Madison looked at her and rolled her eyes.
"Phhh… please I haven't had a date in two years." Madison replied, smiling politely, "How's Christian?" she said, thinking of Dahlia's gorgeous boyfriend. Dahlia blushed in a virginal innocence.
"Oh… he's wonderful. Here's your mail. You got something from a home address." Dahlia concluded. Madison was confused. She never received mail from a home address just from the state.
"Huh…well, I'll see you." Madison said curiously. She stepped into her office and stared at the little knick-knacks on her desk. Ordinary people would have pictures of their family and/or spouse but not Madison. She only had stress relief balls and scented candles. What an office. Inside her desk drawers were crumbs from fat-free chips and yellow notebooks stacked high with notes of diagnosis. To the left of her desk stood a bookshelf, with odd books from every genre. It only revealed that Madison Long had a scattered personality. She propped her leather bag on her sofa that sit in front of her desk. She placed her coffee down and her mail. Madison took a deep breath and plopped herself in her wheeled chair. She sighed and reached over for the house letter. The handwriting was neat in its simplistic cursive. Addressed from Ms. Doris Vinyard. Madison stopped reading. Doris Vinyard She asked herself. She frantically ripped the seams of the envelope and unfolded the letter inside.
