"What did you do now you dumb bitch" Ed barked as he entered through the open garage and walked closer to the office. Daryl immediately snarled. Who was this asshole? And why did he think he could talk to Carol that way? Daryl wondered.
"I'm sorry Ed, I don't what happened all of a sudden there was smoke and then" she started.
"It's because you're a damn jinx" Ed barked sweating as he finally neared the pair.
"Hey! You aint gotta talk to her like that" Daryl snarled back.
"I'll talk to my wife any way I feel" Ed smirked.
Wife?! Wife?! Daryl shouted in his mind. This piece of shit was her old man? Clearly it wasn't a happy union.
"So how much is this shit going to cost?" Ed asked Daryl. As he eyed Carol cowering behind him.
"So help me women, I'll get my licks in, for every cent you cost me, you aren't going to walk for a month" Ed snarled at her. Daryl had enough. He didn't know Carol for very long but for some unexplainable reason he wanted to protect her.
"Shit's free, consider it a friendly promotion" Daryl replied. Ed smiled liking the sound of free.
"Good call boy" he smiled. As he reached around Daryl and grabbed Carol arm. She yelped as his fat fingers curled around her delicate and fragile wrist.
"Hey! Let her go" Daryl yelled as he grabbed Ed's wrist.
"Don't want that shit going on in ma shop, bad for businesses" he yelled. Ed smiled again and dropped Carol wrist.
"I parked the spare truck outside on the curb, get your ass in it" Ed said. Daryl walked closer to Ed and started snarling at him like a rabid dog.
"You ain't gotta go nowhere if you don't want to" Daryl barked over his shoulder looking directly into Carol eyes. Carol smiled,
"it's okay" she replied. "I'll come back for the truck in a week." She said, Daryl heart broke as he watched her walked out of the office and towards the garage. She looked broken, like she was ready to give up. Ed smiled as he followed her into the garage and out to the streets.
Daryl watched sadly as she walked out of his sight. His fist pounded the desk in anger denting the metal desk. He shoved his computer keyboard clean off the desk as it ripped from the monitor, and smashed into the wall. He heaved breathing heavily. He felt like shit.
Why didn't she stay? He asked no one in particular. Clearly from the smile her old man gave him she was in for the beating of a lifetime. He hated pieces of shits like her husband. He may have been a red neck piece of trash, but he hated woman beaters. He felt sick, he knew all too well the pain of being beaten to a bloody pulp by someone who was supposed to take care of you, someone who was supposed to love you. He ran his fingers through his hair and tugged harshly.
This wasn't his problem, this wasn't his problem he though over and over. So why the fuck did he care so much? He thought.
The rest of the day dragged on, as he answered calls and handled paperwork for car part orders. All the while in the back of his mind, he couldn't help wondering. Was she okay? Should he have let her husband take her home? Should he had called the damn cops? He was plagued by his thought over and over until he fell into bed exhausted from guilt and work.