Chapter Eight: Memories of Broken Hearts
Ever since the walk home Tamora and Felix slowly formed a friendship. Tamora would often ask Felix to walk her home and have him call her to make sure he got home safe. It was weird she felt that she could trust him. He was so sweet and kind. Felix listened to her when she talked and never tried anything fresh. At first it was cute but then she began to notice whenever any females that weren't related to Felix tried to flirt with him, he didn't give them much mind.
Tamora first noticed this when two redheads with hazel eyes came walking up to the restaurant. They came in and order some ice teas. They first saw Bobby and smiled at him. "Hey Bobby," they said grinning innocently at him.
"Hey Nicky and Alice, how you lovely angels been?" Bobby asked winking at them. They giggled at him and then Felix came in.
"Hi Felix," Nicky or Alice said Tamora really didn't know.
"Hey Alice and hello Nicky," Felix said without looking up.
"You are looking real cute today Felix," Nicky said winking at him.
"Thanks you too," he said and went on into the kitchen. Tamora was shocked for it seemed both girls were flirting with Felix but he was either being shy or just plain oblivious. She saw Bobby frowning and shaking his head. Bobby went back over to the stage and the girls paid for their tea and left. Megan came out and began wiping off tables.
"Hey Megan can I ask you a question?" Tamora asked. She felt awkward talking to Felix's little sister about something that wasn't her business but she was just concerned.
"Sure Tamora what is it?" Megan asked looking up at her.
"Well I noticed that there were two girls in here. They were flirting with Bobby but when they tried to flirt with Felix well he was either being shy or oblivious to it. So, I was wondering if you knew why he was acting that way." Tamora asked.
Megan bit her lip a thing she did a lot when she was nervous. "I can't tell you Felix would be so upset if I told," she said looking away.
"Why would he be upset?" Tamora asked now growing concerned.
"It is all her fault why did she have to hurt him," Megan said shedding a tear.
"Easy Megan, who hurt Felix," Tamora said gently giving the girl a napkin. Megan took it and wiped her eyes. Then looked around to make sure they were alone.
"I will tell you a little but please you have to swear never to tell Felix. It would just hurt him more he never wants anyone to mention her name," Megan whispered growing serious.
"I promise," Tamora whispered back. Megan looked at her long and hard as if she was debating to trust Tamora with whatever secret she was keeping for Felix.
Finally she said, "Alright the person who hurt Felix her name was Mary Thompson". The way Megan said the name Mary was as though she was saying the Devil's name. "She was Felix's ex-girlfriend. They were high school sweethearts and they dated all throughout high school. It was a regular old fashioned romance. Felix was head over heels that he never saw any girl but Mary. Till finally when he was about 22 he proposed to Mary. She said yes and the whole family was so happy. The wedding was going to take a year to plan but on the day of the wedding Mary left Felix. He never said why but she did and he was crushed. Then two years later when Felix was 25 Dad died and ever since Felix's depression grew worse. It was only a year later he got out of it but ever since then Felix never allowed himself to fall in love again all because of what Mary did to him," Megan said crying again. Tamora frowned and shed a silent tear of her own.
"I am so sorry poor Felix," Tamora said.
"Yeah now you know," Megan said and silently went back to wiping off tables. Tamora slowly digested what Megan had told her and tried to find a way to tell Felix that he was not alone when it came to having a broken heart. The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. Soon it was closing time and the Fix-Its were all heading home. Except for Felix, he was planning on staying late to look over the records for the previous week.
"Bye Tamora see you tomorrow," Bobby said.
"Later T," Kelly said smiling. Tamora smiled a little for no one besides Brad and Felix gave her a nickname before.
"Bye guys," she said. She was planning on going home but seeing as how Felix was still here and it was her job to keep the place safe, she decided to stay. Tamora walked on down the hall to Felix's office. The door was opened a crack and she peered inside. She saw Felix sitting in his chair looking at an old picture. It showed a younger Felix smiling with a dark haired blue eyed beauty with her arms around his neck. They both seemed so happy and to Tamora's surprise Felix was holding an old engagement box with the ring showing. A small tear fell from Felix's face as he put the ring back in his desk. The woman in the picture must be Mary, Tamora thought to herself. Suddenly the door creaked and Felix quickly put the picture back in the drawer.
"Whose there?" he asked sharply.
"It's just me Felix," Tamora said softly appearing into the room.
"Oh hey I thought you left," Felix said his face softening when he saw her.
"Well I heard you were staying late so I thought I would stay and make sure you are okay," she said.
"Oh Tammy, you didn't have to do that. Please go on home it is late and you should get some sleep," Felix said. Tamora frowned a bit for she remembered seeing Felix shed a tear for this Mary girl and wanted to know the full story. But, how to go about asking him about her would be the real trick.
"I know but I will be okay," Tamora said gently. He shrugged his shoulders and began to go over the records. Tamora looked around trying to work up the conversation but had no idea how. She could kill men from miles away from her, gut them like fish, and make men twice her size cry like little girls. But trying to form a conversation was not easy. "Um Felix, you and I we are friends right?" she asked.
"Of course Tamora," he said gently.
"So, if you have something you wanted to tell me you would tell me right?" she asked still trying to figure out where she was going with this.
"Um sure I guess," Felix said looking at her with a confused look.
"Well I wanted to ask you a personal question if I may," Tamora said.
"Ask away," he told her.
"Why is it a sweet guy like you with so many good qualities has no women chasing after you or have a girlfriend?" she asked taking the direct route.
Felix blushed and avoided eye contact. "Just busy with the business besides not many girls are interested in me," he told her.
"Those two redheads seemed interested in you," Tamora said.
"Is there a reason why you are asking these questions? Did Bobby or Kelly put you up to this?" Felix asked sounding a tad annoyed.
"No one put me up to anything I just wanted to know for I am concerned about you," Tamora said firmly.
"Okay, if you want to know yes I did have a girlfriend and I was going to marry her but she hurt me and left me at the altar," Felix said his face saddening as he remembered that day.
"Why did she do that?" Tamora asked. Felix turned away not wanting to remember it. Tamora placed a hand on his shoulder and softly whispered, "Come on short stack you can tell me anything, I am your friend remember". Felix looked at her with such pain in his eyes Tamora wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.
"Her name was Ma-Mary Thompson and she was my high school sweetheart. We dated all throughout high school till finally I proposed to her. When she said yes it was the happiest day of my life. My whole family helped prepared for the wedding but on the wedding day I saw her kissing Gene Banker, the mayor's son. When I confronted them about it I found out Mary had been seeing Gene for years and finally he was going to take a job as a mayor in a high class type of town. Mary said she loved Gene and could never settle for a hick boy like me and that she needed a real man to take care of her. She gave my ring back and left with Gene I was heartbroken. I just couldn't believe it I done everything I could to show her that I loved her and she left me for another man. Ever since that day I never let any woman get that close to me again for I couldn't stand having my heart broken a second time," Felix said shedding tears at last.
Tamora held him as she cried with him. Anger boiled in her body at the thought of this Mary girl dissing Felix like that. If Mary was here right now she would punch her in the face. "Hey Felix it is not so bad. I know how you feel," she said. He let go and looked up at her.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I like you had my heart broken. When I went to the army I fell in love with a man named Brad Scott. He was the most handsome and bravest man I knew. His nickname for me was Dynamite Gal for he said I was pure dynamite. Anyways he courted me during our service and soon proposed to me. I was so happy we planned on leaving the army and starting a new life for us. But fate had other plans for on the night before our wedding an insect I still am not sure whether it was a beetle or a spider but it crept inside Brad's room and bit him. The next day he acted a little sick but we had the ceremony. Before we could say our vows he toppled over and was rushed to the hospital but died instantly. To this day I hate all insects," Tamora said shedding tears of her own.
"That is why you told me to be careful when I held that bug in my hand," Felix said.
"Yes, and it has been a year since he died and I tried to start over like we planned," Tamora said. She never mentioned this to anyone but Felix seemed the right choice.
"Well it looks like we have another thing in common," Felix said holding her hands. She looked down at him and smiled a bit as he smiled back.
"I guess we do," Tamora said.
"Thanks for telling me your story Tammy and for helping me with mine," Felix said.
"Anytime and thanks for listening after all what are friends for?" she asked. They both smiled but once they let go of each other's hands in their hearts they knew something changed between them. And that this was only the beginning.
Author's Note: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please review. And a special thanks to KungFuPandaFanatic for helping me with the title.