Chapter 3: Dan Martinez

During the time that Dale Senior was languishing in the hospital, a whole new living arrangement took hold in the Loomis house. Both of the siblings’ bedrooms were set up with queen-size beds so that DC could sleep comfortably with Pam and Bea could enjoy sleepovers with Paul, her new boyfriend.

At first, Lynn slept alone in the master. With some of the extra money from Pam, she replaced the bed, carpeting, and curtains with the intention of getting rid of the tobacco smells. At one point, while at work, she was caught by a colleague at work doing that sag then jerk-up with her head pattern. This revealed she was exhausted and not getting enough sleep.

Dan Martinez was the colleague who caught her nodding, and he offered to handle her workload while she could take the rest of the day off.

“Get some rest tonight, Lynn, and tomorrow we’ll have lunch together, and you can tell me what’s going on with you.”

“Oh, Dan, that’s so great; thank you so much.”

At lunch 24 hours later, Dan invited her to explain with a friendly smile. Lynn gave a brief outline of Dale’s misfortune and how she was trying to keep it all together with her two kids in high school.

“Forgive me, Lynn, but I know there’s a lot more going on. You don’t seem to be missing him, and I think I know why. How long has he been beating you?”

“About seven years ... Oh, shit. Forget it, I’m sorry.”

“No, listen to me. That bell cannot be un-rung, Lynn. He just avoids hitting your face, right?”

She dug herself deeper in the hole, confessing that he not only abused her but also their two children. There was something about Dan’s face and soft brown eyes that made her feel safe and forthcoming.

He spoke softly and encouragingly while managing to conceal his rising fury from her. After about 15 minutes of revelations, he was seriously fantasizing about sneaking in Dale’s hospital room and breaking a few more of his bones.

“I’m sorry, Lynn, but I think we need to stop for the moment. Your tears would create the impression that I was spending this lunch break hurting you. Please call your kids this afternoon and tell them you’re having dinner with Dan Martinez from work, and you’ll be home by nine or so.

“I know a little Italian restaurant that has private little booths where we can talk without being disturbed or overheard. They won’t be busy since it’s Tuesday night.”

At the restaurant they sat in a booth which matched his description. Dan explained that he had a former girlfriend, Lisa, who had been in a physically abusive prior relationship.

“In the time I spent with Lisa, I learned a lot about how this kind of vicious ‘relationship’ operates. I’ve been noticing little things with you, Lynn, that set off alarm bells in my mind. I hope I’ve been a little helpful to you even just by listening.”

“Dan, I appreciate you so much for letting me unload some of this. You say Lisa is an ex-, are you seeing anyone right now?”

“No, nobody. I even lost my dog last year from cancer.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. So, aside from being great at his job, super sweet, and so handsome, how does Dan Martinez spend his time?”

“I’m a pretty boring guy. I did use to walk a couple of miles with Tips twice a day.”

“Tips?”

“She had these very active ears that were always going up and down and swiveling like radar dishes. I really miss her.”

“Oh, I would love to spend our lunch breaks walking together, Dan. There is the official trail along the creek behind our office building.

“I hate to be a leech, forgive me. I really am destitute now that I’m trying to keep us three going on my salary here. You know it is half of what you make. So I can honestly say that any meal you want to buy me is very welcome.