Sméagol's Redeption

Chapter 18

"What's wrong?" asked Lea. "What's going on?"

"Well, he's a regular customer of mine, especially on Sundays."

"Wait, he was here last Sunday? He told me he was working."

"Nope, he was here. Actually, the last two Sundays, he's been in here with some other woman. I thought they were just friends, until I heard their conversation yesterday."

"Oh, crap," Damian sighed.

"They were flirting and talking dirty to each other, and I heard them making plans to go back to his place after the game ended."

Lea felt a little upset, but surprisingly not crushed. "Honestly... I'm not surprised by this. He's been acting really weird for a while."

"Yeah, but... what really upset me were the things they were saying about you."

Lea suddenly felt nervous. "W... what were they saying?"

"They were calling you fat, saying you were a lousy lover. They painted a very nasty picture of you."

Lea's jaw dropped.

"I'm sorry if I upset you in any way. I just didn't feel right not letting you know."

"No..." Lea said, trying to swallow her tears. "No, I... I'm glad you told me."

"It's just... I have a daughter of my own. And, she almost died from Anorexia, because kids made fun of her in school for her weight. Then, her first husband left her for a 'hotter' woman... who happened to be one of the girls who bullied her in school. She fell into a deep depression after that, and her eating disorder spiraled out of control. She tried to commit suicide, and ended up in the ICU due to heart problems."

"Oh, no," Bri said sadly with tears in her eyes. "Poor thing. Ike, I'm so sorry."

"Is she okay now?" asked Lea.

"Yes," Ike replied. "She's recovered now, and remarried to a good man."

"Good," said Bri.

"Again, I'm sorry if I upset you. I just didn't feel right not doing or saying anything."

"No," said Lea, "it's not your fault. Do you know who the woman was he was with?"

"Uh, I didn't get a name."

"Okay. Thanks."

"And, just so you know, you're not in the least bit fat. You're a beautiful woman, and you have an incredible voice. Ivan's an idiot."

Lea smiled. "Thank you. I really appreciate that."

"Well, I better get back to work."

"Okay." Lea just stared down at the table, not saying a word.

"Lea?" Bri said, worried. "You okay, Honey?"

"I..." Lea couldn't speak.

Bri understood right away. "Oh, okay." She gently patted Lea's hand. "Take your time, Sweetie."

"Is it alright?" asked Sméagol.

"Yeah. She's having an Autistic shutdown. She just found out Ivan's been cheating on her and trash-talking her behind her back. It's a lot of information for her to take in, and it's also really painful to hear."

"She just needs time to work through her emotions before she can function again," said Damian.

"Is there anything we can do for her?" asked Sméagol.