“No Mark! You don’t have my vote! No you can’t count on me! Are you deaf? How many times do I have to tell you! I’m not voting for that bill! I already told you why! Apparently you didn’t listen to a damn word I said so I will say it one more time! There is already too much government oversight and interference with people’s lives as it is! We don’t need to police dating sites and hunt down romance scammers! Is that clear enough? Its bills like this that keep pushing us closer to Communism!”
Senator Alfred Holsby ended the conversation and tossed his cellphone on to the passenger seat. He cursed under his breath as he maneuvered around an old lady. He pounded his fist on the dashboard.
“C’mon lady! This isn’t a fucking parade!” The Senator growled.
He yanked the wheel, forcing his Mercedes to cut across three lanes. His brazen stunt almost resulted into a collision with a large truck but he managed to avoid catastrophe. Turning the wheel again, he took the next exit.
Not more than a fifteen minutes after leaving the highway, he arrived at the exclusive gated community in which he lived. He parked his Mercedes in his spot and quickly headed indoors. The minute he walked through the door, all he could think about was checking his email. The butterflies in his stomach sprung into action when he thought about her. He had been talking to a beautiful woman who referred to herself as BarbieCakes55. This has been going on for the last six or seven weeks.
Before he could make it to his keyboard, his phone rang. Debating whether or not to answer it, he had to check in case it was his daughter. He checked the phone and grimaced. It was his ex wife who now lives with her mother and their daughter, Daphne. Taking a deep breath, he answered the phone.
“Yeah? I sent the check already. How’s Daphne? She’s out? With who? Her boyfriend? When did this happen? Three months ago? Was anyone planning to tell me? You did? When? Last week? No, I don’t remember. It doesn’t matter anyway nobody gives a shit what I have to say. Tomorrow? Is Daphne going to be there at least? You’re not sure? Yeah, I’ll come regardless. I gotta go. Just got home. Long day,” Senator Holsby ended the call.
Walking into the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. He cracked it open as he headed over to his computer. Placing his drink down on the coaster, he logged in to his email. The butterflies exploded when he saw the name BarbieCakes 55 flash across the screen.
Fingers flying across the keyboard, the wily politician was almost done typing his response. Things had been heating up between them recently and each one of them had exchanged more than one risqué photo. The Senator had also been sending her increasingly larger sums of money with each passing week against his better judgment.
He found himself spending more time chatting with her each night. Tonight was no exception. By the end of the night and more than a few beers, Senator Holsby had sent her a thousand dollars to get her nails and hair done and also to purchase a dress for aunt’s upcoming wedding. The conversation ended after the frisky Senator began to demand that she meet him as soon as possible. BarbieCakes 55@ always seemed reluctant to talk about this whenever he brought it up, causing her mood to drastically change. She soon exited the chat, leaving Senator Holsby frustrated in more ways than one.
While he was getting ready for bed, he thought about Daphne. They haven’t seen each other much lately. He missed the last weeks scheduled visitation because of a meeting he had to attend. The Senator had joined a special committee just to hit on one of the interns only to find that she left after only staying for one meeting. The next thing he knew, he was running the committee and having to accept way more responsibility than he anticipated. As these thoughts ran through his mind, he drifted off to sleep.
The bright sunshine illuminated the Senator’s third floor bedroom as the he slowly opened his eyes. He began to emerge from underneath the sea of blankets that had engulfed him during the night. When he finally pried himself free from his comforter cocoon, he glanced over at the clock.
“Shit!” He exclaimed as he threw the rest of the blankets off and jumped out of bed. He really wanted to check his emails but he was already extremely late.
After quickly washing up, he assembled an outfit from the assortment of clothes that he had worn throughout the week. The Senator grabbed his briefcase and made his way down to the car. He raced to Capitol Hill and rushed to his office. Nursing a hangover, the Senator managed to navigate his way through his busy schedule and finish work slightly earlier than usual.
Letting out a fragmented sigh, he remembered that he had to go and deal with his ex-wife and mother in law. Although this wasn’t what he wanted to do after battling a hangover all day at work, he was eager to see Daphne. He finished his exodus to his Mercedes and headed to his destination.
He pulled into his mother in law’s house with a sour puss on his face. Senator Holsby turned off the ignition and attempted to regain his composure. The one good thing that he was able to focus upon was the fact that he was going to be able to see Daphne if she was there.
After a few minutes, he exited his Mercedes and made his way to the house. Much to his surprise, the normally safety conscious ex wife of his left the door wide open. He did notice however that it seemed as if his mother in law and ex wife weren’t home.
As he was about to enter the house, he heard his daughter’s voice talking to what sounded like another girl who seemed to be the same age. Something inside him told him to linger by the door for a few minutes and listen to what they were talking about. What he heard permanently altered his way of thinking forever.
“You still talking to that guy on the internet?” Daphne asked her friend.
Senator Holsby stiffened when he heard what his daughter had just asked her friend. He moved slightly closer to the open window, making sure he was out of sight but still able to hear her clearly.
“Talked to him last night,” her friend Melanie said.
“How much money did you get from him?” Daphne giggled as she asked.
“Let me see, probably up to ten grand by now. I got another grand coming to me next week,” Melanie replied.
“What did you tell him you needed the money for this time?” Daphne wondered.
“Told him I needed money for hair, nails and an outfit for my aunt’s wedding,” Melanie proudly declared.
“That’s a good one!”
“I thought so!” They both laughed.
“Does he still think you’re a 28 year old hairdresser named Barbiecakes?” Daphne was struggling to contain her laughter.
“Oh yeah! This guy is a real sucker!”
Senator Holsby felt his heart fall to the floor. Any trace of lingering butterflies had disappeared, leaving him feeling embarrassed and hurt. Just as he was about to walk through the door, a familiar voice called out behind him, making his skin crawl.
“Al! What the hell are you doing?” His ex-wife shouted as she made her way to the front of the house.
“Oh hey, Marge,” Her ex husband reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded check. He slowly handed it to her with a hurt look.
Melanie and Daphne appeared in the doorway. The hurt Senator looked directly into Melanie’s eyes without even looking at his daughter. Melanie immediately looked away, briefly intimidated by the weight of his stare.
“Dad! This is my friend, Melanie!” Daphne introduced her shy friend.
“Hello, Melanie. I’m Senator Holsby, nice to meet you,” he slowly extended his hand, the whole time his eyes fixated on Melanie.
“Nice to meet you,” Melanie sheepishly replied.
“Likewise,” Senator Holsby was finding it difficult to contain the hurt that he was feeling as he stared at the woman who had been scamming him for the better part of the last few months.
As the feelings of shame and embarrassment began to mount, he felt his body tremble. Not wanting to be here any longer, he turned and headed to his Mercedes without saying a word. The three of them watched him drive away, all of them dumbfounded at what had just happened.