Lela glanced around and saw they now had an alarmed audience.
She knew the Opelika PD would be on the scene soon, so she brushed by Tyrese and headed to the car. "You know what? I'm out of here."
Before exiting The Fat Cherry's doors, she whipped around and added, "For all intents and purposes, Ty, we are through. Your stuff will be on the lawn by the time you drop your date off at home."
She started to walk away again when a tiny voice in her head stopped her in her tracks. It was the voice of her mother, saying, "If you let somebody screw you once, shame on them. If you let somebody screw you twice, shame on you."
She remembered she had loaned Tyrese three hundred dollars to get his car fixed, and she would be damned if he flossed around town spending her money on another woman. He left her house that morning headed to the auto shop; yet, his car was miraculously in mint condition and he was out on a date. Just when she was about to address this, he attempted to pacify her, making his first real attempt at recovery.
"Calm down, babe. It's not what you think. I don't give a damn about Sarah. I love you."
With each word he spoke, Lela felt her walls of defense slowly melting away.
"So you're loving me now, Ty? Well, you can save it and give it to your precious little girlfriend." Lela fought feelings of hurt and shame, still determined not to cry. "If you loved me so much," she continued, "you wouldn't be out here spending my hard-earned money like this. And I know you're using my money, so don't even try to lie."
"I did need the muffler," he blurted out. "I got it."
"Muffler? I thought it was an alternator you needed." She threw her hands in the air. "You know what? I don't care what it was. Give me my money. Now! And give me the keys to my house and the spare keys you have to my Jeep." She pointed to Sarah, who was sitting on the passenger side of his car filing her fingernails. "You're her dependent now."
"I don't have the money, Lee. I already ordered the muff...I mean, alternator." He would ride or die with this lie.
"Look, Ty, give me my money." Lela didn't know what she was capable of doing next if she didn't get what she felt he owed her.