A Reckless Life

by Michelle Files

  “Abigail, dear, please come sit down.”

  So weird. She was never that nice to me. I guess she felt she needed to be nice to get me to agree to her crazy plan. She put her newspaper on the table as I sat down.

  “How did you sleep?” she asked me.

  “Um, not that great really,” I told her honestly.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Was it due to our conversation from yesterday?” She seemed sincere in asking that question. She must have started in early drinking her special tea.

  “Yes. Look, I have to tell you something. There is no way I can do what you asked. The money would be great, but it’s just nuts. I would feel like a prostitute. I just can’t do that.”

  “I see.” That was all she said.

  I waited for her to say something else. She didn’t, so I figured the conversation was over and I got up to leave.

  “Abigail, we are not finished.” That stopped me in my tracks and I turned back toward her. I noticed her yellow pantsuit was almost glowing as the rays of the sun streamed through the picture window and seemed to seek her out.

  I promptly sat down. I instinctively knew I was not going to like what was coming.

  “What are your plans now?” She asked me.

  I was genuinely confused. “I don’t know what you mean.” I responded. “Plans for what?”

  “I think you do know exactly what I mean.” She paused. “I made you an offer you really shouldn’t refuse. You are young, no career goals, no prospects for a husband. So, I will ask you again. What are your plans?” She was obviously irritated with me and the tone of her voice sounded like she was challenging me. She held all the cards and she knew it.

  I sat there in silence while I thought over what she had just said. Was she threatening me? It kind of sounded like it. Did she have some valid points? Probably. But I had my whole life ahead of me. I was only 15 years old. I still had plenty of time for all of those things to happen. I didn’t need to trick some man into knocking me up so I could provide her an heir. I was starting to get more irritated the longer I thought about all she had just said to me.

  “Look, you are right, I am still young and don’t really have a life plan mapped out yet. I currently have a job and a place to live, so I’m not desperate like I used to be. And as far as career goals, I want to be a chef someday. However, I still have lots of time to figure that all out. Besides, why in the world do I need a husband right now?” I knew I better tread carefully. I still needed this job and a place to live and didn’t want to mess all of that up by blowing up at the rich old lady that owned the ranch. She terrified me.

  Before she had a chance to respond, Adam walked in. I was saved again from Violet and her demands. I used that as an excuse to get out of there as fast as I could. I couldn’t even look Adam in the eyes. I knew he was staring after me as I ran out of the room.

  I avoided Violet as best I could after that, making sure we were never left in a room alone together. Believe me, it was not easy. Even in that enormous house, we ran into each other frequently. I usually just made some excuse about needing to make dinner or that I was heading to town for supplies, or something like that. It seemed to irritate her, because I’m sure she wanted to continue trying to convince me to go along with her insane plan. She even summoned me a couple of times, but I always found a way to get out of going to see her. Once I even pretended to sprain my ankle and had Sarah look at it. She said it seemed fine, but I limped around for a couple of days anyway, for emphasis. I don’t know how convincing I was, but I didn’t have to see Violet alone and I hadn’t been fired yet. I just didn’t know how long I could keep it up. Sooner or later I was going to have to talk to her again.

  Chapter 10

  Finally, I just couldn’t stand trying to avoid Violet any longer and needed to get away for a while. I found John and convinced him to drive me into town for a shopping trip. He glared at me with those dark, scary eyes of his. Even though he drove me into town occasionally, we were definitely not friends. I was something he just tolerated.

  John dropped me off at the local coffee house and said he would pick me up in a couple of hours. That was fine with me. I wanted to just get away for a while. I could walk around and do some window shopping if I got bored.

  I found a table in the back corner of the coffee shop, near the bookshelves. I just loved the place with all of the paperbacks lining the walls that were free for the taking. Most people came in with a book and swapped them out when they were done. It was all on the honor system, and seemed to work pretty well, because the shelves were always packed with books. One of the employees came over and took my order. He was cute, maybe 18 years old, and really nice. I had seen him before, but never talked to him. While waiting for my coffee, I took one of the paperbacks off of the shelf, without even reading the description and just started reading it. After a few minutes I realized that I had read the same page three times and had no idea what I just read. Obviously I had other things on my mind and I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. I was getting nowhere, so I put the book down and noticed my coffee was sitting there in front of me. When had it arrived? I didn’t remember the waiter even coming back to the table. I guess I was really in my own head that afternoon.

  All I could do was sulk about my issue with Violet. I knew I could not avoid her forever. Sooner or later she would corner me somewhere and I was scared of her. I knew that one word from her and I was out of a job and a place to live, all in an instant. I had saved up some money, but it wouldn’t last that long. That would scare anyone in my situation.

  “Are you okay?” I heard someone ask me and I looked up, a bit startled. It was my waiter.

  “Oh, yes. Sorry, I didn’t hear you walk up.”

  “No problem. You seem really upset and I wanted to check on you.” He was very sweet.

  He handed me a few napkins and that’s when I noticed that there were tears streaming down my face.

  “Oh my gosh, I’m so embarrassed,” I said, wiping my face. “I guess I’m just having a bad day.”

  “It’s okay. It happens to all of us. Would you like some company?” He didn’t wait for me to answer and just sat down in the chair across from me.

  “Um, I guess.” He didn’t seem to notice my apprehension with having a total stranger just invite himself to sit down with me.

  “My name is Huck. What’s yours?”

  “It’s Abbey. Nice to meet you.” I wiped the tears from my face as I spoke to him.

  He actually was very cute. He was around six feet tall, had skin the color of warm mocha, short dark hair and greenish eyes that had a natural look of kindness to them. The dark skin and green eyes were an unusual, but very attractive combination. I bet he had no trouble at all with the ladies.

  “Is your name really Huck?” I asked him.

  There was definitely a strange look on my face. The name had to be made up. No one named their kid Huck anymore. Did anyone ever name their kid Huck?

  He saw the look on my face and just smiled. “Yes, it really is my name. It’s short for Huckleberry.”

  With that, my sadness was suddenly gone and I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. It struck me as so funny that I doubled over in my chair and wrapped my arms around my waist while I laughed for at least a full minute. He just sat there patiently waiting for me to stop.

  I finally looked up and noticed him watching me. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean to laugh at you.” I was sincere in my apology, knowing that I had been incredibly rude, but I was still giggling just a bit.

  “Are you done now?” he asked. He didn’t seem upset at me at all and was very calm about the whole thing.

  “Yes, again I’m sorry.” I was finally serious and had stopped laughing. This time I picked up the napkins and wiped the laughter tears from my face, instead of the sad tears. There really was a difference.

  “It’s okay. Believe me, you are not the first, and won’t be the last person to laugh at my nam
e. It’s an old family name and I kinda like it.”

  I liked him immediately.

  “Well Huckleberry, why did you sit down anyway?”

  “You seemed so unhappy, I felt it was my duty to cheer you up. I think I accomplished that.” He sat back in his chair smiling, with a look of satisfaction on his face.

  I smiled back. “Yes you did.” I told him.

  We sat there for hours chatting. It felt so natural talking to him. I didn’t know this guy at all really, but everything just came pouring out. By the time I left, he knew pretty much my whole life story. I just knew I would never hear from him again. I probably sounded like a complete whacko.

  However, I’m happy to say that I was completely wrong. After that day, we were almost inseparable. Huck became my best friend. I don’t know how I would have survived my crappy life without him. He told me about his family and that his father was black and his mother was white and she had the same green eyes he had. He said they had been together forever and he loved them dearly.

  It made me think about my own parents. I knew they loved me, and I knew that my problems with them were all of my own making. I even called them once from a pay phone when I was in town. When my mother answered, I lost my nerve and hung up on her. I don’t know what was wrong with me. I was certain that if I asked, they would take me back in a heartbeat. But, I was humiliated at my behavior toward them, and everyone else. I just couldn’t face them, and I couldn’t face going back to school. Teenagers were the harshest of critics.

  Violet continued to harass me, that’s the only word that truly describes how it felt. She was not giving up, no matter how hard I tried to convince her that her idea was stupid and would never work. I didn’t use those exact words, but you get the point. Finally one day I had had enough and I stopped her in the hallway to have a chat with her. I looked around carefully to make sure there were no prying ears nearby.

  “Mrs. Tyler, can I talk to you?”

  She stopped suddenly, shuffling back a step or two, obviously surprised that I initiated conversation with her, after she tried so often with me.

  “Yes, but I’m not sure you and I have anything to talk about,” was her curt response to me. “In fact, I have spoken with Adam about finding a replacement for you.”

  Oh my god, what have I done now? I would not survive without this job. I felt my throat closing up as I gasped for breath.

  “Please, Mrs. Tyler, don’t do that. I have nowhere to go,” I choked out. Then I started crying, against my better judgment. I knew that I would have no leverage whatsoever if I broke down with her watching.

  “That is not my problem. You should have thought of that before you rejected my generous offer.”

  She continued her walk down the long hallway. I followed closely on her heels.

  “Generous offer? Are you kidding me? You tried to pay me to seduce your son and have his baby!” I started yelling.

  She stopped suddenly and started looking around. “You need to shut up right now,” she whispered. “If anyone hears you, we are going to have really big problems.”

  She grabbed my right arm and dragged me into the nearest room, which happened to be the ballroom. She seemed surprised that the ballroom was where we ended up. She looked around and kind of rolled her eyes. “This will have to do, I guess,” she told me.

  “Look,” I told her, yanking my arm away from her, “if you fire me, I will tell Adam what you wanted me to do.”

  I said it a little bit more quietly than I had intended. I meant to forcefully proclaim that I wasn’t afraid of her threats, and had some threats of my own. But, it came out a bit shaky and scared sounding. Way to stand up for yourself, Abbey.

  She hesitated for just a moment, trying to determine if I was bluffing or not. Then she stuck her nose up in the air and spoke kind of flippantly to me.

  “I don’t think you will tell Adam. Even though he hired you, don’t you dare forget that this is my house. I own every thing and every one in it. That includes you. If you breathe a word of this to him, or to anyone for that matter, you will be out of this house so fast, you won’t have time to come up with anymore threats. Do..I..make..myself..clear?” She said that last part slowly and methodically. I have to admit that she scared me.

  “Y..yes,” I stammered.

  She glared at me one more time and turned on her heels and left me standing there staring after her. Violet Tyler was certainly a woman that was not to be messed with. I couldn’t let her go, it would be the end of my life as I knew it. I would not survive on the streets again and was desperate to stay there. So, against my better judgment, I called after her.

  “Mrs. Tyler, please wait,” I said, as she was walking out the door.

  She stopped suddenly and slowly turned to look at me. She didn’t say a word.

  “I’ll do it.” I couldn’t believe the words were coming out of my mouth.

  She just smiled and said, “then get on with with it,” and walked out the door.

  At that moment, I hated that woman with every bit of my soul.

  Chapter 11

  Adam and Sarah could not have been more different. Adam was kind, friendly and outgoing. He was definitely the boss and could be stern, true, but I found him to be endearing. Sarah, on the the other hand, was rude and standoffish. She wanted nothing to do with the employees, unless it was demeaning us. I think it was against her nature to be nice to the help. I’m not actually sure it was limited to the help. She didn’t seem to ever be very nice to Adam either.

  I spent the next couple of days trying to figure out how I was going to make this whole thing with Adam happen. I mean, I barely knew him. He was just my boss. My married boss. That was the toughest part. Seducing a married man to get pregnant on purpose had to be one of the lowest things ever. Besides, I had never actually seduced anyone before. I wasn’t a virgin, having slept with a couple of guys when I was doing a lot of drugs with Josie. I was a bit ashamed about that, but what was done, was done. Actually making the decision to openly seduce someone was completely different, and I didn’t have the slightest idea how to go about it. I still didn’t know if I had it in me. Maybe I could stall for a while and wouldn’t have to go through with it. Wishful thinking, I’m sure.

  One afternoon, before dinner preparations started, I walked to the stables to get away from the kitchen for a bit. I just needed time to be alone and think, without Oliver and his non-stop chatter. It really did grate on the nerves after a while. Even the gossip that I used to enjoy was just getting old and I wished that he would stop. That wasn’t going to happen though, so I got really good at tuning him out. Funny that he never noticed.

  When I walked in to the stables, there was a strong odor of horses, hay, and old leather. I really liked it, and it was my favorite place to hang out. The horses were great listeners and did not judge me.

  I think growing up on a ranch like Adam had done would have been just heavenly, and I fantasized about what my life would have been like being surrounded by all the horses and learning about raising and training them. I would have had many friends and we all would have run wild on the ranch. I smiled at that thought.

  Whenever I went to the stables I always brought a few carrots and apples to give to the horses. I found the horses to be beautiful, highly intelligent creatures. After only a few days of showing up with their treats, I think they expected me to come. Whenever I walked into the stables, some of them would start dancing around in their stalls, in anticipation of their treats. Not all of them did it. Some of them pretty much ignored my presence and acted like I didn’t exist. They took the fruit from me, but seemed to do it reluctantly. I told myself that those must be Sarah’s horses, laughing out loud.

  “What’s so funny?”

  I jumped when I heard the voice behind me. Spinning around, I found Adam leaning on a wall about twenty feet away from me. I wondered how long he had been there watching me. It made me uneasy.

  “Um, nothing really. I’m just enjoyi
ng the horses. They seem to really like the apples.”

  “We should go riding sometime,” he suggested, as he walked toward me.

  “Oh, I couldn’t do that. I’ve never ridden a horse before.”

  He seemed to be even better looking today, wearing jeans, a flannel shirt and cowboy boots. Usually he was a lot more formal. He didn’t really wear suits much, but he did wear dressier clothes. I don’t remember ever seeing him dressed like a cowboy. It suited him. I then turned back to give a carrot to Trixie, a beautiful chestnut thoroughbred. Rumor had it that she was worth a ton of money. That didn’t matter to me. I just thought she was the sweetest thing ever.

  “I could teach you.” He smiled as he stepped right in front of me.

  God, he was good looking. I suddenly felt my face get hot and I knew it was flushed. I turned back toward the horse again, hoping that he didn’t notice me blushing.

  “I don’t know. These are really important horses and I don’t want to hurt them or anything.” I sounded like an idiot in my mind.

  He chuckled. “I doubt you could hurt them. They are intelligent and very capable animals. Besides, I would teach you on one of the working horses. Those are the ones that the ranch hands ride. They are very gentle and used to being ridden. You would be perfectly safe on one of them.”

  I thought about it for a moment. “Well, okay, sure. I’d love to learn to ride. Will your wife be coming with us?” Against my better judgment, I really hoped the answer was no.

  “Don’t you worry, I’ll take care of everything. Meet me here tomorrow morning, 8 a.m. Sharp,” he said as I watched him walk back toward the house. I noticed I didn’t get an answer to my question.

  “You better watch yourself with that one,” I heard someone say.

  I turned around to see a pretty, dark haired girl standing in one of the stalls. The first thing I thought was ‘why was everyone sneaking up on me today?’

  “Oh, I didn’t see you there,” I said to her.