by KL Donn
“I’m fine, for now.” I take the garbage out to the bins then sit in the papasan chair. I’m going to miss this chair. I think of Ian and how I messed up his life again, before Amy pulls my thoughts back to reality.
“Well, I’m not. I’m freaking’ out with worry over you.”
“Just drive home safely like it’s any other day. I’m almost done packing up. I’ll be there soon.”
“Packing up? Are you leaving? Neenah, this is nuts.”
“I’ll be there soon. I promise.” I press the end button and give in to the tears I’ve been holding back. Maggie. I have to call her.
With blurry vision, I dial her number, but she doesn’t answer. I fumble through my contact list to call her number in Spain.
“Hello,” she says.
“Maggie, they found us,” the words rush out of my mouth in one breath.
“Who? Justin’s family. Neenah, they can’t take Dane from you. You are his mother. There is no reason to panic.”
“They’ll kidnap him, Maggie. I know it. They want Dane. You didn’t see the look on Julia’s face when she had to return him to my care. She told me she’d get him back because I was unfit. A murderer. It was a warning.”
“Neenah, please don’t do this. You’re strong enough to get through this. If you run, they’re just going to keep searching for you. You need to go to the police and get a restraining order. Tell them all about Minnesota. It’s verifiable; they can check it. Call your attorney and let him know they found you. Get his advice. Do anything but run,” she begs. The line goes silent, but I can hear her breathing heavily as she moves around her apartment. “Please don’t run.” All of her love and worry go into those three words.
“I’ll call Edward and seek his counsel.” I walk into the house and grab a few blankets from the den for the car and place them with the bags.
“Promise me,” she says sternly.
I stop and smile because she knows me too well. “I promise. I’ll call him right now.”
“Okay. I’ll call later and check on you. Make sure your phone is fully charged. If you don’t answer, I’m calling the police.”
“No, don’t call this phone. I’m going to toss it the minute I can. I’ll text you with my new number,” I respond breathily before ending the call.
I call Edward, but he’s in court, so I leave a message with his paralegal.
I carry the bags to the car and make one last sweep through the house before locking it up and going to Amy’s.
“Holy crap,” Amy says in disbelief as she finishes feeding the baby. “You live a soap opera life.” She gives little P.J. over to Donnie who begins burping him. “We, uh…we have something to show you.” She reaches for the television remote and cues up whatever it is she wants me to see.
I watch in horror as a local news channel interviews Julia and her brothers, spewing lies about me. They claim this protest for violence against women is all a hoax to protect a murderer and a man who almost killed someone. It’s meant as a veil to deceive the public into thinking we’re good people when we’re not. I knew I’d ruin Ian’s career.
Robbie tells the reporters gathered around them, “Justin was mentally ill, and Neenah’s ‘wifely duties’ were to take care of him, but instead she murdered him and made up a false claim about him beating her. She played on the sympathies of a jury as a battered woman without any proof and was set free.”
Will then jumps in, explaining, “Minnesota law favors the victims of domestic violence since the mentally handicapped aren’t capable of violence. They can’t even defend themselves against their caregivers.”
I clench my hands, leaving nail marks in my palms. “I thought the news was supposed to vet and verify stories before they aired them. It’s all lies,” I break down and cry a torrential downpour of tears.
Without a moment’s notice, I feel sick and run for the garbage can sitting the kitchen. I lose the little bit of food I had left inside and dry heave annoyingly for a long time. Amy brings me a glass of water and a cold, wet washcloth for my face then hugs me tightly.
“We believe you. We’ll do whatever we can to help. Donnie worked in public relations. We can fix this and make sure no one takes Dane from you, but first you need a restraining order.”
“I’m not sticking around for that. We’re leaving now.” I stand and gather my bag when my phone rings. It’s Edward. I flop back down in Angie’s dining room chair and take his call.
“Edward, I’m in trouble.” The panic rises in my voice to a shrill ear-piercing level.
“Calm down, Neenah. It can’t be worse than what you’ve already been through, it just feels like it. Tell me what’s going on.”
“They found us. Julia, Will, and Robbie. They showed up in Chicago, and they’re going to take Dane away from me. You know she threatened to,” My words pour out of my mouth so fast I must sound like a lunatic.
“Neenah, let’s talk this through rationally. You’re his mother and his rightful guardian. The Wells family would be kidnapping Dane and that’s a federal offense. They wouldn’t get very far because we’d have the FBI and every agency I can think of on the case. Do you understand that?”
“Yes,” I croak, my mouth suddenly dry. I take a drink of water and swallow the lump of anxiety building in my throat before I can speak again. “What are my options, Edward? I feel like running far, far away and hiding in the mountains of Montana.”
“My best advice right now is to come home to Minnesota so we can figure this out together. We can file for a restraining order and get a far-reaching one that’ll protect you while you’re living in Chicago. I assume you want to stay there, correct?”
“Yes, if we can. We like it here. For the first time in our lives, we have friends.” Amy reaches over and squeezes my arm in confirmation.
“Do you want me to get you plane tickets? I can put you up in an apartment for a few weeks.”
I can hear his pen scratching across paper as he writes something down.
“Yes. I really didn’t want to make that drive again so soon.”
“Give me an hour, and I’ll have two tickets into Blue Earth. I’ll text you the details.”
“Thank you. In case this affects anything, Dane has a therapy dog who’ll need to go on the plane with him since he’s never flown before. I have his papers.”
“I’ll take care of it.” He ends the call, and I slump down into the chair exhausted.
“Sounds like Edward has a plan,” Amy remarks with relief.
“Yeah, he’s getting us plane tickets to Minnesota, and we’re going to get a restraining order. I can’t stay around here and give them an opportunity until the law is on our side. I have to go back, at least for a little while.”
“I don’t know how you do it. I’d be a nervous wreck every day knowing someone wants to take my kid from me. You’re a stronger woman than me.”
I look up at her thoughtfully with those last words. “No, I’m not strong at all. A strong woman would stand and fight. I’m running to fight another day. Running makes me look guilty. The worst part of this whole mess is that I’m leaving Ian in the lurch. He’s going to have to deal with the backlash of this without me. That’s tearing me up inside. I told him he didn’t want to get involved with me.”
“Somehow, I think Ian is going to be all right. There’s no connection between you two other than being neighbors for all of six weeks.”
I look at her in silence with a guilty look on my face. “Well, we’re kind of friends with benefits.”
“Shut up!” she says loudly and pushes on my shoulder. “Someday, when my hormones are back at a normal level, you need to tell me this story.”
“Okay. I promise.”
“Now let’s go out back and play with the boys while we wait for your plane tickets. Then Donnie will run you to the airport.”
27
Ian
Match days are tiring, but even more so when they fall on camp days. I don’t even get to go hom
e since the game is early, and we have to report at 1:00 PM for warm-ups and a press conference. I’m down on the field going through drills when my name booms from the PA speaker, “Legend, report to the executive offices.”
“What now?” I look over at Mikael who’s shaking his head at me. Coach nods for me to go, so I make my way upstairs.
The elevator lifts me quickly to the executive floor, dropping me off at Mr. Hauptman’s office. His administrative assistant, Becky, is waiting for me and says, “You can go right in.”
I was just here a few weeks ago. This is not a habit I want to form. I twist the knob and enter.
Mr. Stein, the Hauptman’s chief legal counsel greets me with a handshake. “Ian, it’s good to see you again.” He always makes me feel as if getting called to the executive offices is a good thing. I know for a fact, it is not.
“David, how are you?”
“I’m well, thanks. Please. Join us down here and take a seat. We have something we’d like to show you.”
Us? Shit. I follow him down into the overlook of the office. Mr. and Mrs. Hauptman are already seated. “Sir. Ma’am,” I say, shaking both of their hands and placing a kiss on Mrs. Hauptman’s cheek.
David starts off by clearing his throat. “Ian, it’s been brought to our attention that the so-called ‘anti-protesters’ outside gave an interview to The Today Show. Were you aware of this?”
My eyes narrow, and I shake my head. “I had no idea.” I shift in my seat because the silence in the room and their somber faces tells me something bad happened.
David reaches for the remote, and Neenah’s face appears on the television paused. He presses play, and we sit and watch the entire length of the segment. Damn, she looks great on camera. Her eyes are shining brightly, and the conviction in her voice about everything she’s saying makes me proud of her.
When it ends, David pauses the video. “Do you know this woman?”
“Yes. Her son attends my camp. He’s a very good soccer player. She’s also one of my neighbors. Why?” Now it’s their turn to shift uncomfortably in their seats. “What’s happened? Is she all right?”
Mr. Hauptman looks at David and nods for him to continue. David presses play again, and a local news report plays.
My jaw drops when I hear the lies coming from their mouths. I massage my forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Poor Neenah. Her worst nightmare is coming true.
When David shuts off the video and television, he turns to me. “Is this true?”
I refrain from rolling my eyes. Of fucking course not, but I can’t say that. I whip my head up and ask, “Which part?”
David sits forward on the edge of the couch about to speak, but Mrs. Hauptman interrupts him. “Ian, we’re all friends here. I can see you’re disturbed by this last video. Tell us what you know,” she smiles kindly.
“I don’t know much, and it’s not really my story to tell. I can tell you this isn’t a hoax or public relations ploy to gain the public’s trust back after my legal issues. We are not in league together. I didn’t even know the ‘anti-protesters’ were out there until I saw them that first day I left the complex, just like every other player. And I certainly didn’t take note of who was specifically demonstrating.”
“So, you’ve never spoken to her about the protest?”
“No, sir. She was late one day picking her son up, and he told me where she was, so I drove him out there to her. The only words we exchanged were situational with me explaining why I brought him out there. She thanked me then the media started volleying questions at me. So we both left. Separately.”
“And you have no relationship with this woman other than being neighbors?”
“No. We’re not dating, if that’s what you’re asking me.” He doesn’t need to know anything else that has occurred between us.
David looks at the Hauptman’s and haphazardly throws his hands in the air. “I believe him. We cannot be held liable for what protesters want to do or say about our organization, especially when it appears to be in support of our decisions. As it stands now, nothing that has been said is libelous, but I’ll keep my eye on it.”
Mr. Hauptman weighs in, “This seems to be a singular incident between this woman and the grievance these other people have with her. I’m inclined to remain silent, for now, and let Ian’s PR people handle it. Dear, what do you think?”
We all look at Mrs. Hauptman.
“As long as David agrees to keep his eye on the situation, I agree. These people are grieving for their loss, and I don’t want to make it any more of a spectacle than it already is.” She uncrosses her legs and leans forward, reaching for her teacup and takes a sip.
“Then it’s settled. Ian, have your PR people make an appropriate statement, but in the meantime, I’m excusing you from today’s press conference. I don’t want this story to overrun our match today.”
“Yes, sir.” I stand and shake their hands before exiting the room quickly, while my ass is still intact. Now, I need to secure a PR person. Damn it.
I leave the postgame handshake line after the match and race to the locker room to trade my spikes for my regular gym shoes. I leave just as the press is entering for victory interviews, needing to get to Neenah as fast as possible. I know she’s going to push me away, but she’s about to find out how stubborn I can be.
I pull directly into Neenah’s empty driveway and immediately begin to worry. The house is dark and still, with not even a safety light on. I sit on her back-porch steps and call her, but it goes straight to voicemail. I send her a text.
Me: Call me as soon as you get this.
I leave my car parked there and slip into my back gate, happy to be home. When I get inside, I go to my office and rummage through my desk drawer for the list of the players. I dial Donnie’s number.
“Hello,” he answers after a few rings.
“Donnie, it’s Ian Legend. Have you seen Neenah and Dane Wells? She isn’t answering her phone, and they aren’t home. I’m really worried about them.”
“Yes, I have. She threw her phone away at the airport. I put them on a plane to Minnesota. I’m on my way home now from there now.”
“Tossed her phone? A plane to Minnesota? Why is she going back there?”
“Well, it’s a long story that you’re going to have to get from Amy. She knows everything. I was watching the kids while they talked.”
“I’m coming over. I’ll be there soon.” I end the call and jump in the shower. Within thirty minutes, I’m pulling into their drive and park behind Neenah’s Jeep.
Donnie greets me at the door. “Hey, Coach. Come on in. I just got home myself. Amy’s in the dining room.” He leads me to her.
I take the seat she offers and start right in, not wanting to move about in general pleasantries. “Is she okay?”
“She’s pretty emotionally beat up, but she’s physically fine.” She smiles at me, but that doesn’t calm the churning of my gut.
“Donnie tells me you know the whole story?”
“I know what she told me. She didn’t preface telling me by saying not to tell anyone, but she was in a panic. So in being her friend, I’m going to ask you what you know first, so I don’t divulge anything I don’t think she’d want you to know. You have to play by my rules, Coach, or it’s a no go.” The look that passes between us is mutual respect. We’re both trying to protect this woman, but Amy is someone I don’t think I can play chicken with.
“She told me about her ex-husband. How he had the same condition as Dane, and when he’d become annoyed or frustrated with the world, he took it out on her and Dane. Despite what these people are saying, she does have proof of his abuse. I don’t know why his family doesn’t know this. She swears it was self-defense, and the court set her free after being in jail for over a year awaiting trial.”
Amy gasps, with not knowing that part. My headache is raging now, and I rub my temples.
She gets up and pulls a cold bottle of water from the refrigerator, sett
ing it down in front of me. I take a drink and think about my next words.
I’m going to have to reveal our relationship. I just hope Amy won’t tell anyone. “We, uh, Neenah and I, we became close.” I look her in the eyes to see if she catches my meaning, and she smiles. “I wouldn’t call it a relationship because she wouldn’t let it become one. She was always saying how she wasn’t good enough for me and that she’d ruin my career.”
“Her last words to me were about how she was torn up inside for leaving you to deal with this mess on your own. She said she’d warned you and pushed you away. She said you had a friends with benefits relationship,” she confides.
So, she told her about us. “It was more than that, at least on my side. I’ll take care of me, but I need to make sure she’s all right. I need to see for myself and talk to her. She isn’t picking up her phone.”
“She contacted her attorney back in Minnesota, and he advised her to come home. In essence, these people, Justin’s family, have threatened to take Dane from her by any means necessary. They have it twisted in their minds that since she killed her husband with his condition, that she’d do the same to Dane when she couldn’t handle his breakdowns any longer.”
I pound my fist on the table, and Amy jumps in surprise. “I’m sorry, but that’s ridiculous. She loves that kid with all her heart. I’ve seen him practically pull her hair out and knock the breath out of her all in less than a minute. When I tried to talk to her about it, she reminded me that I was not his father, and she didn’t want Dane becoming confused about me trying to be his father.” I clench my fists and move them off the table. I take slow, even breaths. We sit there in silence for a long period while I calm down.
“So, I called Maggie, her best friend and Dane’s old teacher. She owns the house next to mine that they’re living in. I was concerned that Dane would seriously hurt her. Maggie explained that a therapy dog would be the best course of action for when Dane gets uncontrollable, but she also explained how expensive they are, and that training takes time. I asked her to do what she could to fast track a dog with its training and that I’d pay whatever the cost to get Dane a dog now.”