Paper-Thin Walls

by Melanie Jones Brownrigg

  “Okay, it’ll only take me a few minutes, but we need to hurry. Bill will be home soon.” She struggled to climb to her feet, letting out several antagonizing groans in the process.

  “Let me help you,” I offered, reaching to grab her under her armpits.

  “Please don’t touch me. I don’t think I can take it.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, watching her painfully head for the door. “I’ll take you by a clinic once we’re gone. They’ll give you something to alleviate the pain.”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m clean right now. I can’t risk getting addicted to anything. I have to think of my baby.”

  I nodded my understanding. “Okay, hotel it is. But hurry. Like you said, Bill will be home soon.”

  The moment I locked the door behind her, I flew to the kitchen and grabbed some trash bags and then tore down the hall to my bathroom and began throwing toiletries in it as fast as I could. Tying the top, I raced into the bedroom and began cramming clothes in a second bag.

  Bam! A door slammed from next door. Bill was home.

  I froze in place, listening, fearing what wrath was about to follow.

  The heavy sound of Bill’s work boots took a few steps across the living room floor.

  “Kenna, where’s my dinner! Haven’t you learned your lesson yet?”

  All was quiet on Kenna’s end.

  “Kenna? Where are you?” The heavy treads lumbered down the hallway and into what I assumed was their bedroom. “What the hell are you doing?”

  I imagined Bill spied Kenna packing her things.

  “Bill, you’re already home? The time must’ve escaped me. I’ll fix your dinner in a flash.”

  “Are you packing?” He sounded shocked. Then it hit him. “You ungrateful bitch. Do you think you can just walk out on me? Is that what you’re doing?”

  “No, no … uh, I was packing up these clothes that I don’t wear anymore. I was going to take them down to the storage locker.”

  “Liar!” Heavy steps thundered across the room, and I ran for my phone, knowing I’d have to call the police. Kenna’s frail body wouldn’t be able to take another beating, and the baby wouldn’t survive it.

  “Please, don’t hit me,” Kenna screamed at the top of her lungs. “Bill, I’m pregnant.”

  My breath came fast, and my heart banged so loudly against my chest, I feared Bill would most likely hear it.

  “You’re what!!!”

  “We’re having a baby. Isn’t that wonderful news?” She tried to make her voice sound joyful, but instead she sounded scared to death.

  Silence. Holding my breath, I waited for his reaction.

  “Where are you going, then? Is it someone else’s baby? Have you slept with someone else? Are you going to your lover?” Two loud footsteps thudded forward. “Are you cheating on me?”

  “No, Bill. I love you, and only you. There’s no one else.”

  “Kenna, I know you ain’t got no family or friends, so where are you going?”

  “Nowhere, Bill. I told you. I was taking these clothes down to the basement. I need some bigger sizes … you know, for my growing tummy.”

  “Oh, okay. Well, get in there and cook my supper.”

  “Right away,” she said. Her soft footsteps shuffled past Bill and then led off to the kitchen.

  Slumping down on my bed, I replayed the conversation over and over in my head. Was he happy about having a baby? Was that all it took for him to leave Kenna alone? She had said he was a decent man up until a month or so ago. Maybe the idea of becoming a father had opened his eyes. I sincerely hoped so for the sake of Kenna and her unborn child.

  But could it really be that simple?

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Hailey

  Knowing Kenna wouldn’t be able to flee Bill’s clutches tonight, I unpacked some of my toiletries and placed them in a box, but left everything else bagged, just in case we needed to make a run for our life, literally.

  While I kept a close ear on my neighbor’s movements, I completed the tuna casserole I had started earlier.

  “Turn off your tablet and come eat, Adam,” I called.

  “Coming.” Adam crawled up in his chair and took a few bites. “That funny-looking girl from the scary dungeon was here, wasn’t she?”

  “Yes. She asked if we could help her. This weekend we’re going to look for a place to move. Most likely, she’s going to be staying with us for a short while.”

  He frowned. “Why can’t we go home? I want my old room back.”

  “You and I have already talked about this … remember?”

  “I know. But I want my Daddy … and not just on the phone.”

  “Daddy and I are trying to work things out. That’s why he sent me the roses.” I nodded at the flower arrangement on the center of the table. “But we might need a little more time.” I hated to get my son’s hopes up, especially if I followed through with the divorce. But sometimes, hope was all we had. “Please be patient with us, okay?”

  “Okay.” He sounded equally enthusiastic as Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh.

  We had just finished with our meal when Ryan called. “It’s Daddy,” Adam excitedly shrieked, hurrying to swipe the phone. “Daddy, Mommy liked the flowers and says you guys are working it out. I can’t wait to get back to my room.”

  I frowned, thinking it was pretty much what I had said. Admittedly, I found myself relenting and wanting to salvage my marriage. Would I be able to put Ryan’s indiscretion in the past and bury it forever? Or would it likely rear its ugly head over and over?

  After giving Adam a few minutes to chat with Ryan – telling his father all about his day at preschool – I joined in their conversation. “Thank you for the roses. They’re lovely.”

  Adam spun the phone around, bringing the roses into view. “Can you see them, Daddy? They’re so pretty.”

  “I see,” Ryan said with a chuckle.

  “They smell really good too,” Adam told him.

  “I’ll bet they do.” Ryan’s gaze landed on mine. “Have lunch with me tomorrow. You can thank me in person.”

  “Okay,” I agreed, surprising myself.

  “Great. I’ll come by your office, and we’ll go somewhere together.”

  After detailing the arrangements, Adam rattled on for a while longer while I did the dishes.

  “I love you,” I heard Ryan wrapping up his conversation with Adam.

  “I love you,” Adam echoed.

  “Tell Mama goodnight,” I heard Ryan say in closing. “And tell her I love her with all my heart.”

  “Okay,” Adam said, disconnecting the call. “Daddy loves you and said goodnight,” Adam relayed.

  A smile went to Adam and a warm glow went to my heart.

  ***

  While I read bedtime stories to Adam, I kept my ears peeled, listening for even the faintest signs of trouble coming from next door. But nothing ruffled the soundwaves, other than routine noises coming from the sound of dining, the din of dishes being washed, a TV show, and finally the flushing of toilets signaling my neighbors were turning in for the night.

  While the avoidance of anger and violence presented a pleasant picture, normalcy did not bode well with me when it came to Bill and Kenna. I wanted to be a fly on the wall to monitor Bill’s emotions. During their evening together, no congratulations were forthcoming. He didn’t ask how far along she was. His desire to have a boy or a girl wasn’t mentioned. And Kenna had been quiet as a church mouse.

  Nothing felt right.

  An uneasy feeling gripped my nerves. Adam’s room felt too far away. I needed him next to me so I could make sure he was safe. If I hadn’t purchased a twin bed, I would’ve preferred to have stayed in his room.

  “I feel lonely tonight. Would you like to keep me company?” I asked, hoping my shaky voice didn’t betray me.

  “I can sleep with you?” A pleased expression turned up his little lips.

  “Just for tonight?”

  “Yippy,” he sq
uealed, running to get Trumpet, then returning and crawling in first.

  After tucking him in next to me and waiting for him to fall asleep, I pressed my ear to the wall, hoping to find out what was going on. After another hour of complete and utter silence, unbelievably my ears met with the sound of Bill snoring. It appeared as if all was well in the Simpson household.

  Formulating a plan, I decided to wait until after Bill left for work and then I’d go get Kenna and take her to a hotel. Until then, there was nothing left for me to do, but go to sleep.

  Far into the late-night hours, a loud harsh bump awakened me. Sitting upright and listening quietly for further noises, my ears were tuned into the smallest of sounds. Adam stirred in the bed next to me, either because I had jumped awake, or the loud sound had woken him too. Fearing he might cry out and be heard by Bill, I soothed his back with the palm of my hand. Thankfully, he settled back into steady breathing while I continued craning my ears.

  My heart fluttered around, warning me that something terrible had just happened. It was too silent. Other than my son’s chest rising and falling beside me, there were no additional noises. Everything was deadly quiet, which unnerved me to no end. Usually there was the sound of the heater running, the fridge humming, or even a car passing by. But now there was nothing, as if everything fell between cycles.

  Rising from the bed, I planted my ear to the wall and listened intently. Generally, the paper-thin walls provided absolutely no sound barrier between me and my neighbors. But right now, nothing could be heard. As if my own rapidly beating heart was making too much noise, I held my hand over it just to mask the pounding in my chest.

  Give or take, some ten minutes later with still nothing happening, I tried with great difficulty to convince myself the sound was something coming only from a dream. But given Bill’s history, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something horrible had just happened.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Hailey

  Lying on my bed in diminished light, my heart was heavy with dread. “Kenna are you okay?” I whispered to myself, barely daring to breath. My thoughts went to dreadful places too awful to contemplate.

  While my mind ran rampant in dark directions, the denial side of my reasoning insisted it was most likely nothing. In an attempt at consoling myself and calming my ragged nerves, I reminded myself I had been asleep, and it might have only been a dream. And too, it could have been a rat. Despite my disclaimer of the vermin, I had spotted some new droppings on the pantry floor, not to mention the dead one found in the vent.

  Trying to curtail my fears, my brain replayed the noise. It could’ve been Bill’s feet hitting the floor to go use the restroom in the middle of the night that had startled me awake. Afterall, Bill wasn’t yelling. Kenna wasn’t screaming. Everything must be perfectly fine. It seemed I had only jumped to the worst possible conclusions. I just needed to relax and go back to sleep.

  When morning finally arrived and the alarm went off, I was already awake. My night’s sleep had been far from restful with only intermittent catnaps to pass the night. My head felt groggy, and the mirror reflected dark circles under my eyes. It took a mountain of energy to drag myself into the shower. It took even more effort to get dressed and prepare breakfast.

  Peering from my kitchen window, I noticed Bill’s truck was still in the parking lot, next to my silver Camry. I anxiously paced the floor, waiting for him to leave.

  “I’m ready,” Adam announced after brushing his teeth.

  “Give Momma a few more minutes.”

  Bill needed to go to work so I could collect Kenna. And too, I wanted to make sure she was okay. Fifteen minutes later Bill still hadn’t left his apartment. What the heck was going on over there? There had been a few noises, but no voices. Why wasn’t he saying anything? And wasn’t he late for work?

  “I’m ready,” Adam mentioned once more.

  “I know, sweetheart. Momma got us up early because I need to run an errand.”

  “Then shouldn’t we go do the errand?” my son astutely questioned.

  “We will, in just a few more minutes.”

  Leave Bill, kept going over and over in my mind. Knowing Bill hadn’t left yet, there was no way I had the nerve to knock on his door. Any other morning and he would’ve been long gone. Why not today? Just leave Bill.

  As the minutes slowly ticked by, I became more and more aware of my diminishing time. Adam had to be dropped off at preschool and there would be morning traffic to deal with. My job was too fresh to show up late. Besides, Carter had told me Ms. Davis had called him out, twice, for being late. I couldn’t risk the reprimand.

  “Okay, let’s go,” I finally said when time was of the essence. I’d have to figure out an alternative plan.

  Securing Adam into his child seat, I climbed in behind the wheel of my car and glared hatefully at Bill’s black truck right next to me. A light coating of dust covered the entire pickup and there were several items of trash thrown into the bed. It surprised me that someone so particular about his shirts could be so lax in keeping their vehicle clean. Peering up at the window to his unit, I cursed him under my breath. Pulling out and heading for Adam’s preschool, I prayed that Kenna was okay.

  Traffic was horrendous and I had to stop at every signal light. The elevator stopped on each floor. My watch had been checked too many times to count. When the 15th floor was electronically announced, I wanted to shove some up-and-coming professional out of my way.

  “Excuse me,” I apologized, sliding past him and scurrying down the hallway.

  When I pushed on the door to the Accounting Department, I all but ran for my workstation. “Good morning,” I announced, flying across the room and hoping my tardiness of five minutes wouldn’t be noticed.

  “Good morning,” James, Carter and Sarah echoed. Gazing across to Ms. Davis’ office, I sighed in relief, seeing her lights were still off. I had beat the boss. Thank goodness.

  Turning on my computer and punching in the passcode, I went straight to work, trying to take my mind off Kenna. Bill’s delayed departure into work felt wrong and the sooner I spoke with her, the better. If only I’d asked for her phone number, possibly a call would have put my mind at ease. Instead, I trudged through the morning, hoping everything was okay.

  During my morning break, I texted Ryan.

  Sorry, can’t make lunch. Rain check?

  Within two seconds, he replied.

  Are you blowing me off? I want to see you.

  Something came up. Need to reschedule.

  Fine, whatever.

  It was probably for the best that I cancelled lunch plans anyway. After being awake for most of the night, that picture of Ryan having sex with Shannon had repeatedly floated across my thoughts. Could he really be trusted?

  The moment lunchtime rolled around, I raced to my car and sped the distance back the Woodlands Pointe Apartments. Wheeling into the parking lot I gazed at the empty spot where Bill’s truck had been previously parked.

  “Good,” I muttered under my breath, realizing he had finally left.

  Locking my car over my shoulder, I struggled in my heels to hurry to the front door. Clomping up the stairs to the second floor, I trotted down the hallway and banged on Kenna’s door. Then waited.

  A full minute later with no answer, I banged again. And waited.

  And waited.

  “Kenna,” I yelled out, banging more loudly this time.

  Nothing.

  “Kenna, it’s me, Hailey … your next-door neighbor. Please come to the door.”

  For ten minutes I beat her door down. But the only thing I received in return was a sore fist. My fears amplified. Either she was physically incapable of getting to the door … or she was dead inside.

  Hurrying downstairs to Gladys’ office, I barged right in, not waiting for an invitation. Met with a thick cloud of cigarette smoke, I coughed and held back my gagging reflex. “Something’s happened to Kenna Simpson, and she can’t make it to her door. You hav
e to let me inside.”

  “How do you know something has happened?” Gladys asked, calmly taking a long drag on her cigarette and adjusting her bold Hawaiian shirt having a red background and giant green leaves.

  “She came over to my place yesterday and told me she was pregnant. She asked for my help because Bill has been beating her up. We were planning to go to a hotel, but Bill came home and caught her packing some clothes. Something must’ve happened. Please, you have to let me inside.”

  “Alright, alright. I’ll go up and look around.”

  Like a sloth, she dug around for her keys to the point I wanted to scream. Then she slowly climbed out of her chair and leisurely waddled her large butt to the door. Not hurrying in the least, we sluggishly made our way down the hallway where she rang for the slow elevator instead of taking the stairs.

  “Knee problems,” she explained while we waited for what seemed like days before the lift finally showed up and the doors crept open. Once we arrived at the second floor, she disembarked at the speed of a snail and then she wasn’t in any hurry to get to Kenna’s door.

  “Hey in there?” Gladys yelled, rapping on the door.

  “I’ve already knocked,” I told her. “We just need to get inside.”

  She ignored me. “Hello … yoo-hoo. Is anyone home? This is the landlord. You need to let me in.” She pounded her large fist again and waited.

  “Please,” I begged, my patience wearing thin.

  “Hold your horses,” she griped. Fitting the key into the lock, she twisted the knob and stuck her head inside. “Hello, this is Gladys, the landlord. Is anyone home?” She took a tentative step inside and called out again. “Hello. Is anyone home?”

  Unable to tolerate it any longer, I barged past her and did my own calling out. “Kenna, it’s me Hailey. I’m here for you.”

  The living room and kitchen were both visually empty. Fearing she was unable to get out of bed, I headed down the hallway.