Gifted Connections 01

by S M Olivier

  I placed two packages of chicken breast, pork chops, beef tips, kielbasa, and ground turkey into our cart. That would last us a week. I tried to do our shopping weekly.

  I told Ella which aisle we were headed to next and then I heard her quickly apologize. “I’m so sorry,” she said with embarrassment. She was pushing the cart, so I had a feeling she ran into someone.

  “It’s okay, it was a mistake,” I heard a familiar deep voice say as I rounded the corner.

  I winced when I realized it was Mr. Jace. I had seen enough of him lately. He was still dressed in his work clothes, and he had a basket in his hands.

  He looked up at me as I skittered to a stop. He had a gentle smile on his face moments before, but now he had his normal inscrutable look in his eyes. “Good evening, Blake. This must be your sister.”

  “Ella,” Ella chirped up happily. She wasn’t normally this outgoing, but I had a feeling she was harboring a little crush on him from the way she was looking at him.

  “Well, it was nice to meet you, Ella. Are you helping your sister and mom shop?” he asked kindly.

  I had a feeling he was just fishing, but I barely had a chance to warn Ella before she laughed incredulously. “Blake does all the shopping. Mom doesn’t like to.”

  I was glad she was able to censor her answer, but I still wish she hadn’t said anything at all.

  He gave me an assessing look, “What are you guys eating for dinner?”

  Once again, Ella was quick to answer. “Blake promised to make me chicken with cheesy potatoes.”

  “That sounds good,” he smiled kindly at her. “And here I was hoping to invite you to dinner.”

  She looked up at me hopefully. “Blake took me to breakfast this morning. We never get to eat out twice in one day.”

  “Well, if Blake is okay with it, we can go to dinner somewhere, your choice. I really don’t like eating by myself.” He was purposely avoiding my gaze.

  Once again, I was fighting annoyance. How dare he use Ella against me? To her, the request was a simple one. She had no clue that his concern for a student had turned into downright meddlesomeness. I wish he would just stop caring.

  “We aren’t dressed to go to dinner, and we have food that can go bad while we’re out eating,” I tried to shut him down.

  I should have known he would have an answer readily available. “We can pick up some Chinese and go back to my place. Then I can run you two back home so you’re not hauling groceries across town on the bus.”

  “I love Chinese!” Ella exclaimed. “Please Blake, please!”

  “We need to get your homework done,” I tried to deter her.

  “It’s done! So, we can go?” she asked excitedly.

  “I guess so,” I muttered knowing I was outnumbered, and I didn’t have the heart to tell Ella no.

  Chapter 4

  Mr. Jace’s house was everything I had expected it to be. It had stark white walls, dark hardwood flooring, leather couches, an oversized fireplace, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and floor to ceiling windows looking over an enclosed heated swimming pool and hot tub. I salivated at the baby grand piano in his living room. His house looked like a model home. It didn’t feel like it was lived in; the only exception was the pictures on the mantle.

  I went over to look at them after Mr. Jace said he was going to slip into something more comfortable. I saw pictures of him in various stages of adolescence with five boys and a girl. There were also several pictures of Mr. Jace and a guy that looked to be around my age. From his dark good looks, I assumed it was his younger brother. They strongly resembled each other, but there were slight differences. His brother appeared to have grey eyes, instead of piercing blue, and he was broader in the shoulders. He also had a dimple on his right cheek and laughter lines around his eyes.

  I wandered over to another photo where the boys looked younger, more somber. They were standing side by side in front of a tall brick building decked out in all white clothing that resembled a uniform of sorts. A strange feeling engulfed me as I stared at the picture. Something in the back of my memory seemed to want to break free…

  “That’s me and Jaxson, my younger brother,” Jace said from behind me, startling me.

  “Sorry,” I apologized. “Didn’t mean to snoop.”

  He grinned easily. I noticed he looked a lot more relaxed in a pair of Knightstown sweats and a black t-shirt that hugged his muscular chest and biceps. “They are on display for a reason.” He had a slight frown when he saw the picture in my hand. “That was the day we got out of the institute.”

  I looked up at him in surprise. “Like a mental institute?”

  He chuckled as the fine hairs on my arms stood on end. “No, nothing like that, but that’s a story for another time. Let’s eat!” He suggested.

  “Let’s eat!” Ella cried happily. She was patiently waiting at the dining room table next to the bags of food.

  I was highly curious what institute Mr. Jace mentioned, but I knew he shut down that discussion. He wouldn’t say any more until he was ready.

  Our whole trailer could probably fit in the kitchen and formal dining room, I thought as I sat down at the large dining room table that easily sat fourteen people.

  Mr. Jace had gone overboard with our order. He had ordered several appetizers like steamed dumplings, crab Rangoon, and spring rolls. Then he ordered quarts of lo Mein noodles, fried rice, sautéed broccoli, sweet and sour chicken, General Tso’s chicken, and beef and broccoli. For dessert, he ordered the little donuts covered in sugar. I didn’t see how we were going to eat it all, and he had refused any help paying for it.

  I served Ella first, as I always did, before serving myself.

  “So, Ella, what grade are you in?” Mr. Jace asked kindly. He had been engaging her in conversation all night, and I could see she loved the male attention. Her perception of men was worse than mine. She never knew a loving father as I had.

  “Second.” She smiled around a mouthful of noodles.

  “What’s your favorite subject?” he asked with a laugh.

  “Reading and recess,” she answered without batting an eye.

  We both laughed, much to her surprise; to her, her answer was perfectly logical.

  “Do you live here all by yourself?” she asked with wide eyes, taking a break from shoveling more food in her mouth.

  He smiled indulgently at her. “I do. Do you play an instrument as well? Maybe the piano?”

  Ella’s face fell. “No. Blake says if we ever find a keyboard at the thrift store maybe she’ll get it. Then she can teach me.”

  I winced inwardly. I had to remind Ella to watch her tongue. I didn’t want her giving away too much about our situation. She seemed to feel comfortable around him, but I wasn’t.

  Mr. Jace looked at me with one of his enigmatic looks. He was presumably processing this new information. How did I tell someone to back off before they did more damage than good?

  “I’m sure she will,” he told her reassuringly. “I’m sure she’s very resourceful when she wants to be.”

  Ella nodded with a smile. “She does a lot for me.”

  We continued dinner, and I found myself trying to steer the conversation to lighter topics. Mr. Jace seemed to finally get the picture and stopped probing. He was already pushing Ella to return so she could go swimming; she was extremely excited about this prospect. She never had the luxury of swimming on a daily basis as I had in the past. In fact, she could barely swim. I was able to take her to a public pool a few times over the years, but it wasn’t the same.

  It started getting later, and Ella was fighting exhaustion as I had for hours now. I was more than content, surprisingly, to curl up on one of the couches after dinner and watch Mr. Jace teach Ella the basics of the piano. It looked like she had the same natural inclination to it as our dad and I.

  “If you want,” Mr. Jace said to me. “I have additional bedrooms, and you’re more than welcome to stay…for as long as you want.”


  I shook my head. “Thank you, but no. Heidi wouldn’t like that.”

  I didn’t think she would notice, but I had a feeling Tom would compel her into action if we didn’t come home. He seemed determined to get closer to me; I hated him.

  “Can we have a sleepover please?!” Ella begged from her spot on the bench.

  I shook my head. “Sorry dear, you know how Heidi gets when she starts…worrying.”

  Ella’s face fell; she understood my secret code. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “Maybe some other time,” I suggested, even though I had no intention of ever spending the night here with my sister.

  Mr. Jace’s intentions were honorable, but he didn’t understand the full dynamics of our situation. He seemed reluctant to return us, and I knew it stemmed from wanting to protect us. Although, it still puzzled me why he had taken a special interest in us.

  I helped put away our dinner after declining the offer of taking it home. I didn’t want Heidi to think I had purchased all the food without bringing her any or allowing her to believe I had more money than I did−although I did. She would never know I had several hiding places for my money. I probably should open a bank account, but the few times I had tried to get one I was told that I needed a parent or legal guardian.

  Before leaving Mr. Jace’s house, I put Ella’s fruit snacks in her backpack along with some tuna fish packets, crackers with peanut butter, individual snack cups, and individual applesauce cups. In my own messenger bag, I placed some breakfast bars, protein bars, trail mix, rice cakes, pretzels, and a loaf of bread. The rest of the stuff I left in the grocery store bags.

  I could feel Mr. Jace’s quizzical eyes on me, but I shrugged unwilling to explain why I did it. The less he knew, the better.

  It didn’t take long for Ella to fall asleep once we were in Mr. Jace’s car. Once again I was enveloped in warmth and the smell of leather and citrus. I sunk down into my seat and sighed in contentment; the heated seat felt great on my back. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, and I had to tell myself not to get used to this.

  “Thanks again for dinner,” I said softly as he turned the radio on; soft music came from the speakers.

  “Anytime,” he spoke back quietly. “I just wish you felt comfortable telling me what was going on.”

  I looked over at him. “I can’t. The last time I trusted someone I was separated from my sister for almost a year.”

  “You can’t expect everyone to betray your trust. Maybe I can help you,” he said urgently.

  I shook my head, pushing my curly hair out of my face. “They really didn’t betray my trust−they thought they were helping me. They thought they knew what was best for us, but they didn’t. They had no clue how screwed up the system is.”

  Any hopes of going to bed early were thrown out the window the moment I walked through the door. Tom and Heidi were lounging on the couch watching television when we got home. Tom was only wearing his boxers, and Heidi was laying in her tiny underwear. I hurried Ella off to her room so I could deposit the groceries in the kitchen.

  “Where were you?” Heidi asked shrilly.

  “At the library,” I lied. “I have a project to complete for macroeconomics.”

  “Why didn’t you text me?” she asked suspiciously. She didn’t seem as high or drunk as normal.

  “I did. I don’t think your phone is on,” I replied. It wasn’t. I don’t think she paid her bill recently.

  That was one bill I refused to pay. I had one of those phones you paid for on a month to month basis and allowed me to have the basics. I even stashed one in Ella’s backpack with only my number stored in it in case of an emergency.

  “Give me your number,” Tom said shrewdly; he didn’t believe me either. “You can text me to contact her. A young girl like you shouldn’t be out this late on a school night with her younger sister.”

  I started to store our groceries, not sure if I really should give him my number. “Are you planning to stick around then?” I asked flippantly. “And it’s only…seven o’clock. Hardly late by any standards. Besides, if you guys were so worried about the welfare of a seven-year-old, I suggest wearing more clothing around her and keeping your sex and drugs in your room where she isn’t exposed to it.”

  I wasn’t expecting the attack that came from nowhere. I turned in shock as Heidi went to hit me with the broom once more; the handle striking me hard against the ribs. I winced in pain as she attacked over and over again. I tried to evade her, but she had me backed up into the corner.

  Heidi was gaunt, but she was still seven or eight inches taller than me. I was quick, but there really wasn’t any place to go.

  “How dare you question my mothering, you ungrateful whore! I should throw you out on the streets. You’re a nobody. You’re not even my daughter! You think you are so much better than me because you get good grades in school?” It appeared Tom had filled her in on the meeting at school earlier. “But you’re not! Your own mother didn’t even want you. That’s why she left you and your paranoid father. Both of you are—and were—crazy! You’re hearing voices and believing people are chasing you! Pack your bags and leave now! I know you’re hiding money from me. How do you expect me to live off fifty dollars this week? You owe me!”

  “Stop it!” I screamed ferally from within when I felt the broom strike me against my cheek. I knew immediately it would welt and leave a mark.

  As suddenly as the attack came, it stopped. I looked up with wide eyes as Heidi seemed frozen in place. Her eyes were shifting in panic, not knowing why she couldn’t move. I looked up in shock. I did it again.

  “What the hell,” Tom muttered looking between the two of us. I hated him more; he may not have been attacking me, but he hadn’t tried to help me either.

  I felt this weird energy humming through me. “Heidi suffers from…seizures sometimes. She’ll be fine soon.” I took a few steps toward her. “I am not going anywhere. When I leave I will be taking Ella with me. I won’t have her ruined like you ruined me. I won’t let her get molested by your boyfriends like I was. Get a job and make me her legal guardian.”

  With that, I turned and fled to our room, shaking. Entering our room, I looked on in horror at what was done the room—the lock had been broken off, and the room was in disarray. Everything was strewn across the room, and some of our stuff looked like it was damaged beyond repair. Ella was sobbing on the floor next to her broken ballerina music box I had given her last Christmas.

  “It’s okay, sweetie.” I gathered her into my arms. “I’ll get you a new one.”

  “But this one was my favorite,” she sobbed. “Why does she hate me?”

  “She doesn’t hate you.” I rocked her gently, trying to placate her. “She has a disease and she needs help.” Which was partially true—even if it was a disease of her own doing.

  “Can I sleep now?” she asked after a few minutes of sobbing.

  I brushed her hair from her red face. “Sure can. I’m going to clean this mess up.”

  “Can I sleep in your bed?” she asked in a tiny voice.

  “Of course,” I said placing a kiss on her forehead. “Good night. Sleep tight.” I whispered to her.

  “Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” She replied and attempted a smile.

  I was filled with despair and fury as I looked around my room. Heidi did this looking for money; she had flipped all the drawers out of my dresser; clothes were strewn everywhere. Little did she know, I had an envelope of money hidden under a self-made, fake bottom of one of the drawers. I gathered and folded our clothing, and put it all, plus today’s purchases, away.

  I then got our chair and put it in our open closet door and stood on it, reaching the door jamb; thankfully, my fingers found the taped envelope, and I breathed out a sigh of relief. I put Ella’s new sleeping bag on the top shelf of the closet and put our new shoes on our shoe wrack as I put away all the other shoes scattered about. I hung up our new coats and all the clothes that had been
ripped off the hangers.

  I went under Ella’s bed, lifted the mattress, and pulled out one of the supporting boards; the envelope was still attached to it. I put it back in place and fixed Ella’s bed back to how we left it this morning. Her quilt was well worn, and she needed new sheets. We had three sets of sheets that I had to stagger when cleaning them. I needed to go to the laundromat in front of the trailer park soon. I mentally made plans to go on Thursday— my only other day off this week.

  I dragged the chest out from out of the closet, unlocked it, and carefully pulled out the contents within. I was happy Heidi hadn’t tried to open this. My memory box, Ella’s baby blanket, my father’s favorite leather jacket, and a few other things of significant importance to me laid within. It was deep, but a secret bottom had been placed in it long before I purchase it at the thrift store. I added our food in there, leaving out some applesauce, pretzels, Yoo-hoos (Ella’s choice), and the ingredients for tuna fish sandwiches for our lunch tomorrow.

  Someone had started cooking, the scents were reaching my room, as I finished putting the room back to rights. It irritated me that she was already starting to eat the groceries I had purchased tonight. I would probably have to go shopping again before next week. She stayed home all day; she got money from my father’s inheritance and welfare for Ella; I had no clue why she couldn’t contribute to the food.

  “Everything okay? You’ve been having a bad week,” his soft voice intruded into my thoughts as I laid down in bed.

  “If you only knew.” I felt I was extremely vulnerable in that moment and needed his ear. Most times he just let me talk; sometimes that’s all I needed. “The wicked stepmom hit me again.” I placed a hand on my face. Now that I stopped moving I could feel the pain radiating down my body. “Her current sleazy boyfriend tried to undress me this morning. My well-meaning teacher and my counselor are attempting to lay out my whole future, but they don’t understand that I can never leave my munchkin. She’s the last remaining link to my dad.” I felt tears on my face; crying was something I rarely allowed myself to do.