Tear Down These Walls

by Sarah Kay Carter

  A deep chuckle comes from Kellen and vibrates her back. “Well, I was in the seventh grade and already taller than my entire class. I was probably as big as most freshman in high school.”

  “I must see pictures.”

  “Well, when I take you to meet my parents, my mom will spend hours showing you her scrapbooks,” Kellen laughs. “It’s her hobby.”

  “You want me to meet your parents?” Teagan turns to face him.

  “Of course, I told them all about you,” Kellen replies. “They’re elated that I met someone that I actually care about. My parents are the kindest people, but they still hated Celine. Needless to say, they are very eager to have her out of our lives.”

  Teagan turns around and looks at him. “Do you think she will want to see Kya?”

  Kellen shrugs, “I stopped by there to pick up Kya’s stuff. She just asked about when the money was going to end. Celine didn’t say anything about wanting to see her.”

  “She will,” Teagan states. “It’s her daughter.”

  “Well, Celine isn’t allowed in this house without me being here,” Kellen states, looking at Teagan. “She has no say so in my home. If you need to call the police because she is causing a problem, call the police.”

  “Can I just tase her?” Teagan giggles.

  With a big smile, Kellen says, “Sure, go ahead.”

  “I was joking,” Teagan retorts, rolling her eyes. “Let’s not talk about her. I want to hear more about you.”

  “Ah yes, my first fight. Well, that was with a freshman in high school. I don’t actually recall his name.” Kellen looks up. “Gosh, I should remember the poor kid’s name. I laid him out.” After a minute, he shrugs, “I don’t remember. What I do remember is that he was trying to push himself on this girl. She kept asking him to stop. He just kept pressing the issue and laughing. I pulled him off and said he needed to stop. He looked at me and scoffed. This kid turned around and grabbed at the girl again. Well, then I was pissed off. I grabbed him and punched him, which inadvertently knocked him out. My uncle made sure I knew how to defend myself…thoroughly.”

  Teagan smiles. “Well, the first time I ever punched someone, my boyfriend had to step in and finish it for me.”

  “He was more than happy to do that,” Kellen states.

  Getting a very serious look on her face, Teagan says, “I want us to amp up my training.”

  With a curious expression, Kellen asks, “In what way?”

  “I really want to know how to fight,” Teagan declares. “Not just defend myself. If someone is coming after me, I want to finish the fight. You can teach me that.”

  Kellen gives her a kind look. “Teagan, I know you’re worried.”

  “Kellen,” Teagan interrupts. “I’m serious. Either you teach me how to fight, or I go somewhere else to learn. I don’t want to live in fear because what if the Taser or pepper spray is knocked from my hand, or doesn’t work? What am I going to do?”

  He nods his head. “All right, we can get up early and start in the morning. It will be grueling.”

  “I don’t care,” Teagan replies. “I need to learn.”

  “You definitely have the right boyfriend to teach you that,” Kellen replies, rubbing his fingers down her arms. “I want you to know. I will do my damnedest to make sure nothing happens to you.”

  “I know,” Teagan sighs. “But I think this is a good thing either way. It’s awesome exercise.”

  Pulling her against him, Kellen replies, “I have some other good ideas for exercise.”

  “Mmmmm,” Teagan hums, putting her arms around him. “What new skills can you teach me?”

  In a throaty growl, Kellen says, “I can think of a few things.” With that, he pulls her down for a passionate kiss. Teagan moans and presses herself against him. It doesn’t take long before they are both panting. “This is why my getting in here was a bad idea,” Kellen exhales. “You’re supposed to be relaxing.”

  “I am…in your arms,” Teagan replies. “Do you know what relieves tension?”

  With a chuckle, Kellen says, “We need to get out of the water then.”

  “No, let’s stay in here,” Teagan whispers, maneuvering herself over him.

  “Teagan,” Kellen sternly retorts, holding her back. “We will talk about birth control, but I know all too well how easy it is to get someone pregnant.”

  “Okay, I will go to the clinic tomorrow after class,” Teagan murmurs. “We need to revisit this bathtub sometime soon.”

  Brushing his lips against hers, Kellen murmurs, “That sounds wonderful. For now, I am going to ravish you across every inch of this house.”

  A big grin spreads across Teagan’s face. “Across the house?”

  “Kya’s gone,” Kellen states mischievously, shifting himself against her. “We have the whole place to ourselves. I am going to use that to my benefit. Where do you want to start?”

  “Why don’t you come and find me,” Teagan teases. “I will make it worth your while.”

  “Do you want me to close my eyes and count to ten?” Kellen laughs.

  Getting into a squatting position, Teagan says, “Make it twenty.”

  * * * * *

  Kellen holds up the pad. “Right, left, kick. Got it?” Teagan nods. “Go!” She does the three movements. “Again!” Exhaling, Teagan punches and then kicks as hard as she can. “Good,” Kellen praises with a smile.

  “What’s next?” Teagan asks.

  “More of the same, but with your other leg,” Kellen declares. Teagan nods and holds up her hands. He grins at her enthusiasm. “I’m very proud of how far you have come in three weeks.”

  “Well, I plan to go back to my apartment soon,” Teagan states. “I need to learn as much as possible.”

  With a scowl, Kellen stands up straight. “Why would you do that?”

  Sighing, Teagan replies, “Celine hasn’t seen Kya this entire time. You know that Kya keeps asking for her. My living with you is going to confuse her.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way,” Kellen murmurs.

  “No, no, no, stop,” Teagan says. “I love you both with all of my heart. I just don’t want us to get in over our heads. What if we overdo it? We only started dating seriously for a little over a month now.”

  He nods. “I understand. I only worry about you being there by yourself.”

  “Kellen, I’m not going back to my apartment today. I know I am safe with you. I also know that you love me and how much I love you. It’s just that I am paying rent and not living there. My grades are slipping because I am preoccupied all the time,” Teagan sighs.

  “Kya bothers you a lot, doesn’t she?”

  Teagan smiles and shakes her head. “No, but she is a distraction. I want to play with her all the time. She looks at me with those big doe eyes from afar, and I have to put down whatever I’m doing.”

  “You can start studying in the office then,” Kellen suggests. “I will make sure she doesn’t come around you.”

  “Honey,” Teagan starts. “It’s not just that.”

  Kellen puts his hand on her cheek. “If you don’t like staying with me, I’ll put a guard on you when you are home.”

  Now, Teagan starts laughing and pushes her hair off of her face. “That’s ridiculous! Kellen, you have me all wrong. I LOVE living with you and sleeping next to you and having Kya wake us up at ungodly early hours.” She puts her hand on his chest. “I love that you can keep me safe; I love that you can kill someone forty different ways. I love that you are strong, but I want to be strong, too. I don’t want to live in fear. I should be able to stay at my apartment by myself and not be scared.”

  “I have to ask, am I overbearing?” Kellen asks. “Have I turned into that guy?”

  “No, not at all,” Teagan replies. “I would tell you if you were. Honestly, I want to be able to do it on my own, survive on my own. I don’t want to have to depend on you.”

  He nods his head. “Okay, let’s continue your training then. I�
��ll make sure you can kick ass.”

  “Good.”

  “Left, right, kick,” Kellen instructs, holding up the pad. “Ready?” Teagan nods. “Go.” With as much strength as she can muster, Teagan attacks him.

  Later that night, Teagan is chewing on a pen as she reads. The rattling of the office doorknob breaks her concentration. She looks up. There is more rattling and then, “Eggen!”

  She exhales and then stands up. Walking over, she opens the door. Kya is standing there with a huge smile. “Hi, Kya,” Teagan laughs.

  Kya grins even bigger and holds up a piece of picture. “Icture for Eggen!”

  “Wow!” Teagan exclaims. “That’s so pretty!”

  “Una-orn,” Kya declares proudly.

  “That’s the prettiest unicorn I have ever seen,” Teagan replies. “You should go show your dad.”

  “Icture for Eggen,” Kya states seriously.

  Squatting down next to her, Teagan says, “Thank you, Sweetie. I love it, but I need to study now.”

  “Study?” Kya inquires, with a confused expression.

  “I’m in school,” Teagan explains. “I have homework. I have to learn new stuff.”

  “Kya,” Kellen groans, coming up the steps. “I asked you nicely to leave Teagan alone.”

  With a smile, Teagan says, “It’s fine. I needed a little bit of a break.”

  “Dah-dah,” Kya squeals. “Una-orn!”

  “It’s beautiful,” Kellen replies. “But you and I are going to go downstairs.” He bends over and picks Kya up. “We’ll watch cartoons on the big TV.”

  “K!” Kya yells. “Bye Eggen.”

  Teagan smiles, “Bye, Kya.” Kellen rolls his eyes and turns to carry Kya downstairs. “I should only be another two hours,” Teagan assures him.

  “We’re going to the office in a little bit,” Kellen says. “I thought I would grab Chinese from that that restaurant that you like.”

  “Ooooo, lo mein for me,” Teagan chirps.

  He turns around. “I know. We’ll be gone for a while, so you’ll have some peace and quiet.”

  “Thanks,” Teagan says. “I have this big test on Friday. I need to ace it. I didn’t do so well on the last one. The night that I was supposed to study, I found myself wrapped up in a set of sheets.” She gives Kellen a devilish smirk.

  A chuckle comes from Kellen before he says, “I think it was worth skipping an hour of studying.”

  “You sir, are a bad influence,” Teagan snorts.

  “I know,” Kellen states nonchalantly. “We’ll see you later.”

  “Thanks!” Teagan calls out. “Love you guys!”

  “Luv ou Eggen!” Kya yells back over her dad’s shoulder.

  “I love both of my girls very much,” Kellen shouts, as he reaches the bottom of the steps.

  Smiling, Teagan turns back into the office. She shuts the door and gets back to studying. About a half an hour later, she hears the front door slam. Kellen and Kya can be heard outside. Biting back down on her pen, Teagan starts to reread a chapter. She is startled when the phone rings; she jumps. Quickly, she answers it. “Grayson residence.”

  There is silence and then, “Oh…..it’s you.”

  Teagan’s blood runs cold. Finally, she politely replies, “Hello Celine.”

  “So, you have dug your claws into him, huh? Spending my money?”

  With a heavy sigh, Teagan says, “Kellen isn’t home right now. Can I take a message?”

  “Where is he?” Celine demands harshly.

  “He’s out with Kya picking up dinner. Can I tell Kellen that you called?”

  “No, that’s all right,” Celine laughs. “I’m on my way over.”

  “He isn’t home!” Teagan snaps. She quickly calms down. “I’m not letting you in here, either. I’m sorry, but it’s what Kellen wants. You may not enter the house without him being in it.”

  “What say so do you have in it anyway?” Celine retorts snidely.

  Sitting up straight, Teagan says, “I’m currently living here, so I can make the decisions while Kellen is gone.”

  “You’re living there, in my house, with my husband and my daughter!?” Celine screams.

  After taking in a deep breath, Teagan politely replies, “I’m not trying to replace you. Kellen and I are very much in love. I also love Kya to death, but she is your daughter, and she has been asking about you every day. So, the question is, when are you going to see her because she misses you?”

  “I have been busy,” Celine states. “I will see her soon.”

  “It’s been three weeks,” Teagan sighs, rubbing her forehead. “Kya doesn’t understand you not being around. She has Down syndrome and doesn’t process things as quickly. You have to know that. She needs you Celine.”

  “What do you know about it?” Celine growls. “You don’t have any kids. You don’t have a retarded child.”

  Teagan stands up so fast, that the chair flips backwards. “DID YOU JUST CALL HER RETARDED!?”

  “Well, she is,” Celine says with a blasé attitude.

  “Come here Celine, come here right now. There is something I want to show you,” Teagan seethes.

  “Whatever,” Celine draws out. “Just have my husband call me.”

  Teagan centers herself and says, “Celine, you know very well he sent you the papers. He’s even leaving you with a little bit of money.”

  “It’s a ridiculous amount,” Celine scoffs. “I deserve much more than that!”

  “Let me tell you something,” Teagan replies. “The only reason you are even getting a little bit of money is because of me. It took a lot of convincing to get Kellen to give you anything. I felt that you shouldn’t be homeless. You are Kya’s mother. I just don’t think you’ll be able to afford the place you are in now. I can give you the number to the apartment complex I live in. Rent is pretty cheap.”

  “So, I can move into your crappy apartment and you can move into my gorgeous house,” Celine remarks back. “That’s ridiculous!”

  “Your marriage is over,” Teagan declares solidly. “What Kellen and I do is only our business, no one else’s, but to put your mind at ease, I’m not living here permanently. Hopefully, I’ll be going back to my own place in the next couple of weeks.”

  “He will grow tired of you,” Celine snarls, her voice wrapping itself around Teagan, echoing in her ears. “You just wait! I know Kellen.”

  With a smile, Teagan replies, “I think I know him rather well now, probably better than you ever did.”

  “Whatever.”

  “See, Kellen actually loves me. I’m sorry that bothers you, but I’m the first person he has ever loved. I plan to be in his life for a very long time. You’ll no longer be in the picture unless you want visitation with Kya,” Teagan states. “Now, I will tell Kellen that you called. Have a nice evening, Celine.” With that she hangs up the phone. Exhaling in relief, Teagan dials Kellen’s phone number.

  It rings and then he answers, “You’re calling me from the house phone?”

  “Am I on the speaker?” Teagan asks, as she picks up the chair.

  “No, we’re in the office,” Kellen declares. “Kya is running around with a flash light. I was thinking of hiding and jumping out at her, but I think she would cry for a week.”

  “That’s so mean,” Teagan laughs.

  “What’s up, or did you just miss me?”

  With a snort, Teagan replies, “No, your lovely ex-wife called here.”

  A groan comes from Kellen. “What did she say?”

  “Well, do you want to be annoyed or angry?” Teagan asks.

  “What did that bitch say?”

  Pausing, Teagan wonders if telling him the truth is a good idea. “She wouldn’t say why she was calling. We just got into it. Celine said she was on her way over, but I don’t think she really is. We got into it a little bit, and I told her I was staying here. Kya came up, and I told her she should see her. We went back and forth and then……”

  “And then wha
t?” Kellen asks seriously.

  “Then Celine called Kya retarded,” Teagan whispers. There is dead silence from Kellen for a few seconds. “Baby, are you still there?”

  “Yes,” Kellen states in a tone that sends shivers down Teagan’s spine. “If she shows up, tell her to get off of our property.”

  Sighing, Teagan replies, “Kellen, I really don’t have the right.”

  “You’re staying there. You’re my girlfriend. Teagan, you have every right to defend my daughter.”

  “Defend her?”

  Kellen lowers his voice and whispers, “I have continued to have Celine watched because I thought she was the one who trashed your car.”

  “What!?” Teagan gasps.

  “Yeah, that was my biggest suspicion, but she has shown no interest in following you or finding you. I honestly don’t think Celine would have a clue on how to find out where you live.”

  “That’s good….I guess.”

  “But in the meantime…well…I have discovered that she is a lot more into drugs than I previously thought,” Kellen murmurs. “Like, the hardcore stuff.”

  Teagan’s eyebrows rise. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah,” Kellen exhales. “I’m going to go for sole custody. I don’t know how much of this she was doing around Kya. Now I know why she needed more money.”

  “That’s horrible,” Teagan murmurs in shock.

  “So, honestly, I don’t want her around Kya,” Kellen states. “I know that’s going to hurt Kya, but I have seen what drugs can do to people. Celine has been driving to the bad parts of town. I really hope she never took Kya.”

  Sighing, Teagan says, “I won’t let her around her then.”

  “I would appreciate it. If she shows up, tell her to leave. If she doesn’t leave, call the police.”

  “All right, I will,” Teagan replies. “Do you think she is on her way over here?”

  “No, Celine is all talk,” Kellen declares. “Either way, we’ll leave right now. Dinner should be ready for me to pick up.”

  Teagan nods and says, “All right, I will see you when you get home.”

  “By the way,” Kellen whispers. “Kya’s birthday is next weekend. We need to come up with something exciting because her mom usually makes a huge celebration. One of the good things that Celine did, there weren’t many, but that was one of them.”