Star Bright

by Christina OW

  “Sharon is your new nanny. She says it’s six and she needs to leave. Mrs. Greer isn’t home.” she said Mrs. Greer with noticeable distaste. Dave gave her a cutting look, but he didn’t reproach her. He had two women in his life, his wife and his secretary and he was already at war with one of them and Amy was enough.

  He began packing his paper work but left them, he didn’t have time if he was to get home to his daughter, just in case the new nanny decided to leave. He picked up his jacket and his briefcase and rushed for the door, but Carol blocked his way and stared up at him with seductive eyes. “Please pack my paper work and put them on my desk. I’ll be back early tomorrow to finish up.” he pulled the door open wider, but she moved and stood smack in the middle of the door way.

  “Anything to make your life less stressful,” She raised her hand and wrapped his blue tie around her finger, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  Dave looked at her, tempted to throw her on the office desk and ravish her and just unknot his body. She was asking for it and he did need a good shag to relax, but his daughter needed him, “I’ll let you know,” he pulled his tie out of her hold and gently pushed her aside, “Right now I need to get to my daughter.”

  It took him eight minutes to get to the office parking, way too long for him. He pulled the car out and drove as fast as possible to his Manhattan home. All he could think about was the stranger taking care of his daughter and how instantly she could turn out to be a kidnapper. He resented his wife and how irresponsible she could be. This was one of the times he felt sure that she didn’t care about their daughter at all.

  Dave married Amy fresh out of college. They were in love, at least he was. She just loved the idea of being the wife of a future big shot lawyer, which he presently was. She had a law degree but she opted not to work, she wanted to have fun while she was still young and Dave was earning good money in his first two years as a lawyer. They traveled, went to exotic places, tried out new things, went skiing, mountain climbing and partied, they had a wonderful, never ending honeymoon. They were the ‘IT’ young couple everyone wanted to be, until she got pregnant, and then everything was shot to hell.

  She got completely hysterical when she found out. She didn’t want a baby, she didn’t want to get fat and loose her figure and she most certainly didn’t want to stop enjoying life to take care of a child. She said she was too young to be a mother at the age of twenty eight, which Dave found ridiculous, but he always chocked all her complaints up to hormones and the fear of being a new mother. Dave was scared too, but he was excited about being a father, he always wanted children and he looked forward to it. He only figured out that she was serious when a clinic called to confirm an appointment for her abortion. He got so furious, they fought the whole night about it, she got erratically fumed when she found out he cancelled her appointment. She threatened to leave him if he didn’t let her do it, he promised to have her arrested for murder and he would personally work the case against her and make sure she got twenty to life. She didn’t doubt he would, he’d managed to win cases that seemed impossible on several occasions. That marked the end of the argument and their relationship. She moved out of their room, and for the next seven months they barely even spoke.

  Once their daughter was born, he thought he would get his wife back, but he got just the opposite, a more resentful woman who hated him for chaining her down with a baby. From the moment she first held their daughter, he could see the anger and resentment she had for the infant and in that same moment, he stopped loving the wife he once worshipped.

  He pulled into his drive way to find a strange woman standing at the door. He got out of the car and walked towards her, praying that she was Sharon and not an eye witness to his daughter’s kidnapping. When he got closer she smiled at him, he just stared at her, not at all sure if he should return the smile or not. He did. Just in case it was Sharon. She must have met his wife and he didn’t want her to think they were both sore.

  “Mr. Greer?” Dave nodded waiting for bad news. In his line of work, there was always bad news. She extended her hand to him, her smile widened, “I’m Sharon.”

  Dave let go of a relieved breath and shook her hand, “Nice to meet you,” He looked at her properly, she looked sixteen, “Thanks for watching my daughter.” He ushered her inside and closed the door behind him. He caught her staring at him, a naughty gleam in her eyes.

  “I could stay a while until your wife comes back.” Her smile widened. She looked at him, appreciating what she saw. Dave was handsome and had a face that pulled attention to him. Amy used to say that his blue eyes hypnotized her, but she didn’t like the fact he had changed his brunette, boyish hair cut, to a more mature cut. She didn’t like mature. Dave was attractively tall and lean. He didn’t take the time to work out, but his eventful life kept him well in shape.

  He put his briefcase down and took off his jacket. He was too tired for another seduction attempt especially from jail bait, “How much do I owe you?”

  She swung on her heels and stared at him under her lashes, “How about I come back tomorrow and we can discuss that then?”

  “Before or after your parents get me arrested for statutory rape?” he smiled at her surprised reaction. He took out a hundred dollar bill from his wallet and gave it to her, “Thank you. Where is my daughter?”

  “She’s upstairs in her crib.” She picked up her jacket and walked to the door. Dave was about to go upstairs before she stopped him, “Mr. Greer, as a child speaking on behalf of another child, you need to find someone who’ll always be with Elizabeth. Your wife left the door wide open with a note pinned on it. It’s a good thing I got here when I did.” she opened the door and left.

  Dave stood there for a minute consumed with anger. He hated Amy more now than he ever did before. He rushed upstairs to his daughter’s room, she was sound asleep in her crib, looking like the little angel that she was. He felt guilty of how her mother didn’t love her, the only thing he could do was love her for the both of them. He wanted to divorce Amy, but he knew she would fight for full custody just to hurt him, then she would leave her with more strangers who might not turn out to be as good as Sharon. The thought of losing his daughter, to any one, especially Amy, was a nightmare he was not willing to live. There was nothing else to do and there was no visible option yet, apart from staying married to the witch.

  Chapter Three

  Maria watched Jane drive away before she went into her home. Edna was wonderful enough to take care of both their kids while they were at work. She went into her son’s room to watch him sleep, she loved doing that, it gave her the peace that she badly needed. She went to his bed and sat down next to him. Edna always said he looked like Miguel, but Maria could see some traces of Ricky and she hated it. He had his brown eyes, his chin and a stare that scared her when he got mad because she could see more of Ricky in it than her beautiful son, but the rest he got from her or Miguel.

  She reached down and kissed his forehead. He stirred awake and turned to face her, his fists rubbing his sleepy eyes, “Mama.” he whispered.

  “Hi honey, go back to sleep.” She pulled the covers higher under his arms. He stretched his arms out for a hug. Maria bent down and held her son tightly against her. She loved him so much, she was sure it was what kept her alive.

  “Sleep here with me please?” he sounded worried. Maria pulled him back and stared at him. The only time he asked her to sleep in his bed was if Ricky was drunk or he was scared, and there was only one thing that frightened him, Ricky.

  How long was she going to let her family suffer in the hands of that drunken mad man?

  She nodded, getting into bed and holding him tight against her, but it felt like he was holding onto her. She held back a sob and wiped her flowing tears away. She couldn’t let this go on much longer, she needed to find a way out.

  “Mama! Mama!” Michael shook Maria awake, yelling in fear. It only took the sound of his voice for her to know there was trou
ble. She scrambled out of bed and stood by her son’s locked door. She whimpered in fear as she watched Edna lean against it keeping Ricky from knocking it down. He was screaming for Maria, threatening to burn down the house if she didn’t open the door. Maria looked at her scared mother and her crying son, it took all she had to keep from breaking down. She didn’t doubt Ricky would carry out his threat, she needed to get them out of the house.

  With trembling legs she ran to the window and opened it wide. It was just a few feet to the ground, Michael would be able to reach it. “Baby come here,” she reached out for him, but he shook his head, “Michael please!” she begged desperately, very close to crying.

  “Grandma first!” He insisted. Maria looked at her mother and then at her son. He wasn’t going to budge unless she went first. Maria picked up his chair and wedged it against the door knob.

  “Open up you bitch! If I get my hands on you I’ll kill you!” Ricky’s hoarse voice rang from behind the door. The banging got harder and Ricky got madder, scaring Maria even more, turning her whimper into a muffled cry, she wanted to curl up in a fetal position and just weep, but she pushed the thought away. She needed to protect her son, if Ricky got his hands on any one of them he would kill them for sure.

  “Mama, go and take Michael with you!” Maria pinned her weight against the door just in case Ricky managed to break it down. Edna went through the window first, and then waited for Michael to help him out. When they were both out, Maria ran for the window, jumped out and ran to the car.

  Ricky appeared out of nowhere. He chased after them screaming and yelling. Maria ran faster, her energy fueled by intense fear, catching up to Michael and her mother easily. She scooped up her son and held him against her like a football as she ran, “Mama run faster!” she called out to Edna. She ran faster, reaching the car the same time as her daughter. She was in pretty good shape for a forty three year old. She cradled Michael while Maria drove like a mad woman away from their house.

  Ricky chased after the car for a while before giving up. They drove for a few minutes, then Maria looked into her rear-view mirror, she wanted to make sure Ricky wasn’t following them anymore. When she couldn’t see him, she pulled over and started crying. All the frustration, anguish and fear she had been holding inside finally made its way out. Michael quietly wrapped his tiny hands around her neck and hugged her head against his. This only made Maria cry harder.

  Edna got out from her side and went around to the driver’s side and opened the door, “Scoot over.” Obediently Maria moved to the passenger side and carried her son on her lap. He reached up and wiped her tears with his tiny fingers and smiled at her. He was the strong one now. Edna started the car and drove off fast. She gently touched Maria’s cheek before she turned Michael to face her, “Tell your grandma a joke.”

  Michael’s smile widened, already distracted by Edna, “Okay. Why did the chicken cross the road?”

  “It’s a traffic police chicken.” Edna answered with a smile.

  “No.” Michael laughed. He let his lock on Maria’s neck go, but kept one tiny hand spread on the side of her neck.

  Maria reclined her seat, leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to think about Ricky, she wanted to keep her mind blank and try to forget the scare they just had.

  “Honey what other reason could there be?” They had all heard this joke before, but there was no reason to steal the boy’s thunder, besides it was distracting him and that suited Maria and Edna just fine.

  “It crossed the road to get to KFC.” Michael answered. Maria opened her eyes and looked at her son. She had never heard this version of the joke before.

  “Why?” Edna asked pulling into Jane’s drive way.

  “Because KFC was giving life insurance.” He answered with a beaming smile. Maria and Edna laughed.

  “I have another one.” Michael bounced up and down on Maria’s lap.

  “Go for it.” Maria whispered her eyes glued on her son’s beaming face. She wished she was like him, capable of blocking out all the bad stuff moments after it happened. But was he blocking it out or bottling it up?

  “How many doctors do you need to change a light bulb?”

  “Two.” Edna answered him.

  “None. It depends on whether or not it has health insurance!” they all laughed. Maria and Edna hadn’t heard that one before either.

  “Do you get these jokes from school or Sunday school?” Maria asked him still laughing. She tried to remove his hand from her neck, but he held on to her tight. She looked at him worried, was he pretending to be fine just for her benefit?

  The laughter died when Jane stepped out of her house, with her baby in her arms. She’d heard the car pull up in her drive way.

  The reality of why they were here in the first place weighed heavily on them. Maria got teary again, but she held back crying until Michael was out of the car. Edna got out behind him. She took Jane’s baby and walked into the house with Michael in tow.

  Jane ran to the car and helped Maria out. She held her in a bear hug as she cried her heart out again. Maria felt the familiar itch that always came when she was touched, but she didn’t pull away, she wanted to be held, to be comforted and protected from her life.

  It was an hour before Maria felt cried out. She sank to the ground and sat down, her back against her Vitz, her head in her hands. Jane sunk next to her, and began looking her over for any sort of marks.

  “What did he do to you?” she asked bitterly.

  “Michael woke me up crying... mama was barricading the door...,” she stopped. A fresh trickle of tears ran down her cheeks. The thought of Ricky succeeding on catching up with them made her shiver with fear, “I can’t... I can’t take this anymore Jane, I just can’t.”

  Jane stood up and pulled Maria up, “You won’t have to. You are all leaving tonight.” she led Maria into the house and bolted her door shut.

  Maria stood anxiously at the window keeping a look out for Ricky. She knew he had already been to JJ’s and he was now out in the town searching for her. She felt a little comfort that he wouldn’t dare go to Jane’s house. He was too much of a coward to face Tom. Jane had asked him to stay home that day just in case Ricky’s alcoholic ego convinced him to stop by. Maria felt embarrassed about it, but Tom was too willing to do it. He had waited a long time to give Ricky a taste of his own medicine and he wasn’t going to miss his chance in delivering it.

  Maria picked up Jane and Tom’s wedding photo from the table and stared at it with longing. They looked happy and so much in love with each other, like they were halves of each other that needed to be together to live a full content life. She envied them, not in a way that would birth resentment, but in an empty wishful way.

  How she wished she had something like that, someone to love her unconditionally with respect and trust. Someone, whose hands would give her pleasure and comfort and not unimaginable pain. Someone who would make love to her with passion and not abuse her with sadistic enthusiasm like Ricky did. How she wished she felt the same excitement Jane did when she went home everyday to her husband and not the dread and fear she felt when she went home to Ricky.

  How she wished she was someone else.

  “Maria lets go.” Jane walked to the door and held it ajar. Maria looked at her, tangling her fingers, too scared to put a foot out and have Ricky attack her. “Don’t worry, Tom is keeping him busy in town.” a grin crept over her face.

  Maria smiled back, understanding what Jane meant. She just hoped Tom would break as many if not more of his bones as he did hers. But not even that made her feel secure enough to leave her haven. She could feel her nerves take control as a little voice in her head told her to lock and fortify the door and not to be stupid enough to put a foot out that door.

  Jane gave her a gentle smile, reading the fear in Maria’s eyes. She didn’t want to force her to go back to the prison she called home for years, but she needed help in moving all their stuff out and Maria needed to ta
ke charge of her life, moving out was just the beginning. “Maria, we’ll be in and out in five minutes, I promise.”

  Maria nodded and pulled her lips in a tight smile. She didn’t want to come across as a coward, but that’s what she was, a complete yellow belly. She fisted her hands at her sides and took a few deep breaths just to rush some life into her frozen legs.

  “Let’s go.” She walked out and went to Jane’s car. She wanted to get as much of their stuff as she possibly could before Ricky came back. She had some money saved up, but it wouldn’t last them long. The first thing she’d have to do when they got to their new home was get a job. She laughed at herself quietly, she was already planning a future when she wasn’t even sure if they would be able to leave their home, let alone the town, alive.

  “Wait, I’m coming with you.” Edna appeared from the back of the house.

  “Mama whose going to watch the kids if you come with us?” Maria asked feeling a little impatient. Tom may have Ricky busy, but she was still anxious. She wanted to get out of Jacksonville as soon as possible, while she still could.

  “They are hiding at Grace’s. I thought it best just in case he came around here.” She got into Jane’s station wagon. Maria felt a little relieved that she had one less thing to worry about, but that didn’t ease the anxiety she felt of going home and finding Ricky waiting for her with a shot gun. She felt she should have kissed Michael goodbye just in case they got home and did find Ricky waiting at the door with a shot gun.

  Jane drove fast, she too seemed anxious and it wasn’t helping Maria stay calm. After what seemed like ages sitting in the car jittery and biting her nails they got to the house. She waited for a few seconds for Ricky to spring out and run for the car, but nothing happened. She jetted out of the car anxious to get in and out as fast as she could. Jane and Edna were running behind her. Maria headed for her room, Edna went for hers and Jane ran to Michael’s packing only the essentials.