Star Bright

by Christina OW

  She felt someone creep above her, it was the brunette from the cafe, “Your specials look very appetizing.” he said, smiling down at her. Maria shut her eyes tight, but they were forced open when she felt something hot and wet in her ear. She looked to her side, it was the blond, her captive who reminded her exactly why she hated men, “She must taste so good!” He whispered in her ear. She went cold with terror as the hands moved around her face and rubbed her lips roughly, “Yes she does.” a coarse, familiar voice spoke above her, she looked up to see Ricky’s disfigured face, his signature sadistic smile sent a chill through her, “I’m going to enjoy this.”

  “No!” She screamed as she lurched up in bed and jumped off it. Her hands moved all over her body as she traveled around the room like a person on fire, desperately trying to get away from the numerous hands touching her. She looked round the room in search of the three men, but the room wasn’t dark, it was empty. She stood in one spot as she slowly calmed down and did a three-sixty turn just to make sure she was alone.

  She was in Dave’s room, dressed in a very long shirt that could double up like a knee high dress. She couldn’t remember how she got there, but all that mattered to her was that she was in Dave’s house, in Dave’s room, and very safe.

  “It’s okay, everything is fine. It was just a nightmare, nothing more than a nightmare.” She still trembled at the memory of it. She sat on Dave’s couch and drew her legs up, tightly hugging them as she tried to get rid of the nightmare that seemed so real, her skin echoed how real it felt, and she could still feel the hands on her.

  The door opened and she jumped, she only relaxed when she saw it was Dave, “Hi.” The greeting came out as a shaky whisper.

  “Hi yourself.” Dave responded with a smile. He closed the door behind him and placed a tray on the dressing table against the wall, opposite the bed, “The kids are asleep.”

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s close to one.” he turned to her, his hands dug deeply into his pockets. He saw the fear in her face and how securely she hugged herself like a scared child.

  “In the afternoon?” Maria asked shocked. Dave’s watchful gaze made her release her legs and tuck them next to her under the long shirt. She wanted to seem at ease, but she still felt very shaky and exposed.

  “No, in the morning.” he wanted to move close to her, but he thought against it. If she was making an effort to cover herself, it only meant she was uncomfortable showing her skin and sitting next to her would only make it worse.

  “What are you doing up?” she asked, controlling the quiver in her voice.

  “I have work to do. I came home early from work because I wanted to take care of the kids while you rested.” He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but he still wanted to be close to her so he moved to the couch and sat at the arm of it, far from her.

  “You cooked?” she asked, inching away from him. All she could think about was the nightmare and how his voice faded away, leaving her alone.

  “Yes.” he answered proudly.

  “Poor kids.” she joked, pulling her lips up in a tight smile.

  Dave laughed, appreciating the effort she was making, “I used to cook in college. I just haven’t done so in a long time.”

  She stood up and made sure she was stable on her feet before she moved forward, “Tasting is believing.” she moved to the dressing table where the food was, “Anyone can cook pasta.”

  “I beg to differ, my roommate used to burn it, while it was still boiling in water.” he stood up and moved behind her.

  She turned to him and smiled nervously then turned back to the pasta. She picked up the fork with a shaky hand and almost dropped it. She tightened her grip on it, took a deep breath, then took a fork full of it and put it in her mouth.

  “Well, what’s the verdict?” Dave asked, moving closer to her cautiously. He was sure he saw her hand shake as the other was held tightly in a fist.

  “Pretty good, for hospital food. Don’t you have any spices?” She turned to face him, but took a scared step back when she saw how close he was.

  Dave took a step away to give her some space, “I thought Italian’s were the only ones who would hang a person for messing up pasta?” he kept his voice cheerful, intent on getting rid of the heavy tension in the room.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat before she spoke, “They would, but any cook would too.” she said moving past him, increasing the space between them.

  “Well then, I’ll leave the cooking to you from now on,” he moved towards the door. He didn’t want to make her anymore uncomfortable than she already was, “I’ll go back to work, you, after eating the food I slaved over, should go back to sleep.”

  “Wait.” Maria spat out with urgency, stopping him before he opened the door. She should have just let him leave, but she didn’t feel like being alone, “It’s a bit late for you to still be working. You’ll burn out.”

  “I want it all done before next week, I don’t want to risk missing the kids’ birthday party.” He reached for the door and opened it.

  She took a panicked step forward, “Do you want company?” she really didn’t want to be alone.

  Dave looked at her, stunned by the fear in her voice, “I’ll bring my work here, that way if you feel sleepy you can nod off comfortably.”

  “Thanks, I’ll just fix up the bed so you can use it.”

  “Eat.” he said, before he walked out the room.

  Maria looked around the room, alone again. She went into the bathroom and washed her face clean. Her eyes were red and swollen and her face felt puffy. She braided her hair back then put on her pajama pants. She wasn’t going to take off the shirt, it felt good wearing Dave’s clothes, especially when it smelled so much like him.

  She walked out the bathroom and found him sitting cross legged on the bed, his face creased seriously as he scribbled notes in a book. His lap top sat in front of him, papers scattered everywhere on the bed. She walked quietly across the room, picked up the tray of food and went to the couch. She ate the dull food quietly and watched him work, she was sure he didn’t notice her in the room. When he worked, he would get so engrossed, nothing else existed.

  She sat there watching him for close to two hours before she saw him start to fade. She stood up and moved to the bed, “You need to sleep.” she pulled all the papers, laptop and notebook to her side.

  “I still have a lot to get done.” He rubbed his hand over his face, feeling so exhausted. His body hurt and felt completely knotted up, he did need to sleep, but he couldn’t until he got everything put together.

  Maria pulled the covers down and straightened his legs under them, “How much do you have left to do?”

  “I just have to type my notes, but my fingers hurt.” he stretched out on the bed, glad to feel the comfort of the soft pillow under his head.

  “I’ll take care of it.” she said repeating his famous line. She covered him, tucking the covers around him.

  Maria then settled on her side and pulled the book and the laptop towards her. She chuckled softly when she saw his handwriting. It was completely like a woman’s, gentle, shaped and straight, even his scribbles were good. If she hadn’t seen him writing it, she could have easily concluded that it was Carol’s writing. She turned and looked at Dave’s peaceful face before she turned back to the laptop, “Let’s see how much of this I can get done.” She took to the keyboard and typed fast and frantically, silently thanking Edna for the night school secretarial course she had forced her to take once she found out she was pregnant with Michael.

  After a few hours and thirteen pages done, Maria massaged her fingers and her neck. She was sore and her back felt more like a stiff board than flesh. She wondered how Carol could do this kind of work on a daily basis and still afford to smile and be so jovial, one thing Maria was sure of, was that she was never going to be a secretary, except when she needed to be Dave’s home secretary.

  Waitress, mother, ‘wife’, home ke
eper and now home secretary, she was more useful with Dave than she’d ever been in her life, and as tired as she always was at the end of the day, she didn’t mind it at all. This was different, she wasn’t the bread winner, the slave, and neither did she bury herself in work just to avoid him. She was a human being, an equal partner, well, forty-nine percent, in the home and she was happy and Michael was happy.

  Michael was happy, that’s all that mattered

  She set the alarm to go off in an hour’s time, then she snuggled into bed close to Dave. She wanted to be closer, but she didn’t want to risk waking him up. She was a little stunned when Dave moved closer and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. She looked up at him from under his neck, he was still soundly asleep. She smiled then settled back on his shoulder, closing her eyes and enjoying their closeness. His were a set of hands she didn’t mind having touch her.

  Dave stretched out on the bed, his body feeling loose and rested. He couldn’t remember the last time he woke up without dreading to get out of bed. He turned to find the space next to him empty, Maria was up, probably making breakfast. He stretched out over her side and picked up the clock. He jumped out of bed and rushed to the shower, he was late for work, an hour late. He took a quick shower and went for the clothes that had been laid out on the couch. He was grateful Maria had thought of that, he only wished she had woke him up on time too. He looked around the room for his documents and laptop, they weren’t there, Maria.

  He ran out the room, down the flight of stairs and into the kitchen. Maria was standing by the stove cooking bacon, eggs and sausages in a blue bath robe, her hair damp and smelling of jasmine. Michael was at the counter eating his breakfast, already dressed in his uniform, Izzy was in her high chair chewing on a peanut butter and strawberry jam toast. Normally Dave would take the time to admire the perfect picture of his family, but he was late and had work to get done.

  “Maria why didn’t you wake me, and where are my things?” he stood behind the kids briskly tying his tie.

  Maria placed a full plate on the counter, poured some orange juice in a glass and set it next to the plate, “You looked too peaceful to disturb.” she licked the jam from her thumb and picked up her cup of coffee, “Good morning Dave, there is your breakfast.” she said with a smile.

  “Maria I’m late.” he shrugged on his jacket, “Michael is the only one who seems ready, and he will be late because you aren’t ready.”

  “Kids.” Maria said completely ignoring him, “say good morning.” then she raised the cup to her lips with half a smile.

  “Morning.” Michael said with a full mouth.

  “Hi.” Izzy sang out with a smile, waving the toast at him.

  Dave kissed the top of their heads, “Good morning.” then he turned to Maria impatiently, “Thank you for laying out my clothes, now I need to go to work.”

  “Eat your breakfast.” she said coolly, combing her fingers through her hair.

  “Maria, there won’t be any more breakfast if I get fired.” he moved round the counter to stand next to her.

  “I called Carol and told her you will be late.” she placed her cup down and pushed Dave to the stool in front of his plate, “Last night’s work is already typed and emailed to your office and Todd has been instructed not to start anything else until you get there.”

  Dave sat on his stool and stared up at Maria stunned, “I passed out before I finished, you tucked me in. Who made the calls and the emails?”

  “I did.” she said proudly, “I told you I’d take care of it.”

  Dave’s lips rose in a sweet smile, “You are awesome.”

  Maria shrugged her shoulder and returned the smile, “All in a day’s work. I’m going to get dressed.” She turned and left the kitchen with a new skip in her heel, “Your things are in the living room.” she shouted over her shoulder.

  “I already told you she was the best.” Michael turned on the stool to face Dave, “Now will you ask her to marry you? I’m tired of waiting.” he whined.

  Dave chuckled loudly, “I’m trying.” cutting into his eggs. Now that everything had been taken care of by super woman, the only thing he could do was bask in the warmth that filled him and enjoy the morning with his family.

  Dave walked into his office in less of a hurry than he was that morning. He found Carol and Todd sitting at his desk chatting and laughing, “Good morning.” he said as he walked to his seat.

  “Someone is in a good mood today.” Todd said, swinging on the seat.

  “Todd, stop that.” Dave said, sitting down.

  Todd stopped and looked at him, baffled, “You let Michael do it!”

  “Because he’s a four year old kid, and you are a thirty year old kid.” Carol jeered with a laugh.

  “That, and the fact that I like him better than I do you.” Dave added looking through the papers on his desk, “These are the documents Maria emailed you?”

  “Yes, I checked them and they are fine. You must have worked until the wee hours of the morning.” she stood up and moved round the desk to stand next to him, “They just need both your signatures.”

  Dave picked up his pen and started signing the documents, “Maria typed it out and emailed it to you.”

  “She’s really good.” and then Carol exclaimed, “You don’t plan on replacing me with her, do you?”

  “Careful Carol, he did replace Amy.” Todd joked.

  Dave glared at him for a moment before he turned his attention back to signing, “Maria has enough to do at home, and besides, I wouldn’t dream of replacing you. You and Maria make life pretty easy for me in the office and at home.”

  Carol’s expression softened, “Oh, you’re giving me a raise, you are so sweet!”

  Dave laughed and was saved from telling her no when the phone rang, “Carol, the phone is ringing.” She picked up the phone and held it to her ear.

  Todd’s expression became serious as he spoke quietly to Dave, “What exactly do you see in that girl?”

  Dave’s eyes shot up to him, “What do you mean?”

  “She’s nothing like Amy.”

  “Thank God.” he said, going back to his papers.

  “What I mean is, she’s not the type us rich brats get serious with.” Todd knew he was going into dangerous waters when Dave’s expression turned hard.

  “So you are saying she’s good to play with, but not to marry?” his voice was as hard as his expression.

  “Well yes.” when Dave’s jaw tightened he sat up quickly in the chair and rapped out, “She’s always in jeans, tennis shoes and shirts or tee shirts. Her hair is either in a pony tail, held back with a head band or left flowing down.... by the way she’s sexier with her hair down.”

  “Todd.” Dave hissed out, interrupting him.

  “What I mean is, she’s too simple, you and your family are very sophisticated.”

  Dave shot out of the chair, about to give him a tongue lashing and physically throw him out when Carol tugged at his shirt.

  “One moment.” she looked up at Dave, “There’s a Mr. Johnson here to see you. He’s on his way to your office.”

  Dave sat back on his seat, still very heated, but he had more important things to take care of. The PI was back, but he couldn’t imagine what would make him come personally to his office and not call him like they had agreed on, “Okay, will you two please leave us alone?”

  Carol put down the receiver and gathered up the papers on his desk, “Todd, you can sign these outside.” she spoke, leading the way out of the office. When she opened the door, the tall stocky looking Mr. Johnson was standing there with a stern look on his face. Carol jumped back frightened, “You scared the living daylights out of me!”

  “I’m sorry.” he spoke fast, “Excuse me.” he moved past them and stood in front of Dave, his expression unchanged.

  Dave stood up and looked at him, waiting for the door to close so that he could find out what hell had let loose in Maria’s life now. When the door close
d with a click he spoke, “What’s wrong?”

  “Ricky is alive.” he spoke quietly, approaching each word with caution. The woman Dave cared about was still in her nightmare and she had no idea. The worst of it was, the nightmare was going to get worse and was approaching fast.

  Dave stared at him with raised eyebrows, confused and bewildered. How could the police get it wrong? They were so sure he was burnt to a crisp and now the ass was still alive. His wonderful morning had just been ruined by the devil himself.

  “Dave.” the man spoke, drawing Dave’s attention back to him, “He’s here, in New York,” Dave clenched his jaw angrily and placed his fisted hand on the table, “We’ve moved from bad, to worse and now here comes the worst.” Dave’s eyes bulged as his eyebrows creased in frustration, “He’s the one who tore up the apartment.”

  Dave punched the desk hard, “Damn it!” he punched the desk again before he turned to look out his huge window at the river. This wasn’t just bad, it was the worst thing that could ever happen at the best time of their lives. Why didn’t he just stay dead? Michael and Maria were in danger, again. He turned and kicked his seat to the far wall, “Are you sure, how do you know he’s the one?”

  “The owner of the apartment is in the hospital, he was poisoned.”

  “Ricky.” Dave said with such venom the PI felt guarded. He was glad he wasn’t Ricky, because when Dave found him the burns on his skin will feel like caresses compared to what Dave would do to him.

  “I wasn’t sure who he was at first, but then the pieces starting to fall into place once I found his picture, prior to his disfigurement. I followed him here and that was the first place he went to when he arrived in the city. I went back there yesterday and spotted you and Maria leaving.”

  “Do you know where he is right now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does he know where Maria is?” Dave asked, the question coming out in a fearful quiver.