by Alesha Cary
"Shall I tell you about him?" Sarah asked her.
"No. Actually, it's better for me to just review this first without any input. I mean, I know you're concerned, and you said he got a little weird, but let's not color my interpretation just yet. I may ask you some questions for clarification, but give me a few minutes first."
Carrie started jotting down notes on a pad next to her. There wasn't a lot to go on, just the number, his name and his "Call Me" note.
Sarah sipped her wine and watched as the sun slipped totally behind the clouds at the horizon. The spectacular colors had already begun to spread across the sky. She loved the way the underbelly of the clouds picked up the pinks and oranges against the dark blue-gray of the tops. Sometimes the entire cloud turned brilliant hot pink. But tonight she got the benefit of both pinks and blues.
Carrie took off her glasses and set them down. She rubbed her nose and took a long slow sip of her wine. She turned to look at her niece.
"So... how well do you know this guy?"
"We went out a couple of times."
"But there's something about him that made you nervous or concerned? And that's why you asked me to look at his handwriting, right?"
"He was okay the first time we went out, but he got a bit too forward with me. He apologized and I went out with him a second time and that's when things got weird."
"Mm hmm. Sarah, you need to stay away from this guy. He has several things in his handwriting that make me concerned for your well-being."
Sarah looked at her aunt and raised her eyebrows. "So tell me."
"Notice that the first stroke on these small letters start way below the baseline? That shows that he has a lot of resentment - some that he may not even be aware of.
"Do you see this small tight circle here at the beginning of his capital T and the C? That indicates he has a lot of jealousy. He is likely to be possessive of those things that he thinks are his. "
"Oh, that's exactly how I felt last night. He was acting so jealous, like I belonged to him, but we've only been dating for a week or so."
"Did he exhibit anger? Did he pick a fight, or was he moody?"
"Yes, he tried to pick a fight with a guy at the bar because he thought the guy was flirting with me."
Carrie frowned and looked back at her notes. "See these kind of slashing marks here as the t's are crossed, sort of slanting downward and pointed? Those indicate someone who is very domineering, and the pointed end is kind of like a knife, indicating that the person can be cruel.
"The way he makes his small letter a's and c's shows that he has some anger towards women. It doesn't necessarily mean that he will fight with them, but he will always try to find one who is a challenge to him. So, that means if you try to hold him off, it just makes him want to be with you all that much more."
"So then, when I tell him no, it just makes him more determined?"
"Yes, that could certainly be one result. Why, has he forced himself on you?"
"Well, he started to get fresh, but I told him to stop. But he's still been too pushy with me. I don't like it. It makes me nervous. He just doesn't seem to want to take NO for an answer."
"Sarah, do you like this guy?"
"Aunt Carrie, I really wanted to. He can be funny and he can be charming - and he's even kind of exciting. But then he gets moody or angry or pushy, and that part worries me."
"I want you to promise me that you're going to stay away from him. He has way too much anger and resentment, and you don't need to become the focus of it. There are lots of other guys out there who will treat you nice, so there's no reason for you to stay in any kind of relationship with anyone who isn't respectful of you or your wishes."
Sarah nodded. She knew that her aunt was right. Now all she had to do was figure out how to get out of her date with Tony without getting him even more angry with her.
~ # ~
Sarah was putting away laundry from the day before when the phone rang. She glanced at the number and didn't recognize it. She reached over and picked up the handset.
"Hello?"
"Sarah. Tony. What time I should pick you up tomorrow night?"
"Tony, I don't think I should go out with you again. I'm not sure that we're well suited for each other."
"Sarah, what are you talking about?"
"Tony, I don't think we should see each other again."
"Sarah, you trying to dump me?"
"Tony. Please listen. I don't think I'm your type. I just don't think we should see each other anymore."
"Sarah," he said pleadingly, "Aww come on. It's not like I ever hit you or nuthin."
It was like red lights and warning bells all went off simultaneously in Sarah's head. Her heart started pounding wildly. O-M-G, did he really say that? Was that a threat - or was it a warning of what was to come if she stayed with him? Sarah was speechless. She hung up the phone.
When it rang a moment later, she refused to answer it. The phone rang another five more times that evening, but Sarah refused to even look at the phone, letting the calls go to voicemail.
If it hadn't been creepy enough before, this thing with Tony was definitely creepy now. She didn't think he would do anything stupid, but she couldn't know if he would show up at her apartment, and that was the last thing she wanted to deal with.
Sarah knew she needed to leave, and the sooner the better. The first person she thought of was her Aunt Carrie. She knew she'd be welcome as well as safe.
Sarah called and made arrangements to stay there over night.
Thank goodness she had a place to go. She'd figure out what she needed to do tomorrow. At least she'd be safe tonight.
CHAPTER SIX
It had been rough staying at her aunt's house the previous night. Sarah had appreciated having an option, but it was always hard to sleep away from home - no matter how comfy the sofa was!
She'd gotten to Aunt Carrie's around 8:30, and they'd sat talking until about 11 when they were both yawning so hard they could hardly keep their eyes open.
Sarah missed her family, especially her mom, and it was nice to have Carrie there with an older woman's perspective. Plus Aunt Carrie was very smart. She understood law, and she'd given Sarah advice not only about men, but also about getting a restraining order.
At first she thought that Aunt Carrie might have been over-reacting, but Sarah had her own misgivings, and she knew that Carrie was only looking out for her.
It had been a long day. She was tired and anticipated getting off early - even if she wasn't looking forward to dealing with the court system to take care of the retraining order.
Sarah was putting away the supplies in the storage closet when she heard a soft scraping sound behind her. The air in the room suddenly felt cold as she noticed the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
"Sarah."
Tony! Holy Shit! She froze at the sound of his voice. What was he doing here?
She spun around as Tony closed the door behind him.
She stared at him - not moving. He stared back, standing directly in front of the door.
Sarah forced herself to breathe as she felt the walls in the tiny room suddenly closing in on her.
"Sarah. Why did you hang up on me? Why are you being mean?"
"Tony." She said, trying to keep the terror out of her voice. "What are you doing here?"
Think. She had to think.
"I had to see you, Sarah. I had to find out what was wrong."
She was stuck. And there was nothing she could do. He was blocking her only escape. Don't make him angry.
"I told you. I don't think we should see each other," she managed to speak calmly.
"But I want to see you. And you know you like me. Why are you being difficult?" He raised his voice a notch.
Sarah was doing her best to stay in control of her fear. She wanted to run, but there was no way around him.
Tony took a half step towards her. She tried not to step back in reaction. The space was tight
here and she didn't want to give him any advantage.
"Tony, I'm sorry you're upset, but it's just not going to work." She eyed the door again, knowing that for the moment it was hopeless.
Tony grabbed her shoulders, forcing her into the shelves along the side of the room.
"Stop it!! Tony! I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to see you. Now leave me alone!" She tried to wriggle free.
"Sarah. You know that isn't true. You know you like me." He moved in closer, pressing his body against hers.
She could feel the cold metal shelves digging into her back.
Tony pressed harder, trying to cover her mouth with his. She jerked her head away from him and took a deep breath, shoving him away with all her might.
"Stop it! Stop it!" she screamed.
He fell against the boxes on the other side of the small room, causing paper towels and bottles of cleaning fluid to tumble down around him.
Sarah turned and took a step towards the door. Tony jumped to his feet.
"You bitch!" he grabbed her arm, this time forcing her against the wall.
"What are you, a tease? Why are you doing this to me? Who do you think you are YOU LITTLE SLUT? You're not that hot. You can't do this to me and get away with it."
Sarah was staring at him, unable to move. He was a raving lunatic!! What was SHE trying to do to HIM?
Her mouth was suddenly so dry she couldn't have spoken if she'd wanted to. Her breathing was shallow and rapid. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears.
Who was this madman?
She could see he was yelling at her now but his words didn't register.
All she could think of was getting out of the closet.
Getting away from this crazy man with the wild eyes.
Getting out NOW!
He had her arms pinned against her sides and Tony wasn't letting go. Sarah tried to scream but her throat was too dry and constricted - nothing came out!. She looked around wildly for some way to protect herself.
Right. In a room full of towels and disinfectant. She shuddered and closed her eyes tight.
~ # ~
Suddenly the door banged open.
"What's going on here!"
Sarah and Tony jerked their heads around.
THANK GOD.
Bradley! Standing in the doorway.
Sarah didn't know how or why he'd shown up, but her knees suddenly got weak as she realized how close she had come to being hurt by this maniac.
"Who the hell are you?" Tony demanded, his voice tight with anger. "This is a private conversation. Get the hell out of here."
He turned back to Sarah, shaking her. "Who do you think you are, bitch?"
"That's enough!"
Bradley took a step into the closet.
"You leave her alone. Now!" he commanded.
Tony glared at Bradley with narrowed eyes. "I'm warning you, stay out of this, it doesn't concern you." He turned back to Sarah.
"Oh, it concerns me. Let her go."
Bradley gripped Tony's arm.
The move startled Tony and he temporarily loosened the grasp he had on Sarah with his left hand.
She pushed away from the wall.
Tony turned towards Bradley, furious that his prize had gotten away. "What the hell is this? Who do you think you are, you punk?"
Tony shoved Bradley, trying to get at Sarah who was inching towards the door.
With Bradley there blocking her with his body, she felt strangely calm watching Tony. She had never seen anyone lose control like this.
Frustrated, Tony took a swing at Bradley, who moved out of the way.
Bradley swung back at Tony with the Mag-Lite from his belt. Tony was knocked back into the shelves again.
Tony let out a yelp and bent over holding his head where he'd been hit.
Bradley grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled her out of the room. He slammed the closet door shut, locking it with his key.
"You okay?" Bradley's eyes bored into her.
"I think so." She tried to smile at him, "My heart's racing, but not like it was before you got here. Thank goodness he didn't really hurt me."
"But he could have." Bradley scowled. "So that's the jerk you were talking about?"
She'd never really noticed how blue his eyes were before. But now he was staring straight at her, making it hard for her to think of anything else.
Bradley put an arm around her shoulders, guiding her over to the nurse's station. "Clara, call security. We have an on-site assault in progress."
Suddenly there was a pounding from the inside of the closet, along with muffled cursing.
Sarah started shaking uncontrollably. She stumbled over to a chair and plopped into it, bent down, suddenly overwhelmed by tears and trying to catch her breath.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Bradley crossed the hallway and crouched next to Sarah. He put his arms around her, and drew her head to his chest, comforting her.
Sarah drew a shuddering breath, trying not to feel foolish.
"It's okay. You're okay now. He can't do anything," Bradley told her softly. "Maybe you should go to the ER and get checked out."
"NO! No, not right now. Let me catch my breath and get calmed down first." The pounding and cursing continued and Sarah stared back at the locked door with a shiver.
"Do you want something to help calm you down? I'm sure we could grab a doc and get a prescription."
Sarah looked at him and shook her head.
The hospital staff was starting to mill around the area, looking at Sarah and talking quietly among themselves. She was grateful when Bradley waved Anna over to where they were sitting.
"Look, Security will be here in a minute. Sarah's pretty shook up. Can you get her over to ER? I want them to check her out and make sure she's okay. I'll stay here and take care of the report."
To Sarah he added, "As soon as I'm through, I'll come get you." She nodded.
He helped her stand up, keeping his arm around her shoulders. Sarah tried to smile up at him. He grinned at her. "Scoot - go get a clean bill of health. I'll see you soon."
~ # ~
Bradley stuck his head around the Emergency Room curtain. "How're you doing now?" Sarah was sitting on the exam table looking out the window. She was no longer crying or shaking.
At the sound of his voice, she turned and looked at him.
"Okay. Now. I'm sorry I was such a cry-baby out there." Her cheeks flushed red. "All of a sudden everything just hit me at once."
"That happens a lot in an emergency - especially once the danger has passed."
"Well thanks for being so nice about it. And, Oh My God, for saving me!"
He grinned at her, "Never could resist a damsel in distress." The smile dropped off his face. "Seriously, though, he had me worried. Sarah, what happened?"
She shut her eyes for a moment. With a big sigh, she said, "I was putting supplies away and all of a sudden there he was, behind me. He surprised me. Before I knew it, he had the door shut and he was demanding to know why I was being mean to him."
"Being mean?"
"I'm not totally sure - but I think because I told him I didn't want to see him again."
"He obviously had a different idea about that than you did." Bradley said with a scowl.
Sarah shuddered. "Lucky for me you showed up! How can I ever thank you?"
"How about if we go get a cup of coffee or a coke? You don't need to sit here any longer."
"Yeah, I was just waiting for you to show up."
"Did you get a 'script from the doc?"
"Nope. Not for me. I don't take drugs if I don't need to. I'll be okay, it was mostly adrenaline I think."
"No one would blame you if you decided to take something for your nerves after all of this."
"I think I'd rather just have a cup of tea, in our favorite in-house restaurant, of course."
"I think that could be arranged," he laughed. She hopped down off the table, grabbed her purse and they made their way dow
n to the cafeteria.
~ # ~
The cafeteria was empty at this hour. The day shift was getting ready to go home, and the night shift had just started. Still, they chose a table way in the back.
"So what'll you have m'dear? Coffee, tea, coke?" Bradley smiled. She could tell he was trying to make her feel better.
"Just a cup of peppermint tea, I think. Unless they serve a cold white wine," she grinned.
He laughed and headed for the counter.
He brought back a tray with a teapot, 2 large mugs, a couple of tea bags, and a plate of cookies. She smiled. The hospital made the best dark chocolate dipped shortbread cookies ever. In fact, she had to be careful, they were sooo tempting she could eat them every day!
They sat together at the table, quietly sipping tea and not saying anything.
Bradley was watching her intently. She was grateful he kept silent. For the moment she was content to just sit across from him, collecting her thoughts.
Sarah sat stirring her tea. She looked up at Bradley. He had a quizzical smile on his face. Then he looked down at her cup. She saw the teabag was totally tied up around the spoon like a lifejacket surrounding the stem.
She laughed, "I guess it's stirred enough," and proceeded to untangle the teabag.
"So what happened when they took him out of the closet?" she asked Bradley.
"He was pretty indignant. He kept wanting to see their badges and saying they didn't have a right to hold him since he hadn't done anything."
Sarah frowned. "I can't believe it. He had the guts to claim he didn't do anything? What a total loser!" She sighed, "I can't believe I ever went out with him. I guess that makes me a loser too."
Bradley smiled gently at her. "That just makes you someone who didn't see the warning signals. You're not the only person this kind of thing has happened to, you know."
"But that doesn't make it any less creepy. How do I trust my own judgment again?" she asked him, shaking her head.
"Well at least you won't have to worry about him any longer."
She gave him a puzzled look.
"Security made sure his head injury was okay and then they turned him over to the police. He'll be spending the next few weeks rent-free, compliments of the county."