Fatima never hesitated to sing her son’s praises. Lilly could still hear her bragging, “My son was raised well, bred for success. He is a fine upstanding man with great potential. Everyone knows Alex is a hero. He survived three tours of duty flying missions over Vietnam. He finished his career in the service as a decorated officer and came home to be the private pilot of a powerful international businessman. There is nothing he cannot achieve in his life.”
Her mother-in-law’s gaze fell on Lilly once or twice during dinner. Her thick mouth puckered when she looked at her. Lilly could read her thoughts by the sour look on her face, “This pitiful creature has tied herself to my Alex. She is so pale and sickly looking. What does he see in this weird girl?”
Lilly and Alex were married at the courthouse in New Orleans before she met his mother. This was an ongoing sore point with Fatima and the whole family.
Not long after their marriage, Lilly overheard his mother berating Alex, “You’ve only known her for four months! She is a nobody, some sort of Cajun half-breed from the bayou. She wasn’t a guest at the Gambino wedding, but part of the hired help. Furthermore, she is not one of us. She is not Italian and...is she Catholic?”
The thought that Alex’s wife was not a believer in the Holy Mother Church distressed Fatima even more. I thought you were smarter than this, Alex. I’m terribly disappointed.”
Alex had tried to defend her, “She wasn’t hired help, she was a musician at the Gambino wedding. You have to get to know her mother, she is a sweet girl and of course she’s Catholic.”
Lilly gasped as Alex lied to his mother. She wasn’t a Catholic. That was the reason they eloped to the court house. Lilly didn’t want to become a Catholic or promise to raise any children they may have as Catholics. Fatima’s next words proved she knew the truth.
“You are lying. A good Catholic girl would demand a wedding before the priest.” Striding to the door, Fatima made a rude noise with her mouth and slammed out of the house. Lilly overheard the interchange from the hallway. She knew it would take a lot to win over her new mother-in-law. She soon discovered there was no chance of winning her over, Fatima’s mind was made-up and her heart was closed.
~
Fatima rode home in the back seat of the Mercury. She shook her head back and forth as she spoke in low tones to her daughter, Angelina, “I hope this Lilly girl is not now and never will get pregnant. I think there is something wrong with her. It is so sad my heart is breaking for Alex.”
“Momma I thought you spent a lot of time with her. You two barely spoke tonight.”
Fatima heaved a sigh, “Speak? You think I want to speak to her? I spend time watching over her while Alex is away on his flights. I am telling you she is not right in the head. She mopes about the house, never even brushes her hair. I try to talk to her. I have invited her to watch my afternoon stories on TV with me. She mumbles incoherently and locks herself in the bedroom. Thank God Alex had the doors removed, at least I can keep an eye on her. I was afraid she would lock herself in a room and intentionally harm herself.”
Angelina looked thoughtful, “What do you mean you watch over her, she is a grown woman. Are you babysitting her?”
“Angelina, Alex is worried about his little Cajun nincompoop. I have to sit with her every time he is flying out of town overnight. Sometimes he is gone for several days. It is awful, I’m telling you!”
“Does she want you to be there?”
“I don’t know, she mostly snivels around, doesn’t say much, doesn’t do much.”
“You’re right Momma, there could be something wrong with her. I hope Alex doesn’t have any children with her. You will end up raising them.”
Staring out of the window for a minute, Angelina took a deep breath and spoke quietly, “Is there any way we can have her taken care of?”
Fatima inhaled sharply, “I’ve told you that life is over. Remember where revenge, secrets, and underhanded business got your father? He thought he was respected, the big important head of the Cosa Nostra. In the end, it made no difference. A gun to the back of his head blew his brains all over his birthday cake.
Alex was a child when we left the families. I walked away with you and my baby boy and I never looked back. I raised Alex to live a legitimate and safe life. I know Giuseppe’s boys taunted him and tried to pull him into thievery and God knows what else. I always took a stand and made sure my Alex did not get involved with the thugs Giuseppe raised.”
Angelina’s eye’s widened, “But momma, he did…”
Fatima cut her off in mid-sentence, “What you and your husband do in New Jersey is your business. Don’t bring your dirty business here.”
Angelina clasped her hands in her lap, shrugged her shoulders and reluctantly agreed.
Fatima made the sign of the cross, “I pray to the Blessed Virgin to protect Alex and send me no grandchildren from my retarded daughter-in-law. I hope the Virgin understands and it is not a sin.”
Chapter 3
Red High Tops
Lilly jolted awake when the closet door slammed. She peeked through one eye and saw Alex putting on his pilot uniform. For a moment, a swirl of muddy color surrounded him. Sighing, Lilly closed her eyes. Alex walked over to the bed and shook her shoulder. She kept her eyes closed as he explained, “I’ve had a call and I’ve got to fly. My momma will be here by 8 o’clock. You make damn sure you make my momma feel at home. I will be back in three or four days.
Lilly gave silent thanks he was leaving.
He was still standing over her shaking her shoulder, “Do you hear me, Lilly? Answer me!”
Lilly opened her eyes and nodded her head. He was about to say something else, when he glanced at the clock and exclaimed, “Damn, I’ve got to go.”
She lay perfectly still until she heard the car pull out of the driveway. When she lifted her head to read the glowing digits of the clock, it read 5:12 AM. Her head slumped to the pillow, and she curled onto her side and slid into oblivion.
A crashing noise woke her. She jumped out of bed, heart pounding, adrenaline rushing through her body. It took her a moment to remember Alex was gone. She peeked out the window and watched the sanitation crew toss empty metal garbage cans onto the cement driveway.
Her eyes flew to the clock. It was 6:45. She went into the door less bathroom and tried to run her hands through the matted mass of her hair. She dropped her hands and grasped the sides of the porcelain sink. The familiar tingle in her fingers began moving into her hands. Bitterly, she mumbled to herself in the mirror, “The tingling is getting worse. It may be nerve damage from Alex jerking me around. I’ve got to get away from him!”
Resolve and regret battled in her heart and mind, as it did every time Alex left town. She needed and wanted the resolve to leave, yet feared she would regret ending her marriage. A tiny flame of hope had burned in her heart, hope that the loving Alex she had married would reappear.
Turning the water on, she brushed her teeth, splashed water on her gaunt face and stared at herself in the mirror. A fit of shivering began and a moan escaped her lips. The purple bruise on her ear deepened to a darker shade beneath one eye. Gasping, she watched the red, raw finger marks on her neck, crawl to her cheek. With bulging eyes, she saw her small nose grow to twice its size. Blood poured from her nose mingling with blood oozing from a busted lip.
The tingling in her fingers grew in intensity, becoming painful buzzing electrical shocks. The strong sensation moved from her fingers into her hands and wrists. A rumbling deep in her throat, rolled into the back of her mouth and escaped as a roar of pain and anger. “This is not my future!” she screamed. A wave of energy propelled her out of the bathroom. Teetering between elation and insanity, she ran to the laundry room and grabbed a large wrench from the tool box. Returning to the bedroom, she went to work on the locked door of Alex’s forbidden closet. She held the wrench with both hands, lifted it over her head and slammed it down. The brass doorknob clattered t
o the floor as the door swung slightly open. She opened the door and crept into the dark closet; the miasma of Old English after shave, tobacco and a hint of jet fuel assaulted her senses. The combined odors, the ever-present companion to her pain and humiliation, paralyzed her. Tears sprang to her eyes, her throat closed and a thudding pain filled her chest.
Backing away from the closet door, she stood in the bedroom, took a deep breath, rubbed her tingling hands together, and momentarily freed herself from fear. Prepared for the olfactory assault, she stuck her arm in the closet and switched on the light before she entered. Breathing through her mouth, she searched the pockets of his clothes.
There was nothing, no money, no change. She collapsed onto the floor, defeated and spied the pair of red high top tennis shoes in the back corner of the closet. How unlike Alex to have old tennis shoes in his closet, she thought. I’ve never seen him wear high tops. She inched her hand slowly toward the red shoes and drew them to her.
She sat with the shoes in her lap, a frown furrowing her brow. The initials, A.D.C., Alex David Castiglio were written in black marker on the rubberized toes of the sneakers. Slowly, she loosened the shoestrings, pulled aside the tongues and found a thick white sock in each shoe.
With shaking hands, she pulled the socks out. The sock from the right shoe was filled with rolls of fifty dollar bills. The sock in the left shoe held thick rolls of hundred dollar bills. “Yes, Yes, Yes!” Holding the money filled socks in one hand, Lilly threw the empty red shoes into the back of the closet.
With the wrench in her hand, she ran to the front door and went to work on the lock. Splintered wood flew as she beat violently at the last barricade to her freedom. She heard the outside knob hit the cement of the front porch. The inside knob fell into her hand. She held it for a moment, turned and threw it across the living room. A satisfied cackle escaped her lips as the door knob smashed a hideous lamp, a wedding gift from Angelina.
Sweat ran into her eyes. She stared at the lock mechanism, screws askew, but still in place. She stuck the end of the wrench into the lock and jiggled it forcefully. The door opened. Lilly’s hand covered her mouth, “Oh my, God, Alex is going to be so angry. He will kill me for this. There is no turning back; I have to get out of here.”
Her body trembled and her mind raced as she made one phone call, slipped her feet into a pair of loafers, and buttoned her coat over her pajamas. Focused only on escaping, she grabbed a big black garbage bag from the kitchen and ran through the house. The two money filled socks went into the bag first, underwear, makeup, deodorant, her toothbrush, a pair of shoes, a dress, and random bits of clothing followed. The tingling in her fingers ran up into her hands and arms. The sensation moved through her body, down her back and into her feet. Her body vibrated and her heart beat wildly. She hefted the garbage bag over her shoulder, sprinted through the front door and down the driveway.
Shivering in the early morning chill, she waited for her cab. A slit appeared in the window blinds of her nearest neighbor. She knew the neighbors whispered and gossiped about her, averting their eyes when they saw her bruises, closing their windows when they heard her screams. Let them stare, this is the last they will see of me.
~
Fatima arrived and found the front door open at 8 AM. The house was a mess and her nincompoop daughter-in-law was gone. She roamed through the house, instinctively knowing this was not a robbery. The stupid girl had run off. She made the sign of the cross and kissed her hand, thanking the Blessed Virgin for her intercession. “Maybe my Alex will have a chance for a happy life with a loving wife and beautiful children.” Fatima called her brother-in-law, Giuseppe to come secure the front door. Her second call was to Angelina, to tell her the good news.
Chapter 4
The Power of Three
Hunching her shoulders, Lilly clutched her garbage bag of possessions close to her body and watched the hands of the black and white clock on the wall of the Greyhound bus station. Her panic grew as the minute hand jerked its way to 8 o’clock. Alex’s mother, Fatima, would be arriving at the house any moment. The hateful old bitch would call Giuseppe and his thugs to look for her. The bus station was the first place they would check.
There were three people ahead of her in the ticket line. She had no idea where she could go. Her first thought was to return to LaPoint to seek refuge with her family. She quickly vetoed the idea, knowing there would be no support from them. Rex would call Alex’s family and have them pick her up.
Panic paralyzed her as a shiny black Cadillac cruised slowly past the bus terminal and stopped at the red light. She couldn’t see who was inside, but the car looked like Alex’s Uncle Giuseppe’s. The traffic light turned green; the Cadillac drove away, and Lilly sighed with momentary relief.
The stench of sweaty bodies and stale cigarettes in the bus station, made her stomach heave. She rushed out the door of the terminal, crossed Tulane Ave through a wave of exhaust fumes and entered the University Hospital. It was quiet in the lobby of the hospital. She breathed in the crisp, clean air, seeking temporary refuge.
The volunteer behind the information desk directed her to a pay phone. Lilly stood, phone in hand, trying to think of someone to call. Who would care about her? Who would help her? Suddenly the damn burst. She dropped the receiver and leaned against the wall, her head in her hands, sobbing.
Lilly flinched as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to see a middle-aged nurse with a halo of fuzzy blond hair and kindness in her eyes. The nurse was speaking quietly to her, “Miss, Miss, can I help you?”
“No, no I’m okay, sorry,” Lilly stammered.
“You don’t look okay, honey. My name is Trudy. I’m a nurse here in the hospital. I’m on my way to the cafeteria. Would you like to join me for some coffee?”
Coffee sounded good. Lilly nodded her head and followed the nurse to the cafeteria. Her rapid heartbeat calmed once she was settled at a cafeteria table with coffee and a warm biscuit. A few sips of the hot, dark brew relaxed her chest and she was able to take a deep breath. The safety of the hospital cafeteria soothed the cacophony in her mind, I’m safe, sitting like an average person, talking to another woman. Sipping her coffee, she looked up into the concerned eyes of the nurse and remembered her manners. “Thank you for the coffee. My name is Lilly.”
Trudy smiled and said, “Happy to meet you, Lilly. Do you have family here in the hospital?”
Lilly’s face flushed as she shook her head.
“The way you were sobbing, I thought maybe you had family in the emergency room or a seriously ill friend.”
“No, I don’t have any friends.”
Trudy reached across the table and touched Lilly’s hand. Her eyes were filled with compassion as she studied Lilly’s pale face, and matted hair.
Lilly blinked away tears, “I’m sorry, I am a mess today. I don’t seem to be able to stop crying. I am sorry to disturb your coffee break.”
“No, no,” Trudy said calmly, “You are not disturbing anything. It looks to me like you’re in trouble, and I want to help.”
“Why? Why would you want to help me? You don’t know me. I could be a dangerous person.”
Trudy gave a short laugh. “I don’t think you’re a dangerous person, but it appears you have run into one. You want to talk about it?” A deep sob rose from the pit of Lilly’s stomach. Trudy gave her a napkin and patiently waited for her to speak.
Lilly blew her nose and raised her head, “I haven’t run into a dangerous person, I married one.” Today I escaped. He is out of town, but when he returns he will hunt me down. When he finds me, he will kill me. The problem is, I don’t know where to go or what to do. I wanted to escape, but I didn’t think it through.”
The nurse nodded sympathetically, “Sometimes, we can look to the past to give us a direction for the future.”
Lilly was confused, “What do you mean?”
“Well, what were you doing before you met Alex?”
“I had graduated from college and was playing flute with the Carrollton Baroque Quartet.”
“You’re a musician?”
Lilly nodded sadly, “I used to be, before...”
Trudy smiled and explained, “Whatever you have done in the past, you can do again. How long have you been playing the flute?”
Lilly’s face lit up as she explained, “I played in the high school band in LaPoint, majored in music at USL in Lafayette and auditioned for the quartet two months after I graduated. I was thrilled when they asked me to be a part of their group.”
“How long did you play with the ensemble?”
Unconsciously, Lilly looked up at the ceiling, searching for a remnant of her life. Unable to connect to her memories, she let her head fall forward as her hands covered her stomach. A flutter in her abdomen moved up to her chest and triggered the tingling excitement and anticipation she had experienced when she was working with talented musicians. Her memories were vague and confused but the visceral excitement she experienced as a professional musician was still there. Three years ago, she had owned her life, but the details of that time eluded her. Alex had thoroughly consumed the essence of her being, her own thoughts became drifting clouds.
“I didn’t play with the Baroque for very long. Alex didn’t like me being away from home so much. He said the rehearsals took too much of my time. I was tired of his complaints and guilty for disappointing him. I quit playing with the quartet. Alex put my flute away. I searched the house and the attic for months. I couldn’t find it. I haven’t played in over two years.”
“Nevertheless, Lilly, you are lucky.”
Jewel of Inanna (Perils of a Pagan Priestess Book 1) Page 2