Astray

by Carlos King

  “She came into the living room with the proudest smile I ever seen on her face. She handed my dad a wrapped case with a red bow on top. He opened it and stared at it for a second. I wondered what he was thinking at the time. Before I could ask him if he liked it or not, he threw the watch across the living room, jumped up from the couch and shoved my mother into the wall so hard it cracked. I was frozen.

  “He started yelling at her, calling her all kinds of bitches and hoes and accusing her of cheating on him. She’s crying her eyes out, pleading that she’d never do anything like that to him. He called her a liar and claimed she must’ve been sleeping with somebody else in order to buy a watch like that. He went on to say that she only bought him the watch because she felt guilty about cheating on him. Then he started slapping her. I’m sitting on the couch thinking to myself ‘this isn’t happening’.

  She fell to the floor, begging for him to stop. He just kept kicking and stomping away at her like she was nothing. It was like he was possessed. I mean, he hit my mother before, but nothing like what he was doing that night. He looked like he was actually getting some kind of satisfaction from hurting her. I’m sitting on the couch in total shock. I didn’t do shit. I didn’t even cry. I think it’s because I knew my father hated when I cried, and I didn’t want to do anything that would redirect his anger on me.” Greg pauses and looks up at Alexis with tears in his eyes. “What a brave son I was, huh?”

  Sympathetic to Greg’s pain, Alexis reaches out and grabs his hand.

  “After a brutal kick to the side of her head her whole body went limp. My father didn’t sway an inch. He kept stomping on her. He finally got tired and stopped. He went into their bedroom for a while. I didn’t have a clue what he was doing in there and I didn’t care to know. I forced myself to get off the couch and go check on my mom. I sat down next to her and cradled her head in my lap. When I saw her bruised and bloodied face was I couldn’t hold back my tears. I just lost it. I mean, I was hysterical.

  “My father comes back out, drinking from a liquor bottle. He was acting like nothing had happened. He handed me a note and told me to give it to my grandparents. He kissed me on the top of my head and told me goodbye. He picked my mom up and carried her out the front door. Before he left out he looked back at me and told me to lock up behind him. That was the last thing my father ever said to me.”

  “Then what happened?” Alexis asked.

  “I sat in the living room all night, waiting for him to come back. I figured he had taken my mom to the hospital. After a few hours of waiting, I ended up falling asleep. I woke up the next morning to the sounds of the phone ringing. I remember thinking it was my dad saying that he was on his way home with my mom. It wasn’t. It was my grandma. She was calling to speak to my mom. When I told her about what happened the night before and how I was there alone, she got pissed. She and my granddad rushed over to find out what was going on.

  “It felt like she was knocking at the door as soon as I got off the phone with her,” Greg grinned. “My grandma was old school. She didn’t play when it came to her babies. I showed her the note my dad had given me. I didn’t know then that it was a suicide note. While she was reading the note a police officer showed up at the door and told us that my father’s car was spotted in a lake earlier that morning. Him and my mom were still inside. The officer said it looked like he lost control of the car and slid off the road. They declared it an accident. My grandparents never disclosed my father’s note to authorities. They knew that if it was ruled a suicide my father’s insurance policy would’ve been voided.

  “So you lost both of your parents on Christmas?”

  Greg nods.

  “That’s horrible,” she sympathized.

  “Yeah,” said Greg, staring at is cooling cup of coffee. “After that, I moved in with my grandparents. They did the best they could to make sure I got all the necessary counseling. My grandparents were well off. My granddad was a lucrative investor and my grandma was a retired therapist. They made sure I had everything I needed. I never really asked them for much, so a lot of the times they’d just get me things they thought I’d like. They tried their best to help me get past the horror of that night.

  “It turned out that my father had taken out a hefty life insurance policy on him and my mom. They both had hundred-thousand-dollar policies. A day after my eleventh birthday I received a check for two hundred grand at my grandparents’ six bedroom, three bath condo. I had money, a great place to live in, plenty of name brand clothes, dozens of new shoes, and all it cost me was my parents. But I would’ve gladly given it all up to have my mom and dad back. Even now, I’d give up everything I own to have them with me again. At least now I’d be able to protect my mom.”

  “God, Greg,” said Alexis, her heart melting.

  “My grandparents paid for my parents’ funeral out of their own pockets. They took the two hundred grand I received and put it in a trust for me. A little after I graduated I moved out and went to an out-of-state college. I got word the day before my finals that my grandparents had died in a car crash. They were T-boned by a semi-truck. They died instantly.

  “I was later informed that my grandparents had set things up so that in the case of their death their life insurance policies, all of their money and all of their properties had all been left to me. They even left me in charge of their investment deals. Needless to say, they both had somewhat substantial insurance policies…Somewhere around 500 grand each. To this day, I can honestly say that ninety-eight percent of my inheritance remains untouched.”

  “Wait, that would mean—”

  “Yeah. I won’t be hurting for money in this lifetime,” Greg confirmed, sipping coffee.

  “At least that explains the cars and the clothes. I started to think you were corrupt.”

  “No, I’m not corrupt,” Greg smiled. “I just manage my inheritance pretty good. I’ve invested in some lucrative businesses. And because I work fulltime there’s really no reason for me to dip into the trust fund.

  “If you balling like that then why are you busting your ass as a fulltime cop? I’d be sitting on an island somewhere having a drink,” Alexis playfully stated.

  “It’s the only way I could find peace with myself. After high school, I vowed that I would do something with my life that would enable me to help others. Law enforcement seemed to be the perfect fit. Not only would I be in a position to make a difference, but I’d also be able to carry a gun,” he joked.

  “So you became a cop to help people and not because of the constant adrenaline rush?” Alexis pondered.

  “Primarily. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a bit of an action junkie, too, but helping people is the main reason.”

  “And that’s why you’re so concerned about me?” she asked.

  “Sometimes when I look at you I see the same look in my mother’s eyes. That look of not knowing what’s going to happen to you from one day to the next…The fear of not knowing if things will ever get better.”

  “I’m sorry, Greg. I didn’t mean to mock you or bring up your parents the way I did…”

  “Don’t do that,” Greg told her. “There’s no way you could’ve known. Just like there’s no way I could’ve known about all the shit you’ve been through. Let’s just respect the fact that we both have experienced some crazy shit in our lives. Agreed?”

  Smiling, Alexis retorts, “Agreed.”

  Greg adds, “And I just want to say that as far as the shelter goes, I only did it to give you a fair chance at making a change. I’m not trying to be a hero or your knight in shining armor. I’m just trying to help.”

  Contemplating everything Greg has just told her, Alexis comes to a very difficult decision. She takes a deep breath and asks, “What time is my appointment at this shelter again?”

  CHAPTER 22

  A FRESH START

  Alexis is sitting in the office of the head counselor of the battered women’s shelter Greg referred her to. She was told the counselor would be
a little late for their meeting and was asked to wait. As she waited, Alexis began nosing around the office to help pass time. She observes numerous honorary certificates framed across the office’s walls. Upon a closer examination, she realizes that certificates were awarded to the shelter for its positive impact on the community and the women it’s helped. While Alexis was preoccupied reading one of the awards, a woman suddenly rushes in.

  “Hello there. I’m sorry I’m so late. Traffic was terrible. The one day I go out for lunch turns out to be the busiest afternoon rush of the year. You weren’t waiting long were you?” the exhausted woman asked.

  “Don’t worry about it,” said Alexis, taking a seat. “It was only a few minutes. No big deal.”

  The woman hangs her coat on the rack and makes her way into the office bathroom to wash her hands. All the while, she continues to make conversation with Alexis. It slowly dawns on Alexis that the woman’s voice sounds awfully familiar. She can’t quite place it at first and the counselor went into the bathroom before she had a good chance to see her face. But Alexis is positive that she knows this person’s voice.

  “I’ve been out of town on business,” the counselor continued. “A Detective Davis set up plans for your arrival through my assistant. Unfortunately, I’m not all that up to speed on your case. To be honest with you, I haven’t even had a chance to review your file. So I guess the first thing we should get started with is a formal introduction. My name is Marlene Hobbs?” The counselor walks back into the office and picks up Alexis’ file.

  Alexis’s eyes widened at the sight of the woman’s face. “Mrs. Hobbs?”

  Mrs. Hobbs stares at Alexis in a curious manner. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”

  Alexis is in total disbelief. After all these years she finds herself sitting in front of the only other person aside from Trina that had been more of a mother to her than her own.

  “You knew me a long time ago. You use to be my math teacher,” Alexis answered.

  Mrs. Hobbs stares at Alexis, trying her best to remember the young woman’s face. Struggling to recall who she is, Mrs. Hobbs recognizes a tiny beauty mark underneath Alexis’ left eye. “Alexis?”

  Alexis nods, cracking a smile. Mrs. Hobbs walks around her desk and approaches Alexis, smiling. She embraces Alexis in an extremely warm and affectionate hug. Alexis happily reciprocates.

  “Where have you been?” Mrs. Hobbs asked. “One day you were sitting in my class and the next day you were gone. I worried about you for the longest time.”

  “There were things I had to do that really didn’t involve school anymore.”

  The two separate.

  “Please, sit down. I want to talk about something.” The two sit down in two chairs located in front of Mrs. Hobbs desk. “I know what happened between you and Mr. Ellis, Alexis,” Mrs. Hobbs told her.

  “What? How did you—”

  “You weren’t the only one, honey. There were other girls just like you who went to him for help. He abused his power anytime he thought he could get away with it. One of the girls he abused made the brave move to turn him in. It happened a few months after you had left. The police put a wire on her and sent her back into his office to catch him. They got all the evidence they needed to bust his sick ass in one recording. In order to save his ass he confessed to all of his wrong doings and gave authorities the names of all the girls he abused.”

  “What makes you think I was a part of that?”

  Mrs. Hobbs continues, “The police began to covertly ask some of the teachers about a handful of students. Your name was one. I put two and two together.”

  Humiliated, Alexis tries her best to hold back her emotions of indignity and shame. Fighting through her feelings of embarrassment, Alexis asks, “I guess you already knew the truth on why I left then, huh? How much of hoe do I look like now? Sucking my counselor’s dick probably made me a real hit with all the other guy teachers, huh?”

  “It’s not like that, Alexis. Every man at that school wasn’t like Ellis.”

  “Yeah, sure they’re not,” she sarcastically retorted.

  “Look, the only reason I brought all that up is so you’d know why I was apologizing to you. I’m the one who told you that if you were having problems at home you should see your school counselor. I should have told you to come and talk to me. I’m so sorry, sweetie.” Mrs. Hobbs concluded with the upmost sincerity.

  “Don’t beat yourself up. It’s not like you knew what he was doing…You didn’t, did you?”

  “No, I swear. If I did, it wouldn’t have been the police who got him; it would’ve been me and my husband’s forty-five.”

  “Then don’t worry about it. I’m past all that now.”

  “That’s what we’re going to find out during your time here.”

  “What do you mean?” Alexis asked.

  “Well, this isn’t just a shelter that women come to just to escape their abusive lifestyles…It’s also a place where they learn how to better themselves. Come on, I’ll show you what I mean.”

  Mrs. Hobbs leads Alexis through the halls of the shelter. Although it isn’t a spacious building, it’s extremely neat and well managed.

  “So you work here and at a school?” Alexis asked.

  “No. After I found out about Ellis and what he did to all of those girls I left. There was no way I could stay there and continue to work in that capacity.”

  “That’s funny. That’s the exact same reason why I left.”

  Mrs. Hobbs continues, “I started working here shortly after I turned in my notice at the school. I wanted to help the girls who went through the same traumatic experiences as you. I wanted to give them a place where they could feel protected.”

  As they walk through the halls, Alexis pays close attention to how all of the female residents are interacting with one another. It’s nothing like how she expected it to be. It’s actually like nothing she’s ever seen before. She observes how all of the women seem to be the very best of friends. In one room she and Mrs. Hobbs passed by, there were a group of women watching a movie and eating snacks. In another room, one woman was teaching three others dance moves. And in the very last room, there were a group of women having fun with a karaoke machine.”

  “You see, Alexis. We’re all like one big family here. Some of the people you’ve seen haven’t been here very long. Others have been here for years. There are absolutely no men working here. We don’t want anyone abusing their power here. And unlike most places, we don’t force anyone out of the shelter. No one has to leave unless they’re positively ready to live on their own. You’ll find that this place is probably unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before.”

  “How much are the monthly fees?” Alexis asked.

  “There are no fees, honey. The shelter pays for everything. All we ask in return is that you don’t take advantage of the shelter’s generosity.”

  “How can you guys afford that?”

  “Well, it wasn’t always like this. Once upon a time, this was a place where you could only stay on a nightly basis and a lot of the times it was on a first come, first serve deal. When I took over a few years ago—”

  “Wait a minute…You run this place?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been in charge for almost three years now. It isn’t easy to keep this place open, though. That’s why I’m always away on business. I’ve been using federal aids and grants to keep this place open and now I guess they’re getting tired of shelling out money to keep ex-hookers and former junkies off the streets. It’s cheaper for the system to lock them up or let them die in a gutter somewhere.”

  “Will you have to close the place down?”

  “Not if I have any say in it. Hey, don’t you worry about none of that, Alexis,” Mrs. Hobbs smiled, wrapping her arm around Alexis’ shoulders. “That’s for me to trouble over…Not you. You’re only focus should be set on making a brighter future for yourself. That’s all I want you to do, okay?”

  Grinning, Alexis nods her head.
Suddenly, the sounds of someone singing sour notes from the room they’re standing outside of captures Alexis’ attention. She and Mrs. Hobbs walk into the room and see a group of six women having a cheerful time on the karaoke machine.

  “My goodness,” Mrs. Hobbs started. “Who’s in here butchering Al Green like that?”

  All of the women participating in the karaoke performance laugh at Mrs. Hobbs’ question. Mrs. Hobbs turns to Alexis. “You might have to go show them how it’s done, Alexis.”

  Alexis timidly responds, “No, thanks. My singing days are long behind me.”

  “You sure about that?” Mrs. Hobbs asked. “Don’t forget, I heard you sing before. The type of voice you have doesn’t weaken with age, it gets stronger.”

  “Mrs. Hobbs, is she one of the new girls?” one of the women asked.

  Mrs. Hobbs turns to the woman and answers, “Yes it is, Tisha. Everyone this is Alexis.”

  All of the women acknowledge Alexis, giving her a friendly reception. Alexis waves and thanks the women for the courteous response. Mrs. Hobbs turns back to the girls. “Excuse us, ladies, but I need to talk to Alexis for a moment.” Mrs. Hobbs escorts Alexis back out into the hallway and asks, “So do you think you’ll be able to stay with us for a while?”

  “It seems like a really nice place, Mrs. Hobbs,” Alexis answered.

  “It’s a very good place to be for those who need a positive environment to be around. We have a lot of different activities to take part in. This karaoke room is one. We also have a martial arts teacher come in a few times a week to teach self-defense to anyone who wants to learn. However, there are a couple of house rules that everyone must follow. Rule one, there is absolutely no fighting or aggressive conflict of any kind allowed within these walls. I know when you have a group of women confined to a limited space there’s bound to be problems, but when those problems arise, you bring them to me first. Then we’ll find a way to settle the issue like mature adults, understood?”