by RJ Heaton
Memories of us joking about Ethan giving me a push and long ride almost makes me burst out laughing, if I wasn’t stuck sitting here shocked yet again by my best friend’s mouth, I’m not the only one. If I could take a picture of Simone’s face right now it would be priceless.
Simone’s guffaw at Carrie's comment, “I highly doubt Ethan would waste his time.”
“On you? You’re right he’s moved on. I suggest you do the same.”
“I can’t leave you alone for five minutes.” Aaron’s voice booms behind us.
Bad timing—damn it. I feel strong fingers lay over my shoulder and a deep voice tingles over my skin. “Is everything alright?”
Simone’s eyes snap up to the masculine figure behind me. I lift my shoulder trying to shrug off his hand, but he keeps it firmly in place. I don’t want her to run and tell Ethan god knows what. I can see the thoughts twisting in her mind. She doesn’t know who Shad is to me. Everything’s fine,” I say.
The announcer starts in and Simone gives me one last glare before she turns to leave.
“Guess that’s my queue too.” Shad taps me on the top of my head and goes to where the rest of his pit crew are milling about.
Shad is a bulging gorilla looking for menace on a steel framed horse.
A majority of the other men geared with tall riding boots to their high shin, riding pants and shirts littered with logos of local businesses sponsoring their rider of choice ate significantly smaller in stature. Their lean tight frames move with agility and precision as they zoom over the dirt path. Watching the behemoth sized Shad on a bike shall be interesting.
I would have preferred to sit behind the fence with all the other spectators, but since Shad is part of the games he insisted we come down to what I’m assuming is the pits, near the track.
I look up to the left where the normal bike crowd sits above the track. Their view has to be a lot better than ours and maybe a bit quieter too.
Thirteen or fourteen bikes sit behind the starting line, The ground vibrates under my chair as all the engines spur to life in a cacophony of whining, loud whirls. The bikes rev with just a mere slight of their master’s wrists. Angry beasts coming to life hungry to tear and devour the track in front of them,
Ben had gone through a phase, bugging Sean and I for a dirt bike. I was against it. Personally, I think they are extremely dangerous and I wasn’t about to have my foolish son smearing his brains against gravel. Thankfully his desire to ride faded into non-existence once he met his first girlfriend … although, I’m not sure which was more dangerous.
The announcer’s voice breaks through a loudspeaker booming across the field. He begins welcoming everyone and starts reading off the names of the riders waiting for their chance to win. I edge up on my chair to try to see Shad wedged in amongst all the other riders. His bulky wide shoulders giving his position away, he turns his head and locks eyes with me just as I spot him. His face is partly hidden under his helmet, but I see his eyes squint and wrinkle at the corners indicating his growing smile. He lifts his hand to his helmet where his lips are hiding from view and extends his hand back towards me like his is giving me something. I inhale sharply. He just blew me a kiss. For whatever reason, I find myself returning the gesture. What the heck? Why did I just do that? Even from this distance, I see the light pass over his mesmerizing eyes.
And … they’re off with a plume of dust kicking up creating a giant wall
My heart beat takes flight as anxiety bites at my heels. There is a mix of exhilaration, adrenaline and worry as I see the bikes fling around the dirt track over and over. The height some of the bikes reach in the air is awe-inspiring. I pick out Ramp he’s holding his own. His bike rounds a corner and flies over a large pile of dirt. I inhale and hold my breath until he clears the jump landing on both wheels. My hand grips the side of my chair in anticipation of something bad happening. When his time is up I breathe easier. I would lose it if I saw him crash.
Twenty-one
“Nicole!”
I know that I’m a little sleep -deprived from staying out too late with Ramp, Carrie and Aaron, but I swear that I just heard Sean yelling my name.
“Nicole Cooper!” A loud booming crash from the other room startles me to a complete awareness. Sleep is now gone,
“What the hell Sean?” I hear Joe’s deep, authoritative voice echo down the hall. Another deep thud … thud.
Are they fighting? I push out of bed as quickly as my body will allow. I don’t worry that I am in nothing but my panties and a pink tank top. Something is wrong. I wheel to the door and slowly press it open. “Come out come out Nicole.” Icy fingers of fear claw their way up my spine clutching my throat. Sean, why is he here? It’s the middle of the night and somehow Sean has broken into Heather and Joe’s house. Very slowly I shut the door shut, and wheel back to the side dresser. For whatever reason, I send a quick text to the first person that comes to mind. HELP!! I should be dialing 911.
I take my phone and shove it under my leg and wheel myself back to the door. My heart is racing against my chest wall. The idea of hiding is ludicrous, he’d find me, and Joe and Heather should not be the ones to have to deal with my stupid ex-husband.
I push on my bedroom door praying it doesn’t make any noise in the process. There is enough space between the hardwood floor and the door that it doesn’t scrape along the flooring. I have enough space to peer down the darkened hallway. Everything is still.
CRASH
The loud sound causes me to shoot off my chair at least two feet, and my bludgeoning heart skips a beat. “Please, Sean, you don’t have to do this!” My knees weaken hearing the begging pleas coming from my sister’s mouth. I try to see where they are, but there is only a dim light illuminating part of the living room. I can’t see anyone until a shadow freezes me in place.
Never in the last twenty years of our marriage has my blood pumped so hard through my veins. The pulsing banging with each beat against my inner ear is making my head throb. Sean my soon-to-be-ex has never shown such violent tendencies. Right now, the guy is tenacious and I am scared out of my mind. I have no clue what his intentions are.
Heather whimpers loudly in the other room. From my vantage point, it’s unclear exactly where she is. “Darling dear, you don’t want me to hurt your precious sister, do you?” He has finally lost it. I need to get to her before Sean can hurt her or Joe, and I need to do it fast. A loud thud pounds against the wall making a ruckus, and then a sharp cracking and shattering of glass exploding into a million pieces echoes through the house. He must be demolishing the contents of the kitchen or redecorating the living room by knocking out windows. A lump as big as a watermelon forms in the back of my throat. If I don’t do something fast, he is going to keep up his destruction or seriously hurt my family.
In a snail’s pace, I inch forward trying to get a glimpse of the situation. It’s still too dark to get a clear picture of what’s happening filter feet away in the next room. I hold my breath as I round the corner to the main living area. I’ve never been an extremely brave person. I’d much rather hide under the bed than confront an intruder, this intruder I had once thought I had an in-depth knowledge of. The longer we’re apart, the more apparent it is becoming how oblivious I really was in our marriage.
The street lamp outside reflects through the living room where a large picture window overlooks the street—without a pane. Edges of pointed misshapen glass jut out at different angles, glistening sharp daggers threatening the dangers ahead. A wooden end table teeters on one ledge caught by one leg from clearing the window frame. Someone with only a lot of anger and rage could possible break-in and smash things to obliteration.
A dark mass lies on the living room floor in a heap. Instantly, I throw my hands over my mouth to conceal the gasp wanting to rip its way free from my throat. I grip my wheels and summon the strength to push forward. I scoot closer to the shadow laying flat on its stomach. Legs are crossed awkwardly and one arm lying out away f
rom the body stretched across the floor … lifeless.
“Joe?” I whisper trying to keep my voice as silent as possible. I desperately want to kneel down and check to see if he’s okay. My eyes scan over his lifeless body and I see a spot on the back of his head that appears to be bleeding. Sean must have hit him over the back of his head and knocked him out. I don’t visually see any other wounds and I don’t recall hearing any gunshots. I need to assess him, but if I get out of my chair to check on him I run the risk of Sean coming in and finding me in an even more vulnerable spot. I extend my foot out and gently place it on Joe’s back, and wait for a second. He’s breathing. I sigh in relief. That’s a good sign.
Another loud bang booms from the kitchen, and it draws my head in that direction. “Sean, please? What is it you want? We can get Nikki and all talk about this.” Heather is trying to reason with him, but he seems beyond reasoning with.
CRAP
Where’s Lexie? The thought of our daughter being in the house somewhere never occurred to me until this moment. She doesn’t need to be here with her dad like this, I couldn’t live with myself if he ever hurt her. Panic is an understatement.
I force my arms forward again, feeling every muscle flexing and pushing with urgency. This needs to end.
I wheel halfway into the kitchen. A lone light above the kitchen sink illuminates the room in an eerie shade of yellow. Sean is standing in the middle of the room with piles of broken glass and dishes at his feet. He grips a baseball bat with his right hand. He looks menacing with his hair disheveled, wearing a black T-shirt with a hole on the side and white ceramic debris clinging to the front of it. His brows are drawn together, his jaw set with a twitch showing just how angry he is and his eyes so dark and soulless. He stands there like a conqueror that just defeated a vicious battle. He has not defeated this battle.
Heather is huddled in the corner next to the toppled over kitchen table. Tears are pouring down her cheeks. She looks just as terrified as me.
I clear my throat audibly, so Sean will turn and look at me. His jaw relaxes and his lips pull up into a strange and very twisted smile. “I’m so glad you could join us.” He looks me over and it repulses me the way he looks at my bare legs. I have to keep him focused on me, though. I must keep his eye contact. I swallow hard and grip my wheels with such force my fingers turn white. Trying to stay calm in a frightening situation is a lot easier said—than done. My breath is uneven; my chest is burning from the rapid pressure thumping through my heart. I can do this.
“Do you know what I received today?” I shake my head no, afraid if I try to speak the words will come out in a croak.
He smirks, “divorce papers.” He’s in my sister’s house wreaking havoc because of divorce papers? I figured with him and Sarah announcing their wedding engagement, he’d be happy to get the divorce finalized. “Why are you doing this to me, Nikki?” I’ve known Sean long enough to know the hurt and pain that I see cross over his face.
“I thought you’d be happy?” I question. “I heard you and Sarah are getting married.”
Sean picks the bat up and hits the counter top with an explosion of rage. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this!” He roars with such extreme ferocity that Heather’s eyes bulge and she tucks further behind the table. I sit in place staring at him dumbfounded.
“Sean?” I take a steadying breath to try to calm my overactive nerves. “What did you expect me to do?”
His fiery eyes dull as he looks back at me, “You were supposed to come home. Not move out and leave me alone.”
I shake my head dejectedly, “Sean, you weren’t alone remember? You had Sarah before I got out of the hospital. You were the one who left me alone. I’m not going to play the wife who is ignorant. No way! I’m not turning the other cheek so you can go out and sleep with other women.” My breath hitches as I try to tone down my growing anger. “Look around Sean. What the hell has happened to you?” His eyes shift around the room, as he takes in his handy work. “This is Heather and Joe’s home and you came in like a two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. You threw things and broke their things. You’ve done a serious amount of damage, and what all because of divorce papers? Wake up! You’re getting married to someone else!” My voice grows stronger. So long I have been pushed around by this man. I’ve had enough. If he’s here to hurt me, then he better get it over with. I’m done playing games.
“Sean, you’ve lost your freaking mind. Go home! Go home to your fiancé. You and me … we are done.” I say resolutely.
“You’re mine, Nikki!” A dark gleam flashes in his eyes. I can see it now … if he can’t have me no one else can.
He mindlessly swings the bat across the floor, sweeping it back and forth in the rubble of debris. The idea of being beaten to death with a baseball bat does not seem like a good way to go. Actually, it would probably hit the top of my ‘don’t die like that’ list. My fear triples and the notion of self-preservation spikes. I inch my wheels back trying to give an ample distance between us, but Sean notices and steps closer. He wants to hurt me.
“Sean?” I plead. “What about our kids?”
“What about them? All you have done is poison them with lies to get them to turn against me.”
“Sean, I haven’t had too. Your actions have done a great job all by themselves. Do you think this; breaking into my sister’s house and destroying everything and then hurting their family will bring them closer?” His rationality has long left.
I move back again.
Sean lifts his leg to step closer. His eyes are so black and filled with a chilling cold. It causes ice prickling tingles to slide down my spine. Time stills as his leg hangs threatening in the air. I take a deep breath readying myself to dart back across the living room in hopes that I might just be a smidge faster. I grip my wheels tighter ready to peel out and a large mass comes out of nowhere and tackles him to the ground. Grunts and groans come from both bodies as they hit the floor. Cracking and clanking from the broken dishes turn to dust with bodies crushing them further with crackles… I’m speechless. His timing couldn’t have been any better.
A large fist rises and pummels into the side of Sean’s face. An odd popping sound and the distorted look on Sean’s face screams pain. Ramp doesn’t stop—blood splatters across the floor as he punches Sean continuously. I have never seen anyone fight like that. Sean’s body jolts and bumps with each bludgeoning hit.
I’m in shock this whole thing seems like a fictional story I’ve heard of men and women snapping and doing absurd things like … killing people, but Sean my husband of twenty years came here tonight to hurt me and my family.
Twenty-two
“Nikki, Nikki … are you okay?” The cloudy haze blocking everything from my view
starts to lift. A familiar outline clasps my face and speaks gently to me.
“Are you okay?” Shad’s concerned eyes search my face.
“I think so.”
I look down at my body—still intact. I find my sister crying and rambling on the phone.
Ramp looks over his shoulder, “She’s okay, Heather’s on the phone with the police now and an ambulance is on the way.” I nod my head in understanding as I look down at Sean’s motionless bloodied body; His hands are pulled back behind his body and zip-tied together.
“Is he?”
“No, he’s still alive.”
A flood of relief washes over me, no matter what Sean’s intentions were, I wouldn’t have wished him dead.
Joe stumbles into the kitchen holding a towel to the back of his head. Everything seems so surreal. I must’ve blacked out after I saw ramp start pummeling Sean. Unless time happened to just stop for me, and everyone else continued on without me. My head spins betwixt and between as red and blue lights flash through the kitchen window.
My mind is stunned as they drag Sean out to the police cruiser. The EMT argues with Joe that he needs to go to the hospital for stitches and probably a cat scan to make sure he doesn’t have a
skull fracture. Sean hit him hard over the head with a baseball bat. All of this is like watching a movie. The house is trashed and people are scared and hurt. It’s impossible to even put this all together. I take a shaky breath and head to the other room. Officers are everywhere. When an older officer sees me, he heads in my direction.
“I’m sorry for all of this.”
“Why, it’s not your fault.” He looks around the destroyed living room.
“Let’s just say you were lucky.”
“Thank god you texted me.” Shad agrees. “I would’ve killed him if he had hurt you.
“Do you think you’re up to answering a few questions?” I nod my head, more out of ‘yeah sure’ than because I want to.
It seems like forever before everyone clears out. The sun is up and shining into the open hole in the living room. “I need some air.” Instead of Shad pushing me outside, he reaches around me and lifts me in his big arms and carries me to the front porch. Gently he sets me down, so I can get a few much-needed gulps of fresh air from all the crazy commotion.
“You were smart to text me.” Shad sits down beside me and I enjoy the company. I can’t believe what a screwed-up mess tonight has been. I stare out at the front lawn and see the glass littering the grass. I feel like I’m having an outer body experience and I’m watching this from above. I may not come down from this.
We sit like this for a while. Shad mindlessly twirls my auburn curls around his fingers. It somehow relaxes me. I watch as a minivan pulls up to the curb, but my mind is still so fuzzy that it takes me a minute to realize who it is.
Ethan.
“Hey, what are you up to?” I nonchalantly ask.
“I thought I’d run over on my lunch break to tell you the good news in person.”
“Who’s this?” I look to my right and see Shad sitting closely next to me.
“Ethan this is my friend Shad. Shad this is my friend Ethan.”