Archstone Midtown West
250 W. 50th Street
New York, NY 10019
February 13, 2013
Dear Ms. Ellis,
It has come to our attention that you have a guest residing with you that is listed on the New York State Sex Offender Registry. As per the lease agreement you signed upon taking residency in 2009, management reserves the right to release a tenant from their agreement in instances they feel it appropriate for the safety of the complex in general. We are highly concerned with the look of impropriety having a known sex offender amongst our residents implies.
It is with deep regret that we must inform you that we are terminating your lease. You have until the end of this month to either vacate the premises or show that said guest is no longer residing at this location. If the latter, we will require an inspection prior to continuing your lease arrangement.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the contents of this letter please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Caldwell
Supervising Manager
Archstone Midtown West
Madison gasped and dropped the letter, standing immediately, a look of horror on her face. Hot tears immediately came to her. Andrew jumped up and went to her but she could not be consoled. She started breathing erratically as the reality of what was happening crashed down on her.
“Madison, what’s going on?” Andrew asked panicked.
“I...” she shook her head, “We’re being evicted.”
“Whaatt?” Andrew stammered.
“We’re being fucking evicted,” Madison shouted and stepped away from him, reaching for her phone, she started dialing immediately.
“Hey, Madison!” Jayden answered enthusiastically.
“Jayden, is your dad Elias home?”
“Umm, no, it’s a little early, he’s still at work,” Jayden answered concerned.
“Thanks,” she said hanging up.
Madison had forgotten all about the time difference. She immediately started dialing again while Andrew walked to the couch and dropped his head between his legs. This was his greatest fear coming to fruition. He felt the walls closing in around him as his past reared its ugly head yet again; informing him that it would always be there to destroy anything good he might have. He listened as Madison asked for Mr. Bennett.
“Hello?” Elias said a few moments later.
“Mr. Bennett, this is Madison. I hate to bother you at work but I just received a letter from the manager at my apartment complex and they said that they are terminating my lease because of Andrew. Is that legal? Can they do that?” Madison rasped out in one long breath.
“It could be, read me the letter, Madison,” Elias stated firmly.
Andrew watched as she began reciting the contents of the letter to Mr. Bennett. She was clearly upset and he understood why, he was upset as well. He suddenly felt a buzzing in his pocket and reached for his cell phone.
J: Andrew, WTF is going on?
A: The apt found out I’m on the registry, they are saying we have to leave.
J: FUCK! You guys need to just come back here, damn it!
A: well, one of us definitely should
J: Call me, NOW!
Andrew sighed and stood up, glancing at Madison once more before walking into the bedroom and shutting the door. He sat on the bed and raked his hand through his hair. He didn’t want to do this. Jayden was his closest friend but at the same time sometimes he didn’t see things clearly. No one did, well, Randall understood but he wasn’t around anymore. He shook his head before dialing the familiar number.
“What the hell are you talking about, Andrew?” Jayden asked immediately.
“It’s... She doesn’t see it.” Andrew replied exasperated.
“See what?” Jayden queried, having a feeling he knew where Andrew was going with this.
“She doesn’t see how just being with me is messing everything up for her, her job, her apartment. I’m... I don’t know. I think it would be better if I wasn’t here.”
“NO!” Madison screeched from the entrance of the bedroom. “No, it would not be better,” she said through tears.
“I’ll talk to you later, Jay,” Andrew said, hanging up before he heard Jayden’s goodbye.
Andrew turned to Madison who was breathing heavily in the bedroom doorway. He reached his hand to her and she willingly came to him. She couldn’t speak, as he pulled her tightly against his chest where she sobbed almost violently. He ran his hands soothingly up and down her back before laying them on the bed. He held her closely until her tears finally subsided.
“Please don’t talk about leaving,” Madison whispered, her voice coming out rough from her tears.
“I love you,” he deflected as his lips found hers.
“Andrew,” Madison pleaded but her pleas were lost in his fervent kiss, she pushed him back slightly, needing to talk and not get sidetracked by their always present need for one another. “Andrew, please, you need to talk to me,” she pleaded once again, this time with more force.
He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. “Don’t you see, Madison?”
“No, I don’t see, please explain it to me because I don’t know in what universe you leaving me could possibly be a good thing,”
Her anger was coming to the surface. She couldn’t believe that he could easily talk about leaving as if she had no say in any of this. Andrew’s eyes shot open at her tone and his brows furrowed in response. He lifted her off of him and got up.
“Bad shit will continue to happen as long as I’m around.”
He immediately started moving back and forth from one end of the room to the other. She watched as his hands moved rigorously through his hair. The muscles in his shoulders flexed and moved as his hands squeezed and tugged at his hair. His forehead creased and his eyes were so dark, almost black with the rage that was bubbling within him. He stopped moving and stared at her.
“What do you think is going to happen, Madison? Do you think that you and I are going to somehow find a place to live, together?” he spat out angrily.
“Yes,” she nodded while sitting up on the bed.
Andrew shook his head, trying to hold back the eruption that was about to happen. “Well, you’re wrong, Madison, because every place we go to will do a background check and when they do that, they are going to see SEX OFFENDER and deny us immediately. And if you just put it in your name I will still have to give my new address which means that any damn body can look up that shit and we will be right where we are now.”
He was yelling, loud enough that her neighbors, if they were home, could probably hear him. She admitted she was a tad frightened. She had not seen him this upset in a long time. She knew that he wouldn’t hurt her but she feared for him and what was going on in his mind at the moment.
“Andrew...” Madison started to say but was cut off.
“I will always be treated by people as less than, but honestly I can handle that because I really know that I am,” he stated fuming.
“Andrew...” Madison started to protest again but he raised his hand to stop her.
“I am, Madison. And no, I’m not trying to put myself down. I’m stating the facts. I am a drug addict with no education and no real work history. I have been homeless or in jail for most of my life. I don’t dress nice or talk right.”
He raised his hands to his hair again, needing to occupy them before he threw something across the room, which was what he wanted to do but inherently knew that he shouldn’t. He took a long deep breath as he stared at the beautiful woman on the bed who he knew loved him unconditionally. She couldn’t see what was happening. She was blinded by her love for him.
“I can fight and I can fuck. That’s what I’m good at and I’m sorry but that just isn’t going to cut it in your world,” he said eerily calm. He raked his hand through his hair once more as he turned towards the large window. “Don’t you think it’s time to cut yo
ur losses?” he said with a sigh, refusing to look at her.
Madison frowned and jumped up. She brought herself flush to his back, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his shoulder blades. His breathing was rough and his heart was pounding as he rested his hand over hers. She couldn’t believe what he was saying. How could he possibly think her life would be better without him in it?
“I love you so much, Andrew, and I know you don’t believe it right now, but everything is going to be okay.”
He shook his head. “You’re being naïve, Madison,” he said sadly.
“Maybe I am, but I believe in you and I believe in us. Everything else is just meaningless without you. You awakened me, Andrew. I can’t even explain how much joy and happiness you bring me. I had all those things you think you lack and my life was dark and empty but now it’s full of light. You’re my, Helios, remember? You bring me the sun,” she pulled him tighter against her. “I would willingly give all of this up for you because you are worth it to me and honestly, baby, I would rather be poor with you than rich without you.”
He huffed and squeezed her hands. “Everyone says that until they have nothing, which is exactly what you will have with me.”
“Andrew, baby, I can’t even comprehend my life without you in it. We will work this out. Mr. Bennett is going to contact the manager tomorrow and see what’s going on, and if we have to move, then screw it, baby, we move but we do it together,” Madison said passionately.
“Together,” he muttered half-heartedly.
Madison could hear the doubt in his voice and moved in front of him, looking into his melancholy face. “Yes, Helios, together.”
He leaned down and tapped his forehead against hers. “I love you.”
Madison felt the tears threatening again. “I love you, too,” she said in a gasp as she leaned up to kiss him, feeling his lips mold to hers.
He lifted her up and brought her to their bed, laying her down. She immediately pulled him on top of her, needing him, and wanting desperately to reassure him that no matter what happened they belonged together. She needed him to understand that they were stronger together than they would ever be apart. She pulled away from their kiss and grabbed his face in her hands.
“Whatever happens, we do it together.”
Andrew nodded hesitantly before he brought his lips to hers. They kissed with a passion that they were accustomed to. The fire within them burning brightly, threatening to burn them both. Madison kissed along his jaw and pulled him ever so closely to her.
“Helios, I just … I can’t handle the thought of you not being in my life,” she whispered against his cheek.
Her hands entwined in his hair while she swiveled her hips in just the right way. Andrew breathed in deeply before he kissed her once more, needing her desperately. He pulled away from her momentarily and looked into her eyes. He could see everything there. Their love, their future, all that he wanted to be was manifested in the depth of her eyes.
“You’re my life, Madison.”
She nodded as tears came out again. “I love you.”
He didn’t hesitate as they made love with reckless abandon. He wasn’t sure what would happen next but in that moment, however brief it may be, he believed they could make it work. That they could find some way to salvage the mess they were in. He wasn’t sure how long the feeling would last but he hoped it could carry him through this despair.
~*~
As Madison lay sleeping in his arms, a great weight suffocated him. He had known it was only a matter of time before someone found out about him. He had actually been surprised it had taken as long as it did. He believed in Madison and he believed in their love for one another, but he struggled with her willingness to give it all up for him. He hated that she would have to be the one to make the sacrifices for him because he was tainted by the life he had before her. He wasn’t able to see the good in the sacrifice, all he could see was the sacrifice itself.
They had talked for over an hour about the different possibilities but he was still so confused. Her getting that eviction notice tore him up inside. The thought that she could lose her home because of him was wrong. He’d never had a place of his own, let alone a very nice place like Madison had. She worked really hard to get it and he couldn’t accept that because of the life he had before they had even met she could lose it all. In addition, all he could hear in his head was her mother telling him that she didn’t want Madison to be forced to give up everything for him and him assuring her that he would never allow that to happen but now here he was, letting it happen. At least in his own mind he was. Madison shifted slightly, bringing Andrew out of his wayward thoughts. She let out a soft moan as she held him tighter.
“I love you,” she mumbled against his chest.
He wrapped his hand in her hair and willed his eyes to close. He wasn’t sure if Mr. Bennett could do anything about the eviction, he didn’t think so, but that was partly because he wasn’t as optimistic as Madison seemed to be. All he did know was that they loved each other and he hoped that would be enough.
16 Tumbling Down
The next day went slower than imaginable for Andrew. Just as he had done the previous day he went through the motions, not conversing with anyone. He was tired, having gotten little sleep the night before. His heart and mind were heavy with regret and anger at the way things were turning out. When it was time to leave at the end of the day, he was the first person out the door not saying bye to anyone. He lit his cigarette as he made his way to the subway station, ignoring everyone he passed. As usual there were no seats available so he stood as close to the exit as possible. Normally he enjoyed the 'soundtrack' of the subways, people cursing and conversing around him, often finding their daily dialogue and struggles somewhat amusing. But not today, today he wanted to drown them all out but unfortunately he couldn’t, instead he listened carefully and when they called his stop he pushed his way out of the car as quickly as possible. As he came out onto the street, he quickly dug out his pack of cigarettes and lit up again. He maneuvered through the throngs of pedestrians towards his home, well, his home for now as he suspected that the news from Mr. Bennett was not good since Madison had not texted him yet.
“Harrison!”
He heard his name being called and looked towards the voice. He stopped and sighed as he saw a familiar face approaching him. He almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all and how absolutely nothing seemed to be going in his favor.
“What?” Andrew replied coolly, dropping his cigarette and stepping on the remains.
“I know about you,” Kurtis practically growled as he pushed Andrew back, startling him.
Andrew narrowed his eyes and tried to contain his anger. “What the hell are you talking about now?”
“Does Madison know you’re a rapist?” Kurtis asked louder than Andrew would have liked as several people glanced their way.
“Madison knows everything about me...” Andrew started to say but was cut off when Kurtis hit him across the face.
“That’s bullshit! No way would she be with you if she did,” Kurtis hissed as he swung again.
Andrew ducked and hit him twice in the gut causing him to drop to his knees and huddle over. “Leave me the hell alone. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Andrew knew that was a lie because in reality he wanted to pummel the man but that would not help his cause. He kneeled down and pushed Kurtis so that he fell to his side and then stood. He started to walk away until Kurtis’ words halted him.
“I think it’s you who needs to leave, before I call the police and press charges against you for assaulting me,” Kurtis said standing up.
Andrew closed his eyes and stopped moving as Kurtis approached him again. Although Kurtis had assaulted him first Andrew knew from experience that it would not look good for him. He would likely be arrested immediately and carted off to Rikers Island before he could utter a not guilty plea. His heart hurt at the thought of putting
Madison through that again.
“How do you think it will look for Madison when everyone finds out that she is living with a known sex offender?” he asked casually as he slinked closer to Andrew.
Andrew’s eyes opened quickly as he glared at the cocky looking man before him. Kurtis was now standing right in front of him with a vindictive and satisfied expression.
“And they will know,” Kurtis continued menacingly as he peered into Andrew’s eyes with wickedness. “Because I will make sure they know.”
“You would ruin her career just to get back at me? I thought you cared about her?” Andrew asked confused at this turn of events.
Kurtis smirked. “I win and you...LOSE!”
Andrew pushed him out of the way and started towards the complex.
“I’ll do it, Andrew. I have nothing to lose and absolutely everything to gain.” He heard Kurtis yell from behind him.
Andrew ignored the doorman and made his way up to the apartment. Once he entered their home he started pacing immediately, trying to determine what he should do. Should he wait to talk to Madison about this? Should he just pack his things and get the hell out before he destroyed more of her life? He was torn, his heart was telling him to stay and figure this out with Madison, but his brain was telling him to run while he still could.
“The best thing I ever did for my family was leave”
As Randall’s words crept into his head again he felt his eyes stinging as tears pooled within them. He knew what he had to do but wasn’t sure he had the actual strength to do it. With a heavy heart and a shattered soul, he hesitantly walked to the closet in the bedroom and grabbed his duffle bag and backpack.
~*~
Madison’s day was not going well and she prayed that Andrew’s was better than hers. When she arrived, she found out from the receptionist that Nolan was back to work but fortunately for her he was not at their office today. She was then told that Mr. Turner wanted to meet with her and had asked her to clear her schedule Friday morning for a meeting at the midtown office. Madison tried not to panic but she couldn’t help but worry that this was somehow related to Andrew. She had tried her best to ascertain what the meeting was about but no one knew. She would have to wait and see.
Helios Exposed (The Helios Chronicles Book 2) Page 16