Seneca Falls

by Jesse J. Thoma

  She called Gert. No answer. She scrolled through the other websites hoping they were less intimidating. They weren’t. She considered calling Kate. She had been very kind lately, but she didn’t want to intrude. Besides, Kate was close to Seneca, and she didn’t want to put her in an uncomfortable position. She let out an exasperated breath and did what she had been wanting to do since she read the first line of the mission statement on website number one. She grabbed her dorm phone and called Seneca. Regardless of their current struggles, Seneca had given her fantastic advice in the past about all this job business. Besides, she had promised to be there from start to finish. Dylan was just making her live up to that promise.

  “Hi, Bob,” Seneca said, “Is everything okay? Are you all right?”

  Dylan stretched the phone cord across the room until she was standing in front of the window, surveying the lawn below her window. This view had always been relaxing, doubly when coupled with Seneca’s voice. But now she scanned the grounds for a stalker, someone possibly intending to hurt her.

  “I’m trying to get ready for my job interviews,” Dylan said.

  “And let me guess,” Seneca said. “You just freaked yourself out that no one will ever hire you because you have nothing to offer the company? Or are you still chewing on what your mom said when she popped in on us unexpectedly?”

  “How did you know?” Dylan had forgotten how well Seneca knew her.

  “Because, Bob, you always underestimate how amazing you are and how good we were together, before I messed that up.”

  Before Seneca could continue, a ding sounded in the background behind her, followed quickly by three more. They sounded to Dylan like the dings of a computer chat.

  “What the hell?” Seneca said. Her words were slightly broken. Her cell phone signal was being disrupted. “I just got about six text messages and five chats,” Seneca said. “I have no idea what that’s about.”

  “Go ahead and check them,” Dylan said, a little jealous that Seneca had so much time on her hands for that many friendships now. She stared out the window and suddenly saw her. Shannon was standing on the lawn in front of her dorm, surveying the building, searching the windows. Dylan took a stumbling step backward, her heart pounding, her anxiety ratcheted up.

  “Oh my God, Seneca, she’s here. She’s outside my dorm. She’s standing on the lawn.”

  “That’s what all these messages are about,” Seneca said. “I’m already on my way. Call the police.”

  “Seneca?” Dylan said. She heard the line go dead. Her stomach sank. She felt as if her last tie to Seneca was severed. She walked back to her desk, hung up the phone, picked it up again, and called the campus police. She reported Shannon on campus and Seneca’s imminent confrontation. They were an unarmed security force ill equipped to handle a paroled felon. Campus police patched her through to nine one one. She relayed the same information to them. While she was talking, she moved back to the window and peered out from the side.

  From her vantage point, Dylan could see the entire scene below her. Shannon was still on the lawn looking at her window. Behind Shannon and to her right, Dylan could see Seneca just coming into view. Dylan felt like she should go down to help her, get involved somehow, but it felt as impossible as entering the scene of an Imax movie.

  As she approached, Seneca must have yelled, because Shannon violently spun in Seneca’s direction, and when their gazes locked, her body language relaxed. She looked in control and overly confident, arrogant. When Seneca came to a stop in front of her, Dylan thought she looked smaller than she ever remembered. It looked like they were talking, or more accurately, like Shannon was talking and Seneca was receiving. Shannon clearly had a few things she’d been meaning to say for all these years. Dylan stood paralyzed by fear as Shannon lashed out, and Seneca dropped to the ground.

  *

  Seneca dropped to one knee. It all felt so familiar. Shannon moved forward, her foot back, ready to kick her. What felt different was her. She got back to her feet quickly, avoided the kick, and took a few steps back. She got into fighting position, just like Kate had taught her. If Shannon wanted a fight, now, finally, she would get one. Gone were the days of beating on a helpless little kid.

  Seneca held her hands in front of her face and bounced on the balls of her feet. Shannon looked surprised and stopped her advance momentarily. She put her own hands down by her side briefly, then struck out wildly.

  “You looking for a fight, Seneca? Bring it on, tough guy. It’s more fun for me when you fight back.” Shannon rushed her.

  Seneca saw Shannon’s advance as if it were happening in slow motion. She timed her punch and connected solidly with the right side of her head. Kate couldn’t have prepared her for the feel of fist on skull, like punching a wall. She didn’t like the feeling, but fighting back, fighting back against Shannon, fighting back for Dylan, felt invigorating. Getting punched by the two quick counterpunches felt familiar, but instead of filling her with fear, they filled her with righteous rage.

  Seneca could hear the sirens in the distance, but she hoped they stayed away. This was her fight to finish. She stepped back and reset. Shannon seemed to be waiting for her to make the next move. She did. She landed two solid punches to Shannon’s body, one to the stomach and one to the ribs. She could feel Shannon’s rapid exhale against the back of her neck. The victory was short-lived, however, because Shannon was quick. She elbowed Seneca solidly in the face. Blood started flowing freely, running into Seneca’ mouth and dripping onto her shirt. She raised her hand to her nose for a second to stem the tide, and Shannon pounced.

  She punched Seneca repeatedly in the body, sending her stumbling back. There was a park bench behind her, an unwelcome piece of battlefield detritus, and Seneca tripped over it, falling backward onto the cold, snow-covered ground.

  Seneca knew she needed to get up. She had been in this position too many times, lying on the ground, vulnerable, Shannon standing above her, ready to strike. Shannon seemed to recognize the situation as well. She moved in slowly, mockingly.

  “You knew it would end like this, King. Did you think she could keep you forever? Keep you from me? She’s watching, you know. I can see her with her ugly face pressed against the window. Watching you get the shit beat out of you. Why isn’t she down here fighting for you? It doesn’t matter. When I’m done with you, I’ll take care of her.”

  Seneca’s leg was on fire from the fall and all the power she had needed for the first round of fighting. She was holding her leg close, massaging it and trying to work out some of the ache while Shannon talked. It probably looked like weakness to Shannon, but Seneca was really reloading. She was counting on Shannon’s damned overconfidence and her assumption that nothing had changed, that Seneca hadn’t changed. If only she knew that the woman watching them had finally made Seneca’s life worth living. This pontificating piece of shit certainly wasn’t going to take that away.

  Shannon moved in and kicked Seneca in the ribs. Seneca could take it; she’d had worse. She needed another minute to get her legs back under her. Shannon knelt down, grabbed Seneca by the hair, and pulled them face to face.

  “You are nothing to me. You hear me? I’m done with you. But before I go, I’m going to kill your new minder. And you’re going to have to watch.”

  Shannon got up and started toward Dylan’s dorm room.

  Seneca rose as well. Her leg was going to have to be good enough.

  “I don’t think so,” she said, loudly, stopping Shannon in her tracks.

  Shannon spun around, a weird, creepy smile on her face. “Oh, you have more in you before I head upstairs?”

  “No, we’re finishing this here. I was never anything to you. And you will never lay a finger on Dylan. Not over, under, or around my dead body. If anyone dies tonight, it’s going to be one of us. But you tried to kill me once and couldn’t get that right, even with a gun.”

  “Well, well, look who grew some balls. Going to try and kill me. What a surprise
.”

  “Not exactly what I said, but we can run with that. But you’re right. I’m a different person. A real relationship will do that. They lift you up, make you stronger. They don’t suck the life out of you and leave you to die.”

  “You done with the inspirational quotes?” Shannon asked, looking wild and dangerous. They could both see the police moving across the quad in their direction.

  Seneca could see Shannon winding up for a vicious shot, but all that time with Kate had taught her to avoid just such a punch and she was ready. When Shannon swung, Seneca ducked under the punch. She countered with three rapid shots to Shannon’s face. This time Shannon stumbled and Seneca pounced. She punched again and again and again, her fists a blur as she thrashed out her anger on Shannon’s body. Rage fueled the fury of her fists, and her focus narrowed to releasing years of anger, pain, and fear on her abuser.

  Shannon wasn’t putting up much of a fight anymore, just covering her face with her arms, but Seneca was only barely aware of it.

  “You will not touch her,” Seneca said, over and over, underscoring each word with a punch.

  “Seneca,” Dylan said. “Stop.” She tried to grab Seneca’s arm. “Stop hitting her. I’m fine. It’s over. It’s over, baby.” Seneca didn’t stop, although she did slow. She didn’t know when Dylan had arrived.

  The police broke up the fight, pulling Seneca off Shannon and away from her. That finally snapped Seneca out of her fury.

  “She said she was going to kill you,” Seneca said, looking at Dylan. “I couldn’t let her do that.”

  “I know. I saw the whole thing. From my room. I wanted to come help, but it was like I was watching a movie. I was locked out.”

  Seneca gingerly wiped her nose and smeared blood all over her face. Her knuckles were bloody and swollen; her face didn’t feel like her own.

  “How are you still standing up? I’m glad an ambulance is here. You need to get to the hospital,” Dylan said, clearly worried. She looked afraid, or unwilling, to touch Seneca.

  “She’s not going to bother us again,” Seneca said.

  “I’m glad she’s out of your life,” Dylan said. “Let’s get you checked out. We’ll figure out what ‘us’ means later.”

  Seneca was confused but didn’t say anything. She thought getting rid of Shannon would reset everything, make everything okay. Apparently, Dylan wasn’t so sure.

  “I love you, Bob,” Seneca said.

  “I love you too, Seneca, more than I thought it was possible to love someone. That still doesn’t change the fact that you shut me out. That isn’t a relationship. We need to talk about that. But not now,” Dylan said. “Now it’s hospitals and police questions.” She took Seneca’s hand and led her to the ambulance. When Seneca stumbled, she wrapped her arm gently around her waist and walked her to the waiting medical attention.

  “How romantic,” Seneca said, leaning into Dylan’s embrace just before she lost consciousness.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Seneca was still moving with care. Her whole body was sore, bruised, and battered. She wasn’t feeling tip-top emotionally either. She had expected, now that Shannon was no longer a concern, that she and Dylan would resume where they had left off. But Dylan had made it clear things weren’t that easy. She didn’t know why. Dylan had explained it, but it still made no sense. Seneca suspected this was what Kate had tried to warn her about. At least she was coming over daily to check on her. The time she had gone without seeing Dylan had been more painful than anything she was experiencing now.

  Seneca smiled when the knock sounded at the door. Dylan was impressively prompt.

  “It’s unlocked,” Seneca said.

  Dylan took her breath away when she walked in. She always did. Seneca eased herself up and limped over to Dylan. Her limp wasn’t as much due to her damaged leg as her more recent injuries. Getting the shit beat out of you took its toll.

  “Stay seated, Sen. You don’t have to get up and greet me,” Dylan said.

  Seneca kissed Dylan on the cheek and hugged her. Dylan refused to hug her back, given Seneca’s two broken ribs.

  “You can hug me,” Seneca said. “I’m already broken, so you can’t do any worse.” She always said that, and Dylan always refused. It stung.

  “Tell me about what Shannon said to you, before she threatened me,” Dylan said.

  Dylan’s request caught Seneca off guard. She had thought about Shannon over and over since she had been re-arrested, but only about what it felt like to finally be rid of her. She didn’t want to think about the rest.

  “Why does that matter?” Seneca asked. “She’s out of my life now, finally. I don’t have to worry about her for the first time in a long time.”

  Dylan looked thoughtful, like she always did when she was choosing her words carefully.

  “It matters because that was the part that you shut me out of completely. That’s the part that I can’t stop thinking about. I love you so much it hurts, but I can’t be with you if you’re going to have parts of your life that you wall off from me. I don’t mean that you can’t have your own interests, friends, and hobbies. But if you are going to have something that affects your life that completely, and I’m not allowed to have any part in it, then I don’t know if I can do that. I want to understand.”

  Seneca didn’t ever want to think about what Shannon had said to her, but if it meant a future with Dylan, she’d do whatever it took. “She told me I was worthless. She told me I would amount to nothing. That it didn’t matter how far I ran from her, I would always belong to her. She said she should have let me die when she had the chance because it would have saved her a lot of trouble now. She said she enjoyed that I was fighting back because it made it more fun for her.”

  Seneca lowered herself gingerly onto the bed and stared at her hands as she talked, unable to look at Dylan. “I felt like I had never left that world. Or maybe like I was stuck between the two.” Seneca shuddered at the sharp pain from her broken ribs. “I guess when she got to town she asked about me. Everyone told her about you. She wanted to see who had taken what she thought was hers. She didn’t understand that I could be with you out of true love. Maybe for the second time now, Shannon saved my life. She had won, you know, until she mentioned you. I didn’t think I could get up, my leg hurt so bad. But she said she was going after you next, and that was all I needed. It felt like I was finally pushed out of the past. No more cowering, or limping, or being scared of her. I knew I wasn’t ever going to run from her again. I guess I took it a little too far.”

  “She has plenty of time in prison to recover,” Dylan said, clearly not overly concerned about Shannon’s health and well-being. “I’m glad you’re here. Not stuck between anymore.”

  “It really only means something to me if I’m here with you,” Seneca said, laying all her cards on the table. “I didn’t push you away or shut you out. I was trying to protect you from her. I knew what kind of person she was and what she would do to you if she knew you existed. I failed at that, but I had to try. The things she said she was going to do to you…and make me watch. You know that dream I had the night after you found me in the woods? After the phone call?”

  “Of course, the same one you always have, where Shannon hurts you.”

  “It was the same, except in that one, she wasn’t pointing the gun at me. She had it pointed at you. Since that night, I’ve had that same dream almost every night. I’ve had to watch her kill you in my sleep over and over, and I knew if she found out about you, she would do it. Tonight, she would have. She told me she was going to. I couldn’t live with myself if that happened. I know I messed this up so badly. Kate’s pissed, Lisa won’t even talk to me, and you’re mad as hell, but I did it all because I care about you and I knew what she was. Whatever you decide, I did what I did because I love you.”

  Dylan didn’t say anything. She reached out and caressed Seneca’s hand. Seneca hoped that was a good sign. Finally, she spoke. “I thought I could handle all
of this. I’m not sure I could have, honestly. I don’t know how you did. Why didn’t you make me understand what you were trying to do? Why didn’t you tell me about the dreams?”

  Seneca felt embarrassed. That seemed so simple looking back now. And she had tried. “I tried to explain in my own way. Not very well. You got a little mad. If you remember, I ran and hid in the woods when I found out Shannon was loose in the world. I’m not great with emotions, but I’m getting better. Be patient with me?”

  “I’ve never been good at saying no to that face,” Dylan said. “But I’ve got some things to tell you. I’m not going to business school. I’m not going to get a fancy job or wear a suit. I’ve had some time on my hands, and I’ve done some thinking.”

  “Oh yeah?” Seneca asked, distracted by the fact that Dylan was practically sitting on her lap she had moved so close, broken ribs be damned.

  “I’m opening my own business. I think I want to own a coffee shop, actually.” Dylan sounded a little shy making the announcement and Seneca thought it was adorable.

  “That is perhaps the most perfect thing I’ve ever heard,” Seneca said. “You’ll be so damned good at that. Your customers, especially this one, are going to love you. Were you thinking of staying around here to open up shop? There’s that empty storefront right downtown, and the coffee at the other place really sucks.”

  “What about you, though? What are you going to do after graduation? I’m not starting a business if you move to Wyoming.”