Safe With Me, Part 8 (The End)

by Shaina Richmond

  She cleared her throat. "No, dear. I need to make sure I heard you correctly. You need to disappear. Again."

  "Yes."

  "Do you know what it took to make you disappear the first time?"

  "Yes. And if it's a problem for you, tell me if there's someone else I can call. No hard feelings. I know you have a lot going on right now." I always felt bad asking her to help me with anything, but compared to some of her other clients, I knew I hadn't asked for much. Disappearing, however, was a tall order. I felt I was being merciful by not threatening to fire her. In my opinion, asking for a referral was perfectly appropriate in this situation.

  Her voice sounded overly calm, like she secretly wanted to scream at me but she restrained herself. "That's not the problem, dear. Tell me what happened. Did someone find you?"

  My eyes were suddenly thick with tears. "Yes." I blinked rapidly. "Tyler showed up at work yesterday. Remember me telling you about him?"

  "Ah, yes. Of course I do. James Tyler Campbell, Jr." She sighed, wistfully.

  I laughed. "Wow. You remember everything, don't you?"

  "Yes. It's my job to remember everything about my clients. So, tell me. Why the sudden need to disappear?"

  "Uh…" Her question baffled me. "Because he found me?"

  "Yes. So why the sudden need to disappear?"

  "I don't follow."

  "Sweetheart, I'll help you like I did before, but please think about what you're asking. What is it about this man that gives you need to disappear?"

  "Uh…"

  "Is he mean to you?"

  "No. Um…"

  "Does he beat you and say hurtful things to you?"

  "No."

  "Has he ever asked you for money?"

  "No."

  "Does he know he stands to inherit a large portion of your wealth?"

  "No." I felt a large tear roll down my cheek.

  "When did he get your address?"

  "He said it was Monday evening."

  "And he found you yesterday?"

  "Yes."

  She paused for a little while. "Let's pretend for a moment that I am not the person who manages your assets. I'm going to advise you as if you were one of my children."

  I gulped, trying to ignore my anxiety. "Okay."

  "First, please understand that I am not passing judgment or feeling sorry for you. I know perfectly well that you do a fantastic job of caring for yourself, even though you have no one in your life to act as your parent. You are fully capable of making your own decisions, and doing so, wisely."

  "Okay." I waited. Gloria seemed fond of extremely long pauses this morning.

  "This is the truth as I see it." Her voice was unusually stern. "This man made arrangements to travel roughly two thousand miles to see you within two days of obtaining your address."

  "Uh-huh."

  "And, if I understand you correctly, he somehow found the gentlemen's club where you work part time. As a," she cleared her throat, "dancer."

  "Yes."

  "And my hunch tells me he didn't make that trip to watch you dance. He wants to bring you home and share his life with you. Is that right?"

  I wiped each of my eyes with my hand and answered with a quiet, "Yes."

  "And I'm willing to bet the mention of his name still makes your face light up like a Christmas tree."

  I laughed as more tears fell down my face. "A little, yeah."

  "So, please tell me exactly why you have a sudden need to disappear? What is it you don't like about James Tyler Campbell, Jr.?"

  "Um…" My mind went blank.

  "I'm waiting."

  I sniffled and said, weakly, "He scares the shit outta me."

  She took another long pause. "Sweetheart, I think about your father all the time. He was a dear friend. He asked me to look after you. You know that."

  "Yes."

  "He would've been thrilled to see you in love with a nice young man who loves you so much and makes you so happy."

  "But what if—"

  "I know what you're going to say, and it's fear. It needs to stop."

  "It's not just fear, Gloria." I took a deep breath and steadied my voice. "I'm taking Preston's advice. Remember? He said it was better to look back with fond memories than to have regret. And believe me, when Tyler leaves me someday, I'll regret ever meeting him."

  "Your father was dying when he said that to you." Her voice sounded shaky. "And his life was full of regret. He had to say that to keep himself from going mad."

  "I don't know." I covered my eyes with my hand and looked down at the ground to avoid eye contact with a jogger who was headed my way.

  "Sweetheart, I'm going to say what I fully believe Preston would say if he were alive right now." Her voice got louder. "Run back to that man. Don't you dare let him get away. I promise, someday you'll look back on this with devastating regret, the same way your father looked back and knew he should've taken your mother from that awful man who abused you."

  I bent forward to keep my head lowered even further so the jogger wouldn't see me break down. The last thing I felt like doing was explaining to a total stranger why I was sitting on a park bench, crying like a baby.

  A little while later, when I calmed down just enough to form words again, I asked, "Do you really think Preston wished he'd been with Mom?"

  "Oh yes. Definitely. He was stuck in that loveless marriage of his for years. It was pitiful." She sighed. "And sweetheart, this young man of yours won't wait forever. Trust me. Someday he'll get lonely enough to settle for the wrong woman. They always do." She groaned, quietly. "Make it simple for him. The poor guy traveled a long way to find you. He could chase you for years before the wrong woman comes along. Besides, if he found you this easily, who's to say he won't find you again? And then it's more disappearing."

  I pulled a tissue out of my bag and started to wipe my face. "That reminds me. Do you know how he got my address? He said it was one of those databases, you know, the ones where they somehow access your last known address? They're tied in with credit reports or something? I've been getting junk mail lately with my old name all over it. I'm afraid my family might find me."

  "Hmm. Now that's interesting, isn't it? Oh no, I didn't realize it was almost seven. Sweetheart, give me a call later and let me know if you still need my help. And remember…" Her voice was suddenly bright and perky. "I'm committed to giving my clients the best care possible."

  And then she hung up.

  That bitch leaked my address… A bold move, to say the least. It was an offense certainly worth her termination, or maybe even a lawsuit. Some would call it negligence. And yet, I sat there, head in my hands, knowing full well I wasn't going to fire her or take her to court. No. I had some drastic decisions to make, but that wasn't one of them.

  Tyler

  Thursday, June 9, 2011

  6:55 AM

  I grumbled at the sunlight streaming in through the window.

  Then I breathed in a hard rush of air and opened my eyes as I slid my hand across the sheet.

  It was cold.

  "Shit!"

  I sat up, looking around the room. Her green tote bag was gone. The clothes she wore yesterday were scattered across the floor when I went to bed, but now they were gone.

  She was gone.

  My chest felt weak. Terror and anger shot through my veins.

  No, she didn't do this to me. She didn't just get up and leave. She loved me. She told me a hundred times last night. She. Loved. Me.

  I shoved the covers away and stood up. Grabbed my phone on the nightstand and my room key on the dresser. Ran to the door.

  There were two guys in the hall. One of them stood on a ladder, fixing something in the ceiling above him. The other guy's feet were on the floor, staring up at the ceiling at the source of their distress.

  "Hey," I said. "You guys see a girl walk outta here?"

  They both turned sharply to look at me.

  The one on the ladder started chuckling. That
's when I realized I was only wearing boxers.

  He said, "Red hair?"

  "Yeah." I felt a glimmer of hope. "Just now?"

  I was poised to run down the hall in my underwear until the other guy answered with, "No, probably 'bout ten, fifteen minutes ago?" He laughed. "Told us not to wake you."

  "Great." I went back inside my room and let the door slam loudly behind me.

  Had to think fast. I paced the floor as I considered my options. Should I call the strip club? The cab company, who told me about the strip club? Go back to her apartment and see if she's there?

  Yes, of course. It was obvious. That's what I'd do. That had to work. I could get dressed as quickly as possible, go out to the car, then go to her apartment.

  However, knowing her, she wouldn't go to her apartment. She'd leave town and send for her stuff later, same as last time.

  Fuck. That's what she'll do.

  I started to cry as I stuck my head through my T-shirt. It felt hopeless, but I wasn't giving up. She loved me. She said it over and over. It had to mean something.

  Maybe she'd miss me. If I couldn't find her today, it didn't mean it was over. Maybe one day there'd be a knock at my front door, and it'd be her. The woman I loved, standing there, saying she was sorry she ran off. Sorry she ever doubted our future together. She had an epiphany that made her realize she absolutely had to be with me. Her life was empty without me. No man could ever compare to me.

  Oh shit, that's right. That's what'll do it! I'd ruined her for any other man.

  Relief. A moment of relief. Yes. She'll run to me someday. That's what'll happen. Her walls of defense will crumble and she'll finally surrender. She won't fight her feelings anymore.

  But, then again, she left me this morning. The guy in the hall said ten or fifteen minutes ago. The room was bright from the sun outside. She saw me lying there and she left. She even told the guys outside not to wake me.

  She wanted to leave me. The woman who loved me, wanted to leave me.

  Couldn't something good happen to me, for once? Was she right about those stupid happy memories she was talking about? Were happy memories enough to keep her warm at night? Because they sure as hell weren't enough for me.

  No. I'll find her again. And when I do, I'll keep her. No way I'm falling asleep next time.

  I was zipping up my shorts when I heard the sound of the elevator outside.

  Maybe it was her. She'd already come back to me. I knew she couldn't go far.

  It was a longshot, but I ran for the door anyway.

  When I opened it and looked down the hall, I saw a man and a small child waiting for the elevator. The man was pulling a large cart stacked high with luggage. The child trailed along behind him as the clunky doors pulled open.

  Shit. Well, I knew it was a longshot.

  I didn't look at the two guys to the left of me who I could hear climbing up and down the ladder. They already had a good laugh at my expense. I shut the door before they could see me falling apart.

  As soon as my door closed, I heard one of those assholes laughing again, but then I heard him say something else. It sounded like, "Hey girlie. Looks like yer havin' some trouble."

  Girlie's muffled voice answered with, "Yeah. It's been one heck of a morning so far."

  Susie?

  I opened the door and looked down the hall. There she was, walking toward me, sniffling as she tugged at her sleeve. It was somehow caught in the strap of her tote bag, which was slung over her shoulder. Reminded me of the day I first watched her walk inside the coffee shop, way back in October.

  I hurried out the door in my bare feet. "Here, let me get that."

  She nodded feebly as I took the bag and put my arm around her shoulders.

  The man on the ladder said, "Yep. That's the girl."

  I smiled. "It sure is. Thanks."

  Quickly, I guided her inside my room and shut the door behind us.

  Susie kept walking along further into the room, dragging her feet like a zombie. When she got to the foot of the bed, she sat down, staring straight ahead at the wall, not uttering a word.

  I put her bag on the floor and sat down beside her, my arm around her back, pulling her close. "Hey. What's wrong? Did you overdose?"

  She blinked a few times, eyes still on the wall. In a flat tone, she answered, "No."

  "What's going on? I thought you left me."

  She put her palms against her eyes and bent forward, trembling and crying.

  "You sure it's not an overdose?" I asked. I'd never seen her like this before. My eyes darted around the room, looking for tissues. A moment later I got up and went to the bathroom to retrieve a spare roll of toilet paper.

  When I handed her the roll, she took the whole thing and didn't look at me as she unwound some of it, then blew her nose.

  I sat beside her, waiting. She appeared to be slowly catching her breath.

  Her arms were folded across her waist, holding her stomach. She was no longer crying, but she was still staring straight ahead at the wall. She wiped her eyes one last time and said, in a thin voice, "You scare me."

  "I'm sorry. I don't mean to."

  Her eyelids looked heavy, like they were about to close. "You still want me to come home with you?"

  "Yes. Of course I do."

  She sat before me in a daze. Her eyes slowly drifted to her big green bag. It sat a few feet away, against the wall. I was about to ask if I could get it for her when she stood up and walked over to get it herself. She placed the bag on top of the bed in the same spot where she'd been sitting, then opened it. She pulled out a smaller bag and started to pick through the items inside, then took out a flat container and unscrewed the top. Her pretty lips formed a frown.

  I stood up beside her. "What's wrong?"

  She sniffled. "It all blew away. I was in the park and it was windy."

  "What blew away?" I saw a slight dusting of white powder in the bottom of the container. "Oh. I see." I gently took the lid and the container from her hands and put them in my pocket.

  She looked up at me with wide, glassy eyes. "I'm not addicted, you know. I only need it once in a while."

  I nodded. "Okay." I pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "So, we probably need to start looking for a flight. Might be hard to find, last minute."

  Her voice was muffled against my shirt. "I can get us there. What time you wanna leave?"

  I gulped, then rested my chin on top of her head. So, now she's coming back with me? It's that simple? Didn't wanna scare her. I replied, calmly. "Soon, if possible."

  "You hungry?"

  "Yeah."

  She put her arms around me. "I wanna go to The Hotel Britta before we leave. I think they serve breakfast."

  "Okay." I was stunned. Yesterday, she didn't want to go there. It was a special place she only shared with her biological father. Today, I had an open invitation.

  I smiled and kissed her forehead. My scared little kitten. Inside, I screamed and jumped for joy at the sound of her walls collapsing all around me. One by one, they tumbled to the ground.

  I was still afraid to get ahead of myself. I'd made that mistake before. No, I had to let the dust settle before asking if she'd change her name back to her original legal name before we got married. I'd marry her no matter what she called herself, but she'd always be Susie to me. And that's who I wanted to marry.

  The End

  Epilogue

  Susie

  Seventeen Years Later

  Tyler and I sat beside each other in silence, in hard, plastic chairs on the fifth floor of the hospital. His elbows were against his knees. His weary, sullen face hung in his hands

  I tried not to let it be the worst day of my life, but I knew those medicinal smells would haunt me forever and bring me right back to that miserable day every time I’d enter another hospital.

  Never had I seen my husband so angry. And I knew I needed to just let him be angry, but I had other children at home who needed me; I’d given him pl
enty of time to stew in his rage.

  “Baby,” I said, sharply. “Go in there and tell her you love her. We need to go home.”

  His thick ponytail hit the back of his chair with a soft thunk as he sat up straight in his chair, staring at the nurse’s station in front of us.