by J. B. Hawker
“I’m glad to be able to make her smile, no matter what it cost.”
“Let’s hope looking more like herself will help Marki begin to get over what happened on that ship.”
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” Max replied. “I’ve got some work to take care of in the den. You look like you could use a bit of a rest before dinner. Why not go lie down?”
“I think I will…but don’t even mention dinner, right now. I may never eat again.”
“Yeah, right, we’ll see how long that lasts,” he teased and patted her on the bottom as he went out of the room.
In the cluttered guestroom, Marki was sitting on the bed, surrounded by shopping bags and a rainbow of pretty clothes, talking with her mother on the laptop.
“You could do toothpaste commercials, now, with that beautiful smile!” her mother enthused. “I hope it cost Max an arm and a leg.”
Marki giggled, “I didn’t even look at the total when I signed the credit card slip. Isn’t that awesome?”
“You got that right. Now that your bruises are gone and you’ve got your teeth fixed, you should make that video we talked about and post it on YouTube. You need to get your face out there and get all the mileage you can from your experience with the pirates, before it’s old news.”
“I will. I’ve been sending emails to the network news shows letting them know I’m willing to come on and tell my story, but no responses, so far.”
“You need an agent. I’ll talk to some guys I know and see if they can recommend anyone. If we handle this right, it can be the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to us…in the meantime, squeeze your father for everything you can get.”
“I will, Mom. See you later.”
She closed the computer and leaned back, thinking about their conversation and feeling a little uneasy.
Her mother was so excited about the possibilities for using the kidnapping and abuse to their advantage that she seemed to have forgotten what those pirates actually did to Marki. It was like her mom was glad it happened because it gave her a chance to get back at Max and to share in Marki’s future success.
“Maybe I’m being too hard on Mom,” she thought. “She only wants what’s best for me, after all.”
Marki pulled out a notepad and began jotting down what she wanted to say in her YouTube video. If she was going to get lots of hits, her mom said she needed to lay it on thick about the sex rooms, but when she tried to imagine talking about that, the words didn’t want to come.
Max and Bunny sat at the dining table nibbling from a bowl of grapes after finishing a light supper of whole wheat pasta with scrambled eggs and spinach.
“Where did you say Marki went this evening?” Max asked.
“She told me a man she met in the condo gymnasium asked her to dinner. She didn’t seem to know much about him…just said he has gorgeous red hair and great abs.”
“I don’t suppose there’s any point in trying to act the concerned parent with her, but it makes me uneasy having her go out with a stranger.”
“If he lives in the building, he’s a neighbor and not just a stranger. Does that make you feel any better?”
“It might, if I knew the guy’s name and which unit he’s in. Then I could check him out.”
“You really shouldn’t worry. Marki was living with her last boyfriend, after all. She can probably take care of herself.”
“And that last guy was such a winner he dumped her on a broken down cruise ship and left her to fend for herself. I’m not sure we can trust my daughter’s judgment where men are concerned.”
“Well, if you decide to have a father-daughter talk with her, could you remind her we don’t have a maid and ask her to pick up after herself a bit?” Bunny asked.
“What do you mean? Everything looks spic and span to me.”
“I keep these rooms straightened, but I don’t feel comfortable going into her room and the last time I peeked through the door, I was shocked at the mess…and all the shopping bags, too.”
“Oh? Has she been doing a lot of shopping? I guess she didn’t have too much stuff with her when she arrived. I don’t begrudge her a few new clothes after all she’s been through…but you are not supposed to be doing any housework, yet. So, no more, now, until the doctor gives you the all clear. Okay?”
Bunny shrugged and mumbled something noncommittal. There was no way she was going to let Marki turn her home into the sort of hog wallow she’d created in the guestroom.
Bunny and Max had been long asleep when they were roused by the sounds of Marki’s return.
Max was snoring softly again, soon after the front door slammed shut.
Bunny lay awake for a long time pondering a future with Marki in their family.
Chapter Thirty
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred.
─ Proverbs 15:17
Max left early the next morning for the office.
Bunny had just dished up her scrambled eggs and whole wheat toast and was pouring her coffee when Marki came in dressed in exercise clothes, grabbed the filled plate from the counter, stuck a wedge of toast into her mouth and took Bunny’s breakfast to the table mumbling, “Thanks,” around her first bite.
“Would you like coffee with that?” Bunny asked her, biting back a more pointed comment.
“Yeah, sure. Two sweeteners.”
Bunny handed Marki a mug of coffee and a container of sweetener before beginning to scramble another egg.
“You got in pretty late last night. How did your date go?” she asked.
“Great. After dinner Kyle took me to the megaplex in the downtown theater district. We saw that new film, “Noah.” Russell Crow’s pretty hot for an old guy. I never knew the Bible was so cool.”
“I’m afraid that movie isn’t based on the Bible, Marki. It is straight out of the Zohar, one of Kabbalah’s sacred texts.”
“What’s Kabbalah?”
“It’s a Gnostic perversion of the Jewish faith and scriptures, not Biblical, at all.”
“Huh, I just figured, since the movie is about Noah and the Ark, it was the Bible story jazzed up a bit for the movie.”
“The name came from the Bible, but not much else. If you want to know what is actually in the Bible, you need to read the book.”
Marki gave a “whatever” shrug and jumped up from the table.
“Well, it had wild special effects, anyway. I’m going down to the gym. See ya.”
With an exasperated sigh, Bunny cleared away Marki’s dishes and finished making another breakfast for herself.
Later in the morning, she was trying to get back into her writing and having a hard time focusing her thoughts, when she was relieved to be interrupted by a call from her niece, Ellery.
“Hi, Aunt Bunny, how are you feeling? Your last email sounded a little down.”
“Oh, I was just tired. These physical therapy sessions are hard on the body and the ego, I’m afraid. In a couple of weeks I’ll be right as rain, I’m sure.”
“I hope so. I was wondering if you might feel well enough for another houseful anytime soon. I’ve been moping around and worrying about you and Gilles wants to bring me back for a visit, so I can check on you in person and relieve my mind.”
“Oh, do come back soon, Ellery! I feel so bad that you didn’t get a chance to do any real sightseeing while you were here taking care of me. There’s so much to see and do in Houston. Max and I will have such fun showing you and Gilles around. We can take you to Bayou Place. There are wonderful theaters, and restaurants. I know, we can take you to the Hard Rock Café or to Mingalone, an authentic Italian trattoria, almost like the ones I saw in Italy, I know you love Italian food as much as I do. Then there’s the Space Center…Gilles might like that…or the zoo, but I don’t really care for zoos, or the Boardwalk amusement park. There are tons of museums, too, if you’d rather. I can hardly wait.”
“That all sounds nice, Aunt Bunny, but what I
want most is to have a nice long visit with you without all the distractions we had when I was there before.”
“That sounds wonderful to me, too. I have so much to tell you. When you were here before, I wasn’t up to much conversation, but now that I’ve had time to process everything, I find myself wanting to talk about it.”
“So…is Max’s daughter still with you?”
“Yes. That’s one of the things I would like to talk about.”
Marki was out again by the time Max brought Bunny home from her therapy session.
“Do you know where Marki spends all her time, Sweetie?”
“She spends a lot of time in the gym, perfecting her dancing skills, I think. At least, that’s where she was headed after breakfast. But, your daughter doesn’t usually tell me where she’s going.”
“I suppose not. It’s sort of hard knowing how this whole instant daughter thing is supposed to work, isn’t it? I’m really sorry I never told you I have a child, Hun. You didn’t bargain on any of this.”
“No, but we’re in it together, so we’ll just have to muddle through somehow.”
The front door crashed open and Marki entered, her arms filled with shopping bags and boxes. She dumped her things onto the sofa and collapsed into a nearby chair.
“Great news, guys. I’m going to be on television!” she exclaimed.
Bunny and Max joined her in the living room.
Bunny, perched on a nearby hassock and leaning forward, asked, “How did that happen?”
“What show?” Max asked at the same time.
Marki sat up straight and reported, “Kyle works for the local Houston TV station, in sales or marketing, or something boring. When I told him I was one of the survivors of the Mers Comtesse pirate hijacking he got all excited and said it sounded like a great story with a local angle. So, he talked with the program manager and they have arranged for me to be interviewed for the evening news! Isn’t that amazing?”
“Yes, but, are you sure you are ready to talk about it so publically?” Bunny asked.
“Sure. Now that my teeth are fixed, I look great. Why not?”
“Well, you haven’t really been able to talk about what happened to you. Not even to us, yet,” Max replied.
“There are some pretty personal and graphic details you may not want to share or even think about. Will you be able to control the questions you are asked?” Bunny queried.
“Nah, but that’s no big deal. I’m over it.”
“Marki, dear, just thinking about a bad experience gets easier with repetition, and you can begin to feel detached about it, but the spoken word is very powerful. The first time you speak about your experience aloud the emotional impact could be overpowering.”
“Bunny’s right, you need to be sure you can feel comfortable saying you would rather not answer, if they ask something that cuts too close to the bone,” Max added.
“You guys are just jealous because no one wants to interview a couple of old fogeys like you!”
Marki snatched up her packages and flounced into the guestroom, slamming the door behind her.
She dumped her things on the already cluttered floor and flopped onto the unmade bed. Lying on her back staring at the ceiling, she replayed the conversation.
“Those two never want anyone to have a good time,” she thought, before admitting to herself she wasn’t being fair.
She grabbed her phone and selected her mother’s number.
“Mom, you are never going to believe it, I’m going to be on TV!”
“Where? What show?” her mother asked.
“It’s only the local news, but that could be a start, right?”
“It can be if you handle it right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lead with the sex stuff and make it personal. You are an abused woman, so play that card. Wear something vulnerable, but sexy…not like you’re a slut who was asking for it…but you want the men in the audience to take notice and the women to identify with you. Understand?”
“Sort of…but, what if I start to get emotional or something? This was pretty gross stuff, you know.”
“A few tears will sell it. Anyway, you’ll know what to do. I gotta go, now, but be sure to record the show for me. Bye.”
Marki looked at the phone in her hand for a long time, comparing her mother’s reaction to what Max and Bunny said.
They never said they didn’t want Marki to do the interview. They just wanted her to be careful and not get hurt. They were trying to protect her.
What was her mother trying to do?
Marki stayed in her room all afternoon.
When he had dinner ready, Max tapped on her door.
Marki was dressed to go out when she opened the door.
“I don’t want any dinner. Kyle is taking me out again. I may decide to stay over at his place, so don’t worry if you don’t see me until tomorrow,” she said quickly, not meeting Max’s eyes.
“Are you sure you know this guy well enough for that?” Max couldn’t keep from saying.
“What do you care? It’s not like you’ve ever even met any of the other guys I’ve been with,” she snapped.
“Good-night, Bunny,” Marki sang out as she maneuvered around her father and left.
“Oh dear,” Bunny sighed.
“I suppose she’s right,” Max said. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Bunny gave him a hug and carried the salad bowl to the table, putting it down beside the whole wheat rigatoni with pesto Max had prepared.
“I suppose we can’t expect Marki to share our values,” she said after Max asked the blessing. “She is the product of her upbringing and you weren’t there to influence her.”
“I wouldn’t have been a very good influence if I had been there. My values then were not so different from hers right now, I’m sorry to say. After the way I’ve neglected her, how can I hope to induce her to share my beliefs, now?”
“When I was married to Eustace, our churches went through dozens of evangelism trainings and programs, but they all boiled down to one thing: relationship. If you want to share your faith with another person you need to establish a relationship of mutual trust and respect, first.”
“How does that apply here?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It just seems like that old saying about how people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Marki needs to get to know you, and trust how much you care for her before you can hope to influence her, one way or another.”
“I see this could take quite a while. I’ve got a lot of time to make up for. Can you put up with her for the long haul?”
“Of course. It may not be easy, but I love you enough to make the effort.”
Max took Bunny’s hand and kissed it, before leaning over and kissing her on the mouth.
“You taste delicious. Someone’s a very good cook, if I do say so myself,” he teased.
“I forgot to tell you earlier, but Ellery called today.”
“What did she have to say?”
“She and Gilles want to come for a visit soon. Would you like that?”
“Sure. I like them. Did she say when they will come?”
“Gilles has a break in a couple of weeks and they’d like to spend it with us.”
“Sounds good. I’ve got no business conflicts then,” Max commented after looking at his calendar on his phone.
“There’s just one thing…”
“Yes?”
“How do we move Marki back into the little guestroom, so Ellery and Gilles have a place to stay while they are here?”
“Oh. I see. I guess I’ll have to play the heavy and give her the news. That could cause a tantrum, I suppose. But, this is our home and some things just aren’t negotiable. Call me a coward if you want, but I’m glad I won’t have to break it to her tonight.”
“After all the times you saved me from danger, I wouldn’t ever call you anything but my hero,” Bunny smiled and got up t
o clear the plates.
Max poured more wine into his glass and carried it with him into the kitchen to help clean up.
“I wonder what our home life will be like if we ever get to live alone.”
Bunny took his glass and set in on the counter before wrapping her arms around him.
“Just what would you want to do that we can’t do right now, hmmm?”
“Come with me and I’ll show you. I just remembered tonight, at least, we are completely alone. The dishes can wait.”
Chapter Thirty-One
And I, where could I take my shame? ─ 2 Samuel 13:13
Bunny was in the kitchen getting a late night cup of herb tea when she heard the front door opening.
“Oh, Marki, I’m glad you decided to come home, after all,” she greeted her step-daughter.
Marki muttered something with her head down and started toward her room.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Marki replied without turning around.
“Has something happened?”
Marki stopped and turned to face Bunny.
“No. Nothing happened. Nothing at all,” she declared, beginning to cry.
Bunny took the girl’s hands and led her to the sofa and sat beside her.
“I wanted to stay, and Kyle wanted me to stay, but I couldn’t. When I imagined Kyle looking at me and putting his hands on me, all I could see was those men from the ship. I started to panic. I knew that if Kyle touched me, I would fight him off any way I could. I made some lame excuse and ran out. He probably thinks I’m mental. He’s got a great bod and I really wanted to stay, Bunny, but I couldn’t. Have those pirate bastards ruined my life?”
Bunny put her arms around Marki, murmuring comforting noises, while she sobbed.
Marki sat up, sniffling and looking embarrassed.
“Sorry. I don’t know why I told you that.”
“Don’t be embarrassed, dear. From everything I’ve ever heard or read, what you described is completely normal after an experience like you had. It will get better, I promise.”