I’m glad she didn’t bolt from the restaurant and leave. I’m also glad she didn’t tell me to get out. All I want to do is run up to her and wrap my arms protectively around her, but I don’t. I wait and watch. I need to talk to her and see what’s going on. She doesn’t look at me. Not a good sign. As they get closer, I realize she needs an explanation, she deserves an explanation. She’ll need to hear the truth, no matter how painful or how messed up it is.
The waitress and the owner of the restaurant still stand there. “Let me know if there’s something we can do,” he says. “We’ll give you some time alone.” He doesn’t wait for an answer before they both turn to leave.
Her son’s here. Sawyer Jackson is too young to hear this. This will traumatize him. Savannah Mae sits down with her parents and sister and is visibly shaken. Sawyer Jackson sits on her lap. She still doesn’t look at me. I can only watch as she wraps her arms around him and rocks him side to side.
“Abel, what is this?” Momma asks. Momma? This will crush her.
Mia stands and says, “We’ll take Sawyer Jackson home with us while you explain this to everyone.” That tells me that Levi has told Mia about Maria. He swore to secrecy, but I’ve never been more thankful for his betrayal. “If that’s all right with Savannah Mae?” Mia adds.
I look from Mia to Savannah Mae. I watch as Savannah Mae raises her head and wipes away the tears. The look on her face sends a dagger straight into my heart. She nods and holds her son tightly. There goes another dagger. As they begin to leave, I want to kiss and hug Sawyer Jackson and tell him I’ll be by later to get him. That might be a lie. After what I have to say, Savannah Mae may never let me near her or her son, again.
I stand as tall as a broken man can stand. Levi walks past me and whispers, “Just tell ’em the truth.” I nod.
Mia walks past next and squeezes my arm, but she doesn’t say anything. I swallow, hard. I notice the restaurant is emptying. That’ll make it easier to talk.
Sawyer Jackson walks past me and tilts his head back to see me. I make a fist and he hits it with his fist. A fist bump. That simple gesture heals my heart some. He doesn’t say anything. I know this is all confusing to him. If I can smooth things over with Savannah Mae, I’ll need to make this up to Sawyer Jackson. I love him and her. It kills me to know I’ve hurt them. I watch in silence as they leave, and I pray this isn’t the last time I see him.
This is the part I’m dreading. I turn around and all eyes are on me, except Savannah Mae’s. She looks at her lap and another tear falls. Momma looks heartbroken, Samantha Marie looks frightened, and their parents look pissed.
I clear my throat and tap the picture of a battered and beaten Maria against my thigh. I decide not to stall any longer. They deserve to hear the truth right now.
“When I was in college I dated a girl, Maria.” I hold up the folded paper. “This girl. I really liked Maria, I may have even loved her.” Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, but it’s the truth. Maybe if they knew how much she meant to me, they’ll understand that I would never have hurt her. Not intentionally anyway. “We went to a college frat party one night. I remember it was packed. Probably one of the largest parties I’ve ever gone to. Drinks and alcohol were everywhere.” I pause and look at Savannah Mae. She still doesn’t look at me. Taking a deep breath I continue. “I remember some guys were saying things to Maria that were vulgar and crude. I just wanted to beat the shit out of them for the things they were saying to her.” I pause again. Still no eye contact. “Maria took me by the hand and led me to the makeshift bar in the kitchen. She was more forgiving of the remarks than I was. I got us a couple drinks from the guy behind the bar, and the next thing I remembered, I was running down a dark ally.” I close my eyes. I feel people watching me, and I don’t want to look at them. I can’t face them. Now comes the hard part. “I had blood on my knuckles and on my shirt. People were chasing after me and calling my name. I knew I did something, but I couldn’t remember what I did or to whom. Everything was and still is a blur.” I inhale deeply. “I’d been drinking, but not enough to explain the blackouts.” I keep my eyes closed. I force myself to keep my voice even. “I was taken to the hospital and that’s where I learned about Maria.” I swallow hard. Even now, it’s still hard to talk about. I hear gasps when people start to realize that it’s true that I caused these injuries to Maria. “Maria was taken into I.C.U., and I was treated for minor injuries and tested for drug abuse.”
“Abel, you don’t use drugs,” Momma whispers. “You never have.”
I slowly open my eyes and I can see the heartache on her sad face. I was raised that you never wanna do anything to hurt your Momma, and I have. “No, Momma, I don’t, and I never have.” I take another deep breath. “But that night, I had Rohypnol in my system.”
I can hear murmurs before someone says, “That’s a date rape drug.”
I look at Savannah Mae and Samantha Marie. They are both watching me. “That’s right, it is.”
“Someone slipped you a date rape drug?” Samantha Marie asks.
“I don’t think it was meant for me… I think it was meant for Maria.”
“Oh, God.” These are the only words Savannah Mae says. Her hands are placed on her quivering lips.
I can see the confusion on Momma’s face. So I continue. “Almost always, Rohypnol acts as a sedative. In only extreme cases does it cause violence….”
Samantha Marie interrupts. “Just like it did with me.”
I look at her. “Exactly, but in your case, you weren’t strong enough to cause physical harm to anyone…”
“But you did,” she interrupts again.
“I did. I’m sorry and I don’t recall anything after ordering the drinks. Maria was placed in a medically induced coma, and I was admitted for observation.”
Momma cries. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Because I didn’t want to disappoint you. “Because I went to college to better myself. I couldn’t tell you.”
“Oh, Abel. We would have understood,” Pops insists.
“Thank you. I called Levi; I had to talk to someone. The school suspended me, but they didn’t expel me. I guess because I didn’t have any other drugs in my system. They found the guy with the date rape drug and he was charged and expelled from school, as were the other guys who were with him. Maria got better and her friend told her about the drugs found in my system. We talked and she forgave me. She knew that I would have never hurt her.” I look at Savannah Mae and say, “I helped her out as much as I could. When my boxing career took off, I paid off all of her medical bills and I helped her financially. We’re friends, and I’m grateful for that. Because of her family, we never made it public and we never dated again. Her family wouldn’t have understood.”
“Abel Lee… I’m sorry. Why didn’t you tell me?” Savannah Mae stands. “With what happened to my sister, I would have understood.”
“I wanted to, and then I didn’t want to. How do you tell someone that you beat the shit out of your girlfriend?” I watch as she walks slowly to me. “The time was never right, the right words would never form. By the time I realized that you should know, that you had a right to know, I was already in love with you, and I didn’t want to lose you.” I turn to face her. “I knew that was a one-time incident, and that history would never repeat itself.”
“I’m sorry,” she places her small hand on my cheek.
I search her eyes. “I’m the one who’s sorry.” I kiss her and whisper in her ear. “I’m glad you stayed and let me explain.”
“I just had to clear my head. I had no intention of leaving, I just needed a minute to figure it out.”
“I understand.”
Savannah Mae
We both sit down and I look at the photo he’s holdin’ in his hands.
Savannah Mae,
Just so there’s no confusion, your boyfriend did this to my sister, and I won’t stop until I do this to you!
Not a Friend
“Ther
e’s still a threat against Savannah Mae we need to deal with,” my father says. “And he knows where she is.”
“That’s why we’re getting her and Sawyer Jackson out of Ohio.”
“Abel Lee, I can’t leave.”
“Savannah Mae, you can’t stay. I’m putting you in harm’s way, and I won’t do that to you.”
Daddy says, “Savannah Mae, listen to him. He’s right. You and Sawyer Jackson can’t stay here. This person, Maria’s brother, has already found you. It’s just a matter of time before he follows through with his threat.”
I shudder.
Abel Lee speaks clearly and seriously. “That’ll never happen. He’ll never get another chance to hurt her.”
“I can’t leave. I have work. Sawyer Jackson just started school. I have to work to pay my house payments.” I look at my mom and say, “Mom, tell ’im.”
She pauses, and that says all I need to know. “I’m sorry, Savannah Mae, but I’m with Abel on this.” Ugh. That’s not what I was hopin’ for.
I look to the only other person in the room who might help me. “Nelly? Please tell him Sawyer Jackson can’t miss school.” She doesn’t look at me. Great! Now what? “I can’t leave here, I have a son and I have responsibilities.”
“Honey, Sawyer Jackson started school early; it wouldn’t hurt to have him start school next year,” Mom says.
Not what I expected her to say. “Then what about my job? I need my job. I can’t just up and quit. They depend on me.”
“I think they would understand under these circumstances.” Mom is no help. Let me try a different approach.
“Where would we go? I have a four-year-old and no money.”
Everyone looks at the only person sittin’ beside me. I don’t need to look over at him to know that Abel Lee holds the answer to this question. When I unwrapped the gift and saw the picture, I was scared for my life. Now, I’m just plain mad. I don’t want to run from whoever this is. This is my home; this is my town. I don’t want to leave it.
I sit and remain quiet. No matter what I say they’ll have an answer. I know my family is lookin’ out for me, and I love ’em for it. But I don’t want to be forced to do something I don’t want to do, and I don’t want to leave Rose Farm.
I get an idea. “I got it.” I can feel all eyes are now on me. I keep talkin’. “What if Abel Lee teaches me how to fight? I can learn to box and beat this asshole at his own game. When he comes for me, I’ll be ready for ’im.”
“Savannah Mae! Watch your mouth.”
“Sorry, Daddy.”
Abel Lee speaks with authority. “You want to learn to fight?”
“Yes.” I hear grumbles in the background.
“You’ll let me teach you how to box?”
I hear more sounds of disapproval. “I said, yes.”
Abel Lee watches me. “On my terms? It has to be on my terms, Savannah Mae. Your life is not something I’m willing to play with. “
“Yes. On your terms. Whatever you say.”
Abel Lee
Sawyer Jackson excitedly looks out of the window. A voice comes over the loudspeaker. “Welcome to Sarasota, Florida. The local time is 1:48 p.m., and the temperature is 87 degrees and sunny. For the safety of all passengers, please remain seated until the seatbelt light is off. Please take all your personal belongings with you as you exit the aircraft. On behalf of Delta Airlines and its crew, we would like to thank you for flying with Delta.”
Savannah Mae is still pretty upset with me. Well, not just me, but with the entire family. When she said her learning to fight would be on my terms, that was music to my ears. Her dad and Pops didn’t waste any time putting things in motion to get her and Sawyer Jackson out of Rose Farm. The following day we had a destination picked out, airline tickets purchased, and our bags packed. Since Savannah Mae’s parents know the owners of Peaches Place, it was easier to get her a leave of absence from work. Savannah Mae reluctantly decided to withdraw Sawyer Jackson from school. I wish there was a better way of doing this, but I honestly didn’t see an alternative.
I have to make the best of it. “You guys ready to get this vacation started?”
“Yeah,” Sawyer Jackson says excitedly.
“This isn’t a vacation.” Savannah Mae glares.
Yes it is. I want to smile, but I don’t. “First, we’ll check into the condo, then we’ll go to the beach. First thing in the morning we’ll head over to the boxing ring for you to begin your training.”
Another glare from Savannah Mae. This should be fun.
“Yay, we’re goin’ to the beach.” At least Sawyer Jackson’s excited.
We exit the plane and grab a rental car before heading to the condo located on Long Boat Key. I called Bobby Grether and he was more than helpful with our search for a place to stay. Being he’s from the area, he knew the ideal location for us to stay. When I asked him if Savannah Mae and I could use his training center, he was more than happy to oblige. We’ve had our differences, but we turned out to be great friends.
I called Maria several times last night and today, and I’ve gotten only her voicemail. It’s not like her to not return my call within a few hours, or even a day. I have to let her know that her brother is responsible for the threats to Savannah Mae.
Tony and Mack hired a P.I., and all three are working overtime to find who is responsible for threatening Savannah Mae. They also urged us to call and report this to the police, which we did the night it happened. Once we got home, we called the police and they took our statements, along with the notes Savannah Mae’s been receiving and the envelope from her birthday party to check for D.N.A. The person responsible for this isn’t anything more than a menace, unless they can link him to something else.
Tony and Mack have always been more than just my manager and trainer; they’re more like family. They did so much more than just managed my boxing career and trained me to be the best fighter I could be. They also guarded and watched over me in the ring and out of the ring. It wasn’t until later that I learned everything that they did for me. I can laugh at it now, because now it’s funny. But when I first learned they were screening and doing background checks on women I dated and people I associated with, I about lost it. Now I get it. I remember once when I was on a date, they both happened to be at the same restaurant we were at. I didn’t know they were even there until some commotion at a nearby table got my attention. My date and I looked up to see a man performing the Heimlich maneuver on a woman. When it was all over with, I watched as Mack took his seat before he nodded at me. That was the same night I heard he saved a little girl from getting hit by a car backing out of the restaurant’s parking lot.
When I spoke to Bobby, he made a valid point. “You know, if you and Maria had come clean about your relationship, the incident, and the events leading up to it, this all may have been avoided.” I guess hindsight really is 20/20. Pops is overseeing the finishing touches on the landscaping and the playground. I can work on the webpage and mailing catalog anywhere, as long as I have a computer.
We enter the security code at the security gate and drive down the secluded driveway. A large pale yellow two-story house on cement stilts comes into view. This home is definitely hurricane ready. I can see out of the corner of my eye that Savannah Mae sitting up a little straighter. Finally something sparks her interest.
“Is this our house?” Sawyer Jackson asks excitedly.
“It sure is.” Security gate, private drive, alarms on the house, security cameras, private beach. Everything I was looking for to protect my family.
“No, Sawyer Jackson. This isn’t our house. We’re just stayin’ here for a few days.”
A month is more like it, or however long it takes to find this maniac. “It has a swimming pool, a hot tub, a game room, and our very own private beach.” I think for a minute. “It even has a home theater room in which we can watch movies.”
“How many bedrooms did you say it had?”
Good, she’s beginn
ing to talk to me. “Three or four.”
“Good, we each get our own bedroom.”
That’s not what I was hoping she would say. I help Sawyer Jackson out of the rented BMW. Savannah Mae walks toward the house and waits for me at the top of the stairs. I guess this is my punishment for bringing her down here. It’s a small price to pay to keep her and Sawyer Jackson safe.
“Abel Lee, I think Momma’s mad at you,” Sawyer Jackson whispers.
I remove the last of the luggage from the trunk, and kneel down closer to him. “Yeah, she’s a little mad, but she’ll get over it.” I hope.
He leans in and whispers into my ear like he has a secret to tell me. “Daddy once told me that Momma can stay mad for a really, really long time.” I was afraid of that.
Savannah Mae
I wait on the porch of this mansion-sized house for Abel Lee to get our luggage from the car. Normally, I would have helped him or at least carried my own bags, but not today. I feel like Abel Lee ganged up on me to get me to come here, and all of our family and friends were in on it. He asked for this and I’ll soon make him regret it. A “vacation,” he called it. We’ll see about that.
Abel Lee called it a condo, but I call it a mansion. I’ve seen a house like this only on HGTV Dream Home. This place really is a dream home.
I watch as he and Sawyer Jackson whisper back and forth before he closes the trunk of the car. I feel bad for not bein’ down there to help ’im but I don’t move. I’m rebellin’. Daddy would say I’m actin’ like a spoiled brat. What does he know. He sided with Abel Lee, too. They all did. Sawyer Jackson’s my only ally. He won’t turn against me. Or will he? He’s down there with Abel Lee, ain’t he? He’s only four. It’s not his fault he got sucked into this vacation of a lifetime. I’m mad, but even I know this place is incredible.
We walk into the huge open-floor-plan home. Hardwood floors, vaulted ceilin’s, pale yellow walls, and a kitchen that’s bigger than my entire house. I try to not look impressed as I walk around the spacious area. Sawyer Jackson says something and the entire house echoes. Even with all this furniture, it doesn’t mute the sound. I smile at how excited my son is.
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