Opening the Door
Page 21
Ann was reluctant, thinking it was like throwing gas on a fire. She gave Marie a bare bones account about Dave. I could feel Marie’s stance shift as it sank in. She looked at me and said “That bitch.”
I urged Ann “Tell her the rest. Tell her about Rico.”
* * *
Ann really didn’t want to, but did not have a choice. She saw the glint of Marie’s eyes being matched by the predatory snarl on Sarah’s face. It looked like the last thing that you would see on a Bengal Tiger, moments before it pounced on its prey.
Inside she was thinking “Oh God, my God. What have you done putting these two women together, united over defending one man.”
Ann did the only thing she could think of to try and diffuse the situation. “I’ve known Rico longer. I go first.”
* * *
Fair enough. I simply nodded ‘yes’ to her.
We walked up behind the bitch. I didn’t know her name. Didn’t figure I had to. Little Miss Blondie was wearing a fake leather jacket with a fur lined collar. She was oblivious to what was approaching. Ann walked up to her and smiled “I like your fur, it suits you.”
‘???’ They must fight very differently where she’s from.
Still clueless as to what was about to happen. “Thanks. It’s not real of course, but I still like it.”
“It’s real. Look at the ends, see how they are tapered instead of being cut off evenly? That is how you tell the real ones from the fake.”
“Wow, that’s cool. I never knew it.”
“Like I said, it suits you.”
“I wonder what kind of fur it is. Can you tell by looking at it?” By now several other women are paying attention to this conversation.
“R & D.”
“What’s that?”
Ann is up to something, but I don’t know what.
“Rat and dog, probably from Pet Smart or somewhere like that.”
Total silence.
“When hamsters and pet rats die they shave the bodies and blend the hair with what they get from trimming around animal butts. Sometimes when they groom dogs it is too matted back there to brush out so they trim it back.” I cannot believe she is saying all this with a straight face.
“So when I said it suits you, what I mean is that you look like what comes out of a dogs butt. All framed with his matted hair and accompanied by dead rat leavings.”
Dead silence.
One of the women who knew what had happened last Christmas began to snicker. Then the others openly laughed. Blondie turned beet red trying to find something to say. Marie and I were both speechless.
Ann pointed to Blondie’s car and said “Get out of here. Other women don’t like you trying to steal their men. Even if you are a bitch in heat.”
This was followed by a chorus of laughter from the other women present. Still speechless Blondie quickly turned and scurried off.
That’s when I saw it.
In a parking lot across the street was a bright red VW bug. I froze for a few minutes. Slowly the driver started up his car and drove away.
* * *
He had watched and fantasized about what he was going to do to her for nearly an hour. Then her pain in the ass little side kick spotted him. He could tell Ann was scared and he loved it. But this was not the place.
Soon he was going to settle everything up with her. He would have to pick his time and place. It needed to be done where her so called friends could see her being beaten for her own good and humiliated for embarrassing him. But not close enough to interfere.
In the back of his mind he could hear the voice of his old man saying ‘Batter up’.
* * *
Chapter Thirteen
Very few people knew what had happened at Ann’s place, but Marie was one of them. She was gauging how long it would take to get in a car and follow the VW. Too long.
It may not have been much but this incident told me that the driver knew something about Ann’s friends. Otherwise how would he have known where we were going to be and when?
This took some enjoyment out of the day for us. But at least now I had something to work with. Now I had somewhere to start narrowing it down. I said this to Ann and Marie and they both looked at me.
Finally Marie asked “What are you going to do when you find out who it is?”
I stared at her, not blinking an eye. She got the message.
The guys were oblivious to this. Most of the other women were too. We were sitting at wooden picnic tables and watching the guys do their thing on the field. We tried to go back to enjoying ourselves but Ann was nervous and looking around. Finally I had to say something.
“It’s alright Sis, he won’t come back for a while.”
“How do you know? You can’t know that.” Her voice is beginning to get aggravated and the pitch is going up.
“He isn’t ready to make a move yet. He’s just scouting things right now. Deep down he is not very brave and will have to work himself up to do something face to face. Probably when he’s high. Until then he wants to make you afraid, that’s how he plans to make you suffer.”
Ann is staring at me, looking startled.
“When he does come at you he’ll want an audience. If he just wanted to hurt you, and not get caught, he would never have torn up your clothes. He would have waited inside for you instead.”
“Sarah honey, you’re not helping.”
“Just calling it the way it is.”
“How can you be so sure?” Her voice is beginning to return to normal.
“I have been around people like him all my life.”
* * *
When the crowd thinned out Marie had a long talk with Rico off to the side. Not just to tell him about seeing the red VW, but about what Sarah said.
She snuggled into him when he put his arm around her. “Honey, I like her a lot, and I know you think of her as a baby sister. But sometimes she is scary as hell.”
“You’re right about her. She is also very protective to those she considers family.”
“Where did she learn all of this? How does someone grow up like she did, and be even half-way normal?”
“Trust me lover, you don’t want to know.”
* * *
Both of us were quiet on the way home.
I was listening to my new obsession in music. Different songs put together as a mix and called ‘Dark Cabaret’. For whatever reason this always sooths me and I get mellow. I was driving with Ann staring out the window when she finally broke the silence, her voice betraying her fear.
“What are we going to do about it?”
“There is nothing to do yet. But we know that he is not a stranger. A stranger would want to stand right next to you without your knowing who he is.”
“Again, you’re not helping. I am scared enough as it is.”
“Ann there is nothing wrong with being afraid. Fear is what keeps us on our toes. It keeps you alert and ready to do what is necessary when the time comes.”
“Necessary?”
“He doesn’t have the patience to drag this out much longer. He will make his move and I’ll be there to stop him. Then he won’t try to hurt you again.”
“What are you going to do if he has a gun?”
“He won’t. He is the kind who wants to get close to you. He doesn’t want to kill you easy. He wants you to feel it. Guns are too impersonal. He’ll come at you with something else in his hand.”
“Again, not helping.”
* * *
I’ve been doing more actual accounting work at the office. I still study like a fiend every chance I get but I’m more confident in my abilities then I have been. Beverly pays me on a sliding scale, depending on what kind of work I do for her. Lately the paychecks have been getting better.
I did take the time to
have a talk with Katie about her not doing some of her assigned duties around the office. I try to keep things on an even keel and professional. But I will not be disrespected because of my age. I am still not sure how to handle some things but don’t want to go running to Beverly with this problem.
There is one other thing I don’t want to do. I no longer wish to be ‘The Perfect Employee’. I want more than that. Much, much more.
Finally the big day came. On Tuesday I sold my properties to the City of Hampton. The next day I was in Mr. Wendell’s office where I met the realtor and purchased my new house and rental home. When the transaction with the realtor was complete I stayed to sign paperwork dividing the property containing the garage away from the house, and zoning it as commercial. Mr. Wendell never bothers with awkward questions like ‘Why?’ and I appreciate that.
It is a strange feeling to know I will be leaving the duplexes. We all will. After everyone paid their rent for the month of November I went to each unit and told them what was going on and when we had to be out.
I had created a safe little world here and I’ll miss it. So they wouldn’t think I had cheated them by collecting one more rent I made sure to point out that they were getting the last two weeks’ time free. I also gave contact information for the person on the Hampton Zoning Commission so they could call and ask for an extension.
Don’t know if they will get one, but it never hurts to ask.
My neighbors Salina and Maria asked where I was going and if my Dad had any more places to rent. I just told them that Ann and I were renting a place in Newport News together to help pay our own rent. Also that my ‘Dad’ didn’t have any more places. “Otherwise I would be living there.” It was a lie but there is no reason not to follow through on things now. This is just one more loose end to tidy up.
* * *
Both Salina and Maria were busy making a phone call to a friend of theirs. He had an appliance repair business and was always looking for stuff to sell. They quickly came to a deal and made plans that as soon as a unit was empty he would come by and load up the appliances. Things like refrigerators, stoves, and the a/c units, plus the washers and dryers all had a resale value. Since the duplexes were going to be torn down they may as well get something out of the deal.
* * *
I took the mid-term exams for the last two of my classes on Friday and Saturday. It is nice when the professors take the questions straight from the Instructor’s Guide. I love when they do things like that. Although truth be told I knew the answers anyway.
Sometime after midnight early Sunday morning, Cindy called to ask if Ann was all right. It took me a couple of minutes to shake the cob webs from my head. There had been a car accident. Ann was taken to Sentara Hospital.
I don’t remember getting dressed but I know I broke every possible traffic law on the books getting there. The medical staff didn’t want to let me see her at first but I told them I was her sister so they finally allowed it. They said it could only be ‘brief’, but I would dare anyone to try and make me leave.
She was zonked out ‘under sedation’. Her left leg and ankle had been broken and were wrapped in a cast. One doctor was helpful. The others there were jerks. Especially when they found out that Ann didn’t have health insurance.
They were fretting about it and I was worried that they wouldn’t do all they could for her. Finally I said they could put it on my credit card. One of the office staff wanted to know if I “was authorized to pay her bill”. I was trying very hard to keep myself from just twisting her head around. Ann did not need me to go to jail right now. So I calmed down.
On the other hand, twisting her head around would just feel so damn good.
Something about my stance finally sunk into their little office personnel brains. The supervisor took my card and swiped it. When I found out how much the bill was I thought that I would have a heart attack myself. It’s a good thing I love this girl. They stated they would mail the final bill to me. I even remembered to give them my new address.
I spent the rest of the night at Ann’s bedside and held her hand. It may be corny but I believe people can sense things like that when they are sleeping. However one time when I noticed a little drool coming out of the corner of her mouth I had to take a picture of it. After all if you won’t use something like that as personal blackmail, then how can you truly call yourself a sister?
Sometime around dawn a policeman came by. He showed me the police report. The guy who hit her was drunk and in a stolen car. Of course he didn’t have insurance to pay for things. Unfortunately neither did Ann. This means that on top of getting a hefty fine for not being insured the DMV was going to suspend her license as well as his. Her car had been towed from the scene and put in an impound yard. The officer confirmed that it was totaled. Great.
When she was finally awake and groggy I helped her to the bathroom and then back into bed. I took a few minutes to go outside and make a telephone call. The hospital must have some kind of blocking thing because as soon as I got outside the building my phone blew up with a list of missed calls and text messages all asking about Ann.
I called Rico and Marie first. Their voices indicated how much they were worried. I asked if they could come sit with her while I went home to get her some clothes. The hospital had cut off most of hers because of the accident. Rico and Marie said they would be right over.
Some hospitals have a Starbucks kiosk inside but not this one. I went back to Ann’s room, an orderly was there with a pair of crutches teaching her how to walk with them. I thought they would keep her longer but I was wrong.
A woman in a white coat came in and gave us a prescription for five painkillers. That’s it, just five. She said that Ann should see her ‘Regular Physician’. Why do all the doctors seem to think that folks can afford a ‘Regular Physician’? Some of us are lucky to afford aspirin.
* * *
While Sarah was outside the room dealing with the people in white coats Ann was trying to clear the fog in her head. Her leg hurt. They had given her pain killers in an IV bag but the dull ache was still there. It was the same dull ache she had the last time someone had put her in the hospital.
The main difference now was that she knew Sarah was there looking out for her. The last time something like this happened it was different. The hospital staff had simply escorted her to the door and said that they “wished her a speedy recovery”.
That had been the lowest point of her life. She had stayed all day sitting at the bus stop. Cracked ribs, broken arm and all, watching the world go by with a bruised face and blackened eyes that could barely see. She had nowhere to go. Sometime later, she was never sure how long, but morning had turned into night. A nurse who had just gotten off shift gave her a ride to a shelter for battered women.
In the shelter her recovery truly began.
* * *
Rico and Marie came right over and stayed with her until I got back. Besides getting Ann a change of clothes I swung by the Mickey D’s drive thru for a cup of their bitter coffee. It was both burnt and old, but at least it had caffeine in it.
The hospital staff insisted on bringing Ann to the door in a wheel chair. They said it was ‘procedure’. Rico brought his truck around front and parked it. I had forms to sign before the medical folks were satisfied. Finally Rico picked her up like a groom carrying a bride across the thresh hold, and put her in the front seat of his pick-up. Marie made certain Ann was buckled in and we drove back to my place. Rico was taking it easy so the potholes wouldn’t jar her too much.
When we were at my duplex Rico carried her in and set her down in the recliner. I gave her the remote for the TV saying “You have the power!” It was sappy but I didn’t know what else to do.
I offered to cook her some breakfast but Ann and Marie looked at each other for a second before Ann said that maybe we could order something to be delivered later.
Just before they left Marie slipped a couple of pills in an envelope for Ann and told her that they would help her relax and go to sleep. Ann took one and about twenty minutes later asked me to help her go to her room and get in bed. When I asked how she was feeling her reply was “Honey child. I am happier than a blue jay with a French fry”.
Usually I hate that fake southern accent she puts on. Ann might call it a ‘Moonlight Magnolia Drawl’ but to me it’s pure corn pone. However right now I was happy that she wasn’t in pain. That’s all I cared about.
Those pills must have been pretty good because she was out for the next eight hours straight.
I sent Beverly a text asking if she knew any doctors in the area who would treat Ann. The only times I have ever seen a doctor myself was when something was badly broken or bleeding too much. It took a while for Beverly to respond but she recommended that I take Ann to a branch of a different hospital on Mercury Blvd. She told me that I could take a day’s leave from work on Monday. It’s nice to work with someone who cares about people.
We were at the hospital branch when they opened their doors Monday morning. We didn’t have an appointment but after half an hour in the waiting room one of the doctors had an opening. The lady doctor who saw her was nice and professional. She asked as many questions about Ann’s general health as she did about the broken parts. I took that as a good sign. She wrote out two prescriptions and made an appointment for Ann to return in four weeks. I dropped the scripts off at the drive thru of a drug store on the way home.
Ann was quiet on the way back. She was looking out the windows but I am not sure she really saw anything. I was rushing around to help her out of the car and into the house when she snapped at me.
“I’ll be okay! I am just banged up is all!”
Whoa, where is this coming from?