"You cannot go anywhere until the cops get here, and then you need to go to the hospital. You need to be checked. You hit your head and head injuries could be dangerous."
Sean knew she was trying to run away again, "Rosalyn, after the cops complete their paper work, I am going to take you to the hospital. You need to get checked." Sean pleaded, "I promise you that afterwards I will bring you home. If you want to, I will even pick you up in the morning to take you to work. If I were you though, I would take a couple of days off. You will be bruised in the morning and in a lot of pain. We will help you as much as we can until your car is in working order."
As the cops wrote their reports, asked all the pertinent questions and wrote the pertinent citations, the paramedics checked Rosalyn. This is going to be so expensive, how am I going to pay for everything? If she had been paying attention, nothing would have happened. Everything was her fault as usual.
The paramedics ordered Rosalyn to go and get checked at the hospital. Immediately Sean volunteered to take her. His car was drivable, as it had not received as much damage as Rosalyn's car had. He called his wife to inform her of the change in plans, and they were on their way.
Although, she had refused his help, he had insisted. At the hospital they found out that she had a mild concussion and that she needed to rest. Sean suggested that she come home with him and his wife, but she had refused. He took her home, which was not that far away from the church, promising to check on her later.
And all theses blessings shall come upon you and overtake you,
if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 28:2
Chapter 21
As John was getting ready to go to work, he received a call. "Hey John, this is Sean."
"Hi, what can I do for you?”
"You always get right to the point. I just got a call from one of my parishioners. Mr. Sanders has been rushed to the hospital. He had a heart attack. I am on my way there to be with his wife while he is in surgery."
"Okay, continue."
"Yesterday, an old friend of mine crushed her car into mine and I promised to check on her."
"You said she was a friend. What did you do, dump her for another girl, and she is getting even?" He laughed. It was obvious that Sean had not been hurt in the wreck.
"Nothing like that, this was coincidental. She needs a ride to work, can you do it for me?"
“Yeah, sure. Give me her address."
Thirty minutes later, John found himself ringing the doorbell at this psycho’s house. He did not believe that this person had hit the pastor accidentally. In his line of work, there were not that many accidents.
While he waited for the door to open, he realized he did not know whom to ask for. He had not even gotten a name.
"Hi, may I help you." Rosalyn said. She was still in her pajamas, and her left eye was swollen shut.
"Rosie? Rosalyn? Oh my God, who did this to you?"
Rosalyn thought she recognized the voice, but her vision was blurry and she could not see much. "I am sorry, who are you?"
"John White. Who hit you?” John pushed past her looking to see if there was a man in this house he could hold responsible for her injuries.
"John? John White? What are you doing here? And no, no one hit me. Who do you think you are, barging into my house?"
"Oh, I don't know. Just a friend who has done his best to keep in touch with you for the last decade or so, and you have been doing your best to avoid, and I don’t know why.”
“Perhaps because I do not want to speak to you.”
“Why in the world not? Rosie I know your mother gave you better manners than this. Aren't you going to offer me some tea or coffee?
She rolled her eyes, and very sweetly said, “Should I offer you some cookies to go with that tea?"
John knew she was full of sarcasm, but he took advantage of her generosity anyway. “Yes that sounds wonderful, but I prefer coffee."
She was ready to scream. What was wrong with him? "Forget about the coffee, it’s time for you to go."
He ignored her, and walked straight into the kitchen and begun searching her cupboards for the kettle. "No, I'll make the tea."
He filled the kettle with water and continued searching, ignoring Rosalyn's complaints.
"Where did you get all those bruises Rosie?
"I had a car accident."
John grinned, "So you are the lady who hit our sweet pastor, ha!"
"Guilty. Now would you mind leaving? I would like to go back to bed."
"You are not going to work?"
"No, I called in sick. I'll feel better tomorrow."
John stayed quiet while he waited for the water to boil, and set the tea and sugar in front of her. He gave her a kiss on the forehead, and on his way out, called over his shoulder. "Don't forget to lock up. I'll be back after work to check on you.”
Rosalyn was not going to be bullied into anything; she did not want him back. “No, that’s not necessary. I'll be okay.” She screamed as he closed the door behind him.
John would do what he wanted to do anyhow, so might as well agree with her. She could believe that she had won. He knew better. They had so much to talk about. He opened the door a crack and said, “Ok, but I will take you to work in the morning.”
Rosalyn was so angry, she could scream. How dare he come and order her around as if she were a little girl. She would not put up with that. Once upon a time, she had been so in love with him that she would have done anything for that kiss he gave her, even if it was just a brotherly kiss.
Rosalyn had been pacing the floor since John left. She could not figure out how it had happened. What was John doing here? John, her childhood infatuation, the hottest guy in school, and her first non-reciprocal love was here. She had been so in love with him, she would have done anything for him and all he had wanted was math help. Not only had she gotten hurt that night, but she had also learned how truly stupid she was and had been too embarrassed to see him. She did not want to hear him say ‘sorry, for the misunderstanding.’ He had been writing to her for over fifteen years and she was terrified that his letters would say exactly that. Sorry for the misunderstanding, but I never wanted to go out with you. She was afraid of the letters almost as much as she had been of seeing him. She did not want to see pity in his eyes at her stupidity and its consequences.
She wished he gave up. They had not even gotten to go on a first date together, why couldn’t he just leave her alone? She had a drawer full of his letters, unopened letters that she was too afraid of reading.
He had been a good kid. She understood that it had not been his fault, but her inexperience. Now he needed to move on. She was trying desperately to move on, to forget that night. Her conscious asked are you really trying to move on, or are you trying to push everyone away so that you can feel sorry for yourself?
What was she going to do now? She had moved away from home because she did not want any reminders of that night. She loved the fantasy life she had created, and now Mariah was there as a reminder, and on top of everything, John had found her.
She was thankful that there was no one at home. Her tears begun spilling slowly, and with each second that passed another memory resurfaced and soon after her sobs had brought her to a place in the past that had her paralyzed.
Hours later, Mariah found her mother on the sofa, still in pajamas asleep. “Mom, I’m home. Are you feeling okay?”
Rosalyn slowly opened her eyes, not remembering anything that had happened in the last few hours. She remembered John coming, but the rest of the day was blank. She could not go through this anymore. She hated remembering. She had tried so hard to walk away from anything and anyone from her past because it always brought her to this. She saw her daughter’s worry look, “I am okay, I am going to take a shower.”
Rosalyn never blamed John for that night, but if it had not been for her weakness and infatuation with John, she would nev
er have lied to her parents, and she would not have been punished. What was she going to do now? She wanted to move to a new place, or better yet, a new country. Somewhere so far away, she could go invisible.
She knew that she couldn’t do that anymore. It was time to be a responsible adult. She needed to make a plan. Tomorrow, she would get up an hour earlier and call a taxi. By the time John came, she would be long gone. It was doable. If he came after work . . . she could not think of that now. This was too much for her right now. She needed to rest.
Let the evildoer still do evil,
and the filthy still be filthy,
and the righteous still do right,
and the holy still be holy.
Revelation 22:11
Chapter 22
Boris was pacing his office. He had sent those idiots to take care of the girls, and they had only found one. The cops had come to investigate so many times that he had lost count. They kept looking at his books, and thankfully, his second set of books was so carefully done, no one could tell they were fakes. For that, he needed to thank Helen. She was good at keeping the books in order
He had to admit; he had not foreseen all the problems that were coming his way. First, the senator’s husband’s unforeseen death, which investigators had declared a homicide had the cops all over his business. Then the two women had run away. All they had to do was their job, and they would have been set for life. Finally, there was the problem with the Brazilian. She had dared to make a formal complaint to EEOC. Little did she know that he was a good friend with anyone who could put him away. No one would ever believe him to be anything but an angel.
The three women were going to have to pay. He already had one, now he had to bide his time for the other two. No one crossed him and lived to tell. Oh, they would die, but first they had to work to pay him what they owed him. He had several customers who did not mind breaking their spirit and teaching them some manners.
The Brazilian, especially, was going to regret denying him. He never forced anyone to enjoy his attention, but he had no problem forcing the attentions of his customers on the girls. She was perfect for business.
Not only his situation with Ana had blown out of proportion, but also Rosalyn was gay. He had never had a problem with women, and all of the sudden two of them were giving him a hard time. Didn't they realize how fortunate they were he had chosen them? Most women would die to be with him. He was just everything a woman wanted in a man: Good looking and wealthy. What else was there?
Now, Rosalyn had not shown up to work. What was wrong with her? He was not ready to give up on her, yet. After all, she had not crossed him. He just needed to prove to her that he was better than her roommate. He laughed. He was competing with a woman, for the attention of a woman. Imagine that. If she did not show up to work tomorrow, he would have to go find out why. There was no way he believed her story of the car accident. That was lame.
As he was planning his next move, two of his partners showed up - as always, unannounced and unwelcome. He hated these two men. When he had suggested this business to these two men, he had been drunk and he had not realized the extent of their greed. Those two were animals. He could never call them civilized. Boris understood his weaknesses, and his sin did not hurt anyone. He fantasized, he dreamed, but he never forced anyone, and he only took lives to protect himself. He always made sure that his arrangements satisfied everyone involved.
“Your company has been on the news lately and we do not like it.” Said Kruno as he sat on the chair across from him. Boris just nodded, he was afraid that they could read the guilt in his eyes. These men terrified him. Boris continued, “How come those two were not in the list with the others?”
“I don’t know. I thought they were. I’ll have to ask Helen. You know she is the one that does all the paperwork and arrangements. She can answer your questions when she comes back from her maternity leave,” Boris replied as he was straightening the papers on the desk.
“When is the new load arriving? We have the customers lined up.” Said Davor who had sat down on the sofa across from the desk. Kruno was giving Boris a speculative look. He knew his friend, and knew that Boris had too many weaknesses. Right now he knew that Boris was lying through his teeth, and very soon Boris would find that he had outlived his usefulness. He had become a liability.
“Tonight, everything is ready,” boasted Boris in a cocky tone of voice. Finally they had asked him something he could answer with a clear conscious. Boris felt that without him, there would be no business. He hated the fact that he had to share profits, if only he could just get rid of them, but how?
Kruno and Davor looked at each other before Kruno continued. “You need to clean up the messes you are creating. You have the two European girls who are missing in action and now you have the Brazilian who has called attention to you. We have told you. You need to keep your business and your pleasure separate. How are you planning on fixing this?”
“I already have one of the girls. She is in one of the houses. I have not figured out a way to get the other one yet. The bartender does not let her out of his sight, but I am ready for the first opportunity. I have a customer ready for the Brazilian. She will regret having denied me. He is a wealthy Mexican. I do not want to cross him,” boasted Boris. He wanted them to know that he did not need them to run the business. He was capable of getting his own customers.
Davor felt his patience leaving him. He inhaled and exhaled before explaining, “Boris, is this the same Mexican guy that uses the girls like punching bags?”
Boris felt ashamed. He wanted to prove that he could make decisions on his own, but it had backfired. “The one and only.”
Davor and Kruno looked at each other. Davor shook his head, giving a silent message to Kruno. “Have you stopped to think that if this girl disappears, and the agent she spoke with gets wind of it, he will be at your door sniffing like a dog in heat?”
Boris looked crestfallen. He had not thought of it. “She needs to pay, they all need to pay.” was all he seemed capable of saying.
You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
Isaiah 62:3
Chapter 23
Wow! This was his Rosie? In high school, John knew that Rosie was attractive, and that she had potential for pretty, but he had never imagined that she would turn out to be the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. Even with all those bruises, she took his breath away.
He was in shock. He had been searching for her for so many years unsuccessfully. He had ended up in this town because this was where she went to school. After graduation and her parents’ death, he had lost track of her whereabouts. Now he did not know what to say or do. Since that fateful day he had not stopped thinking of her. He wished he had been allowed to see her, to apologize to her. Maybe, just maybe, he would have been able to move on with his life and dreams, if he had just been able to settle things.
What a sense of humor life had. When they were in high school, he had invited her out, to try to help her fit in, and to ask her for math help. He was so full of himself. He deserved everything that happened to him over the years, but not Rosie. She was a nice, sweet girl.
She was, and probably still is, brilliant. He remembered she wanted to be a scientist of sorts. She was probably running a lab where some horrible disease was being eradicated. He would not be surprised at her success. He wondered how to go about restarting their friendship again. Every few months for the last fifteen years, he had been sending a letter to her. He had been sending it to her parent's address. It started after that fateful day. He had to apologize. He had gone to her house so many times, but never got past the door.
He started by sending her one card apologizing. When she did not reply, he had sent a second one. Then it became a habit to write and tell her about his life. He told her about the good and the bad, about his dreams, about decisions he faced, and about his parents. He wrot
e to her about every nuance that was going on in his life. She never wrote back, but it was okay, he felt that by writing, he was rectifying something that was broken in his soul. He had continued to do that ever since. He did not know if she read them or not, but it had become a habit he was not willing to break.
When he learned of Rosalyn's parent's deaths, he had wanted to go to the funeral, but he was deep in an undercover case and had not been able to get away.
Now he was given a second chance. Dear Jesus, help me rectify a wrong. He would go and check on her after work and then see where things went from there. She had not been happy to see him, but he was not one to give up easily.
Sorrow is better than laughter,
for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
Ecclesiastes 7:3
Chapter 24
John felt a bit frustrated with Rosalyn. Last night, her daughter had come to the door, saying that she had been asleep. He knew that to be a lie. Today, he would be there an hour earlier. She would not ignore him. They had to speak. His conscious had been bothering him for too many years.
Oh! He knew and understood if he thought carefully about it that it had not been his fault. He had no control of the events of that night, but somehow he felt responsible for them. If he had not asked her out, she would have been in the safety of her home. His conscious would probably not bother him as much if he had asked her out for other reasons than selfish reasons. Why couldn't he have asked her to help him in school? There had not been any need to have her wait at the dark park alone if he had thought of her instead of himself. His heart told him that everything had been his fault.
While in high school, his reputation and status had been so important to him. He had wanted to be a football player. They were popular and admired. Football players needed special physical attributes to do that and he did not have those. If one was not big and mean, one needed to be fast. He wasn't big, mean or fast, but he had hoped he could overcome what he had seen then as his imperfections. That night the fantasy had died. He had accepted his limitations and accepted that he was not football player material. Instead he had chosen to join the marines. He loved it there, but he realized after one deployment that he did not want to serve his country overseas, but in his own land. After he had served, he did not re-enlist, instead, he had joined the local police department until Homeland Security recruited him. There is where he had felt accomplished. He used all his energy in cases relating to child pornography or white slavery. Now he was even thinking about going one step further. He was thinking about starting a private investigations agency specializing in sexual assault cases. His investigations had come to a stand still many times because of red tape and politics. He was tired of it. He lived to see those bastards put away.
Second Chances: The Power of Renewal Page 9