Hurt Me (5 page)

   I didn’t need to look at any more places this one was what I was looking for. I went back to the real estate office to get the paper work started. I used the money my parents saved for me for college
. Since I joined the military I never had to pay for my classes. Plus I had stored a lot of money away in my own personal savings. The whole time I couldn’t help but want to show this to Eve. I wanted her to see how beautiful this place was. I didn’t realize how much I actually wanted her to love it. Her opinion meant a lot to me and that started to scare me. She was married (unhappily) but what did I mean to her?

   It was going to be another
two months before I could move out of my apartment because of my lease but I was ready to start moving my stuff into the new house since I paid the bank in cash. I knew this meant I had to call my dad and I was dreading it. Every time I would talk to him, he always blamed me for letting Emma get away. I’ve explained to him hundreds of times of what happened and he just doesn’t seem to think that she would really do that. It was frustrating but I always had my mom to back me up. As I was driving back to my apartment I hesitated over my dad’s name in the contact list on my phone. Taking a deep breath I dialed his number.

“Hello
.” I heard him pick up on the first ring.

“Hey dad
, it’s Allen!”

“What do
ya need boy?” He sounded stern and I knew he was about to bring up Emma.

“I was just letting
ya know I found a place and I want to pick up the horses this weekend and wondering if you would help me bring them back here?”

“You found a place huh?” He sounded surprised. “Yeah I can help you this weekend. You and Emma get back together?”

I rolled my eyes to myself just because he asked this every time I called him.

“No dad we didn’t she’s still with that lawyer.” He was silent. “I did meet another girl though dad.” Oh why did I say that? Eve wasn’t mine. Was I just trying to fill in the silence or please my father? No, I knew why I said it. I wanted her to be mine.

“Did ya now?” I heard him kind of smile to himself. “When do I get to meet her?”

“
Ummmm…” I got a little nervous. “I don’t know dad, it’s not that serious right now”. I can’t believe I’m making up lies now. I needed to get off this phone.

“Hey dad I
gotta go.”

“Listen hear now son your ma and I
wanna meet this mystery girl alright.”

“Okay dad
gotta go.” I said again and hung up the phone. My parents can be so over bearing sometimes, they would probably socially suffocate Eve.

   I woke up early the next morning realizing it was Friday I knew Eve would be working tonight. I was so excited to see her because I wanted to tell her about my house. I got dressed and took a shower feeling good about myself and proud I finally found my dream home. I had some stuff at the bank I had to take care of and I wanted to go back to the new house and really get a feel for what I wanted to do for the place. By the time I got back in town I was hungry and ready to see if Eve was working.

   I walked in the diner and sat down in my normal booth. I looked up from the menu and there was Eve looking beautiful as ever. I gave her my biggest smile and asked her to join me.

“Hold on okay?” she went in to the back. I waited what seemed like forever when I saw her walking back with two glasses of sweet tea. She sat down across from me and just smiled shyly. She put her hands on the table and started messing with the sugar packets. I saw a bruise on her arm that made almost a perfect hand print. I my eyes went wide, I was about to say something but she gave me this look pleading me not to ask about it.

“How are you?” I asked her concerned for her well-being.

“I’m fine. I ordered you a burger, is that alright?” she seemed nervous like she thought I would be mad.

“That sounds great.” I put my hands on the table next to hers and it seemed to make her even more nervous. “You will never guess what I did yesterday” I told her not being able to hold it in any longer.

“What?” she asked with a slight
smile playing at her lips.

“I bought a house and some land.” I
said proudly.

“Oh wow, a
ll in one day? You must be a very busy man. How many acres is it?”

“
It’s one-hundred and twenty-three acres and it also has stables and everything for my horses.”

“You have horses?”

“Yeah I have five; they stay at my dad’s. I’m going to get them this weekend.” Eve looked at me with a yearning to get away and I started to get an idea in my head that made my stomach do flips. I grabbed her by both her hands which shocked her completely. “Why don’t you go with me?” I asked her.

“Yeah right Allen like I could ever do that.” She said more to herself then me.

“Why not?” I felt myself getting upset. I didn’t know if it was jealousy or the feeling of not being able to protect her.

“You know why.” She got up and walked away. I felt my heart sink and I put my face in my hands trying to figure out what I could ever say to her to make her want me. She came back with my burger and she got herself a slice of
buttermilk pie. I was surprised; I thought for sure she left because she was mad at me. Then I was even more shocked because she was actually eating with me.

   After we ate in silence
and only sneaking small glances at each other, I felt the upmost need to just hold her. I wanted to show her I was good. That she didn’t have to be scared or nervous around me. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“You can ask but it doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”

“Do you like me?” I saw her eyes go real wide and then a fierce blush took over her flawless face. “I just need to know.” I admitted.

“Don’t do that to yourself.” She said with sadness in her voice.

“I like you, Evangeline.” She looked at me and opened her mouth like she wanted to say something but closed it again.

“You don’t even know me.” She finally said.

“I understand that we just met and we’re hardly even friends. I also know that I probably sound crazy but you’re the most beautiful woman I have ever met.” I looked at her and grabbed her hands again. They felt so tiny in mine. I studied them for a while. They were small and delicate but also worked. They had tiny scars on her knuckles and a big scar on her left hand that reached a little past her wrist. I caressed her arm where it had the bruise in the shape of a man’s hand. She winced as I went over it. “What did you do to deserve this?” I asked not really expecting an answer. She had the saddest look on her face and I could feel it breaking my heart.

“I was getting yelled at and Lee had my arm in his hand. The more he yelled the more angry he got and he would squeeze tighter and tighter.” She looked embarrassed to tell me but I was glad she trusted me with that.

“Why do you put up with it?”

“I don’t want to have this conversation
, Allen.”

“Well I do. He hurts you and I can’t stand it. I want to go pound his face in.” I could feel my anger rising up in my chest.

“You can’t do that.” She had the most serious look on her face with a hint of fear. “It will just make it worse she whispered.”

“Just come with me this weekend. Let me show you how you’re supposed to be treated. Let me prove to you that I’m better.”

She looked at me with sad eyes “I just can’t leave. It’s not that simple.”

“It is that simple. Do you still have my number?”

She shook her head no. “I had to throw it away before I got caught with it.”

“Do you have a pen?”

She pulled one out the pocket on the front of her uniform and handed it to me. I wrote my number on a napkin. Folded it and placed it in her hand. “You call me if you ever need help or anything at all.”

“Thank you
.” She stared at the paper in her hands.

“And I hope you reconsider coming with me this weekend. I’m leaving at
ten in the morning. Just call if you change your mind.” And on that note I got up and left. I looked back and she was just staring at me shocked that I’m the one who left this time.

Chapter Ten

Watching Allen walk out of the diner made me feel like I’ve lost my only hope and it’s my entire fault. I liked Allen, a lot. He has shown me more compassion in my life than anyone I’ve ever known. I got up and started cleaning off the table we sat at. Jenny came by and winked at me. I knew the diner was the only safe place I could ever meet with him. I kept my distance from people but I’ve worked here so long that they were like family. I knew they would never say anything and I knew Lee would never question my being here. I was just always scared of him driving by. I took our plates and cups to the back and washed them myself. The dishwashers complained when they had to wash dishes used by staff. Lazy is what I call it. I was drying my hands when I saw Al waving me over. I walked up to him wondering what it could be about. He had a grimace on his face and looked worried. “The phone is for you it sounds important.” He said in his low baritone voice. My heart started pounding against my chest. I never got phone calls at work unless Lee was in trouble. My hand was shaking as I grabbed the phone from Al. He walked back into the kitchen to give me some privacy. “H-hello?” My voice shaky just likes my hands. I always got nervous when Lee was in trouble because that meant he was going to be mad and most likely take it out on me just like he always did. “I need you to come get me.” He demanded loudly in my ear.

“Where are you?”
I asked nervously.

“They have me on hold at the jail. I need you to bail me out. They will keep me here if you don’t.”

“W-w-we don’t have the money.” I stuttered into the phone. I could hear him breath loudly into the phone. You could feel the tension even though I wasn’t close to him. I felt like I could hear the anger seething from him.

“What did I just say Evangeline. You come get me now.”

“I will try but Lee, baby you really need to understand we have no money.” I begged him. I had my stash but there was no way I was going to use that. Lee took the last of the money in our checking account the day before yesterday.

“No, you need to understand me… You come get me, NOW!” At that the phone line went dead. My palms were sweaty against the phone and still shaky. I didn’t know what I was going to do. It didn’t matter if he got out now or in a few days, he was still going to beat me. That was a given. My heart started pounding again at the ideas going through my head. I tried to shake them but they kept coming back. I told Al a little of what was going on and he let me leave early. I was walking home and all I could think about was going with Allen to his parents. Lee would never know. He was in jail and would be there until I went and talked to a bondsman or he had a scheduled court date which wouldn’t be until Monday or Tuesday.

    I walked through the front door and listened to the messages on our home phone. It was Lee again demanding I get him out. I sat down and looked up a number to the bail bondsman and I went to dial and I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. He deserved to be in there for what he has done to me. Instead I pulled the piece of napkin out of my pocket. I unfolded it and stared at Allen’s phone number. I felt like I couldn’t get enough air in my lungs. My breath was coming fast and my stomach was doing flip flops. Right before I was about to back out I started dialing his number. It started ringing and I felt like I had to throw up. It rang again and I told myself he wasn’t going to answer. It started to ring a third time and I went to hang up when I heard that sexy deep gravelly voice “Hello.” I felt a knot in my throat that made it to where I couldn’t speak. I heard him speak again “Hello?” I swallowed the lump in my throat down “H-h-hey Allen.” I stammered. What are you doing? My mind screamed at me.

“Uh yeah who is this?”

Part of me just wanted to hang up. He would never know it was me… Unless he called back, then he would hear my voice mail. Crap! I guess there was no turning back now. “It’s Evangeline.” I couldn’t say anymore, my heart wouldn’t stop racing and I couldn’t catch my breath.

“Is everything okay?” he sounded worried. I nodded my head up and down like he could see me.

“Evangeline are you okay?” he asked again. God this was becoming embarrassing. I finally choked some words out. “Uh, yeah, I’m um fine, I was just, um.” I quit trying to speak and took a deep breath praying he would catch on.

“You were what?” I could hear the smile forming in the way he spoke. He was teasing me now. He was going to make me say it.