Chapter 5

• Chapter Five
• “Wait, I’m coming with you.” Edna appeared from the back of the house.
• “Mama, who’s going to watch the kids if you come with us?” Maria asked feeling a little impatient. Tom may have Ricky busy, but she was still anxious. She wanted to get out of Jacksonville as soon as possible, while she still could.
• “They are hiding at Grace’s. I thought it best just in case he came around here.” She answered getting into Jane’s station wagon.
• Maria felt a little relieved that she had one less thing to worry about, but that didn’t ease the anxiety she felt of going home and finding Ricky waiting for her with a shot gun. She felt she should have kissed Michael goodbye just in case they got home and did find Ricky waiting at the door with a shot gun.
• Jane drove fast, she too seemed anxious and it wasn’t helping Maria stay calm. After what seemed like ages sitting in the car jittery and biting her nails they got to the house. She waited for a few seconds for Ricky to spring out and run for the car, but nothing happened. She jetted out of the car anxious to get in and out as fast as she could. Jane and Edna were running behind her. Maria headed for her room, Edna went for hers and Jane ran to Michael’s packing only the essentials.
• Maria ran to the kitchen and took out the wade of money from under the sink. She might have been a fool staying with Ricky for so long, but she wasn’t that much of an idiot not to save for a rainy day, and the rainy day had arrived. Edna came into the kitchen. She climbed the counter and reached above the cupboards. She took out a heavy envelope and jumped off the counter.
• She turned to Maria with a smile, “Getaway money. I’ve been waiting for this day for years.”
• Maria looked at her, unable to return the smile. She felt so guilty for keeping her mother and son in the same hell hole she was in, “I’m so sorry mama.” She choked out, blinking back the tears.
• Edna put her hand on Maria’s cheek, her eyes gentle and understanding, “Hush. You were scared and what kind of mother would I be if I left you alone with this monster?”
• “What kind of daughter and mother does that make me, having brought the monster here in the first place?” Maria let her tears flow freely, but Edna wiped them away.
• “Maria, Edna we need to get out of here!” Jane came yelling into the kitchen.
• That only meant one thing, Ricky was back. Maria ran into the living room and looked outside the window. Ricky was limping and all his clothes were bloodied and he looked viciously angry too, with a gun in his hand. Tom did a number on him and now he was going to take it out on her.
• “Maria, I know you are in there. You and that bitch Jane. I’m going to kill her for what Tom did to me!” he limped faster towards the house.
• Maria retreated to the kitchen, a cold chill running down her back. They couldn’t run if they were all to get out alive. Ricky was a good shot, drunk or sober.
• “Jane, you and mama need to get out of here!” she gave Jane the money she had and pushed them towards the back door with the bags.
• “No. We can’t leave you.” Edna protested.
• “He’s got a gun. I can’t risk him killing either of you. He’ll beat me, but he won’t kill me,” Maria was sure of it. Ricky may use her as a punching bag, but in his own sick way he loved her too much to kill her, even though he threatened to do that a number of times. The door came crushing in, making all of them jump.
• “Go, now!” Maria pushed them out the back door then turned to face the kitchen doorway, scared, waiting for the inevitable.
• Ricky finally stomped into the kitchen; a wicked smile crept over his face when he spotted Maria. She took a step away from him as he moved closer, but he lunged for her grabbing her. He punched her, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out. “If I don’t see my kid here in the next hour, you’ll find yours buried in your garden!”
• Maria was in a daze after the punch, but his words woke her up. “Please don’t!” She yelled and got a knee in the stomach for it.
• She fell to the floor and curled up, her hands over her aching belly. Several kicks to her back made her unwind. She rolled away from him and crawled back into the house trying hard not to cry or scream, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of shedding a tear, not this time. She managed to get to her feet. She got as far as the living room before he tripped her. She fell on the table, and it broke under her. She screamed, unable to contain the pain in her shoulder and ribs which had only began to heal after her last beating. She didn’t have time to recover before she felt Ricky’s hard boot make contact with her head. She rolled to the couch, still, completely blacked out from the blow.
• ****
• In New York, Dave paced his compact office, thinking of the best argument for his pro bono client. His client was fighting her rich ex-husband and his new trophy wife for custody of their children. He was shocked at how incompetent—or corrupt—her previous lawyer was. He had been incapable of getting her out of the weak prenuptial agreement she’d signed and had allowed her to sign an iron clad postnuptial agreement during their separation. She left the marriage penniless and now her ex-husband wanted to take the only thing she had left, her children.
• Dave sat back at his desk in a huff, “That quack gives lawyers a bad image.”
• As he again went through all the contracts his client had signed, he heard a knock on his door before it swung open.
• “Dave, there is a Sharon on the line for you.”
• Dave looked up from his paperwork and stared at his secretary. She was half in the office, her red hair hanging loosely against her shoulder as she smiled at him sweetly. Dave had noticed the efforts Carol went to, to make herself attractive to him. But he didn’t dare suggest that he noticed which was difficult.
• “Who’s Sharon?”
• She moved in from behind the door, her left leg slightly lifted to cross her right, accentuating her long legs further and her smile widened. Did she think the short skirt wasn’t doing its job right? If she only knew! Dave just didn’t have the energy to juggle an affair, a difficult wife, his workload, court cases and a one year old baby. He was stretched out enough, now that he was garnering for senior partner.
• “Sharon is your new nanny. She says it’s six and she needs to leave. Mrs. Greer isn’t home.” she said Mrs. Greer with noticeable distaste.
• Dave gave her a cutting look, but he didn’t reproach her. He had two women in his life, his wife and his secretary and he was already at war with one of them and Amy was enough.
• He began packing his paperwork but left them. He didn’t have time if he was to get home to his daughter, just in case the new nanny decided to leave. He picked up his jacket and his briefcase and rushed for the door, but Carol blocked his way and stared up at him with seductive eyes.