by Vera Quinn
“I think that is a fabulous idea. I know that Jax’s niece, Lacy, dances in it too. Maybe you both could do a routine together for it,” I tell her. “Do you know anything about the charity?” I ask Valorie.
“Yea, they dance and stuff to raise money for Dancers against Cancer. They give it to the dancers and stuff when they are sick.
“Is she from here? I really don’t like most of the girls here. They are mean and hateful bitches,” she spits out.
“Val, that’s no way to talk for a young lady. I understand your hurt and angry, but that doesn’t justify the language. Use the proper language, okay?” I tell her. I understand and that is what I would call them, but I’m older and it’s my right to do that.
“You don’t understand what they do and say. They like to torment me and it hurts. Why did this happen to me? Why?”
“I don’t know, baby. I don’t know. I do know you are one tough cookie and we will make it through this. As for Lacy, she goes to school in Evansville. So no, she doesn’t go to school locally. I bet you would really like her. She lost her dad. She lives with her mom and brother. I really think you would like her.”
“Can you set it up? I would like to meet her. I want to do dance more. Can that happen? Please?” she asks me.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I tell her. I look over at Julia and she is nodding her head. I reply back with a nod.
“So, I need to talk to you about Julia staying here and living with us. What do you think?”
“I guess. Just as long as she doesn’t leave again. She promised me in my room that she wouldn’t leave again.” She whispers, “I don’t want to lose anyone else, Zeke. I don’t think I can...” She trails off as she sobs out and plasters herself against me.
“I know, baby. I know. I promise that I will do everything in my power to make sure you don’t again. Okay?” I tell her with tears in my eyes.
I cough a little, trying to stop that feeling of tears in my throat. “Now, tell me exactly what happened in school today.”
We talk for several hours about school and what movie we want to watch this weekend. She crawled over on the other side of me and all three of us cuddled up and watched a movie, munching on popcorn and candy for the rest of the night.
It’s late, and Valorie goes on to bed, with hugs for both Julia and me. I wait until she is in her room and then glance over and look at Julia. She looks at me shyly. I haven’t seen this look in so long. It’s the same look she gave me when we first made love. “Are you going to be shy with me? I thought you would have been over feeling this way,” I ask her. I wait to see if she will respond.
“It’s been a long time, Zeke. A really long time. Like the last time we had sex. That’s how long it’s been. I didn’t leave because I didn’t love you. I needed to find me. You know how I was raised. If it hadn’t been for your parents, I wouldn’t be as normal as I am now. I knew I loved you, and I knew you loved me. I also knew that if I hadn’t left, I never would have grown into me. I am a living, breathing woman, who loves myself now. I do what I do for me, not others. What I do give now is because I love you as well as myself. How could I love you like you needed to be loved if I couldn’t even love myself? See, before I needed you, now I don’t. Ugh. That just came out wrong. I didn’t have a me before; I was what everyone wanted or expected me to be. Now I’m me, but I need you too. You make my life complete. Does any of this make sense? You have no idea of how many times I wanted to pack it all in and just come back here to you,” she tells me with a tear running down the side of her cheek, eyes glistening from the tears.
“I do, and I understand but am so very happy you are home now for good. I have missed you something fierce. I haven’t had sex with anyone since you left, either. I love you and always have.”
“You ready for bed?”
“I am. I need a shower first,” she shyly tells me.
“Let’s go.” As I take her hand, I start to shut everything down and head toward the other end of the house and the main bedroom.
We slowly undress while looking at each other. “Bath or shower?” I ask her. We still have the white claw-foot tub that she had always wanted.
“Bath please,” she replies.
I draw the bathwater and put in some of the bubble bath she had left here. I pray it’s still good. It’s been down there for a couple of years. I get it all ready as I climb in and sit. I hold my hand out. She finishes putting her hair up and takes my hand, slipping into the tub in front of me. She leans into me with her head on my right shoulder. I lean in and finally kiss her the way I have wanted since earlier this evening. I nibble on her lips, ear and neck. A little nip here and a little lick there as I feel my cock getting so hard it’s like a rock. I run my hands up the side of her waist and around to her chest. Her nipples are hard and pointy. I grab one and gently twist and turn the little bud and make it stand straight out. I twist her around some so that I can wrap my mouth around that little nub, nipping and running my tongue around it. I hear her moaning loudly. She always was loud and looks like she still is. I love to hear her response to our lovemaking. Tonight, that is what it will be too. I lean back up and take the sponge and start to wash her off. I do the same to myself as I lift her up to help her get out of the tub first.
We toss and turn on the bed, running our hands over each other. I lift her on top of me. I love the feel of her on top. I always did. I like running my hands up and down her smooth sleek white skin. “I’ve loved you for years and I still do,” I whisper.
“I have loved you since the first day I met you. That has never changed,” she whispers back with tears glistening in her eyes.
I lean up and start kissing her neck, chin and end up at her mouth as I continue to run my hands over her body. I reach over and turn off my light as I continue to make love to the woman of my dreams.
Chapter Three
I look up from my morning coffee with a smile for Valorie. “Morning, Sis… Sleep well?”
I get a grunt from her as she sits down with a bowl of Cheerios. She doesn’t look at me
until she is done. “Are you taking me to school or is Julia?”
“Who do you want to take you?” I ask her.
“Julia if she will,” she replies.
“Ask her and see if she wants to. It’s up to her.”
She nods and takes her bowl to the sink, rinsing it out. She comes back over, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “I love you, Zeke.” Turning, she walks down to my end of the house towards my bedroom. I guess she’s going to ask Julia before she gets ready. I’m going into the school either way to speak to the administration. I am done with her coming home every day so upset. There’s no reason for it. If they don’t do something, then I will. I get up and take my stuff to the sink and load the dishwasher. I have to work later today for a while. I have worked at Ink-Fusions since Jax opened and I am good at my job. I have tattooed since I was fifteen and apprenticed at one of the top tattoo shops in California. Today, I have a special customer coming. He’s coming from Tennessee so I need to be there. I get to the bedroom and hear the two ladies of my life talking.
I walk in and see Julia giving Valorie a hug. They both look up. “I’m going to take her to school and drop her off. I have a job interview at the hospital today. I’m waiting on my Kentucky nursing license to come through. I have one for Indiana but waiting on this one too.” Julia keeps blabbering; she seems to be a little nervous.
“You don’t have to work if you don’t want to. If you do, I will support you a hundred and ten percent. Whatever you want to do,” I tell her. I mean what I say. I walk up and give her a hug. “I’m so happy you came home.” I tell her as I’m holding her in my arms.
The ladies leave about thirty minutes later. I take and get my stuff ready to head into work. I have no idea of what else Julia has to do today. I wonder if her parents even know she’s home. I pray that they don’t. I remember years ago, how they treated her. She didn’t have much of nothing. They alwa
ys worried about others, but never her. It was always about someone else. She would go hungry for not just food but affection and love too, but the people her parents helped never went without. They wanted her to go into missionary travels, like them. She left instead. She left me. It took me forever to learn to suppress my anger at her family for what they did to her. She is my life, and I really thought we would have had kids by now. We both wanted a bunch of them.
I went to work and worked on one of the Haunted Hills MC’s newly patched in member’s tat. I love doing this particular one. It is the coolest thing I have ever seen. It takes me about four hours but when I get it done, I get my work room cleaned up and speak to Jax about his niece for Valorie. He told me he would get it worked out so the girls could meet and work on a dance routine. He had called his sister while I was there, so we will be hosting a cookout this weekend at my place, although I have no idea what to make. Maybe just a simple menu this weekend.
I get to the school and standing outside of her car is Julia. I look at her and ask her what she is doing at the school.
“I got a phone call. She got into a fight today and they want to suspend her. We will go in together and fight this. This shit isn’t happening, not with her. Enough is enough. Let’s go, handsome. We got some ass to kick,” she replies.
We walk in and there Valorie sits. Her shirt is torn and she has a bloody lip. I go over to her and ask her if she’s okay. “Who did you get in a fight with?” I ask her.
“Same girl that’s been instigating this. I’m not putting up with it anymore, Zeke. It isn’t right.”
“Where is she?” I ask.
“She was told to go back to class.”
“Who started it this time?” I ask.
“She did when she cornered me in the bathroom with another girl. Zeke, I hate it here. None of them will listen to me or anyone that isn’t in the in-crowd. The teachers don’t care at all. I just want to go back home. They knew what happened. They are just so mean here. They won’t even give me a chance. Can I be homeschooled, please?”
“Let’s go into this meeting.” I’m thinking that I’ve just about had it. I get up when Mr. Crank comes out. He is the principal at this school and he needs to step up and do what’s right. We go into the office as I am holding on to Julia, waiting for her to come inside too. I need to get her added to Valorie’s list of authorized persons. I plan on marrying her, sooner rather than later this time. I’m done waiting.
“I’d like to know why Valorie has been pulled from class and the other student was released to go back to class,” I say.
“Well, we have had several issues with Valorie. I was hoping that she would get with the program and buckle down. Instead, we have issues at least twice a week with her,” he spouts.
“So it’s okay for her to get jumped in the bathroom by two girls and she’s at fault?” I ask.
“What do you mean jumped?” he asks.
“Just what I said. Valorie, you sit here and tell him everything that has been going on right now. From day one. I’ve had it with you coming home so upset that you’ve lost weight.”
Valorie sits and looks up at Mr. Crank, and she starts with day one. A boy pushed her so she fell in the hallway. The other kids laughed. She tells him about the bathroom incidents, and what happens in the classroom when the teachers aren’t looking. She shows him some of her bruising from being pinched. I take her backpack and pull out a recorder that I placed there without her knowing. I give it to him and tell him to play it. Valorie looks at me with sadness. “You didn’t believe me? You had me taped to see if I was telling the truth,” she cries out.
“No, I did it so that there was proof of what those kids were doing to you. This has gone on long enough. I’m not putting up with this anymore. If it continues, I will hire a lawyer. Enough is enough,” I tell her.
Mr. Crank takes the tape. “You know it’s against the law for this to be done,” he spouts.
“That may be, but enough is enough. I’m not playing with this shit anymore. You either listen and take care of business or I take it to an attorney. I am done with it.”
He puts it into a machine and listens to the tape. It clearly shows what Valorie has already endured just today. It’s more than just the bathroom incident too.
“I’m done. I want the tape, and I have been recording this meeting so if you refuse to handle this, I have proof of that too,” I tell him.
He hands it over, rubbing his face. I pick up my phone and call the police. I tell them I need an officer at the school and that I need to file a report for harassment and battery.
Mr. Crank gets on the phone and calls the superintendent and tells him to come to the school, please, that there is a situation that needs to be handled and the police are on their way.
By the end of the day, several kids have been arrested, and I have contacted an attorney. I ask for her schoolwork for at least a week as things need to settle before she comes back.
“I hope that you have a meeting with the kids about this type of behavior. This should never have happened.”
Chapter Four
We have a big cookout and Jax and his family have come so that the girls can get to know one another. I plan and make arrangements for Val to start dance classes in Evansville with Lacy. I think this will be good for her. Lacy sits down and just asks what happened. No staring, but she was curious and asked a lot of questions.
Valorie was more than happy to answer all of them. That is what they did at the old school. These older kids just have no respect nor do they care because their parents are always getting them out of trouble. They are trying it now, but I hired an excellent attorney.
Things are going well, and with the fundraiser coming up. We have a lot of stuff to take care of. We need to get her a recital outfit; and get tickets to her first recital here. We have talked her into returning to school and she finally stood up and said she wasn’t letting those stuck-up kids chase her off. The first two days she was kind of quiet, then she started talking about school and what was going on. She made a friend with one of the kids and they sit together at lunch. They have one class together. She is starting to settle into a normal routine and I’ve noticed that she is laughing more here at home too.
We head out the night of the recital for Authors and Dancers Against Cancer. We see Erin and I get a big hug from her and her parents. They are about family, and it’s something that I want for myself too.
The night is long but full of great talent. Valorie has outdone herself. We ended up donating about two hundred dollars to the cause. I saw Ria talking to some lady like it was some big secret. I later found out when I asked her that it was Jordan Marie, an author. I guess they are friends.
Chapter Five
We have been going on now for about three months since Julia has been back. I look at her this morning and ask her, “When are you going to marry me?”
“When you ask me,” she replies.
“Marry me. Make me the happiest man alive. I love you and always have for as long as I’ve remembered,” I say loudly.
Val comes out with her mouth open, nodding her head.
“I will whenever you want me too. I don’t want a big wedding, just something really small. In front of the judge is fine with me,” Julia tells me.
“I love you. Let’s do that, then we can have friends over for a cookout or something to celebrate. I would love that,” I tell her.
Julia agrees, and we make plans to marry next week. I ask Jax to stand up with me and Julia asks Valorie.
It all goes off without a hitch and Friday we are legally married. We are having a get-together on Saturday to celebrate with friends and distant non-blood family. I have people dropping off grills for the backyard. Someone came and cleaned the backyard dropping off tables and chairs for everyone to sit. We had some lawn chairs as well as a horseshoe game set up. Life here has changed so much in the last few months. I never would have thought that I would be this happy. Life is go
od. My sister is smiling more and more every day. I love to hear her laughter and see her smiles.
We have food cooked and we are all just sitting and eating, having a great time. All of a sudden, things turn kind of quiet and Julia has a look of desperation on her face. I turn to look and see her parents standing there. I grab her hand and tell her to stay here. I get up to move when she stops me. “I need to take care of this. They are my parents and they can no longer hurt me,” she says.
We both get up and she walks towards them. “Mother, Daddy. What are you doing here?” she asks them.
“We heard you were back but couldn’t believe you hadn’t come to see us,” her Daddy states.
“I just thought with the way things ended that you wouldn’t be interested in seeing me,” Julia replies.
“You are our little girl, Julia. Of course, we would want to see you before you head out for missionary work,” her momma states.
“I’ve told you more than once, that will never happen. I won’t be going on anymore missionaries. My life is here, where I plan to spend it with my husband and his sister. Maybe one day with our children.”
“What do you mean with your husband? Do not tell me you married this man. You were raised to be a missionary, not to stay here and not use your talents that you were taught growing up.” Her parents say at the same time.
“That’s where you’re wrong. I will never do what you want. My children will know love, be fed before others and live a happy fulfilled life with parents that show them their love. You can do as you want. This will be the last time that this is discussed. If you can’t be supportive of my decision, then hit the road and don’t come back. I mean this from the bottom of my heart. This is my life now,” Julia states.
She turns and walks away as I take them and lead them to the front lawn. “You should have given her some of what you gave to everyone else. That was your daughter. You have given more to others than her in this lifetime, she should have gotten some of it. She deserves some happiness in her life. She now has it. They are my life.” They both sneer and turn and walk away. I don’t understand people like them. I turn around and there she stands. She wraps her arms around me, as I wrap mine around her. “I love you,” I tell Julia.
