by Lee Wardlow
Like Dad, Samson Hallows was clean shaven and didn’t understand the younger generations need to have scruff. They were the same age and had grown up in the same small town. Samson returned to Sherwood after law school. He raised his family here. His sons left town as he did. They went to college somewhere, in a large city but unlike him, they didn’t come back to Sherwood, Ohio.
“How’s Dillon doing?” I asked. He worked for one of the large colleges in Northern Ohio as the Assistant Athletic Director. Dillon was Elijah’s age, just turned thirty. In high school, he was the quarterback of the team all four years. No one could touch his arm.
Third year in college he tore up his shoulder in a college game which ended his career and any aspirations he might have had about turning pro. Some say he had it and some say he didn’t. I didn’t know or speculate either way. It didn’t really matter now. The injury took care of Dillon’s chances.
“He’s on fire as far as his career goes. He might not stay in Ohio, don’t you know.”
“Seriously. That will be hard on Mrs. Hallows if she can’t drive north to see him.”
“It will but I can stick her on a plane,” he laughed. “I won’t keep her home now that Dillon and Emma are talking about having a baby.” He sighed. “Once that baby gets here, it’s game over.”
I chuckled.
He was ready to get down to business. “Benjamin, your dad tells me that Asia’s mother left your daughter in your brother’s care where she was staying with them after her birth.”
“She did.” I wasn’t sure how that would appear to a judge. I only had been with my daughter three weeks of her nine-week-old life.
Samson nodded. “He said there was a letter from her,” he declared. I nodded and handed it across to him. He scanned through it then I told him what Disa had told me. Most was not even true.
“Ben, I would like to file a petition in court for temporary full custody for you on the grounds of abandonment. She’s only been gone three weeks. She has to be gone ninety days for that charge to stick.”
I nodded.
“If she comes back, she can’t take Asia from you, but she could go to court and force you to share her. Are you prepared for that?”
I inhaled. As hard as it would be to share her now after only three weeks if Jasmine came back after ninety days, I would still find a way to share our daughter with her because it was what was best for Asia. I told Mr. Hallows that.
He agreed that a judge would find it favorable if I was agreeable to come up with a shared parenting plan, should Jasmine return and want to see Asia. “Could I make a copy of this letter?” Mr. Hallows asked me. I nodded. I had been doing a lot of that. Just nodding. Unsure of myself. This unknown was unnerving to me.
He left me alone in his office for a few moments. I stared out the window, thinking about Disa and Asia waiting on me at home. That’s where I wanted to be right now.
When he returned, Mr. Hallows handed me the letter and I shoved it back in the envelope. I had almost thrown it away then decided one day, if Jasmine never came back, Asia might want to read it. One day, when she was much older. Dad had told me to bring it today.
“In about thirty days you’ll receive notice of a court hearing. We’ll appear together. Answer a few questions. The judge will grant you temporary sole custody of Asia while we wait the mandatory ninety days to ensure that the mother has truly abandoned her.”
I rose from the chair where I sat and extended my hand to Mr. Hallows. “Thanks, and thank you for seeing me today so I didn’t have to miss work.”
“Anything for Simon and his family.”
I headed back to the truck and called Disa when I was in the cab. She answered on the first ring. “Hey, there.”
“Hey,” I responded.
“That was quick. How did it go?”
“Easy enough. Thirty days I’ll have a court hearing where I’ll be granted temporary sole custody of Asia. Then we wait. Jasmine has to be gone at least ninety days before it’s legal that she abandoned Asia.”
“So, we wait,” she said.
“We wait. Want to go to the park and grab lunch?”
She laughed at me. Then she replied. “You’re just becoming plain boring Benjamin Hatfield.”
I laughed with her. “I like boring as long as you’re with me.”
**
Disa pushed the stroller and for a moment, I also pretended that Asia belonged to her instead of her cousin. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and we walked around the path in silence.
“Are you okay?” She asked after a while.
“Just thinking,” I replied.
The park was filled with young couples just like us. If you looked at us, one would think we were just like them. Married taking a walk with our infant. She looked like me, but Asia could be Disa’s child. No one would know.
“How do you feel about what happened between me and Jasmine now?” I had to ask. We hadn’t talked about it since the first time we were together.
She stared down at the stroller. “Still hurt, Ben. I’m trying to get over it. I’m not going to let it come between us though.”
I sighed. “I wish I could go back Disa and change the past. I wish I hadn’t listened to Dad. Fought harder for you.”
“For us,” she corrected me. “I just didn’t understand you.”
“Then or now?” I asked.
“Both,” she replied. “Ben, we don’t have to keep rehashing the past. Our past or your past with Jasmine. I really want to just move forward.”
I tugged her into me and kissed her temple. “I’d like that too.” I knew though that sometimes when she looked at me, she was thinking of me being with Jasmine. “I’m sorry,” I told her. “I’m not sorry about Asia but I’m sorry that you were hurt by me being with your cousin.”
“I understand,” Disa replied.
We walked in silence again. We pushed Asia in her stroller together now with one hand while my other arm was around Disa. The silence between was always comfortable but right now I think we were both lost in our thoughts. Soon, I would have to take her home, so she could go to work. Already, I was thinking about missing her. I had been with her a lot since running into her that Friday morning at the store and I didn’t want to let her go now. We had lost time to make up for.
“I have to go home soon, Ben,” she said thinking the same thing I was. “I don’t want to, but I have to.” She looked up at me and I nodded.
“I know. Let’s head towards the parking lot.”
We had quite a walk today. As we neared the parking lot, I realized there was a man standing near my truck. When Disa saw him, she stopped walking.
He wasn’t an extraordinary man. His pants were neat and dark. His shirt was white, and he wore a dark tie that matched his pants. He wasn’t wearing a coat which surprised me on a day like today that hadn’t gotten above forty-five. His thin, cotton shirt wasn’t providing a lot of protection from the coldness in the air.
His hair touched below his collar and his beard was neatly trimmed, sprinkled with a touch of gray at the chin. I gazed at Disa and her head turned up to meet my eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I.. I’m shocked that he’s here. It’s not a coincidence, Ben.” Her eyes revealed everything that she was feeling and there was more than just surprise in her gaze. I could see fear and I wondered why she feared this man. I didn’t recognize him.
“Who is he?”
“Elder Ron.” My eyes shot forward, and I really gazed at the man. He hadn’t seen us yet. He was leaning on my truck. His stance spoke of arrogance and privilege, but he damn well shouldn’t be leaning on another man’s truck. No man did that unless he wanted trouble.
We began to walk towards my truck. I could feel Disa’s tension. I decided then and there to let her take the lead. This was her territory not mine. Whatever he wanted I didn’t want to cause a scene for her and make the situation worse.
“Elder Ron,” she said h
is name and I noticed the slight tremble in her tone. I hoped that he did not.
He turned his head towards Disa. “Disa Riley, how are you? Is it still Disa Riley?” He asked noticing the stroller and me with my daughter.
She licked her lips and nodded.
“Well your father and mother were correct then. You live a life of sin. I saw you driving through town with this man and decided to check on you to see how you were.”
I cringed at his words that she was living in sin. Disa was a good woman and he knew nothing about her. I cleared my throat. She laid her hand on my arm. She didn’t want me to speak up and correct him.
“Elder Ron this is my boyfriend. Ben, this is Elder Ron Parson from the compound where I grew up.”
He nodded at me. Polite people stuck out their hands and shook each other’s hand in Brown County. We were a friendly sort in Sherwood, Ohio with manners.
He made no move to extend his hand to me, so I didn’t move either. I remained stiff and formal by Disa’s side protecting her from whatever she felt she needed protecting from this man.
“I’m going to put Asia in the truck,” she informed me. I realized she wasn’t going to correct his misunderstanding about Asia’s parentage, so I didn’t either.
“You ruin her and don’t make an honest woman of her,” he said to me.
“You don’t know anything about our relationship, so I suggest you keep quiet,” I informed him. She might be afraid of him, but I was not.
He was bigger than me. I could see his strength in the musculature of his frame. His biceps were bigger, and I was a big man. His chest was broad like Elijah’s. Disa shut the truck door and returned to my side.
“You know your parents are dead,” Elder Ron informed her, gazing hard at her, which I could see unnerved Disa.
She gasped. I felt her knees give a little and I wrapped my arm around her waist. I thought he enjoyed being cruel to her which I didn’t understand.
“How?” She asked.
“Your father had a heart attack last year and your mother died shortly after within four months. She did not want to live without him. I married your sister after your mother’s death. We’ve been married going on four months now.”
Disa turned to gaze at me. She was puzzled. I didn’t know what she was thinking. I knew she had one younger sister and that was it. Merci was younger than Disa by three years so she was only twenty-three now while this man had to be at least Heath’s age, thirty-five.
“We need to be going, Elder Ron. Please give my condolences to Merci,” Disa said to him.
“You are dead to Merci. I’m afraid I cannot do that. If you care to return to the compound, we might be able to save you yet. Then you can have your sister back,” he replied to her.
She squeezed my hand at her waist. “No thank you, Elder Ron,” Disa replied with softness but fear too. I could hear it and I just wanted to get her into my truck to find out why she feared this man.
I guided Disa to the passenger seat. I could feel the man’s eyes on us. He hadn’t moved from the back where he leaned against the tailgate of my black, Ford. He better move soon, I would move him.
I helped her into the passenger seat, realizing only then how much the news of her parent’s death had affected her. Dad would have to get someone to cover her shift tonight. Disa wasn’t going to be working it.
I locked her door and she looked at me strangely. “It’s going to be fine,” I promised.
She nodded but said nothing. Her eyes vacant and unemotional which frightened me.
“I’m shutting the door now.”
Disa nodded again.
I shut the door and checked that it was truly locked then I walked to the back of the truck. I stopped at Elder Ron’s side. “You’ll need to move now,” I informed him. He didn’t which irritated me. I contemplated what Hawk would do to me if I ran over him. Jail wouldn’t sit well with me when I had so much to lose. “Move,” I said with more force.
He drew himself away from my truck in a slow, lazy manner which only irritated me more. “She’s sullied,” he said to me.
He knew nothing.
“We can still save her,” he said.
I ignored him still which irritated Elder Ron. “God will forgive her if she returns to the compound and does penance.”
I inhaled. “She stays with me,” I informed him.
I got to my truck door, my fingers reached for the handle, when he replied, “We’ll see.”
My head shot up and I met the cold, dead eyes of Elder Ron Parson and a shiver ran down my spine. I wanted to move Disa into my trailer. He might know where to find her at the Applegate Apartments. He would not know where to find her at my trailer. Luckily, Disa hadn’t given out my last name making it harder for Elder Ron to track me down, unless Merci knew who I was.
Shit.
I climbed into the truck and heard her. Disa was sobbing into her hands. “Come here, baby,” I said pulling her into my arms. “It will be okay,” I told her.
She clutched at my shirt, twisting it in her hands. “He did something to my mother,” she declared. I thought so too. He wanted Merci. That was the only way he could get her.
“I’m sorry, Disa.”
Her pale blue eyes shot up to mine. The tears she had been crying glistened on her cheeks and clung to her lashes. “I have to see my sister.”
“Hell no, you don’t. You didn’t hear his threat right before I got into the truck.”
“Ben, I have to be sure that Merci is all right. She is young. Not much older than I was when he wanted me. She didn’t marry Elder Ron willingly. He got my mother out of the way so that she had to marry him. Without my parent’s protection, Merci would have had no choice.”
“Disa, if you go near that compound, you will never come out of it again,” I informed her. “That man is obsessed with you.”
She nodded. I wiped her face of the wetness clinging to her soft skin. “He is. He was,” she agreed.
“Then, you don’t go near the compound,” I told her gazing at her waiting for her to acknowledge what I had said.
She laid her head against my chest. “You don’t understand, Ben. Merci could be in danger. He is a frightening man.”
I had a hard time being concerned about her sister when I was worried about her safety. I might be from a small town in a county where little happened that was dangerous, but I knew trouble when I saw it and Elder Ron was it. The man was dangerous, I knew that even if Disa hadn’t told me that.
“I’m just concerned about you, Disa. I love you,” I told her and meant every single word that I was saying to her next. “I just got you back, baby. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
She lifted her head off my chest and gazed in my eyes. “I love you too, Ben. I always have.”
I cupped the back of her head, my fingers tangling in the curls that where thick and unruly most of the time. I held her head while our eyes were locked on each other. The sound of our breathing intensified as we stared at each other. Then she moved, and her lips crashed into mine.
I wanted to consume her, here on the front seat of my truck. My free hand gripped her hip and moved up to span her ribcage. Her tongue swept through my mouth and I captured it between my teeth sucking gently on it.
Disa moaned. “Take me home, Ben.”
“I don’t want to.” I wanted to keep her close. Protect her. Know where she was every single minute of every single day.
“No, I mean take me to the trailer. I’m going to call Simon and see if he can get someone to cover for me. I’ll explain about Elder Ron. Finding out about my parent’s death. Your dad will understand.”
“He will,” I agreed.
I pressed soft kisses to her lips then released her. She moved back to her own space. “Can I borrow your phone?” She asked. “Mine is almost dead.” After examining it, Disa laid her phone down on the seat beside her. I handed her my phone.
She dialed the pub and I listened to her talk to my
dad. Her voice breaking here and there as she told my dad what Elder Ron had told her about her parents. “Thanks, Simon. I know I’ve left you high and dry. I appreciate that you’re letting me off tonight. I’ll see you on Thursday like always.”
She disconnected the call and handed me back my phone. “Take me to my apartment please,” she said. “I’d like to get a few things, so I can stay with you, if you don’t mind.” Her crystal, blue eyes met mine and for the first time, I saw her fear. I wasn’t sure if it was for herself or for Merci. “I don’t want to be alone,” Disa added.
That was the best news I had heard all day. We would have passed her apartment anyway. I pulled into the parking lot and looked over my shoulder at my daughter as did Disa. “She’s sleeping,” she declared. “I’ll just be a minute.”
I leaned over the seat and Disa met me halfway. I planted a kiss on her lips and I nodded when we pulled apart. “I’ll be right here.”
She hopped out of my truck and headed towards the door. My thumb thumped against the steering wheel while I looked around the apartment buildings. They were surrounded by woods. Four plain, red-brick buildings. Two floors in each building held four apartments each. The community was small and tight. They watched out for each other and kept the riff raff out which is how the Applegate’s liked it.
My phone rang, and I glanced down at the number. Mom. I sighed. Dad must have called her. I kept watch on the front door expecting Disa at any moment. “Mom,” I said into the phone.
“Your dad called me and told me about you and Disa running into Ron Parson at the park,” she said.
“We did.”
“He’s following Disa?”
“Are you asking me?”
“Yes,” she said.
“I think so,” I said, looking around for anyone suspicious. I had been doing that since the man had confronted us at the park.
“Watch him, Ben. He’s not a nice man. There are strange things that go on at that compound, but Hawk’s never been able to prove it.”
“Like Disa’s mother dying because she couldn’t live without her dad? Convenient because he wanted Disa’s younger sister,” I declared.
