Howdy, Ma'am

by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

  Chapter Nine

  Ric and Lidia Armano arrived at the door the very next day. Roy immediately followed his boss to the car where they met Nero. They stood talking for some time.

  Caulder had to leave at 8:00 a.m., and Velia still slept when he left.

  Later, she walked back and forth from her window to the door, debating on going out. Her mother sat on the bed, watching her pace across the room. Her head pain seemed better, but her bruises were worse. When her mom saw them, she cried, and when her dad saw the abrasions, he would probably send for his lawyer to take care of Justin in court…or otherwise.

  Justin.

  Why couldn’t he leave well enough alone? What would he have done if Roy hadn’t been there? Would he have hurt Alice and Edward? Would she still be alive today? Maybe he would have dragged her back to live with him.

  She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill from the horrible thoughts. When Lidia hugged her, Velia cried. Her mother’s familiar, loving arms comforted her, and she let it all out as her mom smoothed her hair and cuddled her like a child.

  “Your father will be in soon. You can’t hide from him forever.” She handed Velia a scented, lace handkerchief like she did when she was small. She inhaled the perfume that spoke madre. Velia wiped her eyes then went to the bathroom to hold a wet washcloth over them, and reapplied makeup on at least one non-swollen eye.

  She headed downstairs when she heard Edward let her father inside. Her dad wrapped his arms around her. His eyes misted when he saw the bruises. “He has done this before. I do not understand why you didn’t tell me. Why did you put up with this, Velia?”

  Velia wanted to think up a lie, but she did enough of that when she lived with Justin.

  “Why did you not tell me?”

  She whispered. “I know what would have happened.”

  “Si, and then...” He pointed to her face. “...this would not have happened.”

  “I’m sorry.” Velia lowered her voice. “I couldn’t allow something to happen to him.”

  “So you sacrificed yourself?” His voice got louder.

  “I suppose. What’s going to happen to Justin now?”

  “Our family lawyer will encourage the prosecutor to ask for time in jail for assault and breaking and entering.”

  “But, he didn’t break in, padre.”

  “Yes, he did. Did he not break in, Roy?”

  “Yes, sir,” said Roy. “He nearly broke the door down.”

  Velia glanced at Roy. She knew it had to be this way. “He’s a crazy fool. Do you think he’ll get out on bail? I have to leave for my tour with Caulder soon, and I don’t want to worry about him following us.”

  “I can’t say for sure, but Lauren will do what he can to keep him in jail.”

  “If he gets out, I won’t go with Caulder. I’ll be putting him and who knows who else in danger.”

  “I understand this, angel, but Justin will never hurt you again.” He lowered his voice and reached out to her.

  Velia knew if her dad said it, it would be true. She didn’t want to know anything else.

  “Did they get pictures of your bruises?” he asked.

  “They did.”

  “Good.”

  Alice carried in a tray filled with a pot of coffee, cream, sugar, and banana nut bread with a tub of spreadable cream cheese. “Come, Mr. and Mrs. Armano, sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and Alice’s homemade bread.” Edward pointed to the loveseat beside the pine coffee table. He pushed Alice’s current novel and weekly circulars to the side.

  They all sat down. “I was excited to meet you, but I didn’t think it would be before our anniversary dinner. I hear you have your own restaurant.” Apparent from the tone of excitement in her voice, meeting new people intrigued Alice.

  “Yes, named after our daughter. We’ll be here for your anniversary party. I’m glad it’ll be before my daughter’s tour starts.”

  “How long have you two been married, Mr. Armano?” Alice sliced the nut bread.

  “Please call me Ric and my wife, Lidia. We’ve been married close to forty years.”

  “Thirty-nine and nine months,” stated Lidia.

  “Oh my, a long time like us.”

  Ric poured cream into his coffee and took a drink. “I can’t tell you how I appreciate what you’re doing for our daughter, and for allowing Roy to stay here.” Lidia handed him a slice of bread with cream cheese spread. “I’ll see you’re credited for it all.”

  “Oh, Mr. Armano—Ric, not necessary. Velia is paying her way to live here, and she’s become a great asset to our household. We sort of adopted her as our granddaughter.”

  Velia smiled when she heard. “I feel the same way, Alice.” She glanced at her father. “I couldn’t have found a better place to live.”

  “Except for home.” Her parents exchanged glances.

  “Mio padre—mia madre.” Velia knew there was no changing their mind. They still looked at her as if she were their little girl. Her father more than her mother it seemed.

  When Edward answered the knock on the door, he invited in Nero and Roy. “Come have some coffee. Join us.”

  Nero whispered something to Mr. Armano and he nodded in approval. He sat down his coffee cup and finished the last bite of bread. He stood. “Well, it seems our room is ready at the hotel. Now I’ve seen my daughter I feel much better, except for seeing bruises on her.” He tossed her a frown and continued to look at her; both sympathy and anger beamed from his face. “We’ll be by to escort you to dinner then back to the hotel to meet with the lawyer. Now that Justin has been arraigned and will go to trial, we need to talk.”

  “I’ll be ready.” She rose to hug them.

  “See you then.” He turned to Alice and Edward, taking Alice’s hand. “Thank you for your hospitality. I’m sorry for all this company of late, but where my daughter is concerned there is nothing that’ll get in my way to protect her.”

  “You’re very welcome, Ric. I totally understand. We have a daughter and a son.” Edward walked to the door with them and waited until Roy came back in.

  “Well, I’m going upstairs. I can sleep all night tonight without being awakened, right?” Velia glanced at all three of them.

  Roy nodded.

  “Okay, then I’ll see you later, Roy. I’ll make up the sofa for you when I get home.”

  “I can make it up later. Have a good time with your parents. Thank you though.”

  Roy sat down with Edward and enjoyed a piece of banana nut bread with cream cheese. “Thanks for the hospitality, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I’m trying to give her time to settle in before heading up. I know she hates not having her privacy.”

  “She’ll be fine. Things will start to smooth out soon. Her life will get back to normal. But I’m not sure about this traveling job,” said Edward, placing another slice of nut bread on his plate.

  “She’s done it since she graduated. She has a lot of travel photos published and made a good living. She’ll do fine.” Roy took a bite of nut bread then took a sip of coffee. “Her father wouldn’t like it if it wasn’t good for her, so if he’s allowing it, he’s checked it out. At least this Caulder is well known, so he is safe and it’s a good opportunity.”

  “You care for her like a daughter. I can tell.” Alice put her hand on his arm and smiled.

  “I do. I’ve been around her all her life.”

  “I’m glad you were here.” Alice wrapped an afghan around her shoulders. “I get chills when I think about what could have happened.”

  “Did you ever consider getting protection?”

  Edward looked at his wife. “We already own one or two guns. I’m surprised you didn’t hear me yell at my wife to get the gun after Justin nearly killed Velia.”

  “Ah, I was a little busy. I do feel better, though, that you have protection. There are a lot of nutty, dangerous people out there. Justin is only one of them.”

  * * *

  Velia noticed the lights were still on and eve
ryone still up when her folks dropped her off.

  “I’m going to bed. Good night.” She went upstairs before anyone had a chance to say anything.

  She pretended to be asleep when Roy looked in on her. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to him. It wasn’t his fault he had to be here, so she shouldn’t have an attitude about it. He did what he was paid to do. Even though hard to accept, she grew up knowing it was like this, and most people around her family did what her father wanted. Nero must be a new guy. If her dad trusted him, he must be an okay fella. He might be a distant cousin or nephew. Her father always kept his business in the family when he could. She’d ask tomorrow.

  She thought about her trip and how good it would be to get away. First she had to run away from Justin. Now she has to run away from the circumstances he caused. If he went to jail, she wouldn’t have to worry about him for a while. It would be nice not to have to look over her shoulder, or worry every time she went outside. He put threats on her life before. Said he could have her taken care of at the snap of a finger. Hah! He had no clue.

  Her dad had people. Not something most people knew. Her secret. Her family secret. She didn’t like to think about it or be a part of it. She distanced herself for as long as she could, until now. Listening to the TV in the living room section reminded her—Roy protected her father, a bodyguard.

  * * *

  After talking to their lawyer again the next day, Velia learned Justin would remain in jail. She inhaled, slowly releasing it with a peaceful sigh. “What a relief.”

  “For me as well, angel. I can go back home and not worry about you any more than a father normally does.”

  Her mother kept hold of her hand. “I hope you can move back home again one day, figlia mia.”

  Ric rolled down the window and told the limo driver where to turn.

  “Ma, one day I’ll return to Chicago.” She kissed her on the cheek. Then she turned to her father and took his hand. She saw worry on his face. “This weekend I take the gun class and I’ll be prepared. I don’t know how to go about traveling with it though, especially on the plane.”

  “It can be done. Make sure you let the airline know everything. And buy a small lock box.”

  “I’ll talk to Caulder. He’s my boss and should know.”

  “The least amount of people who know makes it all the better.”

  “I’ll decide.”

  “Well, bambina, we’re almost to the airport. Let the limo take you back home.” He rolled the window down again and leaned forward to talk to the driver. “Let us out at the United gate.” He sat back. “Soon we’ll be on our way. You sure I can’t leave Roy here with you a while longer? Or Nero?”

  “I’ll be okay.”

  Her father slipped his arm around her. “By the way. I have a surprise for Edward and Alice. Don’t be taken aback when a handful of carpenters show up to repair the outside of their home.”

  “Papà! How nice of you and madre.” Velia wrapped her arms around them both. “Such a wonderful thing to do.”

  “It looks like they need some help. They’ll not have to worry about upkeep.”

  “Thank you so much for being kind to them.” Velia smiled and the stitches drew tighter in her skin. She hid her discomfort.

  “They earned it. After all, they’re almost like your grandparents.” He chuckled. The driver came around and opened the door. Her father stared into her eyes. “This is it, Velia. We’ll be seeing you for the anniversary dinner.” He grabbed her into his arms.

  “Farewell for now, Pops.” She hugged her mother. “Ti amo, madre.”

  Roy put his hand on her shoulder. “You take care of yourself, young lady.”

  “I will.” She put her arms around his neck. “You take care of yourself.”

  She stuck her hand out to Nero. “Nice to meet you. I’m surprised we never met at family reunions.”

  “We have. You just don’t remember. We’re second cousins. I’m Marta’s son. Take care of yourself.”

  She sat alone, small in a huge limousine. Justin would remain in jail, leaving her safe for now. Saturday she’d become a gun owner with a license to carry. She never could have done it while she was with Justin. With him on drugs, it would have been suicide to have a gun in the house. She’d have time to practice shooting before the tour started…if Caulder hadn’t changed his mind and went looking for a new photographer.

  When the limo pulled up, Caulder waited in his SUV in front of the house.

  “Hey, how long have you been here?”

  “About five hours.”

  “No way, you’re joking, right?”

  “Yeah, about fifteen minutes. Alice invited me in, but I decided to come out here and listen to music.”

  “I wondered if you gave up on me and found another photographer.”

  “No time now.” Caulder smiled as he held the door open. “Kidding, Velia. It’s you I want.”

  “I swear you need to stop joking around.”

  “I’ll work on it, but I wasn’t joking about it being you I want. You’ll see when I’m working there won’t be a lot of joking and teasing, and I’ll still want you.” He hesitated. “I’ll still want you for my photographer. On the job, my mind needs to be stable and focused on what I’m doing. I don’t want to get killed in an arena.”

  “Well, at least I’ll be there to capture it.”

  “Thank you. I would appreciate if you could send a photo of me being gorged to death by a bull to the newspapers.”

  “No problem. No problem at all.” She stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “What did you want? Why are you here?”

  “Want to have a drink? We can go down to the corner bar?”

  Caulder rested his hand on the banister with one foot on the first step. He was close enough to reach out and touch her. Would he if she encouraged him?

  “If you’re not still taking the pain medication, that is.” He smiled in the dimly lit entrance.

  “Oh, no, I stopped after the first day. How about coming up for a drink? I still owe you dinner.”

  “Sure, if you think it’s okay with Edward and Alice. I mean we don’t have Roy around.” He winked then wiggled his eyebrows.

  “They won’t mind. Besides I want to talk to you.” She headed upstairs. “And leave Roy out of this.” When Velia turned the lights on in her room, she turned toward Caulder. “My face is still a mess. It’s my photography eye.”

  “What’s a photography eye? Something special just you photo people have?”

  “The eye I use to look through the view finder.”

  “We have time.” He took a seat on the sofa. “It should be better by then.”

  “Would you like some Jack Daniels?” She held up a whiskey glass.

  “What kind of wine do you have?”

  “You don’t look like the wine-drinking type.”

  “I know. I’ve been teased my share. I developed a taste for good wine…even consider myself something of a connoisseur. Everyone thinks because I look like a cowboy I only drink whiskey and beer. I have a hankering for the good things in life like most other people. And I have the means to live it.”

  “I see.” She poured them both a glass of bright red, California wine. She held her glass in the air. “How ‘bout having a toast to my new job?”

  “To you, Ms. Armano, my new photographer.” He touched his glass against hers. “And a second toast to our first season together.” He swirled the wine then sniffed it before a taking a small taste.

  Velia took a sip. She followed suit with the swirl in her stemless glass.

  “This is good.” He picked up the bottle. “I expected it to be from Italy, yet it’s a little different. I like, but I don’t drink more than a couple glasses when I’m driving.”

  “This is from a special winery in Napa Valley my family owns. I’m always supplied in good wine. It’s hard to tell the difference in their wine and wine right from Italy, unless you are a wine connoisseur.”

  “I always wan
ted to go to Italy again.”

  “Really?”

  “My parent’s went there on vacation once. Me and my brother went along. We weren’t old enough to go off on our own, but I always said I would go back one day.”

  “And did you ever get a chance?”

  “Not yet.” He slowly sipped his wine.

  “Did your brother want to go back?”

  “Yeah, he wanted to.”

  “Did he ever go?”

  “Nope, he got killed in Iraq.” He shifted his weight on the sofa.

  Velia touched his arm. “Caulder, I’m sorry. Oh, goodness, I don’t know what to say except I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah.” He hung his head momentarily. “My parents took it hard.”

  “I bet you did. I can’t imagine losing my brothers.”

  “You have brothers?”

  “Yeah, I do.” She set her wine down. “Hey, are you hungry?”

  “Where have they been through all this abuse you’ve taken? I can’t imagine brothers letting their sister go through this bullshit, but then again, it looks like you kept it from everyone.”

  “They’re in different places. Roberto is in California at one of the wineries. Dante is in Afghanistan.” She read his eyes, seeing questions when he frowned. To change the subject she asked again if he was hungry.

  “Yeah, a little. What did you have in mind?”

  “I have Brie and great bread. Give me a minute to get it ready.”

  “Mind if I turn on the TV? I think they’re playing re-runs tonight. It’ll give you an idea of what I do?”

  “Sure, go ahead. I’ll only be a minute.” She wouldn’t mention the many hours she already put in viewing his videos.

  Velia got the puff pastry ready and set it over the top of the Brie. She sliced some bread and cut up some fresh fruit then peeked at Caulder sitting on her sofa, remote control in hand. She thought it might be nice to cuddle up with him right there. It had been a long time since she cuddled with someone.