Paper-Thin Walls

by Melanie Jones Brownrigg

  I nodded my agreement having heard this story before. “I wonder how long Bill’s been so aggressive toward Kenna. I’ll try talking to her again. If you’re right, maybe he can seek professional help like Roderick did. He’s okay now, right?”

  “Yeah, he’s fine now that he’s stopped,” she told me.

  Taking advantage of my best friend, she agreed to pick up Adam from my mother’s house so I could visit with Kenna outside Adam’s presence. Hurrying home after work, I checked the parking lot for Bill’s black, older model, Ford F150. After circling around twice and not seeing it, I made a mad dash for Kenna’s apartment.

  “You again,” she complained through the crack of the door. “Why won’t you just leave me alone?”

  “Please, can I come in? I promise I’ll only be a few moments.”

  “I’ll make a deal with you … I’ll let you in for five minutes, but only if you’ll leave me alone afterward.”

  I hesitated, not wanting to give up on helping her if today’s conversation wasn’t productive. “Okay,” I finally agreed. “But only if you’ll really talk to me.”

  She sighed. “Fine.” She closed the door long enough to unlatch the chain. “Come in,” she said, inviting me inside.

  To distract myself from staring at her horrendous bruises, my gaze fell across the room. The layout was a mirror image of my apartment. In contrast, my living room contained one loveseat and a TV which was sitting on the floor, and not even a single painting. Hers was … all Bill. Following her lead, we seated ourselves on a sectional, brown-leather couch that dominated the whole room. Positioned directly across from the seating area was a mammoth-size TV with all kinds of gaming equipment surrounding it. A wooden coffee table held several muscle magazines, along with a few hunting periodicals. Above the couch, there were three posters attached to the wall with push pins. One was of a hulk-like guy lifting weights, the other was of two men in a boxing arena, and the third was from a WrestleMania event with a gargantuan man holding another man above his head and it looked as if he were about to forcefully throw him to the floor. Next to the front wall, there was a set of weights in varying sizes, and no less than six pairs of dumbbells.

  There wasn’t a single bit of evidence to indicate Kenna lived there. The place was spotless, though. I could’ve eaten off the floor. It came as a quite a shock. From all the noises I had heard, I assumed there would be holes in the walls, overturned furniture, and blood everywhere. Instead, everything was neatly in its place. Not one thing marked numerous vicious brawls. Kenna must forensically clean the place after each brutal attack. It was no wonder she didn’t have time to launder his shirts.

  “Well,” Kenna prompted, interrupting my visual inspection of her premises.

  “Uh yes, sorry,” I muttered, searching my vocabulary for the right thing to say … something persuasive. “I was going to ask if Bill was into weightlifting, but I believe it’s evident that he is.”

  “Yes, he is. So, what,” she responded in a resentful tone. Her thin face was bruised, and one eye was swollen shut. Her lips were split open, and her arms were black and blue. It hurt just to look at her.

  “Kenna, I want to help you,” I said gently. “Please, how can I help?”

  She leaned back on the couch and defiantly folded her arms in front of her. “You can’t help me. No one can help me.”

  “Please, explain that to me,” I begged. “I need to understand.”

  “I can’t make you understand. You don’t come from my world.” She eyeballed my professional business attire – a gray tweed skirt and matching jacket with a pale pink blouse, making me wish I would’ve taken the time to change into something less intimidating.

  “Please, just try.”

  She took in a deep breath, made a huge grimace and held her ribs. “I don’t understand why you think you’ve just got to hear my sob story. But fine, whatever.” She closed her eyes as if recalling her past. Then she began. “I don’t have a clue who my biological father is. My birth certificate list him as ‘unknown.’ My mother had no idea because, as a prostitute, she’d slept with multiple men … yes, without protection because she couldn’t afford it,” she added hatefully, assuming I would judge.

  Internally, I was thinking about Ryan and his sexcapade with Shannon Lowry. Did he use a prophylactic to prevent a possible venereal disease? Or worse, might she turn up pregnant? The thought of her and Ryan having a child together sent a gasp up my throat that I had to quickly stifle.

  “Go on,” I encouraged, trying to let go of the image of Adam having a half-sibling with that homewrecking bitch.

  Kenna sighed. “Eventually, my mother met some worthless piece of shit, and they ended up getting married. We all lived in his tiny, piece of shit camper on the back of his piece of shit truck. I slept on the top bunk while they made like rabbits on the bottom. When I turned thirteen, at least once a week, my mom switched places with me so Larry could have sex with me.” She took in an anguished breath. “Do you get what that was like?” She leered at me but didn’t wait for me to respond. “It was awful … that’s how it was. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I ran away from home. I haven’t seen my mother since. That was over ten years ago.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I sympathized, though I knew it didn’t begin to atone for her horrid past.

  “Those brochures you offered the other day were a joke. From age thirteen on, I haven’t been in a regular school. I’ve been through foster programs, child protective services, homeless shelters … you name it. I’ve slept on more church pews, park benches and back alleys than you can possibly count. I’ve been in drug rehab three times.” She looked at me and laughed maniacally. “And YOU think you can help me.” She shook her head. “Bill is the only one who has ever helped me. He took me in after the last foster parents left me locked in the basement for two days. That was when I took to the streets, AGAIN,” she emphasized. “Bill found me. He gave me this place to stay.” She bobbed her head around at the surroundings. “This place is like a mansion to me. It’s the nicest place I’ve ever been. And just so you know, Bill was kind to me up until about six months ago. That’s when he hooked up with Dozer – that’s the guy who levels the ground when they put up the portable buildings. Anyway, Dozer got him into this physical fitness stuff.” She eyed the weights. “A few months into his program, he decided he wasn’t bulking up fast enough, so he started steroids. After that, he changed completely. Now he’s so impatient and he demands instant results. He wants everything to be just so-so … like his shirts. He never cared before if they were pressed to perfection. Until recently, he wasn’t on my ass about his dinner being on the table, or that the house was cleaned immaculately. His bad behavior has progressed over several weeks, getting worse and worse with each passing day. But about a month or so ago was when he went completely out of control and started hitting me. Up to that point, he would’ve never considered hitting a woman, and especially not me.”

  “I think it could be the steroids,” I remarked, describing the side effects Sarah had mentioned earlier today.

  She shrugged. “Yes, it probably is. But he says he’s going to stop next month … after a wrestling competition he’s entered. Once he quits, he’ll be back to his old self. I just need to bide my time until then.”

  “He could be disqualified from any competitions.”

  She laughed, then grabbed her hurt ribs. “It’s an under-the-table match. Bets are taken. It’s not legit, like you’re assuming.” She made a grunting noise. “See, I knew you didn’t have a clue about the world I’m from.” She shook her head at me. “You need to go back to your fantasy life and stay out of my business.” She looked at the clock. “Bill will be home soon, and I need to have his supper ready. I believe your five minutes are up.”

  She stood, letting me know I hadn’t accomplished a thing. Reluctantly, I followed her to the door. Stepping into the hallway, I looked back at her pitiful face. “You can stay with me,” I kindly offered.


  She laughed again. “Bill owns me. He’d just come next door and get me.”

  “I’m looking for another place to move. I’ll find one soon and you can come live with me. We won’t tell Bill where you’re going.”

  “Yeah, you do that,” she said with another laugh and then closed the door on me.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Hailey

  Though we only lived a few feet away, it felt like a long disheartening walk back to my apartment. Kenna either didn’t want my help, or she didn’t believe in my genuine offer. But either way, it hurt my heart that I couldn’t help her.

  Touching base with Sarah, I called to let her know I was on my way to retrieve Adam.

  “Don’t bother. I’m out running errands. I’ll just drop him off. Besides, you haven’t even invited me over to your new place yet.”

  There was a reason I hadn’t welcomed her over; I didn’t want her to see my new digs. Gazing around at my meager living quarters, I didn’t get the sense of beginning a new chapter, having a fresh start, or even just beginning my old life in a different way. My new place, if you could call it that, was a low-income apartment complex in a run-down neighborhood. Sarah would not be impressed.

  “Okay,” I said in a forlorn voice. “But don’t expect much … and don’t judge me.”

  “I’d never judge you,” she assured me.

  Fifteen minutes later, Sarah banged loudly on my door. “Hailey, let us in. Hurry, hurry, let us in. Hurry!”

  I just about killed myself getting to the door, thinking Bill was threatening them. In my panic, I thrust open the door so hard it banged against the wall. And there Sarah was … simply standing there, clinging to Jack on one side and Adam on the other.

  “What is it?” I demanded, peering out the hallway in both directions.

  She shoved past me, dragging both boys in with her and slamming the door shut, frantically locking the deadbolt and the chain in the process. “My God, I’ve never been so scared in all my life.”

  “What happened?” I asked, trying to figure out why she was pale as a ghost.

  “This place,” she said with a shudder. “Why are you living here? This is scary beyond belief.”

  “You should see the dungeon,” Adam announced. “That’s the scary part.”

  Sarah’s eyes grew wide. “There’s a dungeon,” she whispered. As if her legs couldn’t hold her up any longer, she stumbled toward the loveseat and fell into it.

  “It’s a basement, not a dungeon,” I corrected Adam.

  “It’s still scary,” Adam argued. “Scared me to death.”

  “Hailey, has Ryan seen this place?” Sarah asked, her eyes widening at Adam’s blatant remarks.

  “No!” I barked. “And don’t you dare say anything to him.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “I told you not to judge me.”

  She bit at her lip, keeping her expression somber. “But I didn’t know you lived in the ghetto. Jesus, Hailey. This place can’t be safe.”

  “It’s fine. Most of the residents are elderly. The place may be a bit rundown, but it’s perfectly safe.” Truth be told, I wasn’t sure if Adam and I were safe here. But until I had a job history, it was the best I could do.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m leaving while there’s still daylight left.”

  “Okay, I understand. Thank you for bringing Adam by.”

  She scurried out as quickly as the rats ran into the dungeon crevices.

  One minute later she phoned me. “I picked up a pizza for you. But when I saw the place, all I could think of was dropping Adam off. If you’ll come down and get it, I’ll wait … but you need to do it right now, because there’s a group of thuggy-looking guys up against the front entrance. I’m not staying here long.”

  “I’ll be down in a jiffy.” I grabbed my keys and locked the door. Tugging Adam with me, we raced down the stairs.

  “Here,” she said shoving the box out the window at me.

  “Thank you,” I said to her as she backed out and floored the gas.

  “She left fast,” Adam remarked. “I didn’t even tell Jack goodbye.”

  “They just had to get home,” I fibbed. “Come on. Let’s have some pizza.”

  On the way back inside, I smiled at the group of burly-looking guys, hoping a friendly face would keep them from killing me.

  One smiled back and said, “Hey good-looking, if you need someone to warm your bed at night, I’m your guy.”

  The others laughed, causing my pace to pick up to practically jogging, dragging Adam along with me until we were inside. Unable to slow myself down, I bounded up the stairs, a pizza box in one hand and my son being tugged along with me in the other.

  At the top of the stairs a tall, lanky, elderly man was coming down the hallway in our direction.

  “Hey there, young fellow,” he addressed Adam, ignoring me. “I’m Rusty Thornton. I live down in 2-F.”

  “I’m Hailey and this is my son,” I semi-introduced. His eyes were focused too long on Adam, and I didn’t think he needed to know my child’s name.

  “I see you got yourself some pizza there,” he said, continuing his conversation to Adam only. “Yummy, it sure smells good.”

  There wasn’t any way I wanted him inside my apartment, but did I offer him a slice? “Would you like a piece?” I finally extended, caving to his lingering presence.

  “No, no. Thank you though.” He turned his attention back to Adam. “If you’d like some candy for dessert, I can get it for you. It’s free from the machine downstairs.”

  Candy from a stranger raced through my head. “Thank you for the kind offer. But we have our own treats.”

  “Well, if you change your mind, just let me know.”

  “Certainly,” I said, trying to get my dang sticky door open.

  He’s harmless, I told myself over and over, quickly locking the door behind me. “Don’t go near that man unless I’m with you,” I warned Adam once we were safely back in the apartment. “I mean it, Adam,” I emphasized while dishing out two pieces of cheese pizza, one for me and one for Adam. “Never take candy from strangers,” I reminded him, pushing the box aside and placing the plates on the table.

  “He was Rusty Thornton,” Adam said.

  “Just because you know someone’s name, doesn’t mean they’re not strangers. We don’t know anything about that man. He’s still a stranger. You stay away from him.”

  “Okay,” Adam agreed, taking a bite, chewing and swallowing. “I would like some candy though,” he hinted.

  “Well, eat first and then you can have something sweet.”

  He smiled, knowing he’d manipulated me. True to my word, once Adam had poked the last bite in this mouth, I handed him five Hershey’s candy kisses. He’d just peeled the last tin wrapper off and plunked it into his mouth when rumbling noises came through the walls. It was starting again.

  “It’s bath time,” I told Adam, knowing if the door was closed and the water was running, it prevented him from hearing things he shouldn’t.

  “Already? I just got home,” he said with a pout.

  “I know, but you did all that running around with Jack. It’s later in the day than you think.” His face was nothing but disappointment. “Go and pick out your jammies. As soon as you’ve bathed, I’ll read you five stories tonight, instead of one.”

  His tiny face lit up. “Okay.”

  Placing the leftover pizza in the fridge, I turned the music up loud and let Adam splash around in the tub until he was a prune. Then I took him into his room and closed the door. On the third book, the sound of pounding fists began beating my door down. Thinking for sure it was Kenna, taking me up on my offer for a safe refuge, I hotfooted it to the door and threw it open.

  This was a mistake that will never be repeated.

  Though Bill wasn’t a statuesque man, he towered over my short frame of five-two. I shrank back against his overpowering presence. He grabbed me in a chokehold and shoved me hard against the back of my op
ened door. I strained against his powerful hold, but it was to no avail. His red, angry face moved to within inches of mine.

  “You stay out of my business. I mean it. If you ever talk to my wife again, I’ll kill you. Do you get that? I’ll kill you,” he repeated in a menacing tone.

  His dark, evil eyes stared lasers through me. After nodding my head and gasping for a breath, he let go of my neck, threw me forcefully to the floor, and slammed my own door on his exit.

  My nerves were frayed to the very end. It was hard to believe Kenna had told Bill that I’d been over to their place. Was she trying to redirect Bill’s anger away from her, and at me? Was she trying to punish me for trying to involve myself?

  This wasn’t the best of places to live, and Sarah had been freaked out of her mind, but even though the place was in dire need of a few repairs, I’d had little interaction with the other residents and certainly not to the degree I’d felt threatened. Other than a nod here and there, and a polite hello, everyone kept mostly to themselves, and I hadn’t worried too much about my safety … until now. Now I wondered if my life was in danger. How far would Bill go to keep his wife-beating a secret?

  He’d certainly deterred the police the other day. Did Kenna tell him I was the one who called the police? She probably didn’t have to. Bill had most likely arrived at that conclusion all on his own.

  “Mama, why are you on the floor?” Adam asked, coming up behind me.

  “Silly me. I tripped over my own two feet,” I lied, quickly scrambling to an upright position and locking the front door. “Come on baby, let’s finish your stories.”

  After tucking Adam in his bed, I must’ve checked my doors and windows a dozen times before retiring for the night. Alone in my lonely room, I listened to nothing but silence. The quietness couldn’t be overlooked. Bill had knocked his wife around over his shirts not being clean, supper not being on the table, a utility bill he thought was too high, and an array of other insignificant matters. But not tonight … not after learning his neighbor knew what was going on.