For a long while, Connie tried to recollect her thoughts. Shock wiped out many of her memories from last night, her mind trying to protect her from the trauma. Her whole body was aching, but at last she managed to stand on her feet. She was right about it being the basement, but she couldn’t determine how big it was. While she was trying to count her steps from one side to the other, she lost the count more than once. However, that was the least of her concerns now.
Jill was probably in her room, or at least Connie hoped she were still in her room. She couldn’t hear Roy from down there, but she had to assume that he was still in the house. Also, she couldn’t estimate the time of the day, since the basement was lacking any sort of windows. All these things made matters worse, because she had to find a way out of there as soon as possible. So, she searched around the basement for any kind of weapon; a crowbar, or something that could help her get out of the room. The only thing she was able to find was an old, rotten plank. Either way, she held it tightly in her arms while looked around the staircase.
It didn’t take her long to find, and climb it. She touched her ear against the door at the top, and tried to listen what was going on in the house. It was then that she heard a phone ringing; she got startled and thought of moving away from the door, but her curiosity took the most of her. It was Roy who picked up the phone, though he was too far away from the basement door to be able to figure out what he said. Afterwards, Connie heard steps drawing near, stopping in front of the door.
“Are you up, honey?”
He wanted to mock her, make her feel even worse; however, she was done feeling sorry for herself. She decided not to answer to him.
“You stupid bitch; I have to go and take care of some things about our marriage. When I return, we’re going to have a nice, long, talk. Until then, rest and get well soon,” he continued in a sarcastic tone.
He loved putting up a show even for himself. All the same, she didn’t answer and before long, he moved away from the door. Connie was still standing next to the door when she heard the car engine turning on. Roy was finally out of the house; now it was her chance to escape. She thought that her only option was to call Jill and ask her to unlock the door. However, she was weak from all the strenuous effort she had to make to climb all those stairs. Nevertheless, she tried calling her, shouting on the top of her lungs, but later realizing that the room was fully insulated.
Starting to lose hope, she started turning the door handle furiously, while also knocking the door with the other hand; but no one was listening. Hot tears started flowing on her cheeks; she was unable to hold them back. Emotions swirled in her mind; fear, agony, pain, all of them creating a nauseous feeling that almost made her throw up. Suddenly though, she heard a weak voice from the other side of the door. It was Jill.
“Mom? Mommy? Are you here?”
She was probably crying since her voice was broken, “Yes honey, I’m in here. Oh my God, are you okay?”
“Mommy, I’m scared.”
“Don’t be, little pumpkin. I’m here for you. You just have to find the key to this door. Take a look around and tell me what you see,” she said, feeling guilty for making her child go through this alone.
For a while, Jill was searching around the house while Connie instructed her from inside the basement. The clock was ticking and they both knew that if Roy returned, everything would be over. Half an hour later and they still haven’t found a thing; now, they were both out of ideas, and probably, out of time. Jill heard a car parking in front of the house and started panicking, while Connie shouted at her to return to her bedroom and lock the door. But, abruptly, Jill stopped crying and ran away from the basement door. Connie wasn’t sure what had happened; all that remained was fear. She knocked on the door and screamed for help; it was then that an unknown man spoke up from the other side of the door.
“What is going on in here?” he asked with a calm demeanor.
Her knees loosened and she felt butterflies flying in her belly. A feeling of pure euphoria ran through her body; they were saved. The man heard Connie’s story while he was trying to get her out from the basement. She told him everything; how she and Roy met each other, the fact that he was always cold towards her, and how he beat her while he was drunk. It was a long story, but fortunately, the man would gladly help them. In the meantime, he had called the police and he was waiting for them to arrive, while keeping Jill company.
After a short while, Mr. Roberts—that was the man’s name—managed to break open the basement door and free Connie. Jill rushed into her mother’s hug with teary eyes, while Connie searched her body for any wounds; fortunately she was safe and sound. After that, she thanked the strange man and his tenacity. He recognized Mr. Roberts as the man who had met Roy outside the estate, when they had arrived two months before. It seemed that Mr. Roberts was in a feud with Roy since he had fired him a month ago, after twenty years of work, for no apparent reason. He was his father’s business partner and one of the people who would benefit if Roy was not eligible to inherit the company himself.
But after talking with the man for a while, she understood his motives. It seemed that Roy’s father had asked Mr. Roberts to take care of Roy after he passed away since he was very impulsive and could lead his life to self-destruction. It wasn’t an easy task, considering that Roy was a greedy, sadistic, bastard—that was also Mr. Roberts’ opinion. Although, a promise was a promise and they were all glad that he kept it.
***
“A year passed since the incident in a small town in Texas. One of the local channels reviewed the case of Mr. Roy Coleman, the first son of the late Bobby Coleman, and future CEO of the behemoth in agriculture industries. His fall was imminent after he was caught manipulating his father’s last testament in his favor by, actually, buying a wife for himself and then mistreating her. One of his neighbors happened to pass by his residence when a small girl ran out of the house, crying for help.
“It wasn’t long after that they discover the assaulted, wife-to-be of Coleman in a dire situation. After hospitalizing her, and arresting the man himself, he pleaded not guilty for having fallen into a trap orchestrated from his fiancée and his neighbor. Nevertheless, his case didn’t stand in court, and he was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison.”
The reporter was talking with a detached calmness while retelling Connie’s story in just five minutes. Connie was sitting in her living room in a small town far away from Texas—and Roy. Jill was out, playing with her new friends, while Connie had to be careful not to hurt her unborn child. She was three months pregnant and her husband was in the kitchen, cooking for both of them.
“Did you hear? He still claims to be innocent,” she said out loud so that he could hear her.
He quickly came out of the kitchen, wearing an apron, looking at the TV. “Amazing. What a creep.”
“It seems he still believes he can do whatever he wants,” she said, before receiving a peck on her lips from her new husband.
Mark was the doctor who had taken care of her, and Jill, at the hospital after the incident. Even though Connie’s body was covered with wounds, her happiness that she was free of Roy didn’t let her feel any kind of pain.
That was her first characteristic that he had fallen in love with; her never-ending optimism. And then everything just happened. They continued seeing each other after Connie’s treatment was over and after a while he proposed to her. She instantly said yes, even though their relationship was still in the beginning; she felt like she needed a strong man by her side to help her get over all these bad memories.
After their engagement, they decided to move out of Texas and relocate to California for a fresh start. Mark’s parents lived there. Mark quickly managed to find a new job, and a house, and they got married during summer.
Since then, Connie had gotten pregnant and their life had changed for the best. Last week though, a TV reporter called to ask some questions about their case. She politely answered his question
s and then asked him when the story was supposed to air so that she could watch it. She wanted to see how low this man had fallen, to totally demystify him.
Suddenly, a car stopped outside of the house. Jill was laughing out loud before shouting ‘Mr. Roberts’ many times. They had invited him to stay some days with them since he was the person who literally changed their lives. After the incident, he took them in for a couple months before Connie was able to take care of herself. He was also the one that advised her to give Mark a chance, and move on with her life. He reminded her that she also had a child that needed a proper father figure.
After their marriage, Connie invited him home many times throughout the year. They spent their holidays together and Jill was always happy to see him.
As Roy had failed to inherit the company and was now in prison, Mr. Roberts and his colleagues took over, as per the will. They arranged for an endowment for Connie, to help her start over. She wasn’t able to work now, with a child on the way and another one growing up, but she politely declined his money. So, he went and opened a bank account in Jill’s name, and deposited the money there instead. He said that ‘if you can’t take the money for yourself, then take it for your daughter’. Moved by his generosity, she promised Mr. Roberts that he would always have a family in California.
Today, he was visiting for Jill’s birthday. She was turning 10 and Connie didn’t want him to miss this big event. After the TV story on Roy ended, Connie stood up and moved on their back yard where Mr. Roberts was waiting for them. He was sitting in a chair placed near a round table, and was playing with Jill.
Before long, Mark joined them with a big cake in his hands. Everyone started singing the birthday song to Jill, who was radiating with joy from the birthday candles and the pale light of the moon. Connie couldn’t help but let a tear fall from her eyes. It wasn’t a tear of sadness, or pain, but a tear signaling a new chance in life—in their life. I turned the world upside down twice for this little angel, she thought while on the same time crossing her hands over her swollen belly.
Her life was so full of joy. Her face was wet with tears of happiness as her daughter blew out the candles on her cake.
THE END
Bonus Story 6 of 10
When Two Hearts Meet
A Long Way from Home
It was the second time that Brian had had to relocate to a different fort since the war started. This time, it wasn’t because they wanted to get more men closer to the front lines, but because Brian and his companions were ordered to man a fort in the back, close to a settlement in the west. Many privates, Brian being one of them, thought these orders to be an act of cowardice from their commanding officers, but since it was an order from the upper echelons of the army, there was nothing plain soldiers like them could do.
Even so, no matter how long their way was until they arrived at the designated fort, or how many days they had to stay outside and sleep on the damp grass, Brian was somehow relieved that he didn’t constantly have to be afraid for his life. However, many of his companions did not understand this tactical decision. And so, the quarrels started.
Every day, especially before dinner, when the soldiers were at their hungriest, men would start fighting, yelling at each other about things that were of no importance. The corporal would stop these fights and punish anyone who took part in one, but that didn’t seem to settle things.
Brian couldn’t stop thinking about their journey so far, about how far away from home he was. Every morning he would raise his head up and stare at the horizon, watching the sun climb up to the sky.
The dawn of another long day on the road arrived. I’d better get ready; better now than when the corporal makes his rounds. After standing up, he stretched his hands above his head and stared to the east. He located two small farms close to each other. We must be getting closer. Counting those two, it must have been at least ten farms since yesterday.
He shrugged and turned his back to the bright sunlight. Still dizzy from the rough sleep on the ground, he faltered all the way to his things. Corporal Jones saw him limping and moved closer to him. “On your feet, soldier. Is there something wrong with your leg?”
The first thing that Brian did was salute the commanding officer. “No, sir! Everything is fine, sir!” He shouted every word on the top of his lungs.
“You don’t have to shout, Private Campbell. Everyone here is exhausted and we have half a day’s walk ahead of us before arriving at the fort. I wouldn’t like seeing you get injured, that’s all.”
As soon as he completed his sentence, the corporal moved away and proceeded into waking up every soldier who wasn’t already up and ready. He’s right. I wouldn’t like someone barking at me so early in the morning too. But he probably would have punished me if I didn’t do it right.
With another shrug, he started gathering his things. Since soldiers never carried many things with them, except their uniform, some underwear, a gun, and some supplies they needed to survive on the road, it was fairly easy for Brian to pack his things up and be ready in less than ten minutes. In the dizziness of the early morning sun, though, he didn’t quite catch what the corporal said to him.
Half a day’s walk to the fort? Thank heavens, we’re finally there.
The sun was hanging above their heads, burning their foreheads no matter where they were standing. For once, Brian was thankful that their uniform included a small hat. Not that it did make a difference, but at least it was enough to keep them going. Crossing a tight pass between two mountains, Brian had started to believe that he misheard the Corporal’s words this morning.
We’re walking for some time now, but no sign of the big fort, or the thriving town. Where in the world did they build that thing? Brian kept swearing in his head, thirsty and hungry; but it didn’t seem to matter. Their corporal seemed determined to make them perish from exhaustion, if not from hunger or thirst.
Located in the middle of their company, Brian first heard his companions cheer and then saw the sight himself—a thriving city in the middle of nowhere, with a reigning fort in front of it. A burst of air came howling from his lungs, making him shout along the rest of the soldiers. At last, they had arrived at their destination.
His steps became lighter, and hunger and thirst both vanished from his head. With the city on his sight, nothing else really mattered now. Brian was almost running, his feet spreading to catch up with the rest of the company.
“Quick. I can see a saloon.”
“At last, soft beds!”
“Oh my God, can you smell the food?”
You could feel their impatience, their nervous eyes looking at each other, afraid that the town was just a mirage in middle of a desert; they wanted to see each other’s reactions to make it feel even more real.
There were also some men that even teared up after seeing the town for the first time. Different reactions, from different people. It figures. Brian later found out that he was among those men with the watered eyes.
The last couple miles flew by them. The exhaustion of the last two weeks was just a bad dream to them now. The closer they got to the town, the better they felt. The noises of town life were traveling to their ears from everywhere around; merchants calling for people to buy their merchandise, bursts of laughter outside of the saloon, and even people fighting with each other.
It was refreshingly familiar, a small town like that thriving in the middle of war. At the same time, it was more than enough to remind Brian of his home. The vast meadows under the midsummer sun, gold-coated like a dream coming true. This memory was enough for him to slow down and walk the enthusiasm off. Remember Brian, the war is not over yet. This is only another home away from home.
By the time they arrived outside the fort gates, the soldiers had returned to their previous state. Misery, exhaustion, hunger; you could almost taste it in the air around them. Even so, the corporal made them stand in lines—four perfectly aligned lines. It was a rather unusual request from Corporal Jones
to make them do something like that, but at the same time it seemed like the appropriate thing to do. It’s not like we want people to see that the Union army is a bunch of uncivilized brutes, I suppose.
The heavy wooden doors started slowly to open, only to reveal an old, well-preserved building behind them. Masonry walls circled the perimeter, and in the middle of it all, a small group of men in uniforms awaited them. These must be our caretakers.
The group of men moved closer to the company and quickly checked for injuries. Furthermore, they even offered to take the heavy bags they carried off their hands. None of Brian’s companions agreed. They had grown so accustomed to carrying these bags that carelessly giving them to someone else seemed wrong.
“If it isn’t Corporal Jones. It’s a great honor to meet you,” an officer addressed Jones in a very friendly manner.
“Sergeant Daniels.” Corporal saluted the higher-ranking officer, causing a sudden wave of movement throughout the company. When a higher-ranking officer appeared, every private had to salute him too.
The officer, an older man, grinned. The lines on his face made him look more like a grandfather watching his grandchild play than a strict sergeant ready to lead a company to battle.
“At ease, soldiers. It’s my honor that you managed to come all this way so fast just because I asked.”
Brian dropped his hand and walked inside the fort, side-by-side with the sergeant. Soon after, the company started following them close behind. Everyone was secretly wishing for the sergeant to give them the day off, but the man seemed lost in his own thoughts too much to give the order. It was only after they were deep into the fort that the sergeant turned around and saw them following closely behind.
“For mercy’s sake, what is wrong with you? Is something the matter? Why are you still here?” He waited for someone to reply to him, but no one seemed to dare.
Clean Inspirational Romance: Escape to Paradise (Inspirational Happy Sweet First Love Second Chance Romance) (Contemporary New Adult Love Inspired Holiday Short Stories) Page 17
