Bent not Broken

by Lisa De Jong

  “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. Want some orange juice?” I shook my head, digging into my food.

  He laughed. “I love that about you. You’re not embarrassed to eat in front of me. Most girls would pick at their food.”

  He said the “love” word again. I froze for a second and then continued with my food.

  “You’re a loud cook.” I grumbled through a mouth full of pancakes.

  “Yeah, I’m always jumping around in the kitchen.”

  “This is so good.” The satisfaction was so unbearable my eyes watered with delight.

  “Whoa, slow down, we have plenty, and your stomach will get upset.” I looked up through my lashes. I didn’t realize I was gulping the food down. Breathing a half smile, I wiped the side of my lips with my hand and continued at a slower pace.

  I was completely stuffed and couldn’t move, literally. I watched as he washed the dishes. Once he was finished, he walked over to me. “So what are the plans for today? What do you want to do?” Glancing over at the microwave’s clock, I saw that it was not even eight yet, and now that I was full, I just wanted to crawl back in bed for a long nap.

  “Chillax,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

  “Chillax?” His eyebrows rose. “What does that mean?”

  “You know, chill and relax.” He pressed his lips together, forcing down his amusement, but he couldn’t help it.

  “Is that a Philly thing?” He laughed.

  “No, it’s a me thing, I think? Maybe it’s a Philly thing as well. I don’t know. Come on.” I stood up and grabbed his arm, making my way to the bedroom. I threw myself on the bed, and he followed beside me.

  “So is this what you want to do all day?” he asked, brushing my hair with his fingers.

  “You have a better idea?” I yawned, and he smiled at me.

  “Yeah I do, but I can wait until you wake up. Get some sleep. Then you have to pack a bag. We’re going to my place for the rest of the weekend.” I smiled at him. This would be my first time at his place. It was exciting, but I needed my sleep first. Closing my eyes, I drifted into a sleep, beginning my dream of the one and only man I was falling for, and he lay next to me at that very moment.

  It was pitch dark, and I couldn’t see where I was going. It was hard to know where I was. I stretched my hands in front me, trying to feel my way around. It was an open space. I kept walking, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. An orange flame caught my attention; it was flickering straight ahead. I followed it, picking up the pace, desperate to walk into the light. The closer I got, the bigger the flame got. I was outside now in front of a huge field. There was an old farmhouse burning. The flames were huge, covering every inch of the home. I was standing at least a yard away, but I could still feel the heat burning against my face. I began to walk back into the darkness. Maybe was safer in there, but I stopped when I heard a familiar voice yelling my name.

  Straining my eyes to get a better glance in the distance, I noticed the person running out of the house covered in black ashes. “Michael!” I screamed. He fell to the ground. Running in his direction, I could feel the strength of the heat from the flames. Forcing myself through the pain, I continued to run until I reached him. My brother was barely recognizable: half his face was burned. Falling to my knees, I pulled him into my arms. Screaming for someone to help, I rocked him as he lay on my lap. “It’s okay, Michael. I’ll get help. Please don’t leave me. Please stay with me.” I sobbed, throwing my head into his chest. I couldn’t feel him breathing. I didn’t want him to leave me again, so my cries turned to screams.

  At the sound of a low raspy cough, I sprung my head up. He was alive. He was mumbling something. “What is it, Michael?” I leaned my ear closer to his lips, so I could hear him.

  “Promise,” he whispered.

  “Anything, promise what?” I asked urgently.

  “Promise me you’ll stay away from him?” I turned my head, and my eyes met his. We were only inches away from one another.

  I was confused. “Away from whom?” I asked, shaking my head.

  He slowly turned his head to the left, looking by the house. I watched as he gradually lifted his hand to point, but when my eyes followed its direction, I froze. Marcus was standing by the burning house, holding a container of gas in one hand and a box of matches in the other. His legs were spread apart, his shoulders were hunched over, and his eyes were dark. What scared me the most was the wicked smile that spread across his face.

  “Mia. Mia, wake up!” I was awakened by the sound of Marcus’ voice and a slight nudge to my shoulder. My eyes popped open. My breathing matched my rapid heartbeat. My throat and mouth felt dry. “You were having a bad dream. You were screaming and crying.” He looked worried. Sitting up, I leaned against the headboard. It was just a dream; it was just a dream, I repeated over and over in my head until my breathing and chest calmed to a normal pace. “Are you okay?”

  Looking at him, I wanted to cry. I wanted him to hold me to keep me safe, but he was the person I was afraid of at that moment. My nightmare was about him. I needed him to go away for a few moments. “Marcus, my throat is really dry. Can you grab me some water, please?” He nodded and jumped out of the bed, leaving the room.

  Dropping my shoulders in relief, I buried my hands into my damp sweaty face. Oh God, I hadn’t had a dream about my brother in months. Finally I did, and he was warning me about Marcus. I took a few deep breaths to control my anxiety, and Marcus stumbled back to my side, handing me a glass. I snatched it out of his hand and chugged the water. Ah, just what I needed.

  After I was done, I placed the empty glass on the nightstand. Marcus was kneeling on the bed, cautiously watching at me. I wanted to cry or run. Instead I jumped over to him, wrapping my arms around him. He hugged me tightly, not questioning me about my dream, just holding me. How could my brother warn me to stay away when I felt the safest with Marcus? I knew my dream was more about my feelings of being afraid. So I said the one thing I didn’t want to: I told him how I felt. “Marcus?”

  “Yeah, baby?” he said while kissing the top of my head.

  “I love you, but I’m scared.” I whispered.

  His shoulders relaxed while letting out a heavy sigh. “I love you more than you’ll know, and I’m scared too.” Closing my eyes, I tightened my arms around him. Here we go, it was either up or down from here. It would definitely be a rollercoaster, but I was willing to take the ride.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Marcus’ house was absolutely beautiful—everything you could dream of and more. It was probably as large as his beach home. The entrance was similar as well with a metal fence. He had to plug in a code before it opened. The driveway was surrounded by overgrown trees and an amazing landscape. The miniature mansion was a brick colonial home with white pillars and an oversized front porch. The interior was decorated and styled in a similar manner as his office with dark hardwood floors, light colored walls, antique oversized furniture, and modernized kitchen and bathrooms.

  “Your house is beautiful.” I said twirling around in his bedroom, the final stop of the tour. “You live here alone?”

  “No, my brother and his daughter live here with me.”

  “Your brother has a daughter? You have a niece?” He’d never mentioned that before.

  “Yes, she’s eight, going on twenty.” He laughed while grabbing my bag and unpacking my clothes into an empty drawer.

  “Oh, is he married?”

  “He was. His wife was killed in a car accident a few years ago.”

  “Oh.” I whispered, feeling stupid for asking the question. His brother was raising a little girl all on his own. That had to be hard. But then I thought of my father raising us on his own, and he’d made it seem so easy. “What’s her name?”

  “Brielle. She’s adorable. We call her Elle. She is very entertaining. You’ll meet her later on today.” I nodded. I’m not used to being around children. I wasn’t sure exactly how she’d react to me; I felt nervous. “Want t
o go for a swim?” he asked.

  “Okay.” I smiled.

  “Cannonball!” Marcus was in midair: knees pulled into his chest, arms wrapped around his legs. His round-shaped body slammed into the pool, and water splashed all over the patio and the lounge chair I was lying on.

  “Marcus!” I laughed.

  His head popped up from under the water, his hair was soaked and his smile was irresistible. “Come on!” The last hour he had been trying to persuade me to do a cannonball. I’d never done it before, and I was scared I’d slip and break a bone. I know I’m a sissy, but growing up, I never broke a bone in my body. I guess that was one of the benefits of living with two overprotective men. Standing up and walking towards the edge of the pool, I dipped my toe in the water. It was warm. Biting the side of my bottom lip, I wondered if I should just do it.

  He watched as I took a few steps back. I tried to do it twice but stopped before actually jumping. I knew he was skeptical, thinking it wouldn’t happen just like the other two times. Taking a deep breath, I ran for it. When my feet hit the edge of the pool, I jumped, hugging my legs into my chest. My eyes were shut tight. I took a deep breath when I felt my behind hit the water. Then I was underwater. Opening my eyes, I smiled because I made it without getting hurt.

  Untangling my legs, I waved my arms until I was above water. Marcus was swimming in my direction. I couldn’t take the smile off my face. It was so much fun! He reached me, grabbing my face with both his hands. “I told you! You did great!” I giggled. He was so happy that I did it that it made me laugh.

  “It was fun! I want to do it again,” I said. He laughed and kissed me. Of course the cannonball could wait. I’d rather kiss my man.

  Wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, I tightened my grip. I wanted to be closer to him. It’s like I was addicted; I could never have enough of him. He was everything I wanted and everything I needed. My dream had just been portraying my fears of allowing him in. Since I told him I loved him this morning, all of my fears went away. No relationship is perfect. I knew that. I also knew that we’d have issues that we’d have to resolve along the way, but it was all worth it. As long as I had him by my side, we’d be okay.

  “Ahem.” We were interrupted by someone clearing his throat. Marcus and I both turned our heads to see his brother standing at the edge of the pool. He was holding the hand of a little girl who was wearing a bright pink swimsuit. She was absolutely adorable with long brown hair, green eyes, and an olive complexion.

  “Uncle Marc?” she asked while slapping her free hand on her hip. Her smile showed me she was teasing.

  “Elle! You wanna join us in the pool?” Marcus asked, still holding me.

  “Only if it’s PG-13.” Jimmie said, looking at the both of us with a slight grin. I pulled away from Marcus embarrassed.

  “Hi, Mia,” he said.

  “Uh hi, Jimmie.” Swimming over, I met them at the edge of the pool. I looked up at the little girl. She bent her knees and offered her hand to me. Surprised by her gesture, I grabbed her tiny hand, and she smiled.

  “Hi, I’m Brielle Marie DeLuca. You can call me Elle.” Her cute girly voice made me giggle.

  “Hi, I’m Mia Sullivan. You can call me Mia; it’s nice to meet you.” Elle stood back up, both hands on her hips. I could see why Marcus said she was eight going on twenty. She was a grown woman trapped in a child’s body. “Have you ever cannonballed?” I asked her.

  “Psssh, cannonballs are for amateurs. I just learned how to do a backflip. Want to see?” She asked with her eyes widened.

  “No, Elle, that’s dangerous, and, Marcus, you need to stop teaching my daughter all of those tricks. If she hurts herself, I’m going to hurt you!” Jimmie warned. Marcus’ laugh sounded from behind me.

  “Yeah okay, I would love to see that, Jimmie. Elle, let’s leave the flips for when your dad’s not around.” Now beside me, he winked at her.

  Pouting she crossed her arms. “Daddy! Come on! Please?”

  “No and that’s final.” She sighed, throwing her arms to her side. Kicking her sandals off, she walked back a few steps, ran, and cannonballed into midair. Marcus swam over to her. Once her little body was back up from under the water, Marcus picked her up and sat her on his shoulders. Her giggles were contagious, and I joined in.

  “Well, I’m going to go throw some burgers on the grill.” Jimmie walked away. I watched him head toward the grill by the patio farther away from the pool.

  “Mia, do you think you can convince my Uncle Marc to take me to the carnival that’s coming up next month?” Marcus shook his head, so I would say no.

  “I think I can do that for you, Elle.” I smiled at Marcus.

  “Oh you think you could, huh?” He asked with a crooked smile, more gorgeous than ever.

  “Mmmmhuh.” I mumbled. He smacked his hand against the water, splashing it in my direction. I yelled and splashed back, and thus began a splash war.

  “Okay, okay! I’ll take you next month, but Mia has to come too.” He took Elle off his shoulders and placed her next to him. Her head bobbed in the water as she jumped up and down with delight. “Yes!” she squealed. Swimming in my direction, she threw her arms around me. I gently lifted her to my side. She gave me a quick peck on the cheek. “You’re my new best friend!” I laughed. I was starting to love this little girl, who wouldn’t?

  “So, Mia you’re beginning your second year of law school?” Jimmie awkwardly began to make small talk. Elle and Marcus were still in the pool. After a half an hour of jumping in, I grew tired and hungry. I was sitting at the patio when Jimmie joined me, laying a plate full of well-cooked burgers before me. I grabbed one and took a bite.

  “Yeah, I just finished my first year. You went to Harvard as well?” I asked with my mouth full.

  “Yep. What inspired you to be an attorney?” He took a swig of his soda.

  “Uh, I was always interested in the legal field. Both my brother and father were in law enforcement, so I guess I got it from them.”

  He nodded. “I see.”

  “What made you get out the field?” I was curious to find out what he truly does.

  “Uh, just wasn’t into it anymore. Marcus is really good at it. I, on the other hand, sucked,” he said laughing. “I would never admit that to him though.” He raised his eyebrow warning me to keep quiet; I smiled.

  “So what do you do now?”

  “It’s complicated to explain. I’m a freelancer. I work from home for companies. When their systems are down, I can access any info via my network and assist any time of the day.”

  “Oh, that’s interesting. And it must be nice to work from home.” Chewing the last bite of my burger, I took a sip of water.

  “It’s okay I guess.” He said looking at Elle and Marcus who were now running in our direction. “Hey, I wanted to apologize about the first day we met. I’m not that type of person, just so you’ll know.”

  Smiling at him, I felt a bit relieved. “Thank you.” He nodded. Elle ran into his arms, and he hugged her. They were too cute together. He seemed to be a really great dad. It made me think of what type of father Marcus would be. I wondered if Marcus wanted kids in the future. It was too soon to think like that, but it was good to know. Marcus struck me as a family man: the way he was with Elle and the way he talked about the family dinner all week. I knew he would make a wonderful father one day.

  “You okay, babe?” Marcus swung his arm over my shoulder as he took a seat right next to me.

  “Yeah, I’m great.” Reaching for a burger, he shoved it into his mouth. He must have been starving; the last thing he ate was the breakfast he made this morning.

  “Excuse me. I have to go to the bathroom.” I stood up.

  “You want me to go with you?” he asked. I looked at him with a strange look.

  “I think I can handle going to the bathroom on my own.” I giggled at him, after he slumped back into his seat. Then I thought maybe he wanted to do something else. Lean
ing down, I whispered in his ear, “Unless, you had something in mind.”

  Licking his lips, he flashed a wide smile and nodded. “I like your way of thinking.”

  We both stood and headed toward the sliding door as Jimmie shook his head at Marcus’ boyish grin.

  ****

  The rest of the day went by smoothly. We spent a lot of time with Jimmie and Elle. We had dinner and played some games: Scrabble and Monopoly. Then Elle forced me to play a dance game on one of her consoles. I couldn’t say no to her, so I proudly humiliated myself in front of both men. They just laughed and watched us play. Elle knew all the dance moves to each song, so she beat me. After we were finished for the night, Marcus’ phone rang. He stepped into his office to take it.

  “Mia, you have good moves.” Elle said as she jumped to sit beside me on the couch.

  “Me? You’re the one with the moves.” I lightly tickled her, and she giggled.

  “Well, it’s way past my bedtime. See you tomorrow.” Throwing her arms around me, she kissed my cheek then ran to her father. Jimmie lifted her until her lips met his, and she gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Good night, daddy!” She yelled.

  “Good night, princess. Sweet dreams.” She ran up the stairs. Jimmie laughed to himself then turned to face me. “She really likes you. It’s hard for her to get attached to someone, especially females.”

  “She’s a great kid, Jimmie.” I smiled.

  “Thanks. Well I better go to …” He looked up at Marcus before finishing his sentence. Marcus looked concerned.

  “He wants us to go in tonight.” Marcus’ expression was unreadable.

  Jimmie sighed, placing his hands on his hips and lowering his head. “You’ll have to go on your own tonight, Marc. Melissa is off tonight again.” Marcus looked at me then back at Jimmie. I didn’t belong here. It felt awkward, not knowing what they were talking about.

  “It’ll be done a lot faster if you are with me.” Marcus grew impatient.

  “I’m sorry, Bro, but I can’t leave Elle without a babysitter.”