Finally Home

by Ancelli

  ~~~

  “Jesse,” she whispered. “You have so much to offer me, us. I’m sorry…” Maya sobbed. “You’re not dead.” She touched his chest feeling for his heart beat, and grinned when she felt the pounding. “It’s still beating to the same rhythm as mine.”

  “Dead?” He cocked an eyebrow.

  “They found your car in a lake,” she couldn’t stop touching him. “Your family thinks you’re dead. They had a memorial for you.”

  “Did you?” He gazed at her.

  She took his hand in hers, “No, my heart knew you weren’t dead. You wouldn’t leave us like that, you survived so much. I searched for you, but the investigator couldn’t find anything on you. Jesse, where have you been?”

  “Maya,” he gazed into her eyes, “this isn’t how we’re supposed to find each other again,” he slowly pulled his hand from her grip. “I wanted so much for us, and now I have nothing.”

  “You have me!” she raised her voice, sobbing. “Your wife.”

  She could see the emotion in his eyes, they shined with unshed tears. “I wasn’t enough, Maya.” He went to turn and she grabbed his arm.

  “You can’t do this to me again, you can’t leave me!” She sniffled. “You have a home, why are you sleeping on the streets?”

  Jesse peeled her hands off his arm, “I love you, Maya, all I wanted to do was take care of you.”

  “I never st…” Out of nowhere Richard rushed forward and forcefully pushed Jesse, making him lose his footing, and he fell to the ground.

  “Don’t you ever fucking touch my girlfriend!” Richard pointed at him as Jesse picked up his belongings. He glanced at Maya, and she could see the hurt in Jesse’s eyes.

  Her heart thumped against her chest as she got angrier by the second. Her nostrils flared, and she clenched her jaw. She wouldn’t let anyone treat Jesse that way, no one.

  “Did you fucking hear me, asshole?”

  Jesse stood and grabbed his cane, “Bye Maya,” he began to moseyed away. Every time he stepped on his prosthetic foot, he clenched his jaw. He was hurt she realized as more tears came to her eyes.

  Richard went to attack him again, but this time Maya intervened. She was a little surprised though, the Jesse she knew wouldn’t have backed down from a fight. She pushed Richard a few steps away from Jesse, “Don’t you ever fucking touch him!” She yelled, still holding him back. “Why would you treat him like that?”

  “He’s a fucking junkie,” he spat. “How does he know your name?” Richard demanded to know.

  “It’s not what you think,” she said as her nostrils flared.

  “How does he know your name?” He asked again. “Did he attack you?”

  “No!”

  “You let a homeless prick kiss and touch you,” he smacked her hands off him. “You don’t know what fucking disease he has.”

  Maya leaned to the side to see that Jesse was rapidly limping away. “Jesse!” she yelled.

  She went to go after him and Richard grabbed her arm. “What the fuck are you thinking, Maya?”

  She didn’t answer, trying to follow where Jesse was headed, but then Richard moved blocking her view and held her tight. “Let me go!”

  His grip got tighter, “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

  “I’m not going to tell you again, let me go.” He didn’t take to her warning, and she kicked him in the nuts, making him drop down to his knees. “I warned you,” she ran down the sidewalk, and Jesse was gone. She looked franticly for her husband, Maya ran up and down the street, searching for Jesse, and once again he was gone.

  Richard yelled her name in agony, but she ignored him, at that moment all that mattered was locating the missing piece of her heart. “Not this time, Jesse,” she said under her breath. He needed her as much as she needed him, and she wouldn’t let him run away from her again. But what must he be thinking? Richard claiming his wife, and her not getting to tell him that she never stopped loving him. Maya stood in the middle of the street crying in heartache. Cars honked at her, but she didn’t care. She screamed, “Jesse! Jesse! Please don’t go. Come back! Please.”

  “Maya,” Richard said out of breath, pulling her out of the road to the sidewalk. “What’s gotten into you?”

  “Don’t touch me!” She smacked his hand off of her, “What’s wrong with you?” Maya wiped her tears and then started punching him on the chest. “He’s hurt,” she yelled. “You don’t treat a human being like that, especially my Jesse.” Maya ran back into the diner, and grabbed her purse. She placed her hands on the table, and took a deep breath. He's alive, Jesse’s alive, after all this time. She touched him, kissed him. Maya took a deep breath, fighting back tears, and ambled out of the diner.

  "Maya!" Richard yelled, but she continued walking toward her car. "Maya, what the fuck is going on?"

  She didn't have time to explain her actions. Maya wasn't going home without finding Jesse. He would not sleep another night on the streets. She jumped in her car, turned the key in the ignition, and drove out of the parking lot down each street, looking for Jesse. Maya slowly drove up and down each street several times and didn’t see him. She drove behind stores and restaurants with no luck. She repeated the same route all over again. Maya looked down a few alleys, but didn't see anyone. Rain drops began to drizzle on her windshield as tears continued to run down her cheeks. It was also starting to get dark, everything was working against her, but she wasn't giving up. "Jesse, where are you?" she mumbled to herself.

  Maya drove down a creepy alleyway, and saw movement. Should she continue? Getting out of her car, she stopped in the middle of the street and looked around, but there was no one in sight. Getting back in her car, she opened her glove compartment and picked up her gun. Maya said a silent prayer, pushed on the high beam lights, and slowly pulled forward. “Not this time, Jesse, no matter where you are, I will find you…”

  Chapter Three

  Jesse needed to slow down, his leg was killing him. He unhurriedly walked into a dark alley, hid behind a dumpster and sat. Maya, he smirked. She was just as stunning as he remembered her. She’d gained some weight over the years, but in all of the right places. She filled out beautifully. He never wanted his wife to see him like this. Jesse looked down on his clothes filled with holes, and wept. This wasn’t supposed to be his life. He bent his head and grieved for what could’ve been. Everything after that awful argument with Maya became his downfall. He closed his eyes, and memories of that day resurfaced.

  ~~~

  Jesse stood there with his heart in his hand. The words that came out of Maya’s mouth were hard to swallow, but it was the truth. He knew she blamed him for everything terrible that happened to them. She was right, he had nothing to offer her, and setting her free would be the best thing he could do for her. He grabbed the folder with all the jobs he’d applied for over the last six months off the coffee table. Maya thought all he did was stay home all day, but that was the furthest thing from the truth. Everyday he went out looking for a job, and the interviews went well until they read his DD214 discharge documents. Employers always said they wanted to help disabled vets until those vets applied. Jesse was one of the best at what he did, and he majored in Health Administration with a minor in Business. He was top in his graduation class, but that didn’t mean shit when they saw he was impaired.

  He grabbed his cane, slowly made his way to the office, and packed a bag with a few of his items. After Jesse lost his foot, he was in a dark place, but he kept it to himself. He didn’t want to burden anyone around him. He hid the memories of that explosive day in the back of his head until it completely disappeared. Jesse had his baby to live for, and then he was taken away from him too. He didn’t know how to cope with his new life, and at times he contemplated taking his own life, but then he would see Maya’s beautiful smile and change his mind. He was living for her. Jesse was leaving to find something to offer his wife. He would go state to state if he had to until he found a job to make her proud of
him. Jesse placed his head on their bedroom door, he heard her sobbing, and the more he listened to her cries of pain, the surer he was of his decision. Maya didn’t deserve the pain he was causing her.

  “I love you, Maya,” he said before walking out the house.

  He stayed at a hotel for a couple of nights. He listened to Maya’s messages but ignored them. She was better off not hearing from him. After a few days, he applied for three jobs at major hospitals in town, but never received a call back. Jesse decided to apply out of town, he even looked into working at fast food joints, but they claimed he was over qualified.

  Jesse hadn’t touched any money from their account but his funds were getting low. He got out of his car and was about to walk up to the ATM, and the next thing he remembered was waking up with a terrible headache on the side of a dark road with no wallet, cell phone, or car. He was mugged and left in the middle of nowhere, that’s how his journey into being homeless started. Jesse walked for miles and he finally found an abandoned church. He took shelter there, and cleaned himself up. He was too proud to call his wife or family, but even if he wanted to he didn’t have a phone. Jesse set out to prove them wrong and all he did was prove they were right all along. At that moment in his life he wished those goons would’ve killed him and taken him out of his misery.

  ~~~

  Jesse pulled the prosthetic foot off his leg, and sighed in relief. His limb was swollen and bleeding again; he needed to see a doctor. He hadn’t been seen by a doctor since he left home, though he would sneak in the VA hospital every once in a while to take a shower and leave. The more he walked on his prosthetic, the worse his limb hurt. It was time for a new and improved prosthetic; this one wasn’t working properly anymore. His stomach started to rumble again, so he grabbed the plastic bags, and tore them open. He hadn’t eaten in a couple of days; Jesse opened the container and chuckled. Chicken and waffles, he remembered their first date. He knew then that Maya was going to be his wife. Maya was always humble and sweet, she would never change. He picked up the utensils, and hurriedly began eating the food, savoring every bite. He burped and continued devouring the first and second serving. He looked in one of the bags, and there were two apple juices, and two twenty-dollar bills. He placed the bills in his front pocket and drank the juices. “Thank you, baby…”

  Jesse leaned his head against the brick wall as it started to rain. He once had everything, starting with a beautiful wife. How did he end up here? He couldn’t get the vision of Maya out of his head. And the sound of her heavenly voice that Jesse would recognize anywhere. Maya’s eyes were so full of happiness when she realized who he was, until he turned the spark into pain by saying goodbye. The years had made her more beautiful. Her hair was tucked into a tight bun, and her curves made something in him tense up, something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

  Maya made chief; he knew she had it in her to do great things. As he thought about her his love for her became stronger than his pain and sorrow. Jesse wanted his life back, he wanted Maya back, but how could he get her back after she’d seen him like this? He’d envisioned himself walking back home in a suit and tie, making her proud, and now she saw him at his lowest. He wrapped his hands around his legs and bent his head. Who was that fucking man trying to claim his wife? “She’s my wife,” he whispered to himself. They assumed he was dead. The motherfuckers that stole his car must have driven it in the lake to cover their asses. Why didn’t he just call home and tell her that he was okay? Why did he walk out on their life three years ago? Why, why, why? He repeatedly asked himself.

  He heard some footsteps coming toward him, but thought if he stayed in this position they would leave him alone. “What do we have here?” And then someone kicked his leg, “I think he’s dead.”

  Jesse looked up, there were six guys staring back at him. He’d kept himself out of trouble for a while now. His buddy Pete told him to ignore assholes and they would continue on their way, but that didn’t always work. Pete was a fragile old man, and Jesse had to defend them more than a few times. He’d been in fights, beaten, and almost raped since he became homeless. One thing he never did was back down. He grabbed his prosthetic, and hooked it on. It stung, and Jesse clenched his teeth together realizing his limb was swollen.

  “What the fuck?” One guy said jumping back and pointing at his foot. “Did you guys see that?”

  “He’s missing a foot,” the skinnier man laughed. “That’s gross.”

  Jesse placed his palms on the ground, and pushed himself up against the wall.

  The younger white guy looked at his hand, “How did you end up with such a nice ring? Did you steal it?” he extended his hand. “Give it up.”

  Jesse bent and grabbed his book bag and cane. He ignored the man’s request and started to slowly limp off. Shit it was painful to walk.

  They ambled past him, and stopped in front of him. “Didn’t you hear what I said? Give me the fucking ring and book bag,” he raised his voice. They all surrounded him, there was no way he was winning this fight, but they weren’t taking the only thing he had left of home.

  “Dude,” another guy stepped up. “No one is going to miss you after we’re done with you. You’re a dirt bag homeless guy. The world will be better off without you.”

  “Hand over the ring,” the white guy said and launched forward. Jesse swung his cane with all his strength, striking him on the side of his stomach, and sending him to his knees. Then Jesse swung it again hitting him on the neck. The guy cried out in pain, holding his neck. “Get him.”

  Jesse was outnumbered, he glanced at his ring and then at the goons. Without hesitating he forcefully cracked his ring finger in the middle. The cracking sound was loud as pain shot up his hand into his entire body, and he clenched his jaw. The middle joint of his finger instantly swelled up locking in his wedding band. If they wanted his ring they would have to cut it off.

  “This dude is crazy,” one guy said, and they all got closer to him. Jesse twisted around, and swung his metal cane hitting two of the guys in the face and chest.

  Someone’s fist connected with his stomach making him fall to his knees, losing his cane. He felt a boot connect with his chest, and he grabbed the man’s foot, making him drop to the ground. Jesse punched him several times in the gut, and then crawled on his hands and knees, trying to get away, but then something stung him on the side of his belly. When he looked down blood was gushing from his stomach. One of them had stabbed him with a knife, they were about to jump him again.

  Bright lights shined upon them, and he heard a car door open and a woman yell. “Stop!” Jesse knew that voice anywhere. His guardian angel.

  “Sis, get back in your car and mind your business.” One of the goons said.

  “I am not your sister, and this is my business,” she said and inched forward.

  Jesse wiped the blood off his mouth, staring at her, “Leave, this isn’t your battle.” He knew she wasn’t going to back down.

  Maya didn’t move an inch. She glanced at Jesse, and then at them.

  “Bitch, I warned you.” One guy launched forward, and another twisted back about to hit him.

  “Stop!” Maya yelled.

  Jesse blocked his blow, and threw a punch of his own, and another guy pushed him down.

  “I dare you motherfuckers to touch him again!” Maya shouted, pointing a semi-automatic gun at the young man coming toward her. “I told you once leave him alone! I will not repeat myself,” She placed her index finger on the trigger.

  “Ma, this has nothing to do with you. You have no authority off base,” the younger black male smirked, looking at her uniform. “She won’t shoot.”

  She smiled “I have all the authority I need in this state. Back away or I’ll shoot each one of you,” the young man didn’t back up, instead he stepped forward, and Maya pulled the trigger shooting him in the leg.

  “What the fuck?” he yelled grabbing his thigh as blood spilled over his fingers. “You shot me!” His friends all looke
d at him with fear in their eyes, and slowly backed away. “Crazy bitch!”

  “I warned you,” Maya aimed the gun at another guy. “Call me a bitch again,” she smirked. “I dare you. I don’t take threats easily, bro.”

  “Lets go!” All six of them slowly backed away.

  “The cops are on their way,” she said, and with that they all scattered down the alley. She slipped the safety on the gun, placed it in the back of her pants and rushed over to him. “Jesse…” She got down on the ground next to him and held him in her arms. “I’m here, baby,” she kissed his forehead. “Can you get up?”

  “I think so,” Jesse added pressure with his hand to the wound. She stood, and gently helped him up. He glanced down the alley making sure they were gone.

  “We have to get you to the hospital,” she placed her arm around his waist, and he wrapped his arm over her shoulder as they slowly started walking to her car.

  “It’s not too deep. I’ll be okay,” he took a deep breath, and leaned against her car. “I’ve been through worse,” he stared at her. Maya was pissed. Her nostrils flared, and she placed her hand on her hip.

  “Jesse, you need to see a doctor for that wound,” she pointed at his side, and then down, “and your foot. When was the last time you saw a doctor?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “Really Jesse?” Maya opened the passenger seat, “I can see you’re in pain. Do not fight me on this.” She said in a stern voice.

  His lips curled into a lopsided smile, “Or you’ll shoot me?”

  “Yes,” she said seriously. “I’ll shoot you and then smother you with kisses.” Maya helped him in the car. It felt like no time had gone by between them, Maya hadn’t changed a bit. She was then, and still was his ride or die wife. She ran over and picked up his cane and book bag, and jumped in the vehicle. Her eyes widened when she saw his swollen fingers, “What happened to your hand?”