STORM: IT'S A CURSE TO REMEMBER

by Gurpreet Kaur Sidhu

  Shadow’s body shifted, her attention back to the lake. She glimpsed at Evan, feeling a little ashamed about the truth to her reality, but the genuine caring tone in his voice pushed her to share her past.

  “No,” she said before she introduced who Marvin was, leaving no psychotic detail behind. Evan heard all the ups and downs the two had. How her parents sided with Marvin on things that meant to stay within relationships. The threats and how she managed to move out of their townhouse, without letting Marvin get a sniff of the scent that she was leaving for good. After Evan was caught up with Shadow’s infuriating past, he felt like he’d been hit by a bus but somehow survived the tragedy.

  For Evan, this was all a little hard to believe. It wasn’t that he was under the impression Shadow was fabricating her past but because it truly seemed he was seeing a pattern here. Why was this happening to Shadow again? It was as if enduring pain and torture in her previous life wasn’t enough that peace and happiness had no place in this life.

  “Why can’t you file a restraining order on him? He’s clearly a loony and needs a restraining order.”

  “It’s not going to work.”

  “What do you mean, it’s not going to work?”

  Shadow sighed. Merely talking about Marvin made her anxious. She rose from the bench, hands in her pocket. “I don’t really feel like talking about this,” she responded.

  Evan launched forward. “You can’t use the same excuse twice. So tell me, what’s the whole story?”

  “Are you the town’s savior or something?”

  Evan sensed the sarcasm but continued to press. “Is he threatening you?”

  She threw her hands up in the air and exclaimed, “Can we not talk about this right now?”

  “Okay, fine.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Just because you have a degree in psychology doesn’t mean you have me all figured out. And why is it so important for you to help me?”

  Evan opened his mouth to speak then closed it. Telling Shadow about the memories of his past life wasn’t going to accomplish anything right now. If anything, it would only make things worse. She would bombard him with questions—and was he ready to answer all of them? Did he have all the answers? No, but he knew one thing for sure: His feelings for Shadow had no correlation to his past life. He wanted to make sure she knew that before he brought any of this to light.

  Evan stepped closer, knowing in his heart, he wasn’t going to leave her on her own. Fate had steered him into the direction it needed to go and he wasn’t going to let Shadow face this on her own.

  “I know I don’t have you ‘all figured out.’ But I’m not going to just sit back and let him have this control over you. I saw the fear in your eyes when you thought you lost Mr. Jingles. I wouldn’t ever want to see you like that again.”

  Shadow looked at Evan with sympathetic eyes. A little part of her wanted to blurt out what Marvin did for a living. But Shadow knew Marvin would kill Evan if she did. She knew what the agency was capable of covering up. She’d heard too much from Marvin and was well aware of how little a restraining order would be able to do, let alone the police force. It was pointless.

  As much as she loved the feeling that Evan wanted to help her, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if something terrible happened to him at her expense. Deep down, she knew Evan came into her life for a reason but feared that it was all too good to be true.

  She looked at him with pleading eyes and took a step closer. “I appreciate you wanting to help, I really do, but you can’t. It’s just the way it is.” She shrugged.

  He studied her. I’m supposed to help you. He pursed his lips, and tilted his head forward. “It’s getting late. We should get going,” he murmured.

  Shadow hesitated. She wanted to be clear about her concerns but the look Evan gave her said it all. His heart was in the right place and he was the only person she could trust. Those reasons convinced Shadow that Evan didn’t belong anywhere near Marvin.

  She started down the pathway alongside Evan, in silence.

  ***

  Night was approaching. The wind started to pick up and the cold breeze brushed against Bruce’s ears and nose as the leaves rustled across the pavement. It had been more than an hour since Bruce had been waiting outside of the agency. He kept his head lowered to keep his face from becoming stiff.

  Bruce had a plan and was sure it would work.

  When the invisible door opened, Bruce’s head jerked up.

  Finally.

  Marvin stepped out wearing a long black coat. He spotted Bruce in the far corner of the Agency’s premises, idly standing by.

  The towering trees made both of them look like miniature human beings. Both of them proceeded to walk in each other’s direction.

  Bruce stopped ten feet away from Marvin, knowing getting too close wasn’t a brilliant idea.

  Marvin didn’t waste any time in small talk. “What do you want?”

  “The personal assignment you’ve been working on, the one on your ex-fiancé. If you don’t shut it down—”

  “You’re going to do what?” Marvin interrupted. He was amused. He took a few steps toward Bruce. What was he capable of that Marvin wasn’t?

  “First, I’ll break her kneecaps. Then I’ll suffocate her to the point where she thinks she’s going to die…and stop. Then torture her again—and again, and then again. When I see the pain in her eyes and she begs me to end her life because she doesn’t want to go through any more torture, I’ll use a knife to slit her throat… very slowly. She’ll die in more pain and agony. You wanna know the best part? You’ll be there to watch it all. You’ll have front row seats and you’ll watch her as she screams for your help but you won’t be able to do a damn thing about it.”

  Marvin stared at Bruce for an instant and roared with laughter.

  It came as a shock to Bruce to see Marvin react this way. He was sure this would have angered him, leaving him with no choice but to shut down the entire assignment. Maybe not so easily, but this? Bruce didn’t expect this.

  “Pardon me,” Marvin said, holding up his index finger as he tried to gather himself. Large tears brimmed his eyes. “You’re going to kill Shadow?” He snickered.

  Bruce remained silent.

  “I haven’t laughed like this in ages,” he said, pulling himself together. He leered at Bruce with the devil’s eyes. “You’re not going to kill Shadow.”

  “What makes you think I won’t?”

  Marvin slowly circled Bruce, chuckling. He completed his round and met Bruce’s eyes, standing closer than he was initially. “Evan,” he whispered.

  Marvin allowed Evan’s name to penetrate his mind. He’d fathomed the fact that Bruce hid his family from the agency. Although Bruce didn’t break any rules, he managed to keep his family from being used as leverage. It was a smart and strategic move in Marvin’s opinion. But as Marvin comprehended life, he realized there were no such thing as secrets. One day, they would come spilling out and this secret Bruce kept was now going to be used against him.

  Bruce’s jaw and fists clenched simultaneously. Bruce was absolutely sure he kept his track clear and made sure there were no breadcrumbs on the trail. He grunted. “How do you know about Evan?”

  “That’s not the question you should be asking right now, Bruce.”

  “How do you know about Evan!?” His voice boomed.

  Marvin got a kick out of pushing Bruce’s buttons.

  “Just like you dug through my past, I dug through yours,” he said as a mischievous smile dawned on his face. “If you were to ask what my thoughts were, I’d say you were a coward for leaving your family after your wife, Geneva,” he spoke, as his gaze remained fixated on Bruce, “started using again, and then had multiple affairs with men, driving her to end her own life. You would think a man, a real father, would stick around for his children and take
care of them, but you did quite the opposite. You ran away and left them with your mother.” He shuffled for an answer, but Bruce remained quiet. “You thought you could save her, didn’t you? You married her knowing crystal clear she had a history of drug use. You literally drove her back to her addiction.” He continued to press, knowing the truth was making Bruce’s blood boil. “It’s sad, isn’t it? When you think the person you love cares about you just as much, only to realize what they truly love is shooting up cocaine and getting high in the middle of the day. I wonder how Evan and Denise would feel if they knew the truth.”

  “You don’t know anything about Geneva!”

  “The correct way to put it is that I know too much,” he said, clasping his hands together and blowing hot air into the cusp, “and I’m sure you would want to reconcile with your son sometime in the future. However, if you lay a hand on Shadow, I will kill him.”

  Marvin reeled back from a punch to the eye, which threw him off balance. Out of instinct, Marvin punched back—once, twice and then once more before Bruce managed to get a hold of Marvin’s neck.

  As Bruce proceeded to hold him in a chokehold, Marvin’s eyes started to flicker. He started to lose feeling in his face. Just as Bruce thought Marvin was about to pass out, Marvin reached up to Bruce’s face and began to gouge out his eyes.

  Bruce grunted in agony and let go.

  Marvin, free of Bruce, took a second before throwing another punch straight in the face. He charged at Bruce who’d struggled to find balance and socked Bruce in the ribs. It was one strike after the other.

  Bruce, flushed, dawdled toward Marvin and used all his strength to take a swing at Marvin. He struck Marvin on the cheekbone, jabbing him twice before feeling the energy drain out of his body. And before he knew it, he took another punch to the face, making him fall to his knees.

  Bruce lay on his back. The trees appeared to be green blobs. His body ached. He used every bit of strength left to get back up but each body part felt like an overdone noodle. His head throbbed with pain. His lip was ripped open, bleeding into his mouth. Eyes felt swollen and the sound of his wheezing came and went along with deep breaths exhaled by Marvin, who’d crouched near Bruce as he lay on the ground.

  Marvin pulled up Bruce’s head by his hair. “If you lay a finger on Shadow, I’ll cut Evan’s throat. Do you understand?”

  Bruce used all his strength to look Marvin in the eyes, but for the life of him, he couldn’t. Marvin appeared to come and go but his voice was clear as a bright and sunny day. The words slowly processed through his mind, but dispersed just as they began to soak in.

  “If you touch Shadow, you’ll never see Evan again,” he hissed.

  Marvin let go of Bruce’s hair and watched as Bruce’s face hit the dirt. He stood over Bruce, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped away the blood from his face. The leaves swayed against the ground as the cool breeze moved through the premises. This day constituted what was to come.

  ***

  Rain started to pour down just as Evan and Shadow reached Knight’s Drive.

  “This is the first time it’s rained this winter,” he said, looking up at the sky. A little grin surfaced as he slowly turned to face Shadow. “C’mon,” he said, as he took Shadow’s hand.

  As Evan picked up speed, Shadow automatically began to sprint. In a way, running in the rain with Evan beside her felt liberating. She’d never done anything like this. Growing up, it was all about how a woman carried herself. She could see her mother standing in the distance, lips pursed, brows furrowed. She would never approve this free-spirited version of Shadow. A lecture would be in order if Shadow’s mother ever saw her running down the street in the rain like a teenager. It was unacceptable.

  When they reached Shadow’s house, they stood under the roof. Shadow watched as little raindrops slid off Evan’s hair down to his forehead, merging with little droplets on his face, sliding down his cheeks to his chin, and then slowly dripping to his shirt. His chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. Evan’s arm softly grazed around her waist, pulling Shadow in closely. As the rain poured, and with no one in sight, Shadow tilted her head upward, looking deeply into Evan’s blue eyes.

  He moved his hand upward and softly grazed against her jawline as he gazed into her eyes. Evan leaned in, and before she knew it, she felt his soft lips press against hers.

  It was electrifying and felt familiar. It brought back some of her good memories.

  Shadow tugged onto Evan’s hips as he gently massaged the back of her head, kissing her, feeling as if this was going to be the last time. The faint smell of her shampoo—a combination of orchids and roses—lingered, which caused his neurons to run wild.

  When their lips parted, Evan looked at her, hugging her closer, knowing all he wanted to do was to keep his arms wrapped around Shadow. That’s where she was meant to be.

  “I’m not going let anything happen to you,” he whispered.

  At a loss for words, Shadow just nodded.

  Chapter 16

  His face still bruised and lightly swollen, Marvin sat at his desk, reminiscing the evening before. He could have killed Bruce if he wanted to, but his plans for the future were far too superior and having Bruce alive was much more satisfying.

  A tall, slender man walked in as Marvin was deep in thought. He sallied forth, holding a manila envelope.

  “Here you go, sir,” he said as he handed over the envelope. “Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?”

  The man stood with a tall erect posture, waiting for Marvin’s response.

  “Stand by for your next order,” he finally said.

  “Yes, sir.”

  He cocked his head toward the door. “That’s all.”

  On order, the man quietly left.

  Marvin pulled the pin forward, allowing the fold to release, then pulled out a set of photos.

  They were pictures of Evan and Shadow from the night before, walking side by side, close in proximity. There were a couple of photos of them sitting on the bench. He saw the way Evan looked at Shadow. This made Marvin furious. As he flipped through each one, his fury rose, hating Evan’s guts more and more. But the last one brought shock to his system. His eyes fixated on the picture that showed Shadow and Evan kissing. As he continued to digest the picture, he squeezed his eyes shut.

  The image of them kissing was etched in his mind. Shadow and Marvin were meant to be together. They were meant to grow old together and her being with Evan, all of that was now impossible.

  His eyes sprang open. Marvin picked up the phone and pushed the buttons on the receiver. Leaning back in his chair, a wary smile surfaced on his lips.

  “I need a cell for containment to be ready and six field agents on standby.”

  Marvin put the phone down on the receiver. He pressed his palms together, feeling satisfaction trickle through his body.

  ***

  Denise walked in through the front door, keys in one hand and a grocery bag in the other. She donned a ponytail and fashioned workout gear. Earlier, she went to yoga class before dropping Nate off at the recreation center. Denise signed up Nate for the recreation program to keep him productive for at least half the day, which was better than being glued to the TV all day or playing video games. Plus, Skylar and a few of Nate’s friends were enrolled, which made the five, sometimes six-hour day for Nate bearable.

  She walked into the kitchen to find Ryan sitting at the table with photos scattered all around. Setting the bag down on the countertop, Denise moseyed her way closer to Ryan.

  “Hey babe,” she said, peering over at the pictures. “I bought donuts and some of the other stuff you asked for.”

  “Thanks,” he said, not taking his eyes off the picture. “Do you want coffee?”

  Denise paused for a moment and then casually replied, “I gave up coffee after Nate was born. It was actually a
bet we had…you had to give up drinking for six months and I had to give up coffee. Winner got out of doing dishes for three months.”

  Ryan looked up at Denise and responded, “I’m guessing you won.”

  She gazed into his eyes as if his answer had an underlying meaning. “So, any progress?”

  His attention shifted back to the picture. “No. Nothing.” He paused to collect his thoughts. “he’s seven years old, right?”

  “Yeah,” she answered, taking a seat next to him.

  “Seven years of memories, wiped away, just like that,” he said, snapping his fingers.

  “I know it’s frustrating—”

  “Denise,” he said, slamming his fist against the table, “seven years! Frustrating doesn’t even begin to describe how I’m feeling. I probably won’t ever remember the past seven years of our lives together.”

  Her forehead creased. “Ryan, don’t say that,” she said softly. “The doctor said it was going to take some time before you regained your memory.”

  “And how long is that Denise? A year? Two? Five years? I don’t remember that I have a son, Denise, don’t you get that?” he said, sounding defeated.

  Denise looked at him sympathetically, knowing whatever she said wasn’t going to help, but she said something anyway.

  “We are doing everything—”

  “Don’t give me that ‘we’ crap. I’m all alone in this. You don’t know how I feel, Denise! You don’t know how it feels to have something taken from you in an instant.”

  But she did. Her parents, her pregnancy. She knew.

  “You’re not alone, Ryan,” she said, exasperated, “you’re not alone, babe.”

  “Yeah, well, I feel alone,” he responded, pushing his seat back then promptly getting up.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, staggering to her feet.

  “I need to go for a walk, to clear my head.”

  Denise hit panic mode. This felt too familiar.

  She strode, following Ryan close.

  “Let’s just sit down and talk about this,” she objected.