Unbroken Promises

by Dianne Stevens

  He saw Beth sitting on a blanket in a pair of baggy jeans and T-shirt. Clay stood looking at the pond. He said something to Beth and she shook her head. Then he saw Clay start taking his clothes off. Jesse had the overwhelming urge to ride over there and beat the boy senseless, but he held himself in check because he needed to know what Beth would do.

  From what he was witnessing, she wasn’t ducking her head like a shy virgin but ogling him.

  Clay then walked over buck-naked and knelt down in front of Beth. Beth was now blocked from his view but Jesse knew by Clay’s body movements what she was doing for him.

  Jesse got so sick he had to get off his horse and throw up. He felt so weak he could hardly climb back on. He thought he would actually die if he watched anymore. Jesse rode back to the barn and put his horse up. He went to the back of the barn where the punching bag still hung.

  It was three hours later when he finally left, soaking with sweat and bleeding knuckles. He didn’t want to see or speak to anyone. He made his way to his apartment through the outside door. That’s where he spent the next two days and nights without stepping outside.

  Beth pretty much did the same. She went straight to her bedroom and locked the door. She kept washing her hand repeatedly trying to get the semen off, but the soap and hot water couldn’t erase the memory. She took a shower, pulled on one of Jesse’s shirts that he had worn and crawled into bed. How could she have been so stupid to trust Clay? She knew he acted different the night before. It was as if he turned into a complete stranger. She hoped she would never see him again.

  The two days Jesse stayed shut up in his apartment he did a lot of thinking and he had come to some serious decisions. He was 27 years old. All his life he had only played around with women. He never wanted to get into a serious relationship so he purposely stayed away from good girls, but it was time for change. He made a few phone calls to get an old friend’s number.

  He had thought Donna was lovely and sweet back then. Beaux had been in love with her in high school, but she never paid him any attention. Jesse remembered that she did seem to be interested in him, though; but, back then he didn’t want anything to do with her. Not too long ago, Beaux mentioned that he had run into her. He said that she was still single and pretty. She was a real lady. Jesse should have called her before now.

  After witnessing the scene at the pond, he knew it was time to move on with his life. His promise was to wait until Beth grew up; well, she was 19, which was legally an adult. He knew he would have waited forever for her if he had to, but he thought she was still too immature.

  However, Beth didn’t seem immature with Clay.

  When he called Donna, she seemed excited to hear from him and agreed to have dinner with him that night. Jesse dressed in a suit, something he rarely did. He was going to take Donna to a very expensive restaurant with a dancing area. His nerves were stressed but he was determined to have a good time.

  Beth was lying on one of the couches in the living room covered up. Susan and Jordon were sitting at the game table playing chess.

  Susan asked Beth if she felt okay because she hadn’t seen her eat anything all day. Beth told her she had eaten in her room—which was only about three crackers in two days.

  Jesse stepped in the living room. “Hey, I just came by to tell y’all I was sorry I missed supper, but I have a date tonight and I’m taking her out to dinner. So goodnight and I shall see y’all in the morning sometime.”

  “Oh, Jesse! I have never seen you look so handsome,” Susan said in awe.

  “I thank you.” Jesse bowed and walked over and kissed her on the cheek.

  When he turned to go, he saw Beth lying on the couch. Jesse felt the rage soar through him.

  He told himself to keep walking, but Beth sat up on her left elbow and gave him a questioning look.

  “Going out with another bimbo, Jess?”

  Jesse closed his eyes and turned to Jordon and Susan. “Would you mind giving us a few moment of privacy? There is something I need to discuss with Elizabeth.” Jordon, knowing by the look on Jesse’s face that something was up, decided not to question him. “Susan, let’s go in the kitchen and get some ice cream.” Susan got up and kissed Jesse’s cheek on the way out.

  Jesse stood in front of Beth with his arms crossed and bitterly spoke. “No, Beth, I am not going out with a bimbo but with a beautiful and intelligent young woman. Her name is Donna.

  She is a Sunday school teacher, and she volunteers taking food and sitting with the elderly. She is sweet, honest, and virtuous.”

  Beth did not know how things could get any worse, but they just did. She was freezing one minute and burning up the next. She hadn’t had anything to eat or drink in two days except a few crackers. She felt as if her arm was about to rot off, but her physical pain was nothing compared to the rip in her heart. Something was wrong, very, very wrong.

  Of all the women he had over the years, Jesse had never spoken like this about any of them.

  In addition, he seemed to be extremely mad at her. She looked at Jesse through her long eyelashes and said in a small childlike voice, “I’m a virgin, too, Jess.” Jesse felt a little relieved over that, but he was still so mad at her he couldn’t think. He sat on the coffee table in front of her, leaned close to her face, and said in a voice full of bitterness.

  “Beth, you may technically still be a virgin, but you are hardly virtuous. What I saw you doing with Clay at the pond was something a slut does.”

  At Beth’s sudden intake of breath, Jesse went on.

  “Oh yes, Beth, I saw it all. I saw Clay strip for you as you gawked at his body like a bitch in heat. Then I saw him walk over and kneel before you as you relieved him. You’ve always said you wanted to marry me. Do you think I want to marry a woman who I saw jack-off another man? NEVER!”

  “Jesse, please let me explain.”

  “There’s no explanation necessary. My eyes saw it all.” Jesse bit out as he got up to leave.

  “If you saw me, then why didn’t you help me?” Beth cried in anguish.

  “It didn’t look as if you needed any help to me.” However, that sure got his attention. It made him question if maybe there was more to it than what he saw from the distance. “My God, if she somehow needed his help like she did with Randy…” “Tell me, Beth.” Beth, almost hysterical now, tried to control herself so Jesse would hear her. “Jesse, you were right about the first part, but it wasn’t as it seemed. We were finished with the picnic and I was ready to leave when Clay said he wanted to go swimming. I told him he was crazy and the water would be freezing, but he started taking off his clothes anyway. I thought he would stop at his underwear; but, as you saw, he didn’t.

  I was shocked, but I’ll be honest to say I was curious, too. I had never seen a naked man before and there was one right in front of me in broad daylight. When he knelt in front of me, I snapped and told him to put his clothes back on. I told Clay I was going home and that he had gone too far. He grabbed my hand and told me to touch him. I cried for him to stop and tried to pull away, but his left hand grabbed my forearm while his right hand curved my hand around his sex. I kept trying to pull away but his grip was like steel. When he finished, I screamed that I never wanted to see him again and for him to leave.”

  Jesse closed his eyes, ran his hand through his hair, and turned away. Jesse hated himself.

  How could he have been such a fool? He should have ridden over as soon as he saw Clay take off his clothes. He should have trusted Beth.

  Beth, seeing Jesse’s reaction, thought he didn’t believe her so she stood to plead with him again. She’d rather die than lose him; but, when she stood up, everything went black and she collapsed. On the way down, she hit the side of her head on the coffee table.

  When Jesse heard her fall, he swung back around to see what happened. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He yelled for Susan and Jordon as he threw the table out of the way. He knelt beside her and felt for a pulse. It was weak and ra
pid. He touched her face and found she was burning up with fever. Jordon and Susan ran into the room.

  “What the hell happened to her?” Jordon roared. Susan screamed as she ran to her side.

  “She’s burning up with fever. Get a bowl of ice water and a rag. She grazed the side of her head when she passed out, but it doesn’t look too bad. The main concern right now is getting her fever down,” Jesse said.

  Jordon ran to get the ice water.

  Susan knelt on the other side of Beth, “Jesse, help me get this hot sweater off of her.” They each grabbed a side and pulled it off. Beth had a T-shirt on underneath. As Susan was looking her over, she screamed again. Jesse jerked his head to see what she found.

  Beth’s arm between her wrist and elbow was three times its normal size. Four half moon marks were oozing pus with red streaks running from them.

  “Call an ambulance,” Susan said frantically.

  Jesse was in the process of picking Beth up. “Let’s not waste time.” Jesse was afraid Beth was going into shock. “Susan, grab the rag from Jordon. Let’s go. Jordon, you drive.” Jesse laid Beth in the back seat with Susan and he climbed in front with Jordon.

  At the hospital, the ER Doctor was very concerned. At one point, he thought if Beth lived through this, she might lose her arm because of the infection. The doctor told them fingernails caused the punctures. He was confused because, even though a normal fingernail claw could cause infection, he said this was not normal. It was as if the nails were laced with a poison. He told them he was running test to try to identify the toxin but it looked as if Beth had had a severe allergic reaction to some type of poisonous plant.

  Beth ended up staying in the hospital almost two weeks. All she told Susan and Jordon about what happened was that she and Clay were horseplaying when he clawed her. She told them she remembered him idly stripping leaves while they talked and that was likely the reason why her arm was so infected.

  Beth stayed home for a week after leaving the hospital, but she couldn’t stay longer because she had to return to school.

  Jesse came to see her everyday but neither one of them mentioned the pond incident. She knew he believed her and wasn’t mad at her anymore, but she still didn’t know where they stood.

  Cody told her he was still seeing Donna so she was glad to be going back to school for a little while anyway. They both needed time to deal with some things. She knew she did.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Beth returned to Austin to complete her semester. Although she loved Austin and found it beautiful, she couldn’t wait to transfer to the college that was closest to her home and finish her last two years there. When she went to her second class, one of her old friends from the music school, a very wealthy young man, Bradley, was there.

  That same day while she was eating in the cafeteria, Bradley sat down beside her and asked her out on a date. Not knowing what to expect when she returned home, whether or not Jesse and Donna were getting serious, she accepted.

  Bradley was always a gentleman. He lavished her with gifts and flowers. She enjoyed being spoiled, but she told Bradley from the beginning about her love for Jesse. She told him she would never be able to get seriously involved with anyone. He told her he understood but she couldn’t blame him for trying. He told her a platonic friendship with her was better than no friendship at all.

  Although Bradley was very nice, he had a controlling nature about him. Beth noticed little things as simple as her telling him she wanted a hamburger for dinner. Then she would hear Bradley ordering some fancy Italian dish for the both of them. “I think you will like this better,” he told her. In addition, when they went to the movie theater, he asked her what she wanted to see. After she told him the movie she had been dying to see, he would say, “I don’t think that would be a very good movie.” They would end up watching what he preferred. It would get on her nerves sometimes, but she always let it slide without saying anything.

  Another drawback about Bradley was that his brother was Troy, the guy who had hit her in the driveway. Her family was going to love that!

  Bradley said he loved his brother but did not like him. He said that fight cost his brother his career, but he felt he deserved it for hitting her.

  Bradley told Beth that he had a crush on her back then. When he heard what happened, he felt bad for being the one who told Elizabeth she could ride home with Troy and the two other girls. Bradley said he told his mom and dad that Troy deserved what he got and they should just leave things alone and quit trying to press charges.

  Beth didn’t know if it had cost Troy his career or if that’s what Troy wanted everyone to believe. From what she’d heard, he wasn’t that great a football player anyway.

  Beth finished school a week earlier than she expected. She asked Bradley if he would help her pack and transport her stuff home. She could have called Jordon, but she wanted to surprise them.

  Beth was about to knock on the door like a visitor when Bradley stopped her. She gave him a questioning look.

  Bradley pulled out a small box and opened it. Beth was gazing at a beautiful diamond ring.

  She looked up at him and was about to speak when he put his finger over her lips.

  “I want you to marry me…please hear me out before you say anything. I know you said we could only be friends, but I have fallen in love with you. Please do not give me your answer until after we come off vacation. Let me at least pretend for two weeks you’re mine. I promise I’ll understand and accept if you turn me down. Either way the ring is yours. No strings attached. I am filthy rich, and I want you to have it because you are my friend who likes me for me, right?

  Beth was shocked and speechless but nodded yes to his last statement because she did like him.

  Then Bradley knocked on the door. Cody, who had heard someone drive up, immediately opened it. Before Beth had time to think, Cody had her in a bear hug. Cody led them to the living room where everyone was having coffee. Susan jumped up, squealed, and threw her arms around Beth. Jordon took his turn in giving her a bear hug and picked her up. She was playfully beating him on the arm.

  “Okay, okay, you’re breaking my ribs,” Beth laughed.

  Susan told Cody to bring them some coffee. Beth made eye contact with Jesse. She had noticed him and his friend as soon as she walked in, but she had not looked his way.

  “Hello, Jesse, who is your lovely friend?” And she meant it for the woman was indeed lovely.

  “Elizabeth, this is my friend, Donna. Donna, this is Susan’s sister, Elizabeth, and her friend…?”’

  “Everyone, I like you to meet my special friend, Bradley.” Bradley shook everyone’s hand and said it was nice to meet them.

  “I’m so happy you’re home, honey. Please tell me it’s for good and that you’re not going back,” Susan pleaded.

  “It’s for good. I already have everything arranged for me to go the university here. I’m not positive but I don’t think I’ll lose any of my credits. I love Austin, loved the music college, but I’m glad to be home.”

  Bradley and Beth sat on the couch facing everyone. Cody brought the coffee to them. Beth lifted her hand to take a sip.

  “What a gorgeous ring, Elizabeth!” Donna exclaimed.

  Everyone stopped talking and stared. Beth had forgotten about the ring, “Uh, thank you,” was all Beth could think to say.

  “Is it real?” Cody asked at the same time Susan asked. “Where did you get it?”

  “Yes ma’am, it is a real three carat marquise diamond. I gave it to Beth and I asked her to become my wife.”

  No one said a word. Beth was speechless also.

  “Beth hasn’t given me her answer yet. With your permission, of course, Beth and I plan to go on a two-week vacation with my family. Beth will give me her answer at that time.”

  “But you hardly know each other and, Elizabeth, you’re only 19.” Susan said distressed, not thinking that she was only 18 when she married.

  “No disrespect, Mrs. B
ately, but many girls get married at 19. I’ve been in love with Beth since she moved to Austin. If Beth will have me, I will always love and appreciate her. Please don’t think I’m boasting, but I will be able to give Beth her heart’s desire in material things. My family has money, but I’ve invested wisely and have wealth of my own.” Bradley stood up. “I don’t want to impose on your homecoming any longer. It was so nice to have met all of you,” Bradley said looking at everyone. “Beth, I will call you later tonight to talk about the trip.” Then he bent down and kissed her cheek.

  Jordon withheld his reply for now. He knew something wasn’t right, but he wanted to wait and see what unfolded before he put up a protest.

  Susan was in a state of shock thinking she just got her baby home and now she was going to lose her.

  Cody thought Beth had gone and lost her mind. There was no way she could have fallen out of love with Jesse that fast, not after being in love with him her whole life.

  At the mention of marriage, Jesse instantly felt the stinging of suppressed tears. How could he lose her now after they had been through so much? He had wanted to give her a few more years to experience life before he began changing his role from uncle to that of a husband. Now it seemed he had waited too long.

  Jesse and Donna were soaking in the Jacuzzi. “You love her, don’t you?” Donna asked in a sympathetic voice.

  “Who? Beth? Sure, I love her. I’ve been like an uncle to her for most of her life. I’ve helped raise her.”

  “Jesse, you might fool yourself, but you’re not fooling me. You’re in love with her.”

  “Well, a lot of good that realization does me now. It looks as if I’ve just lost her to Mr. Rich Boy,” Jesse said sarcastically.

  “So, are you just going to let her go?” Donna asked scornfully.

  Jesse didn’t say anything. He just stared at her as the fight began to pump back in his veins.

  He had been so dejected ever since he had seen Beth with Bradley’s ring on that he couldn’t even think, but Donna’s question made him snap out of it. No, he was not going to sit by and let that rich boy take what belonged to him.