Folding Hearts

by Jennifer Foor

  Chapter 11

  Miranda

  I should have screamed or at least let someone in that bar know that I felt threatened by Tucker’s presence. I should have known that he was going to hurt me.

  For three days my mother stayed by my side and nursed my wounds. Tucker had slapped me before, but it was nothing compared to the beating that he gave me. I had two cracked ribs, a broken nose, contusions all over my face and a dislocated shoulder.

  I couldn’t hold my daughter and if I thought the pain of losing her father was bad before, well, knowin’ what he was capable of made me feel so sad for her. I had a family that would make sure she never wanted for anything, but I knew firsthand what it was like to grow up without a father. Not having that in my life caused me to rebel against my mother more than I wanted to admit.

  After three days, I left my mother’s small house and headed to the main house. My mom and aunt argued with me about it, but I needed my space. My shoulder wasn’t better, but I had Lucy to help me with Bella and could manage the rest by myself.

  The truth was that I was tired of being judged. They refused to admit they were doing it, but I could see it in their eyes. They blamed me for this happening.

  Nobody ever considered that all of this might be hard on me. I mean, first I catch my no good boyfriend cheating, then he says he wants nothing to do with our daughter, and finally he beats the shit out of me in a public parking lot. How could I not be a bit messed up over all of this?

  To make matters worse, I hadn’t been able to talk to Ty since it happened. Sure, he had been calling and texting me like crazy, but after everything I didn’t know what to say to him. I had been ready to throw myself at him that night with no regard as to what would happen afterwards. We were friends and he had made it clear that was all we were. Whatever happened between us was just us thinking without our minds. Neither of us wanted to get involved with each other.

  I had seduced my share of guys and none of those times had ended with a healthy friendship. Ty and I needed to take a break from each other, in order to forget that either of us ever considered taking things further.

  Tucker was convicted of assault and sentenced to one year in jail. He was ordered to attend drug and alcohol classes while incarcerated. As much as I appreciated that he was behind bars, it still didn’t make me feel any better about my life or current situation. I had nothing to show for as far as a future for me and my daughter.

  A month went by before I was able to pick up the phone for one of Ty’s calls and then I felt so embarrassed for waiting so long that I couldn’t figure out what to even say. He asked a million questions about Bella and even if he could video chat with her. I felt bad for keeping him from her. He hadn’t done anything to deserve being shut out. I was acting like an immature child. He clearly cared so much about my daughter. I was an asshole.

  I spent the next four months trying to get my life back on track. Since Lucy’s kids were both moved out, she actually enjoyed watching Bella while I took cosmetology classes. I was lucky enough to have a mother that offered to pay for any kind of further schooling I was interested in, but I had to admit that school just wasn’t something I was ever really good at.

  With me being so busy, I hardly had time to even think about my friendship with Ty or lack thereof. I couldn’t say it was for lack of trying on his part. He called or texted at least three times a week. Apparently he had gotten a job at a local shop working on cars. He said the money was pretty good and he didn’t mind working a nine to five job during the week. What that really meant was that it helped him not be so lonely. He rarely talked about Van, but I knew he missed having her around. They still talked often, but with her and Colt’s wedding coming up, I could imagine the conversations weren’t to his liking.

  Speaking of the wedding, it was only months away. Van had decided on an outdoor theme here at the ranch. Colt and Conner had been working to restore an old red barn where the service was to be held. The thing hadn’t been usable in at least ten years and was filled with random farming equipment. I got that Colt wanted everything to be perfect for the big day, but he could have built a brand new barn in less time.

  Things finally seemed almost normal. Our family was back to normalcy. Mundane days led to relaxing nights curled up on a couch watching sitcoms. And watching mundane sitcoms was exactly what I was doing when I got the call.

  I was sitting next to Lucy watching a popular singing competition when my cell phone rang with a blocked number. I had no idea who it could have been, but I answered it anyway. My friends played jokes and cranked called people when we were younger so I just assumed it was going to be a fun kind of call, in fact I answered it with a sarcastic tone and waited for whoever to hand me some punch line.

  The voice on the other end sent the fear of God into me.

  “You think you can just go about your life like you didn’t ruin mine? You better watch your back you little bitch. I am getting out early and when I am through with you, they won’t be able to identify either of the bodies. I am goin’ to cut you slow so you can watch yourself bleed out.”

  I threw the phone on the floor and just stared at it for a moment. Bella was asleep in the porta-crib just feet away, so I knew she was safe. I picked up the phone and started screaming into it. “Don’t you dare threaten me or my family you…….hello? Hello?”

  Lucy had already stood up and grabbed the phone out of my hand. The call had probably ended before I got a word in.

  “Who was it?” She asked.

  I couldn’t answer her. I was still in shock from hearing Tucker’s threat.

  She started grabbing the house phone and dialing some numbers while she talked in Spanish. I tried to grab the phone to stop her, but just one look at my innocent child and I knew that this was more serious than I could handle myself.

  It only took my family about ten minutes to be standing in the living room with all of their hands on their hips, demanding a detailed explanation.

  I put my hands in my face and shook my head. “Tucker threatened Bella and I. He says that he is getting out early and…..,” I started getting choked up. “And he will make sure that you can’t identify our bodies when he is done with us.”

  I had my face still buried in my hands, but I could hear the gasps fill the room.

  “This shit has got to stop. We need to call the police,” Conner said angrily.

  “We can’t prove this call ever happened and even if we did, he could still get someone else to come after them. Even with this little prick behind bars, he is still threatening my family. If you ask me I think we need to get them as far away from here as we can.” My mother was shaking and holding Bella tightly. I could tell she was honestly scared for our safety.

  “Mom, I don’t think he is serious. He is just sayin’ what would hurt me the worst.”

  “Get your head out of your ass Randa. This guy was trouble from the beginning. You need to start thinking about your safety first. When does he get out?” Conner asked.

  “I have no idea. I didn’t even know he was gettin’ out early at all.” I argued.

  “The first thing we need to do is call whoever is in charge of Tucker’s case. When we have more details we can figure out what to do next,” my aunt chimed in.

  “What happens if they don’t believe me? It isn’t like anyone else heard what he said to me.”

  “Miranda, you need to think about you and Bella. Have you forgotten what he did to you?” My mother seemed petrified to think about what Tucker had done to me in that parking lot. Remembering how I looked when I left the hospital that night made it easy to see her side. Being a mother myself, well, I couldn’t imagine seeing my own child go through what I was.

  “No Mom. I remember every detail of what happened. All I am sayin’ is that we don’t know whether this is just some kind of joke. We may be panickin’ and he isn’t getting out of jail early. We just don’t know.”

  “Well I will not be taking the chance with my
only daughter and grandchild,” my mother said assuringly.

  My aunt was already on the phone with someone. I had no clue who she could be calling around nine p.m., but she was talking up a storm, explaining the whole situation.

  Colt and Van were deep into a conversation with my brother and my mother and Lucy were trying to settle Bella. I felt like I was in the middle of some worm hole, listening to all of them decide what was going to happen. If it weren’t for my aunt making a few phone calls, I would have just assumed this was all a hoax, but finally her calls paid off.

  She pulled my mother into the kitchen and we could hear them talking, but not clear enough to figure out what they were saying. I think we were all thrown a loop when they called everyone except me and Lucy in there with them.

  “Guess we aren’t at liberty to hear what they are deciding?” I said sarcastically.

  “You know that whatever they are saying, it is for your own good. You have to make the right decisions here missy. That Tucker is a dangerous man. You need to get as far away from him as you can.” She started to tear up as the words came out of her mouth.

  I grabbed her and hugged her tightly. “I love you Lucy. I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

  Everyone came walkin’ out of the kitchen. Their faces told me everything I didn’t want to know.

  “Over-crowding! He is getting out early on account of overcrowding. Do you believe this shit? He committed an act of violence and he is being let out six months early.” My brother was not too happy.

  “Honey, sit down!” My mother said as she sat down on the couch and waited for me to join her.

  “He beat the shit out of her. Does anyone else have a problem with this? I don’t care if he has had good behavior or some dumb shit that qualified him for an early release. This is horse shit,” Conner slammed.

  The room was filled with sudden animosity and I knew whatever they were about to tell me couldn’t be good.

  “When does he get out?” I asked.

  “As early as three days from now.” My mother answered. “They said that you would receive a letter.”

  “You really think I am in danger?”

  “We have all made arrangements for you and Bella to go away for a while, at least until we can tell you aren’t in any imminent danger,” My aunt explained.

  Tears filled my eyes. “Where am I supposed to go? How long? Is anyone goin’ to go with me?”

  “We have a place for you to go. It’s out of state and you will have help there. I have made arrangements for you to stay with family in North Carolina. They have plenty of room and you and Bella will be safe there. It isn’t forever honey, just until we know for sure that you are safe.” She looked over to her son Colt and gave him a quick nod. He and Van left the room without saying a word to me.

  “When do I have to leave?” I asked.

  “Tomorrow. We will help you pack up enough of your things before you make the trip,” My mother explained.

  I started to really cry and my mother wrapped her arms around me. “I have never left home before. I don’t want to go. I don’t even know the people where I am goin’. This isn’t fair.”

  “You aren’t staying with strangers. You are going to stay with Tyler and his parents. They have a small farm and a carriage house that you and Bella will be comfortable in for the time being. Honey, this is temporary.”

  The only word I heard out of her mouth was Tyler. I was shaking so bad, but I definitely heard her right. “You are sendin’ me to stay with Ty?”

  How could they want me to go stay with the one person they made a point to try to keep me away from?

  “Yes. I know it isn’t what you want, but just go there and lay low, at least until we can figure out if there is anything to worry about,” My mother suggested.

  My brother looked out the window. I could see him clenching his jaw. He didn’t like this idea one bit. “This is only temporary Randa. We just need to make sure this son of a bitch is not goin’ to be a problem for you. Give it a couple of weeks and then you can come home.”

  For the next hour my family tried to convince me that leaving was my best and safest option. It wasn’t like I was fighting them; I just wanted to be able to make my own decisions. When it was all said and done, the decision was final. Tomorrow morning I would wake up and pack as much as I needed and be on my way to a different state. By the time the discussions were done it was too late to call and talk to Ty about how his parents really felt about me coming to stay with them. I was sure that the last thing they wanted was for a baby to be in the way of their everyday life.

  The next morning was hectic. My family got me up at the crack of dawn. They insisted that I drive Van’s new car instead of taking my own, on account of Tucker not being able to tell whether I was still in town or not. My aunt handed me a envelope full of cash and a new cell phone before I pulled out with a road map and a long trip ahead of me.

  I felt like I was going into a witness protection program. My family was famous for overreacting, but in this case, I wasn’t really sure what Tucker was capable of. I couldn’t take any chances when it came to Bella.

  It was hard to watch everyone kissing Bella goodbye, and it honestly felt like it was a forever instead of just a few weeks. At any rate, it sucked something fierce.

  When I had finally pulled out of the ranch, it was already one thirty, so with all of the stops it was nearing dark before I pulled onto the farm road. Bella was great the first two hours and then she got on this crying fit that forced me to pull over five separate times. It didn’t help that it was pouring down raining for most of the ride.

  I wanted to call Ty and let him know how close I was to getting there, but my new phone had no numbers programmed in it. I figured that he would be standing there waiting for us to arrive, but that isn’t exactly how it went down.

  Chapter 12

  Tyler

  It had been months since Miranda and I had seen each other. Ever since I was forced to leave the ranch, we hadn’t been as close. It was probably for the better to keep some space between us. When I was there visiting, I started thinking that maybe I wanted more from her than I should.

  Apparently, Miranda must have caught on to my sexual innuendos because she backed off from our friendship and hadn’t really been the same since. I tried to talk to her and still do occasional video chats with Izzy, but something changed between us.

  The longer I was apart from Van, the more I started to understand that I had considered her more of a possession then an actual partner in our relationship.

  Most of my friends were starting to get into serious relationships while I was still single, and quite frankly pretty miserable. My booty calls became less frequent and eventually had almost become non-existent. It wasn’t like they weren’t still coming in. Hell, even Heather called every once in a while. I don’t know why she couldn’t just give up, I mean, I hadn’t been with her since before my visit to Kentucky.

  I missed Izzy more than I wanted to admit. I couldn’t explain the connection I felt to that little girl, but it was always there, almost making me want to be a better person. It was like the strain on mine and Miranda’s relationship had caused me to re-evaluate the things that I wanted in my life. Well, that, and the fact that everyone seemed to have someone to share their life with, while I went home to an empty house every night.

  Life had been hard for me in the past year. I got so bored being at home that I went out and found myself a full time job working on cars. It wasn’t what I pictured my future to be, but it gave me a steady income. It wasn’t like I had many bills. I was living at the carriage house rent free. My parents would, in due time, leave me the farm anyway, so they weren’t very pushy about me moving or having to pay rent. Since my uncle’s life insurance had paid off their house, they were doing good financially.

  Being that I worked five days a week, I was tired by the time I got off at night. It had been pouring down raining all damn day and my mood was
being affected by the gloomy weather. My phone had been blowing up so much with calls and text messages that my boss had asked me to leave it in the car after lunch. I figured someone was almost certainly having a big party and I didn’t really feel like going anyway. By avoiding the calls, I didn’t have to piss anyone off for not showing.

  After stopping by the liquor store and grabbing a case of beer, I headed home. There was no telling which one of my friends would end up crashing later on, so on weekends I kept the fridge stocked with beer and waited for people to show up.

  My mother hated it, but she couldn’t argue with the fact that I wasn’t drinking and driving. When I finally got inside, all I wanted to do was get a hot shower. Smelling like gasoline and motor oil got old after a while. I popped open a beer and went into the bathroom. I let the water pound down on my back until it started to get cold. That is when I hopped out and heard someone knocking at my door.

  I figured it was just one of the guys, so I wrapped a towel around my waist and headed for the door. A drenched Heather stood in the doorway, taking in my almost naked appearance. I rolled my eyes. “What are you doing here?”

  “You going to let me in or make me stay in the rain?”

  I didn’t answer, but instead opened the door wider so that she could walk in. She took off her jacket and of course was in some red little skimpy number.

  “Seriously Heather, I am not in the mood for you tonight.”

  “I miss you Ty. I was hoping that I would be able to change your mind.”

  Heather was a pretty girl and the old me would have loved her dropping by unannounced, offering free pussy or a damn good blow job, but the bitch had done too much for me to have any respect for her. I tossed her the jacket. “You should probably just leave. Sorry you wasted your gas driving out here.”

  She sat the jacket down beside her and walked toward the door. “I had guessed that you would react this way, so I came with reinforcements to get you out of this funk you are in.”