by Rhonda Lyles
Blind Love
Rhonda M. Lyles
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First I want to acknowledge God who is the head of my life. Without him I am nothing and can do nothing without him.
To all of my New York, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, and Louisiana families. If I missed anyone it wasn’t intentional. I love each and every one of you. To all who read my first book My Thoughts, thank you for the love as well as for the support.
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to all who have had a Blind Love. We are so blinded by love we only see what we want to see and not what we need to see.
This book is a work of fiction.
Chapter 1
“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride” the minister said. Janet Reynolds could remember her wedding day just like it was yesterday. Michael and I exchanged wedding vows fifteen years ago and our sixteenth anniversary is in a couple of weeks. Michael has two brothers but they really do not get along with each other and his parents are retired and do nothing but travel. I invited them to the party so hopefully someone from his family will come. We have a beautiful three bedroom home with a big backyard that includes a built in swimming pool which I love and Michael worked hard to achieve. He owns a very successful law firm with high profile clients that swarm to him. He has become very successful over the years. I didn’t want for anything and Michael wouldn’t dream of me not getting what I want or what I need. I have a surprise party planned for us to include family and friends and it is going to be held on a yacht in our beautiful city of Walengreen, Texas. It is a very small country town but very peaceful. We love it here and I doubt we will ever move from here. I am so excited and cannot wait for it to come. Me and Michael have known each other since grade school and have been inseparable ever since. We have no children yet but I think I may be pregnant and have a doctor’s appointment so I can be sure that I am. I know Michael will be so excited if we are having a baby. We have wanted a child for so long and never gave up. I always kept the faith and believed that one day we would bear a child and hopefully that will be soon. We have a pretty good marriage except for a few minor bumps and no marriage or relationship is perfect. I just pray we get through the rough and hard times she thought to herself. Well reality is calling as she heard the ringing of the doorbell which brought her back to the present. I wonder who that could be. As she looked through the peephole she quickly took the chain and lock off to let her best friend Michelle in. They have been best friends since childhood and still are to this day.
“Hey Janet, how are you?” Michelle asked as she hugged her friend.
“Oh I am great, just a little nervous” Janet replied.
“Oh, why are you so nervous?” Michelle asked. “
“I may be pregnant and I won’t know for sure until my doctor’s appointment” Janet answered.
“What”?!! “That is great news girl!” Michelle exclaimed.
“Yes it is and I am so excited. We have waited so long for this.” replied Janet.
“Don’t worry everything will be fine and I will go with you if you need me to” Michelle said.
“Thanks a lot Michelle. I can always count on you” she said. Michelle was always there for her and she will always be grateful for their friendship. No one or nothing could come between their friendship and neither one would let it. We have had each other’s back since day one and nothing has changed Janet thought to herself.
Michelle knew there was something about Michael but just couldn’t put her finger on it but she will find out sooner or later. I never really cared for Michael and I always felt there was something about him but I tolerated him because of Janet. Mark my words if something ever happens to Janet I know Michael will be involved in it and he better pray nothing does ever happen.
“Well I am glad everything is going so well for you and I wish nothing but the best for you. How are things going with you two?” Michelle asked.
“Oh, things are good between us and I hope he will be happy when I found out if we are going to be parents” Janet replied.
Michelle wasn’t convinced about the answer Janet gave her but she didn’t want to press her or upset her but she will get to the bottom of this.”Well I know he will be ecstatic if you find out you are with child. You two have wanted a child for so long” she said.
“Yes we have and I pray that our prayers have been answered” Janet said.
“Believe me they have been answered and don’t worry my friend everything will be fine. “Well I hate to cut my visit short and rush off but I need to get going so I can meet up with DeWayne for our date night and you know he hates when I am late” Michelle said with a smile on her face.
“Yeah I know how he is. You two are the cutest couple I know so go ahead and get on your way I will call you tomorrow for details” she said. Smiling to herself Janet knew those two belong together and nothing could keep them apart from each other. They deserve nothing the best. They are high school sweethearts and have been together ever since. I wish them nothing but the best because they deserve it. I guess one day they will have a baby and they will make great parents whenever they do. Well I better get dinner together before Michael comes home she thought to herself. While she was fixing dinner the phone rang but by the time she got to the phone it went straight to voice mail. A woman’s voice could be heard and a dog barking in the background. All Janet could hear was someone say the baby will be here soon. Now that’s strange she thought. I wonder who that could be. She came to the conclusion that it probably was just a wrong number as she put the finishing touches on dinner.
Meanwhile across town at Reynolds Law Firm Michael is having a heated argument with a woman inside his office.
“I don’t care what you do you will not get fifty- thousand dollars from me ever and leave my wife out of this!”he yelled.
“Well you should of thought about your wife before you decided to have an affair with me and all I know is the money better be in my account in two days or I am going to tell your wife! You know it won’t be a pretty sight once I tell her!” the woman yelled.
“I am warning you to stay away from my wife! You better not come near my wife Susan! Now get out now before I call security to come and escort you out!” Michael screamed. “Oh alright stop your whining. I don’t need security to help me I can leave on my own. You just remember what I said. No money and I will spill the beans to your wifey” she said with a smile.
“Good riddance! Don’t bother to come back either he said as he shut his office door. Why did I get involved with psycho woman? Michael thought to himself. I have a beautiful wife who I love and I chose to mess up with a crazy deranged woman. Nothing but the devil himself was involved in this and me as well he thought to himself. I had no business entertaining another woman in the first place but we all make mistakes and have to pay for those mistakes too. He was thinking how in the world was he going to get his self out of this crazy dilemma but he knew he had to figure out something fast. Michael did very well for him and Janet plus things were getting even better with more clients at the law firm he owned. He didn’t need any trouble or scandal to mess up the firm’s reputation and was not about to let it happen.
Janet thought back in time to when her and Michael were dating and tried to remember if he showed any signs of abuse. He probably did and I chose to ignore it or just saw or heard what I wanted to. He had become abusive mentally as well as physically within the last few years and she kept it hidden. She had no family to confide in because she was an only child and Michael’s family was never around and her parents were deceased. Michelle was the only good friend she had and she knew if Michelle ever found out it would be an all out war and Janet didn’t want anything to happen to her friend. I think back
to the earlier years and probably just ignored the signs but now I wish I would have paid attention to the signs. Michael comes home yelling and screaming if dinner is not cooked right or if the house isn’t clean enough. I honestly don’t know what to do except just pray that everything will be okay.
“Honey I’m home” called Michael. “Hello sweetie how was your day?”Janet asked.
“It was okay could have been better” Michael replied.
“Well I made a nice dinner so go get washed up while I set the table” she said. When Michael returned Janet had the table set up with candles and nice silverware. Michael was impressed how the table was set as well as how delicious the food smelled. They sat down and began to eat their dinner that consisted of baked chicken, broccoli, salad, and banana pudding for dessert.
“The strangest call came today while you were at work” Janet told Michael. “Oh. “Why was it so strange?” he asked.
“I heard a ladies voice saying the baby is coming soon plus there was a dog barking in the background” Janet said. “Well maybe it was just wrong a number honey that’s all” he said.
“Yes maybe you are right just a wrong number” Janet replied. They were eating and enjoying their dinner when the phone started ringing. “I will answer it” Michael said. Janet could hear him talking angrily to someone on the phone so she got up and picked up the extension that was in the kitchen. What she heard blew her mind. No it can’t be true she told herself it just can’t be. She had to stop listening and get back in the dining room before Michael gets back in there. She made good timing because Michael came in a few seconds after she did. “Is everything alright?”Janet asked. “Oh yeah sure just some business I have to handle tomorrow at the office” he replied.
If you say so” Janet said with a confused look on her face. “I know you are not trying to get smart with me!”Michael shouted. “Of course not honey, you know that I wouldn’t do that to you” she replied.
Michael got up from the table walked over and slapped Janet so hard she fell to the floor. “No Michael stop I didn’t mean anything, please stop!” Janet screamed. “Don’t get smart with me ever again!” he yelled while hitting her in the face repeatedly. Michael stopped hitting her and started walking away but before he got to the door he threw all the dishes from the dinner table on the floor and there was food everywhere. “Now clean this mess up before I get back!”He shouted. All Janet could do was run to the bathroom because she felt so sick to her stomach and soon as she got there she lost whatever she ate in the trash container. She couldn’t control the tears and the only thing she thought about was the baby she might be carrying. “Why is this happening, why!” she screamed. “No, no, this can’t be happening!’’ she yelled over and over as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She had heard Michael on the phone arguing with a woman and the woman told Michael she wanted the money or she was telling his wife they were having an affair. Janet was in shock and couldn’t believe this was happening. Michael had never given her a clue that he was having an affair but why would he Janet thought. She couldn’t think of any reason why he would do this to her. I don’t complain about anything nor do I ask him for anything. I just can’t believe that he would do this to me she thought as she cleaned herself up. I have to put some make up on to cover this mess on my face. Now that looks a little better she thought as she put the finishing touches on her face. Now let me go and clean up the mess that he left. She was still in shock and disbelief about the conversation she had heard on the telephone. Well I am going to get this mess cleaned up and go for a walk before it gets dark because I have a lot on my mind and I need to clear my head. Michael couldn’t believe Susan had the audacity to call his home after he told her she was never to contact him at home. Wait until I get my hands on her and it will not be a pretty sight Michael thought to himself as he was driving to Susan’s home. Michael pulled in to Susan’s driveway only to see another car parked beside Susan’s Mercedes Benz. I guess she has company but she will just have to tell her company to leave because we have unfinished business he thought to himself. Michael walked up to the door and rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer the door. “Yes can I help you?” asked the middle aged man at the door.
”Yes I am looking for Susan, is she home?” Michael asked. “Well yes she is, but she is busy right now, may I ask who you are?” the man asked. “I am a friend of hers and I need to discuss some important business with her if she is available” Michael said. “Susan is not available at the moment and I am Susan’s husband Charles” the man replied. Susan’s husband must have seen the surprise look on his face because he asked Michael if he was alright. “Yes I am fine just needed to speak with Susan but I will catch up with her soon” Michael said.
“Okay I will let her know you came by and by the way what is your name?”
”Just tell her Michael stopped by I will talk with her soon” replied Michael.
“Okay I will let her know you stopped by and have a good night” Susan’s husband said with a strange look on his face.
Michael is dumbfounded as he walks back to his car. Wow unbelievable!!! She is married and I didn’t even know Michael thought to himself as he got into his car. She never gave any indication she was married and I have been to her home several time. I don’t remember seeing any pictures or anything to say that she was married. Who am I to talk about when I am having an affair with her? I am going to have a very serious talk with Susan ASAP he thought to himself. Janet was taking a walk through the neighborhood and saw a moving truck a few houses down from theirs. Maybe someone is moving in she thought to herself. That will be good to have new neighbors and new people to meet. Her mind was in such a blur that she never saw the car coming right at her. It happened so fast she never had a chance to get out of the way and the car just sped off without even stopping.
“Help! A lady screamed as she was running from her yard to find out what happened to the woman that had been hit.” I have to call 911!” the lady said to herself.
“I already called 911 from my cell phone and they are on the way. I pray they get here fast” the man said as he was walking up to the lady. “I hope so too because she is losing a lot of blood and she is not conscious and the bad thing is the car never stopped just kept right on going” the lady said.
“That is a shame and so senseless just to run someone down like that and never even stop to check. Just heartless” the man said.
”Yes this is a cruel world we live in” the lady said. “Oh thank God the police and ambulance are here” the lady said as they drove up.
”We will take over from here” the paramedic told the man and woman. “I am Shirley Johnson by the way she said to the man.
“I am Charles Brown. Unfortunately we have to meet on these circumstances” he said. “Yes I know. I just pray she will be alright” Shirley said.
“She will be alright because God is watching over her” he said. “Yes you are right” she said. “Excuse me but we need to ask you both some questions about what happened here today” the officer said to them both. ”Sure no problem officer we are more than willing to help” Mrs. Johnson said to the officer.
“We want to get to the bottom of this and find out who did this” the officer said.
Michelle had a feeling something wasn’t right with Janet and she was usually right when it came to that feeling. That’s how close they were to each other. She wasn’t answering the phone so something was up she thought to herself as she drove to Janet’s house. I pray she is alright and nothing has happened. When she got to Janet’s neighborhood she sensed something wasn’t right at all. There was an ambulance and police cars blocking the street but she could see a person on the stretcher that resembled Janet and they were loading her into the ambulance. “Wait, wait!” Michelle yelled at the paramedics. “Ma’am step back we have to get her to the hospital now!” the paramedic exclaimed.
“May I ride with her?! I am her best friend!” Michelle asked. “I’m so
rry ma’am but you cannot ride with her. We have to leave now. We are taking her to North General Hospital” the paramedic said.” “Okay” she said. This cannot be happening to Janet she thought as she walked back to her car. “Excuse me ma’am?
“Yes?”Michelle answered. “Is that your friend that was hurt?” the lady asked. “Yes it was. Do you know something?” Michelle asked. “Well all I know is a car ran right into your friend and just kept going, never even stopped or got out to see if she was okay. I gave a description of the car as well as the color to the police but not too sure about the license plate number. I know because I saw it all happen while I was walking out of my front yard. I am so sorry for what happened to your friend I pray she will be okay. “I will be praying for her and my name is Shirley Johnson if you need to contact me. I live in that brown house on the corner” the lady said. “Thank you so much and I really appreciate you looking after my friend” Michelle told the woman.
God please don’t let anything happen to my friend Janet, Michelle thought to herself, because I wouldn’t be able to get through it. Now on the other hand Michael better pray nothing happens to her because I just know this has something to do with him, and I just have a feeling in my gut that it does. “We need the patient to be examined right now; from the looks of it she is losing too much blood! I don’t like the looks of things!” he said with a concerned look on his face. “Excuse me can you tell me what is going on with Janet Reynolds please?!!Michelle exclaimed. “Are you immediate family of Mrs. Reynolds?” the Dr. asked.
“No I’m her best friend and I just want to know what’s going on with her please!” Michelle pleaded.
“I am only supposed to talk with her immediate family but I will make an exception this time. I understand and I would want to know if something happened to my best friend. I truly understand your concern. By the way I am Dr. Jackson” the doctor said. “I am Michelle Waters her best friend” she said. “Mrs. Reynolds has suffered trauma to the head and some fractured bones as well due to being hit by a car. We are trying to do all we can do for her but right now it is critical and it’s a chance she may not make it” the doctor stated.
