Mia Like Crazy

by Cordoba, Nina

  Strong hands clutched my shoulders. As I tried to fight them off, I looked around frantically for Drew.

  Was he already dead? My eyes finally focused, and I noticed that the man with his hands on me was wearing a police uniform.

  “Calm down, ma’am. Everything will be all right.”

  “Where is he?” I screamed. “What have you done?”

  “It’s okay, ma’am. We’ve got him. You’ll be all right now.”

  Then I saw Drew, bent over the back of the car, being handcuffed by another cop.

  “Are you crazy? Let go of me!” I yelled as I struggled away from the confused policeman. He unhanded me and stepped aside. I ran to the back of the car and screamed at the other officer.

  “Stop it. Turn him loose!”

  “It’s all right ma’am. We’ll take care of him. We have an ambulance coming for you.”

  “Why do I need an ambulance?” I tried to get a grip on what was happening.

  “To see if he injured you,” the officer answered. Drew straightened and the cop pushed him down again, smashing his face into the back windshield.

  “Stop it! You’re hurting him!” I screamed. The other officer came around to the back of the car and tried, once more, to calm me. My head cleared and I realized he was treating me like a crime victim. Although this was like some kind of nightmare, I remembered I was a lawyer, focused my thoughts, and spoke calmly to the officer.

  “What made you stop here?”

  “Oh, I’d know that car anywhere, ma’am. That’s Drew Larson’s car, and when we looked in, we saw him attacking you.

  Oh, my God. “Listen to me very carefully,” I said as firmly as I could manage considering that my body still shook all over. “I am not a rape victim. I’m his wife and an attorney and if you don’t take those handcuffs off him, immediately, I’ll file harassment suits against each of you, personally.”

  “Ma’am, are you sure—?”

  “Am I sure I wasn’t raped? Am I sure that I’m his wife? Or am I sure I’m an attorney?”

  After consulting with each other, one of the cops walked over and unlocked the cuffs. Drew picked himself up off the car and touched his forehead where it had hit the windshield. His—previously immaculate—attire was dirty and torn, and his face was bruised.

  “It looks to me like you used excessive force on a man for kissing his own wife in his own car.” I said. “I think an apology is in order.”

  “Well, he is Drew Larson, and we thought—”

  “I don’t give a damn what you thought! If you want this incident to be forgotten, you’d better apologize and make it sound sincere.”

  One of the officers walked over to Drew and said, “I’m very sorry to have intruded, Mr. Larson. We didn’t know you’d gotten married.”

  As they walked away, I could still hear them talking. “Smart move for him, marrying a lawyer.”

  “Yeah, it’ll save him a fortune in legal bills.” They laughed as they climbed into the cruiser.

  I tried to check Drew for additional injuries, but he insisted he was fine. When he lowered himself into the car, however, he did so very slowly, as though he was sore all over. I got in on my side and put on my seatbelt as he moved the car back onto the pavement and headed for home.

  After a few minutes passed, he spoke. “This is how it’s always going to be for me, Mia.” His voice was quiet and resigned.

  “The police in this town are obviously gunning for you. Why don’t you move away from here?” I said. “You’re not notorious worldwide, you know.”

  “Where would I go?”

  “Anywhere. You have choices. You’re not that trapped little kid anymore.”

  The car was silent for several minutes.

  “Mia?”

  “Yes?”

  “Did you have dreams when you were a kid?”

  I peered at him, trying to read his expression in the dark car. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, like, you know, hopes and dreams.”

  “Sure I did.” Where was he going with this?

  He pulled up to a red light. “What were they?” He looked over at me as if he truly cared what they were.

  I was silent for a moment. No one had ever asked what I wanted before, and I felt odd revealing the answers. But I couldn’t refuse to answer him after all he’d been through that night.

  “I wanted to be successful and rich and respected, and have people look up to me instead of down on me,” I said bluntly. “I’ve always wanted to go to Paris.” I paused, uncomfortable admitting my wildest dream. “And ever since I was in college, I wanted to have enough money to fund a scholarship for girls like me. Everybody has dreams.”

  “I don’t.” Drew accelerated and stared solemnly ahead at the dark road. “When people say, ‘Follow your dreams,’ I don’t really know what they’re talking about. If I had any when I was a kid, they were wiped out somewhere along the way.” His voice held a desolate quality and I felt his emptiness. “When you say, ‘Move away somewhere,’ I can’t even imagine where. Or what difference it would make.”

  “But we’re all ‘works in progress.’ Tomorrow doesn’t have to be the same as today and yesterday.”

  “It’s always been the same for me.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I had a lump in my throat and I didn’t want him to feel my pity. My heart broke for the little boy who had lost hope so long ago and for the still hopeless man at my side.

  For the first time, I saw my own childhood differently. As angry as I was with my mother, I never doubted her love. There were some happy times before the drug habit took over, and at other times when she made attempts to quit using. I’d never lived with anyone who really wanted to hurt me or break my spirit. They didn’t hate me, and never intentionally inflicted pain upon me. I couldn’t believe I was thinking of my childhood and feeling lucky.

  ~

  For the next several days, I couldn’t get Drew to leave the house for any reason. He gave excuses about crowds and traffic from the holiday shopping. I pointed out that it was only October, but he wouldn’t budge.

  The worst part was how he seemed to be overly experienced at hiding out from the world. In this small city, he could pick up the phone and get almost anything delivered to him. Most of the businesses he used didn’t even have delivery services, but he had a pre-arranged deal with them and paid through the nose for special treatment.

  I was on my way downstairs one morning when I heard the doorbell. Drew was already in the living room, a few feet from the door. I heard him call out, “Who is it?” but when the delivery person answered, Drew yelled, “Leave it in the hall!”

  Concerned he was getting worse, I called Meridith. “He’s cancelled the cleaning lady for this week and now he won’t open the door for the delivery people.”

  As usual, Meridith had a solution. “Tomorrow is Molly’s birthday,” she said. “The party with her friends isn’t until Saturday, but she wants to have a special birthday dinner with pizza and macaroni and cheese on her ‘real birthday.’ When the phone rings in a few minutes, answer it and then give it to Drew.”

  The phone buzzed a few moments later, and I answered it. “Is Uncle Drew there, please?” Molly’s shy little phone voice asked politely.

  “Yes, just a minute, sweetie—Drew! Telephone!”

  “Tell them I don’t want to talk to them,” he grumped.

  I walked over to the couch where he was pretending to read the paper. “It’s Molly.”

  Drew took the phone and his tone changed completely. “Hey, I’ve got your nose!” he teased.

  After some argument, Molly must have remembered the reason for her call.

  “Okay, Queen Molly. I’ll be there. Can I bring Mia, too? Yes, she’s still my wife. I don’t know, let me check. Mia, Molly wants to know if she can call you ‘Aunt Mia’ now.”

  I was pleasantly surprised at the idea of being an aunt. “Of course she can.”

  “Of course you can, numb s
kull,” he said into the phone. “Yes, Aunt Mia called you a numb skull.”

  “I did not!” I yelled.

  When he hung up the phone, I had another bright idea. “Okay, let’s go.” I picked up his car keys and dangled them in front of him.

  “Where?” He sounded annoyed again.

  “To get Molly’s birthday presents.”

  “Can’t you go? I have no idea what a three-year-old girl wants.”

  “She’ll be a four-year-old girl tomorrow, and I guess you wouldn’t know, since they don’t sell amputated noses.”

  He raised his eyebrows at my comment as though he was wondering where he might obtain such a phenomenal gift.

  “Don’t even think about it. She wants something cute, fluffy and brightly colored.” I could see I wasn’t helping my case any. “Okay, let’s make a deal. You drive. I’ll go in and pick them out.”

  “Deal.”

  ~

  At the toy store, I was overwhelmed. I wanted to get the perfect presents for my new niece, but there were so many adorable options. After thirty minutes in the store, I’d changed my mind about twenty times. I wondered how long Drew would give me before he let me walk home.

  Once I narrowed it down to the two best aisles in the store for Molly, I saw a mother with a little girl that looked about the right size, so I approached them and asked for some advice. A few minutes later, I was in line at the check-out counter with four gifts, each one guaranteed to be a hit, according to a four-year-old expert named Kayla.

  As I waited, I looked down at a bin full of funny little stuffed puppies with a variety of expressions on their faces. I couldn’t help but pick up the one with the knitted brows, who was trying so hard to look ferocious. I added it to my shopping cart.

  ~

  The next evening, Molly could barely make it through dinner, she was so excited about the armload of presents Uncle Drew and Aunt Mia had gotten her. Meridith warned us about spoiling her, but was clearly pleased her plot had put her brother in a better frame of mind.

  Molly was the kind of child who made people want to buy her presents. She was thrilled with each and every one and proved it with bubbly thanks and spontaneous hugs. She read the tag on the last gift.

  “It’s another one from Aunt Mia,” she announced proudly. Molly opened it, took one look at the puppy and shouted, “I know why you got this one, Aunt Mia! It looks like Uncle Drew when he’s trying to scare people away!” I realized Molly was right. Meridith and I turned to look at Drew as his niece ran over to show him the puppy. “See?”

  I watched nervously for Drew’s reaction to Molly’s revelation. He picked up the puppy, held it at eye level…and laughed out loud.

  “Out of the mouths of babes,” Meridith murmured under her breath.

  Chapter Eleven

  For the week, I gave Drew time and space, hoping he would get accustomed to having me nearby, forget the incident with the police, and loosen up a little.

  One day, I went shopping and bought him a variety of casual attire, which he ordered me to take back to the store immediately. I’d anticipated this response and had really only purchased the brightly colored clothing as a bargaining chip. I pestered him until he cut a deal. He would keep—and wear—some casual shirts and pants I’d picked out for him in black, several shades of gray, and white. I would return the rest.

  I was so excited I had outfoxed my husband, I had to call Meridith immediately and report the victory. My sister-in-law was pleased and congratulatory, as I knew she would be.

  But once the excitement subsided, I started thinking that, if clothes shopping was the most thrilling thing in my day, I had way too much free time on my hands.

  The next morning, Drew served breakfast wearing a pair of black slacks and a charcoal gray, silk, long-sleeved t-shirt. Baby steps. Maybe in a couple of months we can move on to navy.

  ~

  The days crept on as I lived in limbo, waiting, at times, with eagerness and other times, great sadness, for my six months as a fake wife to pass. I was counting down to the exact day in January when the waiting period was over, like a convict looking forward to my parole hearing. The problem was, when I imagined life on my own again, without Drew, or Meridith and the kids, I didn’t want to be released.

  By day, I enjoyed Drew’s companionship, moody as it could be at times, but in the evening, he would still claim he wanted to “turn in early,” and I was left to my own devices.

  With too much time at night to rehash everything, I decided he might not have had any deep feelings for me at all. It made sense that, since I had thrown myself at him—yet, again—the night in the car, he finally yielded to carnal temptation, like any other man.

  My waiting since then certainly hadn’t paid off. I hadn’t tried to tempt him since that night, and he hadn’t made even one move to pick up where we’d left off.

  Each evening, we retired to our respective rooms. As before, I could hear him pacing the floor late at night, but he was always awake, dressed and making breakfast before I came downstairs in the morning. I wondered if he ever slept.

  One evening, I talked Drew into watching a movie I’d rented from the video store. It ended at about nine forty-five, which was the latest the two of us had been up together in weeks.

  Emboldened by the hour, I shut off the TV with the remote control and tried to engage him in the conversation I had been hoping to have for weeks.

  “Drew?” I asked tentatively. “Do you remember the night we went out on our date?”

  “You mean the night the cops roughed me up and acted like I’d raped you?” He picked one of the last remaining pieces of popcorn out of the bowl on the end table and tossed it casually into his mouth.

  I recognized that old feeling crawling up my spine. “I meant the part before that.”

  “No.”

  “What do you mean, ‘No’?” I was flabbergasted. “You don’t remember when we—”

  “All I remember is getting my face smashed into the car window.”

  I was speechless. In all the times I had imagined this conversation, with outcomes both good and bad, I’d never dreamed he would act like it didn’t happen. I stared at him in disbelief, waiting for him to qualify it or take it back. He didn’t.

  I stood, picked up the popcorn bowl and dumped the kernels all over his immaculate area rug. Then, with all the dignity I could muster, I walked out without a word.

  I was tired of wearing my heart on my sleeve, I was tired of waiting for a man who had no intention of coming around, and I was tired of feeling so incredibly lonely. I decided, starting tomorrow, I was taking my life back. I got into bed and willed myself to fall asleep.

  ~

  The next morning, I called Meridith. “Meri, I have to get away from this apartment—from Drew—for a while and I have to do something. Do you have any legal issues you want to discuss or kid’s you want taken care of, or absolutely anything, besides shopping and trading sarcastic comments, I could participate in?”

  “Do you want me to send a car for you?” was Meridith’s immediate reply.

  “No thanks. I’ll get there myself.”

  A half-hour later, I breezed past Drew, who was sitting at the table, waiting for me to come down for breakfast.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “Wherever I want.” As I walked out, I noticed the rug was spotless again.

  ~

  When I arrived by taxi at Meridith’s house, my sister-in-law had some really good coffee and a job for me.

  “Someone has contacted me about some land outside of town that my father owned,” she explained. “Mr. Chesney, the man who called, is claiming my father cheated his grandfather out of the property.” She watched the cream swirl round and round in her coffee cup. Strange, it wasn’t like Meridith to avoid eye-contact.

  “I would think people with the kind of money you have get claims like this all the time. Everyone wants a free ride.” I peered at her face, trying to make her look
up at me. Had she been spending too much time with her brother?

  “That’s true, but, unfortunately, my father was unscrupulous in many of his business dealings, and I don’t want to follow in his footsteps. I’m not sure the land has great value to anyone other than the Chesneys. It sits right in the middle of the rest of their family property.” Finally, she met my gaze. “Would you mind going out there today and talking to them? Then, maybe next week, you could do a little research into the title, or whatever is necessary, and give me your legal and personal opinion. I don’t want to turn this over to my regular law firm. I’d like it done with a little heart, if you know what I mean.”

  I laughed. “That’s a pretty foreign concept to a lawyer, but I’ll give it a shot.”

  ~

  It was a cool, sunny fall day. I drove in Meridith’s SUV, alone, to the country. The idea of working was exhilarating, and the scenery was so beautiful I forgot my problems and focused on the changing leaves and the blue sky. I spent the day interviewing various Chesney family members and reviewing documents, and started to feel like my old self again.

  On the drive back to town, I felt ready to tackle my own problems. I thought of how I had allowed Drew to avoid talking about our relationship all this time. I never would have put up with it from anyone else, but no other relationship had been this important to me.

  While I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the truth about how he felt, I was determined to live my life. No longer would I be stuck in this limbo, living with him as roommates during the day and strangers at night.

  When I returned to Meridith’s house, she led me to the kitchen, where I told her what I had learned that day.

  “According to the family members, when your father was a young man, he became acquainted with their grandfather, befriended him and tricked him into signing over the property. They don’t think any money changed hands. Your father apparently believed there was something of value underground, but it didn’t pan out. They don’t seem to have proof of any of this—it’s all family legend—and they don’t appear to have the money to litigate.”

  “What was your impression of them?” Meridith asked, waving me toward one of the stools at the island.