Midnight Ballerina

by Cori Williams

  “What the fuck, Monroe?” He bent over at the waist, cradling his nose with both hands, moaning loudly in pain.

  “Sorry, but you deserved it.” I shook my hand that was on fire. “Nothing’s happening between us, ever. It doesn’t matter if I’m with Miller or not. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh, but you’re going to have to get over it. I seriously can’t even look at you right now, so just get out.” Carter straightened himself, still covering his nose so I couldn’t see how much damage I caused. He looked at me as if I wasn’t serious, so I pointed my finger toward the door. “Go, now.” Luckily, this time he listened but as soon as he got out into the hallway, he stopped and I heard him mutter something. My eyes went wide when I saw Miller standing there and Carter scurrying away.

  “Miller, nothing happened, I—”

  “Just stop.” He held up a hand and my heart sank, he wasn’t even going to give me a chance to explain. Stupid Carter, going and ruining my relationship in one split second. “I heard everything, Monroe, even that nice punch you landed. My ballerina has a mean streak that I didn’t even know about.” He smirked and my whole body relaxed as he came forward and scooped me up into his arms, pressing a kiss to my forehead, and finally it felt like all was right in the world.

  “ARE YOU SURE you guys are going to be okay if I leave?” I looked back and forth between my mom and dad, worried about leaving. After the mess with Carter, Miller decided to stay and I was so thankful for that. Now that he was here, I didn’t want him to leave. Two days had gone by and my dad seemed to be getting better, so my mom suggested that we head back to Georgia and after a little bit of convincing from everyone, I decided that it was time.

  “Yes, Monroe, quit asking us that.” My mom wrapped me in a hug, patting my back, and then I went over to hug my dad, holding on to him for a little bit of extra time.

  “Not that we really want you to leave, baby girl, but we know you have a life of your own to get back to and we’ll be just fine.” He turned toward Miller, who was patiently waiting for me with a small smile on his face. “Take care of our girl, Miller.”

  There were a few more teary goodbyes before Miller was able to finally get me through the front door and into the rental car. I felt guilty for leaving my dad behind, but they were right, I had a life of my own and I couldn’t stay there forever. He seemed to be doing pretty well in the time that I had been there, so hopefully his health would continue to get better. I knew my mom was going to be on his ass about eating healthier and exercising regularly once he was able. He had already been grumbling about the tasteless food that he was getting.

  “I’m glad I don’t have to fly back by myself,” I said as we walked to the ticket counter at the airport and printed our boarding passes. “But I’m probably going to pass out before the plane even takes off because I’m exhausted, so I’m not going to be much company.”

  “That’s okay.” He pressed a kiss to my temple. “I think I can handle watching you sleep.”

  And that’s exactly what I did for the whole flight, barely able to open my eyes when Miller slightly shook me to tell me that we had landed. We carried our bags on so we didn’t have to deal with claiming any luggage, so we headed straight for the parking garage to his truck.

  “I’m so ready to go home.”

  He looked at me sideways, grinning. “And I’m ready for you to be home. It wasn’t the same without you around.” He grabbed onto my hand and didn’t let go until we pulled into his driveway, dropping it abruptly to grip the steering wheel with both hands. I turned to see his eyes narrowed in the direction of his front porch, his jaw tense and his whole body rigid.

  “Miller, what’s wrong?” I reached a hand to rub his shoulder and he ignored my question, acting like he hadn’t even heard me. I turned to follow his glare to see someone sitting on one of the rockers near his front door and before I could ask who it was, he pushed open his door, leaving me behind, and stormed toward the porch.

  I got out of the truck, trying to keep up with his quick pace, but it was impossible. I watched as the woman stood up quickly, running down the stairs, and I heard her yell. “There’s my baby boy.” Holding her arms out to him and he walked right into them, hugging her tight while squeezing his eyes shut, his face running rampant with so many different emotions, I couldn’t tell if he was happy or angry or just plain confused that this woman was here.

  “Hey ma,” he said quietly when he pulled away, looking back to me for the first time since we had pulled into the driveway, and reached out for my hand. “Monroe, this is my mom, Abby.”

  SEEING MILLER’S MOM for the first time was a little weird. I wasn’t exactly sure how to feel toward her. I couldn’t say that I was happy to meet her, I know that might sound a little mean, but I’d seen the hold she had on Miller from the way she treated him, and I just couldn’t bring myself to like her, even a little bit. I saw a lot of resemblances in the two of them when I looked carefully, he had her eyes and the same complexion, but the years had been rough on her, her skin cracked and wrinkled, her eyes dull unlike Miller’s warm, chocolaty brown ones. She must have gotten her height from Maggie because she was on the short side, a few inches taller than me, probably and Miller towered over the both of us.

  “This house is gorgeous, Miller,” his mom said in awe as he gave her the tour and I held back, dropping my bag by the front door. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself and I was a bit uncomfortable. “I’m glad you finally got a place for yourself, away from that mean old woman.”

  “That mean old woman is your mom and she took good care of me,” Miller replied, his tone light and not harsh like I expected. Mamaw was a big part of his life, so I was surprised that he wasn’t coming to her defense a little more.

  “Mmhmm,” his mom muttered, twitching slightly in place. “Well, I’ll be glad if I don’t see her while I’m here.”

  “How long do you plan on staying?” I asked, hoping that it would be just a day for Miller’s sake. That sounded bad, but I could tell this lady was toxic to Miller. He probably didn’t see it, but I did. He almost had a little boy like quality around her, wanting her to be proud of him and show off to her.

  Abby’s nose turned upward when she flicked her eyes in my direction, shrugging her shoulders. “Not sure, I was going to talk to my son about that.” It took everything in me not to roll my eyes at her answer. Son? Miller was not her son, if you wanted to get technical, then sure, he was but she didn’t raise him. She cast him off on to his mamaw so she could live her life the way she wanted to and not have a kid to worry about.

  “You can stay as long as you want, Ma.” His smile faltered for just a second and he shifted in place. “Bruce know you’re here?”

  I could see how uncomfortable Miller was at just bringing up Bruce’s name, his so-called dad, that did things to Miller when he was younger that he couldn’t bring himself to talk about. I never pushed him, I knew that he was abused and I wanted to hunt the guy down and kill him for laying a hand on a helpless child.

  “Well, no. Bruce and I went our separate ways a few years ago. I haven’t seen or heard from him since. Asshole ran off with a bunch of my money.”

  “Really, that’s why he’s an asshole?” I muttered. Miller didn’t hear me but I could tell Abby had when she glared in my direction. I could tell this was going to be a very fun visit. My mouth refused to stay shut when it came to wanting to protect Miller and I could already tell that Abby hated me, not that I really cared. And then there was Miller, right smack dab between the two of us, his live-in girlfriend, and his mom that had abandoned him and he only wanted to please and get affection from, even if he didn’t know it. Yup, this was going to be a total blast.

  Miller put Abby in one of his spare bedrooms and got her settled while I went into our bedroom and unpacked my bag, sitting down on the bed once I was done, feeling awkward and unsure of what to do. I didn’t want to interrupt their reunion or whatever this was. I was trying to feel happy for Miller at having
his mom back, but I just couldn’t. I knew that she would leave yet again, leaving him brokenhearted, and who knew what other effects it would have on him. I did know the one person that would have some insight though.

  “Miller,” I yelled down the hallway, “I’m going out for a bit.”

  “All right,” he simply yelled back, apparently not even worried about where I was going or that I was leaving. I tried not to take it to heart as I drove toward the downtown area, but it was almost impossible, and when I felt a stray tear roll down my cheek, I yelled at myself for being a baby. “Grow up, Monroe,” I muttered as I parked my car and grabbed my purse from the passenger seat. Luckily, the restaurant didn’t seem too busy and Maggie spotted me as soon as I walked through the door. She looked behind me, her eyebrows twisted in confusion as she came forward, patting me on the back. “Monroe, so glad you’re back, dear. Where’s that grandson of mine? Is he parking the truck?”

  “No.” I sighed, plopping myself down at the closest booth. “I’m here by myself. Abby’s in town.”

  “Oh, Lord. You’ve got to be kidding me.” She slid into the seat across from mine and put both elbows on the table, shaking her head. “You would think I would be happy to hear my daughter’s back in town, but I’m not in the slightest. You have no idea what kind of affect she has on Miller when she shows up like this. It hasn’t happened since he graduated, so I figured she was done with her antics, but I guess I was wrong. Maybe he’s learned his lesson.”

  “I highly doubt that. I told him I was leaving and he couldn’t have cared less. Not to mention him acting like a little kid, wanting to make his mom proud while he showed her around his house and then told her she could stay for however long she wants. I think she still has the same affect.”

  “I can’t get involved, Monroe.” Maggie shook her head. “I’ve seen the damage she does to him, but if I try to do anything, that boy gets so upset with me and won’t talk to me for weeks. He’s very open with you, Monroe. I’ve never seen him get like that before. Maybe you can help him see what she’s doing. I bet you anything, she’s here looking for money. She probably found out somehow how successful he’s gotten and now she’s here with her hand out, like he owes her something. That boy doesn’t owe her a thing.”

  “I agree,” I said quietly. “But I don’t know what to do. I don’t want Miller to get upset with me for telling him the truth.”

  “I wish I could tell you exactly what to do, but only time will tell, I guess.”

  ABBY HAD BEEN here for two weeks now, and I was annoyed as hell, wanting nothing more than for her to just up and go. I would be here for Miller after she did that, as best as I could, but it didn’t seem like she was going anywhere anytime soon. I felt guilty for wanting the woman to leave, but I could already see the changes in him. She was taking care of him just like he was a little boy and he was eating it right up.

  “Monroe.” Her face turned sour whenever she said my name. “You really don’t know how to cook?” she asked as she stood at the stove, stirring a pot of chili as I grabbed some bowls out of the cupboard. The kitchen smelled amazing with the chili cooking, along with the cornbread that was in the oven. I shook my head as I set the bowls out on the kitchen island. “Well, how do you expect to take care of my son then?”

  I bit down on my tongue, hard, so hard I’m pretty sure I tasted blood. How did I expect to take care of her son? That was a pretty loaded question coming from the woman that had abandoned him, not taking care of him like a mother was supposed to. “It’s not really an issue between us, Miller doesn’t care.”

  “Oh, he will care, just you wait. He needs himself a girl who can cook.”

  Miller chose that exact moment to walk into the kitchen from outside where he had been mowing the lawn. His shirt was off exposing his tan chest covered with a sheen of sweat, causing me to get all hot and bothered, and I wished his mom wasn’t there, so I could have my way with him right on the kitchen floor.

  Gah, it had been way too long.

  Abby probably didn’t know it, but she was also putting a cramp in our sex life. Not only did we have to worry about someone else being in the house all the time, but Miller would actually have to come to bed at a decent time for anything to happen. Most of the time, he ended up staying out in the living room with Abby until the middle of the night, talking about life, I guess, and I was asleep by the time he finally came to bed.

  “Monroe’s just fine,” he said as he kissed my nose and a little bit of the anger rolled off my chest by that simple touch.

  Abby sniffed slightly and I could tell that she was annoyed that she wasn’t getting all of Miller’s attention like she was used to. “All right, if you say so. I need to talk to you about something later, Miller.”

  He sat down at the island and she grabbed his bowl for him, filling it up with chili and setting a piece of warm cornbread next to it. It did smell amazing, but I had a hard time wanting to eat it given Abby made it. Quit being such a bitch, Monroe.

  “Whatever it is, you can say it in front of Monroe.” I tried not to but I grinned triumphantly when Abby rolled her eyes, huffing as she moved to stand in front of the island.

  “I really hate to ask you this, but I’ve gotten myself into a bit of trouble.” Her eyes dropped down to stare at the counter. I knew what was coming and it pissed me off beyond belief, but I had a feeling Miller would tell her to get the hell out of his house, and I couldn’t wait for that moment. I was beyond ready.

  “What kind of trouble, Ma?” He took a bite of his chili, groaning slightly as he savored the taste. Abby shuffled in place, looking at me sideways before flicking her eyes to Miller.

  “Well, when Bruce left I was in sort of a pickle, so I got involved in some stuff I shouldn’t have, but it was the only way I knew how to survive.”

  “What kind of stuff did you get involved with?” I remained silent as Miller sat his spoon down, focusing solely on his mom.

  “Well, drugs,” she admitted quietly, at least looking a little ashamed, and it made me feel a tiny bit sorry for her.

  “Drugs?” he repeated. “Hard stuff, I’m guessing?”

  “Yes.”

  “So what do you need?”

  “Um….” Abby paused, her mouth opening and closing several times before she shook her head. “Nothing, I just thought you should know that I’ve gotten myself cleaned up.”

  I snorted loudly, knowing exactly what she had been meaning to ask for, the main reason why she had shown up in the first place. Money. How did Miller not see that? She’d been hinting about how she’d been scraping by on her own ever since she got here. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut any longer, if I did, I felt like I was going to explode.

  “Is that what you were really going to say Abby? Why don’t you just come right out and ask, get it over with?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Abby replied snidely, crossing her arms over her chest. Miller’s eyes were bouncing back and forth between us but his lips remain closed.

  “She’s looking for money, Miller. How can you not see that? And what has she done to deserve even a penny from you? Absolutely nothing but mess up your head every time she showed up, getting your hopes up and then just leaving again and again.” I turned toward Abby, who was glaring at me. “Do you know he can’t even tell me that he loves me because of you? Don’t get me wrong, he shows me in plenty of ways, but he can’t actually say those words out loud and I know it’s because of you. How could you just leave your kid? What kind of mom does that?”

  Abby opened her mouth to say something, but Miller held up a hand, standing to his feet. “Monroe, stop. That’s all in the past and it doesn’t need to get brought up, so just leave it alone.”

  I took a deep breath, wanting to listen to Miller, but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. “I can’t, Miller. I’m sorry, you mean too much to me to just sit back and watch this woman walk all over you and you can’t even see what she’s doing. How long do you think she’
s going to stick around after she finally asks you for money? I know it’s coming. You probably won’t see her again for another five years or when she needs money the next time.” My voice broke, not only because I was upset, but for the fact that Miller ended up with this woman as his mom. He deserved better.

  “Well, sorry that I can’t be just like you, Miss Perfect,” Abby piped in.

  “Miss Perfect? I’m far from that.”

  “Monroe.” This time Miller’s tone was harsher and I could tell he was getting pissed, but I guess he would just have to get mad at me because I had to get this off my chest.

  “And then you bring up the fact that Bruce, Miller’s so-called dad, is an asshole because he stole some money from you. Really?” I screamed the last part and now both of them were looking at me like I was a crazy woman but I didn’t care. “What about the times that he was beating your son and you just stood by watching? What about those times? Don’t you think he was an asshole then, and that you should’ve just gotten Miller the hell out of there the first time, so it couldn’t happen again? But no, you kept letting it happen and when you couldn’t take care of him any longer, you left him. Thank goodness Maggie took care of him and turned him into the man he is today, but you certainly had no helping hand in that.”

  “Monroe!” Miller shouted my name, trying to stop me but I refused.

  My whole body was shaking and I couldn’t ever remember getting so worked up by something before. “Then you come back in and out of his life for years, don’t you think that had an effect on him? Don’t you think your empty promises hurt him? And now that he’s made something for himself, all on his own, you show up with your hand held out, like he owes you? You know what you owe him?” I didn’t wait for her response because I didn’t really care to hear the nonsense that she was going to ramble. “You owe him enough to get the hell out of his life and never come back again.”