Rescuing Vanessa (A Little Bit of Coffee, Flowers, and Romance)

by Christina Li

  “Vanessa, if you don’t love me, if you don’t ever want any more than friendship, I will let this go and never say another word.”

  One word, that’s all she needed to say. Yet, she did love him. At the foundation of everything she knew, she loved him. What she wanted was the best of the best for him, even if it hurt both of them. “Daniel, it’s because I love you that I can’t allow that kind of relationship with you.”

  He opened his mouth to speak, but she continued. “I’m going to tell you what happened. Then, you’ll understand why.”

  He sat back in his chair. The moment he had been waiting for had arrived.

  Chapter 18

  “There was this guy, Randal, in California. We met one day when I went out for lunch at a little café near my work. He was a host there. He made it obvious he was interested and I was flattered. He asked me out and I said ‘yes’.

  “We dated for several months and our relationship got ‘involved’.” She knew she was blushing, but she forced herself to continue. “He made me feel wanted and valued, like I mattered. Being with him, I felt beautiful and I loved the attention. Sometimes, he even followed me around. At first, I found it flattering, like I was the center of his universe, and I relished it. But, deep down, I knew the relationship was wrong. It was all completely selfish, I was only in it because of the way it made me feel.” She held her now lukewarm cocoa, staring at it, but not seeing it.

  “About a year ago, I thought I was pregnant.” She looked up to see if he’d react. She couldn’t quite read his expression. It was one of intent listening. It wouldn’t matter in a moment anyway, so she charged on. “I was so scared. My parents would flip. I told him and he asked me to marry him. It was then that I took the time to honestly consider where I was and what I was doing.

  “I realized that I didn’t love him. I never loved him. I used him. It would be wrong to marry him. And his idea of marriage was possession. The pregnancy was just an excuse to tighten the noose. I was to be his prize, just as Claudine was yours.” She looked up again, this time Daniel looked down, nodded some, and looked back up, obviously agreeing with her comparison.

  “So, I told him ‘no’ and tried to end the relationship as kindly as possible. He didn’t take it so well. I told him I wanted to get right with the Lord and he had no interest in the things of God. He told me Jesus would want us to be married and raise our child together. That was probably a true statement, but he simply used it to try to manipulate me into staying. He had no interest in the children as I was soon to find out.

  “Well, I wasn’t pregnant after all. When I told him, he thought I had had an abortion just so I could leave. He was so angry.

  “He started stalking me more than before, if that is possible. I saw him everywhere I went, even as I was coming out of the parking lot of my church out there. He harassed me at work. He creeped out my friends and co-workers. It was really bad. Finally, I called the police and had a restraining order put on him. He really reacted badly to that.” She swallowed and shivered.

  “What happened?” Daniel reached across the table and put his hand close to hers. She still held her mug with both hands, her thumbs continually rubbing its sides, although the more vigorously as she went deeper into her narrative.

  “I found out that he lost his job at the café. Some friends told me. Then,” She pressed her lips together and took a deep breath.

  Daniel rubbed his thumb on her arm and waited.

  “A couple weeks later, one of the guys from work told me he had overdosed on drugs. He thought I would want to know. Randal died and it was all my fault.”

  “Did you do drugs with him?”

  “No.” She raised her chin. “I would never do drugs. I didn’t know he was doing drugs.”

  “Then, how could his overdose be your fault?”

  She focused on her mug. Her hot cocoa had gone totally cold and all the cocoa had sunk to the bottom of the cup. “I led him on. I only stayed with him because of my selfishness. He was depressed and suicidal. I should have gotten him help, instead I blew him off. I totally wanted him gone, I wished he would just disappear, and I got my wish…”

  He was harassing you. It sounds like you did what you could to survive. Daniel sat back and folded his arms over his chest. He knew this was true, but not the right reply. So, he waited. He had many thoughts going through his head, but knew it was best to try not to argue her into accepting her innocence. With an unction starting to move in him, he knew which direction to take.

  “It sounds like he was acting as selfish as you in many ways. He wanted you for himself and refused to take ‘no’ for an answer. He chose to wallow in his own pain. That’s not your fault.”

  “Don’t you see?” Her grip on the mug was white knuckled. “I’m the one who killed him.”

  “No, I don’t see. You have chosen to believe a lie from Satan and won’t let it go. He died and you blame yourself. I did the same thing. Jesus has offered you forgiveness, but you refuse to accept it and let Him work out what He has for your life. You have a great destiny, but you don’t want it. You are afraid of what might happen next. You are afraid of screwing up again, of screwing up someone else’s life. So off you go like some sacrificial lamb, thinking that if you simply spared the earth of your existence everyone would be better off. In your own power and flesh that would be true, but He offers you a second chance on life, a chance to reconcile, a resurrection of your calling, and He will walk with you every step of the way, quicken you with His Spirit, reveal a plan for your life that if you follow, you will impact and change the world and every one you come in contact with. That is every person’s destiny, and you are no different. And He gave it to you in Writing!”

  Vanessa closed her eyes not sure what to believe. She had taken it hard when she heard of Randal’s death. Really hard. It seemed the guilt was a part of her now. She wasn’t sure how to make it go away.

  “You talked tonight about the restoration of the Lord, but I’m not sure how to be restored. I don’t know how to take those straps off my back,” she choked out. Tears glistened in her eyes.

  Daniel had the answer. “You pray. And then you pray some more. Allow the Lord to work a miracle. This may take some time. He will help you, but you have to let Him. Do things His way. And keep doing things His way. Let go of your way. I had to learn that. ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart;’ means don’t trust in your own intelligence alone, and especially not in your feelings and emotions. In everything you do acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your way.’”

  Vanessa stood up. Her tears turned to anger. He was getting preachy. Just like her parents. They always had to point out where she fell short. Was he going to join them? She wasn’t just another of his adoring students fawning at his every word and ooh-ahh-ing at every flick of his awesome hair. She went to the sink, washed out her mug and put it in the dishwasher. Though her hands were busy, her mind wasn’t focused on the task at all.

  Her mind and emotions were a jumbled mess. She was rather indignant at Daniel for suggesting that she refused something from the Lord. She had come back home. She had obeyed the Lord. How could he think she was rejecting God’s ways? But, she admitted, he might be right. She kept her back to him, thinking.

  Finally, she said, “Thank you. You’ve given me a lot to consider.” That was about all she could give him at the moment. She was still rather annoyed at his ‘lecturing her’ on the do’s and don’ts of her life.

  He stood. “I’ve done my part. I will leave you to make your choice and get things right with the Lord.” He went over to the sink and washed out his mug as well. She moved over stiffly so he could put it in the dishwasher. “I’ll be praying for you.”

  It would have been easy to reach for him. She knew it would feel good just to get a reassuring touch and squeeze of her hand in his in saying good night, and to squeeze back, just to let him know that she didn’t completely think he was wrong, that she needed more time, but she refused to be onl
y a ‘taker’ in a relationship again. She wanted to love in a healthy way, seeking what was best for the other person. And to practice that, she simply humbled herself and said, “Thank you. Good night.”

  When he walked out of the kitchen, she let out the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. During Vision Time just barely an hour ago, she mentioned she just needed to pray a bit more. She decided at the time she didn’t know the half of it. Sleep first, pray later. Good plan, or so she thought.

  For the next hour, she tossed and fought with the sheets, the pillows, and the blankets in her bed. Every be covering or accessory seemed to be her adversary, trying to be the victor in keeping her from finding rest. Finally, she admitted defeat. Well, if she wasn’t going to sleep tonight, she could go through some more boxes. She had unpacked most of her fall/winter clothes boxes, but still had one or two more. The weather forecasts kept getting colder.

  She opened a box, revealing several neatly folded clothes. Pulling some warm sweaters out, she hugged them to herself and rubbed her face against them. She loved their bright colors and fuzzy softness. Next, she pulled out turtlenecks and long sleeved blouses. This was fun. Unpacking was a little like Christmas. Overwhelming at times, yes, but still enjoyable.

  She drew out several long skirts, jean, corduroy, and suede in various colors. There were also scarves, shawls, and wraps as well. Putting them away in drawers and the closet, she grinned at the variety of designs. After all, she was an artist. She loved her clothes. It was so good to have them back again.

  Well, that box was finished, she opened another. This one had a bar for clothes on hangers. It was meant to keep the wrinkles down, but she didn’t have high hopes. At least it was easy to unpack. She simply pulled out the clothes and hung them up in her closet. These were mostly business suits and jackets.

  That box did indeed go quickly and soon she was ready for the last winter clothes box. It was another with clothes folded and stacked neatly.

  When she opened it, she noticed these clothes weren’t folded quite as carefully as the others. Probably one of her friends who helped her pack. She had been amazed by the kindness of people when she told them she was moving. Several folks from the church she started attending came and worked for hours. Her dishes had taken longest. It was amazing how much one could acquire in only three years.

  A surprise had been the evening a co-worker had shown up to help her pack. Collie had never struck her as the kind of person who would want to help someone do much of anything, much less pack. Yet, one night, there she was. She even offered to do her clothes and handed Vanessa a gift card for a local restaurant and told her to go out and pick up food for them while she worked. Vanessa had been too stunned to argue. It was nice to get away from packing for a few minutes.

  This box was mostly sweatshirts, warm socks, and pajamas. As she pulled out a few favorites, she noticed a package wrapped in newspapers stuffed in amongst her things. Was it a surprise going away present? How nice.

  She pulled it out and slowly unwound it. When it stood before her, she stared in amazement. This could not be real. Why in the world would Collie put that horrid vase in there? What possible motive could she have? Did she steal it? Did she want to hurt the Delanys by stealing from them? Trying to still her racing heart, she took several deep breaths.

  Then, she remembered Collie and Denny Delany fought shortly before Vanessa’s move. Did Collie want to hurt Denny by stealing from his parents? What a mess. Collie could go to jail for something like this.

  Vanessa pulled a cargo skirt over her pajamas before getting her cell out of her pocket and dialing the police. She could drive the thing over there, but her car was still in the shop and she didn’t want to wake anyone to borrow theirs.

  “Hello, this is Vanessa Bennett…yes sir, that’s right…you had me in for questioning several days ago. You are not going to believe what I found. Can you send someone over right away? I believe this will be vital to solving your case.”

  She verified the address and then used a sweatshirt to carefully carry it downstairs. Amazingly, she had had the presence of mind to not touch the thing. She didn’t want her fingerprints on it at all. She didn’t have to wait long before she saw a police cruiser pull up in front of the house.

  Opening the door before he could ring the doorbell, she asked, “Don’t you ever sleep?” The time on her cell read 3:37am. It was Officer Martin, the same officer who had come over all those other times.

  “I’m getting overtime. I’m saving up for a ring for my soon to be fiancée.”

  “Awww, that’s really sweet,” Vanessa intoned, glad for something to smile about. “That’s awesome.” Handing him the sweatshirt wrapped vase, she said, “I just found this horrible thing in among the clothes I had shipped from LA. A ‘friend’ of mine packed the box.”

  “Well, at least the owners will get their vase back now. I’ll need to take you back to the station to get your statement, though.”

  She groaned. “Will you be able to bring me back when you’re done?”

  “We’ll get you a ride. You’re not in any trouble, but this is something that can’t be done here, I’m afraid.”

  “Let me put some shoes on and grab a jacket and my purse.” Officer Martin took a quick picture of the original packaging and jotted some notes while Vanessa penned a quick note to her grandparents and Daniel and left it on the fridge where someone would be sure to see it in case for some reason she had to remain at the station until after they awoke.

  The officer let her sit in the front seat. When they left the house, everyone was still soundly sleeping. She had no wish to hold the vase, but she also didn’t want it to get broken by leaving it in the back seat. She had wrapped it in her sweatshirt and put it in one of the smaller now empty boxes for an extra measure of protection. It would be so great to be rid of it at last. Peering into the box as they rode, she decided she had been wrong when she called it ugly earlier. It was hideous.

  Her time at the police station wasn’t nearly as traumatic as last time. But, the time spent was lengthy. She had to answer lots of questions, write names and addresses, give descriptions, and anything else that came to mind.

  It was close to 5:30am by the time the officer took her home. By this time, her early morning spurt of energy was exhausted and she was ready to go back to bed. She was thankful church had an afternoon service at 1pm instead of a morning service like most other churches.

  Weary, she crawled back into bed and finally slept. That horrible vase still haunted her dreams. Over and over and over, she tried to re-glaze it different colors, but it kept going back to its ugly original. Finally, she threw it down and cheered as it smashed into a million pieces.

  It was after 10 o’clock before Vanessa finally rolled out of bed. She had slept long and hard. When she came downstairs, she found she had forgotten to take her note off the refrigerator and that everyone was a wee bit upset.

  Daniel had come upstairs early, shortly after 6, just half an hour after Vanessa arrived unnoticed and had fallen asleep upstairs with her door closed. He found the note, which simply said, “Police came and got me. Being forced to go to the station. Need to give statement. Hopefully I’ll be back.” It had been written in a hurried scrawl, and Vanessa realized in her sleep deprived fog last night she had forgotten to sign it. Daniel had reacted to the note, had reached for his keys and leather jack, and knocked a stainless steel travel mug onto the ceramic tile floor in the kitchen, sending a clattering noise throughout the house and awakening Mrs. Bennett.

  Her early morning inquiry of “Is everything alright down there?” was met with an abrupt “The police took Vanessa. I’m headed out right now to see what I can do,” and was answered with commotion and alarm erupting upstairs, various exchanges and outbursts, and two protective elderly pit bulls charging as best they could down the stairs, covered in disheveled bathrobes determined to protect their granddaughter at any cost, no matter what time of day or what they looked like. As
they sped to the station, they formed a plan of action. They stormed the front desk, with Daniel demanding to the quite surprised clerk that the three of them be taken immediately to her, and with Mr. Bennett waving his lawyer’s business card demanding she not say another word until he arrived and clamoring her innocence all at the same time. The clerk tried to calm them down, when Officer Martin noticed the commotion and came to assist. Daniel recognized him right away and invoked everything from the Declaration of Independence to the Bill of Rights, insisting to see an arrest warrant. Officer Martin calmly stated there wasn’t one, which set the three of them off again into various implorations, outbursts, and demands for her freedom. The officer finally explained that even though he couldn’t comment on an ongoing investigation, she had been picked up voluntarily in the middle of the night at her bidding with information as a key witness. She had been extremely helpful and had already been taken home.

  When the last of Officer Martin’s words sunk in, the three of them went dead silent. They stood there, mouths slightly open, unsure of what to say next; Daniel in his leather jacket with his flannel pajama pants plainly visible, and Vanessa’s grandparents with tousled grey hair, ankle length matching purple and yellow pastel-terry-cloth bathrobes, with Grandpa still clutching his lawyer’s business card in his right hand, which went from waving vehemently in the air to coming to a slow halt. “Let’s go home,” Mrs. Bennett said, and the three of them turned and walked out the door. The lawyer met them as they were coming down the walkway to the parking lot, and had obviously dressed hurriedly, in dress pants and a dress shirt, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. He stopped to greet them, and his eyebrows rose at the sight of them. The three of them barely looked up and kept walking, with the only words spoken as they passed from Mr. Bennett, “False alarm, John. Sorry if I woke you. See you at church.”