by Joachim Jean
“Come on, tough guy. Let’s see what you got,” the drunk said, crouching a little.
Danny came up closer, put two fingers in his mouth, made a loud whistle and looked over the man’s shoulder,
“Buddy! Hey, buddy! Over here,” Danny shouted, motioning to no one.
When the big man turned to look, Danny knocked the knife out of his hand and broke his wrist in one swift motion. The man howled in pain falling to his knees while Danny tossed the knife in the woods.
“How’s that big guy? Keep your paws off young women. Gee, did I break it? Too bad,” Danny said, moving the girls into the car quickly.
“Are you okay?” he asked Kaitlyn as they left the fairgrounds behind.
“Nothing serious,” she said, flexing her wrist.
Danny nodded.
“I had a great time anyway, Danny. Thanks a lot,” Sally said.
“Me, too. Thank you for getting that disgusting man away from me,” Kaitlyn said, a slight shiver running through her.
When they got home, Eliza had not yet returned. Danny insisted on coming into the house and making sure it was safe and secure before he left the girls to return home. He texted Eliza the girls were home safe, after he entered his house.
* * * *
Eliza returned at midnight. The girls were still up, siting at the kitchen table, talking about the adventure and the new boys they met. They told their mother about the drunken men, the big man who grabbed Kaitlyn and how Danny took care of things.
“That’s why I wouldn’t let you go to the Fair at night alone when you were younger,” she said. “I knew you’d be safe with Danny.”
“He is amazing,” Sally said. “He never even blinked when he disarmed this huge guy. Danny wasn’t scared.”
“Danny isn’t afraid of anything after what he faced in Iraq,” Eliza said. She put a kettle of water on to boil.
“Danny’s cool. I’m glad you’re seeing him. Geez, even Dad couldn’t get you on the Ferris wheel!” Sally said.
“You don’t love him more than Dad, do you?” Kaitlyn said, her eyebrows raised.
“No one could ever replace your father, but he’s gone.”
“This is confusing,” Kaitlyn said, taking down three mugs and a box of teabags.
“Now you understand why I like him so much.” Sally took down the sugar bowl.
“He’s a hunk,” Kate said as she poured hot water into the mugs.
Eliza smiled, embarrassed, but happy to see her daughter coming around.
Deciding to see if he was still awake, she dialed his cell phone.
“Hey,” he said, picking up the phone on the first ring.
“Hey, yourself, tough guy,” she teased.
“Feel like coming over?” he asked.
“Aren’t you tired after your knife fight?” she asked, smiling.
“Some big idiot being drunk and stupid. Did the girls have a good time?”
“Yes.” Eliza finished her tea.
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“I’m pretty tired.” She put her mug down and sank into a chair.
“Goodnight, then, Sweetpea.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart.”
She hung up the phone and headed to her bedroom. Kaitlyn stopped her.
“You love him, don’t you?”
“I’ve never known anyone like Danny. He’s my best friend and my boyfriend,” Eliza said, smiling, at her own avoidance of the word lover.
“Not that you need my approval…but he’s okay.”
“Thank you,” Eliza said, hugging and kissing Kaitlyn.
“Why does he call you Sweetpea?”
“It’s a nickname he gave me, on the spur of the moment,” Eliza said, remembering the night of love that led to the early morning endearment.
At two, Eliza couldn’t sleep.
She knew she couldn’t sleep because Danny wasn’t there. She threw a raincoat over her nightgown, left a note for the girls and tiptoed out of the house and down the street four blocks.
She knocked softly on Danny’s door, then a little louder. Finally the outside light went on. Danny opened the door, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
“I’m sorry to wake you up. I couldn’t sleep and wondered if the invitation to stay is still open?”
“Sure.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Stop apologizing. I’m okay.”
“I sleep better when I sleep with you.”
Danny put his arm around her and led her into the bedroom where he went over to the nightstand and returned the gun to the drawer from the pocket of his robe. Eliza got into bed and Danny joined her. They cuddled together like two spoons in a drawer and she finally fell asleep.
* * * *
Later, Danny awoke first, happy see Eliza next to him. He took a few minutes to drink in her beauty before his desire took control and urged him to wake her. Her face so relaxed, breathing peaceful, hair slightly mussed in a most attractive way turned him on. The sheet rested below her shoulders, exposing her breasts to his gaze. He studied their perfect shape and size, the smooth skin on her shoulders and her cute nose, as she slept.
She fit perfectly in his bed. He kissed her awake, watching her stretch and smile at him until passion took over and the playfulness they started quickly became heat running through his veins. Physical need took over driving them to satisfy their craving for each other as the new day dawned.
Chapter Nine
Summer ends early on a college campus where classes begin for the fall semester at the end of August. Sally and Kaitlyn were leaving in mid-August for Paris. Eliza and Danny hosted a barbecue for the girls the night before they left and invited the Lawsons. Sally and Kaitlyn promised to keep in touch with Tanner and Chase by email. While all seemed to have fun, Eliza felt a twinge of sorrow at the long separation from her girls.
* * * *
Sally and Tanner slipped away from the festivities. They walked down the street to the big oak tree at the end of the block. Hiding from their families on the shady side of the tree, they kissed passionately, their lips locked together, their bodies straining to get closer.
“All the way to Paris,” Tanner said, breathing heavily.
“I’m going to miss you,” she confessed tearfully.
“Yeah. You’re not going to be sleeping with any Frenchmen, are you?”
“Tanner!” Sally said, blushing, swiping at his shoulder.
“Tell me you won’t,” he pleaded.
“You’re silly. Of course I’m not going to be sleeping with any Frenchmen. I’m sure I won’t have time for guys at all.”
“Tell me…you’ll wait for me.”
“And you?” she asked.
“I don’t want anyone…except you. I can wait for you, if you will be waiting for me, Sally,” Tanner said, kissing her, his tongue possessing her mouth.
“I’ll wait for you, Tanner,” she said, breathless when their mouths separated. “We’d better get back.”
They returned, going in separately, but when Sally turned around, Danny was there. She knew he saw them and knew they had been together. Sally blushed under his probing stare. She drifted over to Tanner, who put his arm around her waist, possessively.
The next day at the train to New York where the girls would board an airplane to Paris, Tanner showed up. He and Sally kissed and she cried in his arms. He held her until the last minute, when she dashed on the train, joining her sister and waving a sad farewell. Eliza was surprised to see such emotion from two she thought were only good friends but Danny wasn’t and she wondered why.
* * * *
Callie, Eliza and Jonesy planned one last adventure for their friends and some of the faculty before fall classes began, an impromptu potluck picnic on the football field. Danny brought a kickball and Mac brought a soccer ball. He saw Eliza had invited Dr. Patricia Weiss, the psychiatrist who treated staff, professors and students and wondered what she was up to.
Blankets were put dow
n and food laid out. Jason and Kitty ran around the field chasing a kickball almost as big as Kitty. While Jonesy and her husband, Bill, talked with Eliza and Mac, Dr. Weiss made her way over to Danny and introduced herself.
“Eliza tells me you are the new freshman English professor fresh from the military,” Dr. Weiss said.
“That’s right,” Danny said, nodding.
“How did you find the military experience?”
“One I’m glad to leave behind. Why do you ask?”
“If you have a hard time leaving those days behind, call me. I’m on retainer for the school, you can see me for free,” she said, handing him her card.
“Did Eliza send you over here?”
“She’s concerned about you.”
“I’m fine.”
“You are important to her,” Dr. Weiss persisted.
Danny raised one eyebrow and looked at Dr. Weiss.
“Let’s not play games.”
“I know she cares about me,” he admitted.
“Can anyone come from Iraq and leave their military experience behind in a heartbeat?”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“Can you?”
“Why all the questions?”
“I’m sorry, Danny. I’m prying and this is a picnic, a time for fun. I feel a special desire to help our military personnel make the adjustment to home.”
“Why?”
“I feel they are more deserving than most…not something a doctor like me should feel, but I do. I’m not supposed to make judgments, but I’m only human. I have a weakness for those who serve and become damaged by their service. I’ve treated a number of vets with post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Danny looked at her sharply and she returned his gaze in a straightforward way, with no embarrassment or discomfort. He had never thought of himself as damaged, but perhaps that’s exactly what had happened, he got wounded in a way you couldn’t see. He put the doctor’s card in his pocket.
* * * *
The talking slowed down when eating began. Callie fed her children first. Mac and Danny ate with the kids. Then Mac took the kids so Callie could eat.
After lunch an impromptu soccer game sprang up. Jason wanted to join in so Danny grabbed him for his team, even Pat Weiss got into the act. Kitty followed the players around the field, always three lengths behind while Callie and Eliza watched.
“How are things with Danny and the girls?” Callie asked.
“Much improved.”
“How about you?”
“Things are going great for us.”
“What about marriage?”
“Marriage? Things are fine just the way they are,” Eliza said.
“You think Danny is going to want to go on like this forever?” Callie asked.
“I don’t know and I don’t want to know.”
“But isn’t he going to want a commitment from you?”
“I am committed to him. I don’t date anyone else, and I don’t want to,” Eliza said.
“Why are you afraid of marriage, Lize? You were happily married for a long time.”
“When Bill died, the pain of losing him was so intense, my life lay in ruins, little things, like the fact that Bill made the morning coffee, reminded me constantly.”
“You won’t lose Danny. Maine men stick.”
“Marriage is still a terrifying idea for me.”
“You’re keeping him at arm’s length to avoid the possibility of pain?”
“Maybe I’m not being smart, but I can’t seem to get past these feelings. I’m happy the way we are,” Eliza said.
Callie looked around for Kitty, but couldn’t find her. “Do you see Kitty?”
“She stood right here a minute ago,” Eliza said, getting up.
Callie stood up and looked around…the soccer game, no Kitty…the track around the field, no Kitty. Callie could feel her pulse pounding in her ears, as her panic grew.
“Mac! Mac! Where’s Kitty?” she yelled.
Mac turned around but couldn’t hear her. Danny stopped, too. Both men seemed to realize something was wrong and came running.
“I can’t find Kitty!” Callie said, on the verge of tears.
The men looked around but didn’t see her either, Jason pointed to the woods abutting the football field.
“There she is, Mom.”
Callie looked over and saw Kitty toddling toward two men who sat half hidden by the edge of the woods. Mac and Danny took off running. Callie watched, her eyes wide, her hand fisting her shirt as Kitty stopped only an arm’s length from the two men. One man reached out to take her hand but Mac grabbed her outstretched arm and yanked her back and away. Startled, the little girl started to cry. Mac picked her up, cradling her in his arms. Callie let out a big breath, relieved to see Kitty was safe.
* * * *
“What are you doing here?” Danny asked his father.
“Watching you all,” he said, “Fred, this is my boy, Danny.”
“You men should leave. This is KensingtonState property. You don’t belong here,” Mac said.
“Is this Callie’s girl?” Irvin asked. “She sure is pretty, just like Callie. Is that her mama over there?”
“Don’t answer him, Mac,” Danny warned.
“Yeah, nice rack,” Fred said, staring at Callie.
Mac turned to look at her and saw she was moving closer, coming to get Kitty. He stared at the men clenching his jaw, his temper about to explode at the remark.
“Kyle always had an eye for the ladies. Just like me,” Irvin said, proudly.
Danny took Mac’s arm and led him away with a quiet Kitty in his arms, but Mac stopped to say, “If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police.”
Fred gave a nasty smile and threatened quietly, “We’re going. We’re going. We ain’t done nothin’. Pretty little girl you have there. You should be more careful nothing bad happens to her.”
“Stay away from them,” Danny warned before walking away.
Mac returned the toddler to Callie, who took her in her arms and hugged her tightly, grateful to have her back. She watched the men stare at her and smile before they turned to leave. Instinctively, Callie moved closer to Mac as Irvin waved good-bye.
“Who are they?” she asked, shivering slightly. Mac put his arm around her and drew her even closer.
“They’re leaving,” he said, watching the men disappear into the woods.
“That’s my father, Callie,” Danny said, embarrassed, “and his degenerate friend, Fred.”
“Now he knows about Kitty. They give me the creeps,” Callie said.
“I’d like to bust them in the face,” Mac said, his temper finally boiling over.
“I’ll take care of them,” Danny said, “one way or another.”
Jonesy came up to Callie and asked her what happened.
“Jonesy, did you see those men? Remember their faces. If you ever see them anywhere near me, Mac, Kitty, Jason or Eliza, call the police,” Callie told her.
“They’ll never get past me,” Jonesy said, taking her hand.
Chapter Ten
Danny had pre-teaching jitters on Sunday night before classes started. He tried to get organized but felt overwhelmed. He had to deliver lectures, remember students’ names, teach the freshman how to write, how to use grammar and get them interested in reading all at the same time. Panicked, he called Eliza.
“Can you come over? I need to have someone else look over my plans,” he asked.
Eliza walked the four blocks to Danny’s house, but before she got to his driveway, a black car pulled up next to her.
“You going to visit my son, pretty lady?” Irvin asked from the passenger seat.
Eliza stopped and looked at him, and then at Fred, sitting behind the wheel, silence hung heavy on the empty street. Danny had the outside lights on, but he wasn’t there.
“Who are you and what do you want?” she asked.
“I’m Irvin Maine and this is my friend, Fred. We want to
meet Danny’s friends, get to know ‘em. I’m looking for a pretty lady, like you, myself. You Danny’s girlfriend or just a friend?” he asked her, a wicked smile on his face.
Eliza didn’t answer but walked toward Danny’s house until the black car cut her off and Irvin got out.
“Don’t run off, pretty lady. You Danny’s girlfriend?” Irvin repeated, reaching his hand out to grab Eliza’s arm.
A gunshot shattered the side windshield and a thousand small chunks of glass tinkled on the pavement. Danny stood at the door with the subcompact Glock aimed at the car. When the men turned to look at him, Eliza ran into the driveway.
“Get out of here and don’t come back. The next time the bullet will go through your thick head,” he shouted.
Eliza reached him and he put his free hand on her waist, pushing her inside the house. Then he backed in and shut and locked the front door as the black car sped away.
Eliza burst into tears. Danny held her. Over her shoulder he peered through the front window and saw a light go on in front of the house across the street and heard his neighbor’s door open. Sweat broke out on Danny’s forehead. He forgot his Glock would make a loud noise and then the sound of the shattering glass. Danny slipped away from Eliza and stepped outside again.
“What happened?” the man across the way yelled.
“A bunch of drunken kids. Think they were playing with a gun because it went off and broke their windshield,” Danny shouted back.
“Someone’s gonna catch hell tonight,” the man responded through cupped hands, then went inside and turned off his front porch light.
“Yeah.” Danny nodded and went inside, shutting the door behind him.
Eliza was waiting for him inside, still crying, her hands shaking.
“Sweetpea, you can relax, you’re safe,” Danny said, holding her until she stopped crying. “I’m so sorry. I thought you were driving over. I should have been waiting outside.”
