Mallory

by Michelle Love

  When he pulls his mouth from mine, we’re both breathing hard. “I win,” he says with a chuckle.

  “Well, now you’ve gone and messed up, Jude. I can’t let you win,” I say with a giggle as he runs his hands up my sides.

  “I won! Admit it!” His fingers move over my waist as he begins to tickle me and I giggle some more.

  “I’ll never admit that! You didn’t win, I just changed my mind is all!”

  His laughter along with mine has the kids seeking us out and I hear little screeches of laughter peeling through the air as they run into the dining room. Carter grabs my leg and looks up at me. “What’s so funny in here?”

  Mia is tugging at Jude’s pants leg and holding up her chubby little arms. He lets me go to pick her up and kisses her cheek. “There’s my girl.”

  She puts her little hands on both of his cheeks and kisses him on the tip of his nose. “My cute boyfriend.”

  Jude cuts his eyes at me then cocks his head to the side and says, “You know I love you, Mia. But your Aunt Mercy is my girlfriend. You can accept that, right?”

  Mia’s little eyes go wide as she looks at me. “Your cute boyfriend, Aunt Mercy?”

  I nod, hesitantly. “Are you okay with that?”

  She shrugs her little shoulders. “Sure. As long as he’s one of our cute boyfriends.”

  Carter claps his hands and jumps up and down. “We have an uncle now!”

  Jude and I lock eyes. And now there is nothing I can do to stop this from rolling forward. The kids are over the moon about him and he’s a part of us now, no matter what I say.

  How can I be letting myself get so completely tangled up with this man so damn quickly?

  JUDE

  The house is tiny and not anything I’ve ever stayed in before. But I want to be with Mercy so I’m trying to make myself comfortable here in these surroundings. It’s been a while since anyone has lived here and I swear it feels like it’s been abandoned and shadows seem to ebb and flow throughout the small house.

  The kids have to share a bedroom so I had a set of bunk beds brought in and the old double bed that had been Mercy’s before her family was killed was taken out and given to the local thrift shop.

  I also had new bedroom furniture put in the bedroom that had been her parents. I tried hard to erase some of the things that might trigger bad or sad feelings in her.

  Mercy comes out of the bathroom with Mia wrapped in a towel and sighs as she walks toward the bedroom that was hers up until that terrible night when the accident left her with a couple of huge responsibilities. Responsibilities she’s taken great care of but it’s taken a toll on her. Anyone can see that.

  Getting up off the couch, I call out to her, “I’ll start the water for Carter now.”

  “Thanks,” she shouts back at me. “This one bathroom thing is a real pain in the badonkey-donk.”

  I laugh with her colorful use of language. “Watch your mouth, young lady!”

  She laughs and I hear Mia giggle too. “He told you to watch your mouth, Aunt Mercy. Unckie Jude is too funny!”

  “Yes, he’s a real riot,” Mercy says.

  After I get the tub ready, I go try to pry Carter away from the television and the cartoon he’s been watching. “Bath’s ready, Carter.”

  “Okay,” he says without taking his eyes off the television screen. “I’ll go in a minute.”

  “Well, the water’s warm right now. It’ll get cold if you wait. You should also hurry because the bubbles I put in it will all be gone if you wait,” I tell him in an attempt to entice him into the bath he desperately needs. The kid has played hard all day and he smells like pure little kid funk.

  The bubbles worked I see as he jumps up and sprints toward the small bathroom. “Bubbles! Yes!”

  His clothes are hitting the floor as he goes and his little butt is bare just before he gets inside the bathroom. I laugh and go along behind him, picking them up and putting them in the hamper. “Holler when you’re ready to get out and I’ll help you, buddy.”

  He splashes into the bubble filled tub and smiles like a kid on Christmas morning. “Okay.”

  Closing the door half-way, I make my way to see how Mercy’s coming along with Mia. I find Mia dressed in some cute little Hello Kitty pajama set and Mercy combing out her wet hair and putting it into a braid as they talk. Leaning on the doorframe and watching them without either realizing I’m there, I listen to their conversation.

  “He’s so nice, right, Aunt Mercy?” Mia asks as she plays with a little Barbie doll I let her pick out before we came here. I let both kids pick out a toy to start their new toy collection here.

  “Yes, he is,” Mercy agrees, making me smile.

  “And he’s so cute,” Mia says.

  Mercy makes a long sigh. “Yes, he is.”

  “And he’d be a good daddy,” Mia says.

  Mercy nods but doesn’t say anything. So I clear my throat to let them know I’m here and say, “Looks like you have her pretty much squared away, Mercy. I’m going to run over to that little store on the corner up the street and get you and I some adult beverages to enjoy after we put these little cherubs in bed. Do you want anything else? Some beef jerky or anything like that?”

  “How about a bag of those hot pork rinds and get that low carb beer. I need to get my figure in check if I’m going to be the owner of a fitness club.” She looks at me and gives me a wink.

  “Oh, I’ll get you into shape. We can start your workout tonight,” I say and give her a wink. “I have all kinds of great ideas.”

  She blushes and looks away. “I bet you do.”

  Stopping off at the bathroom to see how Carter is getting along, I ask, “You good for ten minutes, buddy. I’m running to the store?”

  “I’m doing good. I’m going to be in here for a while, playing with these bubbles. And how about you get me a nice ice cream?” he asks me.

  “Not before bed, but nice try, Carter,” I say with a chuckle and head out.

  “Aw, man,” he says as I make my way out the front door.

  The houses in this neighborhood are all older, wood frame homes and Mercy was right, my Jag looks out of place here. Night has fallen since we got here and the place takes on a whole new look.

  I can see quite a few people sitting outside of their homes. The sound of music creeps around in the warm night air. I can hear some man cussing out someone then a screen door slams and a car starts up and peels away.

  I slip into my car and notice a few men walking up the street. I pull out of the driveway and head toward the little corner store. As I pull into the parking lot, all eyes are on me and my car.

  “You’re in the wrong part of town, mister,” some skinny, meth-head looking young guy says.

  I nod and walk away, pressing the lock button on my key-fob. As I get to the entrance, I notice a young woman wearing the shortest blue jean cutoffs I’ve ever seen and a black bra. That’s it, nothing else, not even shoes.

  Her dirty blonde hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail and she looks stoned. “You need a date, mister?” she asks as I make sure not to touch her as I go inside and shake my head as my answer.

  This is not a place for Mercy and the kids to be living. I have to change this up and quickly.

  Around ten people are milling around the store that’s too small for that many people to be hanging out. But they’re doing it anyway. I grab the beer and the pork rinds and make my way to the cashier who is a man behind a bulletproof glass window. “You want lottery tickets?” he asks me as he rings up my purchases with a handheld scanner he holds outside of a hole only big enough for his hand and the scanner to pass through.

  “No, thank you,” I answer him as I notice I’m the center of attention.

  “You’re not from around here,” he says. “You don’t belong on this side of town. Are you looking for a prostitute? I know of three right here, right now. I can get you laid if that’s why you’re here.”

  “Oh, no thanks,” I
say as I grab up my things and head out.

  Wow, that is a man who wears many hats. Cashier and pimp!

  Two scraggly looking teens are leaning on my car and I’m pissed off immediately but I’m not about to lose my temper here. “Hey, kids. Gotta go. Mind getting off my car? I don’t want to hurt you when I pull out.”

  “Fuck off,” one of them says with a snarl.

  I unlock only the driver door and get inside the car. As I pull away, one of the kids falls and starts cussing and shooting the finger at me as I drive off.

  Nope, we are not staying the night here!

  The neighborhood looks run down during the day but at night it looks like a third-world country. This is not a place for anyone with kids. So now I know I have to bait a trap for Mercy. I have to get her to agree to let me get us a place while the other house is repaired.

  When I get to the driveway, I park all the way at the back of it so I can see the car out of the kitchen window. I go inside the door there and make sure to leave the porch light on.

  Leaving the things on the kitchen table, I go find Mercy reading a book to Mia and Carter is still in the bathtub. I stop by the bathroom and say, “Hey, Carter, time to get out and get in those pajamas.”

  “Aw,” he says. But I hear him pull the plug and the water going down the drain.

  “Thanks, buddy.” I take a towel out of the cabinet and toss it on the vanity. “You got this from here.”

  “Yep,” he says so I leave him in the bathroom and go into the living room to try to talk Mercy into letting me take us all to a nice hotel.

  “So, what was life like here a couple of years ago, Mercy?” I ask her as I take a seat next to her on the couch.

  “Quiet,” she says as she closes the book she’s finished reading to Mia. Mia takes the book and heads off to the pile of them to get another one.

  “Well, it’s not quiet anymore. It’s pretty rough and not at all safe. So, let’s get the kids and let’s go to a hotel room. Tomorrow I can find us a nice place to rent while the other house is getting fixed back up.”

  She laughs at me and says, “You’re just spoiled, Jude. This is an old neighborhood. Most of the people are old and the streets shut down as soon as it gets dark.”

  “No, they don’t. Not anymore. Come here,” I say as I get up and take her out on the front porch, leaving the porch light off.

  The eerie sounds of people arguing, televisions up loud, radios on, and dogs barking meet us. The squeaks from some bicycles come from the left and we look to see about seven young men riding them down the middle of the street and one of them throws a bottle right in the driveway. “Fuck you, motherfuckers!” one of them yells as they pass us.

  “See,” I tell her. “It’s changed.”

  She looks at me with a frown. “Jude, I can’t keep moving the kids from place to place. I can’t.”

  “We can’t keep them here, baby.”

  She nods and runs her arms around me. “My world is a mess. I hate this.”

  Running my hands over her back, I say, “I know. Let me take care of things. Everything will be alright.”

  Her arms tighten around me then she lets me go and turns away from me. “I can’t continue to let you fix everything.”

  What the hell does that mean?

  MERCY

  “How can one tornado mess up my life so badly?” I ask myself.

  Jude is standing next to me and I suppose he’s taking offense at my words. “Messed up? Mercy, I’m here with you. You’re not alone in this at all. And I can fix it all.”

  Sitting on the cement stair of the small front porch, I feel like crying. The house Mom, Dad, and I shared is no longer the home I knew. The neighborhood has gone to shit, just like my life has.

  Jude doesn’t understand me and that’s hard to take. He sits next to me and sighs. “Talk to me, baby.”

  “You wouldn’t understand. No one can,” I say as I look up at the black sky. “You can’t even see the stars here.”

  He puts his arm around me. “Talk to me anyway.”

  “I managed to pull my ass out of shock and get a job within a month of my family’s departure from this world. I had to gain access to all of their bank accounts, not an easy thing to do. I had to call the insurance agencies that I had to dig through tons of files and paperwork to find in the first place. And I managed to get it all taken care of in a month’s time.”

  “And, if you were all alone, you could manage it again,” he says. “But you don’t have to. I love you and I’m here now.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat and whisper, “But what about if one day, you’re not?”

  “Mercy, no one knows the future.” He kisses my cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, though. And the future I’m building with you will always be yours, no matter what.”

  I look at him and have to wonder if this is all true. If this is real and if he was sent to us.

  “No matter what, I’ll be a full partner in that business?” I ask. “Even if you and I don’t work out?”

  He nods. “I’m going to make it legal. I can’t pull it away from you, no matter what.”

  It’s not sinking in. Maybe because at this time, the new business is in the talking stages. There is nothing concrete to make it seem real yet. And maybe it will never get passed this stage and I will have wasted precious time.

  “Jude, I’m having a hard time with everything. All of it. You, the new job.”

  “Not a job, Mercy,” he says as he shakes his head. “Opportunity.”

  “Okay, the new opportunity, you, the fancy houses, expensive cars, all of it,” I say then lean my head on his shoulder. “All of it. It doesn’t feel real. And now that I’ve lost all I’ve worked for, I feel lost. I don’t have the luxury of feeling lost. I have to stay strong for those kids.”

  “And you are doing that.” He takes my chin and makes me look at him. “Mercy, you are an extremely strong woman. I don’t want to take that away from you. I merely want to be a part of your life. A person you can count on. Everyone should have that, shouldn’t they?”

  “I’m beginning to feel like a burden. Two kids and myself, that’s a lot to ask anyone to take on. When you add in that I’m pretty much homeless right now and jobless, well, it really makes me feel like a freaking loser. You can do better and you know it.”

  “No, I cannot,” he says then his soft lips touch mine. “You are the best, I can do no better than you. I don’t feel like you or the kids are burdens at all. I feel like you all are enhancements. I had no goals, Mercy, until I found you. Do you have any idea how boring it is to live a life with no goals or aspirations?”

  “No,” I say. “I’ve always had them.”

  “So, can’t you see how you and those kids are helping me too. You all are helping me to be more human, more present, more of everything. I need you guys just as much as you need me right now. So let it all go for a while. Take it easy and let me handle things. I’ll get us set up in a nice home and things will start falling into place. Just you watch.”

  Gazing into his eyes, I want desperately to let him take care of me. Take care of all of us. But I know that’s not his job to do.

  A little voice comes from behind us. “I’m sleepy,” Mia says through the screen door.

  Jude looks at me and whispers, “Can you let me take over for a while?”

  I nod and lay my head on his shoulder. “Take over, Jude. I’m giving in for now, anyway. I’m too weak to do anymore, anyway.”

  He looks back at Mia and now Carter as he’s joined her at the door. “Go grab your toys and books and put them in your backpacks. We’re going to a nice hotel to spend the night and tomorrow we’re moving into a nice home because you all deserve that.”

  I jump as the kids starts screaming, “Yes!”

  Carter starts running off with Mia right on his heels as he shouts, “This place is scary, anyway!”

  Jude gets up and pulls me up with him. “Thank you, Jude. I hope one day I can r
epay all this kindness you’re showing us.”

  “Don’t even think about it, Mercy.”

  As we go inside to pack up once again, I’m left with an odd feeling. I’ve given up. I’ve given it all to him to take care of but the weight is still there. Nothing feels awesome like I thought it would.

  Why is that?

  JUDE

  It took a whopping two days for my mother to track down one of her friends who has a house in Preston Hollow, a posh Dallas neighborhood full of mansions and much more like home to me. The owners actually live in Italy and the house is more of a tax write-off for them than a home they use.

  Mercy and the kids love it with the tennis court, swimming pool and tons of spacious rooms. The first thing Mercy did was make a map of the house to help us get acclimated to our new surroundings.

  The house had a skeleton staff but a full one was easily brought in to keep things running smoothly here. Mercy and I are lounging by the swimming pool while the kids are getting swimming lessons and I’ve never felt more calm and complete than I do right now.

  Mercy’s on her notebook, looking at properties to build the fitness center on and holds it up. “Look at this place. It was an indoor shooting range. The owners closed it up three years ago and it looks spacious enough and in good condition. We could have it up and running in no time, Jude.”

  She hands me the little thing and I look at the pictures. “I think you’re right. Would you like to call about it and set up an appointment?”

  “I would,” she says with a broad smile. “Jude, this could be it!”

  I smile back and say, “It could. Call that number, girl!”

  She hops up and runs into the house to make the call and I watch her go, wiggling with excitement. Then a thought hits me and I ask the two women who are teaching the kids to swim, “How much longer will the lessons last?”

  “An hour, sir,” one of them answers me.

  “Cool. I’ll be back by then. Be good kids,” I say as I get up and go inside.

  Mercy is just getting off the phone when I come in and her eyes are bright and so is her smile. “How about five this evening?”