The Way Down

by Alexandria Hunt

  “The bumper cars!” Zach said, grabbing Sophie’s hand and taking off across the fair. Abbey and David held hands and tried to keep up.

  “That was rough, how are you feeling?” David asked as they walked.

  “I feel a little sick,” Abbey replied, leaning against David while they stood and watched her kids line up for the cars. “That was unexpected and horrible.”

  “Will you be okay seeing him later? I’ll be on duty by then.”

  “I’ll get Dad to come along with us. I feel like we need to do this, we’re playing nice so hopefully he’ll sign the papers and leave us alone after this.”

  “I would love that,” David said and kissed her quickly. They pulled apart and watched Sophie and Zach climb into the car.

  “You know I still want to marry you,” David said quietly and squeezed her hand.

  “I can’t wait to be Abbey Edwards, then I’ll finally feel like my past is behind me and I’ve made up for my stupid mistakes,” Abbey replied and squeezed his hand back.

  “We should get over to the horses,” David said, looking at his phone. “Their event starts in just over an hour, we should get ready.”

  Abbey called the two of them over when they got off the ride, told them it was time to go and the four of them walked back towards the trailer.

  Abbey glanced around furtively, jumpy with the feeling that Tom’s eyes were on her, burning into her as they made their way back.

  She hated that he was here and prayed he’d get bored enough that he would go back to Calgary with Candy, sign the papers, and be out of their lives forever.

  “Grandpa, you were supposed to find us,” Zach said as they found her dad brushing the kid’s horses. “You should have seen all the rides we went on!”

  “I got caught up in line, there are a lot of people here,” her dad said, “don’t let that get to you though, you guys are both doing so well you’ve got this.”

  “Thanks, grandpa,” Zach said, but he looked a little unsettled.

  “You’ll do great,” David said and tilted Zach’s hat back a little. “You’re a natural on your horse.”

  “Thanks,” Zach said and his anxiety seemed to dissipate at David’s encouragement. “I think Sophie’s gonna do really good too.”

  “How could you not? You’re my kids, “Abbey grinned. “Anything you do in the rodeo is going to be awesome.”

  Abbey helped them brush and tack up their horses, and during that time they heard the rodeo grand entrance as the whole event began.

  Abbey felt nervous for them, she was proud of how far they’d come with their riding and love of horses, but accidents happened all the time in rodeo.

  Before they knew it, the junior barrel event was called for line up and Abbey’s stomach flip flopped as her nerves kicked into overdrive.

  “I love you guys!” she called to them as they rode away with her dad leading the way. She watched them carefully move through other riders until they were out of sight, her two babies growing up before her very eyes.

  “Are parents allowed behind the arena?” Abbey asked, distracted by her conflicting emotions. She was so proud and so freaked out at the same time.

  “We’ll have to watch from the family section in the stands. We do get a better view from up there,” David said and put his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry, they’ll be fine.”

  “I know, but you know, it’s hard to let them do something that could be dangerous,” Abbey replied and they walked slowly to the stands where she could watch them compete for the first time.

  She didn’t need to worry, David held her hand the entire time, but after Sophie’s cloverleaf run through the barrels, she relaxed and then after Zach’s run, she was standing up and cheering with him.

  “That was amazing!” she yelled and jumped up and down. “They were amazing!”

  “I told you they’d be amazing,” David chuckled and kissed her forehead. “You’re amazing, of course your kids are amazing.”

  “I feel like we’re using that word a little too much,” Abbey laughed.

  She felt David’s phone buzz in his pocket and stepped back. He pulled it out, glanced at it and said, “Dammit, I have to get to work. I’ll be back here shortly though, I’m patrolling the grounds for the first couple hours of my shift. And then when I’m off, I’ll head right back home and climb into bed and show you just how amazing life can be.”

  “I’ll take amazing in that context,” Abbey replied and kissed him quickly as the announcer called the line up for the next even.

  David tugged at her hand and helped her down the stairs, they kissed again at the bottom and he left her there watching his fine ass walk away in his tight pants.

  “Lucky girl,” and older lady winked as she walked past Abbey.

  Abbey laughed, “Thanks,” she called out, turned and went to find her family.

  “Did you see me?” Sophie yelled as Abbey approached. “I was so fast!”

  Neither Sophie or Zach had made any ribbons but the grins on their faces was enough for Abbey. It was enough for her dad too, who was in a celebratory mood for once. Abbey remembered him grumbling about wasting money on the carnival when she was growing up, but now he seemed willing to spend as much as he needed in order to keep his grandkids happy.

  They got the horses brushed down, fed and watered and her dad said, “I’ll meet you over there, I’ve got to get a few things from my truck.”

  Abbey nodded and she and the kids headed back to the fair. They were still wearing their ride wristbands, and it was starting to get a little towards sunset so the rides were starting to light up and Abbey felt a quiver of excitement.

  “This is gonna be fun,” she said and walked just behind Sophie and Zach. “We can stay here a few hours, maybe get some corn dogs and poutine for dinner.”

  “Really? Nothing healthy tonight?” Zach asked.

  “Nothing at all, I promise. This only happens once a year so let’s pig out on greasy food and sugary treats.”

  “Yay, this is the best day of my life!” Sophie giggled.

  Abbey felt a chill move through her and she shivered. She sensed somebody watching them and scanned the crowd for Tom. She was sure it was Tom.

  She didn’t spot him, the kids looked at her questioningly, and she shook it off. She followed them through the people, the crowds were getting thicker the farther into the fair they went.

  “I can’t believe you put my son in a pussy event,” Tom’s voice slithered through the air and Abbey suppressed a gasp.

  She whirled to find him standing right behind her, his eyes blazing and his breath reeking of booze.

  He’d been drinking, and Abbey knew what that meant. He was dangerous and she had to talk him down from the intentions that showed in his eyes.

  Intentions to hurt her again, and she couldn’t let that happen.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Abbey replied, staring up at him, trying to focus all her newfound strength and anger back at him.

  “You put him in a fucking girl’s class, barrel racing? No son of mine is going to ride like a fucking woman,” Tom slurred.

  “Leave her alone!” Zach yelled and burst around Abbey to stare up at his dad. He threw a punch that landed on Tom’s stomach.

  “My little pussy’s got balls,” Tom chuckled and grabbed Zach by the wrists.

  “Leave him alone! Let him go!” Abbey screamed and ignored the crowd that was slowly gathering around them, watching the excitement.

  “I’m taking him back to my trailer to teach him how to fight like a real man. I never should have let you take him, you stupid bitch,” Tom snarled. One of his big hands encircled Zach’s wrists and he reached up with the other one to slam Abbey in the face.

  She went down like a ton of bricks, blood spurting from her nose as she gasped for air.

  Sophie dropped to her knees beside her mom and started to cry.

  Out of the corner of her eye Abbey saw somebody moving quickly.


  Before she could react, her dad drew back his fist and hit Tom squarely in the face. He didn’t stop though, Zach fell to the ground and her dad kept pummeling her ex husband while Abbey screamed.

  Chapter 17

  “Break it up, break it up, god dammit,” a voice came cutting through the crowd. People parted as Abbey slowly stood up on shaky legs. David pushed through, looking like a modern day super hero in his police uniform.

  “David, thank god!” Abbey cried out.

  David jumped into action and dragged Abbey’s dad off Tom and held him in his huge arms. “Settle down, Pete,” David ordered as her dad struggled against David’s hold.

  Tom staggered to his feet and held his hand to his face. “What the fuck, Pete? Keep your hands off me or I’ll kick your ass, old man.”

  “Come at me, you worthless piece of shit,” Abbey’s dad snarled.

  “Settle down you two,” David commanded. “I don’t want to take you both in.”

  “You can’t take me in, he attacked me,” Tom said.

  “He was grabbing Zach,” Abbey said, “Dad was protecting us.”

  “Is this true?” David asked Tom.

  “I was taking my son to my trailer, nothing illegal about that,” Tom replied.

  “Arrest him, David!” Abbey exclaimed. “You know what he’s like!”

  “He’s got a point,” David said sullenly. “Dammit, Abbey, Zach is his kid. You don’t have a legal custody order, there’s nothing I can do.”

  Abbey’s dad jerked out of David’s grip and swung at Tom again, slamming his meaty fist into Tom’s arrogant face. Abbey took great pleasure seeing the smug smirk wiped off Tom’s face but she knew it wasn’t good for her dad to attack…especially not in front of a crowd.

  David pinned his hands behind his back and said, “I’m sorry Pete, but you leave me no choice.” He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and slapped them on Abbey’s dad.

  “What are you doing?” Abbey shrieked at David.

  “My job, Abbey. We can talk about it after my shift.”

  “You can’t do this, Tom is the problem,” Abbey insisted.

  “Let him do his job,” Tom sneered, “he wants to play tough guy in his Halloween costume, then let him do it.”

  “I’ll take you in too, Tom,” David said with a low voice. “Just tempt me and you’ll see how far this costume can get me.”

  “I’m doing nothing,” Tom said, putting his hands up mockingly. “I’ll be going now. But Abbey, I’ll talk to you later. We still have a lot to go over.”

  Tom stepped back a few steps and his evil eyes glittered as David tugged at Abbey’s dad, indicating him to follow.

  “You can’t do this,” Abbey repeated. “This is bullshit, David.”

  “I’ll take him in overnight and I’ll lose the paperwork in the morning,” David said as he leaned close to her and pleaded with his eyes for her to drop it.

  Abbey wouldn’t. She was so upset over the whole thing that she couldn’t let it go, having Tom terrify her and then David taking her dad away triggered something deep inside of her.

  “Fuck you,” Abbey snarled. “This is wrong. You know this is wrong.”

  “I have to do my job,” David repeated.

  “Let him take me,” her dad said. “I deserve it, I let my temper get away from me.”

  “You protected us,” Abbey said, “which is more than I can say for David.”

  She knew she scored a direct hit with that one when she saw David wince. She was pleased that she had hurt him, her anger so clouded her judgment that she couldn’t help herself. She couldn’t stop even if she wanted to.

  “You’re pathetic,” she snapped, staring at David. “You know what he did to me and you didn’t do a thing to stop him. You stood there hurting my dad while Tom got his way.”

  “I have to do my job,” David said and glanced around at the people surrounding them. “You know who I am and you know what I do. I can’t break the rules for you or your family, no matter how much I love you.”

  “Then what the hell good is it to have you in my life? I need protection, I don’t need rules or a job,” she said, her breath hitching in her throat. “If you choose rules over me, then you’ve made your choice pretty clear.”

  “It’s not like that,” David said, “You know that’s not how it is. Fuck, let me take your dad in and I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

  “I won’t pick up. You made your bed, now you can lay in it,” Abbey glowered, grabbed the kids and dragged them away into the crowd.

  “Mommy, where’s David taking grandpa?” Sophie wailed while Zach glared at everyone and everything.

  “He’s doing his job, Grandpa hit your dad so he has to go with David,” Abbey replied, her gritted teeth probably telling the kids more than she had intended.

  “Are we going on more rides?” Zach snapped.

  “Not now. We need to get your horses loaded up and take them back to Grandpa’s.”

  “I want more rides. What about junk food dinner?” Sophie complained.

  “This sucks, this isn’t fair,” Zach grumbled.

  Abbey felt like she had back with Tom, when the kids were smaller and she was too scared to explain their situation to them.

  She was helpless to articulate how this entire event had made her so sick to her stomach and so panicked that she couldn’t think straight.

  She knew on some level that David was just doing the right thing, that he was an honest, hard working man who was only following the rules to protect everyone, including himself.

  She understood how much his job meant to him, and normally she would never want to put it at risk, but today everything felt as if it had fractured. Her soft, happy world had turned over and was now jagged edges and sharp pieces that she no longer recognized.

  She ignored the kids, which probably made it worse, and silently loaded the horses into the trailer, packed up all the tack and panels, and drove out of the rodeo grounds in an almost fugue state.

  It wasn’t until she was half way back to her dad’s place that she felt like crying. And it wasn’t until she passed the spot on the road where her old truck had broken down and she’d reunited with David again that the tears squeezed out from under her lids and rolled down her cheek.

  The kids were silent in the back seat, so they didn’t notice as her adrenaline eased off and she realized she’d thrown a tantrum for nothing.

  Sure she’d been upset that Tom had walked away as usual, but that was Tom’s fault, not David’s. He’d always been so clever at bucking the system and wiggling out of legal issues with his charm and ability to hide his dark side.

  David knew all about Tom, but it wasn’t up to him to rescue Abbey. She came to that conclusion as they pulled into her dad’s driveway, the sun setting in the distance and the barnyard lights flickering on in the dusk.

  “How about we unload these horses and head back into town for some pizza?” Abbey asked brightly, maybe too brightly. Zach and Sophie would know she was overcompensating for something.

  They didn’t reply, so she shut off the engine and walked around to the back to unload the horses.

  Neither one of them got out of the truck to help her, she glanced inside and saw their pouty faces and couldn’t deal with it just then so she kept busy packing everything into the barn.

  When she was done, she walked around to the cab of the truck again, opened the door and said, “Come on you guys, you can’t hate me forever.”

  “You ruined our night,” Zach said.

  “Yeah, you promised junk food and fun and then you just took us home. I hate it here,” Sophie added.

  “I think you know who ruined it,” Abbey said. “I know you guys must be going through a lot of crazy emotions right now, but I can’t help what your dad did. He decided to grab Zach and scare me bad enough that I had to come home.”

  “You should beat him up,” Sophie pouted, but Zach clued in and reached out to touch her arm.

  “I’m sorr
y my dad is such a jerk to you,” Zach said and looked down in shame. “And I’m sorry I didn’t help you all those times he did things to you.”

  “Oh sweetie, don’t you dare apologize for that,” Abbey said and dragged her son into her arms for a hug. “I’m sorry I stayed long enough for you to see all that. We should have moved out here years ago.”

  “That would have been nice to have David as my Daddy,” Sophie smiled and edged her way into the hug.

  Abbey felt the tension leave their bodies and she held them until she felt like all was going to right in their world again.

  “It’s getting so late, maybe we should have an upside down day instead of pizza,” Abbey said and they headed towards the house.

  “You mean breakfast for dinner?” Zach asked.

  “Yup, I’ll make pancakes,” Abbey replied and both kids cheered. She was too exhausted to drive all the way into town, but somehow making pancakes at her dad’s place seemed like the right thing to do. She thought about going over to David’s house, it was practically their place now too, but he didn’t have a nice big cast iron skillet like her dad and she decided they could go back there after they ate.

  And then when David got off shift, Abbey could apologize and make it up to him.

  That was the best thing about David, after all, the making up after any small argument they ever had.

  She opened the front door and stepped inside, flicked the switch and jumped when the room lit up in brightness.

  Tom waiting for her in her dad’s old leather chair.

  “Hello, family,” he said with a smile like a snake. His eyes were dead and he stood slowly, as if uncoiling like a viper. “Just in time for us to have a nice talk about getting back together.”

  “How did you get in here?” Abbey gasped and put her hands on Zach and Sophie’s shoulders protectively. “Where’s your truck?”

  “I parked it behind the barn, I knew you wouldn’t look there. I know you, dear wife, and I knew you’d be distracted by Lizzie’s betrayal. And come on, how else would I get in? Your old man doesn’t have anything valuable enough to protect, so he left his door open.”