by Letty Scott
When my side door opened and I turned to look up, Brandon was looking at me with an annoyed expression. “Kami, come on, get out of the car.”
I was too nervous to get out though and deal with telling someone else about my troublesome past. I wasn’t sure how they would take it. The only thing I could think was they would kick us out, or kick me out.
“Can’t we rethink this through? Maybe it’s best if we get a divorce and we think of something else,” I tried to reason. “Maybe I can stay somewhere else hidden from my family, till graduation.”
“No, Kami. I want to be able to keep an eye on you to know that you’re safe.” He motioned with his head. “Now get out of the car or I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and carry you in.”
I was feeling too anxious to get out of the car. This day had more drama in it than I ever image could happen in one day. I should have known when Brandon walked up to me this morning that it was going to be absurd crazy kind of day.
It occurred that trouble followed this boy around and cursed whomever he was with. Now here I was sitting in his car in front of his house, about to tell his parents that we had gotten married, not sure how they were going to take it.
I was so lost in my own thoughts that when Brandon leaned over me and unbuckled my seatbelt, I didn't have time to react till he was pulling me out of the car and throwing me over his shoulder as he kicked the car door shut. “We don’t have all day, Kami. The sooner we get this done, the better things will be.”
When he had picked me up and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potato, it made my side burn. If it hadn't been for the sting going down my side as he walked to the door, I would have totally forgotten about the bruises that were on my side.
I didn't want Brandon to think he was hurting me, so I bit my lip to wait for the pain to pass and focused more on the matter of telling his parents about this plan of his.
“Brandon, put me down!” I yelled, slamming my hands against his back. I don’t know what he intended to tell his parents, but I was becoming more and more uncomfortable the closer he walked us to the front door.
“If I do, will you walk to the front door like a normal person?” he asked as I saw the steps start to appear under my head. The further he walked up the steps, the darker it got, informing me that we were getting closer to the front door.
I let out a big sigh knowing there was no winning against this boy, but before I could tell him that I surrendered, I heard a woman's voice speak up. “Brandon, what do you think you are doing? I can hear that girl screaming all the way inside.”
As the woman spoke, Brandon puts me back down on my feet. I looked up at him with pleading eyes to just let me go. I was starting to feel doubtful about Brandon’s desire to help me. I still didn’t fully understand why he felt the need to help me, but a small part of me was thankful.
“Mom, this is Kami,” he told her, looking down at me with a smile. He brought his hand up and caressed my cheek gently while giving me a caring look. As I looked into his eyes, I could see the apologies within them, as if sensing he had hurt me when he had picked me up.
“Ok, and what is she doing here?” the lady questioned him. Even with my back turned to this lady, I could tell by her voice that she was uneasy about me being here, which only made me second guess this agreement even more.
“She is going to be living here, till the end of school,” he answered her, now looking up from behind me at his mother. I stood there studying his face, to see if he was starting to lose his edge.
“Brandon, that won’t be happening. Not in this house. Take that girl back from where you found her; this isn’t a boarding house,” she said back at him.
That was when Brandon gripped my hand and pulled me around and started walking to the door. I brought my eyes down, afraid to look up at this lady, who made it clear she didn’t want me in her house. “No, mom. I’m not taking her back to the pits of hell. She is going to be staying here, regardless of what you have to say.”
He pushed himself through the door with me behind him. I was starting to feel bad for causing all this ruckus between him and his mom. Maybe it would have been best to go to the cops. This wasn’t worth the trouble.
“Louis, tell your son to take this girl back home,” the woman said from behind us. “That she won’t be living here.”
I was so focused on the ground that I didn’t hear anyone else enter the foyer till I heard a male voice speak up. “Brandon, what is the meaning of this? We never had this kind of behavior from you before.”
I wanted to laugh at the irony of that statement. Didn’t this man know that their son was the one who caused the most trouble in school? That he had a passion for getting into fights, just because he didn’t like it when someone did something he wasn’t fond of? This was the bad boy of my school and most people tried to steer clear of him.
“Can’t we just sit down and talk about this. I promise it’s not what it looks like,” Brandon stated. I could tell he was trying to keep calm as he spoke to his parents.
He walked around to face me as he brought his finger under my chin and lifted my head till I met his eyes. As I once again got lost in his eyes, I saw the same caring look he had been showing me outside. “Kami and I got married a little while ago.”
“You what!?” His mother yelled, making me flinch a little by the way she took the news. I tried to move my head back down, but Brandon kept his finger in place so I wouldn't.
“I said Kami here is my wife. This is the reason why she is going to be living here with us, till we graduate from school,” he explained in a softer voice.
“Brandon, you need to stop and think about what you’re doing. You’re only eighteen years old. You have your whole life to live. Do you think it’s best to be getting married so young? I don’t think that is the best decision to make,” the man said from behind me. I could hear him stepping around us, but I didn’t dare tear my eyes from Brandon. “Why did you feel the need to get married so young?”
“We didn’t even know you were serious about anyone,” his mother spoke. “Do her parents know about this? Maybe it would be best if we all got together and talk about this.”
Brandon tore his eyes from me and turned to face his parents as I cast my eyes back down to the ground. “Her family has no say in this. This marriage is an agreement between me and her, not anyone else. Her family can jump to hell for what they did to her, for all I care.”
“Brandon, don’t talk to your mother like that,” His father said. “We’re just trying to make light about all this. What did her family do that was so bad, that you feel the need to bring her here and tell us you got married?”
“Are you blind, old man? Just look at her,” Brandon yelled back at him. The more he yelled, the more I pictured my stepfather hitting me when something happened to his dislike. I thought Brandon was about to start a fight with his father. I looked up at him to see that he had a challenging look. “Think about what happened sixteen years ago because it looks like history repeating itself.”
That's when I felt a pair of warm small hands go along my jaw line and move my face to look into a pair of remorseful brown eyes. “Her family did this to her?” his mother asked as she took in my bruised face, even though it was still lightly covered with makeup. She had the same brown eyes that Brandon had, but with honey blond hair lying around her face. She had the perfect model heart-shape face that any guy would be attracted to. The only flaw I could see was the faded scar that ran along her right cheekbone.
“Yes, mom,” Brandon answered. “When I saw her face this morning at school, I knew I had to do something to help her. I stayed by her side and saw nothing out of the ordinary, so I followed her home.” Then he took a deep breath before continuing. “When I got to her room, I found her step-father had tied her to her bed and was about to rape her.”
A shiver went through me as I thought about what would have happened if he hadn’t shown up when he did. “I beat the shit
out of that sick fuck and got her out of there. We started driving around when I saw that white wedding chapel. We walked in and asked to be married, which wouldn’t be final till Saturday though.”
Brandon gripped my hand tighter as his mother released me from her hold, about the time I saw tears running down her cheeks. “I promise to keep her safe till graduation. After that we will figure everything out,” he explained, pulling me to him and wrapping his arm around my waist. “Is there anything else you need to know?”
“No, son. I think we understand a little more about what is going on,” his father said. “Go get washed up. Dinner will be ready soon.”
As we walked up the stairs, I thought back to what just happened and how they just accepted me without a second thought after Brandon said something that took place so many years ago. “What happened sixteen years ago?”
“That doesn’t matter anymore. It’s in the past and is over,” he told me as we got to the top of the stairs. “Although I think you look stunning in that dress, let’s go see if we can find something a little more comfortable for you to wear.”
He opened a door to the left and led me in with his hand. I took in the unmade bed along the wall next to the door, with clothes scattered on the floor. Brandon pulled me inside before shutting the door and walking me over to the closet to look for some clothes. “Here, this should work for now.” He handed me a pair of sweatpants and a baggy shirt.
“Thanks,” I said, looking around for some place to change in private. Even though he had already seen me in my weakest state, I wasn’t ready to be exposed to him in that manner again.
“The bathroom’s there,” he said, pointing to another door next to the one he just came out of, seeing my uneasiness about where to change.
When I looked up at him, I saw how he started rubbing the back of his head and his eyes looked from side to side, showing I wasn’t the only one who was nervous about this. “When you’re done, I guess we can talk or find something to do.”
“Brandon, I get it, ok? You don’t really like me and I still don’t understand why we got married, but we don’t have to tell anyone. I want you to live your life the way you did before. Thank you though for getting me out of that nightmare and bringing me into your family, but don’t worry. I’m not going to force you into acting like a husband to me,” I told him. It wouldn’t be fair to make him change when this wasn’t going to be a real marriage. He did this to protect me.
I leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek. Then turned to walk into the bathroom to change out of the dress.
Placing the change of clothes by the sink, I looked down at my wedding dress and sighed. At least the clothes Brandon gave me were baggy and his mom and dad wouldn’t see those bruises on me. I slipped on the sweatpants and pulled the string so they wouldn’t fall off, and pulled the oversized shirt on and opened the door to go back into the room.
When I walked out, Brandon was sitting on the bed with his face down looking at his phone. He looked annoyed. He had also changed out of his clothes into a pair of basketball shorts and a white shirt. I could see the muscles in his toned arms, showing how strong he really was.
Never before have I ever paid real attention to Brandon’s appearance because I was mostly looking into his brown eyes. There was something about them that made me feel safe, like no one could harm me as long as I looked into them.
“Are you ok?” I asked, stepping back into the room, leaving the dress in the counter in the bathroom.
He looked up and my eyes locked with his. “I was just thinking about what you just told me.”
“What do you mean?”
“How you said I didn’t need to change my ways. It just wouldn’t be fair to you, though, if I keep doing what I’ve always done.” He looked back down at his phone. “It might be hard, but I think it is best if we try to make this a faithful marriage. I’ll keep you protected better if I stay away from other girls and going to bed with them.”
I looked over at him thinking what had made all this come out. “Brandon, there’s no reason to change for me just because we are married. I respect you for not wanting to cheat on me, but just think of this as a fake marriage. As soon as school’s done, we can get a divorce and I’ll get my inheritance. You will never have to see me again.”
With that said, he stood up and walked over to me with rage in his eyes. I took a step back from him with flash backs of my stepfather giving me the same look before he would punch me to the ground.
“Kami, I’m not going to fight you with this. We got married and we need to act it. Once school’s out, we will figure it all out then,” he replied with annoyance in his voice as he took a step closer to me, only for me to take one away from him till my back hit the wall next to the door I came out from.
I thought back to the night when I was pressed against the wall right before I got hit. I closed my eyes, waiting for Brandon to do the same, but when I felt him caress my cheek, I knew he wasn’t going to harm me. “Kami, open your eyes.” When I opened them, I found myself swimming in his chocolate brown eyes once again. “Listen to me. It doesn’t matter how frustrated I get. I would never harm you. I never want to see that look on your face again when we’re fighting about something. I’ve never hit a girl in my life, nor would I ever plan to. If a girl would ever try to hit me, I simply pin her arms above her head till she calmed down, but I would never hit her back.”
He held my face in the palm of his hand, looking at me with certainty in his eyes. “I need you to have some kind of faith in me and know I will keep you protected from anyone who will try to harm you.”
I stared into his eyes, thinking if I was about to give him what he wanted. Faith. I haven’t had faith in someone in such a long time I was unsure if I would be able to now, but he hadn’t given me a reason not to. “I’ll try, but it might take some time.”
He leaned his forehead against mine, still looking me in the eyes. “That’s all I’m asking. Now come on. It’s time for dinner,” he said, pulling me out of the room down to the dining area.
At dinner there was little talk about Brandon and me getting married or what had happened to cause all of it, but we talked about simple things. His mother had offered to go shopping for me for some new clothes since there was no point in me bringing stuff from my old home here. His father said that he would talk to us both alone about this arrangement in the morning after he came back from getting my school stuff.
Aside from that, it was a simple and peaceful dinner with no fighting, which was really new to me.
When dinner was finished, Brandon wasted no time in telling them goodnight and pulling me back into his room with him. When he lay down on the bed with his arm over his face, I just stood there looking around, starting to feel uncomfortable again. “Uhm, Brandon, where am I sleeping?”
He sat back up looking at me with a small smile playing across his face. “In here with me.”
I felt my heart rate speed up, thinking how I’ve never shared a bed with a guy before, besides the fact I hardly ever slept in my own bed due to the beatings I would get that caused me to black out. “Isn’t there a guest room, I could sleep in?” I asked uneasily.
“Yes, there is a guest room, but I want you to stay here with me. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of room on the bed for us to share. I just want to know you’re safe at all times and it would help me sleep better if I knew you were beside me,” he replied as he moved some covers around. “Now come on. I want to relax and watch some TV before I go to sleep. We both had a long day and need the rest.”
Not wanting to start another fight, I did as he asked and walked over to the other side of the bed and got in. He turned on the television hanging on the wall across the bed. As I got under the covers, I turned my back to him, trying to not think how awkward I felt being in bed with a guy I just married all in one day. As I pulled the pillow closer to my face, I felt the covers being pulled over my shoulder. Closing my eyes, I drowned out the noise in the room a
nd felt him place a soft kiss on my temple.
“Good night, Kami.”
6
“Kami, wake up.”
I felt someone shaking me from the darkness that was swimming around me.
“Come on, open your eyes. It’s just a dream. Wake up.”
When I finally opened my eyes, escaping from the nightmare that was dark and wicked, I found Brandon sitting up over me. I felt the tears run down my cheeks and I turned my back to him, not wanting him to see the tears coming down my face.
“Hey, are you okay?” He asked from behind me, but not moving to come any closer.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a nightmare. Sorry for waking you up,” I replied in a soft voice, not turning to look at him.
I closed my eyes and thought how the dream felt so real. I had been in the perfect white room with an aura of peace when a dark cloud swirled around me. I ran to try to escape, but it was faster as it sucked me into darkness. I became defenseless in the blackness, being unaware of what could be lurking in the cloud. That's when I started panicking and was awakened.
I never remembered having any nightmare or dream before tonight. When I normally slept at night, I had been blacked out from being beaten. I don’t even recall the last time I even dreamed. Was this my punishment now, having nightmares, so that I’d be too scared to close my eyes?
How can I stay strong and get past this point in my life if I’m too scared to go to sleep? Even Brandon wouldn’t be able to save me from the demons that plagued my dreams now. This dilemma I must fight on my own. I have been trying to prove to myself that I didn’t need anyone in my life before Brandon showed up. The one thing I was certain of was that in a few short months I’d be out on my own with no Brandon in sight. I just hoped this taught me how to be on my own and not rely on someone else for help.
“Kami, don’t do this. You’re shutting me out and hiding again,” he said after some time. “You said you wouldn’t hide from me anymore.”
Wiping the tears off my face, I turned to face him and found that he was still sitting there looking at me. With the darkness in the room, it was hard to make out his facial expression, and this made it easier to talk to him.
