by Nye, Laine
“Sherry what happened?” He said forgetting the part where he shows some sympathy for his daughter.
“Brad did something really weird to me Dad.” Sherry said as she quickly worked up some tears. He somehow picked me off the ground and took me high in the air like a magician would do, then he just dropped me on the ground from way high up.”
Mack looked at his daughter in puzzled anger. “What?” He asked not believing her.
“I swear to you it is true Dad.”
“He carried you? He picked you up in his arms? What?” He demanded.
“No. He was right next to me when I floated up. He held my hand and would not let me go. You know how afraid of heights I am. He wouldn't let me go and just took me higher and higher. I think he wanted to make me do something I didn't want to do. He wasn't going to let me come back down until I gave into his demands.” She lied.
“What did he say?” Mack asked through gritted teeth. “What did he try to do?”
“Well. You know. Dad, I can't talk about this stuff with you. But he just made me feel cheap. Then when I wouldn't do what he wanted he just dropped me back to the ground. I think he was planning to do it again, but I slapped him hard and he backed off. I made him go get Aunt Sophie. After I hit him, he seemed to be afraid of me. He's a coward and a brute. I hate him!”
She had never seen her father this angry in her life. And she had seen plenty of his anger, many times. It was working. Her dad would bury Brad.
“I'm leaving you with your aunt and I'm going to Brad's house to talk with that boy. Give me his address. Sherry pulled the address out of her small purse and handed it to her father. “Get him Dad.” She said through tear filled eyes. “Don't let him get away with what he did to me. What he tried to do.”
Mack began to storm out in the same manner that he came in. When he heard his sisters voice, “Mack.” She said in a stern voice that was meant to get his attention. He turned around to look at her.
“Hello Mack. Your welcome. But I really didn't mind bringing Sherry here so you don't have to make a big deal out of it.” She said sarcastically.
Mack looked at her for a long moment, nodded, spun on his heel and left.
“You've got him riled up this time Sherry. Good idea?”
“Yes!” Sherry shot back. I want him to punish Brad for what he did to me.”
“Did he kidnap you too, Sherry? You didn't want to be with him tonight?” More sarcasm. Sophie was not fooled or manipulated by her niece even though she knew how effectively Sherry could coax her father and brothers down the road she wanted them on. Sophie did not know what had happened or how. She just wanted to take care of her niece. Defuse this whole thing and be done with it. That wouldn't happen now that her brother was on the war path again.
“I sure hope you know what you are doing. Sherry. I've seen your dad hurt quite a few people in his life.” Sophie said to her in quiet earnestness. “You and this Brad might have still been able to work things out. But that won't happen now.”
“I don't care. I just want to see Brad get his after what he did to me tonight.”
“Well you won't see it. You will not even get an accurate report about what will happen. You know your father better than that.”
“I. Don't. Care.” Sherry said with hate in her eyes.
Sophie leaned toward her. “I told you to never look at me that way again. Remember? If you prefer I can just leave now and you can find your own way home.”
“No. I'm sorry Aunt Sophie. I didn't mean it.”
“Did you also not mean for your father to go after Brad after you got him all wound up?”
Sherry looked away. Sophie had a way of getting through her defenses. “I'm sorry.”
“That's good for you but not for this Brad. For him it’s too late. Your father is off his chain now. This could get ugly before it is over.”
“Yeah.” Sherry quietly conceded. But she still wanted to know that her dad would scare Brad half out of his life, just like she had been afraid. What had she seen in the freak anyway.
Brad drove aimlessly for a time, berating himself for not thinking more clearly when she had fallen. All he would have had to do was simply throw a non-gravity field under her again and all would have been well. He had panicked and made bad decisions right up until she almost hit the ground. If his thinking had not finally cleared up then, she likely would have been killed or incurred a lifelong injury.
He had been right in Florida. He should have kept this secret from others. That was exactly what he had strongly sensed that he should do. That was why he had shown such restraint when Milo was stalking him. He gave up that secrecy after the incident with his mom on the beach. It had given him such confidence. In his excitement he could not help himself. He just wanted to show this incredible ability he had been given. Show off, was more like it. He had been showing off. Now look where I am at.
He had been as careful as he possibly could in Clearwater and Linda still had found out. She sensed what he could do somehow. No one else had been able to do that. Just her. With her knowledge she had almost ruined Brad's life with her letter to the principal and school resource officer. She had caused him a real problem but he failed to recognize how letting others know what he could do as he had done with Sherry and his friends would cause him problems again. Why didn't he listen to his own instincts?
He arrived at home and went into the house reluctantly. His father looked up from a book he was reading and said, “Oh, oh. You are home way too early from a hot date. What's going on? You look miserable.”
“I messed up bad tonight Dad.”
Hearing Brad say that from another room, Kate quickly came into the living room and asked in a demanding tone, “What do you mean you messed up young man?”
“No Mom.” Brad replied. “It's not like that. It was totally different.”
Kate calmed down a few notches. “Okay? What did happen then Brad?” She asked as she sat down on the couch.
“I showed her what I can do,” Brad said miserably.
Kate sucked in air through her teeth.
“Not a good choice, huh son?” Steve asked him.
Brad shook his head. “It was really stupid of me but at the time I thought it was a great idea.”
“Brad, you took several months to build up enough trust in us to let us know what you could do. Like I already told you I know that you deliberately stayed out that night so I would find you floating.” Steve reprimanded him softly. “Why would you so quickly trust this girl you just started to get to know.”
“You know the reason for that Steve,” Kate told her husband. “What young man does not want the best possible way to impress the girl he's interested in?”
“So, tell us what happened, Brad.” His father gently entreated him. He was afraid that Brad was still far too vulnerable after the Milo Weathers affair. And now this!
“I took her up in the air with me. I got distracted and she fell from my side. We were holding hands, and she almost pulled me out of the sky with her. The gravity force under her had shrunk down until only I was protected, but she almost pulled me out of my field.”
“Brad, what happened to her? Was she hurt?” His mom asked.
“Yes, but I don't think it was the fall that hurt her. I was able to finally stop her fall just before she hit the ground. She still hit hard but it was more like she had just fallen out of a tree instead of a couple hundred feet up.”
“Two Hundred feet up?” His mom asked incredulously. “Brad what were you thinking?”
“Of my hot date and my need to really impress her.” Brad admitted.
“This is going to bring some trouble down on our heads. You know that. Don't you?” His father said.
“That's what I'm afraid of,” Brad said nodding in his peculiar way.
“There it is again.” Steve thought. That infernal nodding that looks like Albert. And when Albert does it, he looks like Brad. They only met a few times for a few minutes. It was
a mystery that Steve might never fully understand.
Brad was quiet for a moment, and then said, “I always felt that I was supposed to keep this gravity thing quiet. But I was busting a gut to tell someone just to take some pressure off me. But now I think that the self-preservation instinct that goes with this ability was also trying to get me to stay silent for another kind of self-preservation.”
“I don't think you were feeling pressured to tell this girl or you would bust a gut Brad. I just think you wanted her to know for your own reasons.” Steve said to him.
“I know Dad. Now I know. But it felt really good when I showed Jeff and Rudy and everyone what I could do, so I wanted to repeat it with her!”
His mother's hands went up into the air and slapped her legs in frustration. “How many know Brad?” She asked.
“Seven people counting you two,” Brad said humbly.
“Well, that's five more than should know.” His father told him. “I’m afraid that we're really in for it now.”
Kate spoke in a tense voice. "Brad, I don't think you realize something. You betrayed that girl."
"What do you mean?" Brad asked her, puzzled.
"Did you tell her that she would be safe?"
"Yes."
"You promised her. You reassured her." Kate stated, knowing her son would do that.
"Yes."
"And then you dropped her, terrified her, hurt her. You promised that she would be okay; she trusted you and you let her down. Totally! That was a betrayal of the trust she had put into you."
Brad felt ashamed and guilty. Sympathy for Sherry began to build in him, replacing the anger and disgust.
They continued to discuss the problem for some time. They were eventually interrupted by a hard pounding on their door. “And so, it starts!” Steve said. “I'll bet that's Sherry's parents.”
He was half right. When Steve opened the door there stood Mack Rowley, a large imposing man with a hostile expression. He pushed past Steve without waiting for an invitation to enter.
“How are you doing Mack?” Steve asked in a friendly tone. “I haven't seen you for a couple of years.”
Mack turned and glared at him as he sat down in a rocker-recliner in the opposite corner of the room. “I’m here to talk to you about him!” He said pointing at Brad. “He terrorized my daughter tonight with some magic trick where he had her floating in the air. She fell and now she's hurt! She was jabbering on and on about being high up in the air, and I could hardly believe a word of what she was saying and then I called my son Jeff. He confirmed what she said. He told me that your son had Jeff floating around too. Scared them both half to death. And he hurt my daughter!” He repeated, his voice roaring.
“Mack, you seem particularly upset tonight,” Brad's mom said to him. “Let's try to discuss...”
“I don't want to talk to you, Mack interrupted. “I want to talk to Brad!”
She looked at him with fire in her eyes but held her temper, knowing that what he was saying was true, even though his rudeness was overpowering. She turned to look at her husband with a “what are you going to do about this” look.
Steve was taken aback by the way Mack had cut off his wife and how hostile he was being as an uninvited guest.
“Please Mr. Rowley, can we just calm down and discuss this?”
Steve asked in a calming tone.
“We are discussing this,” Mack said coldly. “Hadn't you noticed?”
“Mack, I'm a patient man with occasional relapses. Could you please see fit to talk more respectfully in my home? Please!” Steve said.
“Is that some kind of threat Stevey boy? I don't handle threats well. I just knock the crap out of whoever is threatening me.”
Steve could see that this was quickly getting out of hand. Even with an element of truth in Mack's corner, Steve was not willing to have him in his home abusing his family this way.
“Mack, you will have to get control of your temper, or I'm going to have you leave!” Steve said in a strong voice.
Rowley snorted and turned to Brad. “You stay away from my kids, boy, or you will be dealing with me! “I'll throw you down a few times and show you how gravity works!”
“That's it Rowley!” Steve said forcefully. “You are out of here.” He pointed at the door. “Go now!”
Rowley stood, all six-foot-four of him with broad shoulders and rock-hard arms and muscular chest. “Sure, I'll go outside, with you. Let's step out to settle this Shaw. You'll learn to respect me.”
“Have you ever lost a fight?” Steve asked without rising to the challenge of Rowley's stance.
“No! I haven't. I have bloodied or broken any man who ever stood up to me! Let's go outside Shaw.”
“Why? Are you afraid we'll break something in here?” Steve turned to his wife and added, “Don't worry sweetheart all of our furniture will be safe.”
Rowley’s face turned even darker than it was before. “Outside Shaw. Now!”
“Never lost a fight, huh?” Steve goaded him.
“Not once jackass! You should have shut up when you had the chance!”
“You didn't lose a fight even when the guy was a combat trained intelligence officer?”
Mack's face looked like he would explode but he was puzzled, wary of that remark. He didn't know Steve's background. His face was red, his eyes blazing.
“Don't worry Honey. This won't take long.” Steve calmly said to her, then turning to Brad he added, “You stay out of this. You understand what I’m saying?”
Brad nodded. He knew his father did not want him to use his ability to help his Dad. But he would if it meant protecting him from this brute.
Steve calmly stood up. He walked over to Rowley and looked up at him. “It would be better if you just left. Your weight and size are going to be the worst weapon I can wield against you.”
Mack Rowley growled as he took a swing at Steve. Steve stepped out of range of the fist, caught the wrist and held on with his right hand, and used his left elbow as a battering ram down on the inside of Mack's elbow.
Mack grunted in pain and pulled his arm loose. He charged at Steve with his full body and strength. Steve grabbed his head which was the closest point of Mack's body to him. He redirected all of Mack's energy as Steve spun him around himself and then sent him flying head first at the fireplace mantle. Putting his foot in front of Mack's, he tripped him as Rowley was stumbling in the new direction. His head hit the mantle hard. Grunting in pain once again, he slowly turned to face Steve, warier now.
He crouched down, fists up and started approaching looking for weaknesses.
“See why we won't break anything Mack? You are powerless in my home. My son could even take you.”
Mack growled again, rapidly stepped forward and threw a straight punch at Steve's head. Steve deflected the punch upwards with his left arm, then stepped in close and slammed Mack in the chest with the right heel of his hand. The air rushed out of Mack as he fell back into the rocker from where he had been sitting. He looked up at Steve bewildered but still filled with enough pride that he was sure he could take this physically inferior man.
He shot out of the chair and assaulted Steve terribly by putting his chest squarely into the bottom of Steve's foot then staggered back into the chair.
Steve said in a conversational tone, “Come on Mack. You can't even break my rocker, let alone get your paws on me. You really should call it a night and go home.”
Mack glared up at him. “When I get my hands on you, I'll tear you apart.”
“Well, that seems to be where the problem is then. You can't get your hands on me. You'll have to go home tonight and brag to your family how, after twenty minutes of fighting, you had me right where I wanted you!”
Even though the fight was only going on for about two minutes, Mack was already out of breath.
Mack stood back up; he was careful to stand up slowly so that he didn't come within range of Steve's foot again. Once again, he assumed a fighter's posi
tion and started approaching Steve carefully.
Steve rolled his eyes and then turned and walked over to the door. He opened it and said, “Here is the exit you are looking for Mack. Same way you came in. If you hurry over here to hit me again, you'll be able to block the doorway for me so that the mosquitoes don't get in.”
He stood there placidly waiting for Mack to do something smart for a change. Mack started approaching him again.
“Will you give it up Mack?” Kate said to him. “If you continue, you'll probably make my husband mad and then he'll really want to fight you.” Mack had reached the entry of the door when she said this. He turned and looked at her and said, “Shut up you worthless little...”
Steve slapped Mack in the face and ear so hard that Mack staggered into the wall. Before he could recover, Steve had grabbed his hair and jerked him with all his strength towards the door. He dragged him out on the porch quickly, spun him around, so he was facing Steve in the doorway, then Steve knocked him off his porch with a kick to the midsection.
Mack Rowley hit the ground and rolled up in a fetal position holding his stomach. Steve opened his hand. A large tuft of hair blew away.
“We settled this outside just like you wanted Mack.” Steve said, “Now I'm going back in the house to count to a hundred. If you are not out of my yard, car and all by then, I'm calling the police to have you arrested for forcing your way into my home to assault me. Have a pleasant night, and don't ever come back!”
“I'm calling the police,” Mack said from the ground. “You have attacked me and injured me when all I wanted to do was talk to you about this problem with your son.”
“Really Mack? Is that how it happened? Steve questioned, “Well you get your witnesses for this event, and I'll get mine. Let's see, I have two witnesses. How many do you have? None? Well it looks like its three to one on this one Mack. You lose again.” He shut the door. “Brad, thanks for not interfering. I know you would have liked to protect me, but you see it wasn't necessary.”
Brad just sat there looking at his father with a new level of respect. “Do you want to go beat up Sherman Greene for me now too!” Brad asked his dad.
