by Janae Keyes
“Fuck you. You know that’s not what I meant. You just want to start with me. Yeah, I left, and I did what most people in that town would never dream of. Don’t sit there and try and make me out to be some bad guy because I’m not. I did exactly what my dad always taught me to do, look out for me, and I did. Don’t fucking do that. I’m sorry you fucked up your life. I gave you an out and you left it.” Liam acted as if my life was so easy. I worked my ass off to have what I did. My career wasn’t a simple one and it took a lot of perseverance to get to where I was.
“You’ve always been like this. You’ve always had this upper crust attitude. Don’t forget that you came from the same poor ass town I did. I didn’t want your out anyway. I had a plan for my life and I thought you wanted to be part of that plan,” Liam countered.
“I did, Liam. I wanted to be with you forever. I wanted to be your wife and for us to skip off into the sunset and all that shit, but at the same time I wanted a career. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor, and as much as I wanted to be your doting wife, I had other things I wanted to do. Dad always pushed me to take that direction and I did. I have no regrets about it either. I loved you, I still love you, but I had to look out for myself first. You did exactly the same thing.” I would force him to see we chose the same path, but we went in different directions.
Liam didn’t say a word. He knew I was right. I shook my head and glanced out the window. We weren’t far off from Medford.
“You’re right,” he surrendered. “I did fuck up and you know that, but in others I grew as a man. Becoming a father changed everything for me. I understand why your dad told you to look after you and do what you needed to do. I would give Serenati the same advice. I want her to get out of Fort Shasta too one day.”
“I hope she does for her sake. Kayleigh personifies what it’s easiest to become in that town. You’re either a drunk or a drug addict. The statistics are too high and that was one of my biggest motivations,” I explained.
“I get it. I do. Seeing her how she is. It scares the shit out of me. I don’t want that to be my daughter, ever.”
“It won’t be. Not with a dad like you,” I reassured him the best I could.
“Thanks. I feel like I fail her most days. I know I can do more, but the damn courts are keeping me from making that step.” I saw how hurt Liam was. He was a great dad and deserved to keep his daughter away from her drug addict of a mom.
“Let me know if you need anything in respects to that,” I told him.
“Yeah,” he mumbled. I knew he was proud and wanted to fight on his own. He wasn’t the type of guy to accept help, but I was willing to give it to him. He deserved it. “Looks like this is the street.”
Liam flipped on his blinker and turned us down a residential street of mobile homes. My heart was in my throat as passed all the homes on the street. I glanced at each of the house numbers as we passed to catch hers.
“342,” I said as Liam pulled in front of an evergreen trailer house with white trim. It looked quaint for a house in a trailer park. Maybe she wasn’t the monster I’d perceived her to be with a house looking like hers but looks could be deceiving.
Liam parked on the street and I got out of the car. My wedge heels held me up as I got up the courage to start toward the front door. Wind chimes on the porch sounded in the warm breeze as we approached the door. There was no turning back and I rang the doorbell.
Inside the house, I could hear the yapping of a small dog and the rough voice of a woman telling it to quiet down, along with footsteps coming in our direction.
The door swung open and on the other side of the glass screen door was a woman I only remembered from photos. She was obviously older with prominent wrinkles on her forehead and crow's feet around her eyes. She looked much like me though with blue eyes and her blonde hair was cut at shoulder length.
“Well, here’s a surprise,” she mumbled as she looked me over. “What brings you here, Bethany?”
At least she remembered my name all these years later. I’d last heard that voice when I was eighteen. I was lost and going through a period of trying to find myself. I thought finding my mother was the answer. She was living in Idaho then and we’d agreed to meetup. It never happened, she stood me up.
“You know why I’m here,” I snarled unable to keep my anger at bay.
“Actually, dear daughter. I don’t,” she replied with a cocky smirk. I hated that I looked like her. We were nothing alike. She was complete trash. I looked her over and of course she had a beer in her hand. Dad rarely talked about her, but when he did one thing was clear. Tammi Cross was an alcoholic.
“Don’t call me that. You’ve never been a mother to me. The only thing you did for me was push me out. I’m here because you stole from me. My dad’s bank account at Nor. Cal Credit Union was emptied and it was you. You had no right to that money.” I crossed my arms as I stood my ground with her.
Tammi took a swig of her beer. Just a simple action to show me that I didn’t frighten her, and she wouldn’t be moved. Maybe I was like her a little bit. She was quite possibly where I got my stubbornness from.
“I have every damn right to that money. Your dad was my husband. I stayed married to him until death did us part. That money is damn well mine. Don’t come to my house with your prissy ass trying to accuse me of stealing shit you little bitch,” she spat venomously.
“You’re a sorry excuse for a human being. You know that? You fucking abandoned your toddler and then you steal from your kid. God, what did Dad ever see in you? He was a saint who married a demon.” Every bit of me was seething with anger. Why did dad have to die, and she live? It should have been the other way around. She didn’t deserve life the way Dad did.
“Didn’t even want to have a fucking baby. I was going to get an abortion and your dad found the test. He asked me to keep you and here you are. Get the fuck off my property.” She used the hand that held her beer and pointed away from her house.
“Cunt,” I hissed before a smack came across my cheek.
I didn’t even stop to think, I just lunged at her. I wasn’t going to let her get away with the pain she’d caused me and Dad. I clawed at her wrinkled face a couple times before my arms were grabbed harshly and I was yanked away from her. She fell to her butt as she screamed obscenities at me and I yelled back. It was like a scene from Jerry Springer.
I fought the hands that held me. Liam had pulled me away and was securing me in his arms as he dragged me toward the car.
“Let me go!” I yelled at Liam before shouting, “Whore!” in Tammi’s direction.
Liam had managed through my fighting to get me all the way to the car. I still kicked and screamed as he used his strength to not allow me free.
“Fuck you! Trailer trash bitch!” I howled before Liam tossed me into the passenger seat of the car and slammed the door shut.
Chapter Twelve
Liam
“I hate her. I fucking hate her,” Bethany repeated over and over as I drove out of the neighborhood as quickly as possible. I was trying to avoid the cops getting called by Tammi or one of her neighbors. I’d spotted a few peeking out of their blinds and knew it was time to go.
I’d never seen her that way. I’d never seen the woman I love turn into a rabid animal the way she did. The deep-rooted hatred between Bethany and her mother was obvious. Her mother was a piece of work and the terrible woman she was expected to be. I was mistaken to expect it would go over well.
“Hey, Bethany. Baby calm down.” I ran my hand over her leg, but she it snatched away. She was still fuming, and I didn’t blame her.
Mr. Cross had spoken about Tammi a bit toward the end of his life, but I was under the impression that they were divorced long ago.
“It was a bad idea coming up here. She’s a witch. I should have known.” Bethany was shaking her head as we sat idle at the stoplight. “What else could we expect from a woman who abandoned her kid.”
“You hungry?” I asked as the light
turned green and I began toward my new destination.
“Hungry?” Bethany questioned. “Food. You want me to think about food after that?” Bethany let out a frustrated growl.
Yep. Food was next and then we could come up with a plan from there. I turned and headed directly to where we were going while Bethany continued to rant and rave about Tammi and the extent of her evil.
I pulled the car into a parking space in the strip mall and Bethany glanced up for the first time in the last few minutes. She glared around her and her eyes landed on the signage of where I’d decided to take her. We’d arrived at Punky’s, a 1950s style diner.
“Haven’t been here in forever.” I gave her a gentle smile in hopes that the prospect of being at a place we used to spend time at and getting food into her would lighten her mood.
“This was our favorite spot when we wanted to run away,” she reminisced. “I can’t even remember the last time I came here.”
“I remember.”
“Of course, you do.” She gave me a smile and I knew my plan had worked. She was still visibly upset, but no longer raging with the anger she’d possessed only minutes ago.
“Let’s grab something to eat.”
Getting out of the car, I rounded to Bethany’s side as quickly as possible and wrapped an arm around her waist. I wanted her to feel secured even if it was just for a moment. Every moment I could give her that was a gift.
We entered the quaint diner with its red and white post World War II theme. It was the type of place one could escape to and be in a different time. There was not thinking about the problems of today but slide into easier times. I’d bring Serenati on occasion for a milkshake when life was getting me down.
“Take a seat anywhere,” a curly haired waitressed called out as she poured a customer a cup of coffee.
Pulling Bethany along, we found a booth. For the first time in the last few minutes, I let her go as she slid into the seat and I sat on the opposite side of the table. My eyes found the giant ‘EAT PIE’ sign and I smiled. I was definitely going to grab us a pie to go.
Bethany mulled over the menu, but I was pretty set on what I was getting. My usual a Fonzie burger and a chocolate milkshake.
“Not exactly the place for a vegetarian,” Bethany mentioned before she sat the menu down. “Guess I’ll get the grilled cheese.”
“Sounds good. That’s Renni’s favorite.” I grinned thinking of my little girl. She’d sit across from me with her missing tooth grin.
The thought of Bethany’s offer ran through my mind. I couldn’t possibly take her money no matter how much it would help me. I had to fight this battle on my own. I’d made the mistake of having a child with the wrong woman, and it was my job to earn up to it. I was Serenati’s father and I’d do my damnedest to get my daughter in a safe home.
The waitress came over to us and took our order. Bethany was pretty quiet, and her silence was driving me crazy. I had to know what she was thinking as she glanced listlessly out of the window and into the parking lot.
“I know that wasn’t easy for you in the first place, facing her and all,” I mentioned.
Bethany’s eyes landed on me and she nodded in agreement. I saw the pain deep in her blue irises. She’d already lost her father and now wounds left from childhood were ripped open in a split moment.
“When I was a kid, I thought something was wrong with me,” Bethany confessed. “Honestly, I never understood why other kids had loving mothers and I didn’t. Olivia was orphaned because of tragedy, but my mom left me. She abandoned me, and I just thought something had to be wrong with me. Then when I found out I was pregnant, I was scared as all hell to be a mom. I didn’t know how to be one and I didn’t want to turn out like her. I knew I couldn’t abandon my kid, but then again I didn’t know how much of her I had in me.”
“Beth, I know you’d never–”
“And I know, too.” She cut me off. “I do know that in that regard I am nothing like that woman but when the only real example of a mother you’ve ever had was her, it says a lot.” She wiped under her eyes and turned away. Bethany wasn’t one to cry and I knew that. She was always one to be strong, but the last couple of weeks had opened up her emotional side. “When I lost the ba...baby.” Her voice cracked, and she took a deep breath to suppress what was only natural.
Reaching across the table, I took her shaking hand into mine. I caressed her skin with my thumb as she took the time she needed to compose herself. She inhaled a sharp breath before she allowed her eyes to look into mine.
“When I lost the baby, I was afraid it had been my fault. That maybe I’d somehow rejected it the way she rejected me. It took me a long time, years, to accept that wasn’t the truth. Seeing her today, I can’t believe I share half my DNA with that monster.”
“I learned something, raising Renni, sometimes DNA is bullshit. Look at Kayleigh, she’s the hottest piece of hot mess on the planet, but my daughter is not taking that path. Sometimes nurture wins over nature.” I gave her hand a strong squeeze. “Bet you didn’t know I knew some science. Huh, Dr. Cross?” I winked at Bethany who broke into a fit of girlish giggles.
Playfully, she rolled her eyes. “You’re a loser, Liam.”
“Yeah, but I’m a loser you like,” I proclaimed proudly. She grinned, and I pursed my lips, leaning in her direction. She got the messaged and leaned in herself. We kissed for only a brief moment before our food arrived.
I had her heart, but for how long?
My car grumbled as we sat in traffic on I-5. Whatever was going on up the stretch of highway had us inching along for over an hour. It was likely all the roadwork that happened over the summer months. With an exit coming up, I merged into the emergency lane for the last quarter mile before taking the exit. I knew a couple of shortcuts that would get us back into Fort Shasta easier.
It wasn’t long before Bethany and I were driving down an unpaved road but going in the right direction. I hummed to the radio while Bethany looked through more of the paperwork provided by the lawyer. We had to come up with another plan after the bust with her mom.
A clunking noise from my car got my attention. I glanced at the dash and I had a half tank of gas. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with my blue baby. The nose persisted and without warning the engine seemed to give out.
“What the hell,” I grumbled as I tried to start the car, only to realize one thing. The fucking fuel gauge was stuck. I tapped my fingers on the glass and it suddenly fell to empty. I growled to myself.
“What’s wrong with it?” Bethany asked me.
“Fuel gauge. It got stuck and I thought I had a half tank. Ran out of gas. Let me call Dad.” I was annoyed it was yet another hiccup in our already eventful day.
My fingers dug into my pocket and I pulled out my cell phone to the surprise of finding myself in a dead zone. I didn’t have a single bar of service.
“I’ve got no service,” I complained. “What about you?” I asked Bethany. She reached into her purse and got her phone. She shook her head.
“Says, no service,” she sighed.
I peered around our surroundings. No other cars were coming or going along the road we were stranded on.
“I saw a gas station not far from where we turned down this road. We can walk until we get service or walk back to that gas station,” I offered up our options to a wide-eyed Bethany. Though our situation was crap, I laughed at her face. “What’s with the face?”
“Walk?” she questioned. “I’m not quite dressed for, nor do I have the shoes, to walk.”
My eyes looked her over and she was right. She sat in her floral romper that showed off her silky, gorgeous long legs accented with wedge heels. She wasn’t exactly dressed for walking, but I wasn’t leaving her alone, and it was our only option.
“Sorry Baby, but we’ve got to walk,” I shrugged as I opened the door and dropped my sunglasses from the top of my head, over my eyes.
It was one of those days where I wished I lived somew
here cooler. It was over one hundred degrees and the sun was beating down from high up in the sky. Bethany groaned loudly as she got out the car.
“Kill me now!” she cried up to the sky. Drama. Bethany was drama, but the good kind. She had always kept me laughing and on my toes in the past and she hadn’t changed too much. At times she could be overly serious and a pain in my ass, but I’d always loved her for it.
We started up the road together, and I glanced back at my idled car. It already looked like a mirage in the short distance we’d taken.
“I can’t with these shoes on. Wait up a sec,” Bethany stated as she stopped in her tracks She leaned onto my arm and held on for balance as one by one, she took her shoes off.
“Better?” I asked her as I nudged her arm with my elbow.
“Much,” she sighed in relief as she peered up into my eyes. There was something about her radiant spirit. I’d missed that in my life and I needed it. I needed to keep it there. I needed to keep her there.
Her bare feet padded along the dirt as we searched for a cell signal. It was looking bleak and we’d likely have to make it all the way to the gas station I’d spotted. The heat was murderous, and I hated Bethany had to be out here with me. I was going to have to get that fuel gauge fixed as soon as I got the car home.
“I remember when my car broke down trying to come see you once,” Bethany reminisced. “You came out and got me. You saved the day as you always did.”
“Wish I could save the day now. It’s hot as hell,” I commented.
“If not hotter,” Bethany added as we kept trekking.
We chatted as we strolled along. The heat almost seemed as if it was getting worse. We stopped for a moment and I checked my phone. I had one bar. That was at least enough to try and call Dad.
“I’ve got something. Let me call Dad and see if he can get out here,” I started dialing the number to the garage knowing Dad would answer it over his cell phone that was likely discarded in his cluttered office.
