I crawled out from under the table and moved into the living room. If I was going to be forced to participate in this charade, I was going to do it sitting on my big comfy couch. Maybe I could fall asleep and then I wouldn’t have to listen.
“Now, are you going to continue to use Daniels?” My mother followed me. The guys followed her. Zeke sat down next to me on the couch, wrapping an arm around the back of the couch, gently touching my shoulder.
“I insist that she continue to use Daniels. We can’t rename the security company and its named after her. Wouldn’t be the same if she had a different last name. Besides, taking my last name isn’t a big deal, she’s my wife regardless of what her last name is.” Zeke scored uber-brownie points for that with my mom. She didn’t want me to change my name just because of marriage. I wanted to vomit.
Chapter Eight
“You look unhappy,” Anthony said coming outside. I sat on a camping chair, tossing a Frisbee for the dogs.
“At least she won’t try to fix me up any time soon,” I grumped at him. “You and Zeke could have helped me out back there you know. But did you, no, you just went right along letting my mother think I was married to someone I’m not even dating. And she didn’t even think it was weird that I didn’t know his full name or that I was keeping it a secret. Makes me wonder what people really think of me.”
“Sorry, your mom looked happy that you were married, I wasn’t about to take that away.” He plopped down next to me on the patio. “What do you intend to do about it?”
“I don’t know,” I nearly shouted. “If I knew what to do about it, it wouldn’t have gotten this far. What happens in three months when she’s got this whole big wedding thing planned?”
“A lot can happen in three months, you and Zeke might be broke up by then.” He giggled. “Sorry, I didn’t...”
“Sod off.”
“Nadine Duscha Daniels-Laroche,” Anthony busted out laughing, bending over, clutching his sides. If I’d had a gun I probably would have shot him.
“Some days, I hate you.” I got up from the chair and let myself back into the house. I wasn’t sure this was an improvement. Melina and Zeke sat huddled together on the couch looking through a photo album. I wasn’t sure where it had come from. Sure I had a few, but they were supposed to be hidden in a secret location. “I’m tired and I think Anthony is having some kind of fit outside. I’m going to hobble to my room and take a nap.” I started towards the stairs.
“Wait,” Zeke’s voice sounded commanding, so I stopped. He came over, swept me into his arms, carrying me up the stairs. Behind us, my mother gave a satisfactory sigh that made me want to pitch both of us back down the stairs. Gently he put me on the bed.
“Would you stop encouraging my mother to buy into her delusional fantasy?” I fluffed the pillow because I could think of nothing else to do.
“But she looks so happy,” Zeke sat down next to me.
“That’s what Anthony said,” I frowned. “But if you encourage it, how am I supposed to tell her that it’s not true? Wait, I know, you’re encouraging it, you tell her.”
“Oh just let her believe it for a while, then when she starts planning the wedding we’ll say we’re getting divorced.”
“Am I the only person here with any sanity left? I can’t do that, she’s my mother, we have to tell her the truth. No, you have to tell her the truth, she won’t believe it from me.”
Zeke suddenly leaned in, taking my face in both hands, cradling it. He was close, too close, only centimeters from my face. My heart fluttered. He was going to kiss me. Did I want that? Yes, I mean, no, definitely no, that would really complicate things, definitely no.
“Nadine, I want you to pay very close attention to what I’m going to say.” Shit, he wasn’t going to kiss me. I mean, woo-hoo, he wasn’t going to kiss me. “Melina needs this right now. I didn’t realize it until she pointed it out, but you have almost been killed three times this year. Mothers feel guilty when they outlive their children. Your mother thinks you have no life except for the one that she thinks is going to get you killed before she dies. Marriage is supposed to be happy, she needs that happiness, something to keep her attention. I think both of us could give her a little leeway and live into her lie a little bit. She will eventually figure it out herself, until then we just smile and play house nicely. If in a couple of weeks, she hasn’t figured it out, you will tell her and we’ll all smile and go about our lives.”
“Uh, no, you don’t understand. My mother might already know it’s not true, but she won’t admit it. Now or in six weeks or in six years. That’s the way she is. You need to tell her, because I’m not doing it.”
“I’m not doing it, you’re her daughter.”
“Then we have a problem.”
“You won’t do it?” Zeke let go of my face.
“Nope, not gonna be me. Why don’t you grow a pair and tell her?”
“If I don’t tell her?”
“We’re drawing up a pre-nup.”
“You would rather get married than tell your mother?”
“Would you like to write your own vows or follow the ones the Orthodox church gives us? Oh, we’re striking out the word ‘obey’, it’s too commandment like.” I smiled at him. There was no way on this planet I was going to tell her. If I had the guts to do it, I would have already. Besides, chances were good she wouldn’t believe me anyway.
“You are a chicken.”
“I’m getting the impression you are too.” I made clucking noises at him. There was a soft knock on my door. “That’s my mom,” I whispered, sighing. “Come in,” I said loud enough for her to hear.
“Nadine, do you want anything?” Melina came into the room. She was perky and smiling. I felt guilty deceiving her, but she did look deliriously happy. “I’ve talked to Anthony, he’s going to give me the spare room. I think I should stay for a couple of days that way you aren’t so demanding on Zeke. He said he’d escort me home after some others got here. He seems to think that I may be in danger as well. I don’t know what you and Alex have gotten into, but it seems pretty serious.” She came into the room, sitting down on the bed, she took hold of Zeke’s hand. “I just want to know if the press allegations are true. Are you helping women escape from bad marriages and things?”
“Yes,” Zeke responded. I think my mother was growing on him. I’d have to watch him. “It’s not just women and bad marriages either. Alex and Nadine help a lot of people escape from desperate situations.”
“That’s why someone is always trying to kill you.” For a moment, sadness crossed her face again.
“Yes, but you should be proud of her for it. She is willing to risk her life to ensure that others don’t. See, Nadine and Alex help people the law can’t help; women who have husbands too powerful to be stopped or too angry to care about a restraining order, witnesses and victims the federal government won’t hide or help, people who would probably die without their services. They do all of it free, paying the security agents and expenses out of their own pockets, they are heroes to dozens of people. ” As poetic as it was, I was pretty sure this was stuff I didn’t want my mother to know about. If he continued this way, I was going to have to start leaving him out of the loop.
Melina on the other hand, was absolutely glowing. I didn’t know whether it was pride over me or the bliss of knowing I was married to a poet who fully believed in my cause. The urge to vomit was coming back.
“I understand,” she paused, “I won’t tell anyone, not even your family. I think this is a secret better kept with you, Alex and your employees. However, it does explain much of what happens in your life. Except the tiger incident.”
“Ok, I so don’t want to discuss the tiger thing. I’ve discussed it twice this week already. I can’t believe it’s resurfaced with everyone.” I muttered.
“Fine, how about we discuss China instead?”
“Well, it’s a large country, located in Asia, it has the world’s largest population,
rice is the main food, um, what else do you want to know?” I had no idea why we needed to discuss China. It didn’t seem that important at the moment. Maybe they were threatening to launch nuclear weapons. Knowing my luck, they’d miss their target and land in my backyard, unexploded, leaking radiation.
“No, not China the country, china patterns for the wedding reception.” Melina laughed, gently slapping my knee. My mouth fell open, probably wide enough to hold that nuclear weapon.
“Did you have something specific in mind?” Zeke took a seat next to me. His hand gently closed my mouth.
“Well, I know she’s supposed to rest, but I thought after her nap, we could all go downtown and look around. I know a great store.”
“Um, I’m supposed to stay under lock and key so I don’t get kidnapped again.” It was probably among the dumber things I’d ever said, but I was desperate not to go shopping, especially for china I would never need. I hate to shop.
“Perhaps, but if Zeke and Anthony go with us and you follow their instructions, I don’t see why it would be a problem.”
“The wedding reception isn’t going to be for several months, mom.”
“True, but it’s never too early to start looking. Besides, it will get you out of the house, you can start thinking about places you’d like to register, and I know it will take you ages to pick out a pattern. It would be fun.” Obviously, my mother’s idea of fun didn’t fall into my fun column. My ideas of fun were books, football, snuggling up with a good movie and a bowl of popcorn. Shopping ranked near getting kidnapped and mauled by a tiger.
“Sure we can do that, if Nadine feels up to it.” Zeke chuckled. It sounded like a dare or maybe I was just feeling combative.
“Well, why wait, might as well go now, then I can take a nap when I get home.” I fumbled with my crutches and stood up. “We should invite Alex and Sebastian, we could really make it a party then.” I dug my cell phone from my jeans pocket.
“Hi,” I said as Alex answered her phone. “Hey, Zeke and I have decided that instead of the sneaky eloping thing that we did last week, we’d get married in our church. Mom is taking us to look at china patterns, want to join us?”
“Who is this?” Alex really did sound confused.
“Ok, remember this weekend, Zeke put a ring on my finger, well, mom found it today. Zeke feels guilty because we didn’t invite the family to the ceremony. After talking to my mom about it this morning, he’s decided to do it for real. It’s going to be in granddad’s church, but not for a while yet. Anyway, mom wants to get a jump on china patterns because I’m so picky, so we are going china shopping. I wanted to see if you and Sebastian wanted to come.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Yes, yes I have, thanks for asking. Zeke has too.”
“Ok, so you forgot to take off the wedding ring, you’re mom found it, she was overjoyed. You were going to explain to her, but couldn’t get any help from Zeke and Anthony and your mom wasn’t going to believe you by yourself, so now you’re mom thinks you and Zeke snuck off and got married. Everyone’s too chicken to tell her the truth, so you are going to look at china patterns for a reception that isn’t going to happen. That close?”
“Exactly, want to come?”
“You, Zeke, Anthony, and mom, picking out china patterns for a fake reception? Hell yeah I want to come.” I heard her yell to Sebastian, “Zeke and Nadine are going to pick out china patterns because they are both too chicken to tell her mom they aren’t married. We got invited to go with them.”
This was almost immediately followed with “oh hell yeah, wouldn’t miss that for the world. Where are they registered?”
“Where are the two of you registered?” Alex asked.
“We haven’t decided yet, we can check it out while we are out.” I responded. Zeke looked a little pale, my mother looked a little flushed and I had officially become the biggest wuss on the planet. My impending wedding scared me less than telling my mother the truth. Yep, I’m a wuss.
“Where do you want to meet?”
“Downtown, how about Chili’s near the Discovery Store? We can celebrate Zeke and I admitting to the world we’re a couple and then go shopping.” Oh yeah, I was crazy. Maybe it was the injuries, maybe I was getting brain poisoning from all the stitches.
“Excellent, see you in an hour and thirty minutes.” She hung up the phone.
“Great, Alex and Sebastian are going to meet us in an hour and a half at Chili’s.” I flipped the phone closed. Zeke’s color was normal again, the smile had returned.
“Oh, that’s great.” Melina hugged both of us and rushed from the room. No doubt to call my aunts and uncles. I was pretty sure Sebastian and Alex were calling my employees and friends. It was going to be a very, very, very long day.
Lunch went extremely well considering I thought I was losing my mind. Alex played her part wonderfully, asking about wedding plans, giving my mom details of my elopement. I was surprised everyone had such a vivid imagination. Zeke answered most of the questions about our wedding plans, which was good, cause I didn’t have a clue. Anthony and Sebastian smirked a lot. I was beginning to think it was in their job descriptions.
We left Chili’s using a small side street, walking to the main shopping thoroughfare. I hobbled along, trailing behind the group on my crutches. The sound of squealing tires peaked my instincts, I stepped closer to the building and turned around. The little white car jumped the curb, made a grinding, screeching sound and died. I stared at it. A very surprised looking man flung open the door and took off running. Within seconds Zeke was running past me, gaining on the guy from the car.
“I’d go help him, but it’d be Christmas before I caught up,” I said to no one in particular. Sebastian got the hint, using his linebacker skills, he followed. I just stood there. Mom, Alex and Anthony crowding around me.
“Do you think that’s him?” Alex asked.
“Who else could it be?” I sighed. “I don’t think he’s trying to kill me, look at the cars he’s using. This is a Focus, he’s also used an Aspire and a Sentra. I think he’s just trying to break my legs or something. If he wanted to kill me, he should use the Hummer or something.”
Zeke and Sebastian came back into view. They held the guy between them. I dug out my phone and dialed 911.
“911, what’s your emergency?” A woman with a pleasant voice answered.
“Hi, someone just tried to run over me.” I tried to be pleasant back. No need to get hostile.
“What’s your name and location?”
“Nadine Daniels and I’m at…” I looked around, found a street sign and gave her the address. People were starting to gather around us.
“This isn’t the first time this has happened to me either. I think it’s the guy that’s been doing it for the last four years or so. Anyway, this time, he broke his car. He’s being detained by two security agents.”
“I have paramedics and police in route. Please stay on the line.” Oh great, just what I needed, to spend my day filling out police reports, answering questions and watching my face get splashed on the six o’clock news.
“No one was injured, you can call off the paramedics. He did kind of break the car though.”
“Thank you, Nadine, I’ll relay that to the officers responding to your call.”
We waited for a long time, or at least it felt like a long time. The sirens finally came into hearing distance. Woo-hoo, the cavalry, again.
“You know, I can’t believe you tried to kill me, again.” I put a lot of emphasis on the again part. “What is this like the eighth or ninth time you’ve done this? It never works. I am getting really tired of people doing the same things over and over again, expecting different results.”
“Nadine, who are you talking to?” The 911 operator asked.
“The guy who tried to run me over.” I made it more sarcastic then I intended. “Sorry, bad day, I’m supposed to be out shopping for china patterns for my upcoming wedding, my leg
is getting sore from walking on crutches, and then some guy decides to jump a curb and try to kill me. Are you married?”
“Yes, I am,” the operator responded.
“Then you understand that I’m under a lot of stress. Where did you register for gifts?” Yes, I had completely lost my mind.
“We registered at several places, it kind of depends on what you want to get.” She was taking this all pretty well I thought. Of course I couldn’t see her, she might have me on speaker phone while everyone else in the room was making funny faces indicating how nuts I was.
“Huh, I see.”
“But if you love the man you’re marrying, it makes all the stress worth it. I’ve been married twelve years and it’s been a blissful twelve years. Congratulations, Ms. Daniels, I am being told the officers are pulling up now.”
“Hey, you’re right, they are here.”
The operator paused, “is there anything else I can do for you?”
“No, that’s all, thanks.” I hung up and looked at the police officers. They were examining the car while others handcuffed the suspect.
“Ms. Daniels we have a couple of questions.” The woman who spoke was wearing a suit. Zeke came to stand beside me. I guessed she was a detective. She looked like a detective.
“Sure, but can I sit down?” I dropped the crutches and kind of shimmied onto the hood of a cruiser. Here’s to hoping they wouldn’t arrest me for it.
“Now, this has happened before?” She flipped open a notebook.
“Yes, usually about every six months. This is the first time the car has broken.”
“Do you know him?”
“No,” I shrugged, at least she wasn’t going to arrest me.
“Then you don’t know why he’s trying to kill you?”
“No, but I’m sure he has some kind of reason.” However, I doubted it was a very good reason.
“All right, I will need a number where I can reach you.”
Dysfunctional Affair Page 8
