Chapter Sixteen
Despite the birthday festivities keeping Lianna going later than she would have liked on a school night, she woke up as excited as she always did. It was Halloween, and since childhood she had always loved this day. Everything about this time of year—the comfort food, the way the changing leaves transformed the scenery—made her giddy. Although she had her fair share of the creepy, mysterious side of the holiday this year, she still embraced the fun aspects.
Dressing Annie in her Wednesday Addams costume and Harris as a soldier, Lianna donned her jack-o-lantern hoodie as they hustled out the door. It was a beautiful crisp morning, so they decided to walk. Halfway along their walk to school, they stopped at the tall, wrought iron gates of Nicki and Darren’s home. There, Nicki and the twins waited for them. The girls were dressed as jellyfish, each one sporting a clear umbrella with rainbow-colored tentacles streaming down. What she would give for Nicki’s creativity.
This morning her sister-in-law accessorized her costume with dark bags under her eyes. The guilt tugged at Lianna. She had been caught up in her own drama, leaving her sister-in-law without a friend to lean on. Nicki wasn’t doing very well since Darren’s drunken escapades the previous Friday night. She had called Lianna several times to check on her, but Lianna had a feeling that Nicki was reaching out for help that she didn’t know how to ask for.
As the kids took off ahead of them, Lianna kept her voice low. “Morning, sweetie. How did it go?”
At Annie’s birthday dinner last night, which Darren was unsurprisingly absent from, Nicki quietly confessed that she had been feeling helpless and decided to talk to a professional. Her sister-in-law was going to broach Darren about potentially joining her.
“I didn’t bring it up. He was in his office when we got home. I was asleep by the time he came to bed. Conveniently, he was gone for the office before I got out of bed this morning.”
Flashbacks of the emotional void that had plagued Lianna’s own marriage came rushing back. The sinking feeling in her gut solidified her decision to hit pause with Gabe. She could not and would not go down that road again.
“Let me know if I can help. I’m happy to take the girls if you need some time.”
“I know, and thank you, but you have enough on your plate. I got the name of a good therapist from Taya Murrey, she has a third grader and a first grader in the twins’ class. Anyway, I’m calling today, with or without Darren’s blessing. The girls need at least one emotionally available parent.”
“Good for you. Seeing a therapist is the best thing I ever did for myself. And the offer always stands if you need to talk or a break from the girls.”
“Thanks, hon.”
As the group neared the school, Lianna saw Dolores, who had already delivered Jacob and was hurrying back to her car. The older woman waved, slowing down to intercept Lianna.
“Glad I ran into you, I was going to call later. Gabe had to leave town this morning so I’m going to take Jacob trick-or-treating with my daughter and grandkids. I know he’ll be sad to miss out on going with Harris.”
“Okay. No problem. That should be fun for Jacob. So, Gabe had to leave for work?”
Lianna tried to hide her interest in Gabe’s whereabouts, as Nicki was still standing right beside her, but she was unnerved at his sudden departure. Why hadn’t he told her?
“No, he went to Saskatchewan. I think it has something to do with his family.”
“Okay” Lianna was starting to sound like a parrot. “I mean, I hope everything is okay.”
Gabe grew up in Saskatchewan and his parents still lived there, but so did Jacob’s mother. Lianna knew little about the woman other than that. Had he gone to see her? Had they decided to try and work things out? Had Lianna’s pushing finally driven him away?
Dolores, sensing more than she let on, gently patted Lianna’s arm. “I’m sure everything is fine, and he’ll be back soon.”
“Yes, for sure. Thanks for letting me know about Jacob. Have a great time with the family tonight.”
Dolores gazed at Lianna with sympathy in her eyes, a look she had grown so accustomed to seeing in others.
“We will, and you, too. See you soon.”
As Dolores walked away, Lianna plastered on a fake smile and turned towards the conversation Nicki was having with another mom, pretending to listen. It was unfair to be upset about Gabe’s withdrawal. She had spent a good amount of time giving him grief for being too overbearing in the first place. Plus, she needed to stop wavering about putting a pause on their physical relationship.
Gabe knew her in-laws had stayed at her house the past two nights, so she wasn’t alone. She also told him there was nothing left to talk about, so possibly that’s why he wasn’t eager to check in. Or was it the fact that Lianna had judged Gabe for not sharing as much as she wanted him to, for not being an open book. Was she transferring her trust issues from her marriage onto her relationship with him? Where was Isabela for a coffee date when she needed it?
It was overwhelming to think of Gabe having personal issues that he couldn’t share with her. While it hurt that he didn’t feel he could trust her, she considered she may have hurt him more by giving him a ticking timeline to bare his soul. Gabe deserved a blank slate, but whether Lianna could provide that she seriously doubted.
They both seemed to have too much baggage for anything good to come from this relationship. The fact that she loved him was her burden to bear. She would find a way to cope, find a way to see his handsome face without acting on her feelings.
“Here they come!” Nicki squealed, pointing towards the school.
Lianna waved exaggeratedly to the children who had remerged from the building. As was the school’s annual tradition, the students were now parading around the perimeter in costume as “Monster Mash,” blared from the loudspeaker. Seeing those sweet faces reminded her she had more positive in her life than negative, more joy than sorrow. Huddling against the breeze, Lianna did what she always did—put on a brave face and pretended everything was okay.
****
Halloween night turned out dreary, cold, and wet. Fortunately, the kids’ eager grandparents offered to take them trick-or-treating. While Lianna planned to meet up with them shortly, she wasn’t in a hurry. Taking her time, she filled the dishwasher with pizza-stained plates, occasionally pausing to answer the door for candy seekers.
Lianna’s cell phone sat silently on the white granite beside her. She glanced at it in frustration, trying not to sulk thinking of Gabe’s earlier message. It had come in shortly after she returned from the kids’ school parade. He had finally reached out about leaving town, but only to relay more of his usual vagueness.
I had to head out of town briefly, be back tomorrow afternoon. You’ll be able to reach me anytime by cell. I’ll be thinking of you. Stay safe.
She would be a liar if she didn’t admit to feeling relieved that Gabe thought to tell her about his travel plans. Even if they were vague, it was better than nothing. Finishing the last of the dishes, Lianna knew there was nothing she could do about this now. Gabe had already gone and perhaps it was for the best. Tonight was not the time to dwell on this. It wasn’t fair to her little trick-or-treaters, that Mom was choosing Halloween to be heartsick.
After drying her hands, Lianna threw on a heavy coat, consciously deciding to leave her phone behind. She didn’t need the distraction. Putting the bowl of candy on the front porch, she locked up and set out to meet the kids.
Heading to her right, she passed Tim and Diane’s house. Naturally, her body quickened its pace, involuntary quivering at how dark the property was. The street was cloaked in gloomy shadows, with no streetlights on yet. Someone needed to tell the city they were on fall hours now.
Hustling along, she heard laughs and giggles drifting in the distance. Surely that was the group of kids Harris and Annie were with. Lowering her head against the drizzle, she now cursed herself for not bringing her cell phone to confirm their location. It was one of those rains that made her feel damp and chilled to the core. She wanted to spend as little time as possible wandering around looking for her group. But it was dammed if she did, damned if she didn’t. How could she spend a night forgetting about her troubles when she jumped every time it buzzed or rang?
Lianna was halfway down the street when she first felt that icky sensation of being followed. Turning her head without slowing, she saw nothing. Continuing a little quicker, the sound of footsteps forced her to turn again. The road was empty.
It must be lingering anxiety from what transpired with Tim. That’s probably normal . This was the first time she had been out alone since the incident. Perhaps choosing a cold, dark night for that endeavor wasn’t her best plan.
Lianna kept a brisk pace, arms wrapped around her midsection. When she thought she heard wet footsteps again, she stopped and spun. Squinting her eyes against the darkness, she focused in on a cluster of trees.
There, in the mist of bushes and tall evergreens between two properties, was a billowing white sheet. It emerged from the tangle of dark undergrowth, standing out in stark contrast to its surroundings. Studying the object for several seconds, Lianna finally took a steadying breath. The sounds must have come from the decoration flapping in the wind.
Dismissing the object as a threat, she was about to turn and be on her way, when the white sheet stepped out onto the sidewalk. Lianna’s heart started beating wildly, as she struggled to make sense of the odd display before her. As if it were playing a trick on her vision, the sheet continued to billow innocuously against the weather. But as she scrutinized it, she could make out shoes protruding from the bottom of the sheet.
The longer she stood there facing off with the obscure thing, the less innocent looking it became. You are an adult. Calm down and be reasonable .
“Hello?” Lianna greeted the sheet warily.
Without answering, the person or thing below the sheet slowly lifted its arms, almost doubling in size. Then, without warning, the figure began running straight towards her. Lianna didn’t scream, but she did turn and sprint as fast as she could. Her ankle ached from the exertion, but it didn’t give out. She praised a higher power that she had worn running shoes.
Making a split decision, she cut into the green space between two properties. Naked tree limbs clawed and poked at her as she tore past them. The tip of a branch sliced her cheek, but she kept running. Finally, a clearing appeared, and she darted across a neighbor’s yard.
After several agonizing seconds, she rounded the street corner onto a more major throughway. It was lit up with cars passing and the homes all had their porch lights on welcoming the evening’s visitors.
Ignoring the stitch in her side, she still didn’t stop. She continued to run about twenty more yards before finally slowing down. Up ahead she could see the group that was the source of the noise she heard earlier. Her knees almost gave out when she recognized Charles’s, tall, thin form.
Feeling slightly more secure, she continued to jog but spared a glance behind her. There was no one there. Well, no one out of the ordinary. She had run past several groups of trick-or-treaters and hadn’t noticed. Their parents eyed her suspiciously now. But no white sheet.
Had she imagined it? Lianna stifled a sob. Maybe the Tim thing had bothered her more than she originally thought, and this was her psyche’s way of dealing. Lianna hustled until Charles made eye contact with her. As she approached, he watched her with concern. She was clearly frazzled and breathing hard.
Taking her arm gently, his eyes narrowed, “What’s wrong? What happened to your face?”
She swiped the back of her hand against her cheek, a streak of blood evidence of the stinging cut. Lianna’s emotional well-being was currently spiraling out of control. She needed to start treating her safety more seriously. That began with telling the truth when she felt threatened.
“I thought I was being followed, but I think it was just a trick-or-treater.”
Charles, sensing what she needed, brought her in for a hug. Lianna let herself cling to the comfort and safety he offered.
“Someone was following you?” he clarified, stepping back to look down at her but keeping both hands on her shoulders.
“Well, there was someone wearing a white sheet. They ran at me.”
“Oh, that guy,” he tsked. “Gave the kids a scare at first too. He’s one of your neighbor’s kids. Just a teenager being a jackass. Won the kids over when he gave out full-size candy bars.”
Oh, God, of course it was just a joke. It was Halloween.
“I’m such a spaz.” Lianna looked up at her calm, steady as a rock father-in-law. It wasn’t possible to hide her level of embarrassment.
“That’s understandable. You have been through a lot, young lady.” Then after a moment he continued, quieter, “You’re not alone. We will help you get through this.”
Lianna’s eyes burned with oncoming tears, but she blinked them away as Annie approached.
“Mommy, Mommy, my bag’s almost full!”
Then the little girl screeched in delight. Lianna laughed as some of the tears escaped.
“Remember, no sneaking any treats until we get home.”
“I know,” the girl huffed, then grabbed her friend’s hand and they shrieked all the way to the next house.
Barb followed the girls down the driveway. She stopped when she reached the pair, briefly rubbing Lianna’s arm without asking any questions. The woman instilled more support in that contact than words ever could. It made Lianna long for her own parents, so glad she still had Scott’s by her side.
The remainder of the evening Lianna didn’t venture far from the group. A sense of acceptance and security radiated from them. She also gladly accepted when Barb offered to stay over at her place again. But as Lianna fell into bed that night, she was restless, despite being thoroughly exhausted.
Although she had turned down Gabe’s theory, Lianna couldn’t help but wonder where Darren fit into all this. Nicki and the girls hadn’t come trick-or-treating with them for the first time ever. Had they found out about the accusations Gabe had made to her father-in-law?
Everything around her was in disarray and based on her reaction to a basic prank tonight she was close to her breaking point. Maybe she should leave town, at least for a while. The idea of moving back to the east coast, of truly starting over, had occurred to her before.
Lianna could imagine her small family making a life for themselves, but she would never be happy, just merely content. A move meant leaving Gabe and Jacob behind. That prospect brought more anxiety than it did comfort. What did it say that she could stomach living next door to a man who attacked her but the mere thought of leaving the man she shared her bed with one time was too much? It says you love him.
But Lianna had already come to terms with that, hadn’t she?