Chapter Forty-Four
Forty-Four
Quaddra’s full attention reverted back to Mary as soon as he heard the words – my ex-husband. He clearly wasn’t expecting Mary to open up about her past right there and then.
Mary did open up, but she gave Quaddra a much more watered-down version of what had really happened, being very careful to never mention Nelson’s name, always referring to him as ‘my ex-husband’.
She never told Quaddra about the beatings or the false imprisonment.
She also never mentioned the trial, Nelson’s incarceration, or the fact that she had legally changed her name.
All she said was that after their divorce, for her own safety, she had reverted back to her maiden name of Mary Smith.
Anyone sitting before Mary right then would’ve had a million questions that they would’ve liked to ask her.
Maybe Quaddra did too, but like a true gentleman, he simply sat quietly, listening in almost total silence, allowing Mary to tell her story at her own pace and in her own words.
When she was finally done he only asked one question.
‘If you don’t mind me asking?’ he said, his tone tender and sympathetic. ‘Where’s your ex-husband now?’
‘I don’t know,’ Mary lied. ‘East Coast, I presume.’ She never mentioned that they used to live in Massachusetts either. ‘That’s why I’ve been moving around like a nomad for over a year now.’
Quaddra nodded his understanding, clearly picking up on Mary being deliberately evasive. ‘Are you done moving?’
Mary’s eyes darted away from Quaddra for an instant before she could answer him.
‘I don’t know. My lease contract is coming up, and I’ll have to decide on it very soon.
’ She shrugged. ‘I guess I was waiting and hoping that I’d feel safe somewhere before I tried settling down, but I don’t think that that will ever happen.
I mean… none of us are ever one hundred percent safe, are we?
No matter where we are.’ She paused, as if reflecting over her own words.
‘But I like San Francisco, so… I don’t know. ’
Quaddra seemed to be sizing Mary up… taking in the pain in her words… the discomfort in her demeanor… the fear inside her eyes. He was about to say something, when she beat him to the punch.
‘Do you want to get out of here?’ There was a certain intensity in the way that she looked at him, as if she simply couldn’t deny the chemistry between them anymore. ‘Get some fresh air or something?’
‘Sure. I’d like that.’
Quaddra and Mary stepped out into a starry night that wasn’t exactly cold, but the wind-factor was starting to make it so.
‘Ocean Beach is just a couple of blocks that way,’ Quaddra said, pointing west. ‘If you prefer to walk by the beach and catch some of the sea breeze.’
Mary nodded, but said nothing in return.
They’d taken less than ten steps in the direction of the beach when Mary simply turned to face Quaddra, pushed him against the brick wall just past the restaurant that they were in, and kissed him like she’d never kissed anyone before.