Chapter 9 – Chris #2
He loves throwing the memory of my mother in my face.
She was a sad case, that’s true. But at least she always made sure I ate three square meals a day.
The real irony is, Dave’s father—David Braggart, Sr.—was a regular visitor at our trailer.
“Tell your dad I said hi. I haven’t seen him in a while. ”
“Get the fuck out, you crack-addict bastard!” Dave storms off in the direction of the kitchen. Halfway there, he throws his beer bottle on the ceramic tile floor, and the bottle shatters. “Clean that up, Marguerite!”
The housekeeper opens the door for me, and I walk outside. After my chat with Dave, I head back to Jennie’s place. I want to make sure she’s okay, but I also need to talk to her about going back to court to get a restraining order. I don’t want Dave anywhere near her.
* * *
When I arrive at Jennie’s house, I park in the driveway and walk up to her side door. I knock quietly and wait.
A few moments later, someone pulls back the curtain hanging over the window and peers outside.
I wave to Jennie, and immediately she unlocks the door and opens it.
“Sorry to come over unannounced,” I say. I keep my voice low because the lights are out and the house is quiet. I suspect that means Granny’s napping again. Jennie says she’s been sleeping a lot more lately.
“It’s okay,” Jennie says as she closes and locks the door behind me.
“Granny’s sleeping?”
She nods. “Can I get you something to drink? Or food? Are you hungry?”
“I am thirsty. I’d love some water.”
While she pours me a glass of water from the pitcher in her fridge, I study the kitchen.
It hasn’t changed much since we were kids.
There’s still the same floral striped gold wallpaper dating back to the seventies or earlier.
The same oak cabinets. The same faded linoleum flooring.
The same table and chairs. It’s vintage, but it’s clean. It feels homey rather than outdated.
She hands me the glass of water. “Let’s sit here in the kitchen. Granny is in her chair in the living room.”
She seems nervous.
“Hey. This isn’t an interrogation, Jennie. Relax. I just want to talk to you.”
She takes a seat. I take the chair opposite her and set my glass on the table.
“So, what do you want to talk about?” she asks. She crosses her arms over her chest in a classic defensive posture.
She’s not just nervous. She’s scared. But of what? Or of whom? Surely not me. “Let’s start with last night at the tavern when you rushed off the dance floor.”
She shakes her head, brushing off my concern. “I was just tired. That’s all. Don’t read anything into it.”
“Jennie.”
Her dark eyes flash defensively. “I’d had a long day at the diner.”
I’m used to interrogating suspects. Victims and witnesses, too. I know avoidance when I see it, and she’s avoiding the truth about last night.
“Last night, when we were dancing, I reached out to fix your hair, and you flinched.”
Her eyes widen. It’s barely perceptible, but I’m used to watching for small tells. She shrugs. “I told you, Chris. It was nothing.”
“Sweetheart, it wasn’t nothing. It was an automatic response. You flinched when you saw my hand coming at you.” I pause a moment to give her time to process what I’m getting at. She has to know where this is going. “I know he was physically abusive.”
She just stares into my eyes, but says nothing.
“I need to understand why you married him, Jennie. Please. And why you never told me.”
She looks away a moment, as if collecting her thoughts. When she looks back at me, her dark eyes are flashing with emotion. “I never told you because I was ashamed and embarrassed, all right?” She’s trying to keep her voice down. “I didn’t want you to know what a horrible mistake I’d made.”
I reach across the table, my hand open, palm up. I’m hoping she’ll give me her hand, but she doesn’t.
“I left for school in August, and you married him in November, right? Tell me how you married a complete stranger in three months.”
“It seems so stupid now, but back then, it made sense.”
“How so?”
She shakes her head. “After you and Micah left Bryce, he started coming into the diner, nearly every day. He always asked for me to wait on him. He was so funny and charming back then. Believe it or not, he can be very charming when he wants to.”
“He was courting you.”
She nods. “He was always around the diner. He offered to help out at the house. In the beginning, Granny loved him, and he was good to her. Grandpa was still alive then. They hit it off well, watching football games together. David helped Grandpa in the yard. He took over the mowing and raked the leaves. He shoveled the snow that winter. He gave me rides to the diner when the streets were covered in snow and ice. It was… nice. It was what I needed at the time.”
She says it was what she needed, and not he was what she needed.
“You were lonely?” I ask gently.
Frowning, she nods. “With you and Micah gone, I had no one. And that’s when Grandpa started getting ill. It was a stressful time. I was alone and vulnerable, and David realized he easily control me. Back then I had no idea what a narcissist was.”
My chest tightens. She’d been lonely. For the first time since we’d met in third grade, she’d had no one. “God, Jennie, I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about, Chris. You guys were living your lives. That’s how it should be. I don’t blame you for that.”
I went away to school in an effort to forget about her.
I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life pining for her, so I left, hoping I’d meet someone who could take my mind off Jennie.
I didn’t. I dated in college, yes, but it never amounted to anything serious.
When I returned home after four years of schooling, I was as much in love with her as I’d always been.
I can see the pain filling her eyes. “I was so wrong about him. He was just pretending in the beginning. He pushed and pushed for us to make it official. Once we tied the knot, I started seeing glimpses of the real David. Our marriage quickly became abusive.” She sighs deeply.
“It wasn’t long before I realized he didn’t want me.
He wanted access to my money—my grandparents’ money. ”
“But why? The Braggarts are loaded. Why did he need money?”
“They’d cut David off, financially. I didn’t find out until after we were married. I guess I should have wondered what was up when he insisted we get married at the courthouse. His parents weren’t even involved. I guess they knew him better than I did.”
“And you think he’s back for your money?”
“Why else would he come back? His parents disowned him years ago. I’m his only connection here in town.”
“I want you to request another restraining order to keep him away from you. In the meanwhile, I’ll keep an eye on you—and him. I won’t let him bully or pressure you.”
Tears pool in her eyes. “This isn’t your problem, Chris. You shouldn’t have to—”
“Any problem of yours is a problem of mine. You’re not alone this time, Jennie. You’ve got me—and Micah. We’ve got your back. The three amigos, right?”
She finally lays her hand on mine. “I’ve made so many mistakes in my life, Chris.”
“It’s okay. Mistakes were made to be fixed.”
“Some mistakes can’t be fixed.”
“Why do you say that?”
She links our fingers. “Because it’s too late.”