I never knew dad as a sobber person until maybe junior high. Mom and I were in hotels more regularly than we liked. It was easy to afford considering mom's job. It was always the shouting, the bangs from the living room and kitchen in the middle of the night. I had never gotten the courage to see what was truly happening and see mom beaten.
He hurt her. He bruised her. All to protect me.
Still my relationship with her never got better and it ended up becoming tense when we were in the same room. The air around us was always heavy, impossible to breathe around. We both had things to say to each other but we chose silence and stubbornness.
As I got older, dad's beatings got more brutal more frequent. I remember nights that mom had to sneak into my room and we would both stand by the door making sure he didn't break the lock. She had a concussion once, and had to be hospitalized in case of brain damage. Still, when she regained consciousness my father would apologise and she'd smile and forgive him in an instant.
That right there ignited anger in me I never thought I could hold. I resented her for being absolutely stupid about the situation. She would die at this rate. I had only called the police once. That day left a scar so deep in my relationship with my parents, it couldn't be closed up. I needed help, and my obedient submissive mother was doing nothing to help the situation.
So, when I heard my dad yelling at her about cheating I smiled. I smiled big, almost laughed even.
"What the hell in this house don't I give you?! Ungrateful wench." My father yelled threw stuff at her, pushed her back and even slapped her. But, she was unmoving. It must have hurt of course, but she kept her hands behind her and had a slight smile on her face. She was surrendering, she was free. I knew that look it was the same one I think I had on my face when dad was taken away by officers.
"I will be taking Venice with me, and we can discuss asset management with my lawyer. I want a divorce."
I think he froze, mom was the always smiling one. Always on call, always submissive. She was the bigger hypocrite than dad ever was. He begged, she walked off. He smashed things around the house, I was blamed for covering up her infidelity. If he continued I was going to pull a trigger on him.
I had a stalker on my back, parents that were driving me crazy, a friendship that was about to crumble and an atrraction that needed to end.
"Tim, it's Venice." I said as I parked my car at school early the next morning. I was not an early riser but I had to do something. I hated the idea of using connections for selfish gains, but dammit I couldn't care less.
"Venice, baby, you finally remembered me." He answered and I leaned back on my chair. Tim and I never saw eye to eye but, we had a very, frustrating relationship.
"I heard about your promotion in the force. I had to call." I forced a smile.
"Tell me pretty lies, sweetheart. You need me." I was going to say something I was going to regret later.
"Of course I do. It's serious. I'm being stalked Tim, and I want it to stop." There was silence through the end of the line. I didn't know what he thought of it because I had never seen him being serious with work. He seperate my time with him and his work.
"Run that by me again, you're being stalked? By who? For how long?" He asked and the seriousness in his voice kicked in.
"Yeah. I don't know by who but it's been around a month and a half." I stated and the way he spoke next sent chills and goosebumps rising over my skin.
"Babe, you kept this to yourself trying to be a hero about it? Are you fucking with me right now?! This isn't something to keep to yourself dammit." He exploded and I gently said.
"I'm telling you now-"
"Dont get smart with me." He said with finality and I pressed the phone to my ear wiaitng for him to cool off. I never got mad when he was like this with me. My respect for him even after these two years I have known him still stands overall. He was around five years older than me and well we had been through a lot...not something I wanted to remember at a time like this.
"I'm sorry." I replied and he sighed.
"We should meet. I have time this afternoon, bring me all the proff you have and tell me everything. Your thoughts included I want to help in this. Understood darling?" He said with a firm tone and my body tensed and I was unconsciously biting my lip.
"I have time as well. I will send you the location for-"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
My phone slipped from my hand and I froze. A large hand was knocking on my car door and I screamed.
"V! V....calm down. It's me." I didn't need to know whose voice that is. I was at school, and he wasn't a student. What the hell was he doing here?
"Q, what the hell are you-"
"Venice, baby what's going on?" Tim's voice sounded over my speaker. I picked up the phone and whispered into the phone as I look at Q outside my window.
"Tim, I might have one person I suspect."