Two Beds and a Coffee Machine
Her groan filled the small space she occupied on the bed as her back feel on the soft of the mattress. She winced when the pain of the descent etched throughout her nerves and felt the hot sting of tears well to her eyes as the golden streams of the sun fell carelessly across her face. She heard the creak of the door ahead of her and turned to block herself from the opening. The feel of his hand was laid against her arm and the feel of his lips fell on her temple. She sucked in breath she deprived herself when she heard his steps on the carpet growing faint and turned in the pained position she had revolved to at the moment she awoke. Her hands gripped the sheets, her knuckles growing pale and wet from the clutching of the comforter and the flow of her tears. A feeble cry could be heard and she sniffled before rising up from her bed and leaving the room, her bare feet taping on the white beneath them. Her hand pushed open the door and she moved to the wooden rails that separated her and her and the angelic child inside of it. She smiled painfully at the small child that lay almost inaudibly wailing from behind the bars. The feel of her soft skin warmed her as her body was held in the woman's arms and the wail grew to a whimper until silence filled the room. The child's small fingers entangled with hers and she whispered soft tales to the child as she sat them in a rocking chair with bars much like that of the crib. Her hand brushed back the curled dark hair of the little one in her arms and she watched as she slowly closed her eyes. She glanced away from the youth as tears welled in her eyes while waiting for her husband to make his return.
Her lips curved to a feeble smile as he embraced her on the pearl white sofa. She could smell the odor of intoxication on his breath and feel his arms reached for her waist, a grin embroidering his face. Her worn eyes, permitting the familiar look as her lips trembled beneath his. She could feel his weight pressing against her and she could only mummer muffled words, pleading for him to rise from her frail body. His weight was immovable and she squirmed against him, his hands clinging to her wrist, his lips to her mouth muffling her cries. "Please…" She held her to him even tighter almost as if just to keep her from suffocation and moved his hand swiftly across her chest until the mummers stopped and she gasped. He freed her for a moment to unzip his pants and he felt her move out from under him. She moved towards the miniature table beside the couch and he grasped her arm, only to fling her down on the carpet. A sharp shriek sounded when the table shook and the lap atop it fell and shredded glass embedded itself into the floor. His weight fell on her once again and she could hear the weak cry of her child in the room above her. She could hear herself sobbing as he removed the blouse she wore, exposing the bruises from the night before.
She felt a searing pain take over her senses as she attempted to move from her sprawled position on the floor. Her eyes slit open, eyeing him as he stumbled up the stairs. She pushed herself up and exhaled hard, drying her tears with her bare arms, and pulling the shirt over her head. She held herself up on the long spiral railing as she shuffled along the staircase. She pushed her hand against the closed door preparing to cleanse her from the routine shower and she spotted him fumbling the knob of her child's door. She headed for the door and she laid a protective hand on his arm. "What are you doing?" He glared forcefully at her with the eyes that had stared icily at her the night before when she had smelt the scent of that woman on his body.
"I'm teaching her not to be like her mother." He clasped her wrists in his hands and she could feel herself being driven forcefully against the wall behind her and his hands like whips being driven across her body.
She held its sleeping body in her arms and slung the bag over her shoulder and pulled the door to the frame leaving the unconscious body of her husband left on the floor of the tiled living room. She descended the tiled steps in front of the eloquent five-figure home before placing her child in the secured car seat and slamming the door hard preparing her to not look back.
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She watched the reporters speak in small voices on the television as she sat on the edge of the bed in the fairly sized hotel room, every so often looking back at the small girl that slept cushioned on her back behind her. She looked down at her hands and breathed deeply, only to have her head shoot up at the sound of a vaguely familiar voice.
Who else but the Famous Jett Jackson was on her television screen? God, how long has it been since she'd seen Jett, much less thought about Wilsted, and yet here she was. Why had she come here where he could easily find her? As if he couldn't find her wherever it was she went? She exhaled and shrugged it off and looked back up at the screen.
She smiled at the memory of their last day together. Graduation had been the day before and they were all saying their good-byes with their families. The ridiculous amount of money that had been promised to Jett had finally come on his eighteenth birthday and they were all off to high education. Jett to UCLA where he continued to pursue his acting and had done well for himself from all his promotions and stories she had seen of him on television. J.B. had accompanied him, but the last time she'd heard from him, he'd told her that he wasn't made for the city, that they all knew, and J.B. had found out. He had simply gone back to Wilsted and took over the store and later opened a chain of the Halliburton's stores. Riley had become Mrs. Halliburton, not to anyone's surprise and Kayla was unsure of what had happened with Riley. She, on the other hand, had gone to MIT on a scholarship with a promising future in science. It was there that she had met Jeffery McCormick, her future husband. She laughed at the thought of his amazing transformation. He had been so charming, theoretic, and philosophical. He was actually too good to be true, but she hadn't taken time to notice that. As soon as graduation came and she gained her masters, they had gotten married with his family and almost half of Wilsted at the attendance. A while later they moved to upstate New York and after a year of marriage, had changed on her. He had become the macho, womanizer she had learned to hate so much. He drank…a lot, she was forbidden to work, but she was the trophy doll of Mr. McCormick, the infamous celebrity lawyer. She didn't work, under the suggestion of her husband. She had become weak and submissive and he had learned various ways to cut her off from all contact between her and her family and before she knew it, she had become his. He had immense ownership over her and she hadn't bothered to think for herself anymore, only her daughter, and had become nothing more than a zombie to him.
She came from her reverie and looked back up at the screen. His smile was emanating from the screen and she found herself smiling back at the screen. She had fallen in love with that smile… that was before they grew up and were simply forced to move on, leaving him behind with his blossoming career. She'd missed him over the years. His charm and J.B.'s optimism were all things she'd been drained of and yearned for even now.
That was the end of that, those pesky thoughts from the past only brought tears to her eyes. Where she was going and figuring out what to do now that she was home, was now the problem at hand.
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"Oh, she's so adorable." She forced a smile and turned the woman to her side, perching her daughter on her thigh before buckling her into the rear of the cart. "Oh, thank you." She placed a carton of milk into the cart and took a paper into her hands. She moved the cart as she walked along the aisle and noticed the woman still walking beside her. "How old is she?" She held the smile. "Six months." The woman commented on her daughter's age and was prompted to ask another question when a voice piped up, announcing the sale of Polygrip in aisle two and she watched the woman smile politely and dash off. She let out a breath and smiled, turning to meet the voice. "Thank you so-" Her voice caught in her throat and she stood almost paralyzed, her mouth parted slightly as she looked at him. "Kayla," the only word he breathed as they stood looking on at one another. Finally breaking the moment he broke out into an eccentric grin and took her into his arms, not noticing her wince as he did it. She too soon broke out into a genuine smile as they parted. "It's been such a long time, Jett." (Well what kind of story would it be if he didn't show up, huh?)
"I know, I know."
"What are you doing here? Last I heard, you were in California."
"Yeah well, I needed some time off."
"So you come to Wilsted." He smiled and replied, "It soothes me. Other than TV, we haven't had much contact with one another. I thought you lived in New York. How long have you been here in Wilsted?" Her smile began to fade as she said, "I just drove in yesterday, and well… I do live in New York, but there are complications." He looked concerned for only a solitary minute before perking up again. "Then you can tell me all about it over lunch." She raised her eyebrows, "and bring the little one with you."
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He watched as she placed the small child with her juice bottle in the high chair that the stroller, with its many facades, had devised. "This is…this is amazing. I didn't know they had houses like this is Wilsted."
He lifted his fork to his mouth. "They don't, normally. The owner before me had it built. I use it when I come out here so I don't burden anyone during vacations."
"Modest." He grinned, "Yeah, it is, isn't it?" She smiled as he feigned pretentiousness.
"You live here, in this enormous place all by yourself?"
"Hey, I'm not all by myself. I've got Rex." She looked over at the lethargic bulldog and laughed. "Right."
"Don't they have houses like this is grand 'ole New York?"
"Of course they do, but my enormous house contains two living members."
"Well, Rex needs his space." She rolled her eyes and he simulated offence before a small silence broke.
"So, why haven't you called? None of us have seen, much less heard from you since the wedding." She slightly twirled the fork in her hand, conducting a simple enough alibi in her head. "I guess I've just been busy, Jett."
"Busy enough to not be able to at least write your parents? They've been worried sick about you, K." She noted his seriousness as he stared at her, waiting for a legit answer. "As a matter of fact, I have. Don't turn this all on me Jett. You haven't exactly been the faithful correspondent."
"I've called and I've written you, K. we all have." A genuine look of perplexity grazed her face. "What?" His face softened and met her look. "You didn't know?"
"No," her voice was small and broke slightly. "Humph, that's weird."
She swallowed and looked up to meet him from the position her eyes had down at her plate. She shrugged slightly and smiled. "I'm sure they just got lost in the mail, and as for the phone calls… I can't explain those."
His voice came out as a mummer as he whispered something to himself and she looked up at him, unsure of what he'd said. "Hmm?"
"How are things with you and Jeffery?"
"Oh, uh, great. They really are." She stopped and her smile widened as she turned to her daughter, "Especially now that we have Holly." The angelic infant gurgled slightly as she clasped her mother's finger. "She really is adorable." She bit her lips, almost grinning while running her thumb across Holly's cheek.
"You seem pretty content with life the way it is." She turned back to him and breathed, "I am." After a pause she spoke up. "I saw your movie." He grinned as she said that. "Killer robots, blood, gore, action."
"Yeah, well, my agent recommended I do it to gain a higher percentage of male supporters."
"You might be the next Jean Claude Van Dam of the industry."
"I was going for James Bond, but at least I get to hold a great big machine gun!"
"Here's to hoping!" I quiet hit after they shared their jokes and Jett suddenly became serious again. "So, why are you here, K?"
"Jeffrey's… away on business and I think I need to get away from the Big Apple for a little while." He smiled, "Great, then why don't you stay here? Later on we can go and say 'Hi' to all the little people we've left behind here in Wilsted."
"I don't know, Jett. I'm already staying somewhere."
"Where?"
"A hotel."
"Oh, yeah, well, a hotel. Why would you want to stay here?"
"Jett…"
"I have three bedrooms that I'm not even using and the other two I'm using for exercise machines and reading, really. Besides, it's like you said, I live in this enormous house all by myself." Her lips parted and she opened and closed it trying to form the words, but looked on the puppy face he was forming and caved in. "Alright, fine."
"Great! We'll go pick up your stuff and bring it over here and figure out what room we can put you, and little Holly in." He walked over to the infant, carefully playing with the hands she seemed to experiment with so much, causing the small child to laugh.
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The story sucks really and it's been sitting on my computer for a while so I figured I might as well post it. If you like it I'll write more so review…for your benefit.