Eli and I were sitting in the Dot waiting for our drinks. I kept my gaze low looking at the table but I could feel his eyes staring at me. when I did look up my eyes locked with his.
"You have pretty eyes" he said while smirking. I could feel my face getting red and my heart beating in my chest. "Tha-thanks" I managed to stutter out and look up again to see him smiling. The waitress brought over our coffees and left. He took a sip of his and looked at me.
"So Clare how long has Lidia always been this way?" oh how I regret this. Well not really but telling him about Jake will be difficult.
"Well no actually. Lidia use to be one of the smartest kindest lovable children there was. When she graduated from kindergarten her teacher gave her a special award for being the most helpful to her class mates." I was looking down smiling at the memory.
"I remember when I told her I was having another baby she was so excited. She helped me paint the room, buy clothes, and even pick out the name. When Mason was born she told him she would be the best big sister ever and that she would always love him."
I stopped to take a sip of my coffee but before I could start again Eli spoke up.
"So what happened? Did she just change because she's a teenager or did something happen to trigger the behavior?"
I took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to word this.
"There was something that happened. Something Lidia still doesn't understand and is upset about. I ended up marring my boyfriend from high school. Lidia was very close to her father she was a daddy's girl. They would watch T.V. together every night, go out on Saturdays to the basketball courts or just go somewhere together. She honestly thought of him as her best friend."
I felt the tears start to fill my eyes. Eli reached out and grabbed my hand giving me a weak smile.
"One night I came home and saw police cars lined up in my drive way. Mason and Lidia came running up to me followed by an officer. In my house we had a basement but Jake told me I wasn't allowed to ever go in there. There was no point in fighting him on it so I just never went in there. He was growing marijuana in the basement to sell."
Eli was now sitting next to me rubbing my back as I continued to tell him about Jake.
"Jake was sent to jail for a long time. Him and I had some issues and I wanted to leave him long before this but I couldn't, so I wasn't as upset about him leaving. But Lidia was heartbroken. She kept asking me to bring him home and to take her to see him but I couldn't. I couldn't let her go see him and she hates me for it. She probably will never forgive me" I cried in my hands until my head came in contact with someone's shoulder. Eli's. He pulled me into a hug and tried to calm me down.
After about 5 minutes I pulled away and looked at him. "I'm so sorry I just get upset when it comes to talking about Justin."
He moved the hair in front of my face and dropped his hand. "You don't need to apologize Clare its ok."
"After about 3 months of begging me to take her to see him, she finally realized I was not going to let her see him. That's when she changed. The kids in school found out about Jake and would make fun of her for it or make nasty comments about her dad. She fought the kids to stick up for her dad. She still doesn't understand everything that he did and what he did to me. I just wish I could make her understand" I looked up at Eli who looked so concerned.
"Clare what do you mean she didn't understand what he did to you? Did he hurt you?"
Shit! I hadn't even realized what I was saying how could I just tell Eli that?
"That doesn't matter, what matters is Lidia and I don't know what to do with her anymore." He looked like he wanted to ask more but didn't push it.
He took both of my hands and I felt the electricity go through my body. From the look on his face he did too.
"I'm going to help you ok? I will talk to Lidia and try to help her understand that this is for the best." He was wiping some of my tears away with his thumb as I just smiled at him.
/
When we got back to the school it was only 1:30. Eli was done teaching for the day but needed to stay after to get ready for tomorrow and I needed to get home so I could be there when Mason gets home. We were standing outside by my car.
"Thank you so much Eli this really means a lot to me."
He looked at me and spoke "Don't worry about it Clare. If I can help Lidia and you I promise I will. I know we just met and all but there's something about you that makes me want to be there for you. Like I just need and really want to help you. No one as beautiful and special as you deserves any of this. We'll get through this."
Did I really just hear him right? This man that doesn't even know me just told me he really want to help me and that I'm beautiful and special. I know for a fact that I was blushing.
"Do you have a cell phone?" he asked while I dug it out and handed it to him.
"There now you have my cell phone number so you can call or text me whenever you need help. Or if you just want to talk to me I mean I know I'm pretty awesome." He said with a smirk.
"Someone has a big ego don't they?" I said leaning against my car. Eli followed my lead and leaned on the car right next to me. His arm was touching my arm but he didn't seem to be bothered by it and neither was I. he turned to look at me I realized how close we were.
"Oh come on you know you can't resist me" we both started laughing as his comment but stopped when we heard a bell go off in school.
"Well I probably should get back inside. Seriously call me if you need anything." He stood up straight as I opened the car door.
"I will thank you so much Eli"
"No problem blue eyes" and then he was gone.
/
I was cleaning up the mess from dinner while the kids were in their rooms. I tried to talk to Lidia when she got home but that didn't go to well. Then at dinner I tried asking how her day was and we got into another argument while poor little Mason just sat there. Sometimes I wonder how he survives with all this fighting. I sent her up to her room to do homework and Mason to do his.
Once all the mess was clean I headed up to Mason's room. He was sitting on the floor playing with his toy cars.
"Hey there mister is that homework done?" I asked taking a seat on the floor next to him.
"Sure is mommy it was easy."
"Well that's good. I'm really sorry about the fighting at dinner baby. I promise things will get better soon." He stopped playing with his cars and looked at me.
"Mommy lying is bad right?" I gave him a confused face and nodded my head.
"Then can you please stop lying to me?" I was shocked at this. I've never lied to him.
"What do you mean Mason? I've never lied to you" he got up and sat in my lap.
"Yes you do. Every time you and Lidia fight you always tell me things will get better but they still haven't. I don't blame you Lidia is just a meanie head but please don't tell me it's going to be better soon when it isn't."
I gave him a big hug practically suffocating him. "Oh Mason I'm so sorry. Please believe me when I say I'm trying my best with her. You know I love you and never meant to lie to you." He hugged me back and kissed my cheek before I left him to play with his cars. Mason is one smart kid and I love him so much.
I knocked on Lidia's door but there was no answer, there never is so I just went in but she wasn't there. I ran downstairs to see if she was there but she wasn't. I tried calling her cell phone but didn't get an answer. I ran upstairs and into her room and that's when I saw it. Her window was open. I started panicking realizing she had run away and did the first thing that came to mind.
Eli's POV.
So I was at the school later then I thought I would be. It wasn't that I had so much work to do but I just kept getting distracted. Clare was all I had on my mind. I just wanted to see her again. I was thinking about her eyes when my phone went off it was a number I didn't recognize.
"Hello?"
"Eli its Clare I need your help" she sounded panicked and that worried me.
"Clare what's wrong?"
"Lidia ran away. I came into her room and she wasn't there and her window is open. I just don't know what to do" I could hear her sobbing on the other line and my heart broke.
"Calm down Clare I'm leaving the school now and on my way. I'll stop at some places to heck on the way." After she gave me her address, I packed all my things quickly and started heading in the hallway. I was about to passed the gymnasia when I heard the sound of a basketball. No one else was supposed to be here now so I had no clue who it was but was relieved when I saw who it was. Lidia.
