Part Eight: Alison
Epstein kissed Cutie Pie one last time before climbing the rest of the way out the window. Smiling, he looked at her one last time before climbing down the trellis along the side of the house. Once on the ground, he sighed and looked up at the window. He was happy to be with her, and call her his girlfriend. But moments like this made him sad. Sad to leave her behind. He wanted to stay with her forever.
He could still hear the music coming from her bedroom window. Alison by Elvis Costello played. It was a song that felt bittersweet to him. That was because he was happy to know how much she enjoyed the song. At the same time it made him sad for her because he knew she listened to it during moments when she was feeling awful about her life. Reaching up to this neck, he absentmindedly tried to grab at a necklace chain that was no longer there. It was a reminder that he had just given her his good luck charm necklace. Still looking up at the window, he hoped to catch a glimpse of her. He didn't like knowing she was listening to that song. It made his heart break for her because he knew what life was like for her. And if she was listening to this song, then that meant one thing. Something bad happened shortly before he got there.
Epstein looked over at the tree in the neighbor's yard. This was the same tree he had fallen out of a few years prior when Cutie Pie and her family were moving in. He was in that tree when he got his first glimpse of her. Without thinking, he climbed up the tree. He knew there were some branches that would give him the best view inside her bedroom without him being seen. He slid out onto one of the branches and then looked in at Cutie Pie.
Through the window he get a good look at her. She stood there at the window but faced away from it. In her hand was the small flower he had given her. She held the flower up to her face and smiled. Except the smile didn't seem too happy. Epstein leaned in closer for a better look. He saw tears starting to fall from her eyes. It hurt to see her that way. He sighed, wondering what could have caused her to be so upset.
Unable to watch her cry, he looked away. He slowly climbed down, out of the tree. With a heavy heart, he slowly began walking away. He wished there was something he could do to change her situation. But it hurt him to know that there wasn't anything he or anyone else could do. Until one day when he'd take her as his wife, and get her away from her father's abuse, he would sadly have to leave her there. At the very least, he could be a shoulder for her to cry on from time to time.
…
Cutie Pie looked at him, tears forming in her eyes. She blinked a little, trying to keep the tears from falling.
"Juan I…"
"Honey you don't have to say anything." He brought her into a hug. "I know you went through a tough time with your dad. But hey," he pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "It's over now. And you're safe with me. I included that song as a reminder that, with me, all of that is in the past. It's my promise to keep you away from that harm from now on."
"Oh Juan." She hugged him. "I love you."
"I love you too."
He held her for a little bit in silence. He rubbed her back a little before pulling away. Adjusting his position, he looked at her.
"Susie we had a bad time in our relationship. It almost ended. Twice actually. The first time was because we were stupid and stubborn." He began to grin a little. "And our friends pushed up back together at the dance."
"Literally." She smirked "Wasn't a smooth move on their part."
"No." He grinned "No it wasn't. But it did get us talkin'."
"And the dance we had. Juan, I still can't get over how well you dance like that. I never would have thought that would have come from you."
He grinned with a slight blush. "Well like I said, ma wanted me and my brothers to be gentlemen and learn how to dance properly with girls. We all had to take dance lessons before our bar mitzvahs."
"Well they certainly paid off."
"Yeah, yeah. And now you have something to look forward to at our wedding."
"I can't wait." She kissed him. "So…. Are we going to listen to it now?"
"To what?"
"You know what!" She giggled "I know the next song is Tiny Dancer."
"Who told you?" He laughed "Aright."
He pressed the play button and soon the music began.
