*
That night having parked in a prime position outside of her building,
Margaret scans each car carefully in her view up and down the street;
when she steps up her eyes stray across a red car one block up. The
driver looks up right at her and hurriedly starts the car, screeching
the tires as it rounds the corner out of sight.
Each morning and night they play this game as his day in court draws
closer, sometimes Leo will arrive home with her with his driver and
walk up to her door and then leave via the fire stairs to give the
appearance she's not alone.
There's a whistle by the phone for the nights when he won't stop
calling and she put a block on his email address to filter the blank
and sometimes threatening emails that arrive in her inbox.
For the petty penalty he would receive, it's not worth the stress of
calling the police, so each instance is recorded and kept where
possible.
"How's the thing going?" Leo asks one night when Margaret asks him
in, having accompanied her safely to her door.
"It's good, it's a life saver really." Margaret smiles going about
getting Alyson to bed. It's been a month since she started with the
counseling service.
Leo looks over at her, wanting more information.
"I have more confidence." She smiles. "More confidence in having
control and keeping it."
"I wanted to...A month or so ago I told you I..."
"Loved me." Margaret finishes, swinging around to face him.
"I didn't know if you'd heard me or if I'd dreamt saying those
words." Leo replies sheepishly.
Easing into the sofa next to him and doing up the last of the buttons
on Alyson's pajamas, Margaret takes a deep breath and says what she
needs to.
"I can't...do this now." She starts, realizing how inarticulate she
is.
"I know." Leo says understandingly.
"There are just too many other things and..."
"I don't want to be a confusion in your life." Leo interrupts,
smiling sadly over at her.
"I'm sorry." Margaret begins somberly. "I don't know if I can trust
anyone again."
"You can trust me." Leo reminds her.
"I know, I just don't know if I have the capacity anymore." Margaret
replies sadly. "I've been hurt too many times."
"You should put her to bed and I should go." Leo changes the subject
abruptly.
"Goodnight." Margaret almost whispers as she deadbolts the door
behind him.
*
Standing nervously outside the dark brick building, Leo occupies
himself talking to Alyson as if she were his own councilor. He smiles
as Margaret emerges through the double doors, her face lighting up
when she sees her daughter.
"You didn't have to pick her up." Margaret says gratefully lifting
her daughter above her head, a brilliant smile spreading across her
face.
"I wanted to." Leo shrugs, moving to open the car door for her.
They ride in silence till Margaret realizes they're not going back to
the White House to get her car.
"I'll pick you up in the morning." Leo offers and Margaret silently
accepts.
"They told me tonight I'm ready to move on." Margaret says, breaking
a drawn out silence.
"From what?" Leo asks.
"Andrew." She answers simply.
"That easy." Leo comments.
"It usually takes a meeting or a confrontation." Margaret informs him
and is met with a hesitant look. "It's all right." She assures.
"You want me to come up?" Leo asks as the car eases into the curb.
"We'll be all right." Margaret grins at her daughter. "Thank you for
tonight." She directs at Leo and exits the dark car. Looking around
the sparse street, the cars parked are unoccupied to her surprise.
Discovering the lock to her door mangled and opened causes Margaret's
stomach to drop to her feet. Clutching Alyson in one arm, her other
hand grabbing onto the phone in her bag she inches the door slowly
open with her foot. The living and kitchen area are empty and
untouched, as she heads to the dark bedrooms; Andrew steps into the
doorway of Alyson's bedroom.
Margaret gasps, stepping backwards, holding tighter to her daughter,
a quick glance confirms his hands are empty, but he has the potential
to do enough damage with his own hands.
"I got community service and counseling." He says levelly, stepping
towards her, Margaret stepping back. It comes as no surprise he got
off so lightly.
"Andrew what do you want, you can't be here." Margaret says in a
pleading tone.
"A permanent criminal record." He adds, continuing to move towards
her as Margaret backs into the kitchen.
"Andrew if you leave now I won't call the police." Margaret says
evenly, backing into the kitchen cupboards.
"She's getting big, I miss you." He says with almost remorse in his
voice as Margaret opens the drawer behind her, fumbling for a kitchen
knife.
The knife trembling in her hand out in front of her, Andrew stops his
approach.
"Margaret." He says in surprise.
"Please leave." Margaret asks, her voice trembling with her hand.
"I wanted to say I'm sorry." He says almost with sincerity.
"Leave or I'm picking up the phone." Margaret asks again, gathering
all her courage she got from the domestic violence center.
He takes a step back but shows no sign of leaving still.
"I loved you." Margaret starts, her voice wobbling. "That was all I
ever did and this is how you treated me in return, threats,
intimidation and physical violence." The wobbling fades as she says
what she's wanted to say for so long. "This is what you've pushed me
to, I have my daughter in one arm and a weapon pointed at you in the
other, this is what you've done to me." Her voice grows stronger till
she's yelling like she never has before. "Get out of my life and stay
out, I don't like the person I am right at this moment, don't make me
use this knife in a way I don't want to."
Reluctantly Andrew takes another step back, his eyes not leaving the
knife that is steadily pointed in his direction.
"Get out, and out of my life before I add break and enter and
violation of a restraining order to your criminal record." Margaret
yells feeling better than a woman brandishing a knife should.
Silently he turns and walks out through the open door.
Dropping the knife to the kitchen floor, Margaret moves swiftly to
the door shutting it and pulling the chain across. Putting Alyson on
the floor next to her Margaret grabs the phone from her bag that is
still secure around her shoulder ringing her landlord.
She stacks every piece of furniture she can against her front door
until the locksmith arrives.
*
That night having parked in a prime position outside of her building,
Margaret scans each car carefully in her view up and down the street;
when she steps up her eyes stray across a red car one block up. The
driver looks up right at her and hurriedly starts the car, screeching
the tires as it rounds the corner out of sight.
Each morning and night they play this game as his day in court draws
closer, sometimes Leo will arrive home with her with his driver and
walk up to her door and then leave via the fire stairs to give the
appearance she's not alone.
There's a whistle by the phone for the nights when he won't stop
calling and she put a block on his email address to filter the blank
and sometimes threatening emails that arrive in her inbox.
For the petty penalty he would receive, it's not worth the stress of
calling the police, so each instance is recorded and kept where
possible.
"How's the thing going?" Leo asks one night when Margaret asks him
in, having accompanied her safely to her door.
"It's good, it's a life saver really." Margaret smiles going about
getting Alyson to bed. It's been a month since she started with the
counseling service.
Leo looks over at her, wanting more information.
"I have more confidence." She smiles. "More confidence in having
control and keeping it."
"I wanted to...A month or so ago I told you I..."
"Loved me." Margaret finishes, swinging around to face him.
"I didn't know if you'd heard me or if I'd dreamt saying those
words." Leo replies sheepishly.
Easing into the sofa next to him and doing up the last of the buttons
on Alyson's pajamas, Margaret takes a deep breath and says what she
needs to.
"I can't...do this now." She starts, realizing how inarticulate she
is.
"I know." Leo says understandingly.
"There are just too many other things and..."
"I don't want to be a confusion in your life." Leo interrupts,
smiling sadly over at her.
"I'm sorry." Margaret begins somberly. "I don't know if I can trust
anyone again."
"You can trust me." Leo reminds her.
"I know, I just don't know if I have the capacity anymore." Margaret
replies sadly. "I've been hurt too many times."
"You should put her to bed and I should go." Leo changes the subject
abruptly.
"Goodnight." Margaret almost whispers as she deadbolts the door
behind him.
*
Standing nervously outside the dark brick building, Leo occupies
himself talking to Alyson as if she were his own councilor. He smiles
as Margaret emerges through the double doors, her face lighting up
when she sees her daughter.
"You didn't have to pick her up." Margaret says gratefully lifting
her daughter above her head, a brilliant smile spreading across her
face.
"I wanted to." Leo shrugs, moving to open the car door for her.
They ride in silence till Margaret realizes they're not going back to
the White House to get her car.
"I'll pick you up in the morning." Leo offers and Margaret silently
accepts.
"They told me tonight I'm ready to move on." Margaret says, breaking
a drawn out silence.
"From what?" Leo asks.
"Andrew." She answers simply.
"That easy." Leo comments.
"It usually takes a meeting or a confrontation." Margaret informs him
and is met with a hesitant look. "It's all right." She assures.
"You want me to come up?" Leo asks as the car eases into the curb.
"We'll be all right." Margaret grins at her daughter. "Thank you for
tonight." She directs at Leo and exits the dark car. Looking around
the sparse street, the cars parked are unoccupied to her surprise.
Discovering the lock to her door mangled and opened causes Margaret's
stomach to drop to her feet. Clutching Alyson in one arm, her other
hand grabbing onto the phone in her bag she inches the door slowly
open with her foot. The living and kitchen area are empty and
untouched, as she heads to the dark bedrooms; Andrew steps into the
doorway of Alyson's bedroom.
Margaret gasps, stepping backwards, holding tighter to her daughter,
a quick glance confirms his hands are empty, but he has the potential
to do enough damage with his own hands.
"I got community service and counseling." He says levelly, stepping
towards her, Margaret stepping back. It comes as no surprise he got
off so lightly.
"Andrew what do you want, you can't be here." Margaret says in a
pleading tone.
"A permanent criminal record." He adds, continuing to move towards
her as Margaret backs into the kitchen.
"Andrew if you leave now I won't call the police." Margaret says
evenly, backing into the kitchen cupboards.
"She's getting big, I miss you." He says with almost remorse in his
voice as Margaret opens the drawer behind her, fumbling for a kitchen
knife.
The knife trembling in her hand out in front of her, Andrew stops his
approach.
"Margaret." He says in surprise.
"Please leave." Margaret asks, her voice trembling with her hand.
"I wanted to say I'm sorry." He says almost with sincerity.
"Leave or I'm picking up the phone." Margaret asks again, gathering
all her courage she got from the domestic violence center.
He takes a step back but shows no sign of leaving still.
"I loved you." Margaret starts, her voice wobbling. "That was all I
ever did and this is how you treated me in return, threats,
intimidation and physical violence." The wobbling fades as she says
what she's wanted to say for so long. "This is what you've pushed me
to, I have my daughter in one arm and a weapon pointed at you in the
other, this is what you've done to me." Her voice grows stronger till
she's yelling like she never has before. "Get out of my life and stay
out, I don't like the person I am right at this moment, don't make me
use this knife in a way I don't want to."
Reluctantly Andrew takes another step back, his eyes not leaving the
knife that is steadily pointed in his direction.
"Get out, and out of my life before I add break and enter and
violation of a restraining order to your criminal record." Margaret
yells feeling better than a woman brandishing a knife should.
Silently he turns and walks out through the open door.
Dropping the knife to the kitchen floor, Margaret moves swiftly to
the door shutting it and pulling the chain across. Putting Alyson on
the floor next to her Margaret grabs the phone from her bag that is
still secure around her shoulder ringing her landlord.
She stacks every piece of furniture she can against her front door
until the locksmith arrives.
*