MY NOTES: Thanks so much to Sundiata (Grace) for letting me know that she doesn't hate my rambling. It makes me feel better. :-) But I must say after reading the notes in your story, that if e-bay auctions off Kip and Ryan, I'm gonna buy Ryan, and Jamaican Sunshine is gonna get Kip:-) lol. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Abuse is WRONG! If you know that someone is being abused (I don't mean getting spankings, but really abused!) report it! Don't let it keep happening!
Chapter 8: Mother (and Father)
Rachel found herself sitting with Julie, Laura, JoAnna, and Emma Hoyt at the last game of the season, the state championships against Marshall High School. Emma stood up at the last minute and said, "There's somethin' I gotta do. I'll be right back."
Rachel watched Emma walk down to the field and shake hands with Julius. Rachel and Julie smiled at each other. It looked like things with Emma and the black guys were gonna be just fine.
They watched as the game began. Marshall's coach, Ed Henry, led his team to score after score. He ran an amazing shotgun, which the Titans had never faced before. Marshall's offense was so good that the Titans rarely got the ball.
They went into the second half trailing, but they surprised everybody, when they pulled their trick play out of the hat. Rev was called in, and nobody but the Titans were quite sure why. They didn't need two QB's on the field. But yet another surprise...he was playing runningback. Boone ordered a Fake 23 Blast with a Backside George Reverse. And he got one. With the works. Ronnie called the play and received the snap, making a quick handoff. Rev ran down field, and Ronnie followed him, eventually passing him. Marshall's defense was watching the QB for the pass, so they over-persued him, and the guy with the ball made a long pass to Rev. The injured QB turned runningback ran like he was on fire. Ronnie blocked for him, headbutting anyone in the way. Rev crossed the goal line, yelling. The play had worked like a charm. Fans streamed onto the field to celebrate with their team.
Ronnie found Rachel and gave her a resounding kiss on the lips. Julie looked sadly at the couple. Rachel was her friend, but Ronnie owned her heart. And he had from the moment he'd sent her the corny invitation to Homecoming.
"We're goin' to the hospital later, Rache," Ronnie said. "You wanna go with us?"
"No. I want to, but I can't. Dad's home, and I have to cook dinner. He said straight to the game, straight home."
Ronnie's blue eyes darkened as he thought of Rachel's dad. Miles Shannon.
"It's OK, Ronnie. My dad's not so bad."
"As if hitting you is 'not so bad.'"
"No, Ronnie. He never hit me before...before my brother..."
Rachel looked at her feet, and Ronnie slid his index finger under her chin, lifting her face so that he could look at her. "What about your brother?"
"I couldn't...I didn't tell you before because it hurt too much. But I had two brothers, Ronnie."
"Two?" Ronnie asked. He had met her brother, Kevin before, but he didn't know that she had another.
"Yeah. I had another brother named Nathan. But...He's dead. He died before I met you."
"How'd..." Ronnie couldn't believe she'd kept this from him.
"He died in 'Nam. The Tet Offensive."
"Oh, Rache, I..."
"Well, he didn't start hurting us until Nathan died. And then Mom left, so he had to hit me and Kevin, or thought he had to. But then, Kevin joined the Air Force, so it's just me. And Dad hits me."
"Oh, Rache, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me? I could've..."
"Done absolutely nothing. You can't bring Nathan back. And you can't make my mom come back. And you can't make my dad stop what he's doing."
"Rachel, you and your dad... You both need help."
"Well, maybe so, but you're not going to get it for us, OK?"
Ronnie shook his head. "I don't want to make another stupid promise."
"What?"
"Just, be careful, Rachel. I love you."
"I love you, too, Sunshine," she said, teasingly using his new nickname.
"Let me know if you need me."
"OK."
Rachel got a ride home with Julie, in her VW Beetle. She was really quiet, and Julie was worried. "You OK, Rachel?"
"Oh, yeah. Just trying to decide what to fix for dinner."
"Well, we're almost there, so you better figure it out pretty quick," Julie said with a smile. Rachel wished she could figure it out pretty quick. But she couldn't. Not everything she needed to figure out.
Julie pulled into Rachel's driveway, and said, "Well, I'll see you at school Monday."
"OK. Tell Gerry I'm sorry I couldn't come, but I'm thinking about him."
"Sure. See ya."
"See ya."
Rachel climbed out of the car, wishing that when she entered her home, she'd see the Dad she used to have, and not the man he had become.
No such luck. Not only was her dad drunk, but he was mad. Really mad.
"Where have you been? That game was over almost fourty-five minutes ago."
"Dad, it's a thirty minute drive."
"And how did you manage to kill the other fifteen minutes?"
"I just went down to congratulate Ronnie and the rest of the team," she said, hoping that her voice wasn't quivering with fear. She would rather have faced a hundred Rays than her dad.
"Yeah. I saw that. Saw you kissin' that hippie boy on TV."
"What?" she questioned.
"Don't play stupid. I saw it. I want you to leave that boy alone. Him and his kind are why your brother is dead." Rachel's dad never said Nathan's name. He just referred to him as "your brother."
Rachel wanted to defend Ronnie, but not to this man. He would make her pay dearly for every word she said.
"You 'n' him go around practicin' that 'free love' crap, too?"
"No, Dad. Never."
"Yeah. You're just like 'em. You and your bellbottoms and flowers and peace signs."
"No, Dad. I just want everybody to be safe again."
"Well, it's never gonna be that way."
Rachel turned to go to the kitchen, but her dad grabbed her arm tightly. She knew there would be bruises there the next day. "Where do you think you're goin'?"
"To cook dinner, Dad."
"Yeah. Probably goin' to call that hippie boy."
"No, sir. I was just going to start dinner."
"Bet you slept with half the boys on that team already."
Rachel wondered where he got some of his crap. She guessed he said things to make her angry, so that when he beat her, he would have a 'reason' to somewhat alleviate his guilt.
"Been keepin' company with the colored boys, too?"
She shook her head. "No, Dad." The word 'colored' made her angry. But she hadn't been "keeping company" with the black guys. At least, not in the way he meant it. They were her friends, no more.
Rachel turned to go to the kitchen again, but this time, her dad turned her around to face him. All she saw was a fist coming at her before her world went black.
Rachel woke up in a crumpled heap in the corner. Her head ached, and her eye was swollen shut. There were major bruises on her arms, but her bones were intact. Her first thought was that she had told Ronnie she'd be fine. So much for that.
Rachel made a spur of the moment decision. She would leave. Run far away, and hope that noone caught her. She knew that getting caught would get her a much worse beating than this one, but getting away would be the only way she'd survive. She walked up to her room, careful not to wake her dad, who was sleeping on the couch. She grabbed a small bag and began stuffing it with a few things that she wanted and needed. She shoved her life savings of six-hundred dollars into her bag. She was glad she'd kept it well-hidden. She was going to need it. She picked out a few changes of clothes and shoved her flip-flops in a corner of the bag. She put a picture of Ronnie, herself, and Kevin together in the bag, then added a picture of her mother, Molly, and Nathan. She wished for the hundredth time that she had a car, but she didn't. She would have taken her dad's, but it was way to easy too get caught when you were hauling a stolen car. At last she grabbed a small notebook and a pen. She scribbled a note to her dad.
Dad,
I wish I could stay, but I can't. I love you, and I'm sorry about Nathan and Mom. But I can't let you hurt me anymore. Goodbye.
Rachel
She quietly tiptoed down the stairs and went outside. She waited until she was away from the house to run. She went to the Basses' house, and sat quietly in the woods with a flashlight, writing a note to Ronnie.
Dear Ronnie,
You were right. I wish I'd listened. My dad's not gonna get better. And I need to accept it. He will always hurt me. I love you, Ronnie. I always have. And I always will. But I have to go. Please don't say anything. I'll write you when I'm safe. I wish I knew where my mom is, but I don't. And if I went to her, they'd find me anyway. I want you to tell Gerry that, besides you, Julie, Laura, and Emma, he's my best friend. Tell him thanks for all he's done for me. And tell him I'll miss him.
I'll miss you, too, Ronnie. I'm gonna feel so lonely. Take care of Julie, and she'll take care of you. She'll be better for you than I'd ever be anyway.
Tell Rev to pray for me, because when Rev prays, God pays special attention. Tell him thanks for being my friend. And tell Laura that I'll miss her, too.
I'll see you again, Ronnie. I promise. Tell all the guys I love 'em. They're just like brothers. And tell 'em congrats on the win tonight. And tell Emma not to worry, 'cause I know she will.
Remember our song, "Surfer Girl." And I want you to take care of my board. I might need it again.
Love always,
Rache
She cried a few tears, and cursed herself when the ink smeared. Then she folded the letter and wrote "To Ronnie" on the outside. "Goodbye," she whispered softly.
Rachel opened the Basses' screen door as quietly as is possible (which, unfortunately, isn't very quietly). She slid the note between the screen door and the front door, and gently shut it.
As she ran off into the woods, she hoped that she'd make it. And she thought about Ronnie. She knew that somewhere, she'd find someone to love her, who wouldn't live so close to her dad. So close to all of her pain and sorrow. So close to all of the dreams that were dying this very night.
Rachel found herself wishing for her mother. The woman who'd loved her so much. But she wondered why, if she cared about her, she had left Rachel at the mercy of her dad. But she remembered her mother as a good woman. When Rachel was little, her mother always sang to her. She had a sweet, clear voice, just like Mama Cass. Rachel had been told that she herself was a good singer, but she didn't think so. She sang a little more like the female version of John Fogherty. But her mom was amazing. She was so beautiful.
She wished that Nathan was still alive. She wished he was there to make everything OK again. She wished that she could have the happy family she'd had before. But, she didn't. And she never would.
Ronnie woke up early that morning, and went downstairs. He opened the door, and saw the note. He quickly unfolded it, and almost cried when he read the words Rachel had written. "Dad, Rachel ran away! I've gotta find her!"
Colonel Bass ran down the stairs, and saw his son, shaking like a leaf, with the letter in his hands. "What happened, Ronnie?"
Ronnie couldn't talk, but he handed his dad the letter. He read it quickly, and refolded it. "Get dressed, son. We'll find her. But I need to do something else first."
"OK, Dad," Ronnie said, running upstairs. He pulled on an old pair of jeans and a grey sweater. He ran back downstairs, where Colonel Bass was standing, dressed already.
"I called the police, Ronnie. They've taken Rachel's dad into custody."
Ronnie nodded, but he didn't know what to say. Rachel was not going to be happy, but it was better this way. Her Dad needed to be put away, where he couldn't hurt her anymore. And now, Ronnie wanted nothing more than to find Rachel again.
A/N: Hope you like... I really didn't end up having Ronnie take action, but Colonel Bass did. So... I think I've got my story set, now. This is the first chappie ever that I wrote almost completely on the computer, so I hope it's good. I'm gonna try to get this thing finished pretty soon. Hope y'all keep reading. And REVIEWING. (hint hint) No pressure. raises eyebrow in question Oh well! Hope to write more soon! D
