Somewhere in Between

By: Vela Cruze

Chapter 8:

Helga walked into the empty bedroom where she was directed to go. There were four beds in the room. She threw her duffel bag on the floor and sat down on one. Putting her face in her hands, she began to cry silently. "Hi…" she looked up and searched for the owner of the voice. "I'm Eva. You are?" The woman that was speaking looked to be about 30-years-old. She had shoulder length red hair and green eyes

"I'm Helga." she replied standing and extending her hand for Eva to shake.

"I've never seen you around here. Is this your first shelter?"

She lowered her head nodded, "Have you been to more than one?"

"From coast to coast." She said smiling, "This is my ninth one. My husband just doesn't know when to quit. What about you?"

Helga remained silent, unsure of what to say. "It's all right. You don't have to talk about him. Do you play cards?" she asked pulling a deck from her shirt pocket, "Do you play cards? Rummy?" she asked pulling a deck from her shirt pocket.

"Solitaire."

"I'll teach ya. Come on. You don't want to sit in here all day do you?"

Eva led her downstairs to a vacant table. Helga sat staring at her cards. She was completely absorbed in her thoughts that she completely forgot what she was doing. "Hey, that card isn't going to play itself ya know." Eva said smiling.

"Oh sorry." She placed the card on the table, "I was just thinking how stupid I've been to allow him to treat me this way. I mean look at me. I should have left him a long time ago…"

"But you didn't. And neither did a lot of the women here, including me. You stay because you think things are going to get better. But then after awhile you stay because if you try to leave he'll kill you."

"He'll find me… I know he will."

"Well they always show up looking for you. It's an inevitable part of the relationship. It's like the deeper you hide the harder they search for you… How old are you…if you don't mind me asking."

"I'm seventeen. I'll be eighteen next summer."

"I thought you looked a little young to be in a place like this by yourself. You're the youngest woman I've met in a shelter that wasn't with her mother…"

Eva and Helga's friendship blossomed over the next few weeks. Helga discovered that they were more alike than she had thought. This older woman proved to be a real comfort to this lonely girl. But as we know, all good things must come to an end. Late one night, the house's occupants were awakened by shouting from outside. Loud sirens interrupted that night's slumber. "I wonder what's going on." Eva said walking to a window and peeking out, "There's a guy out there." She said.

"A guy?"

"Yeah one of the social worker's must have called the police." She walked over to the front door where a small crowd had gathered. Helga looked out the window and her fears were confirmed. Frankie was out there, the police trying hard to restrain him. "I want my girlfriend. I know she's hiding in there. Helga you stupid bitch get out here now!" he yelled.

She shook her head as his yelling continued, "They can't protect you forever!"

Eva walked over to her and held her hand firmly. Helga looked at her and laughed bitterly. "So that was him huh?"

"Yep. A real charmer right?"

"It's all right. They arrested him."

"He'll get out. And he'll come after me again. I'm not safe from him. Not here not anywhere. I'll call my mother to come pick me up." She whispered walking away.

"Don't do that."

"I have to. Frankie won't care who he hurts to get to me. And there are children here. I don't want anyone to be hurt."

"If your going to leave then may I suggest something."

"What?"

"Leave the city. The only way for you to be free is to get far away and start over."

"Thank you, Eva."

Eva watched sadly as Helga got into her mother's car and it drove off, "Stay safe Helga." she whispered.

Meanwhile, in the Pataki house, Helga and her parents sat in the living room discussing her options.

"I have to get out of the city." Helga stated.

"We can't just uproot ourselves. What about my business?"

"Bob, your daughter's life is more important than your silly beeper business."

"No dad's right mom. It wouldn't be fair of me to ask you to change your lives for me."

"What about Olga? Would you be willing to live with her?" Miriam asked suddenly.

"Where is she?"

"She moved out to South Carolina recently. You could even finish school."

"Would Olga mind?"

"No of course not. I've been talking to her about your situation and she said that if you ever needed a place to stay her door was always open. I'll call her tomorrow and we can make arrangements to send you down there."

"Thank you mom." She said smiling at her mother.

The next day, at school, Arnold spotted Helga cleaning out her locker. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well is that anyway to say goodbye?" she said smiling at him.

"Goodbye? You're leaving?"

"Yeah, the day after tomorrow. I'm going to live with my sister."

Arnold bit his bottom lip, "Are sure you have to leave?"

"Yeah, it's the only way I'll ever be free." She said, quoting Eva.

"I'll miss you." he said looking into her eyes.

She blushed, "I'll miss you too."

"Can I walk you home?"

"I'd like that."

After school, they walked silently down the sidewalk. Helga clutched her books to her chest and Arnold kept his head bent. He was tempted to put his arm around her but stopped. She probably wasn't ready for another relationship right then, especially since she was leaving. Arnold's thoughts were interrupted when they reached Helga's house. "So you'll come say goodbye tomorrow right?"

"Of course."

"See you then."

"All right."

Arnold turned to walk away but turned around kissed Helga on her lips gently, "I love you." he whispered. He walked down the sidewalk smiling. She stared after him, "I love you too." Then she unlocked the front door and went inside. As she passed the living room, she heard someone calling her name. She had to do a double take to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. Frankie was sitting in the chair with his leg swung over the arm. Terror became fixed on her face. "What was that?" he demanded.

She began shaking almost uncontrollably. "I saw everything, Helga." He said getting up and walking toward her. He grabbed her wrist and began twisting it. "You've been cheating on me you little slut." He said viciously.

She knew better than to cry out, but her face twisted with pain.

"I thought I told you to come home."

"I will, please let me go Frankie. You're hurting me."

"It's too late. We could've been so happy together. But you just had to ruin it. It's your fault. It always has been. But now I see. You want that football headed freak."

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Helga said.

"Hurt him? No, I won't hurt him. But I'll kill you. You forget Helga, I won't let you live without me. If I can't have you I'll make sure no one else will."

He began dragging her toward the front door, But Helga managed to free herself from his grip. She ran for the kitchen, but Frankie grabbed her by the waist and threw her violently onto the stairs. Her head ricocheted off one of the steps, clouding her vision. "Bad girl you know not to run. I see you've gotten defiant." He wrapped a hand around her throat and began squeezing. She clawed desperately at his hand as she gasped for air. He pulled out a knife and ran the cold blade across her cheek, "I'd hate to have to kill you here, but don't push me." he said pressing the knife into her flesh until a small trickle of blood slid down her face, "Now are you gonna be a good girl?"

She was beginning to black out and Frankie smiled. He picked her up and carried her out to his car. After making sure she was secure in the back seat he drove away.