A Fresh Start

Chapter 6

oOoOo

Frank POV

Point Pleasant was her favourite place. Just as it was for me, it was her go-to place to calm down, contemplate, feel the refreshing sea air on her face, and centre herself. It was escape, escape from the Burg, from her mother, from whatever troubled her. Stephanie had the most glorious day at the boardwalk, despite some disapproving frowns from some of the Burg biddies, whispering nastily behind their hands. Of course, they were on their phones to Helen immediately. I deliberately stood beside Stephanie, right in front of them scowling angrily, my posture very commanding and assertive, while slowly folding my arms across my chest in my best intimidating way. Personal space be damned. They hastily shut down their call looking around nervously.

"You know, people in glass houses should not throw stones. I can't say "ladies" because you disgust me!"

They gasped, as I expected, so I stepped even closer, only modulating my voice to contain my suppressed anger.

"Why don't you go home Bettina, and make sure your precious Giuseppe is not playing house with your belladonna Italian exchange student. She is not encouraging him in any way from what I heard in my taxi. She finds it very distressing. I suggested that she should report it and request a new host family. You'd better be careful too, Nancy. I saw Leonard climbing the side fence, again. He likes to play hide the salami with your pretty blonde neighbour Sally-Anna. She's very athletic you know, if he can catch her. See … here's Giuseppe, ogling Josefina," as I showed them my photos, "and this one is Leonard flirting and ogling with Sally-Anna, who's not wearing very much. His pants are wet at the front. I wonder how that happened? I'll be sure to let Helen know and share these photos with her. Edna too, since she loves to share the goss at the Clip 'n Curl." They both rushed away blushing furiously pushing past the intrigued onlookers who had crowded around us in an effort to hear our conversation.

The other ladies nearby chuckled and whispered but then seeing me still standing like I was, radiating anger, they too scurried away lest I reveal some of the skeletons from their closets. It's amazing how these things happen and we see them while doing our taxi job. At the Lodge, we share that useless information, just in case we need some ammo for their sanctimonious sniggering gossip.

"Stephanie!"

"Mare!"

That unmistakable shriek of joy was from Mary Lou Molnar, followed by an equally ear-splitting one from Stephanie. I smiled at George and Florence Molnar. While we shared a coffee and a Danish, the girls caught up, sitting at their own table with their milkshakes and churros, talking excitedly. My Pumpkin needed her allies and between tears of joy, embarrassment and sadness, Mary Lou snapped her out of it with hugs and other tears and laughter.

"Thanks for bringing Stephanie, Frank," Florence said. "Mary Lou has been so lost without her Bestie this summer. They had made so many plans already. I think they both needed this. I have to say, I am absolutely appalled at Helen with how she has humiliated Stephanie so publicly, in church even, making sure everyone knew the sordid details. She was the victim! I don't hear anyone chastising that Morelli assh- … um, oops." She blushed and covered her mouth.

"Asshole, is right, Flossy. Mary Lou says he's been after Stephanie for a while, determined to pop her cherry. Bastard. We already know he's just like his father, Anthony Morelli." Yes, we both heard about Anthony Morelli senior, coaching his boys.

I growled.

"Luckily, being with Lenny, Mary Lou, was saved from that kind of ordeal. Lenny had nothing good to say about Morelli's predatory ways, especially when he had Mary Lou in his sights. Lenny caught him under the bleachers while trying to drag our Mary Lou away with his smooth talking, saying that Stephanie needed her. We were so proud of Lenny defending our girl's innocence. Morelli walked away with a distinctive black eye, and a limp. That impertinent asshole calls himself the Italian Stallion. Unbelievable." He was shaking his head in disgust.

"I only found out all the specifics this morning. I wish I had known before that … that jerk went into the navy. But don't worry. I will get even with him. I have contacts. He won't know when or where."

George knuckle bumped me. He knew. He also had his contacts.

"What Helen did was unforgiveable. Unconscionable. Edna tried her best while I was out of state. Now, if it had been Valerie, well. You know it would have been an entirely different story, sad to say."

While we watched the girls run down to the beach after enjoying the arcades, I received a message from Edna.

"Helen just arrived home, assuming Stephanie was in her bedroom with the door closed. She found the mess in the kitchen. Swinging between angry, confused and now frightened."

I smiled and texted her back.

"Pack a bag for Stephanie with all the things she'll need. We're moving out tonight, you too. Permanently. Helen can fume as much as she likes. I'll make arrangements. On our way shortly. Have some fun with her."

A quick reply from Edna made me laugh with her thumbs up emoji.

"Now that's a sinister grin only a man can have when he has been deceived, and I bet you already have a plan," George observed correctly just as the girls arrived from the beach, giggling and panting. They were so happy. I smiled indulgently. This was exactly what she needed, essentially, what she deserved, my Pumpkin.

"Right you are there, George. I've had enough. I had already lodged the divorce papers, pending my final notification, which are now set to go. They can be served to her officially in the morning. We're moving out tonight." They weren't surprised. The girls looked at each other wide-eyed and aghast.

"Stephanie can come to dinner at ours while you sort out the nagging shrew. Mary Lou would love that? Wouldn't you?" Mary Lou's nodding was quite funny. Florence understood the implications and wanted to protect Stephanie as much as possible.

The girls were so excited, literally jumping for joy as they looked at me hopefully, eyes imploring. I gave a curt nod with a wink. That was all they needed before they packed up their things ready to leave with squeals of delight.

"That is a great idea. Yes. It will keep her out of the line of fire from the harpy who claims to be her mother. Thank you. Stephanie has had enough to deal with."

Hm. Yes. Knowing Helen, she would certainly fixate on Stephanie and blame her. Not going to happen.

I kissed and hugged her. "Have fun, Pumpkin. I'll see you later this evening."

In the car, before driving home I texted Edna. I smiled. Divorce. It has a nice ring to it. This is something I should have done earlier, but I needed Stephanie to be part of the escape plan. It was more than just me divorcing Helen. Included with the paperwork were custodial papers for Stephanie since she was still a minor.

With Valerie now living in California with her husband, she's at least out of the way and out of sight. That was a questionable choice, heavily endorsed by Helen, of course. Helen, all on her own, has to face the music. I won't tolerate a rant of epic proportions. This is going to be a quick exodus. I expect she will want to make a scene.

When I arrived home, I stormed in slamming the front door loudly, a not so subtle announcement of my arrival. She was set to start shrieking but I held my hand up in her face, firmly stopping her before she could launch into one of her tirades. I stood close, right into her personal space, my hands on my hips glaring at her fiercely, before slowly folding my arms, causing her to take a step back in hesitation, a little flicker of fear evident in her eyes.

"Don't! Don't you dare even say a word! I cannot believe what you have done. You are the cruellest, nastiest mother ever. To punish our daughter so despicably, and so publicly is beyond belief. How could you do that to Stephanie? She was the innocent. What you have done is just like one of those Biblical stonings. It's atrocious! I am so deeply ashamed of you, Helen. Stephanie was the victim! You disgust me! You are on your own from now on."

I walked past her and up the stairs, quickly packing my bag and grabbing my duffle which was always ready, just inside the wardrobe.

As I came down the stairs, she was still standing there, in shock, but now vibrating with latent rage.

"Just so you know, I was considering selling the house. I decided that you can stay, but you'll need to get a job to cover the utilities and such. You are entitled to a small allowance. Since you stole money from Stephanie's college fund, that will go on your record, and you will pay back every cent you stole, in regular payments. That includes the amount you "gifted" to Valerie for moving to California. It was not yours to give." I turned around but stopped just short of the door.

"Oh, by the way, Helen," I paused as I had lowered my voice. The sudden look of panic told me I had captured her full attention. "There was another option, a very tempting one, I might add. I seriously considered shipping you off to a 'Stan. So many to choose from. Seven of them in fact. I imagined you in a crate, dropped by parachute from the back of a Hercules, plummeting into one of those remote places."

I chuckled to myself. PLUMmeting. Nice pun.

She froze like a deer in the headlights, all the colour had drained from her face as she swayed a little, steadying herself on the door frame.

"Take a look at these postcards. See? Uzbekistan might not be so nice at this time of year. Kazakhstan even less so."

Pfft. I had done my research. I knew this day was coming, soon. I turned my back on her abruptly leaving her fumbling with the postcards, and smiled at Edna with a wink.

"Come on, Edna. Let's get out of here. I can't bear to be near this toxic woman." Edna was opening the door. "Expect to receive the divorce papers in the morning," I threw over my shoulder as we left.

Three … two … one. Yep. Showtime. There it was. I shut the door in her face after grabbing our coats, just at the right moment. Edna was smiling wickedly, like she had been toying with a mouse. The peace and quiet of the neighbourhood was shattered by the enraged screeching from the harpy. Or was it wailing like a keening Banshee? Meh. I didn't turn around, helping Edna into the car and putting our bags into the boot, before calmly driving off to pick up Stephanie. From the rear view and side mirrors, I saw the neighbours emerge. Meh. Now they can see and hear her not so shiny Burg crown slipping askew while getting some tarnishing with a proper audience. What will the neighbours think now?

On the short drive to the Molnar's, Edna explained how she chastised Helen, saying how I was shocked. Angry. Mad. Ropeable. She used the whole arsenal of words to describe my reaction when I discovered Stephanie's punishment and treatment. Toying with Helen was more than "Wait till Daddy comes home." She said she used the words sparingly, each time Helen started to rant about Stephanie and her shame. Her shame. Jesus! Finally, Helen shut up especially when she walked into the kitchen she knew she was done for when she saw the mess. Apparently, she cried over the tea set and the alcohol smashed all over the floor.

"That's what I can't figure out. Did Helen cry for Stephanie like that? No? I didn't think so. You can always buy a new tea set or a new bottle of that wretched whiskey, but once her innocence was broken so brutally, it's final. It's done. That's what makes me so mad. Virginity is such a precious thing." I instinctively knew that Edna had cried. I could tell.

Stephanie was happy to see us and utterly relieved to be leaving that hell hole that used to be our home, far behind. She had a great time with Mary Lou and waved a tearful goodbye. I drove towards New Brunswick, to my other house. My house. Stephanie fell asleep within minutes. Any wonder? She was exhausted.

"That was an emotional day for her, Frank. You did well. I am so proud of you. That bit about the crate, plummeting down into one of those 'Stans really took her breath away."

I winked at her through the mirror and chuckled along with her, while she caressed Stephanie's curls, as she lay asleep in her lap.

Before my last out of state undertaking, I had already collected all our important paperwork, documents and identity papers - mine, Stephanie's and Edna's, making copies of Helen's documents. Any evidence of my military deployments I had never kept on site, was safely stored in a secure place, far from Helen's greedy hands. Certainly not my extended military career of which Helen was oblivious. She never knew about this house which was my alternative refuge, other than Point Pleasant. Point Pleasant was alright for a day trip, or an afternoon of thinking space, and mental space, or a bit of recovery. This place was my personal sanctuary, for my sanity and well-being. My inheritance from Papa allowed me to purchase this place which he had gifted to me five years before his death. Helen knew nothing of it, the inheritance, just the small investment portfolio which he left to my brother and I each when he actually died.

When I returned from missions, we didn't get the type of decompression as we ensure for our soldiers of today. Yes, there was a debrief, brief being the operative word. But anything to do with the Vietnam War was a highly contentious issue with rancour, hostility, and rapidly declining public opinion and demonstrations. As a result, folding to the political pressure, the funding was significantly insufficient, and seriously lacking, to support our returning soldiers. Before going home, I would come here, a nice house, a peaceful house, in a quiet neighbourhood, which I found nestled ideally between Douglass College and New Brunswick. It was close to shops and amenities. I imagined it would come in handy for the girls when they went to college. Helen, however, actively discouraged those visions. She did not see college as a future for a young Burg woman.

With discovering Stephanie's college fund depleted, I was furious. Helen blatantly stole that money and used it for Valerie's wedding. The rest was for their California transition. Edna said she wanted to give them a honeymoon. I was damned well going to ensure that she repaid every cent. As her fortnightly allowance was deposited, her statement would clearly indicate an automatic withdrawal fee for the return of the stolen college funds. She was not entitled to that money, nor was Valerie. Such a waste, and for what? It was all about her image in the Burg, Valerie was but a mere pawn. I had it notarised after checking with Joe Juniak, who was Chief of Police then, and now Trenton Mayor. We were brothers in arms, serving together for many years. He was also Stephanie's Godfather.

Stephanie and Edna moved in, happy to escape that toxic house, in a better neighbourhood, nowhere near Trenton or Chambersburg.

"You know, Frank, Stephanie had applied for college, filled in the forms and all when she brought them home from school, so excited. But, Helen shredded them in a spiteful fit of rage. I already had a spare set in case she made an error, and together we lodged the application when Stephanie got her driver's licence. I covered the fee until we could work a way around how to get access to her college account. We had no idea that Helen had already emptied it."

"Thank you, Edna. I'm just so grateful you were there to support Stephanie. I can't imagine … No. Not even going there. We move forward and leave that in the past."

I set up new bank accounts with Internet banking, and secure passwords. Since Helen had been tampering with the accounts, after the wedding I had already set withdrawal limits before this debacle, ensuring she had enough for housekeeping. I was not a control freak, but I noticed some questionable withdrawals. Bank statements can be very revealing. She still insisted on the paper statements coming through the post, hiding them from me, but I already had online access and thus was able to track her spendings. Silly, deceitful woman. I saw it all. The frequent payments made at various bottle shops was a bit of a shock, more than I expected. Then I discovered she was sending money to Valerie? What the hell for? I cancelled that and deactivated the authority to that account. Valerie made her own bed and now she must lie in it. She's Steve's responsibility now, not ours. If Helen wishes to reactivate it from her own allowance, then she can at her own will.

"There's something else I haven't told you, Frank."

"Oh?"

I am not going to like this, I could tell from her tearful expression.

oOoOo