BOMAW 1-3 (83 page)

Sylvia stood stuck, frozen as to what to say. What to do. She didn't want to come off as if she didn't care about what happened to Shanna, but to thrust Shawn in the midst of it wasn't the answer to this problem either, it could only create more problems... especially with his temper. As everyone came back into focus and the topic regained clarity Sylvia's stomach tied up into knots.
'Drama - drama - drama.'
She thought while listening. Just a moment ago she was struggling with all these new discoveries about her future husband, and afraid she might not wish to deal with it all - and now she stood battling fears of him actually going up against this man, it all of a sudden dawned on her right then, that she probably couldn't live without him now. She couldn't imagine anything happening to Shawn, or having to deal with not seeing him each day. She shivered at the thought. According to Shanna, her ex wasn't just a bit screwed up in his thinking about hitting women, but that he was actually - sadistic! Armundo had been bad yes, but she didn't see him as "evil" - he was just very selfish, reckless and believing that if he felt it right to keep a woman in place by slapping her, or knocking her around a bit, then so be it. The thing about him was, that he often regretted it, truly felt bad after doing his deed, whatever that might have been, most of the time it was brought on by his drinking.

John Sykes was a different story, many of his acts had been done with him stone-cold-sober. There was a cruel streak that ran clean through him according to Shanna, that was frightening.

Before Sylvia could get her concerns out... they heard Shawn's SUV pull into the yard. Because he saw Shanna's jeep, he came straight in instead of unloading the tools he and his father had just purchased. He walked in to see Angela at the table eating a grill cheese sandwich and veggie sticks that Sylvia fixed her for after school. "Pum'kin... take your food in the basement and eat while we talk." He stated. She looked up and around the room at the three women present, then resigned herself to obeying her father, grabbing her plate, she went down stairs as he directed.

He looked at his sisters and then Sylvia leaning against the sink. "I hope you guys weren't talking about certain things in front of Angela." He said to all present.

Sylvia looked him in the eyes and said, "Yes... we were."

"I don't want her exposed to whatever is going on." He informed them.

"Sorry, I'm going to have to disagree with you here dear. This is real life... and it's important that she learn early, how serious it is to get involved with the wrong man. She's been exposed to far worse on TV, none of which is going to benefit her one bit."

"She's too young Sylvia!"

"Shawn don't you dare fall into believing that - when it comes to young girls. The right seeds need to be planted in her mind now... she needs to grasp early on, that a smiling face on a man giving you a lot of attention doesn't mean that he means you any good."

"I agree with her." Shanna spoke up. "You guys protected me too much! By the time I got out into the real world, I was bowled over too soon, too easily and look where its gotten me. If she's willing to listen and learn... she needs to hear it."

"She's barely ten years old!" Shawn reminded them.

Kathy Ann stayed quiet because she and Shawn argued enough, she wasn't going to get him stirred up when she felt they needed to pool together for the sake of Shanna right now.

"Shawn... she's not going to stay nine, she's turning ten really soon, and then eleven... she'll began developing physically and get her first monthly, it won't be long now before boys come into the picture as well, we cannot wait until the last minute to start letting her see life as it is." Sylvia informed him.

"Look... let's not talk about that right now...okay." He said to Sylvia, then turned to Shanna, "What's going on?"

"Shawn... I wish Kathy Ann had not started telling you this. I don't want any problems."

"Tell me - what - is going - on." He repeated firmly, standing in the middle of the kitchen floor.

Shanna sighed closing her eyes looking away from him.

"Her soon to be ex is harassing her. Shanna had a restraining order put out on him in Ohio... obviously it doesn't cover once she leaves the state. He's here now, here in Wisconsin, I saw him in town talking to her."

Shawn stood a moment digesting that.

Sylvia felt her temples throbbing and went and sat at the table with the other two.

"What did he say to you Shanna?" He asked finally.

"He was trying to get me to listen to him, to come back to him."

Shawn stood thinking, eyeing her for a moment, then asked, "I need to know something here, why did you leave him? Second, is this for good... is this final?"

"Yes... it's final. I'm done with him, for good."

"Why?" Shawn asked, all he knew for certain was that she had that one healing black eye they witnessed the day of the sap rush, he needed the big picture, he needed to know exactly what was going on.

Shanna sighed, propping her elbow on the table and leaning her forehead into her palm, not wanting to tell him all the details of the nasty and horrible things John Sykes had done to her. "Tell him Shanna! Tell him what he's done to you!"

"Shut up Kathy Ann! God! Will you just back off for a moment!" She snapped.

"Tell me!" Shawn pressed.

"Shawn... listen to me. The date for my divorce is up in about 6 weeks. Until then, I'll just have to be careful and not go any-..."

"I don't wanna hear that right now. Answer the question that I asked you, why did you feel the need to leave him? Why do you need a restraining order? That's what I wanna hear."

Shanna took a deep breath and said, "It's none of your business Shawn. I'm asking you to stay out of it."

"He beat her friggin' ass on a regular basis! She's miscarried twice-..."

"SHUT UP KATHY! IT'S MY BUSINESS! STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS!!" Shanna shot up from her chair to scream at her sister, who ignored her and stood as well.

"...-because that asshole beat her until she miscarried - both times! He's broken her arm, fractured her jaw-..."

"BUT ITS OVER NOW KATHY!! I LEFT!" She yelled and then turned to her brother. "I left Shawn... its over now."

Shawn stood with his jaw clenched tight looking down at her, imagining the things Kathy Ann just described.

"But he's here now right?" He asked her.

Sylvia felt that tightening in her gut, she could see it building in him, she sat back in her chair and covered her mouth, a gesture to keep quiet...for now.

"Yes." Shanna squeaked out.

"Does Jake know?" He asked.

"No... please Shawn, I'll go to the police and tell them what's happening and see what advice they'll give me."

"So... where's he staying?"

"I don't know Shawn...."

"What does he drive? What does he look like?"

"I'm not telling you! AND YOU!" She spun to Kathy Ann. "Don't you say another word! You do, and I'm gone! Do you understand me!?" She demanded of Kathy Ann and looked back at Shawn. "If you pursue this Shawn, I will leave town. I swear I will... I'll just go!"

"Is that how you're going to live the rest of your life! Hm? Rushing from one town to another to avoid this bastard?! Then he catches up with you, somewhere far away from your family... and you know what... we get to hear there's a dead Jane Doe that matches your description somewhere out there for us to come and identify! Then what do you suggest we do Shanna!? Hm? What then can we do... but bury you! I want the truth and I want it now - is he capable of that Shanna... is he? You tell me... is he capable of that?"

She began crying because she didn't know what to do. Shawn felt his insides on fire and pulled her into his arms hugging her close to him.

"Come on..." He coaxed gently stroking her hair, "Tell me, what does he drive?"

"Shawn! Please... don't." Sylvia asked from her chair afraid for him, she'd lost one husband - but this one... she couldn't bare the thought of losing him.

Shawn held his sister and fought back tears of anger. He couldn't take the idea of this man doing anything to harm his sister, the images of what she must have gone through surged through him powerfully. He glanced at Sylvia but had to look away from the expression on her face. How many times had his father drilled it into their heads, especially his head, it was a man's responsibility to protect his family, his women. Any man that would leave another to harm those within his household, was not a man. How many times had he been forced to endure his father in the barn. He was the oldest, the one to take the brunt of Bart in his early years. The years when Vietnam was still there in his mind. Those years he spent a great deal of his time exercising his demons. Doing whatever it took to get it through Shawn's head, that the oldest above all others had to be the strongest, toughest, to stand tall and do the most damage when it came time to protect the family. Repeatedly his father had pounded that into him, literally, forcing him to put on boxing gloves, a head guard and in the barn, when Shawn was barely 12, he began punching him in the chest, knocking him down, making him get back to his feet and clipping him to the head for falling so easily, emphasizing over and over,
"Stand up! Brace yourself! Goddamn pretty boy! I barely touched you! You got to take it boy! You think that hurt? Them ain't no bullets hittin' you! Just my fist - got a glove on at that. Now hit me, and you best hit hard! When you punch, you punch your weight! You don't punch with your arm! You don't punch with your chest! You punch from your feet up - your weight boy - your weight! That first hit is suppose to knock seven layers of shit out of'em! You hear me boy!? Your brothers, your sisters... you don't let nobody harm them! 'specially your sisters! You gotta guard our women! You hear... you don't let nobody... come take our women! You fight, you fight to the death - you fight to kill! You hear me! Is that a tear? WHY YOU CRYIN'? Hm pretty boy?! Stop it! Dry your goddamn face - and you learn like I said... that way when they come... if I'm gone... you - you protect our women! The women - in your family - they belong to you! Like a lion of his pride, like a bull among his heifers, like a stallion among mares... you protect them with your dying breath! Now - stand strong... dry your eyes and don't you let me knock you over."

Shawn let her go and walked over to the sink, gripping it as he shivered trying to release the tension in his body. Trying to calm his anger. With his back to them, he reasoned with himself, he had to make them understand that he had no choice in this matter, wiping his hand over his face he turned to his future wife, "Sylvia... I know you don't understand... but, the choice is
his
Sylvia. If he chooses to step beyond the law and ignore her wishes; anything that happens, will happen because of the choices he made... you understand me?"

"Shawn let her try the police first, they have to be notified."

"Sylvia! You notified the police... didn't you? What if for whatever reason, I hadn't come home that night? Hm? Would the police have been here in time for you then? Well?"

Sylvia looked away from him crossing her arms and hating that he was right. Had he not come back when he had from California, had he not come back for his keys, if she had given them to him, her night with Ray Olivetti would have ended far from the way it had. She knew there was that possibility that he might have killed her, she grew quiet and more afraid for him, because for some reason, he seemed to take on the burden of trying to protect and carry everyone.

"Please Shawn... what you don't understand is... he carries a gun." Shanna explained.

"Does he now... well the bastards gonna need it. I wanna know what he looks like, I wanna know what he drives."

"I'm not gonna tell you and if Kathy Ann says a word, I'm outta here."

Shawn stopped a moment trying to get his head around what to do, he couldn't just let it go, it was his responsibility to protect her. "Okay... okay, move here with me then. I have plenty of land on my property, let me set you up here where I can at least protect you. Mom and dad can't be expected to deal with this, if you're here with me, it won't leave you open to him. You can purchase one of those doublewides and move it on a lot here that I'll help you set up... please Shanna ... that way if he comes on my land, on my property - its over... and he has no one to blame but himself. Do this for me, or I swear to God... I will find out what he looks like without you. I will find out what he drives myself... then its out of your hands."

Shanna looked over at Sylvia, "You haven't even talked to Sylvia about this Shawn!"

He looked at her then and waited for her to say something. Sylvia sighed deep and nodded her consent. It was better than him running off on a man hunt, but she wondered what Shanna had to invest in a doublewide mobile home? Something told her not much... Shawn would be the one to have to fork out the money to get this done, and she added up the expense of it in her head... she hoped to God their income stayed steady from his work and the bed and breakfast worked out, because by the time all was said and done, they're combined incomes would be quickly diminishing. In retrospect, it didn't matter, this was about family... and right now, Shanna needed to be somewhere safe.

After Shawn's sisters left, Angela came up and began telling them about her first day at school. Her teacher was Mrs. Dearborn, especially passed to her class by the principle. Angela thought she was fantastic. She was an older woman about her fifties, heavy, tall and funny. She called all of her students sugardrop, and when they were being bad, her comment to them was, "You leavin' a bitter taste in my mouth, sugardrop, don't get spit out." Then everyone in the class would turn to that one and start making spitting noises making Mrs. Dearborn laugh as well, but with one look on her face, everyone would quiet down again. Angela explained how she was introduced to the class and was put up front to sit by the teacher and for the day, every student had to walk up to her, introduce themselves and tell her a rule of Mrs. Dearborn and a good thing about being in her class. Anytime a new student came into her class, it was up to the students to make her laugh and feel apart, this was how she taught them all, socializing skills, their efforts were worth half a grade, this meant volunteering to help her get caught up as well. Because of that, Angela already had three new friends.