Constant Pull (17 page)

I had a clear view of our table from the bathroom entry door
. I peeked carefully around the door to see what he was doing. He was asking our waiter where the ladies room was no doubt as he was gesturing in this direction. I had to leave before I was made to explain to him-it would take too long.

As he got up to come and check on me, his eyes were elsewhere and I snuck out of the restroom
. I ran up to the bar. I spotted a clean towel and tucked it into the back of my pants. I caught the bartender’s eye and asked him to call me a cab.

“
Hey, give Sheri’s Cab a call, will you?” he said to the other bartender nearest the phone.

“She’s real good”, turning to me
. “She’ll be here in 15, 20 minutes tops.”  I must’ve looked like I was in a crazy big hurry.

“Thank you
. The cab is for my friend since he’s had a lot of wine. I have to leave and I don’t have time to talk with him about it. He’s the dark haired guy in the Henley with the wavy hair.”  I nodded in his direction, worried that pointing would call his attention. “His name is Kevin. I have to leave but I want him to come and find me as soon as she-the cab driver-picks him up. Tell him it’s not far from here but to look for semi-trailers and trees. I’ll be near there.” My latest flash of information as to where the pregnant girl is hiding, clearly in great pain. I put my hand over my belly again. Now the pain made sense.

“I’d be very grateful if you could tell him that and let him know that I intend to explain as soon as I see him.” I handed the man a twenty and held my hand there waiting for his acknowledgement
. He nodded slowly in understanding and took the money, looking very puzzled. “West of here a couple miles. Semi-trailers and trees.” I said again, in a stronger tone-firmly holding his gaze until he nodded again.

I knew I shouldn’t drive after drinking all the wine although I didn’t feel any unbalance now
. Just determination. Also, I didn’t have the keys. Kevin did. I decided to run.

I ran out the door and kept running
. My instincts had told me to head west so I did. I ran as fast as I could. I was no runner, but my legs didn’t stop even once. It might’ve been faster to wait for the cab, I just knew I couldn’t.

I ran
at full speed, parallel to a main road, crossed over an oddly empty expressway and desperately looked for semi-trailers. I occupied my mind with random thoughts but never lost a beat of what my drive kept me going toward. It was unbelievably powerful. I hardly noticed the exhaustion my body felt. I was frantically searching for the trailers. I spotted them. There were several parked in a large empty parking lot next to a park and behind a strip mall. It must be the place.

My direction changed
. I saw a handsome, dark woman in front of the strip mall leaning against the wall. She was stocky and in her 50s or so. She wore her straight black hair in a low ponytail. It hung to the middle of her back. She wore sweatpants and an untucked button-down shirt. I was overwhelmed with the urge to speak with her. As I approached her, she stood facing left, her chin up-she seemed to be waiting. When I was within ten feet or so, she suddenly turned and lowered her chin and locked her eyes on mine. It seemed to be me she’d been waiting for.

I felt a surge of anxiety not having any idea what I planned to say or even if she spoke English
. I doubted that she did. How would this go?

“
Hello”, I managed. Near bursting with the need to rush. “My name is Amelia.”

“
Hello” she replied in a thick accent. “I don’t speak much English. I am Annora.”

Without any pause, I replied in Spanish
. But, I didn’t know how to speak Spanish. Yet, the words spilled from me fluently. Again, I felt like a passenger in my own body. The feeling was surreal but less alarming than it should have been. I knew exactly what I was asking her but I had no way to know or conscious knowledge of how to speak in this language. I asked her to follow me and to trust me. ‘Please follow my lead, I said. I need your help for an emergency and I need your discretion. I can’t promise that you’ll be out of harm so I need you to hide but to stay close enough that you can hear me.’

She nodded quickly and seemed to understand the urgency
. We left running and she stopped to hide where the building met some trees. I ran hard, all the while searching for this woman who I was certain was close to me. She was deeply afraid and she was in pain. I heard a muffled thudding in one of the trailers. I lifted the latch and threw up the door. The girl covered her belly, terrified. I put my hands up palms facing her to let her know that I wasn’t there to hurt her.

“
He’s coming. He knows and he’s trying to stop this-to hurt the baby and to hurt me.”

“
Who?” 

“
The baby’s father-it’s his -. He’s trying to get revenge. I can’t keep the baby. I was going to….I just can’t. It’s just not possible. They can’t ask questions. It’s ……”

She must have gotten a contraction because she couldn’t talk anymore
. Her face twisted and she pounded her fist on the trailer as noiselessly as possible to attempt cope with the pain.

I knew he was close
. I had to leave her to deal with him-for their safety.

I squeezed her leg and moved my head to find her eyes so she’d see mine
.

“I will be back
. I will help you.”

She sat in a pool of watery
blood; I knew there wasn’t much time. Although I felt the urge to stop and ask myself what the hell was going on, I consciously didn’t allow myself time to answer that question. I had to dedicate my whole being to what was happening. I had a choice. The feeling was odd. I felt like I could completely stop what was happening if I chose to do so. I knew it. I saw myself for a moment grabbing a cab and going back to the restaurant. Or, I could ignore all this and wait for Kevin in front of the mini mall. Just to test the idea, I stopped abruptly as I was closing the trailer doors. I stood there silently and without motion and freaked out for a split second as I allowed myself to absorb all that has happened. For the first time, I felt an aching in my quadriceps and realized that my shirt was wet in the back from sweating. Just then, I heard a muffled sound from inside the trailer that made me open the door again an inch and peer through the crack. The girl was already looking in my direction and nodded largely at me when she saw me peeking at her and lifted her hand-palm forward-to let me know that she was OK. The nameless woman who is about to give birth to a tiny creature with not even a diaper or blanket for the child.

I closed the trailer back again and waited for him
. I had no fear-just anticipation. He came around the corner with an arrogant walk, scanning left and right looking for her. He squatted down, looking below the parked trailers. He whistled quietly.

He was a teenager, maybe seventeen
. He wore a black bandana on his head and a t-shirt covered by an open shirt and khaki pants that were too long for him. In his right hand, he held a knife, blade facing the back of his fist.

I moved
quickly away from her trailer, hiding behind other trailers near the tree line, as I kept him in sight. When I decided I was ready for him and far enough from the girl, I dragged my feet on the gravel, making noise from the corner of the clearing, behind one of the trailers. A pang of desperation rang through me as I took in the whole situation and I thought maybe I should call the police. My thought left me as quickly as it came.

I kept dragging my feet on the gravely concrete hoping he’d follow my sound. It worked
. He was about 50 yards from the trailers now in an area of the parking lot where the street lights didn’t reach.

He saw me and complete confusion mangled his face for an instant
.

“What the hell lady, you trying to get yourself killed?”
he yelled.

“
No. Just trying to help.”

“
I don’t need your help lady-just looking for someone.”

“
My help is not for you. Consider me her personal guardian.”

He la
ughed an evil horrible laugh. “That bitch doesn’t have anyone. And I’ve never seen you before.”

“
You can take off and forget this whole thing or you
will
deal with me.” My words were ice cold.

“
I got no beef with you lady, this isn’t your problem.”

“
Oh, it is. Tell me boy, what do you plan to do?”

“
If you get in my way you’re gotta risk getting cut. Where’s the GIRL!?”  His last word was wild and rage mangled his face. I waited to feel fear but it didn’t come. I felt myself stand a little taller, muscles tensed.

“She’s not your concern
. I am.”

“
Where IS she?!”

“
This is your last chance to leave, kid. Take it.”

“
Lady you have no idea!”  It was then that something in him snapped. Maybe his patience was out, maybe he was too angry, maybe he was on some type of drug. He came at me intending to punch with his knife hand and then drag its blade across my skin. I was certain because I could see it.

I crossed my wrists
to stop his blow and knocked the knife from his hand as his fist tried to meet with my face. The knife was on the ground and I had his wrist in a hard stone-like grip. I brought him toward me and kneed him hard in the stomach. He made a lurching sound and tried to reach for me. I heard a sound behind me and knew it was familiar. I tore my gaze from the fight and I saw Kevin, running toward us. In the instant that my attention was elsewhere, he was able to grab the knife again. Damn, I hadn’t kicked it away-I won’t make that mistake again. He slashed me and I felt a warm sensation on my hip and lower belly. It didn’t deter me. I grabbed his knife wielding hand and twisted it hard. The knife fell again and I kicked it as I spun him and I kicked his feet out from under him. I threw him to the ground, my free arm behind his neck. He was face down on the ground, my knee between his shoulder blades, and one hand twisting his arm above them. My other hand gripped his jaw fiercely and moving his head so he could see me. I knew exactly what to do to snap his neck.

“
Listen, boy, I will end you if I must. I will. Think about it. I don’t know you. I don’t care. I have no remorse for ending a child who is evil to his core. I see you. I know what you are. You will not hurt the girl; you will not hurt the child. Do you
hear
me?”  They weren’t my words, yet they spilled out of me like it was a speech I’d rehearsed.

He was trying to compose himself enough to answer but fear overtook him when he realized my words were unquestionably true and a very real possibility
. I could hear someone else close by breathing hard and unevenly but I didn’t divert my attention this time.

“
Tell me your choice, boy. Tell me. I want you to know that there is hope for you. I feel it now. You’ve made poor choices up to this point, haven’t you?”

“
Yes-” he said, fear and my grip cutting his reply short.

“
Tell me what you’ll do if I release you.”  I whispered hard.

“
I will run and I won’t come back.” He whimpered, pleading.

“
Will you leave the girl alone and forget your intent for revenge!?” I tightened my grip on his jaw and pushed my other hand down harder on the back of his neck. We both knew that one quick movement with my hands in this position and he would most certainly die.

“Yes!! Yes!!”
  He screamed.

“
I see a very miserable life for you and a very painful death if you continue on your current path. I don’t want you to promise me that you’ll change your ways from this moment on because I’m not stupid enough to believe you while you lay here, your life in my hands. But I want you to know that your future only holds darkness if you continue as you are.”

“
K”, he managed to choke out.

“
I will release you and you will run. Get away from here and get away from the girl and the child.”

I felt him try to nod.

In a swift movement, I got off him and picked him up to hurry his departure. He shot off into the darkness.

I turned to face the other person I’d heard earlier
. It was Kevin. His mouth was open slightly and his arms were tensed and slightly raised as if he had no idea what to do. I blinked hard and looked into his eyes.

I simply said
, “Please come.”

I began to run without looking if he planned to follow
. I got to the trailer in no time at all. Annora was with the girl. She was sitting with her legs wrapping around the her, rubbing her forehead and her soaked hair.

Annora
spoke in Spanish and told me that she heard the girl and so she unlatched the trailer and stayed. I felt Kevin behind me, his chest and torso touching my back, his forearm wrapped around me at my collarbone as she spoke and his right hand tightened on my left shoulder. He rested his other hand on my hip.