Fireflies and Magnolias (13 page)

“Let’s all calm down,” she told her. “I’m here now, and I don’t have to stay long.”

“I hope your car is going to be okay,” Jasinda told her, weaving in place. “I’m afraid someone’s going to steal it or slash the tires.”

“It’ll be fine,” she responded as calmly as she could—a feat since her heart was pounding in her chest. Even though the car was a leased clunker, it still was her only ride out of here. She’d bet the farm no taxi service served this part of town.

“If Damon finds you here, he might pop you in the eye too,” Jasinda said with a hysterical laugh. “Then we’ll be twins.”

No man had ever hit Amelia Ann. She didn’t plan on changing that today.

“Jasinda, if you’re really worried about your safety, we can leave right now. You don’t have to stay here.”

Women’s shelters were waiting list only in most cases, but in an emergency, Community always managed to find a spot for someone, even if it was only for one night until something else could be arranged.

“But I don’t have anywhere to go,” the woman responded in a high-pitched voice. Then she shook herself. “No, it will be all right. I’m just being paranoid. Calvin, you watch for your daddy while Amelia Ann’s here, all right?”

He went to the window immediately and took up his post like a little soldier. It was obvious he had done it before, which made her want to weep for him. His little shirt had a faded Superman logo on it, and it was clear he took his role as his mama’s protector seriously.

“Is it always like that?” she asked. “Getting past those guys?”

Jasinda let out a deep breath and took another. “Yes, Cam harasses all the women here,” she finally said. “Some of them have decided it’s easier to be friendly with him. Lucky for me, he’s afraid Damon will beat him to death, so he’d never try anything.”

Lucky for her? She called that luck? Reminding herself not to judge her client’s choices, she focused on controlling her own breathing to calm her erratic heart rate.

“You were brave. Standing up to Cam is the only thing that works.” Jasinda hugged Kylie to her. “Unless he’s high or drunk.”

“He’s a mean drunk,” Calvin said from the window.

She crossed over to the little boy and squatted down beside him with a gentle smile. Imagine knowing who was a safe or mean drunk at seven years old? Had Rory known that about his daddy? She’d seen Sterling drink too much at the country club before—many times. Tammy used to drive him home after making excuses. Felicia’s advice filtered into her head, and she clicked off any more comparisons. These people were different. Their tragedy was their own.

“You’re a good boy, Calvin. Thanks for watching out for me.”

“You’re welcome,” the little boy said.

She rose and turned to face his sister. “Hey, Kylie. I’m so happy to see where y’all live. Would you like to give me a tour?”

“It’s not much,” Jasinda said when Kylie didn’t respond. “So you should be able to leave quickly. Not that I don’t want you here. I just—”

“It’s okay, Jasinda,” she said. “I won’t be long. I promise.”

The walls had been white some time ago, but now they were mostly gray with scuff marks on them. There was a hole in the sheetrock, and given the shape and size, it looked like a fist had gone through it. She glanced up at Jasinda’s face, taking note of the fading bruise on her right cheekbone in shades of yellow and purple.

It sickened her, but she knew the colors of bruising, the body’s message for how recent or severe the violence had been.

Felicia wanted her to assess the conditions in the home, and she was certainly getting a feel for the misery and terror this family lived in day in and day out. It was never truly real until you saw it for yourself.

There was a used green couch with cigarette burns on the arms, and one big Barcalounger in front of the flat screen TV, the only thing of obvious value in the apartment. She wondered if Damon had stolen it. Old board games and a few worn toys were neatly stacked in the corner between two little chairs. Jasinda might not be able to give her kids a playroom or new clothes and toys, but she provided for them. Tried to help them be children despite the chaos of their lives.

“Damon likes his shows,” Jasinda said, gesturing to the flat screen. “Our landlord found a way to steal cable and has his tenants pay him for the service. He’s an awful man.”

Amelia Ann took her phone from her pocket. She’d been trained not to bring a legal pad to meetings like this one. Clients were more comfortable—more open to sharing—if they kept things sociable. Photos were a different matter, and there were a few she could take that would be of interest to the court.

“Would it be okay if I took some pictures?”

“Ah…sure,” Jasinda replied, putting a hand to her face in shame.

“Why don’t you show me the rest of your home?” she asked, reaching down to give Kylie a gentle caress on her arm.

Jasinda led her to the kids’ small room, painted a pale green. Bunk beds with purple comforters were neatly made. There were worn posters on the wall of Care Bears and Marvel superheroes. More toys, some old Barbies and trucks, were arranged in a worn straw basket.

“I’ve tried to make it nice for them. The local church had a used paint campaign, and the Goodwill isn’t close, but I bring back what I can for them. It’s hard without a car. Not that I’m making excuses.”

“It’s lovely,” she said with a smile. When she thought of her own childhood, and all the new toys she’d owned, she felt ashamed. “Do you like your room, Kylie? Which bed do you sleep in?”

The girl finally pointed to the bottom bunk, and Amelia Ann wanted nothing more than to snatch her—so painstakingly dressed in a hand-me-down navy dress and purple tights—into a hug and take her away from this place.

Jasinda showed her the bathroom, which had a leaky faucet, and again, there were more toys in a small crate near the toilet. Her bedroom—or the one she shared with Damon—didn’t have any of the niceties in the kids’ room, and Amelia Ann suspected she’d reserved any special items for her children. A black comforter with a few tears on it covered the bed, and the faded white lampshade was too small for the dented brass base. The pillows looked like lumps of odd-sized clay.

“I told you it’s not much,” Jasinda said, rushing forward to straighten the edge of the comforter.

“He’s coming, Mama,” Calvin yelled, and Jasinda went rigid, her head turning toward his voice.

Amelia Ann’s heart returned to racing in an instant.

Jasinda grabbed Kylie and pushed her into the bathroom. “Hide in the shower, sugar. Amelia Ann, you’ve gotta leave. Now.”

Calvin ran into the bathroom with his sister, and she stood frozen as the kids huddled together in the bathtub. Dear God.

Jasinda shut the door and wrapped a hand around Amelia Ann’s arm, then pulled her back toward her bedroom.

She protested. “But I need to—”

“I wasn’t thinking. Damon’s gonna see you if you leave now. Cam must have called him, dammit. You’re gonna have to hide. I’ll tell Damon you’re already gone.”

Hide? Cold sweat ran down her spine. “I can’t hide, Jasinda. That will only make things worse.”

Especially if he found her…

“If he sees you, he’ll beat the shit out of me and maybe the kids this time. He’ll know I’m leaving him. I don’t want him to hurt my kids.
Please.”

The fact that the choices before her were all terrible was punctuated by the clench of Jasinda’s hand on her arm, which was nearing toward pain. God. What to do? She ran through her options, realizing there was only one. She couldn’t be the reason Jasinda and the kids were beaten, but she couldn’t hide here either.

“Let me call the cops. They’ll get you out of here.”

Jasinda shook her. “Are you kidding? Girl, you have no idea how things work around here. The cops don’t come when you call. Not unless there’s a bunch of people dead on the street out front.”

She’d heard the same thing about the cops—not only from Felicia, but from other women in the clinic. While she knew it was true, she couldn’t abide hiding.

“Jasinda—”

“You told me I call the shots,” the woman interrupted with more edge in her voice than Amelia Ann had ever heard. “Well, I’m telling you to hide until he leaves. Come on. You’re skinny enough to fit under the bed. When Damon gets here, I’ll tell him Cam was only causing trouble again. He’ll believe me since he knows Cam doesn’t like me. I’ll give Damon a beer and calm him down, then you can sneak out when he falls asleep. He’s usually so high or drunk when he comes home that he knocks off right away. I’ll tell you when it’s safe.”

Sweet mother of God. Felicia had told her to do what the client wanted, but
this?
Her mind was spinning. “Let me text Felicia, at least.”

“Fine, but she ain’t here, is she? Come on,” Jasinda said, dragging her by the arm toward the bed. “We don’t have much time.”

“Jasinda. Where are you, girl?” a man’s voice boomed out.

Hearing the anger in Damon’s slurred voice made the decision for her. Better to hide than face him and escalate the situation.

“Get under the bed and stay quiet…no matter
what
you hear,” Jasinda whispered, shoving her to the floor. “I’ll come get you when it’s safe.”

Amelia Ann wiggled under the bed, her gut rock hard with terror. How long would it take for Damon to fall asleep?

She made sure her phone was on silent. Her hands shook as she fumbled to text something factual and unemotional to her boss. The predictive text function helped her compose the message quickly.

Husband showed up. I am hiding. Jasinda says he will fall asleep. Refused call to police. Any advice?

“Jasinda?” she heard Damon call out again. “I heard you had some slick, uppity white chick in this place. Everyone knows what it means when a bitch like that shows up in this neighborhood. Cam and his boys were ragging me about not keeping you happy. Are you thinking about leaving me?” he asked hoarsely.

When Jasinda cried out, Amelia Ann knew Damon had put his hands on her, and she had to grit her teeth together to keep from calling out.

“Nah, Damon. Come on now. You know I love you. Cam’s putting those lies in your head. He’s jealous, and he’s only trying to come between us. Let me get you a beer. Then you can watch your show and have a rest. You work too hard, baby.”

He didn’t. As far as Amelia Ann knew, Damon did nothing but drink, drug it up, and party now that he’d lost his job.

“I know that bitch is around here, Jasinda. Are you hiding her from me?”

“Nah, baby. I told you Cam made that up! You’re talking crazy.”

“You’d better not be lying. You know what I’ll do to you if I find out you’re lying.”

“Do you see anyone around here, Damon? Take a good look. Then let’s get you a beer so you can watch your show, and I’ll get your dinner started.”

The floor creaked, and Amelia Ann froze under the bed, unable to see what had caused it.

“Why are you kids hiding in the bathroom?” Damon yelled. “You scared of me? Well, you should be.”

The kids started crying, the sound breaking Amelia Ann’s heart.

“Damon, please leave them alone. They’re just kids.”

“They’re old enough to know what’s what. You’d best get out of that bathroom, boy, and stop shaking like a baby, or I’ll wallop you fierce.”

Small feet scurried away. Amelia Ann tilted her head to the right, but all she could see was a few yards of empty floor. She was trapped under here.
Trapped.

She checked her phone, but there was no reply from Felicia. She had to be with a client. That was the only time she didn’t check her phone.

Heavy boots sounded in the doorway, and she stopped breathing altogether.

“See, nothing in here,” Jasinda said, her voice pitched to charm. “Come on now. I’ll have a cold beer for you in no time.”

“Don’t backtalk me, bitch.”

A slap sounded in the room.

“I’m getting you a beer,” Jasinda said, and her footsteps indicated she was moving quickly away, out of the room.

“That beer had better be cold,” he shouted at her.

Amelia Ann quivered on the floor as Damon’s heavier footsteps followed. The blood from where she’d bitten the inside of her cheek was tangy and bitter inside her mouth. Jasinda hadn’t made a sound when he hit her. Is that how Tammy had been? Had her sister taken her ex-husband’s torture without a sound? She wouldn’t have wanted Rory and Annabelle to hear her. Oh, God.

Her eyes were dry, but her chest was so tight she couldn’t breathe. Her training hadn’t prepared her for
this.

When she glanced at her phone, there was still no reply from Felicia.

She thought again about calling the cops, but then she remembered Jasinda’s resigned voice
. The cops don’t come when you call
. If she was discovered, Damon would likely beat her too. She knew it in her bones.

Please, God, don’t let it come to that
, she prayed.

“This beer ain’t cold, bitch.”

Another crack sounded in the other room, and this time Jasinda cried out.

“No, Damon. Please! Don’t hit me again.”

Jasinda’s rushed footsteps sounded, the volume of them telling Amelia Ann she was running back to the bedroom.

“I’m sorry about the beer, Damon. Please stop.”

Heavy footfalls sounded in pursuit. A smack echoed in the room, and Amelia Ann saw the woman fall to her knees by the bed.

“You’d better be a good girl, Jasinda, or I swear…” His words were slurred, and he stopped like he was too high to remember what he’d been trying to say. “I’ll take a strap to Calvin. That’ll keep you…in line. Won’t it?”

“I’ll be good! Just please don’t hurt my baby.”

She folded into a ball, crying on the floor only a few yards from Amelia Ann. She wanted to reach for her, to offer her some sense of comfort, but she feared she would be discovered. It would only make things worse. But lying here as she witnessed Jasinda’s suffering was one of the most painful things Amelia Ann had ever experienced.

“I’ll get my own damn beer.” His heavy steps retreated, the sound becoming quieter until it faded out.

She wanted to scream when she glanced at her phone. Nothing from Felicia.