Safe and Sound (12 page)

 
Lola said a silent goodbye and turned down the street, toward the woods. She would wait there until the bank opened.
             

*
**

 
Lola’
s eyes went to the slab of
stone. She swallowed, disappointed to find it empty.
It’s better this way.

 
She
told herself that, but it didn’t
feel
better.
She hadn’t felt a connection with another human being since her
lost friendship with Sebastian. Jack had been in her life a very short amount of time, but that time had been significant.
He’d eased the pain a little; made her feel not quite so useless and a waste of space.
He’d made her smile, made her laugh, made her forget.

  Lola
set her bag down and climbed up the rock, the coolness of it seeping into her. Lola crossed her legs and stared into the dense forest of trees, thinking of the first time she’d known things weren’t right.

 
It had been such a small incident.
Lola had taken too long in the shower.
Bob
had been furious because she’d taken an eleven minute shower instead of a ten minute one.
He’d banged on the door, shouted at her, and punched the wall
while she was in the bathroom
.

 
She
had been stunned at first; unable to comprehend. Soon after
that
the fear had found a home inside her
. It hadn’t left since that day.

 
Lola took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Her mother had tried to calm him down. Later she’d reprimanded Lola for being selfish. The nex
t day there had been a timer
in the bathroom
set
to go off at exactly ten minutes
.
Last night had been a small
rebellion on her part not to use
it. Not that he’d known. But she had.

 
Tears turned the trees into dark blobs. Lola brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, chin on her knees.
Her mother had sided with him regardless of how irrational he was. Lana had acted like all the problems were because of Lola and not because
Bob
was messed up.

 
After a while,
her mom
just hadn’t cared
what
was going on; so lost in
herself
and her own inability to deal with what was going on around her.
Lana lived in a fog.

 
Oh, Mom. How could you let this happen to us?

 
Lola’s shoulders shuddered as a sob left her.
So alone.
She was so alone.
She looked up, eyes stinging, and checked her watch. It was time to go.

 
By the time she reached the bank the temperature had raised considerably.
With May came heat in Wisconsin.
Lola removed her jacket and shoved it into her duffel bag.
She took a
rubber band
from her wrist and pulled
her hair into a loose ponytail.

 
Outside the
small gray
building, she got her savings account ledger and account number ready and went inside.
It smelled like apples in the bank and the
clickety
-clack sound of fingernails against keyboards surrounded Lola.
The interior was
shades of
tan and
gold
and
overabundant in flowery plants
.

 
One other customer was in the bank; an older man caked in dirt and grime.
He nodded to Lola and she nodded back.

 
She
was greeted with smiles
and hellos from the ladies on the other side of the counter.
Lola approached an older lady with white curls, glasses, and a pleasant smile. The nameplate read ‘Mary’.

 
“Hello. How can I help you?”
Mary had kind brown eyes that had the power to make Lola teary-eyed. She blinked and turned her head away until she had control over her emotions.

 
Lola
took a deep breath and
set the ledger on the counter. “
My name is Lola Murphy.
I’d like to withdraw my savings, please.
Here’s the account number.”

 
The bank teller took the ledger and went to the computer. As she typed, her pleasant expression turned blank. Mary looked up
, brows furrowed
.

 
Before she said anything Lola knew something was
wrong. Panic squeezed her chest
. “What is it?” she whispered.

 
“
I just need to check something.”
Mary
gave
a tight smile. “I’ll be right back.”

 
While Lola watched, Mary went from behind the counter and into an office where a man sat at a desk. Through the window they exchanged words. Both looked at Lola.
They talked some more
as they looked at a computer screen
.

 
The lady returned
. She wouldn’t look at Lola as she said, “Your account has been closed, Lola.”
             

 
“What? Why? I don’t…I don’t understand.” A buzzing began in her ears and dizziness
caused her to sway on her feet
. Lola put a hand on the counter to hold herself up.

 
“Your mother came in yesterday afternoon and closed it.
” Mary’s eyes finally met hers. “I’m sorry.”

 
Her voice seemed to come from far away and the world went gray. Lola shook her head and lost her balance.
Gone.
Her money was gone. Her mother took her money.
Bob
had her mo
ther
take her money.
She grabbed for the counter and missed, stumbled back a few steps
until a chair stopped her
.

 
She was trapped. She couldn’t leave. Lola had to go back home. She had to see him again. Lola had no choice.

 
Despondency hung her shoulders. Tears blinded her eyes. Lola backpedaled toward the door, ignoring the looks of concern from the tellers.
Once outside, she dropped to her knees, too overwhelmed to care who saw her or what they
thought
.

 
Lola openly sobbed, throat and chest tight. What did she do now? She was stuck.
And he was only going to get worse.

 
“Are you okay?” someone asked. Lola ignored them until they went away.

 
Lola got to her feet on legs that shook.
It seemed pointless to go to school. What did school matter when she was living a life of abuse at home? It seem
ed small in comparison when the
big picture was so awful.

 
Maybe I should just end it. End it all. No more pain, no more worry, no more sadness, no more fear.

 
A sense of relief washed over her. Peace, even.
Maybe it was the only solution.
It would be so nice not to feel anymore, to just cease to exist. Would anyone really care anyway?
She’d be forgotten within months, like she’d never been.

 
Lola walked home, numb. Nothing registered. No sounds, no sights, nothing.
But something happened along the way. Something seeped into her, took over
,
and
consumed
her
.

 
It was rage.

  S
he wasn’t ready to give up, not yet.

 
Lola
entered the house and tossed the duffel bag to the side.
She
strode for the bedroom her mother and
Bob
shared. She didn’t
knock;
she just pushed the door
open and let it bang against the wall.

 
It was musty and hot in the room and Lola’s stomach
revolted
.
Her eyes went to the bed, to their sleeping forms.
Her
upper
lip curled in revulsion.
Hate you, hate you so much.

 
Bob
snorted and shifted under the covers.
Lola walked over and kicked the bed with her shoe.
She backed away, moved closer to the door.

 
He sat up, blinking. His face was red and
puffy;
his thinning hair surrounded his head in
black
tufts.
“
What
the
—“

 
Her hands fisted and opened, fisted and open
ed
.
“You stole my money
.”

 
He sat up, blinked at her. “What did you say?”

 
Lola’s mom mumbled something, reached for
Bob
.

 
“Get up,
Mother.”

 
Lana jerked awake into a sitting position.
Her eyes were bloodshot and her hair stood up on one side.
“What’s going on?” she asked, eyes going from her daughter to her husband and back.
“Why aren’t you in school, Lola?”

 
“Don’t talk to your mother like that.”
His eyes narrowed on her. “And we better not
be
getting in trouble for your truancy. Get your ass back to the school.”

 
Disgust for him twisted her features, disgust for her mother.
She turned eyes that blazed on
Bob
.
“You.
Stole.
My.
Money.”

 
His lips twisted cruelly and Lola was stunned by the depth of her
revulsion
for another human being. “I needed it.”

 
“I
earned
that money. It was
mine
. And you just…
took
it.” Lola turned to her mother. “How could you do this, Mom? How could you let him do that?”

 
Lana looked away. Lola’s throat hurt with the force of her betrayal. Tears seeped from her eyes
, dripped down her face and to her shirt
.

 
Her mother was just like him. She didn’t want to believe it, but she was.
And
Lana
was
so weak
.

 
“Taking care of you
ain’t
free, you know, and we’ve been on hard times. Not that you would know or care.
Needed it for expenses.”
Bob
scratched his hairy chest. “Now get out of here. We need to sleep.”

 
“
Bob
lost his job
last night
, Lola. We need
the money for bills
.
Bob
said we’ll put it back when he gets another job. Please understand
,” Lana pleaded, a hand outstretched.

 
Lola looked at her mother’s hand, wanted to spit on it. Her jaw clenched as she looked her mom over. “
You took the money out
yesterday
,
before
he lost his job.
You’re pathetic.
Both of you.
”

 
Lana’
s eyes dropped to the blanket, her face full of shame.

 
Bob
fell out of the bed in his haste to get out of it. He swore, untangled the sheet from his legs, and headed for Lola.
“You worthless kid.
You think you can talk to us like that?”

 
Lola trembled, but straightened her back and looked him in the eye.
It was like staring at pure evil

 
“You’ve been nothing but trouble since I married your mother,” he ranted, getting close enough
to
Lola
she
could smell his stench.

 
His han
ds stretched out and grabbed her arms. His fingers dug
into her flesh and Lola winced.
“You good for nothing little shit.
Mouthing off like that.
Nothing but trouble.
You’re nothing but trouble, you hear me?
”
Lola’s teeth slammed together as
she was sh
aken
like a rag doll
.