Stealing Grace (5 page)

As Alex walked them out the back to show them out, Elena could think of only one thing. Get out or die. She ran to the front door, only to find it padlocked as well as the back door had been. She couldn’t leave out the back where he was.

She searched frantically for a key, hanging somewhere near the door, in the desk drawer, on the counter. He would be back soon. She ran to the door and tried to pull at the lock, but it was too late. He must have come in behind her when she wasn’t looking.

He grabbed her arms and swung her around pushing her up against the door, holding her arms up near her head.

“What are you doing? Didn’t I tell you not to try to run away? It’s in the middle of the day for crying out loud. It’s not even a good plan.”

His face was so close to hers and he seemed to be jokingly mocking her. Like she would never have gotten away with it in a million years but he still wasn’t happy that she had tried.

She was breathing heavy and didn’t appreciate him being so close to her. He let go of her slowly and motioned for her to sit on the couch. He went straight to the back door, bolting the padlock and placing the key back in his pocket. Elena waited for the smack, the slap, the punch that surely would come from her disobedience, even though he’d just told her he’d never do that, but nothing happened.

* * *

Alex’s anger at Roger had been tamped down by Elena’s illustriously bad plan to escape. It was amusing and he’d tried not to laugh but that’s exactly what he wanted to do. Laugh. She was so petite and small and tenderhearted. She wouldn’t make it around the block before someone noticed her. He’d warned her about it. He knew too that she would try, even if it was just once. They all tried at least once to leave.

He knew too that she was struggling. Roger certainly hadn’t helped things. Idiot.

And she was strong willed and eager, a hard worker, a survivor. He could tell that from just the first day she was there. And those hideous clothes he’d gotten her were way too big but she wore them and didn’t say a word about it. He bet that she’d looked really nice in clothes that fit.

* * *

Alex replaced the ice in the towel and sat next to Elena on the couch. He held it to her cheek once again, so intense and focused on his purpose. He sat there with her for a few minutes, then got up and dumped the ice, laying he towel out on the counter to dry. He came back in and looked her over once more.

“It’ll be sore in the morning but you’ll be ok. I’m really sorry he did that. I know it’s been a rough day and I’m...well, I’m just sorry, Elena. Why don’t you go take a shower or lie down? I’m pretty beat, myself.”

She got up, without a word to him and walked to her bed, tears already coming down before she even got to the bed. She pressed her swollen aggravated cheek to the cool silk pillowcase and felt her chest heave as she was racked with sobs.

How had this happened? What did she do to deserve this? Why had he defended her? Why had Roger flown of the handle at her over a plate? Why did this have to be her life now?

She again dreamed that night the same things; the horrid faces over her, the sick noises they made as they violated her and hit her, smiling as they did so. She woke up sweating and crying more than once but pressed her face into the pillow to go back to sleep. She didn’t want to wake Alex.

That still didn’t seem like a good idea.

* * *

The next day she woke and it was déjà vu. Nothing changed. Alex was on the couch reading in the morning, coffee was made. She cooked, they ate, he watched television. Elena cleaned the bathroom and washed her clothes, then sat around in a daze. She decided to ask him why he had helped her and whatever other answers she could get out of him. At this point she’d talk about anything just to talk to somebody. She was going nuts.

Before dinner that night he was checking her cheek for healing and putting on more ice, she decided it was time.

This is a good a time as any.

“What did you mean the other men do things differently,” Elena asked staring right into his very close face.

He knew what she was referring to. His eyes were wary as he debated whether he should tell her the whole story or not. She thought he’d say some line or ‘this is just the way it is’ lame bit but no. She received more than she ever dreamed he would have told her.

He took a deep meaningful breath and began to tell her all the details of his childhood. This ‘community’ had been in existence for who knew how long. They had strict rules and practices. His father, grandfather and great grandfather had lived this way. Back then things were different.

You were in charge of stealing your own wife and keeping the secret. They were very strict about the rules and above all, about secrecy. His father was terrible to his mother and that this was the only life Alex had ever known. The sons were treated ok but the daughters would be put on the wife list as soon as they were eighteen. Both of his parents were still alive and had been married now for 29 years.

He was twenty six years old and just now got a wife after being on the list for three years. Most men were on it for at least that long. Wives were expensive and you had to save up the money for one and then wait for there to be ones who met certain requirements. Also, they were in competition with other people from the traffickers so they could only get so many girls at a time.

He told her awful stories of how he had to watch for years the wives being beaten, bruised, raped, humiliated but there wasn’t anything that could be done, especially for his mom. He’d watched too much. He had renounced this life style. Planned to move and start over, though they would have never let him leave.

He wasn’t excusing Roger’s behavior, he advised more than once, but he told her about Roger’s father, much like all their fathers; controlling, abusive, hard nosed and unforgiving.

It was frowned upon to not have your wife under control, to not have your own business and work hard, to not have kids or a house. There was a big long list of things you needed to do and have done to be considered a man in the community and if you didn’t, they’d shun your business or worse. They’d be disowned, beaten up, even killed if the situation were bad enough.

Most of the men enjoyed there life there though and it rarely ever came to those circumstances.

Alex told her about when he went to visit his parents, mainly his mother, for the last time because he was going to leave and it hit him. That if he didn’t take in one of those women, someone else would. But if he stayed and played the part, then at least one girl would be safe and possibly able to lead some sense of a normal life without abuse. He had wished that someone would have done that for his mother.

He explained that this was why he had hardly spoken to her when he first brought her home. He thought that trying to say something or comfort her would just make her even more scared. This was why he had been happy about marrying her, that now it was official and he knew she was safe with him. It was why he had slept on the couch and planned to keep doing so. It was why he had gotten so upset over Roger’s discipline because he didn’t believe in that.
He saved me.

This operation went deep. There was no way to stop it. Law enforcement was involved and there was just no way out. All those girls in the room with Elena hadn’t come here, they went all over. There was no way to see how deep this went. He hung his head as he leaned back into the couch letting her process what he had told her. Not sure of what her response would be. He told her he wondered if he’d made a mistake bringing her here, if it was the right thing to do after all. That he wondered if they’d really be able to pull it off and pretend to be normal according to the community standards.

Should I believe this? Is he trying to trick me? No, he has been nothing but kind since I arrived. Gentlemanly and genuine. Oh, God. Please help me! I’m so lost and confused!

When she thought back he had been nice to her. He hadn’t been mean to her once, not even when she’d tried to escape. And he defended her to Roger.

“You saved me?” Elena asked. “That’s why you’ve been so nice to me?” Alex just smiled a crooked modest smile. He reached up and grabbed her face gently to check under the ice pack once more, wincing at what he saw and then spoke again.

“I’m so sorry for all this. I know it’s a strange way to help someone, by buying them as his wife...but I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.”

She wanted to cry and she was a little. These past few years she felt so alone after leaving her family. She hadn’t spoken to God in years despite her grandma’s influencing attitude. She had tried to ‘con’ her into going to church with her many times. Now she wished she had.
Oh
,
thank you! This is not an ideal situation...but you have made something good out of evil. Thank you!

She felt the urge to hug him and though feeling it might be awkward she gave in and reached for him in one quick movement. He stiffened, not sure what to make of it her sudden change.

“Thank you,” Elena said softly. “Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity.”

He loosened up and reached his arms around her slightly. They sat for a few seconds in silence, awkward in their embrace.

“Now what?” she asked pulling back to her side of the couch.

“Well, if they think I’m not fit to be the kind of husband to their standards, they’ll take you and place you with someone else that might want you, do an annulment so you can remarry. There’s a waiting list for wives so...” he trailed off. “Look, I’m not gonna ask you to do anything you don’t want to do. I mean, you will have to perform some ‘wifely’ duties, but I’m not here to hurt you as I said. I can only hope that you will just accept this and make the best of a very strange situation.”

Elena suddenly remembered what she said to Amy. “Just be his wife”.
Oh, those girls
.
Guilt suddenly swept over her for the girls that were not in her shoes.
Poor Amy. Oh, help me to say the right words to guide them somehow. Help me help them to do what’s right so they can endure this.

Alex noticed her somber expression.

“What’s wrong. What did I say?”

“I’m just worried about the other girls,” she said. “It’s not fair that this happened. I mean, I had no life but some of them may have. What about their families?”

Alex told her that the traffickers scouted out young girls and women who were alone. They watched them for two weeks prior to kidnapping them to make sure they wouldn’t get caught on any loose details.

“You’ve already done the best thing you can do for Amy. I heard what you said. That’s the best thing she can do. Men who keep their women under control gain a lot of respect from the community. The least she fights back, the better he’ll feel toward her,” Alex said.

Then he got up and took the ice pack from her. He dumped it into the sink and laid out the towel to dry meticulously, just like the night before. When he came back he looked at her face again.

“It’s pretty colorful today, but if nothing else,” he shrugged and smiled sadly, “at least it looks like I did it to the people who weren’t here, anyway. Most of the men...discipline their women this way so it’ll look better that way.”

Elena grimaced at that fact.

Poor Amy. Poor girls.

She fixed patty melts for supper and then they watched a movie - well he did. A western was playing on the television that had already started 10 minutes earlier. He was in his chair and her on the couch. She didn’t care. Her mind was racing as she sat crossed legged. She contemplated the situation, still not quite reality to her mind. She wondered what her life could be like if she stayed this way. Her living in his house, cooking his food, sleeping in his bed without him.

As she headed to bed later, she glanced in the hall mirror. She could see the circular poof and bruise on her cheek outlined in pink and filled in with yellow and a light purple.

When it was time for bed, she again wondered about the arrangement, even though he’d said he wouldn’t come to her, but felt comfort when she saw him pull the blanket out from behind the couch again.

She cried incredibly hard but slept better that night.

And cried even harder, aching, but slept better the next night.

And the next, she cried and sobbed so loud into her pillow that it hurt in her chest and bones but slept the best she had so far.

That night, while Elena was having a nightmare, Alex ran in and shook her awake. Elena woke up swatting at him because this time when she opened her eyes, there was a real face above her.

He restrained her easily, his hands on her arms, and spoke softly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to make sure you were ok. You were screaming.”

“I’m sorry,” she said embarrassed at him having to come wake her up like that.

“No, it’s fine.” He pushed her hair back from her face and looked at her closely. “I just wanted to check on you. Are you alright? Need a glass of water or something?” he said and still held her arm in his hand to steady her. She shook her head no and he released her. “Ok. Let me know if you need anything.” He hesitated. “I’m right in the next room. Nothing’s going to happen to you, ok? You’re safe with me, I promise. Good night.”

That was the last night she had of tears and bad dreams.

When she awoke to the sunlight that morning she couldn’t believe she’d been there a week already let alone three weeks. She no longer cried when she went to sleep. For a while there it seemed to get worse instead of better but eventually, she just couldn’t cry anymore. And then there was no reason to. What’s done was done and the situation could be so much worse.

She put on the same clothes she’s arrived there in. Alex had promised to go shopping today to get her something else to wear. She had three outfits to her name and two of them swallowed up her petite frame completely.