Do You Know Eva?

Do You Know Eva- Chapter Four

Do You Know Eva?

-Chapter Four-

-Mistakes Were Made, You weren’t one of Them –

Those muscular arms. The ones that pulled me from slipping away. Why did they do that? Why couldn’t they have just left me there?

Who was it? The arms were long, had long black hairs and were tanned. They were perfect really. His hands were soft to touch, they pulled me up with such ease, like pulling somebody from their death was as easy as lifting a weight. Around the wrist my ‘rescuer’ wore a silver bracelet. The bracelet had a named engraved on it, but I couldn’t make it out. It wasn’t the first time I, you know. But that attempt has remained in my head ever since.

The doorbell rings. I jump from the couch and run to the door, mother is out buying groceries, well if you call three packs of beer groceries. I pull back the chain and unlock the door. The door is pulled forward by the storms outside. It is late, past six. The person standing before me is tall and well built. I can barely make the person out, but it is a man.

“Can I help you?” I ask.

“Oh my gosh. It’s been so long Evangeline.”

Evangeline? Nobody calls me Evangeline, except for her.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“Yes Eva. Yes you do.”

I flick the switch beside the door turning on the porch light revealing the face of a man I have not seen in quite a long time. His face still looks the same, he never changed. He didn’t age a day, although it’s been almost five years. His eyes are still ocean blue and his face still has that rugged, prickly beard.

“Dad?”

I stand before him, in complete and utter shock. What should I do? Hug him? Tell him I missed him? Slap him and tell him to leave me alone, how dare he take off when things got bad?

“Dad… what… what are you… doing here?”

“I thought I should check up on you. Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“Eh. Yeah. Sorry. Come in.”

He steps out of the storm and into the cold house. He shakes off the rain. He unbuttons his long, black coat and hangs it over the banisters.

“Darling, you look beautiful.” He says, examining me.

“Where did you go?” I ask, he will not get off lightly.

“Why don’t we sit down, I’ll explain everything darling.”

We sit opposite each other on the old, dirty couch. He has just told me why he left.

“You left because things got hard?”

“Eva, after I lost my son, after we lost Scott, your mother… she changed so much. I couldn’t recognize her. She began to drink and fight. Heck, I had to carry her home from the bar every night! You try live with that, Eva.”

“Got news for you, Dad, I am.”

“I know I shouldn’t have left. I feel terrible about that.” He drops his head.

“You should. Why are you back?”

“I want to take you back with me. Back to Boston.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want you living here with her anymore. You’ve all ready tried to kill yourself twice Goddammit! I won’t let it happen again.”

“You let it happen twice.”