Easier to Lie

Chapter Eight

Adam used his one call from jail to check on Leah. She had stopped crying but started again when the call ended.

"We have to tell his dad. Reggie, I can't relive it. I don't want to keep repeating it."

"You don't have to. I'll take care of it. Stay here."

"No, you're not leaving me," her grip on my arm tightened. I let go of the door knob and then someone knocked. "Don't answer that." I had never seen her so frightened. She was the strong, brave one. I was the one needing protecting. Now it felt like she was the one needing to be protected and I was proud to stand by her side. I liked being needed.

"Leah, it's me! Open up!" Eric shouted, he sounded rushed, maybe panicked. "Reggie, c'mon!"

Eric practically fell into the living room when I opened the door. "Leah, I'm so sorry. Reggie told me, I should've done something sooner. I'm so sorry."

"Reggie told you?" She looked mortified. I was caught off guard. I thought she was about to scream at me, but she hugged me.

Eric told us he spoke to Adam's dad. The two of them were going to bail out Adam. "My mom is a wreck; I can't leave her by herself."

"I can't go over there. I can't. She probably hates me."

"She doesn't hate you. Please, she can't be by herself."

Leah kept shaking her head and Eric looked tired. Scared and tired.

"I'll go," I finally said, "I'll go stay with her. It's right next door, Leah, I can come back and forth."

Still shaking, she agreed to compromise. Before I left I remembered that my mom put together a "safety first" bag and placed it in my suitcase. Inside was two of everything; pepper spray, knives, whistles, and one flare gun. I handed the pepper spray and a knife to Leah.

"Safety first?" Leah asked, almost smiling.

"Safety first. I'm right next door. Keep your phone handy."

Emma was on the couch surrounded by crumbled tissues. She looked even smaller hunched over. This was the first time I had ever been alone with her. Not only was the current situation uncomfortable, but being alone with her gave me scary goosebumps. Cautiously, I moved the photo albums from the couch, but not before noticing David's face was marked over in red, then I sat beside Emma.

I wanted to take her hand in mine, to comfort her, but I didn't know how. Emma looked so frail, like the softest touch would break her into pieces. Her world must have been shattered, I thought. She cared for Leah like her own child, and now her husband had caused this damage. She must have been blaming herself, I knew I would if I was her.

I couldn't say it out loud, but I had been blaming myself. I knew about David's behavior and I hadn't said anything until it was too late. I never should have made that promise to Leah. I knew it was wrong.

"Where's Leah? Is she okay?" Emma finally spoke but she didn't look away from the floor.

Was she okay? How was I supposed to answer that? Physically she was fine, but mentally and emotionally, she was destroyed. I couldn't be the one to tell that to Emma. I wasn't sure where I fit in with this whole situation. I felt so out of place.

"I need to see her. I can't believe this happened again."

Again? What was she talking about? If something had happened before, Leah hadn't told me.

"Again?" I questioned.

"Oh, Honey," she wiped her eyes with a tissue. "David's done this once before, about twenty years ago."

David and Emma were dating, not married yet. They had just moved into their first apartment. David was the assistant manager of a restaurant and Emma was a substitute teacher. She had heard rumors of him cheating on her, but she was blinded by love and refused to believe anything bad about him.

Then one day a girl, no more than sixteen years old, knocked on the door to speak with Emma. She knew David's schedule and stopped by while he was working. She told Emma that David had been making comments to her about her appearance, making her uncomfortable. The girl was a hostess but wanted to become a server.

David told her she would make more money in tips if she wore makeup. He unbuttoned her shirt and pushed up on her chest to show more cleavage. She went on to tell Emma that David offered her a pay raise if she would sleep with him. After that proposition, she quit her job.

Emma didn't believe anything the girl said until she provided letters that David had written to her. She didn't want to involve the police. She just wanted Emma to know the truth. Emma kept the letters and confronted David that same night. He didn't deny any of it.

He manipulated her into believing it was her fault. She wasn't "open to his needs," as often as he wanted. That was also he first time he put his hands on her.

When he decided it was time to have a baby, he forced Emma into it. The doctors had told her that her body couldn't handle a pregnancy. She had been staying sick and no one could figure out why. The cancer diagnosis came years later. Giving birth to Eric nearly killed her.

When the doctors told her of the dangers involved with the pregnancy, David demanded she continue the pregnancy, even if it meant she would die. He wanted a son—he didn't care what he had to do to get what he wanted.

I wanted to ask her why she stayed with him, but I had seen enough law shows and documentaries to know about the fear of leaving an abuser. Most of the women ended up dead.

"Who else knows about this?" I asked.

She shook her head, "No one."

Roughly an hour later, David was calling to tell Emma how much money he needed to bail out of jail. She didn't care. She told him she was filing for divorce and hung up on him.

With my help, she walked next door to be with Leah. The two of them sat on the couch holding each other and crying. I wanted to do something to make the situation better, to make them feel better. I didn't want them to blame themselves. Helpless. I hated feeling helpless. Then I realized I was making this situation about me and that irritated me further.

"Leah! Where's Leah?" Adam rushed into the living room.

She ran into his arms and planted kisses all on her face and hair. He held her tight and she wrapped her arms around him tighter.

"I love you," we all heard the words he said to her. They were meant for only her ears, but we all heard him. "I love you."

Adam was bailed out of jail and given a court date. David would be behind bars until the trial was over, or until someone bailed him out. Leah and Emma hoped he would plead guilty, so they could avoid a trial. Leah didn't want to deal with any of it. She wanted it to go away.

Leah finally fell asleep and Adam stayed with her. Eric's mom curled up on the couch, she didn't want to sleep in the bed she had shared with David. I tried lying down, but I couldn't sleep. I kept tossing and turning. I tiptoed through the condo and carefully slid the balcony door closed behind me.

The night sky was beautiful. The reflection of the moon across the dark water calmed my mind. I wanted to stay there in that moment. The tide washing in and out, the birds in the distance, the fish jumping. I could have stayed there forever.