Mr Smith, Miss Jackson.

Chapter 16

"Mother! It's great to see you! Come in!" Charlotte invites in her parents with a big fake smile on her face.
"Charlotte! Long time no see!" The woman pulls Charlotte into a hug with an equally as fake smile. "Mother, father, this is Dan, my husband. And our son Jason. Dan this is my father Larry and my mother Marissa" The woman squeals and grabs Jason from my arms.
"Oh he's so cute! Look at him Larry! Isn't he the cutest! Take a picture would you? Oh and look at you! Your hair is so... Tall!" She makes her way into the living room, heels clacking on the wood in my hallway.
"Dan, would you come with me to make drinks?" Charlotte asks nervously as her father walks into the living room after his wife. I nod and follow her to the kitchen.
"I'm so sorry about her. She's a people person. A bit too much if you ask me. But don't worry, they're only here for about two hours and then we're free." I smile at her.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure we'll get along great." I laugh.
"Now who're you trying to fool, me or yourself?" She grins, pouring Tia Maria into two glasses and grabbing two bottles of beer from the fridge.


"I can't believe it's ten already! We were only supposed to stay two hours! Come on Larry, we should get going." Marissa says, jumping up. Larry pushes himself out of his chair.
"I'd like to speak to Charlotte alone for a moment first. Charlotte please can you show me to your bedroom." Fear fills Charlottes eyes and she bites her lip but nods, leading him out of the room.
"So Daniel, what're your parents like?" Marissa asks with a smile after a few minutes of awkward silence.
"Oh uh, they're great. They're from South Africa, they're really sweet and surportive, always made sure I had what I needed."
"Awh they sound so nice! Do you have any pictures? I just love pictures!"
"Uh, yeah, I have some in my room. Just a second, I'll go get them." I run upstairs and start to crack open the door when I hear choked sobbing from inside.
"If you tell anybody you're dead, you hear me?" I peek in to see Larry with one hand wrapped around Charlottes neck, pressing her against the wall. She chokes and sputters, struggling to breathe. She desperatley reaches down, trying to pull up her pants which are currently resting around her ankles. "I said do you hear me!?" He yells, pulling her forward and slamming her back into the wall. She nods, and he removes his hand from her and buckles up his belt, glaring at her.
"You stupid, worthless bitch." He hisses at her before walking away. I quickly dart out of the way, desperate to not be seen as he descends the stairs.
"Come on Marissa, we have reservations at that restaurant, we can come back tomorrow!" He yells cheerily.
"Oh, okay. Goodbye Daniel, goodbye Charlotte! I hope to see you both again soon!" The two exit through the front door and I bolt into my room. Charlotte is curled up in a ball on the floor, shaking and sobbing, bruises forming around her neck and wrists.
"Charlotte?" I kneel beside her and place a careful arm on her shoulder. She flinches but doesn't pull away.
"He's hurt me like that before." She whimpers.
"When?"
"When I was younger, before I ran away. He made me feel like it was the only thing I was good for. My sister was the smart one, my son was the mommas boy and I was the unexpected, unwanted baby at the end. So I lied to them, pretended I was as succesful as my sister. But in reality, I was just doing what I always did. Exactly what men wanted so they could have a good time and I could stay alive." "Charlotte I'm so sorry." I whisper, brushing her hair out of her face and wiping her eyes. Mascara has run down her face and her eyes are red.
"I thought he'd changed."  
"Some people do and some people don't. At least you gave him a chance. Now he's the only bad person."  
"Please go."  
"What?"
"I don't want you to see my like this." I pick her up carefully and pull her to me. Her head rests against my chest and I wrap my arms around her, rocking back and forth slightly, stroking her hair.
"What he did to you was wrong and I'm not going to leave you. I love you okay? Nothing you say or do will change that. So I'll be here for you every day. Whether you're on top of the world or you feel like you're six feet under, I'm here for you." She smiles at me, trying to steady her breathing.
"Will you sing for me?" I'm slightly startled by the request but do as she asks. I softly begin to sing a song that I begun to write years ago but never finished. She sighs and curls into me, slowly falling asleep to the song, the tears on her cheeks drying and a small smile pulling at her lips.