The Perfect Man

1

It's late at night and it's raining hard. Autumn is around the corner and the wind gets cold everytime it blows. I have to go home as fast as I could.
My mom called and she was crying so hard from the phone. My dad might be drunk. I don't have a car nor do I drive.
Across the street was a man dressed in black coat. He's glaring at me. I was about to cross the road going to the usual bus stop I take, but my feet won't move. I guess it's my instinct that's working now. He's walking fast, crossing the street. I step back. It's getting colder but the back of my head is sweating and my heart is pounding. The next thing I know, I'm running to the opposite direction. I turn right, hoping that I will be able to hide in the alley. Puddles splash as I step on them. There's a stair going up to the next road at the end. I don't see the man following me but someone grabs me from my side. Grabbing me into the small brown door. I tried to scream but he covered my mouth tightly.
'I have to go to mom on time.' I mumbled
"Stay quiet." The voice of a man said. "He's outside there. Looks like he's expecting you to go out from the alley."
I looked. He's right. I can see him from inside of what looks like a small cafè.
"It's a one way mirror so he can't see you from here."
I nodded.
"I will let go of you but don't you dare scream and scare our customers." He said.
I nodded.
"Thanks." I said.
"Have a seat and I'll get you something to drink." He said.
"No. Thanks but I have to go. My mom. I need to get to my mom. My dad might be high again and beat the hell out of her."
He put the glass of water on the table. It was warm.
"What do you mean?" He asked me.
"My mom called me." I said. "I bought a phone for her with my first salary just in case she needs it. And I was right. She called and she was crying. Whenever my dad is high on drugs or drunk he will beat my mom."
"Why don't you just leave him then?"
"Mom wouldn't. And my salary isn't enough for us to pay the rent."
He turned around and talked to someone. "Boss, can I go out early tonight?"
"It's not that busy. Do you really need to go?"
"Yup." He said. "It's an emergency. And, also, can I borrow your car?"
"Sure. Just bring it back before 4am."
He grabbed my wrist and said, "We better hurry." He looked at me from head to foot. He took off the red coat he just wore and put it on me. "I hope I could give you something else. You're soaking wet."
"You've been helping me a lot. But we better hurry."

He drove the car while I sit beside him in the passenger side. Then I realized that I haven't asked for his name.

"I'm Ashton." He said. He turned right as he followed the gps he prepared beforehand. "I'm a barista in Cafè de Alley. And the owner is my acquiatance when I was studying in univesity. He's name is Rufus. I runaway from home and he helped me alot. In fact, the second floor of the cafè is the apartment I rent from him."
"Why would you runaway?" I asked. The rain stopped.
"Same reason that you have... uhm..."
"Pauline." I said. "I'm a production assistant in a late night show in AGF tv station. We're here."
As he parks the car, I open the door of the car and run to the door of our home. I can't see mom anywhere and I'm feeling uneasy. I hear dad screaming from the kitchen saying, "Ofelia! She will kill me!"
I went inside and saw my dad holding the kitchen knife to the air.
"Dad!" I called him. "Put that knife down! What did you do to mom? Where is she?"
"Pauline?" He asked. His eyes were red and wide open. He is drooling and his saliva splatter as he talks. "Did your mom call you? That damn phone you gave her! You're conspiring to kill me!"
"Where's mom?" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
"Pauline." Ashton said as he grabbed my arm away from my striking dad. I got away from the knife, but he was able to scratch Ashton's right arm.
"Ashton!"
"Pauline, go find your mom. I've called the police." Ashton said while holding his bleeding arm.
"Pauline!" I heard my mom's voice from the storage under the stairs.
"Mom!" I hugged her so tight.
"Ofelia!" Dad was about to strike again but the police came in just in time. They grabbed his arms and handcuffed them.
"No! Where are you taking him?" My mom was struggling from my arms.
"Yes, mom!" I screamed. "We've been suffering enough. 10 years of hell is enough!"
Then the paramedics came in checking on Ashton and mom. While Ashton is bleeding from his arm, my mom has burn on her leg. A burn that looks like someone splashed boiling water on her.
"I'm his wife!" She demanded.
"I'm also a victim here!" I shouted back. "He raped me when I was young! I was so helpless but you didn't move a finger. He almost assaulted me again today and I'm going to put him in jail."
I saw her eyes. They were not my mom's eyes.
"Get out of my house!" She shouted back at me.
After the paramedics took Ashton to the ambulance, they took my mom to the next one. I followed my mom hoping that she didn't mean what she just said.
"Get out of my face and never show yourself to me!" She shouted while trying to push me away.