Just Try It

Chapter 41- Showing of the Scars

Thursday, February 16th 7:50am

Alley Off of Swisher Street

Moe froze when he felt Sondra's hands slide over his back. He had hoped that she would give up if he didn't return her phone. Dream world and reality blurred as his shirts rose higher. When his shirts rose another inch he forgot to even breath.

Sondra swallowed and her heart beat faster. Her hands shook and she blushed as her hands slid over his back muscles. Her frustration at being kept in the dark had gotten her started, but now she wasn't so sure. If she had realized how intimate this would feel she would never have had the guts to start, but it was too late to stop now.

When the shirts were about half way up, the first scar appeared, and Sondra forgot her embarrassment. The scar was dark and looked like it had been deep and painful. Her only thought after that was seeing just how far the scar went. She pushed the shirts up farther and instead of the end, she found another scar that intersected the first. She continued until she could see Moe's whole back, and his shirts were bunched around his shoulders.

Moe stood quiet while Sondra stared. He had lost his ability to speak, and it took him some time to find his voice again. He cleared his throat twice before he was able to ask, "Well?"

Sondra ignored his question and as she examined his back. There were four deep horizontal lines that criss-crossed with three vertical lines. Instead of answering, Sondra asked, "Do they hurt still?"

Moe stared at the wall inches away as he answered, "No. They happened before I came here, so they have had more than eight years to heal. They are actually less sensitive than the rest of my back."

Sondra began to trace the scars gently as she asked, "Who could do such a thing? You were such a cute little boy."

No one had touched his scars since he had been in the hospital. He hadn't let them. The deadened nerve cells actually seemed electrified at Sondra's touch. It didn't hurt, but the light brush of her fingertips made a shudder go down his back. There didn't seem any point in trying to hide anything anymore. He admitted softly, "My mom had an abusive boyfriend. He lived with us."

Sondra's fingers paused when he shuddered, but then continued to trace the scars gently in fascination when he didn't ask her to stop. "Was that before your brother died?" she asked in a whisper.

Moe nodded and then admitted, "Kevin was Bobby's dad, but when Kevin whipped me with his belt, I wasn't able to protect Bobby that night. That was the night that Bobby died of shaken baby syndrome. When I finally woke up, mom was begging me to not tell. I was out of my head because my back was infected, but when she left me alone I got to a phone and called 911. I probably didn't make much sense, and I was afraid that I wouldn't be believed."

Sondra felt tears well in her eyes as she realized that this was what had led to Moe's mom going to jail, and why he had gone to the youth shelter and had come to live with his cousins. So many more things suddenly made sense too. This had to be why Moe was so good with little kids, but was a sucker for their tears. This was why he had been so far behind in school and hadn't seem to know any games. It even explained why he was so protective. As her thoughts were racing, her fingers kept tracing. She hardly realized that the tears filling her eyes had started rolling down her cheeks.

As the silence grew, Moe wondered what Sondra was still doing there. Now that she knew everything, there didn't seem anything else to say. She must have another question though, because she hadn't left yet. He would have walked off, but he couldn't face giving up a second of what he had left with her. Besides, he was frozen by was the light touch of her fingers trailing across his back. Suddenly that touch was gone, and he knew she would be leaving now. He wouldn't blame her. He often wished he could leave his past behind.

Sondra didn't move farther away though. Instead, she leaned in and wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him.

He could feel the dampness of her tears on his bare back. Shock held him still, as his mind whirled in confusion. Moe had finally realized that she wasn't leaving when she let go and eased back. A small moment of panic continued, but Sondra didn't go far.

She brushed her lips over the top scar. Butterfly kisses, that reminded Moe of how she used to tend Sammy's small scrapes. After the first scar, Sondra hesitated briefly before she continuing on to the other scars that she had been tracing. The confusing mix of wonder, love, and desire overwhelmed Moe. He felt like he should say something, but nothing seemed adequate. Even if he had been able to find the right words, it wasn't likely that they would be able to find their way past the lump in his throat.

When she had kissed each one, she backed up, and eased his shirts back down. For the first time in Moe's life, he was left wishing he had more scars. When the shirts were back in place, Moe cleared his throat before asking, "Well, how bad are the scars?"

Sondra gave a watery chuckle and replied, "They aren't pretty, but they are a marks of bravery, and they can't hurt you anymore. They have had more that eight years to heal, you know."

Moe grinned as Sondra tossed his words back at him, and finally turned around. The first thing he noticed was that Sondra had turned bright red, and the next thing was the tear streaks on her face. When he went to comfort her, she backed up nervously. Before she could move farther away, he quickly pulled her into his arms for a hug. "Stop crying for me," he ordered gruffly as he held her close.

She sniffed and muttered into his chest, "I'm not crying for you. I'm crying for a little boy from eight years ago." She wiped her cheeks against his chest before she announced, "All better."

Moe loosened his grip, and chuckled before saying, "That kid is still a part of me. Every year I go to visit my brother's grave on his birthday." He paused and impulsively asked, "Do you want to go with me this year? I'm borrowing Uncle Brian's car Sunday."

Sondra's dark eyes lit up as she answered, "I would love to."

Moe looked at Sondra's face, splotchy with tears, and felt his heart swell. After a moment, he handed back her cell phone awkwardly.

Sondra took it and stashed it in her pocket, but reminded Moe, "We had better get to school. We don't want to be late. You still have to turn in the last extra credit project."

Moe wished it wasn't so, but Sondra had a point. He grabbed her hand and took off running for school.

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