Bring Me Closer

Closer: Part 7

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I sit her down and offer her a glass of water. She declines.
"Henry told me you lived here. I didn't think he'd be out of prison this soon." I sit beside Mike on the other couch. He rubs my back to comfort me.
"You live in Long Island?" I ask her.
"Not to far from you. It's a shame we haven't crossed paths sooner." Even if we did, I wouldn't have known.
I can't help but stare at her. "So, so you're Camille's mom. What can you tell me about her?"
She exhales deeply, "You sure you want to know?" She asks.
I mean, what more can she tell me that I don't already know. My vision of Camille --my mother, is shattered.
"I'm sure."
She sits back on the sofa. "Camille was a drug addict. She was addicted to just about everything you can think of. After starting school, she got involved with the wrong people. That's how she met Henry, your father."She's staring into her palms. "I've always resented him for that, and I know he resents himself enough. Camille quit school and hung out with Henry, got high and came home with him like everything was okay. At first I didn't see it, but one can only pretend for so long. Camille was a runner. She always ran from what she was afraid of, she ran to me, to Henry, until she couldn't anymore. Dropping out of the university left her with a lot of debt. Just whenI thought it couldn't get any worse, she got into stripping. That was right before she got pregnant with you. When she did that, I tried to get her to leave you with me as much as I could. And so did Laurie, your mom. But she always ran." She's tearing up. "When you were three, she got into prostitution. She told me, she, she told me all the horrific things that you saw. The men that would come in, and, and take what they wanted from her, you watched." Her tears flow.
I close my eyes to stop mine. As she speaks, I see the images.
The men, taking advantage of my mother. Her beaten face. She's beautiful. Through the blood, the scars. I see her beauty.
"She always knew somewhere inside of her that she's ruined you. As you grew older you never liked to be touched, at all. Not even to braid your hair. You barely spoke. When you did, you screamed." My eyes shoot open. That's why I was the way I was. I can't help but cry. "Only when you played with the little girl. Your sister, Christina. Laurie's daughter was your only friend. The only one you'd talk to." She wipes her eyes with a handkerchief.
This is where my problems stem from. Camille, my mother. Not only did she try to kill me and Cameron, but she allowed me present through the horrific things she let men do to her. What kind of sick person does that.
"Camille loved you, Charlotte. She never let anyone lay a finger on you. They could do what they wanted with her but they could never look at you."
"Why not leave me somewhere safe?" I ask.
"She was afraid, she thought that the best place for you and Cameron to be was right with her. She didn't know any better. And I know that now." She sniffs. "I know that now."
When Mike hugs me, the feeling comes back. I jump. "Please don't touch me." I murmur. Not yet. He looks confused. Even after my accident, I was uncomfortable with touching. My blurry childhood, the things I saw men do to my mother, has caused my withdrawal from connecting with the opposite sex. And then, and then, Mike came along. I look up at him. He changed me, he cured my, my disease. There was always something about him. Something that no one else had. Getting closer to Mike cured me.
I look back at Sara, "I'm going to be off now. Henry has my telephone number if ever you need to call me." She stands walking to the door. I remain seated, staring at the ground.
She closes the door. My heart won't quit beating so fast. I look up into Mike's dark, mysterious eyes. "It's you." I shake my head. "Not once in my entire life have I ever wanted to be close to a guy like I want to be close to you. Not Nick, not anyone. And I tried, I tried to be normal, but that never worked." I look down at the floor. "And then you come into my life, and you change everything. We connect, we become incredibly close, closer than I've ever been with anyone. Closer than I've ever wanted to be." I place my hands in his. He looks at me with those serious eyes.
I pull him in and I kiss him. I close my eyes and I feel him, his passion. I know he can feel mine. He doesn't stop. He's over me. Breathing heavily, "I love you." We say simultaneously. I feel him smile against my lips.