Hopeless Romance

Chapter Thirty Two

Denny was the first name that I thought when I felt that mysterious stalking, hating presence. 

I approached Denny quietly, watching him hand watering tomatoes in the underground garden room, a room with many ceiling holes, plants scattered in the sunlight under each one.  He looked happy, and peaceful.  It hit me clearly, this man brought life and food into the world.  He gave us life.  He wasn’t our stalker.  He had once punched me in the gut, but even I felt like I kind of deserved that one.  Kissing his girl with him right there.  The stalker felt blacker, meant us serious harm.  I was sure of it. 

I watched as another gardener came up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.  They kissed.  I noticed she had a small abdominal bump; they were growing more than crops together. He gently put his hand on her belly.  I quietly left him to his new life.

Michelle and her black heart came in a close second on my list of possible stalkers.

I found Michelle in her room.  I lifted her blanket without permission. She was writing furiously in a notebook.  I grabbed it, wanting to read if she was writing anything that would show her as our stalker.  She pulled a knife and said, “Return that now.  It is mine, this is my room.  You have no right.”

I realized then she was not our stalker either.  She wasn’t angry at me, or jealous of Sophia.  All her anger was directed at the Rache government, leaving no space in her heart for love or dreams, or even anger at anything else.  She was a fellow war orphan.  Her Racheise “father” had never given her privacy.  He had taken off all the doors in the house, even the bathroom.  I thought that was super creepy but she said he never abused her, not directly or obviously.  I thought my home was a prison, but at least I had my room with its locked door.  Her “father” had read her journals, listened on every phone call, recorded everything she typed on computer, read through every text.

Because of this history, Michelle was very respectful, and demanding, of privacy. 

I was stupid to even consider Michelle as our stalker.  I apologized and gave her back her journal. 

Between gritted teeth, she said, “Never enter here again without my permission.  Next time this knife will fly.” 

I returned to Sophia a failure.  I had no idea who was stalking us.  I didn’t know how to keep her safe.  I told her as much.  She rubbed my shoulders, and more, forcing me to relax.  My guard came down.  I once again felt safe, at home, being with her.

I opened my eyes when Sophia suddenly froze on top of me.  She was staring at the ledge above us, the room where she used to hide from me.  Now, I looked up there into green eyes.

Claudia.  Holding a gun.  Pointed at Sophia’s head.

In the dim light above us I could see green eyes filled with anger, hate, and jealousy.  They glared unblinking down at Sophia and me.

Claudia screamed, “You think you can just use me like that?  Like the soldiers that would come and rape me while people enjoyed the show on live video?”

“Claudia, I never forced you into anything…. I’m not like them, I rescued you.”  I made myself speak calmly, try to deescalate the dangerous situation.

“Only to use me yourself.  You used me; and you made me feel so unsexy- it was always so difficult to get you turned on.”  She glanced at Sophia still on me. “You sure don’t have the same problem with her.  I’ve been watching you two a long time now.  This room has quite a view.”  She laughed.  My stomach turned over, churned as I thought about all she had seen and heard.  Watching Sophia and me, watching our children play.  I felt rage.  I felt helpless.

“Claudia, I’m not your enemy.  We broke up.  I loved Sophia long before I knew you.  I was with her before I was with May.” I saw a flicker of doubt enter her eyes.  She wanted to believe the worst in me.  She had convinced herself that I just went around using women.

Then anger flared again, “Then you should have never been with me!”  She commanded Sophia, “Get off him now.”  Sophia looked at me, eye brows once again furrowed in anger.  My Wild Cat wanted to fight.  I nodded, begging her silently not to fight.  I couldn’t do anything with Sophia there¸ on me, between us. 

Sophia stood up next to the bed.  Claudia laughed when she saw me, no longer aroused.  “Now you know how he was with me.  He’s barely a man.” 

Then she screamed at Sophia, “Say something slut! Even when he was with me, you didn’t bother to hide your lust for him!  It was fun for you, laughing at me, mocking me, right?” 

“I’m sorry.  I was mean to you.  I was in love with Michael.  It hurt me to see him with others.”  If I didn’t know her better I’d believe she wasn’t scared in the least.  She had what we used to call “street smarts” when I lived in a city.

“How could you love him?”  Now she pointed the gun at me. I tried to hide the first deep breath I could take.  I’d die for Sophia.  My children needed their mother.   I felt relieved the gun was pointed at me.  This was my mess, due to another of my mistakes.

Claudia pulled out a video camera.  “Now, I’m going to shoot you… a video of you two.  See how you like it.”   The gun was pointed at Sophia again. 

Suddenly, Claudia fell from the ledge on top of me, the gun falling out of her hands onto the floor.  I turned to see Robert in the doorway, gun in hand. 

Sophia started crying.  I lifted Claudia off me and went to Sophia, holding her tightly in my arms.

Robert still had his gun trained on Claudia.  He had only shot her shoulder.  I knew he was an excellent marksman. He had only shot to wound.  He hand cuffed her as she screamed at us all, threatening us with future harm. 

Robert said, “Good luck finding us.  We’re driving you so far away from here you’ll never make it back without the Rachiese finding you first.  Do you know what they do to a run away?” 

Now, Claudia began begging us for mercy.  I knew we couldn’t risk her telling the Rachiese about how to find our cave.  I knew Robert would take her to the new room for prisoners of war.  He just wanted her to be grateful for our “mercy”.  We needed a prison after I had granted mercy to the Rachiese soldier who wasn’t involved in May’s death.  Not directly involved anyway, although he had done nothing to stop the atrocity.  It probably would have been his death to try.  I assumed he still lived.  I had never asked about him again.

The kids stayed with their grandparents for a week.  For nights, Sophia and I mostly just held each other.  We both had nightmares.  Slowly, we let the fear and anger Claudia had brought into our lives, our relationship go.  We started to touch again.  When we felt safe again, we made love.