Bring The Rain

Chapter 18

Ara's POV

   I woke up drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. All night I'd been suffering from nightmares about Javier. Each one seemed to be worse than the last and after this final dream I didn't want to go back to sleep. I checked the time on my phone and it read 5:04 AM, I decided to get up and get my day started. Usually I would try to get a few more minutes of sleep but I was afraid of what I might imagine next.
   I made my way to the bathroom and started the hot water. It would be great to relax in a hot bubble bath but my tiny shower would have to do. I ran the water as hot as I could handle and after replacing my bonnet with an oversized shower cap I got inside to let my skin soak up the steamy water.
   The events of last night replayed in my head, I know Desmond couldn't wait to run back and tell Javier that he had seen me. Javier would be furious if he suspected I was living life happily, especially with another man. His anger would soon get the best of him and there was no telling what lengths he might go through to find me and force me to come back. He always promised never to let me go, even threatening to kill me if I ever left him. Tears swelled as the thought of what may happen started to crowd my mind. My main concern was my new employers, I couldn't put them in danger. I started to wonder if I should reach out to Javier, I could beg for his forgiveness for leaving and ask him to move on. It was a terrible idea but what else could I do?
   I stayed in the shower for another twenty minutes trying to decide how I should handle Javier. The water eventually became too hot for my skin to handle and I finally turned the shower off and stepped out to towel dry. I got myself dressed and walked to the main house to start on a big breakfast for the boys. Cooking always relaxes my mind and right now I need to focus on anything other than Javier. I decided to make omelettes and French toast for everyone. I began to cut up a variety of vegetables and ham that I would add to the egg mixture and filled another bowl with sugar, cinnamon, milk, and vanilla extract. The mixture of sweet and savory foods would be a perfect pick-me-up to fix my somber mood.
    The cooking gave me something to focus on and before I realized it I had finished, just in time to see Mike coming downstairs with an already dressed and excited Zahir. "Ah-Ah"! He ran to me and jumped in my arms letting me hug and kiss him all over his cute chubby face. Mike followed behind him and took me by surprise when he scooped us up into a giant bear hug and kissed my forehead. "Everything will be fine, I promise". I didn't understand how it was so easy for him to see my fear and anxiousness. He put me back on my feet and took Zahir from my arms placing him in his seat at the table. He helped with the cleaning while I prepared the plates and we sat in silence while we ate.
   Finally Mike's deep voice broke the quiet stillness; "Ara what's bothering you? Are you afraid he'll retaliate once the order is in place"? I had to think before I could answer and the truth was more than I wanted to admit, even to myself; "It's not just that. I'm worried about you too, Javier is the most jealous man I've ever met. What happens if he finds me? I know he'll want to hurt you". I felt tears swell in my eyes, I feared for my own life but more importantly I wanted to protect Mike with everything I had in me. Zahir has already lost so much I could never live with myself if something happened to his father because of me.
    Mike got up from the table and walked the short distance to my seat. He knelt in front of me resting one hand on my thigh and the other reached up to gently stroke my cheek. "There's not a man on this earth that I'm afraid of, he can't do anything to me, and I will do everything in my power to protect you. I know you're scared but I promise he can't hurt you anymore". He brushed away the tears that I couldn't hold back. I wanted to believe him, I wanted to think that I would always be safe from Javier but I knew what risk I was taking when I ran away from him. I could only pray that he would move on, and if not I had faith in Mike, I knew he would keep his word and protect me.
   My thoughts were interrupted by a small sticky hand rubbing my face. "Ah-Ah, cry". Zahir was so precious trying to wipe my tears away as he had seen his father do. I could only laugh as I wiped away the syrup and egg that was now stuck to my face. "I'm ok, baby", I said to the small child. I didn't want him to know that I was upset and he was far too young to understand the situation. We continued our breakfast but now the mood was slightly better and I felt more at ease knowing that Mike was so sure of himself and his ability to keep us safe.
   After breakfast we loaded Zahir into the SUV and we were at the courthouse within 20 minutes. It was early and thankfully not yet busy so we were able to speak with a judge quickly. Within a few moments I was granted a preliminary protective order. Mike explained that this would only last fifteen days and be delivered to Javier today while he was at work. "Before the fifteen days expire we'll have to get an official protective order and that can last two years. Hopefully by then Javier will have gotten the picture and won't be bothering you again". I kept quiet as we walked through the parking lot, Mike reached down and grabbed my hand. "I know you're scared but remember, everything will be fine. You need to know that the first order is easy to get, the judge doesn't ask much and grants these documents for almost anyone. The next step is harder, the judge will have to ask you some questions about your situation and why you deserve to have a protective order against Javier". I hated to think that I would have to disclose everything that was done to me in the past. Speaking about the beatings would be bad enough but I hated the thought of telling others what else had occurred in that apartment these last two years.
   "How much do I have to tell them"? Mike stopped walking and turned to face me with Zahir still by our side holding onto both of our hands. "Ara I know it may be difficult to bring this up, and you won't have to go into great detail, but you will need to be honest with the judge. You have to tell him about the abuse and how afraid you are. I'll be right there with you to support you through it". I shook my head to confirm my understanding of the situation but I didn't have anything to say. I hated to talk about the past but I had to do it in order to have a better future.
   I stayed quiet for most of the car ride but one question was burning in my mind; "What's gonna happen to Javier"? I couldn't help but wonder what this would do to him. My leaving may have already sent him over the edge and a protection order was sure to make things worse. Mike grabbed my hand as he used the other to steer through morning traffic. "You don't have to worry about that sweetheart". That's not the answer I wanted; I wanted to hear that he would be OK, I wanted to know that he wouldn't go to jail. I couldn't explain why I was so worried about the man that had tormented my life but for some reason I still cared about him.
  
Mike's POV
   It was finally the weekend and I had plans to spend as much time as possible with Zahir and Ara. Although I gave her the day off I wanted to be with her and ensure everything was alright. She hadn't said anything about Javier lately even after I told her that the protective order had been issued. She didn't want to talk about the future court date and it was hard getting any other information out of her. I hated to put her through it but she needed to start talking about everything that happened to her. She would eventually have to tell the judge about her past and I thought that she would feel better about her situation if she had someone around to talk to. As much as I wanted to be there for her I didn't know how to comfort her. I had to rely on the only other person that Ara may be willing to open up to. I asked Tara to spend some time with her and she promised me that she would. I decided not to push Ara and I would let her decide when she was ready to come to me. I just wanted to ensure that Javier would stay away from her so that he couldn't weasel his way back into her life.
  I laid awake in bed with the thought of Ara still in my mind. It was 7AM and I usually slept in on weekends and skipped my morning work out but Zahir was always awake right on schedule and I promised him that we could go out for breakfast this morning. I showered quickly and dressed before making my way down the hall to his room. As I passed by the small hallway window that looked directly onto the guest house I saw Ara step into the passenger side of a new model Impala. The darkly tinted windows made it hard to see the driver but I could tell it was a man and Ara appeared to be slightly annoyed as she slid inside of the car. Ara had never mentioned any friends, especially not male friends. I felt sadness build inside of me as the car drove away; I wouldn't admit that I was mainly jealous of whoever had the pleasure of being with her. I tried to calm my nerves as my emotions now moved to anger. Ara doesn't belong to me and I have no right to dictate who she can see; but what if that was the infamous Javier. My mind raced with possibilities of how he found her and why on Earth would she go with him. I read that many abused women go back to their partners after they try to leave them. They often get manipulated into thinking that they were better off with that person or that the abuser has truly changed. I don't care if he wanted to apologize, there's no changing someone like that. I'd never met the man and I hated him, if I ever came face to face with him I may not be able to control my anger.
    I tried to calm myself as I thought of what I should do. I couldn't force her to come back or stay away from him. She was able to make her own decisions even if I didn't agree with them but he was not allowed to come to my home; not only because I would forbid it but also due to the current protective order put in place. I stood there for a moment collecting my thoughts and I was sure that couldn't have been him, Ara would never be that dumb. Even if she still held feelings for him she would never put herself in danger again. I continued to tell myself this throughout the day as I tried to enjoy my time with Zahir but I couldn't help but think about her and who she was with. I didn't want to bother her but I was beginning to worry when she still hadn't returned by dinner time.
   Yesterday after receiving her first check she told me she would be going out today to purchase her cap and gown as well as some other items she needed. It shouldn't be taking this long to buy just a few things and my mind started to think of what could be happening to her right now if she was with Javier. I texted her and asked if she would like to join us for dinner, I didn't want to seem like I was prying but I desperately wanted to know where she was and who she was with. A few minutes later I got a brief reply;