Jerry

I walked into a frightening sight. Callie was cowering, legitimately shaking trying to get away from the guy I watched walk in. I immediately saw red cover my vision. I don’t remember what happened next other than the guy was out cold on the floor and I was carrying a hysterical Callie out of the building.

I felt like there should’ve been cops surrounding the outside but there weren’t. I was being driven by rage. Who was that guy and why was Callie so scared of him?

Callie

I slowly opened my eyes. When I couldn’t see light immediately, I started panicking. I went to jump out of the bed I was in and felt hands on my shoulders trying to help me back into bed.

“Shh. Callie. Calm down. You’re safe. Just lie down. Take it easy,” I knew that voice. Where did I know that voice from?

“Jerry?” I tried to speak but my throat was dry and it sounded like I was sick.

“Yes. It’s Jerry. Here, drink.” I feel a cup against my lips. I take a couple of sips before trying again to sit up.

“What happened?” I was a little fuzzy about the details. I know I brought my homework to my teacher because I was going to run away.

“What do you remember?” Jerry had his hands resting on his knees. I only just noticed the bruises on his knuckles.

“Forget what I remember! What happened to your hand?” I grabbed his hand to get a better look at it and I guess I grabbed too hard because he winced in pain while yanking his hand back.

“I punched a wall. Hard.” he was cradling his hand to his chest.

“Why?”

Before he could answer, I remembered everything. He showed up at my meeting with my teacher. He knocked out my teacher and then Jerry knocked him out and carried me away from it all to wherever this place was.

“Oh my God. What the hell actually happened?” I started worrying about Jerry and my own safety.

“Don’t worry. He was only knocked out when I left with you. I called the cops after we were safely away from the classroom and away from whoever that guy was. I gave them my statement over the phone and he’s arrested.

Turns out he had outstanding warrants in at least two counties one for vehicular manslaughter and another for domestic violence…his voice trailed off at the end. I couldn’t hide my emotions. I remembered why he had gotten those charges. The second one he got first and then he got the vehicular manslaughter.

“Callie, what’s wrong? Who was that guy?” Jerry sat next to me for comfort. He attempted to put his arm around me until I shied away from him.

“Most daughters don’t mind being called baby girl by their fathers. I, on the other hand, did not. After my father lost his job he became a drunk. When he was drunk, he got paranoid and angry. My mother picked up a couple of extra shifts at her job to help make ends meet.

My father got way too drunk one night and started beating my mom after she came home. My brother and I tried to pull him off of her, but he wouldn’t stop. I called the cops on him and he fled the house. He had a warrant out for his arrest from that night.”

“Oh my God. So that guy was your father?” again Jerry tried to console me, but this time only went to grab my hand. I allowed him.

“Yeah. I hadn’t seen him since the last time I saw my mom and my brother…” tears blurred my vision and stung my eyes.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“But that’s the thing, I have to talk about it. I’ve been silent about it all for so long that I need to confess to someone about it. I have to.”

“I’m not going to force you. Nor am I going to ask you to do that just because I saved you from what was almost a very scary situation.” Jerry was trying to make me feel more comfortable. The truth of the matter was that I needed to tell someone all of this because someone else needs to understand.

“I’m going to tell you. My mom, dad, and brother went out for groceries or something and I was at home working on a project. I assume my dad had had a couple of drinks before leaving for the store. I think I was around 16 when this happened and my brother was 12. My mom was asking him questions and he got angry.

My guess is he swerved the steering wheel sending them into a pole first then a ditch. My brother died in the hospital and my mother was dead on arrival. My father was the only one that survived.

I look a lot like my mom did when she was last alive. He’s been trying to find me because I look like my mom. He thinks she left him and took me with her when I actually just left him and he killed my mom and brother. I hate him. He terrifies me. I never know what he’s actually capable of or what he might do an that worries me.” I burrow my face in his chest. Jerry wraps his arm around me and rocks us back and forth.

* * * * *

Jerry

It’s been a year since Callie’s dad got locked up in prison. I go with her to visit her mom and brothers graves because she can’t go alone. She always has the feeling like something or someone is watching her. I’ve been working with her to make that less of a burden.

We have been dating since the day she told me about her family. I have never left her side. We watch out for each other. I wonder if her brother guided her to me or vice versa because I can't imagine life without her.