Chapter Thirty Four

 Jay’s week of day shifts came to an end.  He couldn’t be with me every second of every day, anyway.  I knew that must have been what Earl was waiting for, when I heard him pull up around seven one night.

 I stood in the archway between the living room and kitchen, waiting for him while I tried not to panic.  It wasn’t late, so I knew I couldn’t count on him passing out.  That had been a lucky break.  Get out, Earl.  That’s all you need to say.  Whatever else comes, tell him to get out, I reminded myself.  It had been a mantra during the last week, as I’d promised myself never to forget again.

 He came in with a s**t-eating grin.  “‘Sup, babe?”

 “Get out, Earl.”

 “Whoa, where’s this coming from?” he asked, coming a little farther into my house.

 My heart skipped a beat when I heard Madison’s door open.  Mariah came halfway down the stairs, growled quietly when she saw Earl, and retreated back up.  She was replaced by Madison.  “Mommy, who’s that?” she asked from the staircase, looking through the railings.

 Earl looked up to lay eyes on our daughter for the first time.  “Hey, cutie,” he said in a drawn-out voice that made me feel sick.  “I’m your daddy!”

 Madison backed away from the rail, up against the wall.  “Nuh-uh,” she said shaking her head.  “You’re not my daddy, ’cause you never spent time with me.”

 “We’ll have to fix that, won’t we?” he asked a little too thoughtfully.

 “Earl!” I snapped, drawing both of their gazes.  “Madison, go back up to your room, please.”

 “Sure is a cute little girl,” Earl said, looking up the stairs after her.

 “Earl, get out,” I repeated.  I took a deep breath.  “Get out of my house, get out of my life!  I don’t ever want to see you again!”

 He could tell I’d been rehearsing.  It amused him.  He walked toward me until I was backed up against the side of my stove.  When I had nowhere to go, he thrust his jean-clad crotch at me rudely.  “Yeah?  What about what I want?”

 I started to panic.  Breathe!  “Get off me!” I yelled, and tried to push him away.  He grabbed my wrists, pinning them by my sides.

 “Could do that,” he said.  “Or I could beat the s**t out of you and f**k you in every hole, in every order.”

 Now I was dizzy with fear.  Blackness crept into the edges of my vision.  He’s going to do it.  Why shouldn’t he, in his mind?  “Earl, my daughter is upstairs...”

 “Guess you better keep quiet, then,” he said menacingly.  My diaphragm tightened as I started to panic even more, but I forced a deep breath in.  With a loud grunt I snapped my wrists free as I’d been taught.  It hurt, but it worked.  I backed into the kitchen, toward the drawer I kept the knives in.  He looked annoyed.  “When did you get all tough?”

 “Earl, if you even try it, I’ll start screaming.  Madison knows how to call the police.  If you turn your back to me to try and stop her, if you ever lay a hand on her,” fury came into my voice, a fury no man could ever hope to match, “I will kill you.”

 He looked at me, sizing me up, weighing his options.  I calculated how quickly I could get to that drawer, mapped out where exactly the biggest knife was.  “Whatever,” he said, and I noticed with a small measure of relief I’d finally had an effect on him.  “That’s not what I’m here for, anyway.  I was gonna try to talk some sense into you and make you see what a p***y that guy is.  You’re being f*****g stupid, though.”  A crooked grin came to his face, erasing that bit of relief I’d felt.  “Got a much better idea.  I’m gonna prove what a p***y he is.”  He started toward my bedroom.  Or Jay’s...

 “Earl, what are you doing?  Just get out!  Please!”  He went into my room.  I almost followed to see what he was doing, but I didn’t want to risk getting cornered.  He emerged holding the box of Madison’s baby things!  “Put that back!” I said.  When he was near enough, I tried grabbing it from him.

 “Knock it off!” he yelled.  He put a hand flat on my chest, and shoved.  Hard.  I flew backward.  My lower back hit the edge of the kitchen table.  I staggered sideways, and tripped over a chair.  “Ha!” he laughed as I fell, crying from the sharp pain in my back.

 “Mommy!” I heard from around the corner.

 “Go up to your room!” I sobbed.

 “Get out of our house, you mean old troll!”  And I had been so relieved she didn’t say that earlier...

 “Troll?” Earl asked me.  “The f**k’s that about?”  I didn’t answer.  I was just crying.  “Oh, don’t even tell me!  You’re still thinking you’re a princess, and I’m the troll!  I bet in that stupid little brain of yours, that guy is the knight in shining armor you were always on about.  You’re thinkin’ that, ain’tcha?  That little runt!  Oh, what a laugh.  Thanks babe, I needed that.  The boys are gonna love that one, too.”

 I rolled to the side and tried to stand, but a lancing pain in my back stopped me.  I dropped back to the floor with a thud, and a moan.  “Heh.  Don’t worry, babe.  You can get this back, in one of two ways.  You tell that Jay if he’s any sort of a man, he’ll come take this from me.  Three three three Willowbrook Lane, on the North side.  That’s where I’m staying.  If he comes and takes this from me, then at least I’ll know you’re with a real man.  He won’t though, you’ll see.  He’ll make up a bunch of excuses.  Know why?  You know why.  So get rid of him, and I’ll give it back, and we’ll work all this out, you and me.  Oh yeah, and her,” he added, looking at Madison on the staircase.

 “F**k you,” I gritted through my tears.

 “Thanks for the offer babe.  But like you said, the girl’s home.  Unless you want her to watch.  I mean hey, she’s gotta learn the facts of life sometime, right?”  I was afraid for a second he was being serious, but he wasn’t.  With a final laugh at my impotent rage, he left with the box he’d taken from my room.  With a mocking series of engine revs and a squeal of his tires, he was gone.

 I let go of that portion of my tears that I had been holding in, and started crying harder.  Madison and Mariah ran down the stairs.  “Mommy!  Why are you on the ground?”  I tried again to get up, and moving more slowly allowed me to at least get into a chair.  “What happened, Mommy?” Madison asked with a whisper, inching closer.

 “Earl pushed me down,” I said, sniffling.

 “Did he hurt you, Mommy?”

 I nodded.  “Yes, baby.”  Madison started crying.  “It’s alright, come here...”

 I winced as she sat in my lap, and held her to me.  Mariah rested her head on my leg, giving my hand an occasional lick.  It could have gone worse, I told myself.

----

 By the time I remembered the roast in the oven it was ruined, so we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner.  Madison would have been thrilled about that, but she was brooding about the scene from earlier.  Her silence was starting to worry me.  “Madison?  Are you okay, sweetie?”

 “Is Jay going to get my baby things back?  Is he going to hurt Earl for hurting you?”

 I sighed.  “I don’t know what he’s going to do.”

 “What’s a p***y?”

 Damn it, Earl!  “It’s a bad word, first of all.  I don’t want you saying it, alright?”  Madison pouted.  “No, it’s alright, you didn’t know.  It’s okay to ask.  It means...  Earl thinks Jay is afraid of him.  It’s someone who’s weak, and afraid.”

 “Is Jay afraid?”

 “No.”

 “I didn’t think so,” Madison said, satisfied.

Reviews

[Sarah]

Again, very well done. I'm curious if Earl was actually afraid of Laura. He seemed to be more cautious when she threatened him, but he didn't take it as seriously. I don't see why Laura wouldn't call the cops herself and find some sort of restraining order or get him arrested for assault.

The ending was done well where Madison asks what a p***y is. Her reactions and "pouting" are precisely what I would expect from her.

I also liked the line about Laura rehearsing her line as amusing to Earl. That was clever and really helped indicate what a complete a*****e he really is.