A Father's Love

He holds the door for me as I climb into the car. I pull my light blue skirt in behind me so it doesn’t get caught in the door as he closes it. He walks around the front and gets in the driver’s side, I stay quiet as he starts up the car, but as we start to pull out into traffic I can’t bear it any longer, “Okay Ted what is this all about?”

Ted is my ex-boyfriend, and when I say ex I mean in every sense of the word, we were together nearly ten years ago, and hell I’ve been married for five. He’s a decent enough guy, a little quirky maybe with his light green eyes, and brown hair that always looks like he just got out of bed, and not in the good way. He tried to give me a reassuring smile that came off a little lopsided and creepy, “I saw your Dad today.”

A shiver ran down my spine, “Dad died Ted. It’s been two years now, you know his heart wasn’t good and one night it just gave up.” I put a hand on his shoulder, “I’m sorry I didn’t call to tell you but…” I let my voice trail off, “Anyways I don’t know who you saw but it wasn’t him.”

“I know all that Ang, I saw his Obituary, and at first I was a little mad at you for not calling, but I got over it. I mean I wasn’t really family…”

“Dad loved you; it was my own personal reasons for not calling.”

“Josh!”

“No!” Josh was my husband, he was a big guy used to play quarterback for the football team, the kind of guy who used to pick on Ted. “It was me, telling you would have made it seem too real. I just wasn’t ready to deal, and by the time I was, I just couldn’t get up the nerve to call you.”

Ted pulled the car over; I could see that we were on Old School Rd. a small dirt road, not many houses, surrounded by trees. Ted gave me that lopsided grin again, “It doesn’t matter, I saw him today.”

It took me a minute to realize he was talking about my Dad. Dad always loved Ted, thought that Ted and I should be married someday, even questioned me about it on my wedding day. “Was I sure? Ted’s still single.”

I realized Ted was looking at me expectantly, I didn’t know what to say, “Is this some kind of joke?”

“No, of course not.” He looked hurt, “I would never do that to you Ang.”

“Then how could you say that,” my voice was cracking and tears were streaming down my face, I don’t even know when I started crying.

All of a sudden Ted turned toward the back seat and yelled, “I’ll get to it!”

I jumped back toward the passenger door, trying to find the handle, Ted turned back toward me, “Ang what are you doing?”

My hand found the handle and I turned it falling backwards out of the car, before I could stand up Ted was out his door and running to my side. I reached inside my purse looking for some kind of weapon, my hands settled on my car keys and I held them out as if they were knives.

Ted stopped a few feet away from me, “Calm down Ang.” He turned and looked behind him saying, “All right, all right I’ll tell her. Angie you’re in danger.”

I wiped my face with the hand not holding my keys, “No Shit!”

“No Ang, you’re reading this all wrong, you’re not in danger from me.”

“Yeah right.” In my head I wondered why I ever got in the car with him. He took a step toward me with his arm outstretched, “Stay back!” I swiped at him with my keys.

He turned around again, “I’m trying! Well I don’t think she wants to hear anything from me!”

“Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“Your father Ang!”

I wiped away the tears again, “You sicko!”

Ted’s eyes began to water, out of sadness or frustration I don’t know, “She’s not listening to me.”

Suddenly through the fear and hollowness that had invaded my chest, I felt something else, I felt sorry for him. “Ted if you’ll give me your car keys, we can go back to town and we’ll get you some help.”

I had taken a step toward him and that was my mistake, unfortunately the only one that I would get to make, he grabbed my arm holding my keys and twisted it around my back. A sharp pain ran up it causing me to drop my keys, the only weapon I had. He held me there leaning forward, he whispered, “Your Dad wants me to tell you that your husband Josh is going to hurt you. He says you’re in danger, and you need to get away from him.”

“He’s not the one who’s hurting me Ted!”

“You’re right.” He let go of me and I stumbled to the ground on my knees, I searched frantically for my keys, not finding them I started to crawl away. “What are you doing?” Ted came back behind me and grabbed my shoulder, my hand closed around a large stick and I swung it at him with all my might. Ted fell to the ground, and I stood up hurrying around the car, until I ran smack dab into Josh.

“Josh, what are you doing here?”

“I was just about to ask you the same thing!” His face was red with rage, his teeth bared, “Unfortunately I already know!” He drew his fist back and I felt a sharp pain as it connected with my chin, I fell backward my head hitting the back bumper of Ted’s car, as everything went black for the last time, I saw my father kneeling over me.