Disgruntled Read online

  Todd blinked twice to focus and peered up at the ball nestled perfectly in the crook of two tree branches about eight feet up. He stepped to the tree, raised a hand and reached. The blurriness sent his hand into the bark first. Once he regrouped, he stabbed at the ball. Plunk. It disappeared into the tree. Crap. There was a hole in the trunk.

  “You’re kidding me.” The little girl huffed and wagged her head back and forth. Todd pitied the little boy.

  “Whoa. Don’t worry, I’ll get it,” he assured. He stood on his toes and bent an arm into the crevice, feeling around for leather. No luck. He strained further, patting again in the opening with no success. “I’m sorry, I can’t reach it. Do you have a ladder?”

  Reva chuckled. “Let me help. Lift me up and I’ll get it. My arm’s smaller—I can probably reach better.”

  “You really want to put your arm down there? Who knows why that hole’s there. her.

  “Yeah, an arm-eating, motioned for him to come closer and lifted a leg. “Come on, lift me up.”

  “Okay, but don’t blame me if you come out with more than just the ball. Say a bite mark or two,” he cautioned. “You’re really not building confidence, you know. I was perfectly ready to do this until you said that.”

  Todd grasped her foot with both hands and balanced it against his knee. He gave her a boost that sent her up into the air. She leaned against him, her butt balanced on his shoulder. He could smell her lotion, a nice earthy scent. She shifted and without warning, he had a butt cheek flattened against his eye, blocking the view. She leaned into the tree, floundering for the ball.

  “Uh, Reva?”

  “I just need to…” she grumbled, “get farther. There. Almost have it. Just a little more. Give me a push.”

  He guessed she didn’t know her ass was plastered to his face. The little girl and boy had moved away and tried hard to contain their giggles. When the boy started to speak, the girl punched him in the arm and shushed him.

  “Reva,” Todd said.

  “Just a little more. Come on. I can feel it at the end of my fingers.” Her toes dug into his palm.

  “Reva! I can barely hold you. If you keep shoving your behind in my face, I’ll drop you. If you can’t get it, I’ll buy them another ball.” Awkward.

  “Oh, God. I’m sorry.” She tried to pull up. “Oh. No.” “Now what?” Todd asked.

  “I’m stuck….my arm is stuck.”

  Might be something in it.” He eyed

  killer softball,” Reva teased. She He squinted through the one eye that wasn’t blocked by her hip. Her torso was completely invisible. “You’re kidding.” “No. Not kidding. Why would I kid about that? I’m stuck!” “Well, get unstuck before I drop you,” Todd answered. He staggered for a second as she dug a foot into his stomach and tried to move. The two kids laughed outright, clutching their stomachs with gloved hands. “Hey!” He scowled at them. They sobered instantly. “Go get some soap or some oil or something. We need to lubricate her arm and see if we can pull it out.” He motioned with his head toward their front door.

  “Yes sir.” The two disappeared inside, returning with their parents and a younger brother in tow. The mother had a box filled with things. Dish Soap, bar soap, bath oil, Crisco, butter and yum – whip cream? What kind of family is this? He crooked an eye at the approaching woman.

  “What do you have planned there? A greasy arm sundae with whipped cream on top?” Todd asked.

  “Well, the kids told me what happened and we saw you out the window. I thought we’d start with the soap and then just work through the rest until we found something that worked.” She stifled a grin as she looked at Reva’s butt smashed against the side of his head. “Are you okay up there, honey?” the woman asked.

  “Not really,” Reva snipped. “Things could definitely be better. My arm hurts, my legs are cramping, and I have something crawling down my elbow.”

  That brought a snicker from both parents. Todd was amazed at her composure. She didn’t freak. She didn’t scream. Wow. “I’m Carlie and this is my husband Ronnie. The baseball throw came from Ron, Junior and the mouthy one is our daughter, Reva. Don’t worry, we’ll get you out.” Carlie glanced at Ron. “Get the ladder, babe.”

  Todd lifted the side of his face that was free into a smile and tried to nod. “I’m Todd and this is Reva. I would say nice to meet you but I’d rather do so under different circumstances.”

  Reva’s muffled voice came from somewhere on the other side of her hips. “Cut the small talk, guys. Just hurry up and get me out of here! Whatever crawled down my elbow has just found a friend that’s headed up toward my armpit!” Holy Shit, you’re a tough one. He tried not to chuckle. Todd could feel Reva’s legs trembling. Muscle spasms, he assumed. He stroked her ankle with his thumb and she went completely limp. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  No answer.

  “Reva?” One, two, three seconds passed.

  “Yeah, I’m good.” Her voice softened and he knew she had lied.

  The ladder arrived and Ron, Senior climbed it. He squeezed dish soap into the small opening below Reva’s shoulder. She attempted to work her arm to distribute the liquid. “Well?” Todd asked.

  “Nope. Not working.”

  “Okay then,” Carlie said, not to be deterred. “Try this.” She handed Ron the oil. Even if it didn’t work, it sure smelled good. Minutes later, they had gone through all but the whipped cream. No change, and Reva’s voice weakened considerably. Todd’s shoulder ached from Reva’s weight. As much as he liked looking at her, this was not the angle he had hoped for. His hands were beyond numb but he knew if he let her fall, she’d likely yank her arm and cause damage. “What do you think, Todd?” Carlie held the can up and shook it to and fro.

  “Don’t bother. With everything else we’ve poured in, there will be all sorts of insects swarming. Add that and she’s sure to get stung. I doubt it’d help anyway.” He raised his free eye to meet hers but she stared over his head.

  “What’s wrong?” Todd asked.

  “Nothing. There are a few neighbors watching.” The distant sound of sirens crooned in the night, gaining volume as they approached. A few neighbors and here comes the city fire department. “The fire department?” Reva asked from the depths of the tree trunk. “You called the fire department? That’s just great.”

  “No, we didn’t call,” Todd corrected. “Someone apparently did, but not us.”

  At least fifteen people stood around. They talked, giggled, pointed. Good thing she couldn’t see any of this. He felt her legs tremble.

  The sirens and flashing lights pulled to the curb, the crowd broke to allow access. Todd was pushed aside as a burly fireman took his place. Thank God. Thirty minutes later, Reva was freed from the tree with a bruised and well-oiled arm…covered in…ants. The tree had sustained worse damage. It had a gaping hole where one limb had been removed.

  When Reva’s head surfaced for the first time since the incident started, the crowd broke into cheers and clapped. A wolf-whistle came too, and her face changed from sheetwhite to crimson in seconds. Only her eyes betrayed the fear that she suppressed. She didn’t cry. She didn’t scream. She didn’t yell. She didn’t move. Still there was pure terror in her expression. Was that fabricated stillness her coping mechanism? Todd realized he had sorely underestimated the level of abuse she had survived. Until tonight, he had hoped to spend more time with Reva. Now, that seemed tinged with potential drama. Drama wasn’t something he normally endured. Not anymore.

  Reva snapped out of her trance and readjusted the ponytail in her hair to remove the entwined bark. “You are sooo buying me dinner and a beer or two.”

  Todd relaxed and smiled. There was hope. Yay. Atta girl. “That’s sooo not a problem. Let’s go. We’ll make quite a pair—me with a knot on my head, and you with scratches all over your arm.”

  “Been there done that. The hard way.” She shrugged. “This should be a cakewalk.”

  He didn’t dare push for details. />
  7 CHAPTER SEVEN

  Celebrity Status achieved through humiliation leads to exhaustion. Reva’s front door took a beating over the next few days from the barrage of neighbors checking in. She assumed it was more for amusement than concern over her well-being. Regardless, in quick time she had learned every detail about the people that surrounded her. Plus it had served to lessen her panic at the sound of a door knock. Her concerns at work paled compared to the stories that traversed the neighborhood. She much preferred her preexisting blindness to the many flaws and drama that had previously escaped her attention. Knowledge, in this case, was definitely not power, but rather another mechanism to increase her fear and agitation. For the community, it appeared to be a source of pride to share a tidbit of information on a neighbor that had not yet been heard. Her story was obviously the biggest excitement since Bradley Harris on West Sycamore was arrested for growing marijuana in his attic. There was a little humor in that story as well. Who guessed that old bald guy had it in him? When a knock on the door occurred Thursday night simultaneous to her cell phone ringing, Reva practically jumped out of her skin. Temptation to ignore the door and the curious neighbor crowding it surfaced as she glanced at the phone display. She still checked every time before answering to make sure it wasn’t Nick calling. There had been no reason to suspect he wanted to but she couldn’t suppress the learned reaction even though months had passed. She recognized her sister’s number. She had a dilemma; ignoring the door would tell the person standing outside it she was in when the cell stopped ringing. Ignoring the cell would allow her to bypass both and, at the moment, that certainly was appealing.

  She answered it at the same time she unlocked the door. “Have I caught you doing anything illegal?” Maria asked. She really needed a new greeting. Reva jerked the door open and grinned. Todd.

  “Do thoughts count?” she answered.

  “Huh?” Todd asked. When Reva pointed to the phone and mouthed her sister’s name, he nodded. “You ready for practice?” he said.

  “Reva?” Maria’s voice echoed. “You have someone there? Please don’t tell me it’s that guy you brought to Mom and Dad’s—and he better not be moved in.”

  Reva giggled. “Yep, it’s him and no he’s not, but don’t rule it out yet. I’d do just about anything to get Mom and Dad out of my hair. I’m on my way out, Mar. Can I call you in a couple hours?”

  Maria reluctantly let her go and it pleased Reva that her curiosity had been aroused.

  She dropped the phone in her sports bag, zipped it closed, and stepped out to lock the door. It had been nice of him to stop by and get her. It’s really odd the things that bother a person when they’ve dealt with an abusive relationship. For those small few that had already passed beyond the potential of danger and experienced what came next, the possibility of walking alone at night might have been unthinkable. It definitely was her least attractive mode of travel or entertainment. She rarely ventured out just to walk, and certainly not alone. Running felt safer. Being out alone had become a vulnerability in her past life; one that she had no intention of repeating. That had been placed firmly behind and this was the time to start refreshed, confident, and as Neil Armstrong said on the moon, go boldly forth where no man has gone before. Okay, maybe a lot of people have been in this situation before. Still, they weren’t living her life at the moment, which substantiated the reasoning that she had no intention of being stupid. Been there, done that. Not going back.

  As Reva and Todd walked leisurely to the ball diamond, they spoke casually, making idle conversation. The slow pace tortured her. Can this man not walk any faster? Does he always meander through life as if nothing matters?

  “We’re twenty minutes early, you know,” he said. She forced herself to release the fist that she’d clenched her right hand into.

  “We’ll be the first ones to show up so you don’t need to rush.”

  “Sorry, it’s habit. I always walk fast.”

  “And you run. Or at least when I see you, you’re running somewhere.”

  She ran in the mornings, and made sure to watch every movement around her when she did. He had already mentioned seeing her. She wondered if he’d noticed her other habits. Like that she always crossed the street when someone was in their yard or approaching her on the sidewalk. She even did so when a car drove toward her sluggishly.

  “Would you prefer to run now?”

  “Actually, no. I’m sorry. I’ll slow down.” She hesitated to explain. It could be an instant conversation killer to do so. Besides, apparently her family had already said something. No need to dwell on it. Go forth.

  The softball practice was a nice tension reliever, and it proved a pleasant surprise to discover she hadn’t lost her skills. The team was made up of a great deal of young parents or newlyweds. Only one other single person attended, a young man named Rod. “As in Stewart” he had told them when introduced. Reva guessed his mother had been a fan. Rod took an instant liking to Reva and didn’t attempt to conceal it. Apparently, he had signed up at the request of his brother and wife, who felt it would help him to meet people. Rod had moved nearby less than three months before.

  “I knew you’d nail this.” Todd smiled when he returned from rounding the bases after his ground hit made it past two fielders.

  “What are you talking about? You’re the one that just hit the snot out of the ball.”

  “Errors. I made it around on errors, not on the hit, but I’ll take it any way I can.”

  After practice, the group lounged in the dugout around a cooler filled with drinks. Idle conversation about kids, friends, parents, and the home owner’s association seemed to be the main topics. Reva contributed little as she took a random swig of beer. Though quiet, it had been a welcome feeling to be outside with a group, almost relaxing. When she gathered her things and headed home, Todd fell into step beside her, and she was glad for it.

  “You seemed a bit distracted earlier. Everything okay?” He had no idea. He was just being polite and she certainly didn’t intend to dump her baggage on him.

  “Work is… Work. I have a small co-worker issue but it’ll resolve itself in a few days.” She had been confident of that last week but now that confidence had wavered. Brent’s confrontational attitude, coupled with his lack of response, made her think back to her original unease. She needed to really think about the best way to proceed with him. “Want to tell me about it?” He offered it almost as an afterthought.

  She sized him up for a brief moment. “Nope. Not really.” ”Okay. Maybe some other time then. You know, you’re a pretty good athlete. I’ve seen you run and you move easily and more graceful than most. I assume you ran track and played ball in high school?”

  “Does it matter? That’s all over with now. I run now to stay in shape and be prepared.” She realized the last word was a bad choice after it was already spoken.

  “Prepared for what?” He stepped off the curb to cross the street as a car whizzed past. Reva jumped back, yanking on his arm. “Don’t panic. They saw me.”

  “I know – but they were so close.” She hesitated until the car had reached the corner and turned away before following. She picked up the pace and clipped across the street to the sidewalk, darting a glance to ensure no other pedestrians were nearby.

  “Reva, stop for a minute.” He still hadn’t made it to the curb and she fidgeted as she waited. “You have dirt all over your back from where you dove after the ball at second. Let me dust it off.”

  “No.” She craned her neck to see her backside and swatted a hand across her butt twice. “I’ve got it.”

  Todd’s hand swiped down her hip in a pat, catching her off guard. Reva jolted and ducked.

  “Hey. Hey.” He lowered his voice and crooned. “You missed a spot. I’m not going to hurt you.” Todd pulled his hand back to his hip and stood watching her face. Reva couldn’t meet his gaze. She couldn’t let him see the barely concealed panic that occurred whenever an unexpected touch happened.<
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  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I just – was surprised.” Another car turned toward them and slowly moved by. She watched it as it trailed along, a mother and her children on the way home from somewhere. The mother waved and smiled, and Reva returned the wave. Is it normal to peer into each car and take a mental note of the features? She’d done it for so long it was impossible to stop.

  “You’ve become a celebrity around here,” Todd mused. “The girl with her butt hanging out of the tree. Just what I always wanted to be remembered for.”

  Todd laughed. She liked the sound, and the way the muscles in his neck flexed when he tossed his head back. He reached for her softball glove and dropped it over the handle of the bat he carried, letting it slide to rest over his own well-worn glove.

  “That’s better than being the guy whose face was smashed against your ass for two hours.”

  She felt heat rising in her face. “About that. Can we just pretend it didn’t happen? You know, not talk about it again?”

  “That might be a little hard since we’ll probably walk by that tree every time we go to the ball park. Not to mention the neighbors have been around checking on us all the time. Pretty nosy bunch, don’t you think?”

  They reached the corner by her house and she turned. Before picking up the pace to walk the last few steps alone, she smiled. “It’s kind of like going to my parents.”

  ***

  Todd stood at the corner until Reva reached her door. He knew it mattered that he did so. She had obviously been through a lot more than she wanted to share. If he was honest, he didn’t want to know. He was not the kind of person to rescue hurt animals and nurse them back to health, and certainly not a man to rescue wounded women. Eric was like that, not him. Todd liked to think he could sympathize with those less fortunate, but he had never been very good at nurturing. Maybe because he’d had so little of it himself.