Travis

The next few days, I had never been happier, but I knew there was the possibility of the rug being pulled out from underneath me. I couldn’t get over the feeling of profound loss thinking about her going back to the man who had caused her all this pain.

Aurora was looking out the window of the taxi and I couldn’t even imagine what she was thinking. I wanted to say something, but I had no idea what words would give her the courage to stand strong.

I had been there for some of her milestones. The biggest one was when she finally walked on her own. I was down the hall waiting for her and she could’ve used the wall for support, but she didn’t even bother. Nina was instrumental in getting her back on her feet, but I had to take some of the credit.

“I don’t even know what to expect.” I could tell something was weighing heavily on her mind.

“There’s no way to know until you knock on the door.” It was early Saturday morning and the possibility of him being there with her sister was fairly likely.

“I guess today is the day.” Aurora took a deep breath trying to stay calm. This wasn’t my fight and I had to let her handle it in her own way.

“The fact you’re not curled in a fetal position rocking back and forth muttering nonsense is a testament to the strength of your human spirit. There’s no way you are going to let him get the last word.” He would be stunned by your appearance. It wasn’t going to be easy, but I swore to myself I would intervene if things got too tough.

“You have no idea how much it means to me to have your support. I know he won’t like seeing you, but that’s too damn bad. I need you with me at least until I can get the words out of my mouth.” She was wearing a red dress and there was no doubt she was flaunting what her mama gave her.

“He will take one look at you and his tongue will fall to the floor. I’m sure your sister will be giving dirty looks. Don’t let her dissuade you from saying what is on your mind.” The Saint Christopher’s medal hanging from the rearview mirror of the taxi was swinging back and forth.

The elderly gentleman was chewing tobacco and wearing these bifocals. It was a wonder he was even able to see through those coke bottles. He was able to navigate the streets like a seasoned professional.

I was tempted to see if I could buy the medal. It was supposedly the patron saint of protection. I was a good Catholic child, but my faith was shaken. I still retained it, but it was a little worse for wear.

“She better not say anything, if she knows what’s good for her. I’m going to do my level best to keep my hands off of her. I don’t want to involve her, but she is in the middle of this. The baby she is carrying is innocent. I want you to step in if things get too heated.” She had told me of the strange apparition of her sister holding the apple with the bite out of it.

It brought to mind an adaptation of a favorite childhood fairy tale. It was probably some kind of metaphor with her mind playing tricks on her. There was no doubt a meaning behind it, but what it was had yet to be revealed.

“There’s definitely no avoiding the elephant in the room. She is carrying his child and is wearing his wedding ring. There’s still time to turn around and go back. We can do it another time when you feel more ready.” I would have done anything to save her from what was going to be a tension-filled moment.

“This is taking forever. It had to be my sister’s idea to plant me in a care facility out of sight and out of mind. I’m inclined to blame her, but there’s enough blame to go around for everybody. I won’t be swayed by Andy’s ability to talk himself out of any trouble.” She could say that, but there was a heightened anticipation in the air.

“Aurora, don’t do anything you’re going to regret.” I wanted to hold her and give her the courage to stand strong against the one person who promised never to hurt her. I certainly didn’t condone what they did behind her back, but it wasn’t like they could go back in time and change anything.

Andy couldn’t be blamed for wanting to move on with his life. There was very little hope for her to make this kind of remarkable recovery. But at the same time, he was quick to move on from a 14 year relationship.

“I’ve been waiting for this day from the moment I woke up. This is the only thing I have been thinking about. It fueled me to push myself. It wasn’t easy. I let the anger burn through me, but it wasn’t the only thing that gave me a push in the right direction.” Her hand was lightly tapping her fingernails on my shoulder.

“Nina was a godsend. She never let you give up.” She was what all physical therapists should have strived to be like.

“She was there for me, but she wasn’t the only one. Your contribution was significant even if you don’t know it. I held onto the look you gave me of encouragement to fight through those times I saw very little progress.” She was the driving force to keep me thinking about the possibility of my mother getting better.

I knew it was wishful thinking and I took solace in that she had a long and fruitful life. I didn't make it any easier for her by my straying from the path of righteousness.

“You’re giving me far too much credit.” Nobody was more responsible for her recovery than her willingness to push herself to survive this drama.

“I don’t think I give you enough credit. You were there for me and I don’t know how I can ever repay you.” The kind of devotion I was giving her was by far more than I had ever given anybody else.

“I still remember that day when I went down the hall, I didn’t expect my high school crush be laying there. I wasn’t expecting to be this taken by your after all these years. There was a quiet strength I could feel from you when you were sleeping. It got even stronger when I saw you with your eyes open.” Any thoughts on the job were washed away by the way she touched me delicately.

Harper was never able to expose her heart. She was closed off and jaded. Even when we were together there was still this icy chill in the air. The passion was like an inferno, but she easily closed off her emotions from becoming something that might hurt her in the long run.

“You are being way too kind. I felt like a puppet growing up. Everybody was pulling my strings and I let them. You gave me everything I needed and more.” It wasn’t my place to tell her to cut ties with the past.

I had tried that, but I knew going in she was not the type to lie down and take it. This was a woman who had endured unimaginable hardship and had come out on the other side. Not a lot of people would be able to say the same thing in her shoes.

“I didn’t give you anything that wasn’t already there. You were the one who found the strength of character to stand up literally and figuratively. That was all you and don’t you ever forget it.” I leaned in and found her lip quivering with the expectation of the kiss.

“You know I want to, but I can’t. It’s not fair to you to have to wait patiently for me to come to terms with my situation. I don’t know why you even stick around. I shouldn’t have requested that you come with me.” She might have been using me as a crutch, but I was more than willing to be there with emotional support.

“I’m nothing more than window dressing. I’m going to try to keep my mouth shut. Whatever happens, I am there for you and I will always have your back.” My fingers lingered on her chin with my thumb rubbing her crimson lips.

Our lips touched.

It was like a strong gravitational force between us, I couldn’t help myself but let it happen. I could feel it like electricity in the air. It made the windows steam up. The temperature had gone up by being that close to one another. It was a fleeting moment. I sat back letting the sexual energy sizzle around us.

“I can only imagine what will happen when we let nature take its course.” I was elated to hear that, this was her first time expressing herself freely without hesitation. I thought part of her must be fighting her feelings toward me, or it could be wishful thinking on my part.

The taxi was coming to a stop at the curb of this huge white house with black shutters.

“This is it. I’m going to give you this one last chance to back out. We can go someplace private and see what we can do about rekindling the spark we just started.” It may be a fantasy. But I knew it wouldn’t take much to burn the sheets with our two writhing bodies twisting and turning in orgasmic ecstasy.

“Believe me, it’s a tempting offer and I’m sure any woman in their right mind would never turn you down. I have to do this for no other reason than to see their faces.” The taxi driver was drumming his fingers and then giving that universal sign for payment.

She stepped out on unsteady legs, breathing heavily and looking like she was about to pass out from a very intense panic attack. I was about to reach out to her, but she stopped me. She took a deep breath to push her through the wall of resistance.

“You can do it, Aurora,” I cheered her on one last time. She nodded as she put on her poker face. I hated to see her like this. She had given them far too much power over her.

I paid the driver and gave him an extra tip to stick around. The smile on his face indicated to me the extra money was enough to keep him idling at the curb. There was no way he was going to make that kind of money on his next fare. There were dollar signs in his eyes. Giving him an extra $50 was more than enough. My only hope was that he wasn’t expecting anything more. That was the last of my money until the job.

I couldn’t go back to my mother with my hand out again. It was bad enough I had already dipped into her savings. She gave me permission, but it still didn’t make me feel very good about taking charity. This job would give me the financial independence I was looking for. My fear was that it was going to come at a very high price.