Driving home from work had me thinking about all the events of the day. What started out as a traumatic morning was shaping up to be a good day. Jessie made lunch fun. We spent a majority of it laughing about our old times together. Then he told me about the movers and the photo on the wall. He’s right, I did immediately think that it was just more proof things are going too fast. But for today, I am okay with that. He had been there for me a few times since he moved back, when I really needed someone who I could trust.
As I pulled into the drive way I saw both my parents’ vehicles in their assigned spots and something comforting washed over me. Yes I do want to move out, but there will never be anything more comforting than coming home to the two people in the world who have to love you no matter what. Instead of going in through the front door I walk around to the back of the house and sat on the porch swing. The swaying back and forth had my mind drifting back to more times with Jessie and the gang of friends we had. Specifically to the weekend after the one at the beach in my yellow bikini.
“Aaron you get back here! That’s my car!” Becky screamed as she started chasing after Aaron down the dirt road. We all laughed hard at the two friends who constantly fought over who were best. But that was Aaron and Becky. We always though they would get together one day but they never did.
“What you thinkin about M?” I heard Jessie say from behind me.
“Oh you know this and that.” I smiled back at him as I spoke.
“Are these ‘this and that’?” Jessie flexed his arm muscles for me and started to wiggle them, making the appearance of them dancing.
“You wish stud.”
“Keep calling me stud and you can daydream about anything that you want.”
“I was just thinking about graduation. It’s right around the corner.”
Jessie wrapped his large strong hands around me, pulling us closer to one another. “I can’t stop thinking about what’s going to happen after graduation.”
Laughter came out quickly from my lips and then I felt my face flush red, I didn’t need him knowing I thought those dirty thoughts just as much as him. But I couldn’t help it. He did something to me and it was like scary magic.
“You know I have my graduation party to go to right?” I kissed his nose, “And I can’t be with you until late that night maybe even the next day.”
“I’d wait for you forever M, you know that.”
I nodded because I didn’t know what else I was supposed to say. Jessie scared me in so many ways, not bad scare but scare as in I had no clue what was about to happen or what I should even do.
“Hey you two come out with us we’re going snipe hunting.” Sherry yelled over to us.
Sherry was always falling for someone’s pranks but she was easy to like. That’s why everyone was friends with her. “Should we tell her snipes aren’t real?” I whispered to Jessie.
“Nah, let’s go and get a kick out of what happens.” Jessie’s hand moved to my lower back and started pushing me towards the edge of the woods where our friends had gathered.
“You know Sherry is going to spread rumors and tell everyone we tricked her tomorrow, she’s such a gossip as you know.”
“I know, but remember she invited us, we always have an out.” Jessie’s hand latched onto mine and we walked through the first layer of trees.
Everyone in the group was laughing and playing along as Sherry lead the hunt for this mysterious animal.
“Merewyn?”
The sound of my mother’s voice pulled me back from my happy memory and forced my attention to her.
“Hey match maker.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t play innocent,” I said while standing up from the porch, “Jessie told me you informed him mental illness ran in our family. You’re the crazy one meddling in the middle of your daughters broken hearted love life.”
“It is because my daughter is broken hearted that I am meddling. And you should thank me Merewyn, that boy is a catch.”
“I specifically remember when you thought he was forbidden fruit form the Garden of Eden and I wasn’t to lay a hand near him.”
“You were a teenager, now you’re a woman ready to sew your own fruit.”
“Gah!” I stormed to the back door, “I cannot have a serious conversation with you when you are going to talk about that kinda stuff to me. Mom! What are you doing?”
“Just making sure my only daughter is happy and well taken care of. What happens if I die tonight, what would you do?” She gave me a long pity look that I tried to ignore but just couldn’t.
“Fine, but no more match making okay? If me and Jessie work out great if not great too because I do not think I am ready for more than a good friend right now. I just ended things with Albert for Christ sake!”
“Don’t cuss dear and that Albert was useless. We all knew it we just thought you were happy.”
This conversation was pointless, I wasn’t going to win and she wasn’t going to budge so instead I turned the handle to the door and walked inside.
Damnit to hell. “Mother!” I yelled out. I tossed an angry glare at both her and the man standing next to my dad. Jessie was in my house talking with my own father, like he belonged. “No one follow me.” I commanded.
I marched off to my room like I was a teen in the midst of a temper tantrum. What made them want to push him and I together like this? They didn’t do any of this meddling with Albert and the certainly didn’t push Jessie and I together when we were teens. In fact I remember getting into yelling matches over him with my mother. And now she is practically forcing him onto me.
“I’m living in the twilight zone.” I declared out loud.
The soft knock on the door made me roll my head back in frustration, it was my dad, I was sure of it. Did no one get the memo, leave me alone!
“Yes dad? I said as I swung the door open. “What do you,” the pause in my sentence caught in my throat when I looked into Jessie’s eyes.
“I could be your dad,” the devilish grin on his face made me move my arm to shut the door in his face. But his hand pushed back against the wooden barrier and he walked inside of my room. I sighed and shut the door then moved to my bed and sat down. My head wanted to get buried in my hands but I wouldn’t let him see me so weak.
“What?”
“I’m not over here tonight because of your mom.”
“I’d hope not.” I said with a laugh.
“There is some, bad news, I just found out about and I thought you would rather hear it from a friend.”
“Great now what, what on earth could happen now?”
“Albert went to the police.”
“About?”
“The ring.”
“Oh for Pete’s sake! How do you even know?”
“You remember Aaron?”
“Course I do, I was actually just thinking of him why?”
“He was there filing a report himself and asked Albert what he was up too. Aaron heard I kind of, well, didn’t correct anyone when they said you and I were back at it again so he called to give me the heads up.”
“What the hell really Jessie? You’re coming in here telling me that first, my low life ex is filing charges on me and second that you’re,” I huffed and puffed and wrapped my arms around myself trying to not cry, “that you’re not correcting people. That’s probably why he is so angry he thinks I’ve moved on!”
“You have moved on!” Jessie hollered back at me.
“I have and you’re the expert? We had sex we didn’t make love, big damn difference.”
“What do you want me to say Merewyn, you’re in trouble I found out, I am here to help.”
“Assume you told my folks?”
“No I thought you should know first, so we could come up with a plan.”
“We?” I said softly while looking at him through my tear stained lashes. “We? You really want to latch your life back onto me?”
“I don’t know, but what I do know is we are friends first, no matter what and my friend needs help, so I am here to help, however I can. It’s never that simple with Albert.”
“Nope, and now we are doubly screwed because my mom wants us together. So she isn’t helping the matters any with him.”
“You know I always loved your mom.”
“Lie, but that’s fine I’ll let it slide. Guess I need to go talk to a lawyer.”
“As soon as you can, they probably have an arrest warrant out for you at a minimal.”
“Ugh, damn don’t say that.”
Jessie shrugged and stepped towards me, “I’m going to hug you okay? It is just a hug between two friends as a sign of support.” I nodded and opened my arms. “Don’t get carried away again M. This isn't a proposal.”
He still made me laugh, that never changed about Jessie. Even during all this he found a way to make me laugh. “Well you know any good lawyers that want to help some poor sap who hitched her wagon to the wrong star?”
“Just so happens I do. My dad.”
“No…” I said hesitantly.
“Yes… and don’t worry he will take the case. I’ll put a good word in for you.”
There was a knock at the door and Jessie moved away to go answer it. My mom stood in the door way looking frightened. “Merewyn there is an officer here to see you.”
“Great and so it begins.” I felt utterly sick to my stomach. This day was total crap and now it was turning into the worse nightmare. What did I ever see in Albert to make any of this worth it?
“I’ll call my dad.”
“Wait let’s see what the officer wants first.” I shuffled my feet a few times and then took in a long breath and pushed out the door. I really couldn’t see how this would get me in actual trouble since I hadn’t done anything wrong but my nerves were still racing.
“Ms. Smith?” I heard a man say from across the room, as I walked into the living room out of the hallway.
“Yes sir, what can I do for you?” I thought it would be best if I played innocent of what they were here for, that way it didn’t make me look suspicious right off the bat.
“I was wondering if there was somewhere we could talk alone Ms. Smith.”
I shook my head, “My parents are fine to speak in front of and Jessie is a lifelong friend, he’s okay.”
“As you wish Ms. Smith.” I watched him pull out a pen from his shirt pocket and a small notebook from his back pocket. He flipped through a couple pages and then looked up at me. “Do you know an Albert ma’am?”
“I do, he is my former fiancé.” I said firmly. I wasn’t going to let anything shake me, not anything at all.
“I see, and why did you two break up?” The officer was looking at me very pointedly. I didn’t like it.
“I walked in on him screwing my cousin, three days after we were engaged.”
“I see, and did that upset you?” The officer who I realized hadn’t shown me any credentials began to write on his paper.
“You didn’t say what your name was, officer?”
“Oliver.” He said harshly.
“Officer Oliver, can I see your badge and credentials?”
“I already showed them to your father Ms. Smith.”
“Seeing as I am over eighteen, Officer Oliver, I believe I am entitled to review them myself. Correct?” I certainly wasn’t going down without a fight and this guy was already pissing me off with his holier than though vibe he was putting off.
He looked annoyed but reluctantly handed over the information I had requested. I took my cell phone out of my pocket and snapped a picture of his badge number and information.
“What are you planning on doing with that Ms. Smith?”
“Protecting myself. Now onto your question.” I handed him back his badge and credentials and moved over to the couch where I sat down next to my father. “Of course I was mad, I mean I just told the man I wanted to spend forever with him and I catch him sleeping with her. How would you feel?”
“This isn’t about how I would feel ma’am it’s about you and what you did or felt after seeing this.”
“What I did after, I came home and cried, to my parents. Ask them.”
They both nodded quickly giving reassurances to what I just said was the truth.
“He says that you won’t return the ring.”
“He’s right, it is mine, and I am not giving it to anyone.”
“It’s yours?” The officer questioned.
“It is, when he got down on one knee and gave it to me, it became mine. Isn’t that how a transfer of property works, someone gives you something saying ‘this is yours’ that means you’re free to keep it?”
“He says it is his family’s ring, shouldn’t you give it back to him?” Officer Oliver was trying to play tough guy, but he was coming up short.
“Why don’t you go ask Albert, what his taking seven grand from me was all about? If he can give me that seven grand back, I’ll give him this crappy ring back.”
“Is that why you are keeping the ring, you think he stole your money?”
“There is zero thought, I know he stole it, go ask my banker and no I am keeping it because he gave it to me. It is out of principal.”
“That’s called stealing Ms. Smith, keeping something that isn’t legally yours.”
“It is mine, Mr. Oliver are you not listening?”
“Officer ma’am.”
“Officer…”
I looked around the room and my mom and Jessie were looking very upset, they didn’t like where this was all going too and truthfully neither was I. “I think I am done answering questions where I am being treated like I did something wrong. Why don’t I show you out Officer Oliver?”
“I am not quite done, so if you refused to finish I can take you down to the station.”
“Now wait a minute, there is no reason to take her anywhere,” Jessie piped in.
“And who are you?”
“Jessie, and my father is her attorney, do I need to get him down here now, because you’re not giving her the rights she is entitled too?”
“Jessie, I haven’t broken any laws, it is Ms. Smith here who is breaking the law.”
“Now wait a damn minute, don’t talk about my daughter like that officer. I’ll ask you to leave my house.”
“Dad don’t.” I tried to protest. I looked over at Jessie for help. Pleading with him mentally.
“Mr. Smith, I will place you under arrest for impeding an investigation.” The officer began removing his handcuffs from his belt.
“Wait a minute, fine I’ll go down to the station but do not take my father anywhere he is old and has health issues.” That wasn’t true but no one needed to know that.
“Are you going to give me the ring?” The officer asked me point blank.
“Give you the ring, no, why would I?” I turned and looked at Jessie, “I think I need your dad. Please get him down quickly.”
“Right on it M, don’t you say another word.”
“Time to go Ms. Smith.” The officer stepped towards me and my fight or flight instantly kicked in. I could feel the adrenaline rush swarming my body.
“Am I under arrest?”
“Do you need to be?”
“No, again I am not the thief it is that whore of a man that is a thief. He has you wasting time questioning me. I’d like to file a counter complaint of stealing seven thousand dollars.”
“If you say so, come-on, this will be easier away from everyone else.”
He ride in the cop car was not the thrill of my life like one would think. Not only did it smell, but the seat was sticky, god only knew what had been on this fake leather bench. The officer seemed to be overly excited about the idea of booking me, but he hadn’t officially arrested me. My Miranda rights hadn’t been given, and I had watched enough Law and Order to know that at the very least that had to be said before anything I said could be used in court. So technically, I could admit to stealing it intentionally but I didn’t.
“This is what is wrong with the justice system; innocent people like me end up the villains when we are just the victims.”
“Save it for the judge ma’am, she loves sob stories. We are arresting you as soon as you set foot into my county.”
“Wait what?”
That was when I realized I had no idea what county this cop was from, or even the city. Hell, Albert could have gone anywhere and filed this complaint. Instead, it seemed he filed this complaint with Brazoria county Sheriffs. Why hadn’t I noticed that before? Not that I know it would have made any difference, I was screwed every which way from Sunday because it was clear, this jerk wasn’t going to believe anything I said.