Evan's Addiction (74 page)

     Rebecca however, had done a second interview; on the Nancy Travis
show. Nancy Travis was a former lawyer who now had a television show where she
dissected crimes from beginning to end. At the moment she was focused on the
John Wilks case; the guy who had kidnapped Elizabeth, me and countless other
girls. For some reason interviewing this woman who was claiming to be my mother
was part of it…I don’t know why. She wasn’t the one who’d been kidnapped.

     During the interview Rebecca had repeated the same version of her story.
The only new piece of information as a result of Nancy’s questioning, and had
me holding my breath for an answer, was the whereabouts of my father. However,
Rebecca hadn’t revealed that information. She’d informed Nancy that the father
had no idea he was a father and she didn’t want to surprise him with it during
an interview. She did say she was taking steps to find and notify him…a little
late in my book.

      At the end of the interview she’d made another tearful plea that
I would reach out and meet her.

     Surprisingly, everybody seemed to be full of sympathy for the
woman. They did criticize her for abandoning me in a bathroom, but then in the
next breath they would say that at least she’d left me in a place where someone
was sure to find me.

     Most of the negative comments seemed reserved for Rebecca’s
parents; for not realizing that their daughter was pregnant, and their supposed
strictness. They weren’t talking to refute any of it so the journalists went to
town on judging and convicting them.

     I still had no idea what to think, but I did know the small seed
that had been planted when the woman first made her announcement was
germinating like crazy inside me. In fact, it was near sprouting out of my
skin. There was no way I was going to be able to not meet her.

     I wasn’t oblivious to the truth that my jumpy nerves were a result
of a little bit of hope…and I may have been lying to myself when I depicted as
a little bit. I was trying to not let my expectations get the best of me, but
the idea that I might finally have a mother, my actual real mother, coming to
claim me…it was like all my childhood dreams coming true; my mother and father
coming to pluck me out of whatever foster home I was in at the time, giving me
hugs and kisses, telling me how sorry they were for not finding me sooner, and
saying that they never meant to give me up in the first place.

     It wasn’t like my dreams, but something was better than nothing.

     The sound of scraping chairs and students scrambling to leave woke
me out of my daydream. It was the end of class and I hadn’t gotten much done.
The assignment was simple…for me…and any other day I would have had it done
already, but because of where my head was at it was going to take me another
day to finish. Thankfully, everyone was walking on eggshells around me so I
could almost get away with murder.  

     Gathering my stuff I jammed it in my backpack and ignoring the
stares of my curious classmates, and non-classmates, I marched out of the
building. It was Tuesday, and my second day back at UVA, and everyone’s eyes
had been glued to me ever since I stepped back on campus. I was somewhat
accustomed to unwanted attention, so I put up my virtual blinders and stared
straight ahead as I strode past them.

     Quite a few people had tried to drill me for information. Instead of
telling them to stuff their nosiness up their asses, I held my tongue and said
I wasn’t allowed to speak about it because it was an open case. That wasn’t
quite true, but it kept me from biting off the heads of the people around me. I
was at the point where if someone looked my way I snapped out the line before
their mouths were even open.

     However, not everyone was smart enough to except my refusal to
talk. During lunch yesterday one girl had continued to pester me, and when I
wouldn’t cough up what she wanted she’d started speaking loudly to her friends
from two tables away about her ideas of what had happened to me.

    
“She might not be talking but they’ve been speculating that the
guy was raping all the girls before he sold them. Even though he only had her for
half a day he most likely raped her and did other crazy stuff to her. That’s
probably why she had to stay in the hospital for so long.” The girl sniped.

     “The news said she had appendicitis.” One of her friends
corrected.

     “When he raped her it probably brought on the appendicitis.”
She’d retorted.  

     Rolling my eyes at Carrie and David at that stupid piece of
logic I’d made a comment in the same raised whisper the snatch-hat was speaking
in. “Holy shit, someone call all the medical journals. We have an Einstein at
the next table who’s found the cause of appendicitis. Who knew we were in the
midst of greatness.”

     I’d gotten quite a few chuckles from the surrounding tables
that were listening in.

     Snatch-hat had gone quite for a moment and I’d thought she was
utilizing what little brains she had, but then she’d spoken again. 

     “He probably didn’t rape her. I mean, he had Elizabeth Kennedy
and she is way more attractive, even though she’s probably a little mousy,
spoiled, rich brat. He’s probably one of those guys who trains the girls he
sells. Who knows all the things he did to her. It was probably a lot of
submissive stuff.”  

     I probably would have let it go because I was used to people
talking shit about me, but when she’d began talking about Elizabeth I’d
snapped. Jumping up I’d stormed over to their table and leaned down into the bitch’s
face.

     “Did you forget to take your human pills today? Because you
have to be one of the most stupid pigs I’ve ever come across. I’m going to give
your tiny pickled brain two details that you can go and gossip about to all the
people you hang around who you think are your friends but in fact probably can’t
stand you. The guy didn’t rape any of the girls; all he did was sell them. Elizabeth isn’t a mousy, spoiled, rich brat, she’s a woman who stayed strong through a
month of being caged by a sadistic cocksucker who tried his best to debase her
every chance he had. I could say that had it been you instead of her that was
taken that you would have turned into a blubbering, spineless mess on the floor
of that cage, but I won’t say that because it’s not a nice thing to say. I also
wouldn’t wish that on the evilest of bitches.”

     I’d taken a breath from my rant while the snatch-hat had stared
bug-eyed at me. It was then that I noticed how quiet the cafeteria had gotten
as everyone from every corner of the room stopped what they were doing to
listen to me.

     “Red, are you going around scaring the children again?”

     Taking a deep breath I had turned to face Evan while crossing
my arms.. His hard gaze was scoping the table but when I turned they locked on
me and softened.

     “She asked for a scary story. I was only giving her what she
wanted.” I gave a shrug of nonchalance even though my blood was running in hot
anger.

     “That’s true. I was going to run for the smores.” David quipped
from behind him.

     Someone from a table nearby announced with a laugh. “She almost
scared my bee-titties off. I think she did scare them off that blonde.”

     The blonde he was referring to was the one I was just tearing
into, and she blushed bright red in embarrassment at that proclamation.

     A small grin tugged at Evan’s mouth at the support I was
receiving. “You’re such a sweetheart, Red. And did these…children thank you for
your story?” His gaze went back to the table, going glacial again. The three
girls all stared at Evan like they thought he was going to take a whip to them.

     I shook my head in sufferance. “You know children; they’re all
me, me, me, I, I, I.”

     “Let’s leave the children to their meals. It’s time to give me
your undivided attention.” Taking my hand he drew me back to the table I was
sitting at with Carrie and David.

     As I sat I heard laughter and several ‘way to go girl’ from a
number of different people. It was nice to know that not all the natives were
small-minded assholes. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the three girls
hustled from the cafeteria as fast as their feet could carry them.

     Evan nuzzled my neck and quipped pick-up lines to me until my
antagonism was forgotten and I was laughing. It was amazing the power he had
over my emotions.

     My musing came to an abrupt halt, as well as my feet, and I stared
in open-mouth, heart-thumping astonishment at the woman that stepped up in
front of me.

     “I’m sorry for surprising you like this, here at school without
any warning, but I just couldn’t wait any longer to see you. I know I don’t
have any rights where you are concerned, but my stomach hasn’t stopped churning
since I saw you on the news and knew you were mine…the baby I had to give up.”

     Her teary-eyed declaration had my stunned heart banging even more
heavily against my ribs.  

     “What…how…” My eyes felt like they were glued to her.

     She looked like she’d possibly lost ten pounds since her first
interview, unless it was the television that had made her seem kind of plumper.
Her red hair was in a straight, smooth bob and she was wearing black slacks and
a short slimming black jacket.

     Providentially, she appeared to understand my rambling. “It was
luck. I’ve been walking around campus looking for you. I hoped that you would
talk to me, but if you don’t…I would understand.” Her timid smile turned
disconsolate.

     I couldn’t decide if I was upset or pleased that she’d taken the
decision from my hands, but I couldn’t deny the skip of anticipation in my
chest. However, this wasn’t the place I wanted to have a conversation with her.
I looked around at the students striding past, some of them eyeing us with
overt interest.

     “This isn’t the best place to talk.” I shifted restlessly.

     Her eyes lit up. “My car’s just over in the parking lot there.”
She pointed eagerly toward parking lot D.

     Her car was parked conveniently close if she’d been walking around
looking for me.

     After a brief hesitation I nodded and followed her. A taut silence
fell between us until she stopped at a blue Ford Focus.

     I frowned at it. “I thought you drove a Hyundai Tiburon.”

     She looked startled and then frowned at me over the top of the car.
“How do you know what I drive?”

     I hesitated briefly before answering. “I had a friend who did some
checking up on you. They were concerned that you were a phony.” Me…someone
else…potato, patato.

     Still frowning and appearing slightly put-out at my knowledge, she
nodded. “Oh, well this is a friend’s car. Mine was acting up.” There was a
minute pause before she asked. “So, what else do you know about me?”

     “Just where you live and work?” I don’t know if I lied to ease her
mind or because I wanted to keep the rest of what I knew to myself.

     I didn’t know why I would care to ease her mind. I didn’t know
this woman…and I wanted to package my heart in a box and duct tape it so I
could ignore the way it was thundering in anxiety and hopeful expectation.

     Stupid needy heart.

     I would think with the revelation of Evan’s love the stupid organ
in my chest would be less needy…even though I knew it was still waiting for the
other shoe to drop…but I could feel it reaching out in eagerness for the
slightest indication of affection from this woman…who’d abandoned me.

     The locks on the door clicked and she climbed in. After a small
hesitation and deep breath I followed her and was met with a bright smile
instead of the frown.

     “Oh, my gosh. I have to say you are even prettier than the
pictures they had of you on the news. And I can see some similarities between
us.” I stiffened as she reached out toward me but she only tugged on one of my
loose curls. Retracting her arm she smoothed her fingers through her smooth,
straight bob. “I straighten mine now or the curls would be all over the place
like yours.”

     From the look on her face I could tell she’d disliked her unruly
curls like I had growing up, but unlike me she seemed to not have come to terms
with them. Maybe I’d change my mind again later in life, but knowing Evan loved
my curls had me appreciating them now instead of wanting to wipe them out of
existence.  

     She continued to intently scrutinize me from head to toe with a
minute frown creasing her happy visage. Feeling inexplicably nervous I did the
same to her, and couldn’t help comparing her to Evan’s mom. When I looked at
Jasmine it was difficult to imagine her as a mother because she was so young,
beautiful and chic. This woman in front of me, while pretty, had more of a mom
look to her; curvier and wearing clothes that didn’t look like they’d come off
the cat-walk.

     However, her gaze didn’t hold the same adoration Jasmine’s did
when looking at Evan. My chest compressed involuntarily at the absence of it,
which was stupid. We had no connection except blood…possibly. Although, I was
leaning heavily toward believing she was my mother. And it was logical that she
wouldn’t look at me that way, but the huge smile on her face said she was at
least happy to be meeting me.

     She suddenly broke the heavy hush that had fallen between us. “Are
you angry that I ambushed you?” Not waiting for my response she rushed forward.
“I hope you’re not. The moment the news described your background I knew you
were mine and I had to meet you; to tell you I never wanted to abandon you, but
that I was forced to…for your own good. My parents would have kicked me out of
the house if they found out about you and then what would I have done. How
would I take care of you? I was so stressed throughout the whole pregnancy,
scared that someone would notice. Thankfully, I didn’t gain much weight. I think
the stress helped to keep my weight down though, and I was careful about what I
ate as well.” She grimaced and looked down at herself. “God, I looked so fat
during those last two interviews. I’ve had less restraint in the last few
years, but these new circumstances have me buckling down again.” She slanted
her head and raised her brow like that was at least one good thing that had
come from this entire soap-opera mess.