Summer Maintenance Page 3

To be fair, my porch steps needed to be replaced, and I certainly wasn’t doing anything shady. I wanted to know the new guy. There was no harm in that. Besides, I’d much rather spend my time with good company than alone in my trailer with my two cats and the vibrator I hide under the mattress, just in case a burglar were to come in and judge me for being a little kinky. We all have our secrets, and I wanted mine to stay where no one would ever find them.

  Chapter 4

  Brice

  Patty didn’t stay long. That was a good thing. She hadn’t pried too much, but I knew more questions were bound to come out of her mouth that I wasn’t prepared to answer. I needed to go over all the notes I’d taken and make sure I had my stories down. Becoming someone else wasn’t just using identification. People used the Internet. They could look me up by my name. Little details were important. Fabricating new ones were dangerous. Screwing it up this early in the game would ruin it all.

  It wasn’t until Patty left, after the sun went down, when I decided to go exploring. After checking out the maps of each site, I knew where I wanted to head. That same thrifty Internet I feared had given me the information I needed to find my daughter’s address.

  I got halfway around the property when I realized how someone like me would stand out. Since the gates kept strangers out, it was obvious people would notice a strange man wandering around. Some might even want to call the cops, and I couldn’t afford to have them run my prints for priors. Since I didn’t want it to seem like I was a peeping Tom, I knew I had to find a different approach.

  In hindsight it was a terrible idea. She’d finally gone home and I wouldn’t have to see her until the morning, but I couldn’t turn away, not when she happened to look out her window and find me standing there.

  “Brice?” I heard her call me.

  I waved, realizing I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t heard her. “Yeah, it’s me. I’m just walking around trying to get a feel for where everything is located.”

  “Do you want some company?” She asked through the window.

  I shrugged. “I don’t want to take any more of your time up.”

  Her door swung open and she came out wearing a pair of calf-length sweat pants, low on her hips. A small t-shirt showed off the shape of her full breasts. Unlike before, she’d put her hair up in a messy bun. The dress from earlier had done her no justice. I was finding it difficult to keep my focus on her face when there was so much else to enjoy. Her curves were so pronounced, enough to make my eyes magnetized to them, imagining all the ways I’d like to make her mine. “It’s fine. I wasn’t doing anything. Besides, there’s a nice breeze out tonight. It’s why I changed my clothes. I was going to visit my friend Julie. She has an autistic son, and it’s hard for her sometimes. Her husband is in jail, has been for a long time. Petty crimes mostly. I try to bring him little gifts to brighten his day. When she had to work I always offered to babysit.”

  It wasn’t so much as what she was saying, but more the comfort of how she delivered. Patty spoke to me as if we were already friends. It was kind, and she’d never understand how much I enjoyed feeling that way again. I’d always been alone, but with that comes an understanding that maybe I wasn’t meant to be anything more. Even in prison I hadn’t aspired to become something once I was freed. My goals were easy. I’d make the people pay for putting me away, and I’d find some way to have a future connected to my daughter’s life. It was simple, and reachable, if I played my cards right.

  “Kids are hard to raise. I reckon one with special needs is even more of a challenge. It’s great she has help from friends.” Immediately I noticed my demeanor changing. Being around Patty was becoming easy far too soon. Maybe it was my longing to be close to a woman, or perhaps she was just the type of person that drew people to her.

  “It is.”

  We began walking down the main road. Patty didn’t live far from Callie, but I couldn’t make it a big deal as we passed by her trailer. “So tell me about the people here,” I inquired, hoping because we were near my daughter’s house she’d bring her up.

  “Well we have an array of residents, that’s for sure.” She waved to someone who passed us walking an English bulldog. “That was Cyber. The dog is named Patch. He gets out every now and again. I think it’s because we all feed him scraps. He’s super friendly, and never leaves the property grounds.” She spoke so confidently. “His woman is Stixx. She’s a bartender and as you can probably tell from his art, he’s into tattoos. He works at a local shop if you ever want more work done.”

  On the front of my arm both top and bottom I had ink. When you’re in the slammer for as long as I was you’re bound to get marked up. I had an eagle on my bicep, a cross on my forearm, and an angel on my heart. I needed a reminder of the person I lost, the mother to my daughter, my wife, my heart. Just thinking about it now made me cringe. Still that night haunted me.

  My other tattoo was located on my ribcage. It was a picture of my daughter when she was a baby. I’d gotten it before I went to jail, and caught hell because of how much it cost to get it done. In the long run, I could never regret it. I’d carried her image with me every single day.

  Patty didn’t know any of that. She’d only seen me clothed, and for the time being, I planned on keeping it that way.

  “Yeah, maybe I’ll check them out.”

  It was quiet for a few seconds. “So what about you?” I asked. “Do you have any tattoos?”

  “If I tell you I’d have to kill you,” she snickered.

  I shook my head and let out a chuckle. “Okay, I’d like to live a little longer, so I’ll retract the question.”

  “I’m teasing. When I was eighteen I wanted to do something crazy. My friends and I went out and got butterflies on our shoulders.” She pulled the collar of her t-shirt down to reveal and small butterfly in flight. “It’s nothing huge, but my parents went nuts. They punished me and took away my car.”

  “Didn’t you say you were eighteen?”

  “That meant nothing in their house. As long as I lived under their roof I was to abide by their rules.”

  “My parents weren’t strict. Sometimes I wish they were. Maybe I would have been more successful with my future.”

  “You are only as successful as you feel. I’ve never much measured one’s success on their particular job, it’s more about how happy they are with their life.”

  Anyone would apply to her comment except me. I was starting over, which meant there was nothing to be proud of. My clean slate came with consequences.

  The next trailer we came to was gray. It had a matching painted deck the whole length of the side with a couple lounge chairs strewn on it. “That’s Kiki’s place. She’s an interesting girl. You’ll be seeing a lot of her, and when I say that I mean literally. She likes to flaunt what she has.”

  I raised a brown and let out a low chuckle. “I hope you’re kidding.”

  “No. I’m pretty sure she likes being naked. Hell, she may be a nudist. I try to steer clear of drama. It’s hard to not know everyone’s business, but I do have the ability to get involved with my opinions.”

  “That’s smart. I don’t do drama either. In fact, I avoid it at all costs. When I saw the cabin I knew it was perfect for me, since I like my privacy.”

  “Yeah,” she twisted around to face me. “I shouldn’t have thrown myself on you so soon. It’s just… we haven’t had many new residents, and I’d like to think I’m the welcoming committee. Before you met someone else who filled your head with things you probably don’t want to know, I figured I’d save you the annoyance.”

  “Nah, it’s fine. I’ve kept to myself for a long time.”

  “Since your wife died?” She interrupted.

  “Yeah, that,” I lied. “It’s been tough.”

  Just as the words came out of my mouth I looked across the lane and saw a beautiful dark haired, young woman walking outside. She put a cigarette in her mouth and proceeded to light it. In that instant I lost my train of thought.


  “Brice, did you hear me?”

  I shook it off and turned my attention back to her, while glancing back in Callie’s direction every few seconds. “Sorry, what was that?”

  “That’s Callie Thomas. She lives here with her boyfriend. As far as I can tell he’s a jerk. I can hear them fighting from my trailer at night. Things get thrown around, and once I saw her come outside the next day with a black eye. Now, I’m not usually one to speculate, but I think he hits her.”

  I fisted my hands together, trying as much as possible to calm down before overreacting and blowing my cover. That was my daughter; the one person on this earth that I’d give my life for. The fact that someone was hurting her made me cringe with disgust. Had it not been for me she would have had a better life. No woman deserved this.

  “Do you know her or something?” Patty asked.

  “Uh, no, I don’t think so. I thought I did,” I said to explain my stares. “She looked familiar at first .“

  “I don’t know much about her. She’s worked a few retail jobs. I don’t even know if she’s twenty one yet. She used to be friends with Kiki, but they had words when she came onto Callie’s boyfriend at one of our community cookouts. Since then they avoid each other at all costs.”

  Patty knew a lot more about Callie than she’d led on. Suddenly it was apparent she and I were going to remain friends, because she was going to help me get to know my daughter, even if she didn’t have clue who she was to me. “It’s hard seeing young kids having to struggle. I wonder what her parents think of her living here and being treated like that.”

  “I think she was raised by her grandparents actually. She never said what happened, but once she told me both her parents died when she was little.”

  I swallowed the hard lump forming in my throat. I’d written her hundreds of letters, never getting one response. Did she hate me so much that she didn’t want to admit I was alive and kicking? “That’s sad,” was all I could come up with. It disgusted me to think someone could be abusing my child. Not a day went by where she wasn’t my first thought. How someone could treat her so disrespectfully made me want to hurt them.

  All of a sudden I saw the young beauty spread her arms out with a stare that could burn holes through something. “Take a fucking picture, creep!”

  I turned away, giving all my attention to Patty. “Maybe we should do this tomorrow when it’s not getting dark. I can’t have everyone accusing me of being a pedophile.”

  Patty laughed. “Don’t pay any attention to her. She obviously has daddy issues.”

  She took me by the arm and walked us toward Callie. At first I feared she’d recognize me, she’d see the man that abandoned her so long ago. Instead she stood there, just as irritated as before. “Patty, you need to date people without a wandering eye.”

  “Callie, this is Brice. He’s the new maintenance man. Sorry if he alarmed you, but we’re walking around getting to know everyone.”

  “Oh,” her posture adjusted. She took another drag of her smoke. “I thought he was just another pervert.”

  It was unbelievable. Even though I’d changed through the years, I undoubtedly assumed she’d know my eyes. I felt as if we’d always been connected through blood and love. It was obvious this child didn’t think I was familiar. My long hair was cut short. I no longer had a mustache, and my scrawny shape was now cut up with muscles. Perhaps she wouldn’t know me this way. She wasn’t even five yet when I went away. Maybe she’d put those memories behind her and buried them. I’d probably never know.

  I held out my hand toward her. “Sorry if you thought I was staring. Patty was only helping me put names to faces.”

  “I get it,” she replied while shaking my hand. I knew it wasn’t the same for her, but I felt a jolt of emotions when her skin touched mine. I had to turn my head away for a second to fight back the burning in my eyes. For years I’d imagined this moment. More than anything I wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her everything would be all right.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Callie. If you need anything let me know. I’m staying in the…”

  She cut me off. “I know where it is.”

  Patty put her hand on my shoulder. “We’ve got a lot more ground to cover. Have a good night, Callie.”

  I smiled and waved once as we left, feeling as if I was being torn from her again.

  For the rest of the walk I was in a daze. I could hear Patty explaining who was who, but I knew I wouldn’t remember. I kept imagining touching my daughter’s hand, and feeling like she was no longer a world away. She was living and breathing, so close.

  I needed to go back to the cabin and be alone, so I could grasp exactly what our encounter had showed me.

  As the sun began to set on the Happy Ending Resort, I looked over to Patty who was speaking about someone who had died recently. “We should probably head back. It’s been a long day for me.”

  “Oh, okay.” I could tell she was disappointed I wanted to leave her company, but there was no way I’d be able to think straight until I decompressed.

  As we headed back to the cabin, I wanted to ask more questions. I was dying to know about this so-called boyfriend who’d been giving my daughter trouble. For a second I thought about reaching out to Patty and telling her why I was there, and who I really was.

  Then, as we arrived back at her trailer I said goodbye, thanked her, and walked away. The less she knew the better. I was in this alone, no matter how long it took.

  Chapter 5

  Patty

  Leave it to me to become interested in another man who couldn’t keep from staring at pretty young girls. I wasn’t blind. From the moment we neared that girl’s trailer his whole attitude changed. I could see how mesmerized Brice had become when they met face to face. I almost had to drag him away.

  Why couldn’t I find a good wholesome man?

  I was a magnet for perverts and jerks.

  Still, I’d only known him for a few hours. Maybe that girl reminded him of his wife that he lost. He’d said how tragic it was. Perhaps seeing someone who resembled her caused him to freak out a bit. It wasn’t like he’d want to explain it to me. We were still pretty much strangers. Believing that scenario was much easier than accepting he was the same as the rest of the men I’d gotten involved with.

  A little after I went inside, I heard the screaming and yelling coming from Callie’s trailer again. This time I turned the volume up on the television to drown them out. It was becoming redundant. Why she couldn’t kick this guy to the curb was beyond me. She needed guidance, and I wondered if being raised by her elderly grandparents had left her not knowing about common street smarts. They probably loved her, and did everything they could to protect her, leaving her feeling smothered. The girl was clearly acting out, being independent no matter what she had to deal with. Now that they were gone, I wondered who she’d go to for advice, or a shoulder to cry on.

  I wasn’t a nag, or even the nosiest, but it was clear she required a friend. When I heard the crash of something loud, I got up and looked out the window. It was too far to be certain, but I was sure a chair was halfway hanging from the main front window of her trailer. Callie was standing in the middle of the road with her hands on top of her head.

  I rushed out, feeling overwhelmed with the need to get her away from that monster. I called out to her. “Callie.”

  She didn’t hesitate. The poor girl almost ran to me. Once inside the trailer she hunched over to catch her breath. When she stood I could see the makeup running down her face. She was in tears, shaking profusely. “Do you want me to call the cops?”

  She nodded, but wouldn’t speak a response.

  I got on the phone immediately so she couldn’t change her mind. Callie went and sat on my couch, burying her face in her hands. She was a wreck.

  Once I knew the police were on the way, I went and sat down across from her. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “No it’s not. He’s all I have. If they take him away
, I won’t be able to afford my place.”

  I noticed a huge red mark across the front of her neck. It was handprints. I was sure of it.

  “You can’t be with someone who hurts you.”

  “I love him,” she insisted without a second thought.

  She was young, weak and utterly naïve. I felt sorry for her. “Do you have any friends you can stay with tonight?”

  She cried harder. “My friends are his friends. Don’t you get it?” She stood up and tried to dart out the door. I could hear a police car getting closer. “This is going to ruin everything.”

  I rushed toward her, taking her reaction as a sign that she would turn around and forgive the bastard. “Hold up, Callie. Just give it a night. Stay here if you need to. I have two extra bedrooms in the back. Don’t run to him just because you have nowhere else to go.”

  She turned, sobs making it hard to understand her voice. “You don’t understand. I’ve got nothing. He’s my only family.”

  I pulled her into my arms as I watched two officers climb out of a marked vehicle. Callie’s boyfriend ran out and started getting smart with them. I couldn’t hold her back. She ran outside, screaming for her boyfriend to shut up. By the time I made it outside he was threatening her in front of them. They got one good look at her with a flashlight, probably seeing the red choke marks on her throat and took matters into their own hands. While everyone from the neighborhood crowded around to watch it all unfold, the police cuffed Callie’s deadbeat boyfriend. When she jumped on one of their backs there was nothing I could do. The other officer captured her and shoved her down on the ground. He put her hands behind her back and cuffed her too, putting her in the back of the opposite car they’d put the crazy boyfriend in.

  I felt terrible for how it had gone down, but hoped that maybe after spending the night apart she’d wake up and see he wasn’t good for her.

  Before they left, one officer came over to me. “Did you see what happened here tonight? The young lady said I needed to talk to you.”