Tempted to Touch

Twelve

Snowflakes stuck to the windowsill, making it barely visible to see outside. The panes frosty. The snowstorm that passed the week before left a thick blanket that cuddled against the ground. A bar was now installed, she was obviously imprisoned.

Desi felt numb, though warmth filled the room through the open vents. Her own father had betrayed her, and what made it worst, he did so with Sheila. Sheila!? Her mothers best friend and murderer. How could she be so naïve to be caught up in such a scam? She was a blabber mouth, that was what she was. Why did she think that trusting him with such a transition would make their relationship stronger? She played the fool, once again. In shock, she sat, unmoved by what she was yet to understand. Her thoughts swayed for a minute, and then it was all coming together.

It was her final year in high school and Josh was having one of his infamous house parties. Desi was in love, she was smitten by the quarterback of Westport Regional High School and of course, they were the most popular couple, vying for Prom King and Queen. The party was in full swing, but Josh was nowhere to be found. She remembered walking up the stairs to his room, trying her best not to spill the Jack Daniels and Coke she had for him. The moaning caught her off guard and right then and there, she knew it was him. She knew he was cheating but why should she have confronted him? Without hesitation, she gulped both glasses of beverages and left without looking back.

The lights were on in her parents room. Carla was out of town and Richard was deployed in Afghanistan. She knew her mom would not return until the following weekend, so who the fuck was in her house? Her head was pounding, her mind boggled. She was sure as heck going to have a hangover in the morning.

Desi carefully and quietly turned the key into the lock, pushing the door open without making an alarm. As captain of the Softball team, she always kept her bat in the umbrella bin close to the door. Retrieving the object, she tippy toed up the stairs, making her way to her parents room. She swung the door open, and suddenly the ghost left her body. Dad!? Aunty Sheila!? The metal bat clattered on the wood floor, echoing throughout the now deathly stillness.

Sheila shrieked, grabbing the covers and pulling them over her naked frame. Richard leapt from the bed and briskly tugged on his boxers which sprawled on the floor along with Sheilas garments. Desi was stuck on the spot, her muscles and joints all ceased, resisting her any chance of escape. She was paralyzed, but it did not stop the unwashed tears from falling.

Richard was now by her side, his hands grasping her shoulders. He spoke in a consoling tone, but Desi was deaf to his words. Shes in a state of shock, she heard him say to Sheila, call 9-1-1. It was all a blur after that. Her heart was smashed to pieces by three of the people she trusted the most, in one night.

The rumors had spread later, but she had ignored them. Desi felt heaven on earth when her acceptance letter to Norte Dame University had arrived in the mail, her initiative to move unto campus during summer to acquaint herself with her new home. She wasnt the one to tell her mother about the affair, but Carla had gotten wind about the traitors. Richard was redeployed and Sheila had disappeared, the best friends reconciling sixteen years later, only for them both to die. No, that was a lie, because Sheila was still alive.

***

He watched her as she paced about the small space, her chest heaving from anger. Why was she even mad at him? She left on her own. She betrayed him after all. Mike wanted to hold her close, tell her how much he was sorry. He didnt mean to marry Janessa but what choice did he have.

Desi glanced at him, fury in her eyes. He looked at her from head to toe, he didnt notice how unkempt her hair was, nor the bruises on her hands. Mike then saw the shackles around her ankles, a ring forming where the cuffs rested. He began to examine her surroundings; it was a basement. Why was she like that? Who did that to her? And how did he get there?