Falling For Charlie

Part 14-The Whole Truth

Daniel stood pale faced in the large room feeling like an ant that saw a big shoe hovering over it, Daniel the insect powerless to stop the shoe from stomping him on the ground. This was a new feeling for Daniel, he had not felt this powerless since his father had died many years ago, now he knew his father was not the man he had loved and respected, he was someone else altogether.

The three women in his living room were waiting for Daniel's reaction with a blurry aura around them from the sunlight that streaked across the large windows but these women were no saints or angels, far from it Daniel thought bitterly. Charlie had kept these secrets from him for so long, and Daniel knew if it had not been for Briana whom he had just met that Charlie would have never been told anything, that is what stung the most. He would have died knowing none of it. At ten he could see that Charlie did not fully understand but she was an Adult now, had been an Adult for twelve years, she knew she should have told him yet didn't. Why? Could he ever forgive her?

Andrea he had no doubts about, Daniel was going to make it his personal mission to see that Andrea got what she had coming to her. With Charlie it was hard to forgive her but he did love Charlie, in his odd, messed up older brother controlling ways there was love, so he knew he must fight his anger and forgive her someday. Daniel may have mentally did some damage to Charlie's ego through the years but he did it to make her tough, they both had to fight in this world, he never laid a hand on Charlie or ever would but that did not mean he did not want to, right now he wanted to strangle her little throat until she begged for mercy, and then think really hard before he gave her that mercy.  His father was dead and part of that reason was her fault, and his fault as well, he hated to admit it but it was true. Guilt sinking in, if he had not shown Charlie all about fixing up cars, she probably would have never known how to cut the brakes. Swallowing hard he digested all this with acid in his throat. She even fooled the cops and cut it jagged not straight so they could not tell if it had been foul play or an accident, so they had ruled it an accident.

Briana spoke first " I am gonna take a walk outside, It's getting stuffy in here. Charlie, you need me just call." Daniel, Andrea and Charlie just watched her leave with transparent faces of melancholy.

Once Daniel knew Briana was out of earshot he let out all his pent up anger at Andrea"So let me get this straight, you screwed around with my father, got pregnant, killed the baby and then blaming everyone else but you for the baby being gone, murdered my father with my sister's help by causing his car wreck that took his life." There was fire spewing from Daniel's eyes as he said each murderous word to Andrea watching her cower behind the oil painting he had specially made for her birthday last year.

"You don't understand I had no choice! He made me do it!" Andrea looked like a bird caught in a spiderweb. Pleading for someone to come snip her free so she could fly away. " I begged him to let me adopt it out, I told him I wouldn't let them do a paternity test but he said no, he couldn't risk my parents finding out that we had been together so he said I either abort it with the doctor he choose or he would take care of it himself." Andrea sobbed and sobbed. Hoarse voiced Andrea lost it "That bastard, your father, deserved to die!! I would do it all over again, and her over there in the corner slouching. Look at her, she enjoyed it, seeing me in pain, they all did." Andrea had that far off look she got when she was exhausted. Her energy spent she collapsed into the rocking chair with her hair in her hands.

Daniel went over to Andrea and grabbed her by the arms shaking her hard "Don't you ever, I mean ever try to blame what you did on my sister. She was ten years old  you were fifteen." Andrea smiled up at him sarcastically "even so she knew what she was doing was wrong, she knew what would happen if she showed me how to cut those brakes didn't she?"

Charlie remained quiet in the corner of the room just shaking her head no.  She tuned out all of Andrea and Daniel's words. Charlie's memories took her back in time to those horrible couple of months. As bad as things were right now, it was a picnic compared to those months of torture. All the feelings coming back to her in bits and pieces, blending together into one long, ongoing nightmare. Beginning with Daniel asking her to get his fishing clothes while Pops and him picked out the bait for the hooks, Charlie a happy ten year old girl in pigtails and overalls excited as any kid would be getting ready to enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon with her brother and her pops. Then the moment it all changed, when she walked into that door of hell, blood on the bed, spots of blood on the floor, on the doctor's gloves, the young girl crying on the bed holding her stomach and moaning, the trash basket beside the doctor that held the unborn life of three months. Sometimes in her memories she thinks she hears the fetus cry, but she knows its not real, it did not happen, yet she still hears it like an echo. Shuddering Charlie remembers Daniel's father Raymond coming up to her and grabbing her by the chin making her wince with pain, feeling Raymond's rage as he spoke of threats to Pops and Daniel If she spoke about anything she had seen. Andrea had followed Charlie home from school taunting her with her guilt, playing on Charlie's emotions for a week after that nightmarish morning before Charlie caved in helping Andrea get "rid" of Raymond, deep down Charlie knew it was not only Andrea's guilt trips that made her decide to help Andrea it was  her own fear of what Raymond would do to Pops and Daniel, Charlie knew that Daniel thought his father was a saint without wings, yet she could not tell him he was the devil without thorns and even if she did ten year old Charlie knew Daniel would never believe her. Lost in the past Charlie never heard the door bell ringing as Mary Anne stood outside Daniel's house.

Andrea pleading up at Daniel whimpered "Don't hurt me", Mascara running down the corner of her eyes in two big streaks down each side of her cheeks. Andrea relaxed when Daniel let her go and went to answer the door with a scary frown upon his face.

Opening up the door with a fluid, fast movement he seen Mary Anne and thought she was a solicitor. "Get out of here I ain't buying nothing. " and went to slam the door but Mary Anne caught a hold of the handle speaking fast "I am not selling anything I came to see Charlie, is he here?"

Daniel looked at Mary Anne and said "He?" with a curious look on his stubbly face.