Where do I begin? I've never written before, but now it seems like the right thing to do. He gave me this, this little pink typewriter. It was his grandmother's and he wanted me to have it, so how could I refuse? The answer is I couldn't, it's the s...
That was the last time I talked to my sister for a long time. She hung up on me during that phone call and I'll never forget that. She chose Danny over me, and that still hurts me to this day.
It would be a year before I saw her next, her baby will already be born, and her and Danny will have gotten married. Of course I was not invited to the wedding and I didn't get to see my nephew until he was already crawling and saying dada. But it's okay, in Lo's absence I started living my own life.
And it started the day she hung up on me.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
After nursing the cut on my lip and putting a cold washcloth on my bruised cheek, I make my way into the living room and cuddle up with a blanket. I tuck my still shaking hands underneath and rest my head on the arm of the sofa.
I probably look like a baby right now, I don't care though. The only thing I care about is moving out of this place. Danny knows where I live, he has a key, and nothing is stopping him from coming back and finishing what he started. Lo didn't stop him the first time, I can guarantee she won't stop him a second time.
In all honesty though she had a point, she couldn't have physically stopped him, she's probably already terrified of him, she really was trapped in a corner with no logical reasoning to help me. If she would have called the police on him he would only be angrier with her. And I'm sure what he did to me was only a taste of what he does to my sister.
Danny would have only gotten a month in jail, if that because I would have pressed charges but Lo certainly would not. She wouldn't go against him, that's clear now, and once he got out he would have killed us both.
A sudden knock on the door makes me jump, the fear of earlier coming back full force. I quickly grab my phone and get ready to press 911.
"Hello? Who is it?" I yell
"It's Jacob, I came to see if your alright you seemed upset on the phone"
Immediately, I get off of the couch and fold the blanket sloppily. Rushing to the door, I fix my hair on the way and take a deep breath. "Hi" I say as I open the door "thanks for checking on me, but really I'm okay"
His face is blank after I said those words and I'm trying to think if I offended him...
"What happened to your face?" He says softly, reaching up and touching the bruise on my cheek lightly with his fingers.
I close my eyes. How could I forget about my face!? I mentally scold myself. Now what I'm I going to say?
"Can I come in?" He asks "I have the perfect remedy for getting rid of bruises and it makes the pain feel loads better."
I nod and move over to let Jacob in "how did you know where I lived?"
He chuckles "My sister told me, Ella was with me when you called and cancelled. She said you'd never do that"
I giggle "she's right, I'm sorry for cancelling but as you can see" I point to my face "I kind of lost the will to be out in public"
He looks closer at the bruise and then his eyes travel down to my lips "busted lip too" he whispers "you don't have to tell me what happened, but you should tell someone"
He's right, I know he is, I should tell the police what happened and Danny should be locked up. I can't put my sisters life in danger though.
"I'm fine, it's all sorted out now"
"Your face is busted and bruised, that doesn't seem fine to me" He says, a deep concern lacing his voice.
I shake my head "He just overreacted its over"
"He? Jesus... did you call the police?"
I nod "of course, but by the time they got here we had already fixed everything, so I sent them away... do you want something to drink?" I ask, trying desperately to change the subject. I don't want to talk about this anymore and I don't want to keep lying to Jacob.
"Water would be nice" he says "thank you"
I lead him into the kitchen and grab him a bottle of water out of the fridge. "So whats this perfect remedy you have for bruises?"
He takes a drink and chuckles "have any vinegar?"
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Apparently Jacob had a background in the military, he was a doctor for the soldiers wounded in battle. That's how he knew about the vinegar remedy. He'd use it on the soldiers to bring the swelling down if they got hurt. It worked wonders, my face wasn't swollen the next day and it wasn't as painful anymore.
Jacob stayed with me that afternoon, we went out on my balcony and watched the sunset, talking about little things here and there, but really just enjoying each others company.
He told me about London and all of his adventures traveling the world. Africa was his favorite because of the wildlife and China was his least favorite because it felt most like home. He said the streets of China were just like the streets in New York City - busy, crowded, and full of pollution.
I was fascinated by his stories and never wanted them to end. I think that's when I started to fall for him. He was kind and adventurous, he cared about me and stayed to make sure that I was okay. He was funny and made me smile.
