⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING, PRECIOUS! Mention of Abuse & Suicide! ⚠️
That Friday, Aaliyah and I had the whole day to ourselves, so that evening, we returned to Grady's for karaoke and dinner. This time, Aaliyah wore a pink and yellow dress, and I wore a pink onesie with another squeaky little tail. I knows people will look at me funny, but I never let it bothers me. I loves my sweet little tail so much. It feels like a part of me.
When we arrived, we looked for Máiréad, and sure enough, we saw her sitting at the same table she sat at the night we met her. We approached her. She was looking down at the table, seemingly very deep in thought.
"Hey, Máiréad," Aaliyah greeted.
"Hi, Máiréad!" I exclaimed, ready to give her the biggest hug, but stopped myself.
She suddenly looked up, and jumped out of her seat when she realized who it was. "You—you came back?" she stammered, looking as though she was ready to burst into tears.
"We sure did," Aaliyah said with a cute little smile on her face.
"I—I didn't think I'd see you again," she said as she looked straight at me, fighting the urge to cry.
"Awww, we could never forgets you. We loved meeting you that night."
"Really?" Máiréad seemed surprised.
"Of course, Precious." I could see she was on the verge of tears. "Awwww, I'm so sorry I wasn't here last week. We had an important gig to do, but I promise I did not forgets you."
And, with that, she finally broke down sobbing.
"Awwww, come here, Sweetie." I wrapped my arms around her, and pulled her into a warm, tight hug.
She returned the hug, and held onto me for dear life.
"You know, we were hoping we'd finish the gig early," said Aaliyah, "just so we could come see you."
"You really wanted to see me again?" She seemed surprised at that statement.
"Yeah. You have an amazing voice, and we wanted to hear you sing again."
"And, so sweet you were," I added. "We were so happy to make a new friend."
"Wow," Máiréad said, still seemingly surprised.
"I'm so sorry we didn't makes it back in time to see you."
"No, it's okay," she sniffled. "I'm not mad at you."
I smiled warmly at her. "Awww, okay, Sweetie. Is it alright if we sits with you?"
"Yeah, that'd be great."
So, I sat next to her, and Aaliyah sat across from her.
"What was that?" Máiréad snickered.
"What was what?" Aaliyah asked.
"That squeak."
"Oh!" I giggled. "That's my tail!" I bounced in my seat, making my tail squeak.
Máiréad snickered. "That's funny!"
"I know! Isn't it cute?"
"Yeah, it's awesome. It's really cool that you wear onesies in public, and you don't care if people stare at you."
I giggled again. "Not at all. Gotten funny looks and stares my whole life, Precious. Doesn't bothers me anymore, no."
"That's really awesome. I wish I could stop caring so much about what people think of me."
"Awww, you'll get there someday, Sweetheart."
"Thanks."
"Hey, welcome back!" our waitress, April, greeted us as she placed menus on the table. "Can I start y'all with something to drink?"
"Sweet tea, please?" Aaliyah asked.
"Water, please," I added.
"And, you probably want Dr. Pepper with no ice, right?" April guessed.
"Yep," Máiréad replied.
"Alright. I'll be right back."
"So, what was the gig last week?" Máiréad asked.
"Oh, it was an open mic night," Aaliyah explained. "We were trying to get different gigs all over Ashfolk."
"Did you get any?"
"Oh, we sure did. We got e-mails and calls up the wazoo."
"Whoa, that's so cool!"
"Yep, we had our first official gig this past Tuesday at a nursing home, and we have a whole bunch lined up for the next few weeks."
"None on a Friday night yet, though, Precious," I added.
"But, if we do get one on a Friday night, we want you to come watch us."
"That would be great," said Máiréad.
"Actually, you can come to any of the gigs you want."
"Okay, cool. I need to get out of my house anyway." Her voice darkened with that statement.
"Aww, is everything alright?" I asked, concerned.
"Well, I—"
"Here we are," April said as she placed our drinks in front of us. "Sweet tea for you, ma'am."
"Thank you," Aaliyah said.
"Water for you, sir."
"Aww, thank you," I said.
"And, Dr. Pepper for you, no ice."
"Thank you," Máiréad said.
"Are you guys ready to order, or do you need a minute?"
"I'm ready," Máiréad replied.
"Okay. Pepperoni Pizza with Ranch on the side?"
"Yep."
"And, a basket of Tortillas with Queso Cheese?"
"Yepperdoodles."
We all giggled, including April.
"You know, that sounds really good," said Aaliyah. "I think I'll have the same thing."
"Yes, and me, too," I added.
"Okay," said April as she wrote down our orders. "Can I get you anything else?"
"Sugar please?" Aaliyah asked.
"Of course. I'll be right back."
"Thank you," we all said at the same time.
April smiled at us as she walked away.
"The pizza here is really good," said Máiréad.
"Oh, I don't doubt that," said Aaliyah. "We had some good food here last time."
I nodded in agreement.
"What did you get?" asked Máiréad.
"I think we both got the chicken tenders."
"Oh, those are good, too. So, when's your next gig?"
"Oh, Monday afternoon. We're performing at the Ashfolk Children's Hospital."
"Oh, cool!"
"Yeah, we're excited. We're gonna do Disney songs."
"Oh, I love Disney songs."
"Me, too."
"Especially Disney Princess songs."
"Oh, yeah, I do, too."
Soon, our dinners arrived, and we very quickly learned that Máiréad was right. The pizza was wonderful, and the Tortillas and cheese were delicious, too. I never had Tortillas before, but I loved them when I tried them.
Then, a bit later, Effie turned on the music to indicate that it was time for karaoke. Máiréad hurried up to sign her name on the list, and we followed, also signing ours.
After Effie sang, it was Máiréad's turn. She sang her version of "Heavy" by Linkin Park again, and now that I knew her story, the song made so much more sense to me. Everything seemed so heavy for her, and she couldn't seem to escape it.
Then, it was my turn to sing, and I sang "The Messenger" by Linkin Park. When I returned to the table, poor Máiréad was in tears.
Aaliyah went up to sing her song, She sang "One More Light," also by Linkin Park.
Máiréad continued crying, and I held her in my arms as we listened to Aaliyah sing so beautifully.
"Wow, three Linkin Park songs in a row," Effie joked when the song ended. "Beautiful job, Sweetie. Let's hear it for Aaliyah."
Everyone clapped as she came back to the table where Máiréad was still sobbing.
"Awww, Máiréad," Aaliyah said sympathetically, "you okay, Honey?"
"Yeah, I'm good," Máiréad sniffled. "That was just really beautiful."
She tried to hide it, but I could see in her eyes that something else was going on. It wasn't just being touched by two songs in a row. Something was wrong, and it worried me.
"Awww, are you sure you're alright, Sweetie?" I asked.
Máiréad could tell from my tone of voice and the look on my face that I knew something wasn't right. "I... I can't talk about it," she stammered.
"Alright, Sweetie," I said sadly. "I won't pressures you, but I wants you to knows you can talks to me if you needs to. I won't judges you. I promise."
She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She looked around the room. It was very crowded, and there were a few people nearby. She tried to talk again. "I... I can't... say it... here. It's too personal."
"Oh," Aaliyah responded, finally grasping Máiréad's hesitancy to open up. "I think she wants to tell you in private."
"Oh, alright," I said. "We waits until later."
"Oh, you don't have to wait. There's a patio behind the restaurant. Nobody's out there. You can go sit out there and talk."
"Do you wants to talk outside, Precious?"
"Yeah," Máiréad replied.
"Okay," said Aaliyah. "The patio's that way." She pointed toward the back door. "I'll come get you when it's time to sing again."
"Alright. Let's go."
We both stood up from our seats, and picked up our drinks. She took hold of my arm, and I led her out to the patio. Aaliyah was right. Nobody was out there. It was only the two of us. There was a lovely sitting area resembling an outdoor living room. We sat down on the couch together, and set our drinks on the coffee table. I looked at her. Poor thing was shaking. I gently took her hand, and held it in both of mine. "It's alright, Precious. You don't have to be afraid to talk to me. I won't hurts you, and I promise I won't judge you at all."
"Promise you won't tell anyone?" she asked as her voice trembled.
I gave her a loving smile in hopes of letting her knows she could trust me. "I promise," I said sweetly.
"I mean, you can tell Aaliyah, but..."
I giggled. "Alright, Sweetie."
"Okay." She took a deep breath, and told me her story. I knew of some of it from what Aaliyah told me, but I did not let her know, as I did not want to frighten her. She told me of her abusive ex-boyfriend, how awful he was to her, and what happened after she breaksed up with him.
"Now, his friends and family are torumenting me," she sniffled. "They keep sending me hate messages on Facebook and Instagram. I block them, but they keep creating new accounts. They drive by my house, and egg and TP everything."
"What's TP?"
"Like, they throw toilet paper everywhere, and they wrap it around stuff."
"Oh, no, so awful that is."
"They even throw rocks at my bedroom window, and shout really mean things to me."
"What do they say to you?"
"They call me ugly and stupid and worthless..." She wiped more tears from her eyes, "and they tell me I should kill myself, because the world would be a better place if I was gone."
My heart shattered once again.
"They write all that shit in their messages on Facebook and Instagram, too, and they even make public posts about me. They tell everyone I'm a horrible person who drove my ex to suicide, because I abused him so badly. Now, people I don't even know are sending me messages, and saying the same stuff to me. Now, I can't even leave my house without hearing 'kill yourself, you worthless piece of shit' from people passing by." She finally broke down sobbing. "The other night, I actually tried to kill myself. I took some pills, but I was already feeling sick from stress, so I threw them up."
"Oh, no, Sweetheart," I said sympathetically, desperately trying not to cry.
"I don't wanna be here anymore. I can't escape it. I don't even feel safe in my own home anymore. And, everybody hates me, so I have nowhere to go."
"Aww, come here." Her sobbing escalated as I pulled her into a warm hug. "It's alright. Everybody doesn't hates you. I promise. I don't hate you. Aaliyah doesn't hates you. Everyone here doesn't hates you."
"They don't know what happened."
"But, I knows... and I still don't hates you, not at all, Precious. I don't knows you that well, but I sees into your heart. You are a good person. Such a beautiful heart you have. Such a precious soul you are. You don't deserves any of this pain that has been inflicted on you. I'm so sorry these people can't sees what a special person you are."
She continued sobbing as she held onto me for dear life.
"Awwww, you poor thing." I gently caressed her hair and backside. "It'll be alright. Sméagol is here. Sméagol is here for you, Precious. It'll be alright. You're safe with me."
"I don't wanna go home," she wept. "I can't deal with another night of this."
"I knows. I knows, Sweetie."
"Sorry for dumping all this on you."
"Aww, don't be sorry. You're not dumping anything on me, not at all. You can tells me anything."
"Thanks, Sméagol," she sniffled. "You're the nicest person I've ever met."
"Awwwwww!" I hugged her tightly. "Bless your precious heart."
We talked for a while, until it was time for us to sing again. Afterwards, we returned to the patio to talks some more. Aaliyah soon joined us, and with Máiréad's permission, I told her everything she told me.
Soon, karaoke was over, and it was time to go home. Máiréad excused herself to the lady's room as Aaliyah and I talked quietly. When she emerged, she looked at me one last time before she wrapped her arms around me, holding onto me for dear life once more. I returned the embrace, hugging her tightly, and caressing her gently. Even Aaliyah joined in hugging and consoling her.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay," Aaliyah said warmly. "Listen, while you were in the bathroom, Sméagol and I were talking, and if you're comfortable with it, we have an extra bedroom you can stay in."
Máiréad perked up a bit, but we could see she was hesitant. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"Absolutely."
"But... I don't have any money to pay rent."
"I don't care about that. We don't want you to be alone in that house with everything going on."
"I..." She was speechless, but I could tell she wanted to come home with us.
"Sweetie, I swear it's not a problem. You're not an imposition. Honestly, it would be great to have another housemate." Aaliyah glanced at me. I was beaming from ear to ear. "Look how excited Sméagol is. He really likes you a lot."
"Awww, I do," I said lovingly as I continued holding her. "I do, Precious."
Máiréad took a deep breath. "Okay," she said. "Um, is... it okay if I get some stuff?"
"Of course," said Aaliyah. "We'll wait in the car while you pack whatever you wanna bring."
"Okay. Um... so, like... how long should I stay?"
"As long as you want, Honey. Give it a try for a few days. If you like it, you can move in with us, and we'll even help you move your things. Okay?"
Máiréad burst into tears once more, but this time, they were tears of relief. "Thank you so much," she sobbed. "You don't know what this means to me."
"Awwww, Precious..." I said as I squeezed her a little before releasing her. "Come, we go get your things."
So, Aaliyah and I waited patiently in the car, outside Máiréad's house while she packed her bags. We were absolutely horrified at the disgusting mess people had left on her property. Egg and toilet paper was everywhere. It was too much for the poor thing to clean herself. Aaliyah and I decided we would clean it for her the next day.
After only thirty minutes, Máiréad hurried outside with three bags—her computer bag, containing her laptop and other bits of technology, a larger bag which contained her clothes and personal items, and her purse. Aaliyah helped her pack them all into the trunk, and I decided to sit in the back seat with her to keep her company and comfort her if she needed it.