The Saxophonist

Chapter Two

When we arrived at Achara's, Claire, one of the waitresses, (who knew us well because we'd been there so many times before) greeted us and showed us to our favourite table, nestled next to the window in a pool of warm afternoon sunlight. "What can I get for you guys today?" she asked with a friendly smile. Amanda ordered her usual Tom Yum and I got one of my three favourites, Gaeng Daeng, which is a Thai Red Curry. As soon as Claire has left, Amanda starts rambling. "Well? What did you want to tell me? You seemed really nervous about it, like you didn't really want to tell me. You're not breaking up with me, are you? Because if you are-" I cut her off by putting my index finger on her lips. "Shhh, babe. I'm not breaking up with you. If one of us ends this relationship, it definitely won't be me. I would never give up someone as amazing as you." A shy smile graces her face, accompanied by a peachy blush. "Oh, don't get all cringey on me now. You're being so soppy!" I grin my Cheshire cat grin. "Oh, stop pretending. I know you love my cheesy rom-com pick-up lines" I give her a saucy wink and blow a kiss for good measure. Mands just laughs. "Ok, ok, that's enough. What did you want to tell me then?" I cringe, pulled back into the icy reality by her seriousness. "Well..." I stop, take a deep breath and gather the courage to tell her. "Well, Mands, the thing is, you've told me all about your life and your childhood and your family, but you don't know anything about mine. All you know is that I was orphaned at a young age and that I got into the university on a scholarship because of my saxophone skills. But there's a lot more to my past than that. I have to tell you-" right at that moment Claire arrives with our food. I take my bowl and try to smile gratefully, but I can feel my hands quaking. God, what's wrong with me? Why am I so scared? I should really just tell her. I take a tentative nibble of my curry before setting my spoon down, inhaling deeply and looking her in the eye. "Mands, listen. I know this story might shock you, but I need you to listen till the end, ok?" Amanda nods, looking nervous. "Well, I should probably start at the beginning. I was orphaned at three when I my parents were murdered out on a date. The babysitter called the cops when they never came home. She also took care of me until they found a foster home for me. It was a group home, a woman who fostered a bunch of us, but only for the money the state sent her for taking care of us. She didn't take care of us. She was abusive, an addict, and she definitely didn't love us like a parent." I ramble without taking a single breath.

Amanda gasps and I recover my lacking oxygen. I can't stop, because if I stop, I won't be able to finish. "The youngest one was a little girl called Max. I was eleven when Regan- our foster mother- adopted her. Max was only six then. She stayed with us for six months before she died when she fell down the stairs. Everyone mourned the tragedy and pitied us, but I was too angry to accept it. Because it wasn't a tragedy. It was murder. You see, Max was young. Young kids cost a lot. They need feeding and constant attention. On top of that, Max was a very loud, excitable little girl." Another deep breath, a sip of water, and a glance up at Amanda's stunned face. "Regan got annoyed. She got more and more irritated with Max every day. So she got rid of Max. I was stupid enough to threaten her, told her I saw the whole thing and I was going to the police."

"The bruises were so bad that she had to keep me home the whole week. She didn't let me out after that. She took me to school herself, and picked me up outside my class every afternoon. I wasn't allowed out of the house any other time, and she gave me regular warnings in the form of bruises in order to remind me that there would be serious trouble if I ever opened my mouth to anyone." I look up and meet her shocked, open-mouthed stare, and this time my gaze doesn't shift back down. I stare into her beautiful hazel eyes and wish I didn't have to burden her with this awful story.

"I haven't told anyone about this since I left the house. You're the first person I've had the courage to tell. And I need help, Amanda. I left the other kids there with that murderer. Four other kids, all in the care of a woman who pushed a six year old girl down the stairs to meet her death because she cost too much. I have no idea what she could have done to them. Oh, Mands, I love them like they're my own siblings, and I left them there with that evil monster!" I gasp for breath and collapse backwards into my chair. It takes me about ten seconds to get my breathing back to normal. I sit forward and rest my head with my hands at my temples. When I finally have the strength to look up, I meet Amanda's eyes. She stares at me, aghast. "Dani... I-I don't know what to say. How-" She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, they're glinting. A single tear escapes her efforts and trickles down her cheek.

As I watch her, another emotion creeps into her eyes. A steely determination shines through her tears. She takes a deep breath and then says forcefully, "I'll help you. I'll help you find them, and I'll help you get that evil woman in prison, where she deserves to be. I'm in this with you, because I love you and want you to be happy, and I can see you won't be happy until you have made sure that every single one of those kids made it safely out of there and found a happy, loving family. I'll help you find your family. We'll find a way together, I promise." She takes a breath. "But for now, eat your curry. When we're done we'll start figuring out how we're going to find those kids, ok?" I smile and nod. How did I manage to end up with someone so wonderful? "Thanks, Mands. You have no idea how much that means to me. This has been sitting on my chest for so long, it feels like my lungs are finally starting to open up again. I love you." Mands smiles for the first time since I started my story. "I love you too. I'm so glad you opened up to me. I hate seeing you in pain, and I want to face all your problems with you like you've done for me. Together, we'll solve this." I smile and pick up my spoon. "Thanks, you're amazing. Let's eat now, before the food gets cold." Amanda nods and picks up her chopsticks and takes a piece of shrimp out of her soup. "Ooh, yum! I love Tom Yum!" I laugh at her cheesy pun and start eating. As I sit with Amanda in our special little corner in our favourite Thai restaurant, I feel my worries melting away in the warm sunlight. As long as I have Amanda with me, I know I can make it through this. With her by my side, I feel like the most powerful woman in the world.