Stranger

Nora

           

I wished I hadn't been so open with Vanessa because now my dad wasn't going to let me go over to my mom's as long as Larry was there.  But, Vanessa was so easy to talk to.  She came into my room acting all concerned and slowly got me to open up.  I could tell my dad was beyond pissed that Larry had laid a hand on me.

My mouth had often gotten me in trouble in the past.  It wasn't the first time one of mom's boyfriends had raised a hand to me.  Mom slapped me sometimes when I mouthed off to her.  That's just the way it was.  Now that I lived with the Mirandas, I saw that much of the rest of the world operated differently.  There was no hitting and slapping in the Miranda household.  There was talking, and sometimes that was worse.

I woke up the next morning and immediately grimaced as I sat up in bed.  Thank goodness Lin and Vanessa weren't making me go to school today.  I wouldn't be able to handle sitting in the rock hard chairs at school.  Lin was going to e-mail my teachers to see if he could get some of my work sent as attachments.  He was going to stay home with me today.

I'd slept in until 10:00, so Vanessa and Sebastian had long since left.  Franky was hanging out in his high chair, snacking on Cheerios when I walked into the kitchen.  Lin was working on his laptop.

"Morning, sweetheart," he greeted me as I went to the pantry to get something to eat.  "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," I told him.  It was nice to have a day off school when I was physically feeling fine, other than a bruised butt.

"A couple of your teachers have emailed me back some of your work," he told me.  "I'm just about to print it out.  Lucky you."

I smirked at that as I poured myself a bowl of Cap'n Crunch.  I stood at the breakfast bar and ate my cereal.

"Nora, has this happened to you before?" He asked me as I ate.

"Yeah, a few times," I admitted.  "Sometimes mom gets boyfriends who think they can control me.  Mom slaps me sometimes."

Dad shook his head in disgust.  "I'm sorry, baby.  I'm gonna try to make sure that never happens again."

"How?"

He sighed and put his linked hands on top of his head.  "I'm thinking about getting a restraining order against him.  But first I need to talk to your mom."

That seemed a bit extreme.  If he told my mom she couldn't see me if Larry was around, he'd be gone in a heartbeat.  Dad continued to work as I finished off my breakfast.  I went back to my room to get new clothes and hopped in the shower.  When I got out I went to my room and laid on my tummy on my bed.  Lin had put my assignments so far on my bed, so I picked one and got to work.  Without the distraction of other kids, I was able to breeze through it pretty quickly.  By lunchtime, I was done with the assignments I'd been given.

I went out to the kitchen to get some lunch.  Lin made me a sandwich and I got some soda out of the fridge.  Since none of my other teachers had emailed him back yet, I spent the afternoon reading and watching TV.  I got some cuddles in with Francisco as well.  Lin was on the phone much of the afternoon, and I assumed one of the calls involved my mom because he disappeared to his bedroom. When Vanessa arrived home, she gave me a hug. 

"How are you feeling?" She asked as she picked up Franky.

"I'm fine," she said.

"Mind if I take a look at your bruises later?" She asked, and I shrugged my shoulders.  I'd taken a peek in the mirror and it looked pretty bad.  Hopefully it was starting to fade a bit.  The rest of the evening was a flurry of activity as dinner was made and the boys were taken care of.  Once they'd been put to bed, Vanessa paid me a visit.  She came with a pack of ice and a bottle.

"I read that ice and aloe vera helps bruises fade a little faster," she told me.  "Why don't you lay down?"

I complied, resting my head on my pillow.  "I'm gonna take a peek, okay?"

I nodded and she gently pulled my cotton shorts and panties down to take a look.  She let in a wincing sound.

"Ouch, Nora," she commented as she carefully put them back in place.  "Here comes the ice."

I braced myself for the cold as she set an ice pack on my bottom.  It actually felt pretty good.  She set the aloe vera down on my night stand.

"Do you want to put this on later yourself, or do you want help from me?"

"I can do it myself later," I told her.

"Okay," she sat down on my bed and stroked my hair.

"Did Lin call my mom today?" I asked her.

"Yeah," she said.  "He told her she wouldn't be coming over if Larry was there.  And that if he did, he'd put out a restraining order and press charges."

I breathed out, imagining my mom having that conversation with dad.  She was like me – she didn't like being told what to do.  She'd been a single mother all her life, and was used to making all the parenting decisions.  Mom didn't like that she was all of a sudden having to answer to Lin.

"Do I still get to go on Friday?"

"As far as I know, yes," she said.  "Anyway.  Do you think you're up for school tomorrow?"

"I don't know," I said.  "Maybe I'll see how I feel in the morning?"

"That sounds fair," she said, getting up.  "Let me know if you need anything."

She got up and left the room, and I just laid there for a while as I let the ice do its work.  After a good 15 minutes, I rolled over and stood up.  I checked that the door was locked and pulled down my shorts and underwear.  I grabbed the bottle of aloe vera and squeezed some into my hand.  Then, I gently began massaging it over my bottom.  The cool lotion felt nice.  I breathed out and collapsed back onto my bed again.  I wasn't really in the mood to hang out with anyone so I just began reading, laying on my stomach.

A while later, I realized I must have fallen asleep because I felt myself being gently shifted to the side so I could be tucked under the sheets.  I allowed myself to be tucked in and felt dad press a gentle kiss to my temple.

"Good night, sweetheart," he whispered, then turned my bedside light off.  Safe.  I felt safe.