Short Stories:
Jake felt Amanda's breath on his cheek. He carefully stroked the side of her face with the back of his fingers. Tenderly he brushed a wisp of hair off her forehead. Jake kissed Amanda's eyebrow, her temple and her cheek.
He marveled at the gift God had given him. He thought of the lonely years; the empty years. He had prayed for someone to share his life with and that prayer had been answered. They hadn't said a word, yet they were speaking to each other about confidence, vulnerability and trust.
***
The siren screamed its final disconsonant blasts as the police cruiser pulled into the driveway down the block. Officer Frank Belleveaux exited the vehicle, straightened his belt and flipped his cap onto his head. The front door was open and Mrs. Winslow stood shivering against the cold. "Good evening Mrs. Winslow," Officer Belleveaux said in monotone. This was not his first visit to this address. He already knew what he'd find. He already knew Mrs. Winslow wouldn't press charges. He already knew Mr. Winslow would be as drunk as a groom at a raucous bachelor party.
"I'm sorry officer, " she said. Her head bowed, she averted her eyes in embarrassment. "I thought…" she stammered.
"I know Mrs. Winslow. You thought your husband was going to hurt you. Did he?"
"No, sir. He yelled a lot and broke a beer bottle against the wall, but he didn't hurt me."
"Mrs. Winslow, in my experience, it's just a matter of time before he does."
"I know officer, but he's all I've got. I have no place to go. What else can I do?"
"I can't tell you exactly what you should do, but there are people and agencies that can help you. I can get some names if you'd like?
Kate Winslow lowered her eyes again. She was grateful for this kind man standing at the bottom of her porch steps. She had dreamed she would marry a kind man who would walk through life by her side. Her aspirations were not lofty. All she wanted was to raise a family and have enough love to go around. A tear rolled down her cheek.
Officer Belleveaux knew she would say no more. "Mrs. Winslow, I'm sorry for your trouble but you are playing with fire. You deserve better, mam."
"I deserve better," Kate Winslow thought. She pulled the ragged shawl tighter around her shoulders and looked up into the night sky. The starry sky once held out the promise of dreams that might come true. "Oh God," she thought, "how have I gotten so lost."
Officer Belleveaux mounted the stairs deliberately. His eyes never left Mrs. Winslow's sad face. As he drew near, he spoke, "I have to go in and check things out so I can file a report." She nodded. In the dim street light he could see tears glistening on her cheeks. "You really deserve better," he said respectfully.
Ed Winslow staggered from the kitchen. "Hey officer, what can I do for you?"
Officer Belleveaux moved closer and placed a large hand on Winslow's chest. Standing six feet four inches and weighing a muscular 230 pounds, he didn't need much effort to pin him against the door jam.
"You are a poor excuse for a man, mister." Every muscle in Officer Belleveaux's body tensed. "Give me an excuse," he thought. "One false move…
In the end, Ed Winslow was a coward and although he had no problem bullying Kate, he wanted no part of Officer Frank Belleveaux.
Six inches from Winslow's face, Officer Belleveaux spoke through clenched teeth. "The next time I come out here you're going downtown one way or another."
Heading back down the steps, he past Kate Winslow once more. "You sure you don't want to press charges?" When she gave no reply, he walked slowly back to his black and white.
Tossing his hat on the passenger seat of the cruiser, Officer Belleveaux sighed deeply. He filled in the final sections of the incident report and tossed the metal report holder onto the seat next to his hat. "It's just not fair," he thought as he spun the tires leaving the driveway.
***
Jake Longley made his way carefully to the bedroom. Amanda sat up in bed, a warm woolly bathrobe loosely hanging from her shoulders. Jake placed a tray on the nightstand. Steam rose from the hot tea he had made. Jake leaned over and gently pulled the robe close around Amanda's neck. He then held the tea up to her lips so she could sip from the cup of warmth he offered.
Down the block Frank Winslow growled for another beer. Kate opened the fridge wondering why she didn't just walk out the door.
***
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