For Nick (22 page)

“You can’t pay, then I call police. You don’t eat here if you can’t pay,” the owner said angrily.

“There’s no need to call the police. I promise you, I can pay. My husband is Zachary Drake and he will see to it that you get your money.”

“I don’t know any Zachary Drake. I don’t care who you are. You can’t pay, then I call police.”

Andie tried Zach’s cell several more times.
Please, please answer your phone, Zach.
Andie was beginning to feel light-headed and nauseous. She broke out into a cold sweat. This was humiliating.

“You get husband?” the owner asked again.

“No, not yet.”

“That’s it, I call police.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Yes, you can’t pay. You stealing from me.”

Andie leaned forward in her chair, holding her head in her hands. This had to be a nightmare she was about to wake up from. This couldn’t really be happening. What did they want her to do? The dishes?

When the police arrived, she told them her story three times over. They kept questioning her as if they were trying to trip her up and make her say something to vindicate herself. She began to wonder what they wanted her to admit to.
Yes, I’m secretly a bag lady and I just wanted a free gourmet lunch
.

“She don’t pay, then I press charges,” the owner told the police mercilessly, his accent sounding thicker the angrier he became.

She called Zach again. “Zach…” She breathed in deeply to control her emotions. “Please come back to the restaurant. There seems to be a problem with the credit card and I have no other way to pay the bill. Could you please come and help me?” She paused, trying to control the tremor in her voice. “The police are here. I really need your help.”

The police spoke privately to the owner for several minutes. Then they approached her again. “I’m sorry, ma’am, we’re gonna have to take you in. Mr. Anthony has insisted on pressing charges.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re gonna have to come with us till this can be worked out.”

“Am I under arrest?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m afraid so.”

Stunned, Andie told them, “This isn’t necessary, I’m not a criminal. I promise you this bill will be paid.” They approached her and she backed up, moving away from them.

“Ma’am, please turn around, we have to take you to the station.”

“No…” Andie started to panic as she continued to evade them. This was ridiculous, they couldn’t arrest her. Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe and her heart was about to explode in her chest. “Please, there’s no need to do this. I told you, I can pay this bill.”

“Are you resisting arrest, ma’am?”

“No! I’m not doing anything. I haven’t done anything wrong. Let…let go of me!” she yelled as she struggled frantically in their arms.

Andie panicked as they grabbed her, roughly pushed her against the wall, forced her hands behind her and placed handcuffs on her wrists. She struggled until the click of the handcuffs rang out in the room with finality.

Then the fight went out of her. This was really happening. She was being arrested. She hung her head in humiliation. To make matters worse, they paraded her through the front entrance of the restaurant to take her to the patrol car. She kept her head down, not looking anyone in the eyes.

Welcome to my life
.

Upon arrival at the station, they took her statement, her picture, and then removed the handcuffs only long enough to take her fingerprints. They took all of her personal belongings and placed them in a bag. She’d never been in trouble with the law in her entire life and she was scared to death. Suddenly her life was in someone else’s hands, she was at their mercy. It was not a good feeling, in fact, it was terrifying. She was allowed one last phone call, so she tried Zach’s cell again. “Zach,” her voice cracked. “I’ve been arrested.” There was a long pause. “Could you please come and help me? Please hurry.” She had no one else to call. It seemed Zach was making himself inaccessible to her and she was helpless.

They walked her down a long corridor of cells and the other women whooped and hollered at her. They whistled and guffawed, and made crude comments. She never made eye contact with any of them. They removed her handcuffs and placed her in a small cell with an uncomfortable looking cot, a sink, and a toilet. There was absolutely no privacy. Other than the back wall, the walls of the cell were all bars and everyone could see what everyone else was doing. The women continued to yell things like, “Hey sweetie,” and “C’mon over here, cutie pie.” Andie tried to block them out.

Zach will come for me. He’ll be here soon. He won’t let them keep me in here
…
he won’t.

She sat down gingerly on her cot, trying to force down nausea at the rotten, stale urine smell that seemed to permeate every corner of the cell. Suddenly, rough hands grabbed her hair and her blouse and she felt herself drag along the surface of the cot until she was pulled back against the bars with a loud thump that knocked the air out of her. Two hands groped at her, pulling at her blouse and ripping it in half. Stunned, it took Andie several moments to realize what had happened.

The woman in the cell next to her had reached right through the bars and grabbed her. Her hands were everywhere, groping her, grabbing at her, squeezing her painfully.

When she could catch her breath, she screamed as loud as she possibly could, a bone-chilling scream that rent the air with the sound of pure terror. Once she started screaming, she didn’t stop, not for anything. One of the woman’s hands tried to cover her mouth, to muffle her screams, while the other hand continued its assault on her. Andie tried to fight her off but the woman was much stronger than she was. The other women were yelling and chanting for their cellmate, egging her on.

Finally, a policewoman came running in at the sound of the commotion. She had to enter the other woman’s cell and pull her off Andie, whereupon, Andie immediately ran to the toilet and was wretchedly ill.

“Stay away from the sides of the cell, Drake!” the policewoman yelled, as if it was her fault.

Andie collapsed against the back wall of the cell and curled into a ball, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. She buried her head in her knees and breathed in and out, slow, deep cleansing breaths, trying to calm down.
Please come Zach, please help me, please save me
. It was all she could think, the words playing in her mind repeatedly. She sat between the commode and the sink, staring at a rusty pipe that slowly leaked onto the floor. A small puddle had formed in the cracked concrete. It was dank and musty, but the cot and her neighboring cellmate held unheard of horrors that were worse than a rank, clammy floor.

When dinner was pushed into her cell on a small tray, she didn’t move from her spot. She didn’t dare. The thought of food made her retch uncontrollably. She began to shiver with fright. It was dinnertime. That meant Zach must be close to being done with his workday. He’d get his messages soon and he’d be here. Zach was not a cruel man, he wouldn’t make her stay in jail.

He’ll be here, he will be here. Anytime now
.
Hurry Zach, please hurry. I need you.

When an inky black darkness entered the high, barred windows and silence began to fall over the jail, Andie knew it was getting late. Clouds shifted and pale moonlight filtered in, bathing the cell with strips of illumination. She imagined what Zach must be doing. He was probably working late, hasn’t had time to check his cell, and is completely distracted by other matters. In her mind, she walked him through his nightly routine, knowing he’d be here as soon as possible.

Any minute now
…
he’ll be walking through those doors to save me. I know he will. He would never do this to me.

Please, Zach, please
…

-19-

However, when the hours continued to pass and there was no sign of Zach, it finally dawned on Andie…he wasn’t coming. It took several minutes for her mind to comprehend the fact, the ugly reality.

He was letting her stay a night in jail.

How long would he make her stay in here? He must really hate her. How else could he do such a thing? He didn’t want her anymore. He’d made it perfectly clear that he didn’t want to speak with her, that he could hardly stand the sight of her. Cami was his true love and once she’d stepped back into the picture, Andie became nothing but a bad memory, a lapse in judgment. Maybe he and Cami were having a good laugh over it. Zach must have cancelled her credit card. He had full access to her bank account. He knew how much money she had, which was zero. Therefore, he knew full well she didn’t have the money to pay the restaurant bill. It was all a set-up. Why else would he have invited her along for lunch? This must have been his plan all along. He’d probably received every last one of her messages. He was ignoring her. He’d probably had a good laugh every time his cell phone rang that afternoon.

Nick will be wondering how I am. Nick will miss me. Nick will be worried.

Cold, icy numbness washed over her and she curled herself into a ball even tighter. How long would he let her rot in here? She couldn’t fool herself into thinking there was even a remote chance for them anymore. It was over between them, utterly, totally, and completely over.

The thought left her gasping for air.

The baby. How was she going to care for this child on her own? How could she possibly manage her life?

She didn’t sleep that night, not one wink. She sat in a cold, lonely, jail cell, shivering and feeling sick as a dog. She worried over her baby, knowing it needed her to eat something, provide some sort of nourishment to it. The problem was, she knew if she tried, it would just come right back up.

A deep, dark despair overcame her, a cold feeling of blackness that she’d never felt before. It took her over and overwhelmed her. She could do nothing but sit and stare, and tell herself to breathe in, breathe out, as every agonizing second passed on a long, lonely, sleepless night. There was nothing left inside of her, no energy, and no strength.
Protect the life inside of you, nothing else matters.
She completely shut down and turned herself off, pulling everything inside of herself, she turned inward—
just survive, just live through this
—it was all she could do.

Don’t think, don’t feel, just
…
be
.

The time passed, every second crawling by with agonizing clarity. She could literally feel the time passing—every excruciating minute.

Soon a lunch tray was served, telling her what time of day it was. She had no recollection of breakfast. She couldn’t feel her stomach anymore, no hunger pangs, nothing. She couldn’t feel anything and she wondered if her baby was still living. She hadn’t moved from the place that she’d sat after the lady next to her had attacked her. She occasionally whispered to her, trying to entice her to come close to her and Andie ignored her completely. Her remarks were crude and disgusting, saying things that Andie had never heard uttered before in her life.

A huge commotion began in the jail cell, the whooping and hollering starting up again, and Andie knew someone new was being added to the mix. She should warn her to stay away from the sides of the cell, but she didn’t have the strength.

“Drake! Get up, you’re outta here!” she heard the policewoman yell loudly. Andie didn’t move, she wasn’t sure she could. She heard the key rattle in the lock. She heard the policewoman talking above the screams. “She’s been like this the whole time. Won’t eat, won’t move. Thinks she’s too good for us.”

It was then that the screams registered in Andie’s mind. “Hey handsome,” “Hey baby, come in here with me, I’ll show you a good time,” and “No wonder she didn’t want to play, look what she has at home.”

Then she heard his voice, a million miles away and yet soft in her ear.

“Andie? Andie, sweetheart, it’s Zach. C’mon, I’ll take you home. Let’s go home now, baby.”

Zach’s voice penetrated the cold fog that held her down. Very slowly, she looked up at him wondering if he was real or if she’d imagined him to her. She felt the warmth of his hands on hers, burning into her cold skin. He pulled her to her feet and her legs gave out on her. She felt warmth engulf her as he placed his jacket over her shoulders. Somewhere in the depths of her soul, she knew she shouldn’t trust him—that this was not her salvation. She fought his touch at first, but he was a way out of the fog and she knew she had to fight to get out. She had to kick, claw, and scream her way out. It was the only way back to Nick. She leaned against him heavily and he held her in his arms.

“Why is my wife’s blouse torn?” she heard him ask icily, his voice like steel.

“One of the other ladies attacked her. No harm done, she’s perfectly fine. I broke it up myself.”

Zach looked down upon Andie. She was stiff in his arms and ice cold. At first she stared into the distance and he wondered if she even knew who he was. Then she let her head hang dejectedly and there seemed to be no life in her, as if she was a zombie, the living dead. She folded her arms over her chest tightly, pulling her blouse closed and shied away from him when he tried to hold her. She could hardly stand upright, however, and if he didn’t hold onto her, she would’ve fallen over. He hugged her to him fiercely and kissed her forehead. She seemed to be in a state of shock.