Damaged Ch. 03-04

Teri let it go at that. She didn't want to broach the subject of Sophia again. Lately every time she thought of Alan she thought of that woman. Something about her made Teri fume inside. She shouldn't have felt this way, but the woman felt like...she felt like a rival.

Following Alan's guiding hand, the two of them broke off down a path that went into the woods. Teri settled behind him, allowing him to lead them through the winding rough path amongst the trees and bushes. He ran at a good pace, just enough to really push her heart rate.

They wound their way through the serene woods. The canopy of trees overhead created a vacuum of silence around them, only their footfalls and their breathing could be heard. The woods weren't so dense, lots of space between the trees and the ground was relatively clear of debris so they quickly picked up the pace. Teri was losing her bearings and she hoped that they weren't going to end up lost in the forest. She didn't question Alan, though.

After about an hour of hard running, they slowed down and eventually came to a stop. It seemed like they were in the middle of nowhere. Both of them were perspiring freely. Teri leaned onto her knees recovering her breath while Alan took a sip of water.

After a moment, she walked around, drinking her water and cooling down her muscles as she looked around and upwards amongst the trees "OkayHansel," she said with a coy grin, "Can we find our way home or do we start looking for the witch's candy house?"

Alan packed away his water bottle and pointed to his left. "Down through there." he said, "A couple of minutes walk and we'll be on a rough dirt road that leads to the road by the train tracks."

He seemed to know his way around pretty well.

"Okay," Teri said and started in the direction he had indicated.

Alan turned and headed in the other direction.

"Where are you going?" Teri called to him, "I thought you said this way."

The man beckoned her with his hand and walked on. Teri sighed and followed him through some trees and bushes. After several minutes, the woods thinned out and they came across a small clearing.

"Oh! A pond," Teri looked upon a small body of peaceful water surrounded by tall grass and reeds. It was just a little larger than a full length swimming pool. With the rays of late morning sun sparkling on the surface of the water and a soft breeze gently sweeping the reeds side-to-side, it was a perfectly picturesque scene.

"Nice isn't it?" Alan said softly, staring across the pool. "Calming."

"Is this like your secret place?" Teri asked, arching her brow. She could tell that the man was thinking about something.

Still looking towards the water, Alan reached down and pulled off his shirt.

Teri's mouth slipped open but she only turned her head slightly, looking out the sides of her eyes as she saw Alan quickly kick off his shoes and push down his pants past his black boxer briefs. She didn't have much time to say anything or react when he took a few steps into the water then dove forward. Teri flinched as little flecks of water from his backsplash flew up in the air.

He swam fast to the other end of the pond then paddled around in the middle. Teri couldn't help but smile and chuckle gently as she watched him. She'd never seen Alan look so at peace, like a teenager without a worry in his head. She sat down on a clear patch of earth and continued to watch him wistfully.

"How is it?" she called to him.

Alan gave her the "ok" sign.

Several minutes passed as Teri continued to watch him float on his back. The tranquility she felt slowly shifted into something else as she thought about the man. Keeping her eyes on him, she sat up and slowly drew her arms through the sleeves of her T-shirt.

Alan dove under the water again and came up wiping his face with his hands. He was able to catch Teri, wearing a grey sports bra, as she stood and slipped off her shoes. Her slender hips shifted smoothly as she pushed down her pants revealing matching grey narrow sports panties underneath. She reached back to adjust her underwear around her bum as best she could. Brushing her hair to her ears and holding it there with her fingers, she gingerly stepped into the pond.

It was cool but not cold, Teri noted as the water licked at her feet. A couple of more steps and she dove head first into the water. A refreshing sensation swept over her body. She came up for air with a revitalized gasp. Spinning around, she made the water around her swirl out in circles.

Alan was treading water as he watched her.

"I didn't think it would be so deep, " she said, "It's so murky...I can't even see what's on the bottom."

Alan went underwater. Teri was treading in place trying to see where he was. Suddenly she felt a sharp tug at her ankle, almost pulling her under. She yelped, "Ah! Alan! Hey!"

Diving under the water as well, she chased after the man, grasping at his toes and feet. He managed to evade her.

They resurfaced at the same time, Teri giggling as she wiped the water from her eyes and mouth. They both settled back into treading water, facing one another a couple of metres apart.

Teri regarded the man: his short curly hair was matted down, his normally greyish colour dampened now to a slick black hue. Only his sharp nose and blue eyes were above the water. He looked like an alligator on the prowl.

Without a word, Teri shifted her paddling. Alan watched as she slowly moved towards him like a leaf following a stream's current. Her movements were more deliberate, though. He back-pedalled smoothly with a few waves of his hands.

She was aware of her movements towards him, could sense herself being drawn to the man. She didn't want to stop.

Teri continued to silently follow him, circle him. Eventually, Alan turned away completely and swam back to the clearing. Teri remained floating in the middle of the pond by herself. She didn't look away, just continued to watch him from behind as he emerged from the pond, water rolling down his tanned, sculpted-athletic back. His wet boxers were pulled a third of the way down his pale-beige bum before he cinched them up.

As Teri slowly swam back to the shore, Alan was already pulling on his pants. As she stepped out of the water, she kept an eye on him but found herself not really caring too much if he was stealing a glance. She also had to adjust her underwear, wet and stretchy, as her panties rode low along her waist. Then she bent down to slap away the dirt on her feet and between her toes before slipping on her shoes. Alan did note how her flat creamy coloured tummy curled nicely as she bent down. While he only had his pants on, Teri decided to just wear her T-shirt and allow her legs to dry before putting on her pants.

"Hey," she said, looking around the area, "Is this the pond that the kids might have been talking about? Does that mean the Hobo Hut might be around here?"

Alan paused. "Yeah, it is," he said.

"Can we look for it?" she asked, a small candle of excitement lit under her. Alan shook the dirt off of his shirt.

"Or do you actually know where it is already?"

He turned away from her, picking at the tiniest bits of grit off of his shirt. He looked up high in the sky. The sun was too bright. Things weren't exactly right just yet. They had to be perfect.

"I've got to get going and get some lunch into Dean," he said looking back at her, "Maybe another time."

Alan walked off towards the dirt road. Teri hesitated but then followed after him.

As she walked up beside him she said, "Next time."

"Yes...next time," Alan thought to himself.

By the time they made it back to the house, both had put on the rest of their clothing.

Dean was sitting on the front steps reading a comic book.

"Hi Dean," Teri waved to him, "How are you? Ready for some lunch?"

The boy looked up and smiled. He still didn't say much but she did feel like she was reaching Dean in class.

Teri went to her car while Alan addressed his son, "Get a pot of water on the stove, will you? And take out the green bowl from the fridge."

Dean quickly got up and went into the house.

Alan turned to ask Teri if she wanted to stay for lunch. He saw her standing by her car, a distressed look in her eyes as she glared at her cell-phone.

"Problem?" he asked.

She shook her head but only to clear it of the muddled feelings she had at the moment. She pointed at a text message on her screen. "Greg's coming here... tonight," she said, "He says he wants to talk and apologize."

Alan didn't have to remind himself that he wasn't supposed to know what went on in her house the previous Saturday. "Apologize for what?" he said, "Did you guys have a fight?"

"Uh...no. He...it's hard to explain," she couldn't figure out what to say, "It's just stupid. God! Why is he doing this to me?"

"Do you want to talk to him?"

"What?" she said looking up. Alan looked calmly back.

"It doesn't seem like you want to talk to him."

"No. I don't feel...not right now," she groaned, "But he's coming. He'll be at my house tonight."

"Doesn't mean you have to be there when he arrives," Alan observed.

Teri frowned as she looked at him, searching for an answer. He was so calm.

"What time do you think he'll be there?"

"I don't know," Teri said, "8 or 9 maybe?"

Alan nodded. "Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?" he asked.

**********

After changing his clothes, Alan went into the kitchen. Dean already had the pot of water boiling on the stove and was pouring the contents of the green bowl into another pot.

"I'll take it from here," the man said. Dean went to set the table.

As Alan moved around the stove, he worked his mind. Lots to plan, but he didn't feel anxious about it. He never did.

First things first: Greg. He picked up the phone. He held it for a second to think this out. He could call her, but he knew he was running out of "wishes" she would grant him. This one...he wasn't even sure if she'd do it.

Finally, he dialled the number.

"Hello, Alan," Sophia answered before he even spoke.

**********

"It's too bad Dean couldn't join us," Teri said as she sat down at the restaurant table.

"He's a fussy kid," Alan said sitting across from her, "He won't eat this stuff."

Teri nodded and pursed her lips as she read the front of the plastic covered menu to herself: "Red Barn Chinese Food". They had driven 30 minutes later that evening to a nearby town to go there.

"You said you wanted something exotic," Alan stated.

She gazed at him then barely stifled a giggle.

The building actually was in the shape of a barn. Either the owners took over a place that was formerly something like a Red Barn Country Restaurant, or it was their misguided attempt to connect with the local agricultural community.

As it turned out, the owners were really Chinese and, seeing Teri sit down at a table, a matronly, elderly woman came out from the kitchen shooing away the regular waiters. She spoke briskly and excitedly with Teri whose Cantonese wasn't quite up there but she managed to follow along.

After a couple of minutes, the old woman snatched the menus from their hands, smiling.

"I, uh, think they're going to prepare something off-menu for us," Teri figured, her brows knitting together.

The woman said something else, nudged Teri with the back of her hand, and laughed as she headed into the kitchen.

"She said I'm with a very handsome man tonight," Teri remarked as she looked at Alan.

The man's expression, as usual, was unfazed.

Now Teri laughed. It felt really good.

Their dinner was intentionally casual. Teri had opted to wear a modest rich-lemon yellow, halter dress, that was neck high and dropped to her knees. The lingering warm weather allowed her to get away with wearing just a white button down sweater over it. Alan wore grey jeans and a black, casual dress shirt with rolled up sleeves.

They talked about school and Dean. Teri really wanted to ask Alan about Dean's mother but couldn't bring herself to do so. She was sure he would tell her if she asked but she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable. That's if anything made Alan uncomfortable. He always stayed composed with his emotions. He seemed to be a man who planned things out thoroughly. She wondered how much of the time he spent with her was planned?

As dinner progressed, Teri's mood fluctuated more and more. Distracted, she continued to check her watch. As the plates were cleared from the table she looked very anxious.

"He might be there now," she said.

Alan calmly checked his watch as well.

*********

A blue Corolla pulled up into the driveway and parked behind Teri's car. Greg climbed out and walked quickly up the steps of the darkened porch. The whole house and lawn were dark, only the moonlight casting it's light on the area.

"Teri!" he called out as he pushed the doorbell and rapped on the door, "It's Greg. Can we just talk? I just want to talk. I swear to God!"

He stepped to the side and pressed his face against the window. "Teri?" he called out again.

A large pick up truck pulled up to the curb-side in front of the house. Four men piled out from the cab and back and strode across the lawn towards the house, their faces darkened by caps pulled low and collars turned high.

Greg didn't notice them until they grabbed him.

**********

"You said he'd be there around 8 or 9," Alan said as he sipped his tea.

"But he could wait for me to come home. Or just come back later," Teri said, "Maybe I should talk to him...but I don't know what to say."

Alan lowered his cup. He levelled his gaze onto Teri. Just looking into his stoic blue eyes, eased her. "He may just give up," he said, "We can stay out really late. He'll have no idea what time you're coming home or where you are."

Teri, her small dark eyes still looking anxious, focused on Alan. His eyes, his voice, his whole demeanour, cradled her.

"We can go somewhere else. Greg will eventually figure it out," he said, "He'll be fine."

**********

Greg curled his body up on the front lawn as blows and kicks silently rained down on him. Even if he could look up from his turtle position he would never have been able to see the faces of his assailants. Only the moon was a silent witness. All he heard were grunts and breaths that were immediately followed by a punch or kick to his body. All he smelled through his nostril that wasn't bleeding was the grass his face was buried into. All he tasted was the salty blood in his mouth.

All he felt was pain.

"Not too rough. All he was doing was trespassing, after all," a low, surly voice spoke, "And watch his eyes. He has to be able to see where he's going when we chase his ass out of town."

*********

45 minutes later, Alan's pick-up turned off the road that ran beside the railroad tracks. He switched on his high beams as he slowly drove the truck into the woods, following a path only his eyes saw.

Teri sat quietly in the passenger side staring straight ahead.

They arrived at a clearing amongst the trees and Alan stopped the truck. He climbed out and went to the back. He picked up a Maglite flashlight and switched it on, flooding the area he pointed it at with a radiant white light.

He walked over to the passenger side and opened the door, guiding Teri out of her seat.

Leading her by the hand, the two walked silently into the woods.

The deeper they went, the less Teri thought about Greg. Soon, it was just her and Alan making their way further and further through the bush. There was a faint path they were following but the man was making sure he was clearing away any branches or forest debris that could obstruct Teri.

His hand was wrapped around hers firmly but not in a tight grip. It felt warm even as the night air chilled her exposed skin slightly. She felt like she was being guided along like a found child as Alan confidently lead her through the bush. She was both anxious and eager in anticipation.

Finally they emerged upon a clearing amongst the trees and bushes. Alan lead Teri to walk ahead of him and let her hand go as she stepped forward. He held the flashlight low so that it wouldn't be in her eyes but it was still powerful enough to light up the area with a cool-white glow.

Teri stepped tentatively around the small grounds, the short heels of her shoes sinking a little in the dirt. She tilted her head slightly as she looked at the small wooden structure before her.

Standing between Alan and the shack, she turned to face him, her bob falling across her face covering her right eye. She was cast in white light while the man behind the flashlight was in shadow.

"Hobo Hut," she said softly, a hesitant smile on her lips.

Alan stood still, silently holding the flashlight on her.

To Be Continued...