Saving Kat's Life Pt. 01

I headed home and put my groceries away, then I filled the dishwasher up and started it. I went up to my boys' rooms and grabbed the sheets and pillowcases off their beds. I cleaned their bathroom out and put a new bar of soap in the holder. I carried the bedding down to the basement and started the laundry.

Up the stairs again and into the hall closet. I grabbed the vacuum cleaner and Hoovered the whole house. Emptying the contents into the garbage, I then put the vacuum away. I sat down in my recliner. Well, at least the house was presentable. I don't usually keep it spic and span, as I live alone for the most part, but I felt that I had accomplished something. I looked at my watch and noticed it was 12:30 P.M. I got out of the recliner and went to the kitchen and made myself a ham sandwich and some chips, with a Diet Coke to wash it down. I thought while I ate about how I'd get Kat the help that she needed.

Finishing my lunch, I put my plate in the sink, grabbed my pop can and went into the living room and sat down into my recliner. I took my cell phone out of my cargo shorts and called my buddy who is a State Trooper. You don't work out in the field in the news business without making contacts and friends with some of the police.

"Trooper Sams," he answered.

"Hey Troop, it's Allan Thomas."

"Hey Al! How's things in the news business?" he asked.

"Oh, you know, the same old things. If it wasn't for stupid people, we'd both be out of jobs," I replied.

"Hah, yeah! Isn't that the truth? So, what can I do for you big guy?"

"I have a bit of a sticky situation. Last week I interviewed a group of kids over at The Jitters. They're goth kids. Well, they're not kids as much as young adults. I'd guess between eighteen and twenty-four years old. Anyways, this one guy, named Dax and his girlfriend, Kat, got into an argument and he grabbed her wrist and was trying to drag her out of there. Looked like he was trying to separate her wrist from her arm. I had to kind of step in and get him to let her go."

"He was angry that you were talking to them?" Bob asked.

"I guess so. Maybe just because I happened to talk to her? He told me to fuck off," I replied. "Then he added 'Old Man.'"

"Troublemaker," Bob said.

"Yeah, it seems he is," I agreed.

"No. I meant you. Old Man," he quipped.

"Geez Bob, that borders on police brutality," I sarcastically replied.

"Sue me. So, there's more? Because, right now I don't have enough to go on."

"Yeah. So, I didn't think any more about it other than think this Dax kid is an asshole. Well, I bumped into two of the goth girls at Jitters when I went to get a cup of coffee this morning. Kat, the one whose wrist that kid Dax grabbed, and her friend Angie. I went over and re-introduce myself and to say hello. Well, Kat was wearing these huge sunglasses and she wouldn't look at me."

Bob interrupted, "Can you blame her? I wouldn't want to look at you either."

"Seriously Bob? You know what was behind those sunglasses, right?" I asked.

"Let me guess. Black eyes."

"Yeah."

"Did anyone see him hit her?"

"Kat's roommate Angie was there but she says she went to her bedroom when Kat and Dax started to argue. Then she heard yelling and Kat screaming."

"I'm guessing this Dax kid didn't stick around?" Bob asked.

"Angie said he wasn't there when she ran out but this happened three days ago."

"Hmm. This girl, Kat, does she want to press charges against him?"

"I don't know. I told her that if she didn't get help fast, I'd be covering her murder. I think that got to her. She and her friend Angie are coming over at 5:30 tonight. Think a certain pain in the ass State Trooper could stop by around, say, maybe 6:30 and talk to her? Maybe he could convince her to press charges?"

"Hmmm, well, Trooper Douglas is off so I guess I'll have to stop by," he chuckled. "I'll try to be close by and see if I can stop in."

"Great. Thanks Bob. See you tonight."

I ended the call and looked at the clock. It was a little after one o'clock. I turned on the TV and watched a little History Channel. I heard the washing machine make the call of its people that it was done so I went down and put the bedding into the dryer along with a dryer sheet and hit the start button.

I went and turned off the TV and then swallowed the rest of my diet Coke, throwing the can into the garbage. I ran back downstairs and went into the garage. I hopped into my personal car, a 2015 Mercedes-Benz E350 dark blue four-door sedan and backed out of the garage. I headed out and paid a fortune for thirteen gallons of Premium gas. I left the gas station and drove to the local beer and wine store. I got a bottle of a nice red wine, a bottle of white and a twelve-pack of Yuengling Lager bottles. I'm not much of a drinker but I will indulge a glass of wine or beer with dinner every once in a while. I figured that my houseguests would like some wine with dinner so I should be prepared.

I left the store and got home just in time to hear the dryer stop. I headed up and put the wine and beer in the fridge, then ran downstairs and got the still warm linens and headed upstairs. I put the sheets back on the beds and opened the drapes in their rooms to let the sunshine in.

I didn't have anything else to do until around five o'clock, so I decided to take a nap. I figured it was going to be an emotional evening and I'd better be well rested for it. I plugged my phone in and set the alarm. I proceeded to fall asleep quickly and very soundly. I've always had an easy time falling asleep and today was no exception.

The next thing I knew, my alarm on my phone was beeping and I turned it off. I got up, peed, flushed the toilet and washed my hands. I then went and made up my bed. Hey, a guy has to try and make a good impression, right? I also changed the shirt that Kat had cried all over. I threw on a polo shirt and spritzed a little Old Spice body spray on.

I went downstairs and told Alexa to play some rock music while I got the ingredients out to make dinner for the girls. It was just a box of spaghetti and sauce from a jar. I grabbed my big pot for the water and a smaller pan for the sauce and put them on the stove. I also got a beer from the fridge and cracked it open. I took a draw from the bottle and swallowed. Damn, I loved Yuengling.

I went into the living room and sat in my recliner. Alexa was playing 'Hey Jude' by The Beatles and I was getting into it. I still love their music after all these years. I was quietly singing along with the "Nah nah nah nahhhs" when my phone beeped. It was motion from my front door camera. Kat and Angie were getting out of the Uber and the driver was getting their luggage out of his trunk.

I opened the door and went down to help them with their luggage. "Hi Angie and Kat!" I said as I grabbed their bags. "Welcome to my humble house. Let's get you inside." I saw they were still wearing the same clothes from this morning. Kat had added a large black sun hat that looked quite nice on her.

We walked inside and I left their luggage in the foyer for now. "I'm very happy that you guys made it over and, really, decided to trust me and let me help you," I said.

Angie spoke. "It's a better alternative than waiting for Dax to come around again and hurt Kat." Kat looked down at her feet, knowing her friend was right.

I tried to lighten the mood a bit. "Well, I'm being a bad host. Let me take you on the grand tour of Chez Thomas!" I showed them the living room, dining room and kitchen. I opened the sliding glass door to the patio and showed them the view of the woods I had. Two chairs, a patio table and a lounger plus a gas grill. And the privacy fences on both sides.

We went upstairs and I showed them their bedrooms they'd be staying in. The bathroom they'd have to share and then my bedroom and then my en-suite bathroom. I showed them the linen closet for their towels and then we headed back downstairs.

"I also have a basement which isn't all that interesting. Just my washer and dryer and some boxes. And my garage." I said. "It's all I need being by myself."

Angie kidded around and said, "The basement where you keep your dungeon too?"

"It puts the lotion on its skin, or it gets the hose," I answered back very slowly.

Angie and Kat laughed. Kat spoke for the first time. "It's very nice Mr. Allan. Thank you for letting us stay here."

"I'm happy I can help you, Kat. I'm very happy that you're letting me get you help," I said.

She smiled a little and then looked over my shoulder. "Is that your wife?" she asked pointing at a picture on my fireplace mantle.

"Oh, yes. That's my Anne," I said a little sadly. "She was 21 when that photo was taken."

Kat walked over to it. "She is very pretty. She has beautiful red hair." Angie added, "She has a beautiful smile."

I thanked them both, a slight lump forming in my throat.

"So, would you girls like something to drink? Wine, beer, pop?" I asked.

"We're both twenty years old," Angie said with a semi-serious tone. "We don't drink."

"Suuuure you don't," I answered. "And if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle."

They both broke out in a laugh.

"Besides, what kind of a host would I be if I didn't try to get you drunk and ravish you both?" I put on a clearly over the top, creepy voice.

"Oh no!" Kat said turning to Angie. "He's going to make us his sex slaves!"

"I knew it," Angie said. "Good thing I brought my taser!"

We all laughed at our little jaunt into feigned craziness. "Seriously, you're very safe with me," I said. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

The girls both looked up at me and thanked me.

"So, red wine okay?" I asked. "I'm making spaghetti for dinner."

"Sure, sounds great," they said in unison.

I told them to get comfortable in the living room and I'd be in with their wine shortly.

I went into the kitchen and uncorked the red wine. I poured two small amounts into the glasses and grabbed a beer for myself. I walked into the living room and found them both sitting on the couch. Kat had her shoes off and her knees tucked in under her. Handing them their wine, I said, "Kat, you know you can take your hat and sunglasses off?"

Kat took her hat off and laid it beside her on the couch. She hesitated in taking her sunglasses off.

"It's okay. Nothing to be self-conscious about. The black eyes will go away. No one will be staring at you in here," I told her.

"He's right," said Angie.

Kat slowly took her sunglasses off. The bruising was bad, and her left eye was red from a broken blood vessel. I got angry inside, wanting to tear that Dax creep's head off his body. Kat looked down.

"Never hide those beautiful eyes, Kat. Unless you want to remain a mystery," I told her.

I saw Kat blush a little and she looked up at me. She smiled a little but there was still pain I could see in her eyes. It would take time to let that pain go. I sat down in my recliner.

"Okay, so. Here's the evening that I have planned. I have a friend coming over to talk to the two of you. After he leaves, I'll start dinner and then we can eat. Then, after, we can relax and talk or watch a movie or if you guys like, you can head off to bed."

"Who's the friend coming over?" Kat asked nervously.

"State Trooper Bob Sams. A very good friend of mine. He's going to help you," I explained. "He's off duty so no state car will be outside to draw attention. He's a good guy and I've known him for fifteen years."

Kat took a sip of her wine. I could tell she was a little apprehensive. Angie looked at me. I nodded a little at her.

"Kat, Allan is trying to help. You have to talk to his friend. This won't get solved by letting it go," Angie said. She took a sip of her wine and looked at me.

A tear fell from Kat's right eye. She inhaled deeply and nodded her head. She took another sip of her wine.

"Good. Thank you, Kat," I whispered. "I told you I'd help, and have you meet people that could help you. Well, I wasn't lying to you. I'm following through."

"Mr. Allen?" Kat said, her voice trembling, "Why do you care? Why are you helping me?"

"Because I HATE men that hit women. I think they're cowards and bullies. No man should ever hit a woman. And quite frankly, seeing you with your black eyes, makes me want to beat him within an inch of his life. But he's not worth me going to jail over. Besides, you're too pretty to have black eyes," I told her.

"You think I'm pretty?" she asked.

"Of course, I do. I think you're incredibly pretty. I think you and Angie both are. You're cute and you have a killer smile. And honestly, you don't deserve what is happening to you. I really don't want to see you dead," I told her.

Kat and Angie both blushed. "Dax calls me an ugly whore and a slut," Kat confessed.

"You know you're not, right?" I told her. "You're beautiful, and I've never seen you standing on a street corner, so you're not a slut or a whore," I tried to joke.

"He's such an asshole," said Angie, stating the obvious.

"I agree," I said. Kat looked down again and took a sip of her wine.

She needed her esteem built up it seemed. She was being beaten, belittled and berated for no reason. She needed confidence again. I figured I could talk to her and also get her some professional help.

I looked at the mantle clock. It said it was twenty after six so Bob would be here shortly.

"Bob will be here soon. Let me refresh your drinks," I said.

I got up and took their glasses. Walking into the kitchen, I poured a little more wine and walked out into the living room. Angie had Kat's head on her shoulder and had her arm around Kat. I put their glasses in front of them on the coffee table.

"The first step you take, is the hardest one," I told Kat. She closed her eyes and nodded a little.

I had just sat in the recliner and picked up my beer when my phone went off, telling me someone was in my driveway. Showtime. Bob had arrived.

Bob knocked on the door and I got up and opened it. "Hi Bob, come on in."

"Thanks Al," he said. He stuck his hand out and we shook hands.

"Let me introduce you to the girls. The pretty girl on the left is Angie and the pretty girl on the right is Kat," I told Bob. "Can I get you a beer?"

"No thanks, Al. I really want to talk to the girls here."

"I'll leave you alone to talk to them, then. I'll be upstairs in my bedroom. Call me when you're done," I told Bob.

I headed upstairs to my bedroom and closed the door. I lay on my bed and pulled out my laptop. I hopped on Netflix, but nothing really caught my interest so, I went on Facebook and checked up on my timeline. Noticed a friend from high school was posting again. He had a rough time battling drug addiction. This was the first time I had seen him online in six months. He was talking about his sobriety and how he was fighting every day. I felt happy for him and hopeful. He was a great guy when I knew him way back then. I prayed that he turned his life around.

I heard a soft knock on my bedroom door. "Come in!" I said. It was Angie. She peeked into my room and asked if she could come in. I closed my laptop and patted the side of the bed.

"Hi." she sniffled. She walked over and sat on the bed.

"Everything okay Angie?"

"Yeah. Bob talked to me and Kat. He wanted to know what I saw and heard. Then he asked Kat. It's rough to listen to. She told him what Dax did that afternoon to her. Plus, other times." Angie said.

"Why didn't you call the cops?" I asked.

"Kat begged me not to. She loves, well, she loved him. She thought he'd stop. That she'd change him." Angie took a deep breath. "You said the same thing this morning at the coffee shop that Bob said about five minutes ago. She's going to be killed by him sooner or later. It's not good. But I'm glad she listened to you. And I'm glad she listened to him," she said as she motioned back to the door.

Angie looked at me and I gave her a hug. "It's hard to see someone you care for go through something like this. I know," I said. "My wife was abused by a former boyfriend. She ran into him about ten years after they broke up and we were married. She was terrified of him. She didn't file charges against him when he beat her back in college. Luckily, she left her old college town and moved back here. But he got a job nearby and it was just happenstance that they bumped into each other.

"She told me what he did to her, many different times, always hurting her, forcing himself on her, then apologizing, swearing that he'd change, he didn't mean it. If she hadn't made him angry..." I stopped talking for a second.

I took a deep breath and looked at Angie. "I prepared, I researched, I stalked him. I went to where he worked. I waited for him to come out. I introduced myself to him and told him that Anne was my wife. I told him that I'd appreciate it if he would see to it to stay clear of my wife if he ever saw her out in public again."

I guess I didn't say anything for a bit because Angie shook me. "Allan, what happened?" she asked, her dark painted eyes wide in wonder.

"He sneered at me." I said. I could feel my jaw muscles tighten. "'What are you going to do if I don't?' he spit out at me.

"He wasn't a big man. About 5'8 and maybe 145lbs.," I told Angie. I felt her reach down and hold my hand. I kept staring ahead at a spot on my wall.

"He taunted me...about my wife. My scared wife. He said maybe he'd pay her a visit. The woman I loved, the woman that he hurt. The woman that gave me two children." I could feel tears well up in my eyes.

"I'm not proud of what I did Angie."

"What did you do?" she asked. I felt her hands tighten around mine.

"My hand snapped out and I grabbed him around the throat. I don't know how I did it but, I lifted him up by his neck," I said. "It was almost like the Star Wars scene where Darth Vader picks up that guy in the beginning part of the movie." I sniffed. "It was maybe only a couple of inches off the ground."

"Wow..." I heard Angie whisper.

"I started to squeeze his throat. He was gurgling. His eyes got wide." I swallowed hard. "His mouth was opening and closing like a fish. He was trying to get air, but he wasn't getting any.

"I reached back into my waistband and pulled out my handgun with my other hand. I put his feet down on the ground but kept my hand around his neck. I placed the barrel of the gun in his gasping mouth." I was whispering now.

"I told him that I'd blow his fucking brains out if he ever said anything to her. I'd put a hole in his head if he even looked at her in public." My breathing was getting harder. "I told him I'd put as many holes in his body for every one of the bruises he put on hers."

"You wouldn't have, would you?" Angie asked.

"In a heartbeat, Angie. Yes, I would have," I said.

"Why?" asked Angie.

"He'd hurt someone I loved. He hurt the mother of my children. He quasi-threatened to do it again and I wasn't going to let him have that opportunity to have that power over her anymore."

"What happened?" Angie asked. He hands were squeezing mine tightly.

I blinked and looked at her. "Angie, he literally soiled himself."

"What?" she gasped.

"He pissed and shit his pants. After all these years I can still see the look of panic on his face. And I can still smell the odor if I think back."

"Wow. Really?" she asked. She looked amazed.

"Yep. I released his neck and he stood there in his own mess. He started to tremble. I took the gun out of his mouth and warned him not to fuck with my wife, me or my children." I exhaled.

"It worked, too. Because my wife never mentioned seeing him again. Like I said, I'm not proud of what I did, Angie, but when it comes to my family and hurting any one of them, well, I won't let anyone get away with it."

"Is that why you reacted the way you did when you first met us?" Angie asked.