A Life Less Broken (16 page)

“How far
away do your parents live?” I ask as Dominic navigates the roads.

“A little
under half an hour. My brother is about another fifteen minutes away from
there.”

He holds my
hand on his thigh as he drives. I look out my window and take in the
magnificence of nature.

It’s almost
the end of summer and even though the days still hold heat in the air, the
nights have become a little chilly. This afternoon there are a few gray clouds
hanging around, but they appear to be distant and aren’t really going to bother
us.

“You look
beautiful tonight, Allyn.”

I look down
at my long, calf-length black skirt and my pale yellow blouse and make a note
that I want to add other colors to my wardrobe. Brighter, happier hues to
reflect the brighter and happier me.

We get to an
exclusive, gated community and Dominic pulls up alongside the guard house. The
guard smiles and opens the gates for Dominic without saying a word to him.

I look over at
Dominic in question.  He glances at me and smiles. “That’s Phil. He’s been here
for more years than I care to remember. He’s a good guy, too.”

The houses
in this estate are nothing less than breathtaking and opulent, regal and
stunning. Large Victorian-style mansions sprawl out on generous acreage.

Dominic
drives slowly through the wide, tree-lined streets. He comes to a stop in front
of a home that rivals the most majestic here. The sun is setting but there’s
still enough light to see the homes scattered with artful precision. A sleek,
blue convertible sports car sits proudly in the driveway, and I smile at the
fact that Dominic’s father and mother would go zipping around in a car like
that.

I haven’t met
them yet. Dominic describes them as being proper and refined, so imagining them
speeding down the interstate with the roof down and the wind blowing through
their hair causes me to giggle.

“What’s
funny?” Dominic asks as he opens his door before coming around and opening mine.

“Your
parents’ sports car.” I point to the sculptured vehicle.

“Well that
is
funny, because that’s not their car. They each own the latest model Range Rover,
not something like that. It must be Oscar’s, hmmm…strange he didn’t mention
buying a new car.” Dominic scowls and the grip he has around my hand tightens.
“I wonder what sort of skank he brought home with him tonight,” he murmurs,
more to himself then to me.

We walk the
long drive way and I begin to get nervous.

“Why are you
trembling?” Dominic asks and puts his arm around my waist.

“What if
they don’t like me?” I anxiously tug at the bottom of my blouse, wishing I’d
worn something a little more sophisticated.

“They won’t
like you, sweetheart. They’ll love you, just like I do. You make me happy and
they’ll be over the moon that we’ve found each other.”

When Dominic
and I reach the front door, he turns the knob and we step through. He’s pulling
me along, but my body is screaming apprehension, and my mind is struggling with
entering surroundings that I have no control over. I come to a sudden halt.

At home I
know where everything is, where my panic buttons are, and where I can hide. I
don’t know this place.

“Allyn, look
at me.”

I look up
and Dominic’s eyes regarding me with concern, but there’s a softness to his
features too.

“Hold my
hand and don’t let go. Take a deep breath, Allyn.”

I breathe in
and hold it, but continue to stare into Dominic’s dark brown orbs.

“One, two,
three,” his voice lowers. “Four, breathe out, five, six, seven.”

I take
another deep breath and my lips turn up in a small smile.

“I’m
alright. I’ll be fine. Thank you,” I whisper.

Dominic
leans down, kisses me softly and tenderly runs his knuckles down the length of
my jaw.

“Are you
ready to meet my family now?” he asks as his lips hover over mine.

I just nod
and stretch my neck to receive another kiss.

“Mom, Dad we’re
here,” Dominic calls out.

“In the
family room,” they respond.

“Come on,
back here,” Dominic coaxes, not releasing my hand. We walk past a grand staircase
that leads upstairs, and continue on down the bright, wide-open hallway,
connecting to a separate wing of the house.

We enter a splendid,
stately room. There’s an older man and an older lady standing near the unlit
fire place, and a stunning blonde sitting gracefully on the brocade sofa.

The older
couple seems incredibly distressed. The blonde bombshell stands and elegantly
struts toward Dominic.

I notice
that Dominic’s posture changes. His shoulders straighten and he lifts his chin in
a decidedly challenging pose.

“What the
fuck are you doing here?” he says angrily. He glares at the woman.

“Darling,
it’s your birthday. We always come to your parents’ home for your birthday.
Happy thirty-ninth.” She leans in and kisses his cheek.

“Why did you
let her in?” he ignores the woman and growls at his parents.

I assume
this is Chelsea, Dominic’s ex-wife.

“We’re so
sorry, son. She said you invited her and that you’re on good terms now.”

“Oh darling,
I’ve missed you.” She moves her piercing blue eyes over to me, and looks me up
and down. Her lip curls up in a sneer. “You mean you left me for
that
?”
She points to me in a condescending manner.

“I left you
because you’re a liar and a manipulator.” Dominic’s clipped tone barely
conceals his rage.

She turns
away slightly and waves her hand dismissively.  “Oh please, it was just a small
misunderstanding that you took to heart. And really, look at her. Is she
retarded? She hasn’t said a word, just stands there gaping at me.”

“Enough!”
Dominic yells.

He lets go
of my hand and I feel the loss of his contact and warmth.

He wraps his
hand around the top of her arm and forcefully tugs her toward the front door.

“You do
not
come here, into my parents’ home, and create a scene. You do
not
have
any right to look at my girlfriend and say anything about her.
Ever
. Do
you understand?”

“You’ll beg
me to come back. She’s ugly. I’m beautiful,” Chelsea says with supreme confidence.

“She’s
extraordinary. Now fuck off and don’t come back, because I’ll have a restraining
order slapped on you so fast you damn well won’t know what hit you. You got my
money, and it’s quite obvious you’re spending it if that’s your car outside. There’s
nothing more for you here, Chelsea.”

“But, Dom, I
love you,” she says with what sounds like a practiced and plastic pout.

I hear the
front door slam shut seconds after her statement and I stand looking awkwardly at
his parents.

She’s right
though. In comparison to her, I really am ugly.

From what
Dominic’s told me about her, though, she’s not half the person that I am.

Internal ugliness
can be masked by external beauty only until that ugly is exposed. And right
now, she’s brought to light just what a horrid person she truly is.

“I’m so
sorry.” Dominic whispers in my ear as he takes my hand and leads me away from
his parents.

We step into
what I assume is a study, and he closes the door.

“I didn’t
know she was going to be here. I’m really sorry, Allyn. What she said about you
was completely uncalled for.” He rubs his hands up and down my arms as he ducks
his head down to look into my eyes.

“It’s not
your fault, so please forget it. I don’t want to stay in here while your
parents are waiting to wish you a happy birthday.”

I turn to
leave, but Dominic pulls me back into his arms.

“I love you,
and only you. Kiss me,” he softly commands. I can’t help but lift my head to accept
his warm lips on mine.

His hand
cups my cheek as his thumb gently strokes the skin under my eye. His body curls
against me.

“Come on,”
he says as he brings our foreheads together. “I’d really like my mom and dad to
meet you.” He kisses my cheek.

“Okay,” I
mumble as we walk out of the room holding hands.

The moment
we’re back in the family room, Dominic’s mother gathers me in a strong embrace
and whispers apologies.

“I’m so
sorry, Allyn. That woman is vile. This is the first time I’ve ever seen her act
like that. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.” She hugs me closer then steps back
to look at me. “Please forgive us, we really didn’t know.”

“Please Mrs.
Shriver, you aren’t to blame.”

“It’s Doris,
and this is John.” She holds her hand out to her husband and Dominic’s father.

John walks
toward me and shakes my hand.

“It’s a
pleasure to meet you, Allyn,” he says and looks quite uncomfortable.

I quickly
check my hair and find that my right ear is exposed, which is apparently making
him feel awkward. I rearrange my hair so they can’t see my ear and turn to look
at Dominic.

“Oscar’s not
here yet?” Dominic asks, filling a harsh silence.

“No he
called and said he’s running late and to go ahead and have dinner without him.
He said he’ll be here for cake though,” Doris says. “Come on kids, let’s go
have dinner.”

John
indicates for Dominic and me to go ahead of him, and he quietly follows behind
us.

The dining
room is an extension of the serene and beautiful décor I’ve seen in the rest of
the house.

Dominic
pulls my chair out and I sit, and he takes his place next to me. John and Doris
sit opposite us and still look unsettled at what’s transpired this evening.

I feel a
little on display, like I need to impress them, but I can tell that they’re
fairly quiet people too.

“Tell us,
Allyn, what do you do?” Doris innocently asks.

“Um, I don’t
work anymore,” I reply softly, hoping she doesn’t ask me why.

Dominic’s
hand on my thigh tightens and I look over to find him smiling at me.

“Dominic
says you live close to him,” John says as their butler places a flat, white
plate in front of me. There’s a round, pinkish mound on it. “Yes, he lives only
a few minutes from me.”

I look over
to Dominic and wait until he tells me what it is.

“It’s tuna
tartare, one of my favorites,” he whispers.

I reach for
my fork to taste it. It’s quite subtle and delicious, so I happily eat it.

“Have you
ever travelled, Allyn? Doris and I love to discover new places. There aren’t a
lot of states we haven’t visited in America.” He turns to his wife. “Do you
remember the time we took the boys to the Grand Canyon and Dominic decided he
wanted to bring that hurt lizard back with us?” Doris starts chuckling and I
can’t help but laugh along at the contagious sound.

“It’s not
true,” Dominic says, interrupting the laughter.

“Oh it is,
Allyn. Dominic found a lizard that had been clipped by something and it was
trying to move. He picked the damn thing up and brought it over to his mother
and said, ‘Mommy I can fix him.’ Doris jumped through the roof and Oscar
started arguing with Dominic, telling him to put it down or he’d get rabies. I
was laughing so hard,” John says. Doris and I are laughing and Dominic has his
own rueful smile as he continues to eat his entrée.

“It wasn’t
like that,” Dominic says.

“It
certainly was exactly like that. How old was Dominic then? About eight, Doris?”

“I was ten
and Oscar was nine. And I could have saved the lizard.”

That
statement alone is enough to make us all laugh even harder.

“Dominic, I
need to use the bathroom,” I whisper, trying not to alert his parents.

“I’ll show
you,” he says and stands to move my chair out for me.

“Excuse me,”
I say to his parents. They’re both too busy laughing at their son to really
notice us leaving the table.

“It’s this
way,” Dominic points out as he holds my hand.

“Your
parents are really funny.”

“I think
they were nervous about meeting you, but let me tell you, that the whole lizard
thing? I definitely could’ve saved it.”

I giggle
again at him.

As we walk
down the hallway, I hear the front door close and a deep voice call, “I’m here.” 
Then, lower, “Hang on, I just got to my parents’ house.”

“Oh, Oscar’s
here. I can’t wait for you to meet him. It sounds like he’s on the phone with someone.
I’ll introduce you when you come out of the bathroom.”

“Ha, yeah,
you’re hilarious,” says Oscar in a deep gravelly voice, talking to the person
on the phone. “Well, you best shut that cunt up then, eh?”