Two hours later, Delia was back in her apartment tucked in under several blankets. She tried to curl herself into a ball so tight that she might disappear into the mattress. She wanted to disappear. She felt so vulnerable, so violated and so embarrassed by the whole situation that she didn’t even call Donna Lee to let her know what happened, not that she would have answered anyway. She just wanted the whole episode to go away. She wanted to believe it was just a bad dream.
Delia drifted in and out of a restless sleep until she was awakened by a forceful knock on her door. Panic struck her. She looked at the clock. Who would be knocking at 3:30 in the morning? What if the men that kidnapped her had come back to finish the job? If that were the case, why would they be knocking? She didn’t know the answer to either of these questions, but she
did
regret not calling her sister and spending the night with her so that she wouldn’t be alone. Now she was completely defenseless. But, if she had to die, she wasn’t going to die without a fight.
The pounding continued. Delia dashed to the kitchen and grabbed a frying pan, the only thing that resembled a weapon in her apartment. She had knives, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t imagine herself stabbing someone. She would much rather knock them over the head with the pan and hope they fell unconscious.
She looked at the pan skeptically. That only happens in movies, she thought. Realizing she couldn’t do this alone, Delia grabbed the phone and dialed 911 while crouching behind her lounge chair.
“Nine-one-one what is your emergency?”
“There’s someone banging at my door and I don’t know who it is,” she said to the operator. “I was attacked by two men tonight and I think they may be —”
“Delia, open up it’s me. Are you okay?”
It was Chase. A wave of relief washed over her. She let out a long sigh as the muscles relaxed in her body.
“Never mind.
I’m fine,” she said as she dropped the phone and the frying pan and ran to the door. As soon as she opened the door, she flung herself into his arms. She buried her face into his T-shirt and began sobbing uncontrollably.
“
Shh
. It’s okay. You’re safe now,” he said as he held her tightly. He kissed the side of her head and brushed her tears away with his thumb.
“How did you know?” she asked between sobs.
“Don’t try to talk. Just relax and let me hold you.” He led her to bed and sat next to her. “I’m so glad they didn’t hurt you. I don’t know what I would’ve done if
— ”
Delia sobbed harder at the realization that she could be dead right now. What caused her more anxiety was the fact that she didn’t know what provoked the attack. What did she do to deserve this?
***
Chase blamed himself. He should have been watching her more closely. He knew she was working late, so he had gone to take care of some business, thinking he would be back before she left. He liked to make sure she made it home safely each night. Trying to assert his authority, Ian probably had done this to scare both of them. He resented the fact that Chase had more control in the program. If that was how Ian wanted to play, so be it.
***
Delia awoke with a start. She was confused, sore, and had just had a dream that seemed too incredibly real. Had she really been bound and gagged by two disguised men?
She rubbed her eyes and moaned Chase’s name. The last thing she remembered was lying enveloped in his arms. Or was that a dream as well?
“He’s not here,” Donna Lee said from the kitchen. She came to Delia’s bed and handed her a cup of hot tea.
“What are you
… ?
How did you
… ?”
“Why didn’t you call me, Dee? When my sister is attacked and almost killed, I think I have a right to know. I should be there for you.”
“I’m sorry. I was just so
embarrassed,
I didn’t want anyone to know.” Donna Lee shook her head disapprovingly. “I know it’s silly, I just felt so stupid for letting it happen. I should’ve known better.”
“Would you stop blaming yourself for things you can’t control? Under no circumstances should you be bound and gagged and stuffed into a car against your will. It wasn’t your fault.”
Delia wondered how she had found out all the details and how she knew to come over.
“Chase called me,” Donna Lee said, sensing Delia’s question. “He told me everything. He said he didn’t want you to be alone.”
“So why didn’t he stay?” She regretted the words as soon as they left her lips. She felt ridiculous craving the arms of a seventeen-year-old child, but at that moment, she couldn’t think of anything she wanted more. She had to get herself together and get over him.
“So I guess you’ve gotten over the age thing,” Donna Lee said as she raised her eyebrows.
After taking a sip of tea to avoid eye contact with her sister, she said. “Of course, I haven’t. I didn’t want him here for any romantic reasons. I just … it was just nice having a … maybe I should call Jason.”
Donna Lee rolled her eyes, stood up, and plopped into the lounge chair. Besides the bed, the kitchen table, and the armoire that housed her clothes and desktop computer, it was the only piece of furniture in her studio apartment.
“If you were about to say it was nice having a man around, then Jason doesn’t qualify. In my opinion, seventeen-year-old Chase acts more like a man than Jason ever will.”
Hiding herself behind her cup of tea, Delia didn’t respond. She didn’t want to think about Chase or Jason or the attack anymore. She thought of a way to shift the conversation.
“You know, even if I did call you, you probably wouldn’t have answered your phone. You’ve been avoiding me for over a week. What did you find out? Did you get tested?”
“Do you need more tea?” Donna Lee asked, hopping out of the chair and heading toward the kitchen.
“You can’t avoid this forever. You have to go to a doctor.”
“I know. I know,” she said, resting her arms on the sink. In the small apartment, Delia could still see her without even changing her position on the bed. “I already went.”
Bolting upright, Delia swung her legs over the edge of the bed and set her cup on the nightstand. She took in a deep breath then said, “And?”
“And, I haven’t been back to get the results.”
Delia exhaled then crossed the living room/bedroom to embrace her sister. “I know you’re scared, but you have to find out. You have to know.”
“I know. Will you go with me?”
“Of course.”
After embracing for a few moments, Donna Lee pulled back and brushed away her tears. She tried to compose herself and wipe away her vulnerability. “I almost forgot,” she said, reaching for an object on the kitchen table. “Chase left this for you.” Donna Lee handed her a square black contraption.
“What is it?”
“He said it’s a stun gun. He wants you to keep it for protection. He said he’d feel better if he knew you had something to defend yourself with in case you found yourself in this situation again.”
She took the device and turned it over in her hands. She had never used a weapon before. She wondered why Chase thought this would happen again.
On Monday, there were two dozen red roses waiting for Delia in the main office of Saxon Arms Academy. She closed her eyes, sucked in a deep breath and silently prayed they were from Jason although she knew that was highly unlikely. He never even sent her flowers when they were dating. The card didn't have a name, just
the opening words to “
Bewitched
.
” They'd danced to Frank Sinatra's version of the song their last night on the cruise. For a moment, her heart fluttered and her lips involuntarily curved into a smile. She could almost feel his arms around her as he held her close.
Then she came to her senses. What a schizophrenic psycho! That was the only logical explanation. He had to be clinically insane. What else would possess him to do something like this?
Delia pressed her eyes shut, breathing in deeply. Then again maybe she was overreacting. Maybe he was just being sweet, realizing that she could use some cheering up after the weekend she'd had. Now she was beginning to think
she
was the schizophrenic one.
"Secret admirer, Ms. Clark?"
Norma, the main office receptionist, asked with an expression of nosiness on her plump face.
"What? No, no secret. There's nothing secret at all about it. Um, they're from ... my husband.
Yeah, my husband."
"I thought you were divorced." Norma tilted her head kind of like a confused puppy.
"Right ... almost divorced. It's not final yet. I guess he's trying to reconcile." Delia tossed the card in the trash and dashed out of the office before Norma could fire off any more questions.
***
Delia and her student Lena laughed and joked as they walked arm in arm against the blistering wind toward
P.F.Chang's
.
"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Lena said, entering the restaurant. "I've never left campus in the middle of the day."
"I know. I feel so bad. But neither of us will miss a class. We'll be back before anyone even notices we're gone." Delia hung up their coats and tried to flag down a waiter. "Besides, after the weekend I've had, I deserve a break."
"Ditto."
Delia studied Lena's suddenly distressed face. She knew something had to be going on in Lena's life. She had been withdrawn and sad lately in class. Sneaking off campus to go to lunch was just a way for Delia to get her alone and try to find out what was going on.
"And if anyone asks, I'll say we were doing research for a class project or something," she smiled and tried to lighten the mood as the waiter led them to their seats.
Not having experience talking with troubled teens, she didn't quite know how to start the conversation. She really hadn't thought this out too well.
Thinking that the problem stemmed from her not having a boyfriend or not being popular or something, Delia decided to start by relating her own high school experience.
"You know, you remind me so much of myself when I was in high school," she said after they had ordered.
Lena gave her a ‘yeah, right' expression and said, "Oh, please. You're a gorgeous genius and I'm a frumpy retard."
"I probably would have said the exact same thing when I was in high school. I had serious self-esteem issues. I still do."
"Really?"
Delia noticed tears in Lena's eyes. She decided it might be best to tell her the story of her life. Maybe she could help Lena avoid some of her own mistakes.
"I was a skinny, awkward nerd in high school. I had no friends except my extremely popular and beautiful sister and guys only talked to me if they needed help on their homework.
"My looks, my lack of social skills, and the fact that my own parents never wanted me succeeded in making me feel completely worthless and incompetent. Sometimes I would go home and just cry for hours because I just hated myself."
Delia thought she noticed a tinge of recognition in Lena's eyes at that statement. They sat in silence for a moment as Delia tried to think of the right things to say that could help Lena.
"But things got better in college, didn't they? I mean, didn't you marry some millionaire? Didn't he send you flowers this morning?"