Taming the Beast

“I might have been arrested again, Rose.”

“So I gather, since this was a collect call from the police department.” I sucked down the coffee and figured at least my day might get interesting. “What for this time?”

“Well…Matt and me got in a fight,” he mumbled, and I was so surprised that I spilled coffee on my crisp white blouse. Great.

“About what?” I sputtered, since Joey and Matt had been best friends for decades. There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

“Remember when I got arrested for almost, ya know, in Mrs. Lee’s bushes?” he asked, hesitantly.

“Yes,” I replied slowly. Where was this going?

“Well, the thing is, Matt was disrespectful to her.” And then silence, as if that was a full explanation.

“Unlike you urinating in her petunias?”

“Let’s not talk about that. I…well, I’m kind of sweet on her,” he admitted, and I was flummoxed.

Life is so strange.

“Okay, what’s the charge?” I said, bucking up and getting to business.

“Assault and battery with a deadly weapon.”

“What?”

“I hit him with my boot. They’re taking me before the Judge in fifteen minutes. Rose, you have to help me.” I sighed and agreed to meet him.

I walked into the courtroom and immediately saw Jeremy. He looked a little unkempt, like he had slept in his suit, or maybe hadn’t slept at all. The case was called, and Joey was brought in from lockup.

“Your Honor, Mr. Miller assaulted Matt Davis with his boot last night. As you might recall, this is the second time the defendant has been in front of you in a matter of months,” Jeremy said. His gaze was on me; I knew from the heat rising in my body.

Why was he doing this now? He’d avoided me for months.

“You’re Honor, I’m sure there has been some sort of misunderstanding. Mr. Miller and the…victim…are life-long friends,” I stated.

“Not anymore,” Joey said loudly from beside me. I sighed and didn’t even try to stop him.

“Well, I don’t want to be friends with you either, ya slimy stink bug!” Matt yelled from the gallery behind us, and even the Court Officer laughed.

“You’re Honor, please,” I said over the noise. “This is a waste of the court’s time. Obviously, this was a private matter between friends, Mr. Davis doesn’t appear to be injured, and Attorney Abbott has gone overboard with his charge.”

“It was assault with a deadly weapon,” Jeremy insisted in a strained voice.

“It was a boot!” I exclaimed, and looked at him again. He looked awful.

“A steel toe boot,” he replied, and the courtroom erupted again.

“Silence!” the Judge ordered and everyone settled down. “It seems emotions are running high,” he said with a pointed glance between Jeremy and me. I flushed as he continued, “Let’s continue this tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Mr. Miller is free to go on his own recognizance.” I spoke quickly to Joey and left the courtroom as fast as possible.

I need to get away from him. This is too painful, seeing him and not being able to talk to him. Or touch him.

But I wasn’t fast enough.

“Rose, wait!” Jeremy yelled from behind me. I ran down the steps outside the court but he pulled me to a stop with his hand on my arm.

“Please, Rose, can we talk?” he asked me, and his pained expression shocked me. I didn’t respond—I didn’t know what to say. What could he possibly want to say to me?

“I’m Scott’s nephew,” he said slowly.