Boss Next Door

I have to drive much slower around this area of town because the Nightingale isn’t the only place with drinks on offer, so there are plenty of drunk people spilling out on to the road. I don’t want to run any of them over, I don’t need to involve myself in a hassle of paper work if I hit someone. I just need to find Serena. She is the only person who I am really bothered about. Once I see her and I know that she is okay, everything will be alright again…

And if I find her and she isn’t alright… well, that is an issue that I will deal with when it comes around.

“Serena.” I lean out of my car window and yell her name loudly. “Serena, where are you?”

“Oh my God, Will.” All of a sudden, a sparkly dress flies out from the shadows and I see her panicked eyes as she dives inside on the passenger’s seat of my car. “Thank you so much for coming for me.”

“What happened?” I demand as I run my eyes all over her. There isn’t any evidence of immediate distress, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Under the surface, something must be happening. “Did something happen to you? Did someone do something? Are they still here because I can kick some serious ass for you…”

“No, nothing.” She shakes her head and I see tears flying off of her face. “Nothing to me anyway. I know that you only offered to give me a ride home but I need something else from you, Will.” There is some serious pleading in her eyes. “I have to go home, I need to help my mom. She called me in distress and I’m worried that something has happened to her. I will…” She rakes her fingers anxiously through her hair. “I will pay for gas and for your time. Whatever you need. You know that I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t a real emergency. I’m scared for her, really scared.”

Still, I have no information. Still, I don’t know what is going on. But I am willing to do whatever she needs to help her out. I start the car back up once more, and ask for the address so we can get there as quickly as possible. If Serena’s mother needs help and her family issues have come to a head, then I am there for her.

“Okay, let’s go.” I drive, getting through the crowds of people easier than I thought I would. “Let’s help your mom. And please, don’t worry about money or anything like that. This is a favor, I care enough about you for that.”

She falls back in the seat and cries some more. I would love to be able to hug her, to hold her, to get her through this, but I’m driving and that’s what she needs me to do. I feel like she needs this emotional moment to herself anyway. Well, whatever has happened in her life with her family, I don’t know anything about it.

“Is there anything that you need to talk about?” I ask her softly as we drive. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but I just want you to know that the offer is there if you want to…”

Serena doesn’t give me anything for a while, she just continues to sob quietly to herself, leaving me hopeless. But I am content at least I’m driving her. I’m getting her to where she needs to be, which is something.

“It’s my stepdad,” she finally rasps out while turning to face me. “He is a bad person, Will. You have no idea. He is the worst kind of human in the world. I couldn’t hate him more. I mean, I don’t know my father, he walked out when I was just a baby so I don’t even know who he is. He hasn’t ever been around to disappoint me. David is the only man that I have ever known and he is… he’s a pig, Will. I can’t explain it. He’s the worst.”

A lump forms in my throat as I hear her words. This is the final layer, the one that I wasn’t sure that she would ever be able to open up about. It’s just a shame that the situation is so horrible when she finally lets it out.

“He has always been mentally abusive when it comes to my mother. He has always treated her badly and made her feel like a lesser person. Me too, to some extent, but obviously I haven’t ever been the main target of his anger. She has. Eventually the mental abuse became physical abuse. He smacked her around a lot and she wouldn’t ever leave him. It frustrated me a lot, I begged her a lot to leave him, but she hasn’t ever been ready for it.”