Chapter Ten
Ellie watched Jackson and Buddy running around the yard. It gave her a sense of peace and calm. But she had to remind herself that she needed to be vigilant in her routine. One wrong move could be dangerous. She didn’t want to end up in a hospital again. Or the morgue.
She picked up a pair of binoculars and peered down the street. She couldn’t help but notice Mitchel’s car parked there every morning until just before Jackson and Colleen left for school. At least he didn’t try to violate the order of protection and break into the house or sit there long enough for them to come closer than a hundred yards. But his continued presence had been unnerving. The guy was sleazy. She worried for Colleen and Jackson, but was glad she could offer some relief to the little guy. Once again, she thought about inviting Colleen for tea. But she needed a little more time to get comfortable with the idea of having someone else in the house. If she did have her over, where would they sit? She would have to leave the door unlocked and have Colleen let herself in.
Her computer buzzed, signaling another person in techno-despair. This one turned out to be an easy fix. A woman had bought a new computer and could not get her built-in video camera to work. Ellie typed:
Ellie: Run your finger over the top of your monitor. There should be a very tiny button in the middle.
Customer: I don’t feel anything.
Ellie: If you can, take a look. It’s very small. Like a pinhead.
Customer: Oh yes. I see it now.
Ellie: Gently push down on the pinhead. The camera should pop up from the screen.
Customer: Oh, for heaven’s sake. I’m so stupid! I had no idea that’s what I had to do!
Ellie: No worries. Unless someone tells you or you read through a PDF file, it’s not easy to see or figure out. Is there anything else I can help you with?
Customer: No. I’m fine now. Thanks so much.
Ellie: My pleasure. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Ellie was often amused at the simple things that appeared so complicated to people. But then again, technology was changing every day. It was even hard for professionals to keep up.
She checked her watch. Almost time to make some dinner.
She heard the buzzer, indicating that Jackson was ready to go home. This time, when she buzzed him out, he looked up at her window and waved. That was a first. She smiled. She could tell that Jackson was starting to ease into the new routine.
Once Jackson was past the front fence, Ellie opened the laundry-room door. There were two doggie doors for Buddy. One went from the laundry room to the porch, the other from the porch to the yard. He came galloping in her direction, practically knocking her over. Meanwhile, Percy was rubbing against her legs. “I think you guys are trying to kill me!” Ellie laughed and snuggled Buddy. She scooped up Percy, and the three of them headed into the kitchen.
“So, what shall I serve for dinner?” She looked at Percy, then peered at the cans. “Do you want the salmon pâté, or do you prefer the shredded tuna?” Percy gave her an “I don’t care, just feed me” look.
“Well, then, it shall be salmon tonight.” Ellie took the can from the pantry cabinet.
Looking at Buddy, she said, “And you, sir? Chicken or duck?” She patted him on the head. “Did I hear you say ‘duck’?” Buddy gave her a soft woof. Ellie laughed out loud. It struck her that she had been laughing and smiling more than usual lately. Maybe she was finally relaxing in her own skin, finally feeling at ease with her surroundings and her cottage on Birchwood Lane. It had been two years. It was about time. But she caught herself again in doubt. Don’t get too comfortable. Things could change in an instant. Like the last time. She shook off the cloud that was about to surround her and focused on the task at hand. Feeding the three of them.
Ellie opened a bottle of a crisp white wine and poured herself a glass. She fixed Buddy and Percy’s plates and turned on the news. More bickering in Washington. What else was new? You would think that, after going through that horrible pandemic, people would just try to be nice to each other. It’s easy to be nice when things are going well. Only when people are nice during hard times is it a testament to their character. But times were better now. Weren’t we all supposed to be better people?
She felt like she was a better person. In some ways, that is. She was more compassionate, for sure. And she was grateful. Grateful that she hadn’t been in a major city during the outbreak, especially grateful she wasn’t in a hospital at the time. She was also grateful that her mom was OK. She missed her dearly. She hoped she would see her again, but it wouldn’t be until she was finished dealing with the trauma. Not until she was safe.
She jumped when the phone rang. She had forgotten again that she had designated that one for Colleen and Jackson.
“Hello?” Ellie said.
“Hi, Ellie. It’s Colleen. I remember you said that the phone number was only good for a few days, so I wanted to first say thank you for letting Jackson into the yard. He has been so happy. And tired! He’s finally sleeping better.” Colleen was almost out of breath.
“I’m so glad to hear it.” Ellie waited for Colleen to continue.
“I know there’s been a bit more activity on the block lately, and I wanted to explain what happened.” Colleen took a big breath.
Ellie had a pretty good idea about what was going on but feigned not knowing anything. She took a gulp of her wine. Aside from her weekly conversations with her mother and Kara, the quick exchanges with Hector, and the occasional person who insisted on “speaking to a human,” talking to Colleen was the only real human-to-human contact she had, even if it was over the phone. The truth was that even her conversations with Kara had been getting mundane. There wasn’t much to tell her friend or her mother, if anything at all. She felt that her whereabouts had to remain secret, so there was no talking about Buddy in the yard and Jackson. For the most part, she just listened to the latest news from her mother and the family, and Kara’s accounts of her latest dustups with other members of the Junior League. Poor Kara. She was always interjecting her opinion when it wasn’t wanted. The frustrating part was that Kara was usually right. Except for one thing. And that one thing was part of the reason that Ellie had ended up where she had and, now, where she was. But she never blamed Kara for it. Ellie had made her own choices.
“Ellie?” Colleen wanted to be sure she was still on the line.
“Oh, yes. Sorry. It was looking like Buddy was going to steal a biscuit off the counter.” Gosh, I’m becoming a stellar liar.
“I was saying that I am sure you heard and saw the police car the week before last?” Colleen paused.
Ellie replied with, “Uh-huh.”
“It’s no secret. Mitchel went booze-o-gonzo on me, and I had to call the police.”
“Wow. Are you OK?” Ellie was genuinely concerned.
“For the most part, yes. We still have a ways to go. There’s Mitchel’s hearing, and perhaps trial, depending on what happens at the hearing, then the custody situation.”
“Sounds like a lot to deal with,” Ellie answered.
“Yeah.”
“What’s the next step?” Ellie asked.
“Well, there is a restraining order against Mitchel. He can’t come within a hundred yards of me or Jackson except for when he gets to have Jackson for a supervised visitation. Everything is kinda up in the air, but I feel like I’m making some progress.” Colleen paused. “I put most of his clothes—his dirty clothes, by the way—into a few garbage bags, and Officer Pedone hauled them away for me.”
“What’s he going to do with them?”
“I’d like to say ‘burn them,’ but I don’t want Mitchel to have anything negative to say about me. Officer Pedone was going to drop them off at Mitchel’s brother’s house. That’s where he’s staying now. His mother wanted him to stay with her, but she can be a real pain in the butt. Anyway, we have several more steps before everything is settled, and it can take a really long time.”
“I can only imagine.” Ellie had had her own experience with red tape.
“So, if Mitchel pleads not guilty, there will be a trial. If he pleads guilty, they will probably knock the charges down from felony domestic violence to misdemeanor domestic violence.”
“There’s a difference?” Ellie knew there was. “That was sarcasm, by the way. I cannot believe that they can actually consider any act of violence a misdemeanor. It’s infuriating.”
“It sure is.”
“So what will happen in each case?”
“If he pleads guilty, and they reduce the charge, he’ll get probation and community service.”
“That hardly seems right.” Ellie was starting to steam.
“Yes, indeed. And if he pleads not guilty, he’ll go to trial, and the jury will decide.” Colleen explained further. “And going to trial could take months. Even a year.”
“Jeez. Sounds awful.”
“So the present custody arrangement is in effect, as well as the temporary restraining order, until the hearing. That’s when we’ll know how he pleads and what comes next.”
“How are you holding up?” Ellie sipped on her wine.
“Not too bad, really. Our marriage had been in a severe downward spiral for a couple of years. I’m actually relieved.”
“Sometimes it takes a monumental eruption to move us forward.” Ellie spoke from experience.
“You got that right. Anyhoo, I had a security system installed and bought a Taser.”
“A Taser?” Ellie was curious. That was one of the first things she’d purchased when she had left the hospital. One can never be too safe. Or maybe she was just being paranoid. She chuckled to herself.
“Yep. Wow. Those things are impressive. Officer Pedone showed me how to use it.” Colleen felt herself blush. “He’s been extremely helpful.”
“Glad to hear it. Sometimes it can be very frightening when you’re faced with so much stress with little or no backup.” Ellie spoke from experience.
“And Jackson seems to be doing so much better. I cannot thank you enough for your kindness.” Colleen almost started to get weepy. She had been keeping herself in check for Jackson’s sake, trying to hold back the tears.
“I’m glad he and Buddy are friends.” Ellie paused for a moment. Was this the right time to invite her?
“Listen, I’ve gotta go and put dinner on the table. Jackson is washing up. Oh, and, if you ever need anything, say, an errand to be run, please let me know.”
Ellie was slightly stunned. “Why, thank you. I appreciate it.”
“I know Hector does a lot for you, but just in case, please know you have backup.”
“Thanks, Colleen. I’ll certainly keep that in mind. Thanks for calling. Have a good evening.”
“You, too.”
The two clicked off at the same time.
Lots of thoughts rushed through Ellie’s head. Had she found a friend? For the first time in two years, she felt that there was someone she could relate to. Even if it was just over the phone.