Happenstance (22 page)
They advise me of what might and might not happen within the next
few weeks and/or months. I might have to be interviewed again and with more
than one person. They will probably give me the chance to be interviewed by
phone. This all depends on who is working the case but Wilson says he will try
for a phone interview if that will make me more comfortable. He also tells me
that he took my case to a felony review attorney who will examine the report as
well as the previous case that was opened and she will determine if it’s good
enough to prosecute. If all goes as it should, we have a good chance of going
to trial.
Because I waited so long and there is no physical evidence, if he
is arrested, he will most likely be posted bail.
A good
chance that he’ll be released within twenty-four hours.
However, because
they have been able to contact the woman who filed the original report, our
chances are not slim. We would need to testify to go to trial and once again, I
say I’m ok with that.
I’m a little bit nervous about Steven finding me, but I find comfort
in the fact that I moved out and thankfully, I never did tell him exactly where
I work.
I leave the building with hope and a promise to myself to help
others that need guidance or strength after going through something so
horrible. I glance down at the pamphlet I asked for on my way out and dial the
one-eight-hundred
number
.
“Good morning, Women’s Justice Center of Central Florida, how may
I help you?” A woman kindly answers the phone on the second ring.
I introduce myself and ask about the volunteer opportunities.
After a few short questions, I’m told the hours they work and that they really
need someone to answer the phones. Once I tell them I speak Spanish, she is
very enthusiastic about meeting me and having me as a part of the team. I’m
excited already; I start planning out my schedule in my head and I know that
with getting off at a decent hour from work and all the time off I have in the
summer, I can do this.
She also explained to me that if I need a break from phones they
do community service, group discussions, or even private one-on-one
discussions. The one-on-one intrigues me. I can not only help someone else but
they will probably help me in return. It sounds like a win/win and I call Jared
to tell him as soon as I get in the car.
It’s time to give back.
Epilogue
December 2012
Victoria
School is out for winter break and I’m at the mall with
Maggie helping her pick out last minute Christmas gifts. I’m not feeling the
holidays this year since it’s my first without Abu and I made Jared promise me
that we wouldn’t exchange gifts. However, I don’t want to ruin the whole
holiday for him so we decided to go on a trip (our first) and we leave on
Christmas Eve to a small bed and breakfast in Colorado. It’ll be just us and
I’m happy with that.
I show Maggie my new tattoo.
A small Tiger Lily
in white ink on the inside of my wrist.
Around the petals I had the
artist put “Amor
Vincit
Omnia
”
which means, “Love Conquers All.”
“It’s gorgeous, I love it,” she gushes. I smile and put my watch
back on. I’m happy with it and that now I’ll have something to look at when I
miss her.
She tells me about Jeremy and their first fight and how the
makeup sex was so good she’s thinking about starting another fight. I roll my
eyes. Maggie will always be Maggie. But I love her and I tell her so. I know
deep down she’s serious about him and he’s keeping her happy so I’m happy for
her.
“Hey, we should do a double date!” I say as we take our products
to the checkout counter.
“How about tonight?
We can
grab a movie or something.”
She’s quiet behind me so I finally turn around to look at her and
she’s smiling.
“What?” I ask.
She shakes her head, “It’s nothing, it’s just that I . . .”
“Uh huh,” I say encouraging her to go on. Then my eyes open wide
as a thought crosses my mind.
“Oh my God!
Are you
pregnant?”
She laughs, “No!
At least not that I know of.
It’s just that we had plans for dinner tonight, and he wanted it to be just us.
That’s all.”
I poke her on the arm. “If he pops the question, you better
fucking text me ASAP!”
She just smiles and we hug each other while the cashier looks
over at us impatiently to pay and get out of her store.
I’m on my way to the house when I get a text from Jared.
Are you on your way?
Maybe he’ll want to go to a movie.
Yes, wanna catch a movie?
Not now baby, I’m making you dinner.
Oh shit, Jared is making me dinner? I decide to play around with
him.
Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches?
My favorite.
He takes a few seconds to reply and when he does I can’t help but
laugh out loud.
Just get your smart ass over here, will
ya
?
I smile to myself and shake my head. I wonder what he’s cooking
up for me as I pull into our driveway and get out of the car. When I walk in
Lucky greets me with a bow tie around his neck and I carry him to give him
kisses and scratch between his ears.
“What has Daddy got going on in the kitchen, hmm?” I ask him as
if he has the answers.
Jared walks over to me and grins at my shirt.
I have on a plain pink t-shirt that says in black print:
Classy, Sassy, and a bit Smart Assy.
I
knew he’d approve of this one. He is, surprisingly, only wearing a plain black
t-shirt and tells me to sit down at the kitchen table. I do as I’m told and
wait for the big reveal. As he takes the plate over to me, he uncovers the
napkin and I laugh so hard tears form in my eyes.
Two fried eggs and white rice. My Christmas tradition and he
knows this will make me think of Abu.
“Babe, why are you laughing?” he puts his hand over his heart and
feigns being hurt. “You know how hard I worked on this meal? This is the stuff
of rock stars.”
I get up and walk over to him to give him a kiss.
“I love it baby, and I love you.”
He squeezes my butt and kisses me back.
“I love you too.”
We talk about our upcoming trip and what to pack. I’m hoping I
don’t fall on my ass on the ski slopes and I’m deep in my own thoughts when I
realize how quiet Jared has gotten. I glance over at him and he smiles at me.
He looks so peaceful and comfortable it warms my heart. This man has turned me
into mush and I never want to let him go. I can fly with my own two wings, but
that doesn’t mean I
have
to fly alone.
I’ve learned so much this past year and a half from those around
me. The past has taught me that nothing is guaranteed and sometimes things hurt
but that’s ok because I’m human and I feel and I love. Feeling is a part of
living and living is a beautiful thing. My present has taught me to give things
a chance and see where they go. What would have happened if I wouldn’t have
taken Lucky in to the clinic that day? I’ll never know, it was a chance
happening and it changed me, because Jared changed me.
We clear up the dishes and I walk over to our DVD collection to
pick out a movie when he stands behind me and grabs me by the waist pulling me
to him. He whispers in my ear, “I have a surprise for you.”
I turn around and arch my eyebrow. “Do you?”
He jerks his head to the side and walks toward our room
indicating that I should follow him. When I walk inside there is a silver plain
gift bag on the bed with pink tissue paper sticking out. I bite my bottom lip.
“Jared . . .” my voice trails off because I am not sure what to
tell him. I feel horrible now for not buying him a gift earlier when I went to
the mall. “We agreed no Christmas gifts.”
He puts out his hands in front of him as if to stop my thoughts.
“This isn’t a Christmas gift. It’s a December twenty-first gift.”
I roll my eyes and walk over to the bed. When I take out the
tissue paper, I gasp.
Inside is a light brown box with white font on the top that I’ve
seen a thousand times online and in stores.
“Jared, you didn’t.” But he’s just looking at me like a fool. I
open the box and sure enough staring back at me is a pair of elegant Christian
Louboutin’s
; knotted platform sling backs in dark blue
satin. They have to be over five inches and I can only imagine how much they
cost.
“Are you crazy?” I ask.
“About you?
You bet I am.”
I’m still in shock as I look into the box afraid to touch them.
Jared chuckles.
“May I put them on you my dear?” He teases.
I gulp and sit down on the bed. He kneels in front of me and
gently takes off the shoes that I have on to put my new ones. When he ties the
strap I twist my ankle around to look at every angle. He’s beaming at me when I
look at him and I know I’m beaming right back.
“Are you happy with me, baby?” he asks.
How could I not be? He’s my unquestionable soul.
“With every breath I take,” I respond.
“Good . . . ’cause there’s more.”
I stare at him confused.
More?
He has
lost his damn mind. I stare at him as he lifts up the shirt he has on over his
head and that’s when I realize he has another black t-shirt underneath. This
one isn’t plain however. This one says:
I (an
image of a mustache) you a question.
Oh God, I place my hand over my heart because I fear the heart
palpitations I’m experiencing must be loud enough that the neighbors can hear. I
then begin to twirl my necklace between my fingers until he takes my hands into
his and says: “I promise, to buy you any damn shoes you want, and to give you
all my closet space. I promise to love you even when you are being an exceptionally
sarcastic smart ass. And to never be stupid enough to cheat on you, I will try
hard to work things out with you first.” He puts his hand in his pocket and
takes out a gorgeous princess cut diamond ring and places it on my left ring
finger.
“Victoria Rivera, will you do me the honor of being my wife?” He
looks at me longingly, his eyes sincere and full of love. I sniffle and realize
I hadn’t even noticed that I was crying until now. I wipe away my tears with my
right hand and kneel down in front of him and take his hands in mine.
“I promise to not live in fear and always give things a chance,
especially with us. I promise to watch you when you eat an unhealthy amount of
Peanut M&M’s because I do not want you to be diabetic. And to always let
you explain yourself when skanky girls throw themselves at you. Because who
could blame them?” I hold his face in between my hands and look into his
beautiful hazel eyes.
“Yes, Jared Owens.
Hell yes.”
He seals my words with his lips and we stay kissing for a long,
long time. On our knees, on the floor, fully clothed, yet so passionate we are
breathing hard when we finally pull away.
“I need to call Maggie!” I squeal.
“She already knows,” he grins at me.
“What? Wait a second . . . That whole story about not wanting to
double date so she could be alone was a hoax?”
He grins even wider.
I slap him gently on his arm. “That bitch.”
Jared laughs. “Go easy on her. She helped us out.” I wrap my arms
around his neck again and place my lips lightly against his.
“I know,” I whisper.
“Can we have just-engaged-about-to-be-married sex?” he asks.
I throw my head back and laugh. “You know it baby.”
He rubs his nose against mine. “Leave the shoes on.”
I gently bite his lip. “Maybe I’ll give you a special dance,
Dr. Owens
.” I wiggle my eyebrows deviously
and he glances down at his pants.
“Well, my guy over here would like to request Nurse Victoria.”
I giggle and hug him tighter as we enjoy our kisses once again
until I pull away and look at him.
“How did I get so lucky?” I whisper.
He grins over at me and walks me towards the bed.
“We’ve been lucky from the start.”
Happenstance is intended to be a light, cute story about
second chances in romance. However, the matter of rape is very serious. ANY
type of rape is completely unacceptable. No means NO and don’t let anyone tell
you otherwise. Over 200 THOUSAND Americans are raped each year, you are not
alone. If you or someone you know has been violated, please contact help.
Let your voice be heard.
1.800.656
.HOPE
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank God first
and foremost.
Thank you to my husband and
son for allowing me to ignore them when I was busy writing, reading, and
stressing (not necessarily in that order). I love you to infinity and beyond!
Let’s celebrate.
I want to thank my parents
for being so loving and always supporting anything I do.
I want to thank my sister
who is not just family but my best friend. I love you!
Thank you to my brother in
law, Alex, for the information on veterinary medicine and all your stories and
input. Any misspellings or errors are entirely my fault.
A huge thank you to fellow
indie authors: Elizabeth Reyes and Madeline Sheehan for getting back to me
quickly with answers and your kind words when I was stressed out.
To my beta readers: Frances
Mia Molina, Mari Allen, Angie McKeon, Jennifer Carol Johnson, Jennifer
Pikul
Gass
for your emails full
of thoughts and suggestions and answering my questions over and over again.