Whiskey In The Water

Chapter 1 Lori Standing in the bathroom, getting ready for work, I look in the mirror. I pull out my makeup and start to cover the bruise on my cheek and pull at the turtleneck to make sure the bruises around my throat are covered. I’ve become an expert at covering my bruises. It’s just me and my dad and the more he drinks the more violent he gets. I mentally calculate how much money I have hidden to move out and know I still don’t have enough money saved up. I move to my room and grab the money out of my hiding place and put it in my purse and head out to work. Sneaking through the living room, I’m careful not to wake my dad or his friend Jake. I slip out the door and walk to the bus stop. I rub my stomach. I haven’t told my dad that I’m pregnant. I went to the free clinic and I’m six weeks pregnant. I get to work at the diner and walk in the door. “Morning Lori.” Donna says. “Morning Donna.” I say as I head to the back, and she follows me. “Are you okay sweetheart?” she asks. “Yeah. Just tired.” I tell her and I move to start the coffee. The smell of it makes me nauseous but I fight it off. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look a little sick.” She says. “Yeah. Just never realized how much I hate the smell of coffee.” I tell her. “Here. Trade with me.” She says and she moves to make the coffee while I move to wrap the silverware. It’s just the two of us working up front and the cook, Lloyd is in the back. A couple of customers walk in and take a seat at the table. We look over and see it’s a nice-looking man in what looks like an expensive suit. He’s sitting across from a man who’s dressed in a suit that doesn’t look as expensive, and they seem to be talking business. Donna walks over and talks to one of the guys and is smiling at him. It seems like they know each other. She takes their order and turns it in. I look up and one of the guys is looking at me. I lower my head and concentrate on what I’m doing. Donna walks back over, and I look at her. “Do you know that guy?” I ask. “Yeah. His name is Rico. He’s dating my sister Katie.” She tells me. “Oh okay.” I say simply. Their order comes up and she carries it out and we go on about our shift. A little later, it’s time for a break and I step out back but take a deep breath and Donna joins me. “You want to talk about it?” she asks. Deciding she’s the closest to a friend I have, I talk to her. “I need a favor.” I tell her. “What’s that?” she asks. “If I bring a bag, can you store it for me?” I ask. “Of course. Does it have anything to do with the bruises you’re hiding?” she asks, and I nod my head yes. “Who is it?” she asks. “My dad. But that’s not all.” I tell her. She looks at me waiting. “I’m pregnant. His best friend has been living with us and he’s been raping me.” I tell her. “Lori, you’ve got to get out of there now. Let me call my friend.” She tells me. “No. Not yet. Look, I need to get my things out first. I have some money saved up, but I will need a couple of more days to get out. I just have to figure out where to go.” I tell her. “Can you get your bag and leave tonight?” she asks. “Why?” I ask. “I can call my friend and have him meet us here. He knows of a place you can go. His boss, the one that was with him here earlier, him and his wife have a shelter for women to help them get away from things like this. They have counselors and doctors on staff there too and dorms to live in.” she tells me. “Would they take me?” I ask. “Yeah. Look, sneak out at midnight. I’ll be around the corner with my car, and I’ll have Rico meet us here.” She tells me. “Thank you, Donna.” I tell her. “You’re my friend and that’s going to be my godchild. I got you.” She tells me before hugging me. We head back inside to work, and Lloyd looks at me concerned. “I’m okay Lloyd.” I tell him. He shakes his head no. “You tell me if you need me.” He tells me and I smile softly. “Thanks Lloyd.” I say and he nods and turns back to the grill. I move back out to the front and go back to waiting tables. At the end of the shift, Donna tells me “I’ll be just around the corner at midnight. I’ll text you when I’m there.” She tells me. “Okay. I appreciate this, Donna.” I tell her and she hugs me before I head out. I walk to the bus stop and wait on the bus. Sitting on the bus, I’m dreading going home. I know when I get there, Dad and Jake will be there. I just want to shower and make sure I have everything packed before tonight. If I can just make it to tonight, I can be out of here and away from it all. I put my hand on my stomach and try to decide if I should keep the baby or not. I don’t want to get rid of my baby but if I have the baby, Jake will have rights to it, and I can’t let him near my baby. How will I provide for the baby? I’m lost in my thoughts and almost miss my stop. Getting off the bus, I walk the two blocks to my house and as soon as I walk in, I know it’s going to be a bad night. I move to the bathroom and lock the door behind me and get into the shower. I wash off as fast as I can and change clothes. Getting my dirty clothes, I take them to my room and before I can get my bedroom door closed, my dad comes in and shoves me onto the floor. “Where’s your f*****g money?” he asks. “All I have is my tips.” I tell him. “Bull s**t. I know you’re hiding money. Where is it?” he asks. “I don’t have any money.” I tell him and scramble back against the wall. “You didn’t have any money in that little box in the air vent?” he asks, and my eyes go wide. “That’s what I thought. Give it to me now.” He yells. I crawl over to my bag and pull out the envelope. There’s three hundred dollars in there. “You been holding out on me? You’ll pay for this you stupid bitch.” He seethes before grabbing my hair and slamming my head against the wall. I curl into the fetal position, and he kicks me in the back before turning me over and punching me in the face. After he gets a couple of punches in, he takes the money and heads out the door. “I’m heading to the liquor store.” He says to Jake before heading out the door. I look up to see Jake entering the room. “No.” I whisper. “Yes. He won’t be gone long, and I won’t get another chance tonight.” He says before pulling me by my feet and taking off my leggings. I try to fight him off, but I don’t have much energy so all I can do is lay there and let him r**e me again. He doesn’t take long this time and for that I’m glad. When he’s done, he says “This is my p***y. I find out you’re f*****g anybody else, and I’ll slit your f*****g throat.” He tells me before walking out of the room. A few hours later, I’m sitting in my room, with the window open and I toss my bag out the window. I have everything in it and just wait for them to pass out. I listen closely and there’s no sound coming from the living room but the television. I slip out of my room and down the hall to see if they have passed out and see my dad in his recliner and Jake on the couch, both passed out. I release the breath I’m holding and slip back to my room. I keep looking at my phone, waiting for the text from Donna. It’s five minutes until midnight and finally the text comes through. I take as deep a breath as I can and slowly move to the window. I climb out through the window and grab my bag and quickly move to where she told me she would be parked. I sneak around the corner and see her car sitting there and head to the passenger side. I jump in the car and tell her “Go go go.” And she speeds away. “Holy s**t. Lori, what happened to you?” she asks. I just shake my head and tears start to fall. She takes me to the diner and pulls around back. There’s another car already there and the man from earlier is standing next to it and I stiffen. “That’s Rico. He’s going to help us.” She tells me and I don’t move. She gets out of the car and walks up to him, and they both come to my side of the car. Donna opens the door, and Rico kneels next to me. “How bad are you hurt?” he asks. “I can walk but…” and I stop. “But what?” he asks softly. “My baby.” I say softly. “I’m going to make a phone call, and we’ll get you somewhere safe.” He tells me and I nod. As he walks away, Donna kneels next to me and asks, “What happened tonight?” I look down at my hands and say “Dad took my money. All of it. He slung me against the wall and started punching me. He kicked me in the back too, but I curled into the fetal position but that’s not all.” I tell her. “What?” she asks. “Dad left to get more liquor, and his friend r***d me again. I couldn’t fight him off.” I tell her and the tears start to fall again. Before she can say anything, Rico walks back over. “Follow me. I’m going to take you to KJ’s Missions. My boss owns it. Him and his wife are meeting us there.” He tells us. Looking at me, he says “There is a doctor on shift tonight and they will check the baby for you too.” I nod and whisper “Thank you.” We drive for a little longer and pull up to a brick building. Rico comes over and opens my door. He holds out his hand and I take it. He helps me inside and Donna is behind me with my bag. Once we walk in, a woman walks up. “Kathy, this is Lori. We need the doctor to take a look at her and maybe do an ultrasound.” Rico tells her. “Hi Lori. Let’s get you back here and let the doctor check you out and we can talk.” She tells me and I just nod. She leads me into an exam room and another woman comes in. “Susan, this is Lori. Can we check her out and do an ultrasound?” Kathy asks. “Do you know how far along you are?” Susan asks. “The clinic told me I’m six weeks.” I whisper. “Okay. Well, let’s check you out first and then we can do the ultrasound and make sure the baby is okay.” She tells me and I just nod. “Can you tell me what happened?” Susan asked. I shake my head no. “We don’t report to the police honey. You’re safe here.” Kathy tells me and I shake my head no again. About that time another woman walks in. “Sweetheart, my name is Izzy. I own this place. How are you feeling?” she asks, and I lower my head again and fight off more tears. “Give me a minute ladies?” Izzy says and they nod before leaving the room. “I know you’re scared but, honey, we won’t let anything happen to you.” She tells me. “Can you tell me what happened to you?” Izzy asks. I take a deep breath and say “My dad. He’s been abusing me. Tonight, he slammed my head into the wall, shoved me down and kicked me in the back before punching me in the face.” I tell her. “What about the baby? How far along are you?” she asks. “Six weeks.” I tell her softly. “Can you tell me about the father?” she asks, and I look at her and start panicking. “He can’t know. Please.” I say and she takes my hands and says “We won’t tell anyone anything you don’t want us to. You’re safe here.” Izzy says. I start to calm down and say “My dad’s been beating me, but his best friend is living there too, and he’s been raping me. My dad doesn’t know.” I tell her. “The friend is the father?” she asks, and I nod my head yes and say “But he doesn’t know I’m pregnant.” I tell her. “Then let’s keep it that way. I’m going to have Kathy and Susan come back in and check on you and the baby and they will get you moved into one of the dorms. You’ll have your own room and will stay here until we can figure out where to get you set up.” Izzy says. “What about my job?” I ask. “Might not be a good idea to go back to work until we make sure they won’t bother you.” She tells me and I nod. “My husband knows the owner of the diner and will talk to him.” She tells me. “Thank you.” I whisper. “I want you to remember something. You left. You did that. That takes strength. It’s not going to be easy but sweetheart, you got out. That’s the hardest part.” She tells me before leaving the room and bringing Kathy and Susan back in. They continue to patch me up and check on my baby and it’s doing just fine. Izzy walks out to the front and sees my friend Donna still there. “Are those her things?” Izzy asks and Donna nods her head yes. “When she’s done with the doctor, they will take her to a dorm. You’re welcome to spend the night here if she needs you to. We want her to be as comfortable as possible.” Izzy says. “Thank you.” Donna says. When Kathy comes out, she leads Donna to the back where I am and to the dorm. “How is she?” Ashton asks. “She’s shaken up. Told me her dad is the one beating her and that his best friend has been staying with them and that the friend has been raping her. Apparently, her dad doesn’t know his best friend is raping her. He’s the baby’s father.” Izzy tells them. “Let me call Logan. We need to make sure she’s taken care of. We have to make sure that there’s no way that the friend can take the baby from her.” Ashton says. “We need her protected. I mean, she can stay here for a bit but being pregnant, she’s a priority.” Izzy says. “What do you need from me?” Rico asks. “I don’t know yet. Just be on standby.” Ashton says. In the room, I’m on the full-size bed and Donna is lying next to me. “What are you going to do?” she asks. “I don’t know. I’m just glad I’m not there anymore. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” I tell her. “You would have figured it out. What did they say about you and the baby?” she asks. “They told me that the baby is doing great. None of my ribs are broken, just bruised and the bruises on my face will heal but the spot on my cheek might scar.” I tell her. “But you’re alive and out of that house.” She tells me and I nod. “They want me to start counseling with Kathy starting tomorrow and wants to see me every day for the next week to help me get my head right and help me figure out the next steps.” I tell her. “That’s great.” She tells me. “Will you tell Rico I said thank you?” I ask. “Of course.” She tells me. We talk a little longer before going to sleep. The next morning, we are up and getting dressed and she’s helping me clean the cut on my cheek when there’s a knock on the door. “Come in.” I say and Kathy walks in. “Hey sweetheart. How are you feeling this morning?” she asks. “I’m okay I think.” I tell her. “I want to talk to you for a minute.” Kathy says. “Is something wrong?” I ask worried. “No. Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to let you know what was happening.” She tells me and I nod. “Ashton called your boss and let him know what was going on. He said for you to take what time you need and that when you’re ready to come back, your job will be waiting. He said to let him know if you need anything.” She tells me and I look at Donna and she smiles softly. “Ashton and Izzy called their friend Logan Edwards to meet them here. He’s licensed in family law.” She tells me. “I don’t have the money for a lawyer.” I tell her and look at my hands, deflated. “It’s one of the services we provide here. Doesn’t cost you anything.” She tells me and I look up at her. “I promise.” She tells me and I nod. “Logan just wants to talk to you. Ashton only told him that you were brought in and that you are pregnant. He’s going to ask you some questions to know how to help you.” She tells me and I just nod before following her out the door. I hug Donna goodbye because she still had to work and follow Kathy into one of the offices. “Lori, this is Logan Edwards. Logan, this is Lori Jones.” Kathy says. Logan holds out his hand and I barely look up at him, but I can see he’s the most attractive man I’ve ever seen. He holds out one of the chairs and Kathy asks, “Do you want me to stay with you?” I look at her and say “Please.” She walks over to the other chair and sits beside me. “Lori, we’re going to take this slow, okay. You don’t have to rush through anything. I want you to know that up front.” He tells me. “Okay.” I say but still don’t look completely up at him. “Tell me about yourself first.” He tells me. “My name is Lori Jones. I’m eighteen years old. I work at the diner on third street.” I tell him. “Parents?” he asks. “Maggie Jones was my mom. She died when I was ten. Michael Jones is my father. He used to work at the lumber yard at the edge of town, but he stays home now, getting disability for a bad back.” I tell him. “Tell me about your home life.” He says as he jots down notes. “It’s me and my dad living there. His best friend moved in about six months ago and they spend all their time drinking. When I come home from work, my dad takes my tips and any other money I get.” I tell him. “Who hurt you?” he asks. “My dad.” I say. “Will you tell me what happened last night?” he asks. “I got home from work and showered. When I went to my room, my dad followed me in and demanded my money. I tried to tell him I didn’t have any and he told me he knew I was hiding money in the air vent. I had to give him what I had. After he took the money, he grabbed me by my hair and slung me against the wall. Then he started kicking me in the back before turning me onto my back and punching me in the face a few times before leaving to go get more liquor.” I tell him and quickly wipe the tears from my face. “Anything happen after that?” he asks. I nod my head yes. He reaches for my hands again and I move them to my lap. “Take your time.” Kathy says. “After my dad left, his friend came into my room and was talking about how he didn’t have much time before my dad would be back. He…um…he pulled down my leggings and he r***d me again.” I say softly. I’m trying to hold it together and Kathy pulls me to her. “I’ll give you a minute.” Logan says before stepping out of the room. “It’s okay sweetheart. We won’t let them near you again. I promise.” She soothes me. I pull away from her and ask, “What’s going to happen to me and my baby?” I ask. “We have time to figure that out. But we need to finish with Logan so that we can make sure you and your baby are protected.” She tells me and I nod that I’m okay to continue. Logan comes back in and takes his seat but not before putting a bottle of water in front of me. “Thank you.” I say softly. “I have a few more questions for you and then we will be done for now.” He tells me. “Okay.” I say. “Can you write down the address for me?” he asks, and I nod. I write down the address and ask, “What are you going to do with this?” He looks at me as he takes the pen from me and says “It’s just so we can serve them with papers if we have to do a restraining order. Have you decided what you’re going to do about the baby?” he asks. “I’m keeping it.” I tell him. “Good. Was the baby conceived through consensual s*x?” he asks, and I shake my head no. “Okay. So, you and the baby are both protected under the domestic violence act. That means that the two men that you listed, your father and his friend, will no longer have access to any information on you or your baby. That means you don’t have to put his name on the birth certificate and if by chance he finds out and tries to fight for paternity, the domestic violence act will keep him from taking custody.” He tells me and I release the breath I was holding. He looks at me and says “Lori?” I look up at him, actually looking at him for the first time since walking into the room and he says “I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby. You have my word.” He says and I start to sob again. Kathy pulls me closer and says, “Let’s get you to your room so you can rest.” I nod and we stand to leave. Logan stops me one more time and says “Kathy has my number. Call me if you need anything.” He tells me and I nod before Kathy leads me out of the room. We get back to my room and Kathy hands me a burner phone. Rico took my phone last night so that I couldn’t be traced back to the shelter. “Here’s a burner phone. It’s yours to keep on you at all times. My number is in there as well as Susan’s and Izzy’s. If you want to put Donna’s number in there, that’s fine. Here’s Logan’s business card. Make sure you put his number in your phone. If by chance, your father or his friend are able to make contact, even though they shouldn’t be able to, you let him know immediately.” She tells me. “How will he know it’s me?” I ask. “I will give him the number to the burner.” She tells me and I nod. “When you give Donna your new number, let her know not to give it out to anyone and to let you know if anyone comes looking for you so you can let Logan know.” She tells me and I nod. “I have some paperwork to do so I will be in my office where we were last night so if you need me, come find me or text me.” She tells me. “Thank you, Kathy.” I tell her and she smiles before heading back to her office. I move over to the bed and call Donna. “Hello?” she answers confused. “Hey.” I say and she gets quiet before speaking slowly. “How are you?” I sigh and say “I’m okay, I think. They gave me a burner and said to make sure to tell you not to give it to anyone. It would probably be best if you act like you don’t know anything about where I am or what’s going on but if my dad or Jake comes by looking for me, I need you to text me and let me know so I can tell Logan.” I tell her. “I will. Lloyd asked about you. I told him you were safe.” She tells me. “I don’t know what to do from here. I can’t move out on my own without money and I can’t get money if I can’t work. What am I going to do?” I ask. “Just take a little bit and get your head right. I will help any way I can, but you have to let them do their job to help you.” She tells me. “Okay.” I tell her and we talk for a few more minutes before ending the call. I turn onto my side and put my hand on my stomach and start to drift off to sleep.