Escaping to the CEO

Chapter 5

A few days Earlier:

Eric’s POV

My Desk was littered with work that needed me to sign off on. I had Piles of files and papers waiting for my signature. Behind all of that was a photo of CD she was sitting on my lap. We were kids. Pretty much babies. Her hair was in a high pony tail and her green eyes were squinting. She had the biggest smile on her face. It was her birthday and she had whispered in my ear that her wish was for us to be together always.

I wanted that too. I couldn’t imagine spending one day with out her. That was one of the last photos we took together before I was sent to the group home. My foster family had taken the picture and printed it out for me.

I was seven when I moved into her neighborhood. I had been dragged from home to home. Four previous foster homes I was beaten at one, another had kids coming out the windows, There was one who treated us like slaves and the last home I was in well they were secret meth dealers. They got caught and arrested and myself and the other boy in the house were sent to new homes.

She was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. And for a seven year old boy that’s saying something cause most girls were icky. But not CD. Gosh she was beautiful. It was like the sun constantly shown around her. She had a twinkle in her eyes that made me feel special every time she looked my way.

I was sitting on the swing in my back yard when she had come over asking me to play. I was feeling sad since it was almost three years since my mom had passed away. She asked me for my story. And I’m not sure what it was that made me tell her. I hadn’t told anyone before so this was a first for me.

I told her how my dad left a few years ago. It was Christmas Eve, and he claimed we needed milk. I never saw him again. My mom she was really sick, and she passed away before midnight on New Year's Eve. Needless to say, I was alone in this world and I had no one. Our neighbor Mrs. Wolowitz came to wish us a happy new year. She had a plate of sweet rice. She always brought us that every new years day. The police took me into custody and from there I went into the department for children and families.

CD hugged me. She felt warm and comforting. I hope that I can stay with the Markowski’s. I don’t want to change homes anymore. Living next to CD was the greatest gift I could ever get. Our windows faced each other. I had gotten Walkie Talkies for Christmas that year. She had one and I had one. We would talk for hours and hours.

Our friendship Blossomed She went from being my close friend to the girl that I want to marry one day. I Started calling her CD. It’s short for Cassandra Diana and because her voice was like music to my ears. No one else called her that That was my name for her and only I could call her that, I heard others call her Cass or Cassie, Her parents only referred to her as Cassandra.

At 7 I definitely was not the best-looking boy in the area. I was chubby kid and I had thick coke bottle glasses. My brown hair was greasy and messy. It didn’t matter how many showers I took or how much I washed my hair I looked like a version of pig pen from the peanuts comic. And despite all that She liked me for me. She accepted me for me.

There was one summer that solidified that I would protect her for her life. One of the neighbors had adopted this big mean dog. You know like having the drool pouring down his face and is big and mean.. Could potentially eat small children for breakfast and ask for more. Well he got out of his fenced in yard. He spotted CD sitting in her year playing with a doll and started running towards her. I saw him running toward her as I was mowing the lawn. She started screaming and sprinting to get away from him. I was running after it. He almost clamped his jowls around her ankle as I tackled him from behind. I was yelling at her to keep running.

I wrestled the dog trying to keep him from going after her. But somehow I ended up on the wrong side and his mouth clamped down on my arm. CD ran to get help and it took several adults to get the dog off my arm and knock it out. The dog officer came and the owner instead of accepting fault stood at the edge of his property yelling and swearing at me. He claimed it was my fault that his dog got out of the yard and ran after CD. That it was my fault that he bit me. The officers were arresting him for his dog not being properly contained and public intoxication.

I was being loaded into the ambulance and CD hopped into the back. The EMTs tried getting her to stay back but she refused. She told them how I saved her life, and now it was her turn to save mine. She held my hand the whole way to the hospital.

“Thank you E:

“You’re welcome. I’ll always come for you. I’ll always save you.”

She stayed with me as I got twenty-four stiches in my arm, and the report from the dog catcher revealed that the dog had rabies. So I had to get shots as well. Not once did she flinch. I flinched but her, No, no she was strong, strong like a rock, unmoving like the mountains and a forceful river that could take anything in her path. She was my everything even though she didn't know it yet, and I, I wanted to be her everything too.

My foster parents brought us home. Her dad shook my hand and thanked me for saving his little girl. She hugged me and Kissed my cheek before going inside for the night. I was to rest for the next couple of days. The dog almost ripped my arm off from the force of the yanking it was doing.

Once I was allowed to I would go into the back yard with CD and we would lay in the grass watching the clouds float by. We built a fort in the back for her house and that’s where we would do our home work or hang out together.

My foster mom taught us basic cooking and her dad would take us for bike rides. There was one night we snuck out and went skinny dipping in the lake that was a half mile away from our houses. We were thirteen at the time. I started slimming down and feeling better about myself. I still had the thick glasses. I looked at her and she was absolutely beautiful. The moonlight illuminated behind her making her glow. I was staring at her up until she pushed me in. We swam and splashed each other for like an hour. When we came out of the lake we wrapped up in a towel and she laid her head on my chest while we looked at the stars.

Then one morning, my foster dad told me that he was put up for a promotion. I was so excited until I learned that the family was moving to Montana. I wouldn't be allowed to go. I am a ward of the state. The Markowski’s never tried to adopt me. I never thought this would happen I thought because I had been with them for almost seven years that I would get to stay. That was not the case at all. My time with them was limited. I had one month. One more month before getting sent to my next home. One more month before I wouldn’t see CD every day. One month before my world once again changed for life.

The week before I was to leave I sat at the desk in my room and wrote her a letter. In the letter I poured out every feeling I had, every emotion I felt since the day I met her. I promised her that I would love her with every breath that my lungs would give, with every beat of my heart till the day it stopped beating. That I will come for her and I would never let her go again.

I spent as much time on CD as I could. I wanted to memorize every facial feature, every smile, frown. I even put her laugh into my memory. I couldn't tell her I was leaving. I didn't want to. She held my heart in the palm of her hand. I didn't want it back. On my last day, the social worker pulled up. She let me go and say goodbye to her. Even though I only had a moment with her, I wanted to make it special.

"CD?"

"Eric? What's going on? Why are you packed? Where are you going?"

She was so frantic she was stumbling over her words and couldn't spit out her questions fast enough.

"I thought I had more time. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want to ruin our last few days together. I'm being sent to a group home for boys. My foster dad got a promotion and the family is moving to Montana. I can't stay here. I'm so sorry CD."

I pulled her in close to my chest and held her. Tears rolled down my eyes. My shirt was becoming damp as the tears rolled from her face. I lifted her chin and looked into her beautiful emerald green eyes. I tucked her hair behind her ear. I kissed her. I poured every feeling I had into that kiss. I wanted her to feel how I feel for her. I wanted her to know that even at thirteen that I love her. Her tears poured harder now. I placed in the pocket of her sweatshirt a letter I had written with all my feelings spread out across the page, and a promise that I would come back for her.

The social worker took me by the arm and I gave her a look back as we walked. I mouthed," I love you, Cassandra Diane". I was placed in the van and turned to face her as we drove off. My hand was against the window. She stood there, tears were pouring, and she was sobbing. I wanted to jump out of the car and run to her. But there was a man from the boys' home sitting next to me. His hand gripped my arm and stopped me as soon as I flinched.

As the van turned the corner I say her knees buckle and she started going to the ground. My heart broke. I needed to find a way to get back to her.

The boys' home was a hard adjustment. I found out that once you get placed into a boys home there is no more homes you get placed into. This was the last place the place that a foster kid doesn’t want to end up but does. It took awhile however I slowly started making friends. And soon there were five of us who did everything together. The boys all knew about CD. I had a few photos of us growing up and they stayed with me at all times. The boys would tease me about her but it was all in good fun.

As we grew up, we started figuring out what we wanted to do with our lives. Tommy wanted to become a lawyer and start his own law firm. He wanted to specialize in family court. Gerald wanted to become a police officer. Michael was the luckiest of all of us. He met his real family just after he turned 18. They were one of the top mafia families in Boston. His mother had been kidnapped while she was pregnant and unfortunately was murdered after he was born. He was found on a church door step and the rest is history for him. Desmond joined a motorcycle club after spending a week in Sturgis. He said it was the best this he could ever do. As for me I started a construction company. I spent many years working for construction crews and built and saved till I had enough money to start my own company. Sometimes Michael or Desmond would call asking for a cement truck to be delivered by me. I never asked questions. They never gave me any information. Less knowledge is better. Denying information you don't know keeps you free and clear.