Chapter 4b - Serena -
2151 Words
Friday came around far too quickly and all week her concern for Chloe had been hard to forget. At lunchtime, she had even approached the headteacher to check for any update. The only news he had was that Chloe had a restraining order against Keith who was out on bail and the police were investigating the abuse. Serena couldn't deny her frustration but knew the police had to do their job. Afterwards, she had rushed home from school to get herself ready for her date.
With only a few moments before seven, she stood in front of her mirror scrutinising her appearance and the outfit Tina and she had decided on. She had on a long white jumper dress which hugged her body. It had a cowl neck at the front which just peeked at her cleavage. It came down to her knees, so she had paired it with black leggings and black sandal wedges. Her black clutch bag was already downstairs waiting for her. She thought she looked cute and not too over the top. Her eyes wandered to her hips and again she wondered about taking up a diet to get rid of a few pounds.
She had never been one for plastering her face with layers of make-up or ‘war paint’ as her dad would call it. She settled for a little mascara to make her lashes look longer. She put a bit of blusher on her cheeks and then applied a light peach colour on her lips. Finally, she put on her favourite perfume, Hugo Deep Red, and she was ready and rearing to go.
As she started to put her make-up away, she heard a soft knock on the door, and she let out a soft squeal in shock then hurried down the stairs. Taking a deep breath to calm her heart down, she opened the door and smiled up at the beautiful man at her door.
He scrubbed up well, not that he didn’t look yummy in his fireman’s uniform - oh yes, he looked very good in that uniform – he looked just as good if not better dressed casually. He had a blue polo shirt on, a pair of black jeans and a sexy leather jacket. She scanned him from head to toe once and blushed when she realised, he did the same to her.
“Hi…” she said shyly, suddenly feeling ridiculously out of her depth. Which she was. This was her first date in about five years. It had been a very long time.
“Hi.” He smiled and added, “You look amazing.” He held out his hand for her. She took his hand and nearly melted into a puddle when he kissed her hand.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Are you ready?”
Unable to find the words she nodded and grabbed her bag and keys. She locked up and followed him to his car. She hadn’t noticed his car the other night when he’d drove her home, as she was too frazzled with the Chloe situation. Now she could look properly. He was driving a black land rover, with a grey faux-leather interior. She didn't know too much about cars, but she could tell it was a beautiful car.
“I love your car.”
“Thanks, it’s great for when I’m out in the woods.”
He held the door open for her to get in.
“You're a proper gentleman, aren’t you?”
“Only for you”
Serena was very happy to hear that. They sat in a comfortable silence as the local radio station played a mixture of songs. As she listened, she noticed her favourite band, ‘Lady Antebellum’ was playing. The music helped calm some of her nerves. By the time they reached the restaurant, she was quite relaxed for their first date.
Being the gentleman, she was beginning to realise he was, he helped her from the car and escorted her to the door of the restaurant, his hand at the small of her back. He gave his name to the maitre’d, who nodded and led them between the other patrons to their table.
They had a private booth by the window. The windows were ceiling to floor and the view here was spectacular; you could just see the south side of the town where the majority of the woodland surrounded it. The sun had already set, but you could still see all the purples and pinks on the horizon. The streetlights on the pavements were just flickering into life and the lights of the passing cars lit up the roads.
The restaurant itself was all shades of reds and golds. There were lots of Asian themed decorations around the walls; Chinese scrolls, plants, tapestries and paintings. Chinese lanterns dangled from the ceiling illuminating each table in enough light to create a romantic atmosphere. There were so many tables she couldn’t count them all and most of them were full of people and lots of food. The food smelt delicious.
“This is incredible. It is so beautiful.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Ethan reached across the table and took her hand, rubbing small circles on the back.
Serena looked around at him and blushed as she realised, he meant her.
“You are quite the charmer.”
“Nope, I’m just honest.” He smiled and added, “So tell me more about you.”
“There’s not much to tell,” Serena said her eyes staying on his.
She kept a smile on her face, but inside she was panicking a little. He would need to know about her past, that was a given. But she wasn’t about to say anything yet - especially on a first date.
It's too soon.
He might be repulsed.
He might never want to see me again.
“I bet there is. Tell me about your parents.” He encouraged.
At that moment, a waiter came to take their food and drink orders. She ordered Honey and Garlic chicken with rice, while Ethan ordered Sweet and Sour chicken with fried rice. They both ordered diet coke to drink. Once the waiter brought them their drinks and disappeared, she finally answered.
“Well, that’s easy. I love them both so much. My dad, Thomas, was in the army. He met my mum whilst he was overseas when he was twenty-five. My mum, Joyce, was a nurse caring for the wounded. She was only eighteen but that’s how they met. She fixed him up after being shot. To thank her he approached her father to start courting and a year later they were getting married. My mum was nineteen and my dad had turned twenty-six.”
“And they’re still together.”
“Yes”
“Have you got any brothers and sisters?”
“Unfortunately, I am an only child. It would have been nice to have a brother or sister. The problem was my parents had trouble conceiving to full term. My mum hasn’t spoken about it much. I think it pains her to talk about it. She had quite a few miscarriages before I came along. She had me when she was thirty-one and my dad was thirty-seven, twelve years after they got married. Here I am twenty-eight years later.”
“That’s rough. I am sorry your mum had to go through that. I know that must have been difficult for her.” He squeezed her hand gently.
“Thank you. She’s alright now though. She and my dad moved to Tenerife a few years ago.”
“I bet you miss them.”
“I do miss them every day, but I Skype them all the time. They are the best parents I could ever ask for, so supportive and caring.” She smiled. “What about you?”
“Well, I’ve not met them yet.” He teased and winked at her.
Serena laughed and slapped his hand gently. “You know what I mean.”
“Okay, okay. I am an only child too. My mum and dad were happily married for twenty-eight years. My dad, Jack, was twenty-eight and my mum was twenty-three when they first met. They got married the same year and I arrived two years later. My mum, Mary, is now fifty-nine and such a strong woman, she still lives in town and I make sure to visit her as often as I can.” He hesitated a moment and then continued. “My father, unfortunately, was killed at the age of fifty-six, in the line of duty. That was eight years ago now. I was twenty-six at the time and just out of training.”
“Oh no, I’m so sorry.” She linked her fingers with his and squeezed his hand gently as he had for her. “What happened?”
“Remember that story I talked about on the trip?”
She nodded, “The beam that fell…”
“Well, my dad was there. He was my lieutenant at the time. He saw the beam falling and pushed me out of the way. The beam landed on him mostly but trapped my legs. Garrett was there and my dad ordered him to get me out and leave him there.”
She watched the sadness on Ethan’s face and wanted to comfort him. Knowing that his father had sacrificed himself to save him must have been difficult to deal with. She continued to hold his hand in comfort, unsure what to say next.
“I’m sorry this is such a terrible date conversation.” He shook his head and sipped his drink.
“I disagree completely. It means you feel comfortable enough around me to talk about things that are painful to you, personal things that many probably don’t know. I’m glad you felt you could trust me enough with that story. Just like when I confided in you on Tuesday.” She smiled warmly at him. As she comprehended the power of the words she’d said and what they meant she suddenly realised how much she wanted him to know about her past. To share his father’s death with her, and the way he had died was very trusting. She wanted to have the same courage as him and share her darkest secret.
“Your father was a brave man to do that for you. Besides, we all have pain in our life somewhere, including me. My father nearly went to prison for me.”
She left that comment to linger between them while she gouged his reaction, her eyes staying on his. He looked confused by her words.
After a few minutes, he said one word. “Why?”
“I’ll tell you but please…” She felt tears in her eyes already and forced them back remembering her mascara. She did not want panda eyes on their date. “You’ll probably hate me after I tell you. But I need you to know this. I do really like you. I can’t keep this from you. This part of my past broke me completely.”
Ethan said nothing but he kept his eyes on her waiting for her to continue, his brow was furrowed, and he held her hand tight. He made no hint about letting go and walking away.
“When I was thirteen-” She began, then her voice caught in the back of her throat and her lip trembled. She bit it lightly while she gathered herself before she continued in a whisper. “I was abused and r***d by one of my high school teachers.” Her eyes stayed on his for as long as she could manage before she pulled her gaze away and looked out of the window. “It went on for two years. He told me never to tell anyone and threatened to have me expelled.” She felt a tear trickle down her cheek and wiped it away quickly. No panda eyes! “He broke me… He made me hate myself enough to do this.” She turned the hand he held over and ran one finger along the silver scar.
“My mum found me seconds after I did this. I only ever did it once. After seeing the look on my mum’s face, I couldn’t do it again. But she knew then something was wrong, and I ended up telling them everything. My dad wanted to kill him.”
Serena couldn’t bring herself to look at him.
She wanted to pull her hand away and bolt from the room.
He wouldn’t want her now.
He wouldn’t want to bother with this kind of drama.
"I understand if you don’t want to date me anymore and want to leave,” she said in a small whisper.
- Writer
