A Haunted Marriage & The Cookie Baking Poltergeist

Chapter 17: A Teenager In Need

    Michael drove his Honda so fast into the parking lot of the Stewart's convenience store that when he skidded to a halt the front wheels bumped into the curb. The Honda was also parked crooked, going slightly over one of the parking lines. When Michael opened the car door, it slammed into a red pickup truck next to his car. A gray mustached man seated in the passenger seat of that pickup truck gave Mike the finger, but Michael didn't even notice. I have to find Jacob right not and see what's going on. Michael slammed his car door and jogged up the curbside into the glass door of Stewart's. Julia panted as she struggled to keep up with her husband.

    Michael pulled open a door that revealed a u-shaped counter with various food items set atop. A hotdog heater was set next to two coffee burners. A man, dressed in military fatigues, with a hunting rifle slung over his left shoulder, poured himself a cup of coffee. A woman, dressed in blue jeans and a black jacket, used tongs to place her hotdog properly into its bun. She then used a spoon to scoop relish onto the same hotdog. Along the store's left side stood a rack containing every brand of candy bar. Next to that rack were baskets full of potato chip bags. Michael turned away from this area to head over to a row of red booths along the store's other row of windows. Outside these windows cars could be seen pulling up and away from the Stewart's gas pumps. In the far booth, a lone hooded figure sat with his head buried in his arms. A cell phone sat on the table face down in front of the hooded person.

    Julia grabbed her husband's elbow as they neared the hooded figure who never raised his head even once. Julia slid into the booth with Michael seated on the outside. The figure didn't move an inch. The phone buzzed with a message, but the hooded figure remained motionless.

    Michael rubbed the figure's shoulder before saying, "Jacob I know it's you. What's wrong?"

    The figure pushed his palms into the table before raising his head to reveal the face of Jacob Pine. Jacob groaned after adjusting the hood on his face to cover his forehead. But all of Jacob's adjusting couldn't hide the black bruise over his left eye. The left side of Jacob's lips were puffed up slightly. A small drop of blood stained the table in front of him.

    Michael made a fist and punched the table so hard that Jacob cell phone flew nearly a foot into the air. "That's it. I am going to take care of this right now. Jacob you stay here. This is my wife Julia. Julia will take good care of you until I get back. This s**t ends today. I will be back in a bit." Michael leaped from the booth and nearly bumped into another customer. He ran out the front door and jumped into his Honda.

    Julia turned her head to watch her husband back his Honda out of the parking lot and make a quick right turn. The Honda sped more than fifty miles per hour down Main Street, a street with a thirty mile per hour speed limit.

    "What is he going to do?" Jacob asked.

    "My husband is finally going to channel his pent up anger in the right direction," Julia said. For the past few weeks I have thought of Michael as some sort of mortal enemy that I needed to destroy. It's amazing to see him transform into a hero and become more like the man I fell in love with all those years ago. I didn't feel like this in marriage therapy not more than a half hour ago.

    "I am sorry I had to text you guys," Jacob said.

    Julia placed her hand on Jacob's arm. "You did the right thing. We should really call the police."

    "No, no. James is a d**k, and I want to get a new foster home, but I don't want to see him go to jail. I just want out of there."

    "Jacob, he beat the crap out of you. He's just going to get worse, well maybe not after Michael has his way with him, but are you sure you don't want us to call the police? Didn't you tell anyone at school?"

    "No, no. I think James has lots of connections with the police anyway because of his construction company. The school doesn't do s**t. They won't do anything. I called DSS and left a message that I want a new foster home. Maybe this one will actually last until I am eighteen and can find a home of my own."

    "That shiner doesn't look good," Julia said. She got up and went over to the freezer rack. She plucked out a package of frozen peas and slid them over to Jacob. "Put that over your eye for a few minutes. It will help with the swelling."

    Jacob took the frozen peas and placed the bag over his left eye. "This makes it hurt more."

    "Just leave it there ok."

    "Sure Misses Blake."

    "Call me Julia. I am not one of your teachers. Do you want me to buy you something to eat?"

    "No, I am fine," Jacob said as he slouched further into the booth.

    "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

    Jacob removed the frozen bags of peas away from his eye and slid them back to Julia. "Put these away. I want to get out of here for awhile to take a walk somewhere."

    "By yourself?"

    "I won't be by myself if you come with me. I haven't even seen my foster mom in awhile. So far you seem like a good woman to hang out with."

    "Ok. I will let you lead the way. I am still not familiar with this area. I am from downstate."

    "I know. I can tell by your Long Island accent."

    Julia laughed out loud before getting up from the booth. She placed the frozen peas back in the cooler.

    Jacob was already waiting for Julia by the front door. He held the door open for Julia. They both zipped up their respective jackets to their necks before walking out of the parking lot.

    "Let's walk up the sidewalk here. The track isn't far," Jacob said.

    "The track?"

    "The Saratoga Racetrack. Come on, you've never heard of it. It's the oldest horseracing track in the country."

    "Oh yeah. I vaguely remember Michael mentioning something about that."

    Jacob's steps quickened and Julia had to jog to keep up with him. "Wait up I am a lot older than you."

    A row of ten trees, now all bare, stood on the right side of the sidewalk. At the end of the tree row was a concrete sign in the ground behind a row of spotlights. The sign read: "Saratoga National Racetrack, Established 1864, Open July 21-September 5."

    "It's only open six weeks a year. I hate the town of Saratoga when it's open. It's way too, too crowded. "

    Julia walked past the sign to gaze upon the grandstand of the Saratoga Raceway. The grandstand was made of white painted wood, with a green roof containing two towers, reminiscent of a castle's towers. The mile long oval horseracing track, surrounded by a white steel fence, could be found immediately beyond the grandstand.

    So since this place is so old like everything else in Saratoga County I bet it's haunted too, Julia thought.

    "So I think it's the coolest thing that Michael told me you guys actually live in a haunted house. That is so awesome."

    "It's not so awesome to have to deal with cabinets flying open, strange smells, our bed shaking and the cat acting very weird. But apparently Michael said that you might be willing to help with all of that."

    "Of course. A house haunted by my dead grandmother. I don't think I've even seen that one in any horror movie I've ever seen. But you might not need my help. I thought you two were getting a divorce anyway and moving."

    "The jury is still out on that one but we want to try and work things out. Would you be able to take your hood off for me?"

    With both hands, Jacob slid the hood down to his neck to reveal a head of slicked black hair. Jacob winced when he finished removing the hood from his head. His swollen left eye looked smaller that his right eye.

    "There's actually a handsome young man hiding under that hood. You should keep that thing off your head."

    "Ok quote mom unquote. How does the eye look?"

    "To be honest like crap," Julia said as she reached into her purse to grab her vibrating cell phone.

    Michael's message read, "I am leaving Jacob's foster home now. The short version of what happened is that Jacob will have to stay with us for awhile as our new houseguest. There's no way I will let him go back here. I will pick you guys up in ten minutes."

    Julia texted back, "Sound great. We are at the Saratoga Racetrack now so pick us up there."

                                                                                #

    By the time Jacob and Julia reached the Saratoga Race Track to end their walk together, Michael had already parked his car in front of 68 Lionheart Lane. Michael gripped the steering wheel so hard before leaving his car that his fingernails cut into his palms. Michael glanced through the windshield and noticed the Silver BMW parked atop the driveway. Good, the prick is still home. And no other cars here so his wife must be out. Sucks to be him.

    Michael's arms trembled when he pushed open the door to his car. He lumbered up the gravel driveway and nearly tripped over a bush on the way to the front door. But unlike his previous visit, Michael decided not to ring the doorbell. He raised his fist and pounded on the door ten times. Michael heard a heavy set of footsteps approach the door from the other side.

    The wood door opened the reveal the figure of Phil Hughes, dressed in blue jeans and a brown shirt with "Hughes Construction" sewn on the front. "If you want to see the kid again, he's not here. Next time you really need to call first before I will allow you to see him."

    Michael glanced down at Phil's right hand. All four of his knuckles contained red swelling. This f*****g asshole has been beating the s**t out of his own foster kid. What a f*****g d**k. This will not ever happen again after today.

    "Asshole, didn't you hear me. I just said he's not here. Why don't you leave now before I call the police."

    Michael reared back his right leg and kicked at the door with enough force to knock Phil Hughes further back into his own hallway. Phil c****d back his right arm and took a swing at Michael's head. Michael ducked but felt the breeze from Phil's flailing punch above his right ear. Michael stood back up and pushed his palms into Phil's chest. Phil was slightly larger than Michael so it took two full pushes to knock him over onto his rear. Phil's head nearly struck a lamp set on an end table on his way to the floor.

    Phil swung his arms to no avail. Within seconds, Michael was on his knees on the floor grabbing Phil's shirt with his left hand. Making a fist with his right hand, Michael punched Phil in the left eye three times. During the last punch, Michael thought he was punching his father instead of Phil Hughes. The knuckles on Michael's right hand throbbed. Michael then grabbed Phil with both hands to pull him up to a seated position.

    "How do you like that motherfucker? If you ever touch Jacob again I will be back to kick the s**t out of you some more. You're not so tough after all. And go ahead and call the police. They would love to hear how you've been beating the s**t out of your foster son. And newsflash, Jacob is not going to be staying here anymore. You only took him in to make yourself look good. He will be staying with us until we can find somewhere safer he can go. I will bring him back tomorrow so he can pick up the rest of his things you son of a bitch."

    Michael let go of Phil's shirt and jogged out the front door. Phil lay back down on the floor, rubbing his left eye with his hands.