Page 35 of Mia Amata

“Do you feel like a walk down to the pier?” he asked, “It’s a beautiful evening out there.”

“Fresh air sounds nice.”

We walked outside with Lucky at my side. We walked down, taking a seat on the pier bench. After a few minutes of silence, Jacob spoke up. “Mia Amata, explain to me what is going on with you?”

“I’ve already explained Jacob. There is nothing more to say. What do you feel you need to know? Better yet, why do you feel you need to know?”

Jacob thought for a couple minutes, “I guess you don’t owe me any explanation. You asked me why I care. I do care Mia Amata. I can’t explain it, but there is something about you that has captured my heart. I’ve never felt this way before about anyone.”

I was quiet, not knowing how to respond. “Jacob,” I hesitated.

“Don’t Mia. Please don’t say anything. I just want to get to know you better.”

I didn’t say anything for a little bit. Then I sighed. “I don’t understand, but what do you want to know about me?”

“You said you didn’t know your family. Let’s start there. Were you adopted?” he asked.

“No, I grew up in foster homes. Some were good, some were horrible. I ran away from the last one at the age of 16 after…” I trailed off. I hadn’t thought about that for a long time. I had buried that memory because of the trauma I had been dealing with in the years after that.

“After?” he asked softly.

“After my foster father raped me,” I said, hiding my face from him in shame.

“Mia Amata, look at me,” he said. I couldn’t raise my face, he reached over, taking my chin gently in his fingers, pulling my face up to look at him. “Never hide your face in shame. You did nothing wrong. What he did was not your fault. Do you understand that?” I nodded as tears fell. He wiped my tears away. “I am sorry you had such a rough life. I wish I could have protected you from all that pain you suffered.”

I brushed more tears away. “I hadn’t thought about that in years. I survived.” Right at that point Lucky came running past us and jumped into the lake, splashing both of us. “Lucky!” We both cried out, laughing.

We sat, talking. Lucky soon tired of running around and came to lay beside me on the pier. I was getting cold, but I didn’t want the night to end, talking to Jacob felt good, once I let go of my fears. He noticed that I shivered though, and he promptly stood up, pulling me to my feet also.

“You’re cold, and it’s getting late, let’s go back to the house.” We made our way back to the house. Once inside, he shut the door behind us. “Listen, Mia, I’m glad you are OK. You scared the hell out of me. Promise me no more ladders? I’ll hang things for you tomorrow. I promised the doctor I would keep an eye on you tonight. If you have a blanket and pillow, I’ll lay out here. He said to wake you up every two hours, I don’t want to scare you every time I check on you.”

“I’ll be fine. You can go home if you want.”

“No, I’m not going to risk that. The doctor explained to me what could go wrong. I’m staying. Maybe I can take one couch, you the other, that way I can keep a close eye on you.”

I thought about it for a few minutes. I was so tired, I just wanted to sleep in my own bed. As much as the idea scared me, it seemed like the best option. Shaking my head, I said, “No.I have a king-sized bed. You just as well lay in there if you insist on staying. I’m so tired I want to sleep in my bed.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

He already had, but once again, I was finding I had to put my trust in a stranger. “Give me a few minutes, I’ll let you know when you can come in.” I walked away, heading to the bedroom with Lucky by my side. I changed into capri pants and tank pajamas. I walked back out to get Lucky’s dog bed, looking at Jacob. “OK, you can come in.” I took Lucky’s dog bed and lay it on the floor at the end of the bed. Lucky lay right down, not seeming to protest that he couldn’t lay on the bed. I climbed into bed, pulling the blanket up and getting comfortable. I faced away from Jacob, but I could hear him getting undressed and then felt him crawl into bed on the other side.

“Mia Amata,” Jacob said quietly.

“Hmmm?” I murmured, almost asleep already.

“Sleep well.”

***

Jacob kept his promise to the doctor, waking me every two hours to check on me. I woke up on my own about 4:30 in the morning, found that I was lying on Jacob’s shoulder, his arm around me. It took me a few minutes to realize what was going on. I tried to move away from him, but at first, his arm tightened around me. I froze and then slowly managed to get out of his grasp. I got out of bed, heading into the bathroom. My head hurt, but my stomach was feeling somewhat better. I went out into the living room, and let Lucky outside, watching him from inside the door.

“Mia?” I heard Jacob call.

“Out here.”

He came out a minute or two later, pulling his shirt on. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Thank you for everything. I’m sorry that you have had to do all this for me.” I looked at him.

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