The Neighbor Lady

By Kathy in PA

The house next door hadn't been vacant very long. He soon saw a pretty young woman moving in. There were several guys and a woman who helped her move in, but in the next few days he didn't see them again. "Good sign" he thought. "She must be single." He met her as they were both coming home at the same time. They introduced themselves-her name was Rachel and she wasn't wearing a ring! He often saw her when he was coming and going to work, sometimes just waving "hello", but often stopping to chit chat. When she asked where the local dry cleaners was located, he jumped on it as a chance to show her around town. Soon he asked for a date, she seemed hesitant but accepted. That was the first in a series of dates, sometimes dinner, dancing or a meal and a movie at her house or his. They soon became comfortable with each other, she allowed him to hold her hand, a brief hug, a quick kiss goodnight, but she seemed to be holding him at a distance. Then one night at her house, she said "no movie tonight, we need to talk." She spoke heistantly at first but everything soon spilled out as tears streamed down her cheeks. She moved here from out of state with help from a women's shelter. She was married to a wife beater, an alcoholic who raped her several times. Somehow he never spent much time in jail and she decided to leave the state recently while he was gone. Now she had an attorney to get a divorce, but he said he didn't want it and would never sign for it. Rick was so upset to hear all she went through. When she stopped talking, he just reached over and pulled her close until she stopped crying. Then he said he would do all he could to help her start a new life. She smiled and said she felt she could count on him. He knew he needed to go real slow with her, she needed time to heal from all the abuse. He got in the habit of stopping by often, even if just to say "hi".
One evening he decided to stop by and he heard loud voices arguing inside. He decided he better check it out instead of leaving them alone. He knocked and Rachel answered the door. She looked troubled but immediately seemed relieved when she saw Rick. Thinking quick, she says "Come in! I want you to meet my husband James. James, this is Rick. He lives next door and his wife is out of town and I promised her I would give Rick some supper." Rick got her signal, she needed help.
James said "Oh great! Why don't you call the whole neighborhood in and feed them this slop. I sure don't want it." They ignored his comment and Rachel said "Sit down, Rick, while I fix you a bowl of homemade vegetable soup." Rick sits and thanks her and says he loves her vegetable soup. She smiles and James says, "What? Are you over here a lot, sponging off my wife?"
Rachel butts in and says "James, don't be rude." She gives each a bowl of soup and James takes one spoonful and pushes the bowl away, spilling it, saying "I ain't eating this vegetable slop! You know I don't like it!" She nervously says "I didn't know you were coming or I would have fixed something different for you." He jumps up and twists her arm saying "That's right! You fix me what I want to eat! I'm still your husband and don't you forget it!"
Rick jumps up and steps in, making him let go of her, telling him to behave or leave. James shouts "Me leave?" Rachel is rubbing her arm and speaks up saying "That's right, this is my home, not yours."
James punches her in the mouth and knocks her down. Rick grabs him by the collar and asks Rachel if he should run him in. Shaking and tearful, she says "No, just make him leave."
James leaves, shouting "You're still my wife and don't you forget it!"
With Rick there to comfort her and talk to, they soon eat, then watch TV.
Later he leaves.
Much later she calls saying she hears someone in her house.
(James had pocketed her keys earlier.)
Rick tells her he'll be right there. When he gets there he finds the door ajar, the keys left in the lock. Entering the house, he hears struggling and screams. He runs in and finds them on the floor. James is on top of her, ready to rape her. He has a knife at her throat. Rick points his gun and shouts "Police, get off of her!"
James says "You just want a piece of her, well, you're not getting it."
He raises the knife up to plunge into her, she screams and Rick shoots him. Rachel is screaming and struggling to get him off of her. James falls to the side and Rachel scoots across the floor, away from him. She's sobbing, shaking and turns her head away from James.
Rick checks for a pulse-finds none-then goes over to Rachel. He kneels down and quickly looks her over. Her top is half torn off, bottoms torn, there is blood running from her neck, where he cut her, to her chest. He picks up her one hand, which is bleeding and finds a deep cut across the palm. She looks surprised at first, then remembers at one point she grabbed the blade when he came after her with it. He gently helps her up, she is shaking, sobbing and babbling about what happened.
He says "Shush, it's over now, I'm here, you're alright now" and holds her. He wants to get her out of that room, she buries her face in his chest and says "I don't want to look at him, I can't look at him!" He says "You don't have to look" as he shields her and leads her past the body.
He calls it in, soon several officers come in. When she sees they will be taking the body out, she jumps up and hurrys to another room so she doesn't have to see it.
A woman from Stop The Violence Against Women and Children sits with her and gently asks questions. Rachel tells her "No, he didn't rape her." Rick is talking with the officers. He tells them he will be in on Monday to file a report. The paramedics are finishing with her and tell her she needs to go to the emergency room. Rick hears this and speaks up and says he will take her. The officers soon leave. The woman offers to help her wash up and change clothes. Before she leaves, she asks if there is someone who can stay with her tonight. Rachel says "No, my family is out of state and I really haven't made any friends I can call about this." Rick tells the woman he'll take care of her.
On the way to the emergency room, he tells her to sit back and relax. She thanks him for his help and says she hates to think what would have happened if he didn't come when he did.
Rick says "That's all over now."
On the way home, he notices the closer they get to her house, the more she seems scared and distant, like she's thinking about what happened. He say's "Why don't you spend the night at my house. You really shouldn't stay in your house tonight." She answered "You don't mind?" He assured her it was alright. "Oh, thank you! I appreciate it!" She seems very relieved and relaxes.
He says she can have the bed, he'll grab a blanket for the couch. She eyes the bed and shyly says "Will you sleep beside me? I don't want to be alone." and seems ready to cry. He says "Well, sure, if you want me too." She hugs him and thanks him again. She says "You're a lifesaver! If you hadn't come when you did, he would have raped me again."
Rick pulls her back to look into her eyes. He says "Listen, he can't hurt you anymore, he's gone, and as long as I'm around nobody is ever going to hurt you."
She slowly smiles a weak smile and kisses him on the cheek. Then says "You're really something special, aren't you!" He just smiles and says "Now get in bed!" She gets in and Rick lays beside her. She's soon asleep from the sleeping pill they gave her at the hospital, but as Rick is just falling asleep, she jerks awake and starts crying and shaking. Rick holds her and soothes her. After awhile, she is asleep again. Rick though "I wish he was alive so I could kill him again."
The next day, she awakes late and at first doesn't remember where she's at. Then it all comes back to her, hearing someone in her house, hiding and James finding her, hearing his abusive language and remembering the near rape. Then Rick finds them and just as James attempts to stab her-Rick shoots him.
She covers her mouth as she cries out. The tears start again and she wonders if she will always awake with this memory.
Later, Rick comes in and finds her just sitting there, staring with a sad look on her face. He can see she had been crying and knows what she's thinking. He tries to take her mind off it by saying "Hey sleepyhead, you missed breakfast, how about a Sunday brunch?" He takes a finger and lifts her head up to look into her face. Softly he says, "I know it must be hard, but starting today you must work to put it in the past. He's gone and he's not coming back, but you have a whole new future ahead of you and I would like to be a part of that future, if you'll let me in."
She smiles through tears.