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To say I liked her would be quite an understatement. I was in love, head over heels. She was absolutely beautiful. Soft glittery blue eyes that I’m sure were even clearer than my own. She had the warmest smile that would make you smile back just when you saw it. Her golden blonde hair was chin length, she always wore it a bit gelled and tousled. She once told me she had copied Meg Ryan’s hairstyle, I thought it looked uniquely her own.
The night I met her was an unusually warm September evening. I had gotten in an argument with my parents over something that was my younger brother Zac’s fault. Instead of sticking around to hear more meaningless words I jumped into my truck and drove around aimlessly for a while. I found myself at some park skipping stones into a small pond. It was then that I heard a small voice behind me, informing me I was in her spot. This wonderful girl sat down on a rock beside me and struck up a conversation. We stayed at that pond talking until almost 2 that morning. Which in turn got me more hell from my parents, but it was all worth it.
We began meeting at the pond almost every night and having long conversations about everything and nothing. I learned so much about her. Her name was Leah, and she was 18, not quite a year older than I was. She had moved to Tulsa from a more rural part of Oklahoma about a year earlier when her mother passed away. She was all alone and eager for the first person to take her in. The first person had ended up being a man named Justin. He was as sweet as could be, and she fell in love with him, having no one else left in the world. But not too long before we met he had taken a turn on her. She told me he was verbally abusive to her. She swore on her life that he had never hit her, but she was very unhappy with him. She just didn’t know how to leave him after he had been so kind in the beginning. That’s when she turned to the solitude of the pond and to me for comfort.
“So what am I going to do about Justin?” she was asking me while stirring her cappuccino. By then it was early February. When the weather turned cold we had traded in our pond for a local coffee shop for our evening visits. She was still with Justin, but wanted out more than ever.
“What?” I asked her blankly.
“Taylor, have you been paying any attention to the story I was just telling you?” Leah asked me.
“Sorry, I was sort of in a daze” I admitted.
“I was telling you about Justin” she explained. “He’s becoming very jealous. He’s always wondering why I go to the coffee shop so much. Taylor, if he were to ever find out how much time I spend with you he’d absolutely kill you.”
“I’m not scared” I told her honestly. An unhappy look came over her face.
“But I am” she whispered.
I slid my hand over to hers and clasped it under the table. “You shouldn’t have to be” I told her and looked her in the eye. She nodded and glanced down looking somewhat ashamed. “You know I’m here for you Leah” I continued.
“Yeah, thanks Taylor. But I have to go now” she said softly standing to her feet. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and I watched her walk out. My heart went out to that girl, and I vowed I would do everything in my power to make her happy.
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About a week passed and I didn’t hear anything from Leah except one phone call saying she couldn’t meet me for a planned visit, and that she’d call me later.
I was watching TV one afternoon when the doorbell rang. It was Leah; she was at the doorstep sobbing. “I’m sorry Taylor, I had no where else to go” she said. Without any questions I let her in and embraced her. I held on tight to her while she soaked the shoulder of my shirt with her tears.
When her sobs slowed down to soft sniffles I led her upstairs to my bedroom sensing she would need to talk to me. We both sunk onto the bed. There was a slight pause as if she was collecting her thoughts. Then she took a deep breath and began. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what we talked about the last time at the coffee shops. It’s only getting worse. I had to call you and cancel that one night because he came over to my apartment and wouldn’t leave or let me leave either. He’s been controlling me ever since then, not letting me do things with any of my other friends. He’s always in some sort of jealous rage…” her voice trailed off. I knew there was something else. Something that had provoked her to come over in tears.
“What else Leah?” I asked. Her bottom lip began to tremble as she started crying again.
“He forced me to sleep with him” she finally choked out barely above a whisper. She buried her face in her hands and cried as if she was ashamed. Needless to say I was shocked at what she told me. I pulled her close to me for whatever kind of comfort I could offer. Anger boiled inside of me for this man that could hurt such a wonderful girl.
I searched my mind for something, anything I could do for her. I knew I could offer her so much more than he could, and I wasn’t about to let her go.
“Leah, does Justin know anything about me?” I finally asked her.
“Just that you’re a friend of mine” she told me.
“He doesn’t know where I live right?” I asked.
“No, why?” she gave me an inquisitive look.
“You’re going to stay here for a while,” I said without even asking her.
“Taylor, I couldn’t possibly do that-” she started.
“No Leah, you’re staying here. You are not going back to your apartment where he can find you. He’s already raped you, who knows what else he’s capable of doing. We have plenty of room, you are going to stay here until we can give that bastard what he deserves” I spoke with pure hatred.
Leah reluctantly nodded her head in agreement. She leaned her head back on my shoulder for support and cried some more as I promised to make everything better for her.
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Late that night I crept down to the basement to make sure Leah was all right. Peering into the guestroom I found her awake in bed with the light on, gazing at the textured ceiling. I knocked softly on the door.
She looked at me. “Hey Taylor, come in” she said softly.
“Is everything okay?” I asked coming in and taking a seat on the edge of the bed.
“Yes, everything is fine. I can’t thank you and your family enough for letting me stay here. I know I’d be scared if I were back at my apartment” she admitted.
“The important thing is that you’re safe here” I said softly and reached out to touch her on the cheek. She scooted over and lifted the covers for me to lie down next to her. I eased in comfortably next to her, but didn’t really know how to proceed. I wanted to love her with all my heart, and for her to love me back, but I knew she was dealing with a lot at the time and was probably weary of relationships. I knew I had to proceed with caution. I finally decided to wrap my arms around her and hold her for comfort. After all she was the one that invited me.
For a long time we lay together in contented silence. I was almost asleep when Leah’s voice brought me back to a state consciousness. “It’s after midnight” she stated.
I glanced over my shoulder at the clock. Sure enough the bright red numbers read 12:06. I wasn’t really sure what significance that was though. “Yeah, so” I said.
“Do you know what the date is?” she asked.
“Well, technically since its after midnight it would be” I thought about it for a second, “February 14.” Leah smiled at me, and I smiled back.
“You know, I’ve been through a lot lately, but I think I’m finally happy. I think I’ve finally found my Valentine” she whispered and placed a soft, short kiss on my lips. I smiled again, I knew I had found mine.
