Page 119 of Hurts So Good

“Hey.”

Liz chuckled and hopped off the ambulance to hold her hand out for me.

I rolled my eyes and begrudgingly accepted her help to get down. After that, we headed into Luke’s so I could get my purse from the backroom.

It was weird seeing the bar so quiet. I was too new to open or close, so there were always people here. Even if it was just three or four regulars, there was always someone here. Solitude wasn’t something I lacked growing up. Nuns and priests weren’t social beings. So I didn’t put much thought into the eeriness of being alone. But it was eerie. Especially with the ambiance of the red and blue flashing lights outside. I couldn’t help but notice how my footsteps echoed through the room as I made my way around to the side of the bar. That’s when I stopped.

Charlie’s seat was right there. A brown wooden barstool that looked exactly like the others, yet wasn’t similar at all. It was so empty. Suddenly it hit me that I would never see the man who occupied that spot again. I would never hear him call me lude names, or tell me a grandiose story about an extraordinary fish he caught. His wife would never hear it, neither would his children. Charlie wasn’t the best father, but he was still a father. He was important to someone. And now he was gone. Killed by a monster that no one believed existed.

I almost jumped out of my skin when Liz put her hand on my shoulder. “Hey.”

Even with that startle, I couldn’t look away from the empty barstool. “Will Charlie’s wife be okay?”

“Awe, Honey.” Liz popped her lip out in a frown. “Charlie’s wife left him years ago.”

She did?

“Why would he lie about that?” He talked about her like she was waiting at home for him.

Liz shrugged. “Maybe it was easier than facing the truth?”

“He must’ve been incredibly lonely.”

My heart broke for him. The poor man just wanted somebody to love. Was that why he was here every night? Was he trying to drink his sorrows away?

“I wouldn’t think too much about it. Everyone here has some kind of sob story.”

Looking up at my friend, I asked, “Do you?”

I was genuinely curious. While I’d been staying and working with Liz, I didn’t know her that well. She didn’t talk a lot about herself. Sometimes I heard her crying though. I tried once to ask her about it, but she said I was mistaken and probably just heard her playing with Mr. Good Vibes. That I knew was a lie because there was no one else in her room at the time. I decided to let it go. People couldn’t be forced to open up. All I could do was be there for her when she was ready.

“Working here is my sob story. Now come on.” She gave me a gentle shove. “Get your stuff. There’s a pint of ice cream at home calling my name.”

I walked around to the back of the bar and sighed. “You shouldn’t eat so many sweets. It’ll rot your teeth.”

“And you should loosen that chastity belt you have on your pussy, and use the damn thing.”

“That’s vulgar.” I shot her a dirty look. “And I don’t have a chastity belt.”

She rolled her eyes and muttered, “You may as well.”

Ignoring her, I ducked into the back room as memories of what happened came rushing back. The way that monster touched me and how it made me feel. A part of me wanted him to do it again. To rub my body against his and loose myself to the pleasure he brought. I knew the lust picking at the back of mind. I’d felt it before with father John. The way he would look at me was wrong. But I looked back at him. I encouraged his sin. What happened that day was my fault…

“You wanted to see me Father?”

“Yes Dawn,” Father John waved for me to come closer. “Come in and shut the door.”

I did as I was told, and closed the door before walking over to him. At first I thought I was in trouble. That was the only reason we got called into his office. But then I saw that look in his eyes. The one that made my belly flip.

“How old are you now Dawn?”

“I’m Fifteen Father.”

“That’s right, you are still a child.” He sat down on the edge of his desk and ran his gaze down my form. “But you don’t dress like a child, do you?”

What? I was confused. “I wear the same thing as every other girl.”

“Every other girl wears leggings.”

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