Page 99 of Falcon

Chapter 21

Falcon

“Nice!” I shout as she lands a solid punch to the bag. “Give me another from the left. No hesitation.”

She does just that, landing another with power and confidence and without being prompted; she throws four more in quick succession.

I’ve had music playing over the speakers around us because I know that helps me get into a flow when I work out. The current song slows to a halt and the next begins. The singer’s voice bleeds all around us, singing about falling to pieces and the energy shifts in the room.

Faith freezes and doesn’t look at me at all. She closes her eyes and shakes her head before she stands tall and stares at the bag.

I don’t say anything. I can feel in the air whatever is happening in her head, she needs to work through it.

Her chest rises and falls rapidly before she tosses punch after punch to the bag. She’s not worrying about form or power: this is emotion. Pure emotion and rage spilling from her pores and shooting out into the room.

Punch. Kick. Punch. Kick.

Soon, she just starts wailing on the bag with two gloved hands like she’s trying to beat open a door.

I can see the tears glistening on her face when she gives one final blow then sinks to the ground.

I don’t ask questions. I just rush to her side and drop to the floor with her, pulling her into my lap, and she cries loud, gasping sobs that seem to go on forever into my shirt. I stroke her hair and back; just letting her know I am here and I’m not going anywhere.

After some time, her body begins to settle and her breathing evens out, and we are left with only sniffs when she pushes up to look at me.

“I’m sorry,” she says.

I wipe the tears from her red, blotchy beautiful face. “Why would you ever apologize?”

“Because I kind of went crazy and had a meltdown in front of you. I’m so embarrassed.” She tries to look away from me, but I capture her chin in my hand, tilting her eyes back to mine.

“Don’t ever be embarrassed by anything you do in front of me. Especially not something like this.”

She sniffles again before relaxing her body back into mine. I hold her there for a while, on the mat, just letting her calm down.

She is tracing her finger back and forth across my abdomen when she starts talking.

“I beat myself up for so long after the assault. If I had been stronger, maybe I could have stopped him? Why didn’t I fight? That song that just came on...that was playing when it happened.”

“Christ, baby, I’m so fucking sorry.”

She shakes her head. “You couldn’t have known. Honestly, I don’t think I even remembered consciously until I heard it just now. All I could see was his smug face...and I just needed to get the feelings out somehow.”

“Do you know where he is now?”

“Falcon, I don’t even know his name. I had been drinking. Everything is blurry. I just remember bits and pieces. We danced, he was nice...then he wasn’t.”

My hands are shaking and my body is stiff as I listen to her recount this, but I think she needs to get this out.

“I don’t remember going upstairs, but I do remember he tried to kiss me and I said no. He got so angry, but like in that arrogant way? He smiled like he was amused I had the audacity to turn him down. After that, everything is kind of mixed up. He brought me a new drink, and then I was just on a bed somewhere. I could smell the whiskey on his breath. He was hurting me. Clawing at my thighs and....he was...”

“You don’t have to say. You don’t have to relive it.”

She relaxes in my arms like a weight was lifted from her.

“Did you go to the police?” I ask.

“Not at first. I was so afraid because I was underage drinking. I guess in my dumb, young brain, I thought I’d get in trouble.”

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