Free The Perfection of Love by J. L. Monro Page B

laughed in his face at the suggestion he flipped out and tried to strangle me.  He eventually stopped and stormed out the house leaving me crying on the kitchen floor.  I packed some clothes with the intention of leaving him and went to Ma and Pops’.  They weren’t in but Mara was home.  The bruises that had already begun to show around my neck were like waving a red flag in front of a bull to her.  Mara’s temper was easily the worst in the family.  She had a habit of blowing up first and thinking about the consequences later.  She’d taken my phone and told Mitchell exactly what she thought of him and that we would be going to the police to report him.  Mara had told me if I was scared of Mitchell to maybe look at a woman’s refuge so that he couldn’t find me.  I wasn’t too sure about that part of her plan.  When she had gone out to get some stuff from the shops for me Mitchell called my phone.
     
    “Do you really think you can keep my child away from me, Dana?” 
     
    “No Mitchell.  It’s not about keeping your child away from you, it’s about me being away from you.” 
     
    “Dana I will come to your grandparent’s house and kick down their door to get my child.  Do you want that?”  What the hell is wrong with him?  I don’t want my grandparents dragged into any of my shit that I’ve created.  If I’d left him the first time none of this would be happening.  This was my problem and I needed to take responsibility and deal with it.  “Mitchell, leave my grandparents out of this please.” 
     
    “Well then get back home so we can sort this out.”  He hung up.   I left Mara a note telling her I would deal with my own mess and begged her not to tell Ma and Pops.  I guess she listened because they didn’t call me in a panic.  From that day Mara wasn’t allowed near the house, the baby and by default, me.
     
    “Dana, did anyone stop come over today?”  He asked me again.  I caught the slight note of irritation in his tone.  I needed to defuse him quickly and change the topic.
    “No , Mitchell, me and Jakey have been at home alone today.”  I was starting to get fed up of lying through my back teeth every day but it was starting to become second nature.  Mitchell smiled.  I knew that smile.  That was that ‘you’ve been caught out’ smile.  He went in to the dining room and came back with a brown leather bag.  Fuck, Mara!!!  You never forget shit! How the hell did you forget your bag?  Mitchell had a snarl on his face.  Guess he’d checked whose bag it was.   Double icing on the cake.  Sometimes I hated myself for the way I had my little head conversations but on the plus side it meant most of the time I never saw Mitchell’s hands coming at me so I didn’t have time to panic about the pain I was about to feel.
    ****
    Seriously I need to pull my shit together.  Mitchell is gone and I’ve moved on.  Or at least I’m moving on.  I don’t know what kind of stunt Deacon is trying to pull but I am not going to be bullied by him.  With that pep talk I unlocked the stall and made my way to the mirror to freshen myself up.  I didn’t want Deacon to know he’d ruffled my feathers although the whole running down the corridor like a ghost was behind me might give him a clue.  I had only just stepped onto the ground floor where my office was when Deacon was in my face.  He firmly gripped my hand and led me towards my office.  Once we entered my office Deacon shut the door and locked it slowly.
     
    “What was that?”  He ordered.
     
    Oh, to hell with that.  I swear what he did to induce my panic attack was sexual harassment and now he was ordering me around.  Never again.
     
    “Unlock my office door. NOW.  Don’t you ever take me by the hand again.  Not on school property not EVER.  Do you understand?  You pull a stunt like you just did Dr. Greenwood and I WILL have you done for sexual harassment.  Are we clear?”  I used my best