“Bottom line, Charlene! Stephanie comes and lives with me, NOW, and the next time he hits you, I break his arm. And I swear, cuz, the next time he hits that precious child, I’ll either break both of his arms or kill him, I’m not sure which yet. I don’t care if he’s her stepfather or your husband or the Prince of Arabia. He has no right to hit either one of you. Stephanie isn’t his daughter anyway. Why would he even care? She’ll be safer here at home with me, and you should care. You’re welcome here any time, you know that. Should I come get her now, or are you bringing her over?”

“If you could, please come get her. He took my keys so I couldn’t leave. He’s down at Willie’s.”

“What an ass! Okay, no problem. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes or so. I’m leaving with her, no question. If you have a bag ready, or not, I’ll take you, too. Totally up to you, as an adult, but she’s not staying. Let me talk to her.” I heard the phone being handed over to Stephanie.

“Hi, Uncle Chuck.”

“Hey, baby. Throw everything you need in a couple of big trash bags. I’m kidnapping you.”

“If I say ‘Okay’ it’s not kidnapping, but all right. I’ll see you in a bit. Thank you. You won’t be sorry. I have something to show you. Bye.” I heard her run off after she handed Charlene the phone.

“She went to get her things.”

“I know. I could hear her smile all the way through the phone. No kid should smile when an uncle figure that really isn’t one has to take her from her mother’s home, just to protect her. Charlene, you have to admit, this ain’t right. When you adopted Bobby’s daughter, you signed up for all that.”

“Okay, I admit it. She’ll be happier with you anyway.”

“No shit, Sherlock. I’ve never hit her!”

“Don’t be all holier than thou. You’re not perfect, either.”

(“Yes, he is!”) I heard the munchkin in the background.

“Hush, Steph. Adult conversation,” Charlene admonished her.

“Another point. She’s sixteen. She should be treated a little more like a person and a little less like a bratty little child. We both know she isn’t one.”

“Whatever. Just do what you think you have to do to save the world. My life will be easier without her here pissing him off.”

“Charlene, think about what you just said. Please? Think about it. You just explained why your family is so fucked up. If you think me taking Stephie is going to make your life better, you’re insane. I’m just taking one of the targets off the range. Whatever! I’m already on the way, so I’ll be there in a bit. Can I talk to Steph again?”

“Yeah. Stephanie! Chuck wants to talk to you.” I heard the phone change hands..

“I have you on speaker, throwing stuff in bags. Mom went back to the kitchen.”

“Are you okay? Did he hit you again?”

“No. It’s worse, but I’ll tell you about it in the truck. Just get here before he gets back.”

“I just passed by Willie’s. He’s still inside, I think. His truck’s out front. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Okay. I love you. See you in a bit.”

“Love you, too, punkin.” Ending the call, I thought about what could possibly be worse, and the only think I could think of was… No, she would have said something if he’d touched her, or God forbid, raped her. Charlene wouldn’t stand for that. Can’t be that. Better not be that. I WOULD kill him.

I pulled up to the house. They lived a couple miles out in the country on the other side of town from where I lived, only I was a little farther out in the country. Charlene and I were raised on a little ranch, and neither of us would ever be able to live in town. We were stepcousins but have always been very close, growing up together in the same house. My mother and father adopted her when her parents were killed by a drunk driver, then lo and behold, I lost mine in an aircraft accident in Alaska.

I sometimes wish we were even closer so I could keep her out of trouble. We damn sure wouldn’t be going through this right now. I would have done something to keep her away from that asshole husband of hers if I’d known about it. Both of them, come to think of it. Anyway, her current husband, Gary, is a jackass of major proportions. It gets worse when he drinks too much, and that just happens to be his every day, after-work pastime.

Stephanie was on the porch with three big black contractor trash bags. She handed two to me, picked up the other, kissed her mother and walked to the passenger’s side. When the bag went in, I heard a sharp thunk on the door frame of the truck. Shoes? Ut Oh. Steel toes if they were. Maybe a book. Jewelry box? Whatever.

“Charlene, be careful.” I hugged her. “Please be careful. Call me, if... Call me if you need anything. Anything at all.” She nodded. I kissed her cheek and off we went, Stephanie next to me in the front seat. “OK, what’s this you’re going to tell me about in the truck?”

“Wait ‘til we get past the bar. Way past. Thank you, again, Uncle Chuck. Gary is starting to scare me more and more. The last time, the slap was… He was holding back. Like if he let go, he would have beaten the crap out of me. The bruise is all up my arm.” She got a really fearful look on her face.

“Stop, doll. You’re with me now. No problems. Okay? You’re fine. How are school and softball going?”

“Great, but I’ve had to go home afterwards. That’s the part that sucks. Anyway, the bruise on my leg is getting lighter and should be gone in a couple weeks. Coach, for some reason or another, thinks it happened when I fell in the house. I’ll bet Mom or Gary called and told her that so she wouldn’t ask about it. Then, when Mom didn’t say anything to him about it, I called you, Gary found out, and you know the rest.” She looked out the window. “There goes the bar. Yippee, his truck is still there.”

She climbed over the seat back and rummaged in the bag. I hate to say it, but the butt that was sticking up at me in those little shorts was pretty cute. I reached up and patted it, getting a giggle from Stephanie. “He’s touching me, he’s touching me!!” she said, then laughed. “Here. Last night, he slapped me, like I told you when I called. Then this morning, he pointed this thing at me and told me if I made any more trouble, he was going to have his way with me and there wouldn’t be anything I, or you, or my mother, could do about it.” She was holding a revolver by trigger guard, hanging off her finger. This is what I heard hit the frame of the truck when she got in. It wasn’t a snub nose. It was an old Smith and Wesson Model 10, a .38 Special, with a four-inch barrel. HE POINTED IT AT HIS STEPDAUGHTER! This was just too much.

I opened it up and pushed the ejector, sliding the cartridges out. I didn’t need it loaded in the frame of mind I was in. “He pointed this at you? Really?” I put it up on the dash and asked for something to wrap it in. I got a sexy little pink t-shirt.

“Yeah. This morning at breakfast. Mom was in the bathroom getting ready for work. He told me he was tired of taking care of a stupid little slutty whiny brat and if I made any more trouble, he was going to have his way with me. Scary, huh?”

“More than scary. A little insane. This morning? Sober?”

“Yes, this morning, and, no, I don’t think so. Not completely anyway. More like his Saturday morning sober. Not really, if you know what I mean.”

“I do. I’m so sorry this is happening to you. It’s over, though. Stephanie, I’m going to ask your mother for custody, if you want, and keep you away from them. If she can’t protect you from him, you shouldn’t be there, of course. I’m tired of thinking about him. Let’s go home. Home. I need to call your mom, though. Think she’ll believe you if I tell her about this?”

“Honestly, Chuck, I think it will do more harm than good. I have the gun. Well, you have the gun. She’ll confront him if you tell her. He’s gotta be drunk by now. Maybe he won’t even look for the gun if no one brings it up. If he knows it’s missing… I dunno. Let’s just let it go for now. We can talk about it tomorrow or better yet Sunday, if she comes to town. Maybe we can meet her for breakfast.”

“You’re pretty smart, for a girl.” She slapped my leg and laughed. “Owieee. She’s beating me! She’s beating me! Let’s go home. You need anything?”

“A snuggle. Other than that, I’m good. I have enough junk and clothes to last a while if you have some lunchmeat, a loaf of bread, and a washer and dryer. I brought my bathroom stuff and clothes. I have everything of mine he won’t go ballistic over finding gone. And one thing of his he will. I hope he doesn’t look in that drawer tonight. I’m fine, Chuck. I can get anything I need tomorrow after school or this weekend. I’d love to switch schools. That would solve a couple of problems. I need to know what to do if he comes looking for me, too. This is getting scary.”

“I guess I’m a typical man. I just thought I could grab you and save you. Here you are with all these logistical problems. Okay, doll, we need a plan. I’ll take you and pick you up at school. Tomorrow is Friday. What about your mother?”

“Chuck, I don’t know. Without me being a problem pissing him off, maybe he’ll calm down and she’ll be all right. I wonder, though, what it would take at this point for her to leave him. I don’t want to exaggerate, but he’s hit her daughter and pointed a gun at said daughter, although in fairness she doesn’t know about that yet, he’s hit her, he’s yelled and screamed and pushed, and even tonight he yelled at her about me crying to you and took her keys. I’m like, WHAT?? She’s the mother of a sixteen-year-old girl living out in the country and he takes her car keys to keep her from what, going to see you? Her own cousin? Uncle Chuck, this is not the nineteen thirties. You don’t do that. Well, I don’t think so. I’m sorry. I need to chill. Oh good. We’re home. I hope I can keep saying that. We are home. Here. At your house.” She smiled.

“Our house, doll. Our house. Is a very, very, very fine house.” My singing did not go over well. The garage door opened for us.

“Don’t give up your day job. I don’t play piano well enough to cover for that thing you call a voice.” She started laughing, jumped out and ran to the door, then remembered she didn’t have the key. I was right behind her. “Sorry? Don’t spank me for my rude, insensitive insolence? What’s the winning line here?”

“‘I love you’ will work. You’ve been beaten enough. If I want to punish you, I’ll just sing to you again.” She laughed at me, so…

“The world is alive, with the sound of music.” I did it in a baritone voice. The garage door coming down covered some of the noise.

“No, no, anything but that.” Laughter ensued, and we wound up in a hug, both of us crying a little. We were home, the craziness was over, for now, and we could relax. The stress draining off made us both a bit emotional. “Chuck. Uncle Chuck. I love you. Please let me just throw this stuff in my room and then hold me for a while. I’ve missed you and I’ve been so afraid.” I kissed the top of her head, carried the two big bags, her following with the smaller one. In the guest room, on the bed, all three bags, then holding her hand, I pulled her back to the family room and just pulled her into my lap on the couch. “Uncle…” I interrupted her.

“Could you do me a favor, honey, and just call me Charlie. Just call me Charlie, for now. All my good friends do. Your mother had a boyfriend named Charlie, a long time ago so called me Chuck ever since.” She giggled. “Everybody I like calls me Charlie. I like you.”

“That will make my life easier, since I love you, Charlie.”

“You little butt nugget. You know I love you, too. I was just…” She looked at me with that goofy smile. I just pulled her to me and hugged her. We rocked for a while. She calmed down and as she relaxed, she rubbed my arm with her hands.

“I know you do. Charlie, thank you. We’ll… You’ll figure it out. Just keep me… Away from him. Just keep me.”

That was a preview of A Girl Can Hope. To read the rest purchase the book.

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