“I know I don’t. But I like you. And Danny likes you. And you’re a part of this town. A town that has saved me, like it’s saved so many people. So, I want you to know.
“About three years ago, I was at the University of Vermont. My freshman year. I was flunking school but in love with a guy. A horrible guy. He had been so charming at first. But I know now that he was grooming me. That’s the term I’ve learned.Grooming.Such a sweet word that we use for talking about prettying up dogs and shit, right? But it’s an ugly word. And hedidgroom me. Initially made me feel safe and secure. And he sculpted me and my life. Worked it so that I cut myself off from my friends and my family. Until I was alone and isolated with him as the only person in my life.
“He hit me a few times when we fought, and I blamed myself for being annoying. Out of line. And then it got worse.”
Watching her hold back tears is crushing, but I let her keep talking.
“He choked me once, and that was another thing that was my fault. I didn’t deserve to breathe, he told me. To live.”
My hand finds hers, and I squeeze.
Through ragged breaths, she continues, “One night, things escalated even more. Somehow, I stopped him, and I took off. But the worst thing is that even as I was fleeing, I wanted to go back and apologize to him. I drove anyway, sobbing and hating myself. But I knew I had to run. I think he would have killed me if I hadn’t escaped. And I drove until I couldn’t any longer, until I was on the side of the road, crying and screaming.”
I brush her hair from her face. I know what happened next. “That’s when Danny found you.”
She nods. “Yes. This was about an hour outside of Wake. Danny was coming home from picking up materials for a job, and I, without knowing what I was doing, was subconsciously heading to my grandparents’ place. He thought I was having car trouble, and he pulled over. Instead of finding someone who needed a tire change, he found me. Someone who could barely talk. Or function.”
She lifts her head and looks at me. “Both of my eyes were already turning purple. Swelling. Handprints were starting to show from when my boyfriend had grabbed me after he threw me against a wall. And my neck was raw because he’d choked me so hard. Danny tried to get me to go to the emergency room, but even the idea of that made me more hysterical. He talked to me for almost an hour before I agreed to let him take me to his place. That sweet boy pulled out ice packs, frozen peas, whatever he could find. Anything to heal my bruises. I didn’t tell him what I’d been through, but it was obvious.
“I dropped out of UVM two days later, and I stayed with him for nearly three weeks before I called my parents in Boston and told them what happened. As much as they wanted me to file a police report, they were supportive when I said that I wanted to leave school and stay with my grandparents. The system would never work in my favor. Never. And now, I’m here.” Mary Ann wipes her eyes. “Now, I’m here, and I’m safe. And happy. Danny is the reason that I’m not back with that asshole, and Danny is the reason that I’m not dead.”
We sit silently for a few minutes.
“Sometimes, it only takes one person to save your life,” I suggest. “And he’s your person.”
“Yes,” she agrees. “He’s my person. And he might be yours too.”
I rub her arm. “No. He’s a boy from my childhood—that’s all. Besides,” I say as I lift her to stand, “I’m notreallyhere.”
“We’ll see.” Now, she squeezesmyhand.
After I send her home safely with Slowski, I get into Danny’s truck.
“Does Shallots not like the nightlife?” I ask. “It feels weird that he’s not here.”
He revs the engine. “Oh, Shallots is all about the nightlife. Hesoloves the nightlife, and he also loves the boogie. He sometimes boogies by passing out in his bed and snoring in the rudest manner. We all have our own styles.”
“Well, that’s very true.”
It’s minutes until he has me home. Well, back at the house.
I undo my seat belt and open the door, but then I ask softly, “Why does my dad’s car still run? I mean, I don’t know if it’s drivable, but it starts. And why is it clean? Why is the house clean?” It seems that I have chugged-beer-induced questions. “And there’s food in the house. I don’t understand. Who did this?”
Danny laughs lightly. “Well, the car thing is on me. Your dad was going to teach me how to drive on that Pathfinder, so I’ve made sure to stay on top of maintenance. Changing the oil, filters, all that. I dunno. It was important to me that it stayed in good shape. It needs more work, but now that you’re back, I’ll get it into true driving shape, not solely start-up shape.”
“I can’t believe you did that.” I freeze up for a second. “And wait, what? Why was my dad going to teach you how to drive? What about your mom?”
“Oh. It’s nothing. My mom traveled all the time, like I told you. Your dad always talked about how he was waiting to teachbothof us.”
“It was still years away, but—”
“Then, he died.” Danny lifts his head and shares a sympathetic smile. “After? I had to save his SUV, right? I did the boring maintenance and whatever. It’s nothing.”
The light from the moon glimmers over the lake as I shake my head. “It’s not nothing, Danny. It’s not nothing at all.”
“You’ll need to get it inspected and all that, but it’ll pass. I’ll make sure of that.”
I all but tumble out of his truck. “And the house? The food?”
