A SURPRISE VISIT

*Trigger warning - this chapter depicts violence*

*Audra's point of view, 14 years ago*

Things only got better from there, Chris and I now spend a lot of time together and we talk a lot, and even though we keep the conversation light most of the time, occasionally he would share more personal stuff with me. This has helped me a lot to understand him, his behaviour and his reactions.

I've tried to be more open with him about how was our situation a few years back, although I usually don't like to talk about it much, with him it just seems easy.

He's also been making a real effort to connect with my mother, though sometimes it's hard for him to respond to her 'motherly attentions' as it reminds him too much of his own mother.

Following my advice, Chris tries to tell her what bothers him or if he doesn't feel comfortable with certain things, and the same when he needs some space. Now he's starting to trust her with more personal stuff, so I believe this is going well.

I've also encouraged my mother to share her side of the story with Chris, I know this would make him understand her better. And they found out they have a lot to share with each other about Helene since they both love her so much.

My work as a mediator is done and for the past 2 months things have been doing really well with almost no effort on my part; no fights, no awkwardness and no more standing in the middle.

*

One sunny Saturday morning Chris and I were cleaning the car, pumping loud music on the car radio, while we sang along to a Queen song.

"I want to break freeee!"

I was inside, vacuuming the seats and floors, while Chris was outside washing it.

"Hey" I said popping my head out of a door, trying to get his attention. "Hey, you with the sponge!"

"What?" He answered, coming closer so he could hear me.

"I'm going inside to get a lemonade, want one?" I asked, getting out of the car.

"Sure, thanks."

I quickly went inside and poured two glasses of cold lemonade, drinking almost half of mine on the way back.

But when I came out of the door Chris was standing still, gaze fixed on the road in front of the house with the hose in his hand pouring water on the floor.

I put the lemonade down as I quickly went to turn the water off and approached him.

"Chris?" I lightly touched his shoulder. "Are you alright?" His face was a bit pale, but he seemed to get out of the trance when he turned to look at me.

"What?" he asked, a confused tone on his voice.

"Nothing, what's with you? You look like you've seen a ghost and you were standing here with the water on… You're making a puddle on your feet and you barely even notice it."

"Oh, shit!" He looks down at the ground, where his boots have already started to get soaked with water. "It's nothing, really. Shit, I'm a disaster…" He sighed, frustrated.

I looked at him and probably he could read my astonished expression as he proceeded to explain himself further; "I thought I saw someone. Someone I know, in a car passing by… But perhaps it was my imagination and it was someone who resembled him."

I decided to change the topic, cause definitely whoever he saw – or thought he saw - passing on the road that day was making him quite uneasy. I brought him his lemonade and we got back to our task, but he was now more serious and pensive despite my efforts to brighten the mood.

When we were almost done I went to turn off the water but, I ran into some trouble and ended up turning it the wrong way, making the hose fall from Chris' hand to the ground, where it shakes violently getting him all wet.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry!" I tried to turn it off, while Chris was shouting at me to hurry, but the faucet was all wet and slippery and I couldn't. "Oh, shit, I can't turn it off!"

"What?" He asked, "Are you doing this on purpose?" I turned, he was dripping wet but had trapped the hose in his hand. "I think that calls for payback. You better run, missy!" A mischievous grin appeared on his face. I ran to the other side of the car to protect myself but he was faster and before I knew it I was soaked.

Soon we were running up and down the front yard, laughing. I grabbed ahold of the big cleaning sponge and we started throwing it at each other, so the air was now filled with bubbles. We were having so much fun, acting like 8-year-old kids and laughing our heads off.

But then a deep voice talked in my back, down at the entrance of the front yard, interrupting our fun abruptly.

"What a beautiful picture of a family" He accompanied his words with the sharp claps of his hands, his cold voice immediately made a shiver run through my spine, the air suddenly tense.

For a few seconds, I wondered who was the owner of that voice and what was he doing in our front yard, as I couldn't seem to place it.

I didn't have to wonder for long, cause when I looked up at Chris' face – who was standing a few feet in front of me – face drained of all colour and a hint of fear in his eyes, I knew it could only be one person.

"What is it, son? Cat got your tongue?" He said in a hoarse and bitter tone. "So, now that you have a fancy home and a loving family you don't remember your old man, uh?"

Chris simply stood there unmoving, seeming incapable to say a word. I didn't know this man's intentions on coming here, but I only expected the worst. I got up from the ground – where I was sitting, unmoving since, previous to this, I had dived in to catch the sponge that was now holding tight on my hand – and walked up next to Chris, finally facing his father.

"I'm sorry sir, but I think you should leave" I said in a controlled tone, trying to sound polite as I knew this man had a really bad temper, from what Chris told me.

He snickered at my reply, keeping his stance, he was a big man and despite his messy and untidy appearance, he looked quite scary.

"I'm sorry, little lady," he said with a mocking tone, an unpleasant expression constant on his face. "but this kid right here is my son and I'm not going anywhere without him."

"You can't take him with you. We've legally adopted him so now my mother has the rights to…"

He started laughing loudly, interrupting me and thundering over my words. "I couldn't care less about you, your mother or whatever the government has to say, I always do what I want, and I'll have what I want." He got a few steps closer to us and pointed a finger at Chris "Now, you! Did you really think this bitch Diane could get you away from me? That she would protect you? Ha!" Even though he was still a couple of feet away from us I could smell the alcohol on his breath and a nauseating smell coming from his clothing; sweat mixed with dirt, smoke and who knows what else. "I've should have checked this place before, I knew that waste of a woman would have sent you here to her little slut friend. She always liked to put her nose in our business…"

"Don't you dare talk about my mother like that, you coward son of a bitch!" I shouted at him, tired of hearing him, not stopping to think twice about what I knew about him.

Before neither of us could react, I felt a painful blow on my jaw and I immediately fall to the ground due to the strength of his punch. My head felt dizzy from the impact and I could taste blood.

"If you ever dare to touch her again I'll kill you!" Chris finally reacted, sounding angrier than I ever heard him.

And in my dizziness, all I could think off was that this was not going to end well…