Nadia’s Story: A Hard-Boiled Romance
Nadia walked swiftly down the echoing corridor, wincing at the clatter of her heels. Now, where … ah. Fishing in her pocket for the key, she glanced to either side before trying it in the lock. A satisfying click signaled the door’s opening. She slipped inside, closing it behind her, then turned to face the dark room.
From the dim interior, a hard voice spoke. “You took long enough.”
“I got lost,” she replied defensively. “Your directions suck.”
“Did you bring it?”
“It’s right here.”
“Well, give!”
“Why do you keep it so damn dark in here?”
“I said, give!”
2.
“Oh, Jonathan…” she whispered. “This is amazing. I love it.”
Jonathan was was busy. His labours made her breath swell and catch in the back of her throat. She moaned and wriggled her hips to aid his efforts. She could never have imagined that this might happen today! Sighing softly, Nadia surrendered her thoughts to the hot, sweaty moment she found herself in.
An hour ago, she’d unlocked the door of the darkened apartment of a near-stranger, chance-met in a bar. She remembered.
Over drinks, she’d mentioned she liked games.
“You do, eh? I’ve got one…”
It grew from there.
3.
“You bastard!” Nadia screamed. She whirled, grasping a heavy ashtray. Brandishing it, she pursued Jonathan down the hall. He slammed the door and the ashtray thunked off it. She snatched it up and heaved it one more time.
“Stop! What are you, nuts? I thought we had an understanding!”
“Fuck you! You’re a pervert! You creep!”
“What are you so uptight about? Fuck, just get out of here, okay?”
“All right, I’m going. But I wish you dead!” she shrieked passionately. Grabbing her high heeled shoes and her jacket, she stormed from the apartment, not bothering to close the door.More…
4.
“What happened with that guy? The one you met in the bar. You were all excited about him but you’re not talking. Spill it!”
Silence.
“Nadia, talk to me!” she pleaded. “I’m your best friend. We don’t have secrets.”
Nadia’s voice was strained. “Steph, I… I can’t talk about it yet. Please. Don’t harass me?”
“Harass? Whaat? I’m harassing you?” The voice on the telephone was hurt. “I thought you trusted me. I thought we were friends. What’s the deal?”
“We are friends. It’s just… I’m not ready. I need to think.”
“You already think too much. That’s your problem.”
5.
Nadia fled through dense mist. From pearly fog, skeletal half-transparent hands clutched her. Ghostly fingers grasped her ankles, forcing her to a halt. Their steely grip held her. She started to shriek, then woke, bolt upright in bed.
“Ahhhh…” the shriek transformed itself into a startled gasp, then a sigh as she flopped down on her back. Jesus! What a horrific nightmare. Not since she was a little girl had she…
Damn him. She hadn’t been able to get Jonathan out of her mind. His hands, his long, strong fingers, haunted her. It had been wonderful, at first. A novelty.
6.
The muted ringing of the phone crept into Nadia’s dreams. She reached to answer it, still half asleep.
“Nadia?”
She woke suddenly, excruciatingly. “How did you get my phone number?” she demanded.
“I looked it up. You shouldn’t be listed under your first name, you know. It’s not safe. Guys might figure out that you live alone.”
“I don’t live alone!” she snapped, panicking. “I have a huge roommate, he’s a, a gay bouncer at the club. His name’s Nadia too.”
His voice held a smile. “Sure. I didn’t mean to scare you. But I had to talk to you.”
7.
Charlie Kane clicked off the phone, laughing. “Boy, it takes all kinds,” he said.
“Huh? What’d ya say, Charlie?” Rob, at the next desk, looked confused. He hated having his thoughts interrupted; it threw him for a loop. Charlie wished he’d stayed silent. Now he’d have to explain.
“I was laughing at this woman who called in to report a stalker. When I asked her for details, she gave a bullshit story, then said ‘never mind’ and hung up before I could take her name.”
“What was the story?”
“Seems like she didn’t like his, shall we say, sexual preferences.”
8.
“Mommie?”
“Nadia! Is that you?”
“Mommie, can I come home?” Nadia’s voice quavered.
Ellen responded instantaneously, instinctively. “Of course, darling. Come right over. Do you want to talk about it?”
“I can’t yet, Mom. I’ll be right there. And…thanks…”
Ellen sat at her table with a cup of coffee. Anxious thoughts clashed in her mind. She couldn’t begin to imagine what might be wrong. She and Nadia had not been close recently. Something terrible must have happened.
Thank God Joe was away for the week, she thought. He was part of the reason she and Nadia had drifted apart.
9.
“Do you still take your coffee black, Nadia?” Ellen bustled at the coffeemaker, avoiding her daughter’s eyes.
“No coffee for me, Mom, I’m trying to quit. Besides, I’m nervous enough already.”
“Can I get you anything else? A cookie? Some lemonade?”
“No, Mom. Please. Don’t hover.”
“Nadia, for…”
Ellen took a deep breath. Something was bothering Nadia, and it needed to come out. She mustn’t start a fight. Not now.
“So,” she inquired, stirring her coffee. “What brings you here after all this time?”
“I don’t quite know… Mom, I’m confused.”
“Is it a man?”
“Sort of…”
10.
“Nadia, would you get the phone? I’m on the toilet!”
“Sure, Mom.”
“Hello? … Oh, it’s you. Can you call back? … Ten or fifteen minutes. Yeah.”
“Mom, that was Joe. He’ll call back in ten or fifteen.”
“Hello? Hi, honey. … Yes, Nadia’s here. … It’s a long story. … No, she’s just here for a visit. She needs to sort herself out. … Well, you’re not here, are you? … All right, all right. How’s it going so far?”
“Nadia, Joe says…”
“I know what Joe says. I’ll be gone by the time he gets back, don’t worry.”
11.
“Hello, Beth?”
“Nadia! Where the hell are you? The boss is going bonkers!”
“I’m calling in sick, Beth.Tell him that.”
“It’s a little late, don’t you think? You’ve already missed two days. You’ll be lucky you don’t get fired.”
“Let him fire me. I don’t care anymore. The job stinks anyway.”
“What are you talking about? You love this job and you know it. You’d better get your ass back here soon.”
“I need a full week. Three more days, Beth. Please? Cover for me?”
There was silence for a moment, then Beth sighed.
“Okay, Nad. But you owe me. Big.”
12.
“Nadia?”
“Hmm?”
Ellen pursed her lips, frowning slightly. Nadia had always been a difficult child. Ellen had never known how to talk to her, and always seemed to get it wrong. Still, she had to try.
“Sweetheart, when you called on Sunday, you seemed rather desperate about something. But you’ve done no more than drop hints since. Wouldn’t you like to talk about it?”
“Please,” she thought. “Please talk to me!”
“Ahh, I don’t know, Mom. I don’t know how you could help.”
To her horror, Ellen lost control. “I want to help!” she cried, sobbing, “You’re my only child!”
13.
“Oh, Mom! For Christ’s sake! Get over yourself!” Nadia said, disgusted.
Ellen angrily wiped her cheeks. Truly, the child was impossible. “There’s no touching you, is there, tough girl? I’ve always tried to be the best mother I could!”
“Right.” Nadia stared out the window. “Sure you did.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You tried sooo hard. Uh-huh.”
“Nadia! Explain to me, please! Did something happen to you as a child?”
“As if you didn’t know, Mom. Please. Don’t even bother.”
“Nadia…” A horrible thought occurred to Ellen. “Was it… Joe?”
“Bingo, Mom. What took you so fucking long?”
14.
“Mommy, guess what!” Nadia, age eight, burst in the kitchen door, tossing her backpack in the corner.
“Nadia, what have I told you about exploding into the house like that?” her mother reminded her peevishly. “And please, put your backpack away properly!”
“Mommy, it’s cool! Wait til you hear!” the little girl bounced excitedly. “My teacher says I get to–”
“Sweetie, never mind, tell me later. I have wonderful news for you.” Ellen’s face felt stiff. She had been preparing this speech all day. “You’re going to have a new daddy.”
“Mommy–NO!”
“Yes. He’ll be here for dinner.”
15.
Nadia was packing to run away from home. Into her backpack went her favourite doll, her dress-up clothes, her my little pony, and some cookies salvaged from that day’s lunch. She thoughtfully added a warm sweater. It might get cold.
She could hear his voice downstairs, talking and laughing with her mother. Hating him, she furiously zipped her backpack.
Why did he have to show up and ruin everything? It had always been she and her mother, and they’d done just fine. Who needed a daddy?
Stealthily, she slipped out the back door. Nobody even noticed. Nobody cared about her.
16.
“You don’t like me, eh, kid?” Joe sat on the edge of Nadia’s bed. She lay facing the wall, silently curled away from him. “You don’t have to. But I like your Mom. In fact, I love her. We’re getting married next month.” He waited for Nadia to respond. When she didn’t, he continued.
“I know I’m not your dad. But I’m a grownup who loves your mom, and that will make me your stepdad. You’ll get used to that. Eventually.”
After a few moments, Joe sighed. “Look. Play ball with me, and I’ll play ball with you. That’s all.”
17.
“Nadia! Dinner! For heaven’s sake, where is that child!” Ellen was exasperated. Ever since Joe had moved in permanently after the wedding, Nadia’s behavior had gotten worse. She was bound to adjust, but in the meantime, she made everyone’s life difficult.
“Well, that’s it. We’re not going to wait dinner on her,” she decided. “She can eat cold leftovers if she doesn’t show up.”
“Ah, it’s gotta be hard on the kid, El,” Joe said, forking a pork chop onto his plate. “She’s not used to guys in her life, that’s the problem.”
“Oh, so it’s my fault, is it?”
18.
“Nad, what are you doing?” her best friend Stephanie asked. Nadia was digging a hole.
“I’m burying my treasure so he can’t have it.”
“What kind of treasure is it?”
“This.” Nadia pulled from her backpack a small wooden box full of buttons, stones and seashells. “My collection.”
“That’s not treasure. Treasure is gold and diamonds.”
“It’s treasure to me.”
“Why does Joe want it?”
“I don’t know. He looks at me funny. I hate him.”
“You hate him for looking at you?”
“That’s not all he does.”
“What does he do?” Stephanie was fascinated.
“It’s a secret.”
“Tell me!”
19.
“Aren’t you going to tell me what happened?” Ellen asked quietly. Of course, she would leave him. Their relationship wasn’t strong enough to survive this. She always knew it wouldn’t last; the surprise was that it had survived this long. But she needed to know.
“Nadia? Please.”
Nadia stared out the window at the street below. “Why did you sell our house?” she asked suddenly. “I loved that house.”
“What? Why, I…” Ellen hesitated. “We needed the money.”
“He needed it.”
“He had debts.”
“Gambling debts.”
“…Yes.”
“Damn him!” she burst out. “He stole my life! And you let him!”
20/
“She says what?” Joe sounded angry but not surprised.
“She says you… did things to her when she was a child.”
“What does she say I did?”
“She hasn’t given details. She won’t talk about it.”
“And you’re kicking me out over that?”
“I’m not kicking you out. But I would prefer you stay away until I work this out with Nadia.” She added, hesitantly, “I want to rethink our relationship.”
“Ellen!” he cried, “Don’t you love me?”
“That depends what you did to my child, Joe.”
“Why don’t you ask me?”
“All right. What did you do to Nadia?”
21.
The sound was barely audible, yet it drew Ellen’s attention. Approaching Nadia’s door, she recognized muffled sobs. She froze in terrified doubt. Should she comfort her daughter? What if Nadia wanted to be alone?
She hesitated a moment, then, acting without further thought, opened the door and moved to the bedside. Kneeling on the carpet, she lay her arm across Nadia’s shoulders, murmuring soft encouragement.
“There, darling, yes, there…” she whispered. Then, “Mommy’s here…” Nadia’s choked sobs opened into full-throated, childlike bawling. Her mother wrapped her arms more firmly around her as she wept. Ellen wept with her. “My baby!”
22.
Nadia stared at the pile of papers that had accumulated while she was gone. “Christ!”
Charlie poked his head over the edge of the cubicle. “That’s what you get. You know how much they need you.”
“Where do I start?” she groaned. “I should’ve come in if it killed me!” Once, she had loved this job, its stress, deadlines and furious pace. Now she felt overwhelmed.
“Can’t help you, darling. They’re not called deadlines for nothing, and I’ve got my own. Besides, you already owe me.” He eyed her stack. “Better get to work. I hear the boss’s heavy tread.”
23.
“Where you staying?”
“I’m at Mom’s.”
“Nadia, are you sure that’s the best place for you right now?”
“It’s okay, actually. We’ve made some breakthroughs. Steph, I cried last night. Mom held me… and she cried too. It was amazing. ”
“Nad, that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you both!”
“I still haven’t been able to tell her about what that prick Joe did to me, though.”
“You’re not going to tell her about that!”
“She knows something happened. And she’s married to him. She deserves to know what he did. Steph… she’s my mother. I have to tell her.”
24.
“Erickson, my office.”
Nadia’s heart sank. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. All day, her first day back after a week away, she’d noticed the boss’ evil eye and had tried to focus, without success.
“Erickson, you’ve been under stress. It’s obvious.” She didn’t answer. He continued, “Have you considered a leave of absence?”
Competition in her field was fierce. Once replaced, however temporarily, it was never easy to take over from one’s replacement. Nadia set her jaw.
“No, sir. It’s minor. I was ill. I’m fine now.”
“Allright. One more chance.You’ve been an asset to the firm… so far.”
25.
“Thanks for being here for me when I needed you, Mom. I haven’t given you credit. You’ve been a good Mom… good enough.”
“Thanks, honey,” Ellen smiled ruefully. “I know I wasn’t perfect.”
“It’s time for me to go back to my life. But you deserve to know what… what Joe did to me.” She blinked hot tears from her eyes.
Ellen took her hand. “Darling, I would like to know. But you don’t have to tell me. It won’t matter. Joe is out of my life. I know all I need to.”
“I want to tell you, Mom…but…it’s hard!”
25.
“I’m sorry for dumping my childhood on you, Jonathan. It’s not your problem.” Nadia glanced over, expecting boredom, annoyance, or amusement. But he looked sympathetic, even tender. Her face heated.
“I called you because I needed some closure… it really wasn’t fair to run out on you without explanation. I must have seemed crazy.”
“The word did cross my mind,” Jonathan said. “I was hurt and angry, but that didn’t last. I was calling you to apologize. I came on pretty strong.”
“Well… I did say I liked games.” He really was attractive, she thought. For the first time, she smiled.