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Previous Chapter: Disturbing the Peace
Lacey couldn’t have gotten far, but then he didn’t think she was trying to go far. Dave drove slowly all over the neighborhood and up and up and up the hill to the hospital, looking down every alley and in every dark corner. Phil was searching in the opposite direction and Isla in a third until she texted that she’d gotten the call she was waiting for from the police.
Too late, Dave realized they should have talked more about where she would go when temptation grew too strong. He was wondering which dingy door to start knocking on down the worst street in town, weary yet determined, knowing that she might just as likely be down a “decent” street, when Phil called. “Got her,” he said. “Down at the waterfall.” Dave immediately swung his car around and turned that way. She was sitting on a bench, hugging her skinny knees to her chest. Phil was approaching from the other side, but when he saw Dave, he gave him a nod and retreated.
Dave parked and took several deep breaths so that his wild relief wouldn’t scare her. He walked softly up to her, sat down and put his arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder.
“I was scared,” he whispered.
“I am, too,” she said, “Me too.”
“Where did you go?”
“I walked. But I didn’t go there. I wanted to, but I didn’t. Not yet.”
Dave swallowed hard. “Let’s go home,” he said. “Let’s rest.”
“We can’t go home,” she said, “We have no home.”
“Home is where we’re together.” She nodded, but her eyes were still staring at something, nothing, across the mill pond. He helped her up; the studio was just a short walk, not even worth moving the car, and he didn’t rush her reluctant feet on the dirty sidewalk. It wasn’t quite dawn, but you could feel that the night had turned a corner.
They climbed the smelly, rattly stairs, passing the landing where they had “met.” Dave pushed open the door. Isla had left the light on in the box that was the changing room and it glowed golden and welcoming.
“We knew it was fragile,” she whispered, standing outside the flowered chintz of the doorway, the blue light of the moon on her face. She twisted her wedding ring. “Dave, it’s winning.”
He stood with one hand on the door frame. “Well, that’s just what we can’t let it do.”
“Dave,” she said softly, “Dave.”
“I’m going to fight for you.” He led her through the doorway.
“You’re a good man. I don’t deserve you.”
“It’s me who doesn’t deserve you. But you need to fight. We can’t win unless you fight.”
“I know. And I am never not fighting. I need to know that you know that.”
He sank to the floor and pulled her close to him. “I know it. Of course, I know it.”
“I need to know that you’re being honest to yourself.”
His face contorted as he struggled to master his emotions. Finally, he nodded and said, “I’m being honest. Oh, Lacey, what are we going to do?” They curled up under a blanket and held each other tight, tight. After a while, he spoke again. “Will you do something for me, Lacey?”
“If I can.” Her tone was anxious.
“I don’t want to push you but . . . how about quitting the Imperial? Work here with me. Be together as much as we can. It will help, won’t it?”
The darkness was quiet for a while, then she said, “We need the money.”
“We’ll be alright, I mean, especially if, I mean, as far as the money . . . well, maybe we’re better off without a lot of money.”
Lacey bit her lip and nodded. “Ok. But you’d be surprised what you can turn into money. There’s almost always a way.”
Dave nodded sadly and said, “Thank you. It will be good to have more time with you.”
Later, in the darkness, she whispered, “No one will believe it.”
“Believe what?” Dave murmured sleepily.
“That a person like me could have been happy, even for these few years. Or . . . make anyone happy. They’ll say it was a fairytale. Maybe it was a fairytale.”
“Oh, it’s real.” He squeezed her tight.
“Make them believe it Dave, please? Make them know that I wasn’t only . . . that person. That addict.”
“I’ll always tell people how happy you make me. Anyway, they’ll know just by knowing you.”
She didn’t answer. But after a long time, as Dave dipped in and out of sleep, she said, “I’ve been lying, Dave.”
“Huh?” He looked at her through half-opened eyes.
“I lost the job at the Imperial weeks ago.”
“What?” he said, suddenly fully awake.
“Yes,” she nodded. “I stopped going.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.
“I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t want you to be sad and also . . . I didn’t want you to know.”
“Are you using again?” he asked, knowing that he couldn’t trust her answer.
“No,” she said. “No. Not yet. But why won’t it let me go, Dave? The darkness, the drugs? Why won’t they let me go? I want you, I’m happy with you. So why?”
“It’s not forever,” he said, “It just feels like it. What we have together . . . this is forever.”
Next Chapter: At Least It Was Something
Copyright 2025 Jennie Robertson