Graysen Cooper (eBook)

Robin Rance (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2017 | 1. Auflage
286 Seiten
Publishdrive (Verlag)
978-0-00-004597-3 (ISBN)

Infos

 The year was 1941; it was a warm summer day in the Bronx... 

      I waited until all my boys were inside the building, and then I turned to look at Graysen. 'First of all, Mr. Cooper, I want to thank you for coming to Frankie's rescue. I don't know what would have happened to my son if you hadn't come to his aid when you did. I appreciate that very much.' I noticed him step closer to me, and I backed up a few steps to see him grinning again.

     I turned my head to the side and then licked my dry lips. 'Second of all, I don't appreciate you encouraging my son to lie to his father. He must be punished for disobeying him.'

     He stepped closer to me once again, but this time he put his hand out and grabbed onto my wrist. 'Why would you want your son to be punished by a man who hurts you, Mrs. Klatt?' Then he let go of me but continued to stare into my eyes. 'Just a thought, but after hearing what you went through a few weeks past, don't you think your son deserves a break?  I believe he learned his lesson today. I think you just need to remind him of that and let it go, Mrs. Klatt.' 

     I knew he was probably right, but I wouldn't admit that to him. He was so smug as he stood there mimicking me.

     I bit down on my bottom lip to stop it from trembling. Then I drew a quick breath of air into my lungs and let it out slowly before I answered him. 'Thank you for your help and the advice. I will see you again. Good day, Mr. Cooper.'

     'Yes, you will. Good day, Elizabeth.' 

     I turned away from him but heard his laughter follow me as I hurried up the stairs and into the building. Why did he get under my skin so quickly?  I knew why, but I couldn't afford to think about it. I must avoid Mr. Cooper in the future, But I knew after seeing his kind eyes again it would be impossible. I leaned against the closed door and smiled. He was a handsome devil, and if I didn't mind my P's and q's, I'd get myself in trouble, and that was something I just couldn't afford. 

Textauszug

CHAPTER 2

~

Elizabeth

I examined myself in the dresser mirror. I would have these bruises for a while. Most of them were on my breasts and thighs, but the one on my upper arm, where Frank had kept grabbing me, would probably be there for a few weeks. Most of them would I could hide under my clothes. The black eye and swollen lip where he had bitten me would be harder to disguise.

Frank had finally passed out and was snoring on the bed. I picked up my dress and put it back on carefully. I still needed to collect my wash from the rooftop, and I had to start dinner right away for Frank and the boys, so it was ready for them when they came back from the Romanos. I washed my face in the bathroom sink, then grabbed what was left of the ice from the icebox and held it for a few minutes on my eye, then on my lip.

How would I explain this away to the boys? It was times like these I wished my mother were still around for me to call. The only thing that I had of hers was a gaudy ring that I kept hidden from Frank in the back of our bureau. He would pawn it if he ever found it.

I pulled a pair of my panties off the windowsill where they had been drying and slipped them on, before I went into the sitting room and picked up the baskets to carry upstairs to collect my dry laundry.

It was nearly dusk and if anyone saw me, I’d be able to turn my head so they couldn’t see my eye. It was dinnertime for most people, so I was almost sure I wouldn’t run into anyone else on the roof.

I rushed up the stairs, relieved that I hadn’t come across anyone on the way. I almost tripped as I pushed open the access door to the roof. I dropped the baskets and felt two powerful arms catch me before I fell.

“I’ve got you.” I was steadied on my feet before he released me. “Elizabeth, is that you?”

I pulled out of his hold. Of all the people to run into, it had to be him. Graysen Cooper. “Thank you for catching me, I tripped earlier and already injured myself. I’m such a klutz.” I picked up the empty clothes baskets, hurried over, and recklessly pulled laundry off the lines, sending the clothespins scattering across the ground one by one.

“I’m in a hurry, I still need to feed my family. Thanks again for catching me before I fell.” I averted my face as I tried to go past him. He was still standing there next to the door. Then it dawned on me; he had stood there the entire time that I’d been taking down my clothes without saying a word. I had to get past him before he saw my face.

He moved over and stood in front of the door, which stopped me from going anywhere. “Elizabeth, I heard you crying in the room below me.” He put his finger under my chin and gently steered my face toward his. “Oh, My God! Who did this to you? Open your eyes and look at me!”

I did, and I couldn’t stop the tears from falling this time. “I’ve got to hurry and make supper to feed my family.”

That seemed to change his focus. “Are the two boys okay? Where are they, Elizabeth?”

“They are with their friend, Tony, in his apartment; he lives in 1D. I must hurry before my husband wakes up and finds me gone. Please let me pass, Mr. Cooper.”

His finger dropped from my chin, then he tried to grab onto my bruised upper arm, and I flinched. “Elizabeth.” My name whistled through his lips. Then he deliberately turned me around in front of him, and slowly pulled the zipper down far enough to pull the dress lower to reveal my arm.

I hadn’t put my brassiere back on but had donned my dress in a hurry. The sensation of another man trying to remove my clothing after what I had just suffered through, sent me into a panic. I turned back around and cried out, “No, stop, please, you’re hurting me!” I kept pummeling the hard object in front of me with my fists until I broke down and cried into an unmovable hard chest. He pulled me close to him, and I could hear the rapid beating of his heart under my ear as my tears dwindled, then stopped.

“Elizabeth, you should go and see a doctor for your bruising. I could escort you and your boys if you want to go and get those checked out.”

I pulled away from him, and at that moment he glanced down. My dress had slipped a bit lower, and he must have seen the bruises that covered the top part of both breasts. I was mortified and quickly pulled my dress up, then reached back behind me and tried to catch the zipper with my shaking hand. Graysen spun me around and violently pulled the zipper up.

He stood immobile in front of me; now we were both breathing hard. Was it from the exertion or something more? He had been protective and feeling his arms around me had been different than anything else I had ever felt before. “Mr. Cooper, I must go, please!”

He moved away from the door, and I picked up the clothes baskets and ran down all four flights of stairs until I reached the door to my apartment. Please still be asleep! I quietly opened the door and listened for Frank before I entered our bedroom. He was still snoring. I dropped the baskets on the floor, then fell to my knees and gulped in as much air as I could to stop my shaking.

It was time to get my boys from the Romanos, so once again I washed my face in the sink, then left to go and get Ray and Robbie and bring them home.

Graysen

I listened for her to get all the way down to the first level before I walked over to the side of the rooftop and looked down at the pavement. I had heard Elizabeth’s cries coming from the floor below me. At first, I had felt like a voyeur and had tried to drown the sounds by turning up my radio. Then I realized that she wasn’t crying out in ecstasy but in pain. After that, I turned off the radio and heard every word that he said to her.

I knew men were sonsa bitches; I knew they often beat their wives and kids. I had witnessed it occasionally in my parents’ relationship. But it had been nothing like I had heard coming from below me. I had come up to the rooftop to stop the sounds. I was afraid that I might do something I’d regret, after hearing the woman who lived below me sobbing.

Elizabeth was beautiful: wavy dark hair and golden eyes framed with lush dark lashes. She was petite but very curvy, and her skin was pale, almost translucent. Her full mouth was meant for kissing; just thinking about that made me uncomfortable.

Maybe if I hadn’t met her, the words her husband kept calling her wouldn’t have bothered me as much as they did now. But I had seen the gentlewoman as she smoothed her son’s hair back from his face. I had seen the blush steal the paleness of her ivory skin when I reached out and shook her hand. Elizabeth hadn’t deserved anything that man had done to her, nor did she merit his name-calling.

I ran my hand back and forth across the top of my head; then I ran it over my face. The memory of the tops of her generous breasts covered with bruises had done something to me. I had never been a violent man; at least not in public.

I was a member of a gentlemen’s boxing club. It wasn’t legal, and the matches were held in the back rooms of some of the Irish pubs. But that was for fun; it kept me in shape, and it had given me extra money. Not that I had needed it in my line of work.

However, after seeing Elizabeth’s bruised face, and what he had done to the rest of her body, I’d have to keep my distance from the monster who had done that to her, or I’d end up in jail for assault. Why in these modern times was it tolerable for a man to abuse his wife?

Her sons would end up just like their father; the violence would continue. It was a vicious cycle that needed to stop. I stood there looking out over my neighborhood until I had cooled off enough to go back downstairs. But the memory of her breasts covered in bruises would remain locked away in the back of my mind. I didn’t forget, nor forgive.

I needed to get to bed; I had an important meeting in the morning with many government contractors. I was being considered to work on the hydrodynamics of one of the submarines the U.S. Navy was using. I was to provide the details on how they could more efficiently correct the torpedo gyro angle calculation for ballistics. It would be a costly project but would save the government a whole lot of money if they chose to implement my suggestions. If chosen, I would be leading a team of other naval architects for this project.

I headed back down the stairs to my second-story apartment then readied myself for sleep. I turned off my radio before climbing into my bed. I heard no more sounds of Elizabeth crying, and fell asleep with the vision of her frightened face and lush body tormenting my dreams.

Elizabeth

My bruising was much worse after the weekend....

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 25.10.2017
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur
• ISBN-10: 0-00-004597-7 / 0000045977
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-004597-3 / 9780000045973