Chapter 42
It was a Sunday afternoon. Molly was sitting in the garden in her backyard with her daughter. She was explaining to Melody how her father was trying to get back into her life. Melody didn’t understand because after the divorce George walked away from his family. Still, Molly wasn’t going to keep her daughter away from her own father. Not if she wanted to see him.
“Mother, I know you can’t forgive him but I want you to come with us. You two don’t have to say a word to each other. I just want you to be there, for me.” Melody said.
Laying there in her bed in excruciating pain, holding back tears of what her daughter must be going through, Molly wished she could have been wiser. She should have suspected if George was trying to get back into his daughter’s life, there must have been a reason. Molly couldn’t believe she fell for it.
George knocked on the door. He invited Melody, and her mother, to accompany him on a father-daughter farewell date.
“You look absolutely stunning princess,” George said as Melody opened the door for her estranged father.
Here was a man who had walked out of her life several years ago now suddenly complimenting her, talking to her like he just came home from a work retreat or something, normal.
“Yeah, say’s who?” Melody asked. She was open to meeting her dad but she wasn’t in the mood for being overly friendly.
“I know, you have every right to hate me. I am not going to spend this day blaming your mother for what went wrong, or even apologizing for my errors. All I want is to spend one last day with my little girl before I move on with my life. You see, I met another woman and I am moving to California to start a new life. Before I head out I wanted closure, I, frankly, wanted to give you and your mother closure that is. The evening’s on my, my treat for the two of you putting up with my bullshit this whole time, sound fair princess?” he asked as he bowed his head towards her politely.
Molly had been standing off to the side, listening to the disgusting man she once pretended to love pull the wool over her baby’s eyes. If it wasn’t for her undying love for her kid, and respect for the young lady she was becoming, Molly would have tossed that son-of-a-bitch out on his ass right then and there. Looking back on how things transpired, Molly kicked herself daily for not making that happen.
The evening went off to a slow start. He took them to the carnival of all things. Knowing how their relationship got started, Molly surely didn’t think it was appropriate to say their goodbye’s in such a setting. Still, despite the gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach churning at the venom he spewed forth from his mouth, she carried on for her little girl.
Melody was about to finish high school and told her dad how she was glad he was leaving her behind. She said he could move on knowing full well she was going to be better off. As true as it sounded in her ears, she was surprised to hear George actually agree with her on this point.
It was sometime after the Ferris wheel that Molly began to notice George had been growing more distant throughout the night. Sitting atop the ride overlooking the view of the park, Molly had a flashback herself to that night she first began mistaking her feelings for him as love. She always knew their marriage was a sham.
Deep down that is, but she still told herself all these years she had looked deep into his eyes that night, above the fairgrounds, clutching that baggie containing the goldfish he “won her” in some contest. She looked deep into his distant eyes that night so long ago. Her heart stirring. She knew now it most certainly wasn’t love, not what her current understanding of what love was supposed to be.
However, she knew, at the time, he was the man she wanted to devote her time pursuing. She had to, he wasn’t willing to get over that Stephanie bitch. Molly never spent much time with her as she began taking George as her mate, knowing she would rather not associate with his ex-girlfriend for oh so many reason.
Somehow, sitting there all those years later, in a different park with her daughter, she saw something different in his eyes that night. If only she could have known what was going to happen next, she could have done something.
Melody was walking ahead of her mother with George walking by her side. They were eating their corn dogs he bought them. Melody knew she wasn’t going to see her dad again. Considering it had been so long since the last time he had been in her life, it really didn’t seem to bother her much.
“It’s getting late, George. We need to say you’re goodbyes and we need to get home,” Molly said.
He stopped in his tracks. Grabbed her by the shoulder and looked her square in the face, in the most serious tone he ever said.
“I know, love, I have one more surprise and then the night will be over. I will be out of your life, forever. Deal?” he said.
Molly wanted to brush his hands off her shoulder and push him away, but in the interest of not making a scene, and maybe, she thought, some sense of lingering feelings from long ago, she let him hold her gaze longer than she felt comfortable doing.
“Mom, please be nice. I am having fun and he’s moving away can we please just have tonight be a nice night?” Melody said.
George leaned in to kiss Molly, which she stopped with her hands.
“Um, what do you think you are doing? You want a nice night fine, but don’t try anything funny like that again got it Mr.?”
Molly said as she took a step back from her ex-husband who was beginning to really make her uncomfortable.
“I just got caught up in the moment can’t a man kiss his wife goodbye one last time?” he said as he made a really sad face.
“I would rather not, thank you very much. It would only further complicate things. Now, let’s get to this surprise so we can get on with our lives, shall we?” Molly said.
George nodded. He walked the women back to his car. He drove them down an old dirt road. Molly had never gone this way before, she had no clue what was down here.
“Where are you taking us?” Molly asked.
“Just a little further and everything will be right in the world. I promise. You know Melody always wanted us to buy her a horse, well I paid a guy to let us ride a stallion in the stables but we have to do it after midnight. We’re almost there.” George said.
Melody looked back at her mother with a puzzled look on her face.
“Um, George, not that I don’t appreciate this but when did I ever say I wanted a horse?” Melody asked.
“Oh, who the hell knows, I assume you must have it’s something all little girls want. Isn’t it the gesture that matters not the details?
I mean, sorry I didn’t mean it to sound like that I just, went to a lot of trouble to arrange this because I figured it would be a good way for you to remember me by. I guess I wasn’t really aware if you would be that into it anyways. We both know I was a lousy father, let’s not spoil it by making that your last memory of me.” George said.
The car pulled up to a ranch house way out in the country completely surrounded by woods. Molly was beginning to get really nervous. She had to calm herself down as she kept reminding herself nothing bad had happened yet.
Well, aside from that almost kiss. She knew in the back of her mind she was going to relive that moment for the rest of her life. As she lay there in what was sure to be her death bed she began to realize, that might not be too far off.
The car stopped behind the stables. The three got out and walked over to where the horses were kept. A stable boy had the horse primed and ready for her riding. He helped Melody up onto the horse and she rode around the grounds while Molly stood there, quietly by her ex-husbands side. More than a few minutes went before he spoke. He placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered into her ear,
“Tonight is the last night you will ever see me, rejoice in knowing that soon all will be right in the world, Molly Goldfish.”
Molly’s eyes widened as he called her by the nickname she knew other girls whom she wasn’t well liked would refer to her as. She turned her head to say something when someone from behind stabbed her in the shoulder with a needle. She could see men rushing the horse, yanking her daughters limp body down as she fell to the ground and blacked out.
By the time Molly had woken up she knew her life was essentially over. She was tied to a chair. Her arms and legs were bound. She wasn’t entirely sure where they were. She could hear men speaking what sounded like Spanish in the other room. It was very dark. All she could see before her was a single couch her chair was facing. She noticed she was gagged as well. She sat there with every terrifying though of what was happening to her daughter take place before her very eyes. It wasn’t long before she had an answer to her worst nightmare.
Three men dragged her baby into the room, twisting and turning as she struggled to get loose. Molly began flinching herself as she could only image what was about to take place.
Molly refused to replay this next part in her mind. She had to watch it happen, live while her husband videotaped the whole ordeal. Her little girl screaming in agony as these strangers violated her repeatedly while her mother watched helplessly.
Molly pushed the tears back from her eyes. She watched it happen over and over as Drake would constantly put the tape on and replay it for her. She could still hear her child’s cries for her mother to help her, for her father to rot in hell. For her abductors to die slow, horrible deaths. Then they drugged her, dragged her out of the room and paid George before he turned the camera to Molly.
“Your turn, bitch.”
Stephanie Bri 