It started
out as a “routine check-in.” Hector arrived at her apartment,
dressed in normal clothes, with no badge on him. Jessica became
suspicious, not in an afraid way, but in a curious manner and
questioned why Hector did not have a partner with him during this
particular “check-in.” Coupled with the fact that Jessica had
already dropped the charges, she was able to piece two and two
together, and saw—in Hector’s eyes—a man who was generally
concerned for her well-being. This sweetness, one that had long
been gone from the eyes of Edwin, calmed her, nearly moving her to
tears. She initiated the physical contact, draping her arms around
his neck and squeezing him tightly. Naturally, Hector hugged her
back and, for the first time in a very long time, she felt safe.
Next, and right before they kissed, Jessica took the first step
towards a long recovery and expressed to Hector how she felt about
herself right then and there.
“Why would you want me, Hector? I’m nothing
but a fucking ragdoll,” she said to him. Her weak state hurt him,
creating a lump in his throat which would not budge even after he
tried to swallow several times. When he had regained the ability to
talk, he spoke the words which set Jessica on a path to recovery
and into a long and complex affair with the married
detective.
“You are everything that is beautiful and I
won’t leave you alone, not to be hurt again. Not ever again,” he
whispered to her.
*************
The sky above and behind Edwin darkens with
grim clouds following him north as the storm approaches the city
from south of the island. Darkness literally trails behind him.
Faint rain drops fall, one occasionally landing on Edwin’s skin and
met with indifference as if it was not felt, possibly due to the
amount of face-numbing cocaine in his system.
After walking for a span of time that both
feels like forever and only moments, Edwin finds himself on First
Ave. Soon enough, he looks up and sees that he’s arrived at Tenth
Street, one block away from his destination. His fingers twitch as
one digit curls and uncurls around the trigger of the pistol
concealed in his pocket.
In a matter of seconds, the sky opens up and
begins to pour heavily upon the Earth. This doesn’t bother him; he
walks unperturbed, intent on getting where he was going. At the
corner of Eleventh he’s struck by a commanding sensation of déjà vu
unlike any he has ever felt before. It doesn’t just feel like he’s
been there before, it feels like he’s been there before multiple
times. This feeling confuses Edwin to such a great degree that he
becomes somewhat disoriented. His bewilderment is accelerated when
he catches a glimpse of a person he swears he has seen before,
recently at that, but cannot remember when and where. Suddenly, the
mental image of a cup of untouched coffee comes to his mind. Almost
like a mnemonic, it serves to help him recall the familiar man’s
face. He had seen the man briefly at Dunkin Donuts; this was just
about fifteen minutes before he exited intent on taking the train
but forced to take a detour away from the cop-heavy subway
station.
Edwin’s eyes stay on the man, watching him as
he takes off running. If he had to take a wild guess, Edwin would
say that the man was running from the storm. Technically, he isn’t
wrong, holding merit in both the literal and the figurative sense
of things.
CHAPTER 12:
Hector foots the gas, accelerating the car
forward at an unnecessary and dangerous pace. In the passenger
seat, Laura Cohen grips the straps of her seatbelt and buckles
herself in. The two officers and Jessica sit squeezed together in
the backseat of the car with Jessica sitting by the right
window.
Given that First Avenue is a one-way street
heading north, Hector makes a right turn, then another right,
placing him and the other occupants of the vehicle on Avenue A
heading south. At about Thirteenth Street, the patchy and
infrequent drizzle becomes a full
out as a “routine check-in.” Hector arrived at her apartment,
dressed in normal clothes, with no badge on him. Jessica became
suspicious, not in an afraid way, but in a curious manner and
questioned why Hector did not have a partner with him during this
particular “check-in.” Coupled with the fact that Jessica had
already dropped the charges, she was able to piece two and two
together, and saw—in Hector’s eyes—a man who was generally
concerned for her well-being. This sweetness, one that had long
been gone from the eyes of Edwin, calmed her, nearly moving her to
tears. She initiated the physical contact, draping her arms around
his neck and squeezing him tightly. Naturally, Hector hugged her
back and, for the first time in a very long time, she felt safe.
Next, and right before they kissed, Jessica took the first step
towards a long recovery and expressed to Hector how she felt about
herself right then and there.
“Why would you want me, Hector? I’m nothing
but a fucking ragdoll,” she said to him. Her weak state hurt him,
creating a lump in his throat which would not budge even after he
tried to swallow several times. When he had regained the ability to
talk, he spoke the words which set Jessica on a path to recovery
and into a long and complex affair with the married
detective.
“You are everything that is beautiful and I
won’t leave you alone, not to be hurt again. Not ever again,” he
whispered to her.
*************
The sky above and behind Edwin darkens with
grim clouds following him north as the storm approaches the city
from south of the island. Darkness literally trails behind him.
Faint rain drops fall, one occasionally landing on Edwin’s skin and
met with indifference as if it was not felt, possibly due to the
amount of face-numbing cocaine in his system.
After walking for a span of time that both
feels like forever and only moments, Edwin finds himself on First
Ave. Soon enough, he looks up and sees that he’s arrived at Tenth
Street, one block away from his destination. His fingers twitch as
one digit curls and uncurls around the trigger of the pistol
concealed in his pocket.
In a matter of seconds, the sky opens up and
begins to pour heavily upon the Earth. This doesn’t bother him; he
walks unperturbed, intent on getting where he was going. At the
corner of Eleventh he’s struck by a commanding sensation of déjà vu
unlike any he has ever felt before. It doesn’t just feel like he’s
been there before, it feels like he’s been there before multiple
times. This feeling confuses Edwin to such a great degree that he
becomes somewhat disoriented. His bewilderment is accelerated when
he catches a glimpse of a person he swears he has seen before,
recently at that, but cannot remember when and where. Suddenly, the
mental image of a cup of untouched coffee comes to his mind. Almost
like a mnemonic, it serves to help him recall the familiar man’s
face. He had seen the man briefly at Dunkin Donuts; this was just
about fifteen minutes before he exited intent on taking the train
but forced to take a detour away from the cop-heavy subway
station.
Edwin’s eyes stay on the man, watching him as
he takes off running. If he had to take a wild guess, Edwin would
say that the man was running from the storm. Technically, he isn’t
wrong, holding merit in both the literal and the figurative sense
of things.
CHAPTER 12:
Hector foots the gas, accelerating the car
forward at an unnecessary and dangerous pace. In the passenger
seat, Laura Cohen grips the straps of her seatbelt and buckles
herself in. The two officers and Jessica sit squeezed together in
the backseat of the car with Jessica sitting by the right
window.
Given that First Avenue is a one-way street
heading north, Hector makes a right turn, then another right,
placing him and the other occupants of the vehicle on Avenue A
heading south. At about Thirteenth Street, the patchy and
infrequent drizzle becomes a full
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