A Simple Life: Chapter 143 (Patreon)

“I’d l-l-like to r-report an assault.” I say to the kindly looking police woman behind the counter. “Two actually.” The hand on my shoulder, Grandpa’s hand, tightens in a quiet signal of support.

She looks at me for a moment then says. “Alright.”

In a warm and gentle voice she takes my name, address, and contact information. Whenever my stutter gets too bad Grandpa helps me out.

“And you are?”

“His grandfather.” Grandpa says, pride coming through his words despite the serious occasion.

I was beyond grateful for him being here with me. I’d been so angry and scared when I first showed up at the Anna Bella that I was twisted inside out. But, as he always did, he settled me down, talked me through things and helped make everything more clear. He would have been here himself had I chickened out. The last time had been his last straw and he’d only held back because I begged him to. But I told him that I wanted to do it. I said that I had been the one assaulted and I had been the one to witness Lauren’s bruise and that I would become a part of this one way or the other. From that point forward he was nothing but one hundred percent supportive of me and my decision, saying that I was being very brave and that this was the right thing to do.

I was still uneasy with this course of action and really stressed to be making an official police report on my big brother but I simply had to do something. It wasn’t just about me anymore. I knew where Lauren was right now, mentally and emotionally, and I knew that she might never seek the help she needed if left alone. If Jack was willing to hurt his brother and his wife, would he stop at his kid? Would Jack become the next link in the chain of abuse? Jack might have had it rough like that rest of us but that gave him no right to pass that pain onto others. I couldn’t do nothing. And, as Grandpa pointed out, even if nothing at all comes of this at least I would start a record on Jack so that if Lauren ever came forward in the future hers would not be a lone accusation. And so, with Grandpa as my courage at every step, I found myself here.

We are passed onto another officer who takes us down to the other end of the counter where there was a sort of privacy cubicle and begins the official report. Unlike the woman at the front desk he wasn’t warm nor kindly. He was cold and very much to the point as he takes the who, what, where, when, why and how of my assault. Just the facts, as they say. Another difference from the woman was that he wouldn’t allow Grandpa to answer for me when I needed yet seemed annoyed at my constant stuttering. He was a very difficult man to talk to and he scared me because he reminded me of my dad but I soldier through his questions, for Lauren’s sake. With both hands on my shoulders Grandpa continued to stay close while pouring his love and support into me even without talking.

Without looking up from the keyboard the officer asks. “You said that you had a witness for your scuffle?”

“It wasn’t a scuffle.” Grandpa corrects him, growing increasingly annoyed at the man’s brusque treatment of me. “My grandson was assaulted by his brother.”

“Mmm.” He hums. “You had a witness?”

I swallow hard. “Y-Y-Yes S-S-Sir.”

I look back over my shoulder to where Brayden sat by himself nervously bouncing his knee in the completely empty waiting area of the quiet Haven Point Police Station. Before coming down here Grandpa and I had stopped by the apartment to warn my roommate what he was about to become involved in. When I told him what I was going to do I expected protests from him, Brayden detested any sort of fuss that required effort on his part, but instead he looked at me for a few seconds before turning off his game and saying that he was coming with me. Unbeknown to me that day Jack hurt me left a pretty big impression on him as well. He said that it had been eating at him how he just stood there and watched the nicest person he’d ever known get slapped up. He said he’d had nightmares about it. And he said that he and Jack hadn’t been close in a very long time precisely because of my brother’s erratic temper. Once we were on the way and I told him about Lauren he was more determined than ever to help in whatever way he could.

“M-M-My r-r-r-r-r…HMM!” I snort, frustrated at my stutter, as the stony policeman stares me down. The grip on my shoulders tighten just a little. “M-My r-roommate Bradyen w-was there.”

Noticing us looking at him Brayden gets to his feet and starts our way. The policeman waves him to sit down again. “I’ll take you statement after.”

“Oh, uh, right.” Brayden heads back to take the same seat, his nervous knee bobbing once more.

Looking over the report the officer finishes that file with a muttered. “You should have reported this immediately.” After a few clicks and taps of the keyboard we start the process all over again, this time as it related to Lauren. I tell him all that I knew to the best of my ability. He asks me question after question, a lot of them that I did not have answers to. Every time I had a question I couldn’t answer I started feeling more nervous, which got me stuttering more, which made me even more nervous. I felt like I was letting Lauren down!

“Just stick to what you know.” Grandpa whispers. “You’re doing fine, Avery.”

I nod and regather myself before continuing on.

When we were at last finished he ends it in a dubious tone. “Domestics are difficult. Especially if the spouse doesn’t cooperate. And by what you’re telling me she isn’t going to. We’ll do our best.” He clicks his mouse. “We’ll be in touch.”

“Oh! Um. Th-that’s it?”

He looks at me. “Do you feel you need victim services?”

“Um…wh-what is…that? I d-d-don’t…know…um…?”

“You’ll have to come back in the morning.” He nods to a little tray of cards on my side of the counter.

Just wanting to get out of there I shake my head. “I’m f-f-fine.”

Grandpa takes a card and slips it into his pocket. Having held his tongue for as long as he could he says as he puts an arm around me. “You may want to consider a different line of work, officer. Your people skills are not groovy. Not groovy at all.”

“Hrm.” The man snorts. “I could always fall back on panhandling I suppose.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Grandpa bristles. “Are you insinuating something?”

“Nothing at all.” He says, blank faced. “It was just a comment.” Looking to me he says. “If you could send your roommate this way on your way out, Avie.”

Avie?

Leading me from the desk Grandpa glowers back at him. “We’ll be expecting to hear something.”

“You will.” He says. “We take these matters very seriously.”

When we get to Brayden Grandpa says. “He’s ready for you now. Need us to stick around?”

“Nah.” Patting my shoulder Brayden gives me a nod. “You guys go chill. I got this, dude.”

“Th-Thank you.” I say softly. “This m-means a lot to m-m-me.”

“After all the times you bailed me out of rent and shit? This ain’t nothin, man. Besides, Jack’s an asshole.” He waves for us to go. “Get outta here.”

As Brayden heads toward the desk Grandpa and I walk out the front doors and into the dark night.