Teri Woods - Angel's Revenge

“Tonight has been the greatest night of my life, Nina. I can’t remember the last time I’ve enjoyed myself as much as I have tonight. Never have I known a woman who could compare to you, Nina. And if I had one wish, it would be that you would be my wife.”

Dwight.

His words were the words she had waited to hear her entire adult life. Tears welled in her eyes, tears Dwight mistook for happiness. But Nina cried because the words weren’t spoken by the man she loved but by Dwight.

Dwight unexpectedly dropped down on one knee and slid a two-carat round diamond ring on her finger. Again he mistook her tears for tears of joy and assumed that she had accepted his proposal.

Nina didn’t know what to say. How could she say no? How could she say yes? She glanced at the engagement ring.

“I love you, Nina. Happy birthday.”

She sat on the edge of the bed, unable to sleep. She looked at the alarm clock. The digital display read 3:06 a.m. She looked at the engagement ring in the dark. She had had enough.

Nina slid on her slippers and shuffled down the stairs to the den. She flipped on the light switch and took a seat at her desk. She placed her Rolodex in front of her and began flipping through the cards. Please don’t let me have thrown her number away. She flipped through the Rolodex until she reached the M’s.

Mitchell. Moore. Morgan. Murphy.

Delores Murphy, Dutch’s mother.

Nina grabbed the cordless phone from its base and took a deep breath. She looked at the phone. Should I call her? She’s going to think I’m crazy. She dialed the number anyway, hoping that the number had been changed or even disconnected. She glanced at the clock, noticing the time. It’s 3:22 in the morning. Maybe I should wait to call at a decent hour. It was inconsiderate and rude to ring anybody’s phone at that hour and she knew it, but the thumping in her chest wouldn’t allow her heart to wait. She dialed the number and listened as the phone rang.

“Hello?” a woman answered.

She didn’t sound at all irritated or groggy, especially considering it was the middle of the night. Her voice was casual, like she was wide awake and waiting for Nina’s call.

“Hello?” Delores Murphy repeated.

What should I say? Maybe this was all wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t have called her. This is crazy! I’m calling a stranger in the middle of the night about a dead man. She’ll probably get upset. I don’t want to upset her ,Nina thought.

“Miss Murphy?”

“Yes, who is this?” Delores asked, somewhat confused.

“My name is Nina, Nina Martin. You don’t know me but, um, I really need to talk to you.” Nina sighed.

“About?” Delores replied, already knowing exactly who Nina was and what her phone call was about.

“Well, you see, I’m a… well, I was a friend of Bernard’s.”

“I see.”

There was a long pause as Delores tried to figure out exactly what the girl wanted. Nina simply wanted to hang up, run back upstairs, jump in her bed, and hide under the covers, but she had to know.

“Miss Murphy?”

“I’m still here.”

“I don’t know how to say this, but a lot of things have been happening around me and…” Nina’s voice trailed off.

“When would you like to meet?” Delores asked invitingly, figuring Nina needed someone to talk to.

“Now,” Nina blurted.

Poor girl, she can’t even sleep. What did Bernard do to her? Delores wondered.

Delores laughed softly. “It’s going on four in the morning. You want some breakfast?”

“I’m not really hungry, ma’am.”

Nina scribbled down the directions to Delores’s house, then made her way upstairs. Reality hit her as she saw Dwight lying in her bed, sound asleep, mouth open and snoring with each breath. Nina quietly tiptoed to her closet and threw on a pair of jogging pants.

Downstairs in the kitchen, she grabbed her bag and her keys and looked at the piece of paper she had written the directions on.

Ivy Hill ,she thought to herself as she made her way out the front door.

“Come on in, Miss Martin,” Delores said, greeting Nina with a friendly smile as she ushered her into the living room.

Nina looked around the spacious penthouse. She could see that Dutch had showered his mother with every luxurious amenity possible.

“Can I get you anything, tea or maybe some coffee?” Delores offered as she sized Nina up.

Delores could see what her son saw in the young woman. Even without makeup, Nina had a flawless beauty. She was demure with a quiet strength and obviously educated but not removed from where she came from.

“Yes, please. Tea would be fine.”

Nina saw immediately that Dutch had his mother’s eyes and complexion. His height and smile, however, must have come from his father. Delores herself looked good for her age. Time had been good to her. Delores had jet-black hair, and her face showed no signs of aging, no wrinkles, no blemishes, no crow’s-feet.

Delores poured Nina a cup of tea and placed it in front of her.

“Thank you,” Nina said, reaching for the sugar.

“Oh, you’re welcome,” Delores replied.

“Miss Murphy, I want to thank you for letting me come over in the middle of the night like this. I really needed to talk to someone. Actually, I really needed to talk to you,” Nina said, nervously stirring her tea.

Delores gently placed her hand on Nina’s to comfort her.

“It’s fine. Really, I don’t get much sleep at night these days. I just hope I can help you. You say you were a friend of my son’s?”

“Yes, ma’am. We dated for a while,” Nina said, nodding.

“Oh, I see.” I know she not here to tell me I’m a grandmother or nothing crazy like that ,Delores thought, while secretly wishing for a grandson that looked like her own son. But Nina’s eyes told her a different story.

“I know that this may be hard for you… But what happened in the courtroom three years ago?”

“Happened? I’m not sure I understand,” Delores interrupted.

Nina searched for a way to convey what she was feeling and why she had come.

“Miss Murphy, for three years I’ve tried to put Bernard and what he meant to me out of my mind. I had deep feelings for him, but I couldn’t accept his lifestyle. I couldn’t accept who he was until it was too late.”

Nina noticed that she was stirring her tea again, so she let go of the spoon.

“By then he was gone, and anything we could have had was gone with him. I accepted that and tried to go on with my life. I did go on with my life, but in many ways, never completely.” Nina took a deep breath. “Until things started happening.”

“What do you mean, things started happening? What kind of things?” Delores questioned with furrowed brows.

“I know this is going to sound crazy. But little things of great significance. If I told you, you would probably think I was crazy.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Delores said sincerely, wanting to know the things Nina was talking about.

“Well, one night, I came home from work and music was playing from my stereo. At first I thought it was the radio, but then I realized it was a CD that I didn’t own. I never figured out how it was playing, but it was, and it was playing a song that we shared. Then flowers were sent to my office. Not just any flowers, but hundreds of exotic flowers that no one I know could have possibly afforded. Then tonight, a limo was sent to me for my birthday. The driver claimed I ordered it, but I didn’t. I don’t know who did, but whoever it was ordered the limo in my middle name. No one knows my middle name, and… I just can’t think straight anymore. But I can’t stop thinking.”