Frank Downey - Dance of a lifetime

Warren, of course, ended up on his back, bleeding from his mouth. He expected that. Scott was just laughing at him, while Sophia stood in the back room, sobbing, terrified.

Warren pulled himself up, in horrific pain, but determined not to give in. Not to this scumbag. Not concerning Sophia. "And you know what, asshole? You can hit me over and over again and it stillwon’t change the fact that Sophia is too good for you."

The next shot went to Warren’s already bruised ribs. Dora went running back to tell Antonio to call the cops. Warren tried to catch his breath, kneeling on the floor, gasping. And Scott taunted him: "Want another one, pussy?"

"Better me than Sophia."

And Sophia, who had been hunched over, crying, stood up, with a start. She had always thought of Warren as a bit of a wimp-but here he was, standing there, taking a beating. For her. She was ashamed of herself for ever thinking that he was wimpy. If she ever had any doubts about whether or not he loved her, they were gone. And she knew something else as well.

She knew she had to end this.

She walked out onto the floor. "Scott, that’s enough."

"Oh, Sophia! Come to watch me beat the shit out of your little friend here?"

"No, I’ve come to tell you to get out. Get out of the store, get out of my life. Now."

"Yeah, right, Sophia. What have I told you? You are mine. Get used to it."

Scott had turned his back to Warren to face Sophia, and Warren made a little cheering motion with his hands. Sophia caught it, drew strength from it, and marched right up to Scott.

"I am not your anything. We are through. I am done being a punching bag. Antonio is back there calling the cops. They are on their way. Warren is underage, you are not. Assault and battery of a minor will get you a little stint behind bars. And it will be two, because I’ve got some bruises I can show them, too. And, for a kicker, I can tell them you’ve slept with me, a fourteen year old, and you’ll get statutory rape on top of it.

I am taking out a restraining order against you as soon as I can do it. I want you gone, I want you out of my life, forever. Do you understand me?"

Warren had managed to stand up, and was smiling and giving Sophia the thumbs-up. Scott walked towards Sophia, an angry grimace on his face, and swung at her. Warren was about to jump him, to do anythingto help Sophia, but he didn’t have to.

Just as Scott’s hand connected with Sophia’s mouth, the cops walked in.

They ended up in the hospital. That punch to Sophia’s mouth was accompanied by another to Sophia’s already broken ribs, before the cops got in and grabbed Scott. Sophia and Warren had gone down to the police station to give their statements, but the cops did it quickly because it was clear that Sophia was in agony, and Warren wanted to make sure his jaw wasn’t broken. The cops took them to the hospital.

They could come in later in the week and finish up their statements-the cops had gotten the basics.

Scott was behind bars, at least for now. They went to the emergency room, where the nurses called their parents. Sophia was badly hurt and extremely shook up, but felt strangely liberated. Even so, she refused to leave Warren’s side. She even made the nurses put them in the same examining room. The nurses told her that she would have to take her shirt off in front of him, and she said, "I don’t care. He stays." So he stayed.

It would make it easier on the doctors, anyhow-they could check them both out at once.

Sophia’s mother was the first to show up. She was alternately hysterical and scolding. Warren was dumbfounded. Yeah, she was shook up at seeing her oldest daughter in the condition she was in, but a little supportmight have been nice. She screamed, and then cried, and then screamed, completely ignored Warren, and had Sophia on the verge of tears herself. They closed the curtain so the doctors could check Sophia out, and she shot Warren a look of utter despair. She would have insisted the curtain stay open if her mother hadn’t been there, but she didn’t need to give her mother another excuse to go off.

Warren was veryglad to see his own parents. They were, of course, concerned-his mother Peg was, after all, a mother, and his father Jim was concerned in his own way-but they didn’t get hysterical.

"Oh God, Warren. That doesn’t look too good," Peg said.

"Mom, I’m fine. They don’t even think it’s broken. I’m just going to be talking a little softer for a few days.

That should be a welcome relief. You can just make me coffee milkshakes." They all laughed.

"What did the police say?" Jim asked.

"Oh, they think the asshole’s going to be out of commission for a while."

"How do you get yourself involved in these messes?" Peg asked.

"Come on, Mom. Howmany messes, exactly, do I get myself involved in?"

"OK. Not many", Peg smiled. "But this one appears to be a doozy."

"No argument there."

Jim looked at his son and said, "I hope this girl is worth it."

Warren put his finger over his lips and pointed towards the curtain.

"Yes she is. You’ll see," he whispered.

"She’s in here?" Peg whispered.

"Yeah."

"Why’d they do that"?

"Soph insisted. She didn’t want to leave me."

"What’s all that yelling"? Jim whispered.

"Her mother. Wonderful, isn’t it? Thank you guys for notdoing that."

Sophia’s mother emerged from behind the curtain and walked out of the room, not saying a word to anyone. Then the curtain opened.

"How you doing, Soph?"

"She’ll be fine," the Doctor interjected. "Now, let’s check you out."

Sophia elaborated while the Doctor checked out Warren’s jaw. "My ribs are definitely broken.

I have to stay out of school and work for the rest of the week and pretty much stay in bed, and I’m going to be taped up for a while-but they think that’s the extent of it. My shoulder is slightly separated, but will be OK, and my back is bruised-and they think that my left breast is just bruised and not permanently damaged, like they thought before."

"Oh, good, that’s a relief. That’s an important part of the body not to be damaged."

"Pig." Sophia said, grinning.

"You know it."

"Will you shut up so I can finish this?" the Doctor interjected.

"Sorry."

"Besides, Warren," Jim said dryly, "You shouldn’t talk that way in front of your mother."

Even Peg laughed at that. She wasn’t a prude by any means.

"These are your parents, War?" Sophia asked. Warren gave her a thumbs-up. "Hi. I’m Sophia."

She shook hands with both of them.

Jim looked at the girl sitting in front of him-the young lady that had completely complicated his oldest son’s well-ordered life-and said, "You’re right, Warren. She’s definitely worth it." And winked at her.

Warren burst out laughing-much to the consternation of the doctor-and Peg rolled her eyes at her husband. Sophia just stared, dumbfounded.

"That’s my Dad." Warren said, dryly. "Translated, Soph, he thinks you’re a babe. Of course, I already knew that." Sophia just sputtered. Warren’s parents certainly were…different.

"Honey, you’ve embarrassed her," Peg said.

"I was just pleased that Warren has inherited his old man’s good taste in women, that’s all."

"Nice save, Dad."

"Thanks, Warren."

"Yeah, thanks Warren," Peg said sarcastically. "C’mon, Jim. Let’s let the doctor finish up. We’ll see you in the waiting room."

"OK." They left, with Sophia staring blankly at the door. "Those were your parents?"