Chapter 9 – Perpetual Motion

Willow’s reality to live a peaceful existence was slowly fading.

She began to realize that Mitch and his group of cult cronies knew where she lived and many have been at her safe place, which has been anything but that. It seems this group of Mitch’s followers would do anything for Master Mitch – he knew it and she knew it. She had been one of his puppets and cutting those puppet strings was long overdue.

While she accepted her bad choices and Mitch was one of them, she knew what she had to do.

That evening after work, after dinner and after a much needed walk, Steve and Willow discussed the possibility of moving yet again. Steve remained in his home but seemed to be a regular resident at her shared downsized home, so they decided to change locations together. They both understood the added safety and peace of mind with Steve around, being the threats and incidents were increasing.

“What do you say we get a place with a larger yard and smaller home – a place where we can have a garden?”

Willow liked his idea and nodded, smiling at the thought of being invisible. It was a lot of work but worth the try.

“I love that idea. Maybe get a PO Box and I can use that address on all future court paperwork.”

No sooner than her words left her tongue, she realized she was required to provide a physical address in order for Mitch to respond or serve her with any papers. A puzzled look came over her and Steve picked up on it right away.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, it’s just that I have to provide an address where I can be served papers. I can use my work address but that may get ugly. I don’t need everyone knowing my business.”

“It’s something to think about.”

He sits next to her by the fire as the bright flame lights up their faces. When she hangs her head, Bando jumps up and plants a sloppy kiss on her cheek. It startles her but it doesn’t take long for her to smile. Animals seem to know when we are hurting. She talks to Bando as if she understands every word.

“I’m okay, Girl. How would you like a big yard where you can run?”

She wrestles with her a bit when she notices a grin on Steve’s face. They both yearn for a small slice of a better life, which is worth the begrudging hard work of moving again.

Willow reaches for her laptop on the nearby table, wasting no time to research available rental homes.

“Everything is so expensive. Wait, here’s one in old town with a beautiful craftsman porch and fruit trees in the back. The house is small but the neighborhood and yard are perfect!”

Steve’s interest is perked and he seems to be in agreement.

“Check out the built-ins. They don’t build new homes like this anymore. What’s the rent?”

Willow points to the price on the screen.

“We could afford that and I could even walk to work.”

She pauses and changes her mind.

“Well, maybe walking to work wouldn’t be wise right now, but it is close to my work.”

After searching the internet for more available homes, they decide to reach out and arrange to look at some rental properties after work that week.

“It’s all settled. We’ll find a new place and only give out our address to close friends and family.”

Steve agrees and they settle in for the evening, trying to release some tension playing video games before bed.

Willow found it difficult to sleep that night. She tossed and turned as thoughts of peace were almost beyond belief to her.

Even though the morning arrived fast, she welcomed it with hope and the chance for a new beginning.

Off to work and five minutes early to boot. Take that miserable monkeys – can’t snitch on me today.

For the first time in a long time she had a smile on her face – not the kind of fake smile she was forced to display at work but an authentic smile brought on by hope. It felt good and she went with the moment. After all, good news was hard to come by these days.

Willow arrived to work with a few minutes to spare, walking past Penny’s cubicle, seeing her hard at work, as usual.

She didn’t want to disturb Penny’s focus so she decided to get settled in at her desk, turning on her computer and prioritizing her piles of files.

As quiet as she thought she was, nothing got past Penny.

“Good morning Willow!”

Her voice was always soothing and she never felt startled. She only felt a sense of support and family.

“Good morning!”

Willow’s face must have been beaming because Penny immediately commented on her sunny disposition.

“It’s nice to see you smile. How are you?”

“We found a cute little place in old town with a wrap-around porch and fruit trees. The house is smaller than what we have now but we could relocate and hopefully be free from the constant threats at home.”

“That’s great news. Where about in old town?”

Just then Tonya storms into Willow’s cubicle with a stack of files in her hand. Her grace is lacking again when she slams down the pile with the usual Cheshire Cat grin on her face.

Willow rolls her eyes at Penny as she understands the meaning behind her eye roll. Trying her best not to incite trouble, she takes a deep breath and gathers all the good will she has left inside her.

“Any priority filings today Tonya?”

Willow wants to wipe that smirk off Tonya’s face as she continues to create an awkward encounter…as usual. She responds to Willow’s question with a sense of power and arrogance.

“Let me see…yep. I need these two motions to go out with the morning run. Don’t let me down Weeps.”

She takes the files from Tonya and sets them on top of the pile, really wanting to throw them across the room, but she restrains her thoughts and finds her grace.

“No problem.”

Tonya stands there as if she is looking for an argument and Willow refuses to take her desperate bait. Feeling there is nothing more to say, Willow turns her chair toward her computer and reflects on Tonya’s hollow mockery.

She can hear her grunt as she walks away.

The morning passes rather quickly as it usually does in this grand central station-type atmosphere. She takes a moment to grab a peppermint latte, sitting back in her chair and pondering the next file to tackle. Just then, her phone rings.

“Hi Willow. Your son is here at the front counter.”

“Thank you Rachael. I’ll be right there.”

As Willow gets up from her chair, she has a feeling of unrest in her gut.

What now?

She sees Louie’s sweet face as she approaches the front counter, seeing him on the other side of the bulletproof glass with Charlie beside him. He appears solemn and Willow is eager yet reserved to discover yet another threat and reason to make big changes.

He gives her a giant bear hug and Charlie does the same. He was like her second son and brought a comforting balance to the chaos.

“Is everything okay?”

Louie seems unable to speak so Charlie speaks for his dear friend with an almost equal sadness.

“Well, we were in the parking lot of the gym, leaving, when Mitch pulled up alongside Louie’s car. Louie didn’t see him at first and I pointed to Mitch so Louie would notice him standing there.”

“Oh my…what happened?”

Louie seems ready to explain the unfortunate event further and joins in on the conversation.

“After Charlie pointed him out, he was staring at me. I got in my car to drive away when he got in his car and started chasing me with his car.”

“Chasing you?”

Louie was still trembling from the incident, so I motioned for us all to have a seat in the lobby. As we sat down, Mitch’s attorney walks through the door. I instantly place one finger to my lips, signaling for them to stop talking.

They both look at Willow with confusion when Mr. Wynn flashes a dirty look Willow’s way. She just smiles as if his hatred didn’t bother her. Uncomfortable maybe, as he was just as spineless as Mitch. Mitch couldn’t have picked a more suitable attorney for himself – even if he owned a working crystal ball.

They all listen when he approaches the counter and requests to speak with a prosecuting attorney. Rachael glances Willow’s direction through the thick glass as she knows the unfavorable existence of this man with not only Willow but several others in the district attorney’s office.

He was good at trying to intimidate but Willow just continued small talk with the boys until he was called inside. Her peripheral vision told her he was turned around and staring their way as she ignored his attempts to intimidate.

“Mr. Wynn, Miss Ritter is ready to see you.”

Of course this unethical excuse for a human being felt compelled to give her one last evil glare while Willow refrained from giving him the bird in front of the boys.

He is clueless, believing all the lies Mitch throws at him. If only he knew the truth.

The moment the lobby door closes, Louie is filled with questions.

“Who was that? Why did you want us to stop talking about...”

Willow notices a group of familiar and friendly attorneys returning from court when the glass door opens. They are pulling rolling luggage carts stacked with briefcases and files.

One of the attorneys has become a good friend, supporting her by walking over to court on days she has court with Mitch. Her moral support is priceless and she notices Willow sitting in the lobby with the boys.

“Hey Willow.”

She motions for the other attorneys to not wait up for her as she stops to chat with Willow.

“Hi Katy. I’d like you to meet my son, Louie and my second son, Charlie.”

The boys pop up from the bench and stand to shake her hand, smiling.

“That’s nice of you to pay a visit to your mom.”

Louie grins without uttering a response. He wasn’t as talkative these days – a bit more reserved, seeming to need time to truly get to know someone before he felt safe. As a child, he was more animated than his sister – always open to talk with people and ask questions. She realized how life’s unpleasant encounters can change a person. Maybe it was experience because Willow had become the same way.

She kept in touch with a small group of high school friends for many years but as her trauma increased due to the threats from Mitch, she valued her peace, realizing the gossip and constant back stabbing she witnessed was not healthy in her state of mind.

It wasn’t that she didn’t value and cherish a few friends in the group, because she did, but some were disingenuous, filled with harsh judgments and the general chit chat drama that her doctor recommended her to steer clear of.

The trouble makers in the group were merely acquaintances she wasn’t as close with but it seemed it was all or nothing – meaning getting together in large groups for parties, lunches and the sort. During a few of those lunches she caught one her “dear friends” giving the eye roll over something she said and the whispers started. She came home and asked herself.

Why do I keep subjecting myself to this?

Her childlike humor got her through tough times and some in the group treated her as if she was stupid due to her juvenile humor. Willow was anything but that. Yes, she heard the whispers and one friend tells another friend and it always gets back to the person. Always.

Well, being she lived in her own kind of hell these days, she decided to back off from the get-togethers and choose peace. Humor was her way of dealing with the fears and she wasn’t going to eliminate that from her life and be someone she simply was not.

She figured her true friends would reach out and check in on her but it never happened. It was more of the large parties she was invited to and being she did not drink anymore, the parties became less enjoyable.

She did have one friend in the group who was the party gal but man; she had a heart of gold. She truly cared about people and they got together for lunch a couple times. Those were the fulfilling and meaningful moments that helped her grow stronger.

Maybe the friends she thought were true didn’t realize the private hell she was living. Maybe. But these days her life had to be prioritized and it was more about survival and keeping her kids safe. They knew the truths. Well, at least Louie did because he lived most of it, trying to keep it from Willow due to death threats from Mitch.

Britney had moved away and attended college and in some ways, it made the court hearings more difficult. She wasn’t living in Sonoma when the beatings and secrets began. Furthermore, there was no way in hell Mitch would pick on Britney. She could probably kick his ass and he knew it. There are just people you do not pick on and Britney was one of them.

My apologies for my story getting sidetracked as the background of the characters needed some explanation.

So after the introductions and small talk with sweet Katy, Louie and Charlie proceeded to tell Willow what had happened. But not before Louie would get his questions answered.

“So why did we stop talking when that man came in the lobby?”

That kid never forgot anything.

“He’s your dad’s attorney...”

Louie quickly interrupted her to clarify his father’s new title.

“You mean Mitch’s attorney.”

“Yes. It’s best not to alert him to anything that can be twisted. Are you boys okay?”

Louie hangs his head as Charlie now continues the conversation.

“Louie was running through red lights trying to lose him but he just kept chasing him all through town.”

“You’re both lucky you were not in an accident. Next time drive to the police station.”

Louie was proud of his decision and belted out…

“That’s what I did! I knew Mitch was not going to turn into the PD’s parking lot.”

“Well, I have some good news. How would you like to live in old town with a large yard and front porch?”

The boys look at one another and nod their heads.

“Sweet. Whereabouts?”

“We haven’t looked at the place yet but have an appointment today after I get off work. Charlie you’re welcome to join us.”

Willow looks at the clock in the lobby, realizing she better get back inside before the usual snitch’s make something out of nothing again. She hugs the boys before they leave and tells them to be on alert.

Rachael buzzes her back inside the office as the door always remains locked.

“Nice looking young man. He looks like you.”

“Yeah we have been told that. He’s a good kid and that’s what most important to me. As my mom would say, good looks are just icing on the cake.”

Rachael? laughs and nods her head.

“Yeah, I told my kids that growing up, too. Boy that shyster Wynn was giving you the evil eye. You poor thing.”

“I can handle him. He’s just mad that he lost his latest battle in court the other day with Mitch.”

Rachael begins to ask for more details when a defendant walks to the front counter, abruptly ending their conversation.

With that, Willow heads back to her desk and the afternoon is filled with more deadlines. Time is flying by, which is perfectly fine with her because after work new home possibilities are on the horizon.

Willows walks to Penny’s cubicle and notices she is shutting down her computer for the night.

“Good night Penny.”

She gathers her purse and is ready to call it a day, too.

“I’ll walk out with you.”

The two confidants walk to the parking garage, relieved the work day is over.

“Where’d you park?”

Penny points to the top level.

“I’m on the top floor. Are you going to look at the place tonight?”

“Yes. I’m so excited. They even allow pets!”

“I hope it works out for you. I can’t wait to hear about it tomorrow!”

Just then a sudden breeze blows through the open parking garage - Willow hears someone call her name. She instantly stops in her tracks.

“Willow.”

The voice is soft and faint but the darkness prevents her from identifying the source. Instantly her walk speeds up to a fast jog when she hears the whisper again.

Who is watching her now?