Mara looks between us. “Um, I’m doing okay. I mean, you two are acting a little weird right now, but other than that…”
Carolina laughs. She has a great laugh that warms me from the soles of my feet to the top of my head. I almost forget what we’re doing until Carolina begins pressing Mara about reunion prep, how Dash helped and was he there the entire time.
“Oh, yeah,” Mara blushes. “He was with me almost 24-7. He wouldn’t let me out of his sight. I could hardly go to the bathroom by myself. He even asked me to, uh, keep the door open when I peed.”
Carolina cocks her head to the side. “How did you feel about that?”
“I felt it was a little much, but I needed a lot of help, so I was glad he was there,” Mara says woodenly.
Carolina touches Mara’s arm, and the woman sucks air through her teeth.
“Is there something wrong with your arm?” I ask.
Mara clutches the arm to her chest. “No. Nothing. Everything’s fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” Carolina grabs Mara’s wrist and slides up the sleeve of her shirt. There, we see the remnants of someone’s hand. Someone grabbed Mara’s arm hard enough to leave finger-sized bruises. “Who did this to you?”
“It’s nothing,” Mara yanks the sleeve down. “I bumped into something.”
“Mara,” Carolina gentles her voice. “If Dash is abusing you, we can help.”
Mara shakes her head but says nothing. Instead, she stares at the floor.
“You don’t have to stay with him,” I add. “We work with a powerful organization that can keep you safe.”
For the first time, Mara looks directly at me. “Really?”
“Yes. Just tell us what’s going on,” I nod.
“He loves me so much,” Mara’s eyes flick to Carolina. “I know you dated him in high school, but that was a silly crush. You know. High school. But he loves me so much more than that. He can’t stand thinking of me with another man. Even if that other man is gay.”
“Oh, I know all about that,” Carolina grabs Mara’s hand and squeezes. “How long has he been abusing you.”
“He doesn’t mean it,” Mara yanks her hand away. “You’re twisting his love into something else.”
“Why would you stay with someone who puts his hands on you like that?” Carolina’s voice gets louder.
Mara snorts. “You don’t understand! You’re in love and planning a happily ever after for yourself. But for the rest of us in the dating pool over 40, it’s an utter shit show! Sometimes you have to take the best of the worst.”
My jaw drops.
Carolina’s face turns red. “Listen to me, Mara. I do know what the dating pool’s like for women over 40. And I think ‘shit show’ is a kind description. But that doesn’t mean you have to settle for King Shit of the Shit Show. You’re a smart woman. You’re successful. You pulled together this awesome reunion weekend, complete with fun things to do and prizes. You don’t need some dickhead to smack you around. Let us help you keep him away from you.”
Mara looks back at her feet.
Carolina and I wait.
Mara shakes her head.
We wait some more.
Mara finally turns to Carolina. “How would you keep him away from me?”
“The first thing we’re going to do is meet some very nice police officers and show them your bruises. Then, they’re going to arrest that dickhead,” Carolina says. “Dash is sitting in a room right now, thinking he won something. What he’s won is a multiple-night stay in a jail cell until his trial.”
Mara considers this, then exhales loudly. “Okay.”
We all move to climb the stairs to the main concourse. Mara walks ahead of us with her head hung down.
