Wrongful Kiss

Thomas set there and told his story of love and pain and how he had first seen this little girl, his little angel, Kelly when she was only eight years old.

He could tell Dick was not too happy with the story but he didn’t really care. It really was not any of Dick’s business. It was not anyone’s business except his and Kelly’s. But Thomas wanted to share her story with someone. Anyone, so that he could know she had been real once.

Eddie thought it was a great love story. Or at lease Ben had said that was what Eddie was trying to say. And Eddie did shake his head yes when Ben said this.

Thomas told the story of how he and Kelly’s father, James Addison had first met and become friends. He told a few details about James Addison’s secret life, but kept most to his self.

Some of those stories could still get you killed. Even today there were people that would not like some of the things Thomas knew to come to light.

Kelly’s father was not a good man. But he was respected by others in the line of work he did. He made people disappear.

Kelly never knew this about her father. She was too young at the time and later after James disappeared when Thomas had checked into James’s secret life, Thomas chose not to tell Kelly. The baby had been hurt so much already, there was no reason to add this to the pain.

Thomas told how the Addison family had moved to town and into the house next door to his one day and about how after that he and James become friends.

Over the next two years Thomas said he had fallen in love with Kelly. Not in any wrong way, but the memory of his own daughter that he had lost, allowed him to love Kelly as his own, in his heart.

Kelly was ten years old when her father started going away on business trips. Kelly’s mother was a drug addict, so when James was gone, Thomas was in charge of Kelly’s well being. This had been James wish because he knew Thomas would protect Kelly.

James trusted Thomas so much that it was Thomas that had access to James checking account. Thomas paid the bills and gave Crystal Addison her allowance which she blew up her nose.

Kelly’s mother just did not give a damn, Thomas wanted someone to care for that counted on him, and James felt his daughter was safe from harm with Thomas.

Kelly was all for the ideal of Thomas watching over her because she felt safe without her father around for the first time in her life. Before Thomas entered their life, James would always come home after a long trip and find Kelly sick. Crystal really didn’t care about the child.

So Thomas watched Kelly Grow up. He never once said anything wrong to her or made a wrong move toward her. She was just the little girl he thought his own daughter would have been.

When Kelly was twelve her father went on one of his trips and never returned. Thomas tried to find out where he was but was unable to do so.

For several months Thomas and Kelly tried to find her father. They become closer than ever.

Kelly’s mother, on the other hand had changed. She started having parties every weekend, and men running in and out of the house all the time.

For a long time before this Kelly had been staying over at Thomas’s house sometime. He had even set her a room aside and had taken her shopping and let her pick out her own bed room furniture.

But after her father had disappeared, Kelly moved in full time. Still her mother did not say anything as long as her needs were meet.

Then one night when Thomas worked late and Crystal Addison had one of her parties, two of Crystal’s men guest tried to have their way with Kelly. If not for Kelly being able to fight her way lose and run out of the house, and Thomas showing up at that very moment, there would be no telling what would have happened.

Thomas tried to kill those two men that night, and did come close to it, but his gun jammed. After Thomas made sure Kelly was safe he called his friend Andy Harper who was well know and very dangerous.

Andy come over that night and set the record straight. And it was not long after that before it was known Thomas and Kelly were protected by the family. Heaven had their hand on them.

Thomas or Kelly both had no thoughts of becoming more than they were up till that night. But as they set alone, in each others arms, the true feelings they had for each other overcome their thoughts and their reasoning.

That night Kelly said to Thomas “Hold me tight daddy. Hold me tight so I can never fly away.”

That night they become a couple, and after that night Thomas would never allow Kelly to call him daddy again.

 

Thomas would not give any details about what happen that night or how their becoming a couple come to be, only that it was both his and her wishes and that how it happened was no ones business.

Dick was upset hearing the story. He told Thomas he thought it was wrong for what he had done.

Thomas told Dick he did not give a damn what he thought and that he had no right to judge him.

“Did not Edmond Duntes marry Haydee’s?” Thomas asked. “Was she not many years his younger?”

“That was fictions.” Dick Said. “It did not really happen. And it would not have mattered anyway, she was legal”

“It was based on a true story, several in fact, but that does not matter, and what is legal anyway? Who had the right to say what is right or wrong in a persons personal life.”

“Thomas, she was not old enough to know if it was right or wrong.”

“You don’t know that Dick. You never met her. How can you judge her?”

“I am not judging her.” Dick was mad.

“Yes you are. And you are also judging me.” Thomas was also mad. But he was not going to back down.

“Hell Dick, I am not even sure if it was right or wrong, myself. I have judge myself all these years. And I have paid for what ever crime come from the sin. I have paid for twenty years. And I am not even sure if the paying is over. I think the biggest payment is just coming due.”

Thomas had punished his self for years. He had allowed no happiness to enter his life. No dreams of romance or a future, not without her being center stage. Kelly had become his life at a time when he needed to be loved. And she had never left his heart.

“Did not Maximilien wish to die at the lost of Valentine?” Thomas asked. “Did he not go quietly to his death with her on his lips?”

“You are living in a dream world Thomas.” Dick said.

“Yes old friend I am. I have been here for twenty years. And now I have a chance to come out of it. I can live again, or I can die. It is her choice and I will happily accept what ever she gives.”

The two men were looking at each other, their eyes locked; both hating what had made them arrive at this moment in time: both hating their friendship being strained to its breaking point.

“This is not something we did because we wanted to Dick. We cared for each other, more than the other one knew, but we did not plan to do this thing. It happened. And I really do not know if I would do it over or not. I don’t know if I would do the same thing or not. But I do know I cannot turn my back on what happened.”

Thomas was setting there with tears rolling around in his eyes, and then falling slowly down his face. But they were not his tears falling. They were for Kelly.

“I do not regret any of what happen, or the price I have paid. I only have pain for any hurt that Kelly has paid through all these years. And If I can make life right for her, or better in some way, then I will gladly die and be happy.”

Thomas meant every word of this. His life had ended the day he lost Kelly.

For several moments Dick just stood there looking at his old friend. Then Dick reached into his pocket, he then pulled out a black chess king, and looking at it, he started turning it over and over in his hand.

For years Dick and Thomas had played this game. When they disagreed with each other, and one would win over the other, he would become the King. There for he would get the black King to carry around until the next disagreement when they would again play the game again until one won and one lost.

Dick had carried the king for almost a year now.

“You win. Our friendship is more important to me than the right or wrong of this thing. It is too late now to even fight over. So I will help you in any way I can.” Dick then handed the black king to Thomas.

 

The rest of the day went slowly by as Thomas finished telling his story.

 For the most part he said they were a father and daughter couple, and that was what most people thought and saw when they first met the two.

But friends, the close kind knew there was a little more to the story. Not what, but they had their ideals, and most of them let it slide because they knew Kelly.

They knew she was happy. So what if she was sleeping with an older man as long as it did not hurt anyone else, and if she, Kelly, wanted it then leave them alone.

And the fact that Thomas was thought to be a member of what was called heaven made sure that most people kept their nose out of the subject.

Thomas had called Andy Harper from the family that night that the two men had tried to rape Kelly, and after that no one wanted to give Thomas or Kelly and trouble.

For a little over two years Kelly and Thomas had been together and were happy, living a double life as a father daughter by day, and a secret life of lovers at night.

Even Kelly’s mother was now part of the team and had accepted Thomas as her son in law, which Kelly and Thomas both joked about because he was older than his mother in law to be.

Kelly and Thomas had even started to think of Crystal as the daughter of the family.

Then one day Kelly had broke the news to Thomas that she was going to have a baby. Thomas was overjoyed. Kelly and Thomas loved each other that morning, and made plans to go out that night to celebrate. But dreams have a way of becoming nightmares.

Thomas become sick that day and had to go into the hospital. And when Kelly came home from school, her mother was dead.

Before Thomas could get home, Kelly had been sent away to live with relatives. A cop name Dan Johnson had spearheaded this action against Thomas and Kelly. He hated Thomas and would have done anything to hurt him.

 

Thomas was in a coma for three weeks. The coma was drug induced.

Thomas later found out that the same drugs found inside him had been found inside Crystal Addison. Crystal had been murdered and someone had tried to kill Thomas but failed. Had he been home alone that day he would have died. But because he was at work and there were people who cared for him he was able to get to the hospital in time.

All kind of ideals went through Thomas’s mind at the time, like how come he and Crystal become sick and not Kelly? And who would have known how to do something like this? And why had Kelly not come to the hospital to see about him.

When he came home from the hospital he found that Kelly was gone. The story was that she was sent away, but if that was true then why did she not call?

There was something wrong here and Thomas could not understand it.

Thomas tried to find Kelly for months. He hired private detectives and sent out flyers and drove to places he had known where James had family. But every turn was a dead end. Kelly could not be found.

The family was even hunting her. They had their own reasons. If Kelly had been part of a plan to harm Thomas then she had did a wrong to the family. No one hurt a family member without paying for it. Not even another family member.

And if Kelly was not responsible for what happened to Thomas and Crystal then she was in danger also and needed to be protected.

 

But where ever Kelly was, she was not with Thomas, and he could not protect her. He did not think she had harmed him. But he did want to know who did. And he wanted to find Kelly before anyone else did. He was worried for her safety.

Thomas was pretty much on his own except for a young man, really a boy, name Carl.

Thomas had tried to help Carl, and now when he needed help, Carl was there for Thomas.

Thomas and Carl hunted for Kelly. Thomas because he loved her and Carl because Thomas paid him for his help, although Thomas also thought Carl loved Kelly his self.

Thomas and Carl hunted Kelly for months with no luck. But Thomas would not give up. Nothing could stop him, and nothing ever would stop him from finding Kelly, nothing that is except Kelly.

One day a neighbor across the street, Miss Johnson, the mother of the cop Dan Johnson called Thomas over. She said she had a letter from Kelly for him that Kelly had given to her to give to him.

Thomas wanted to know why she had waited so long to give him the letter. She said that she was hurting over giving it to him because it was bad news and she really cared about him.

Miss Johnson had moved into the house when Thomas had been away in the military. She had been a close friend of Thomas’s mother. And even if Thomas and Miss Johnson’s son Dan, had not liked each other from the start, he had no reason to think Miss Johnson wanted to cause him pain.

The letter was from Kelly and it was what is known as a Dear John Letter.

 

Thomas

They tell me you are going to be all right. I have been so worried about you. I cannot tell you enough how glad it makes my heart knowing you are safe.

Please forgive me for writing these words to you and not coming to see you to tell you in person. But I am not strong enough to face you and still do what must be done.

I must say goodbye to you now, and forever. I know that you do not wish to hear these words, but they are none the less what must be said.

For the last three weeks I have cried every night for what I have done to you, and I ask only your forgiveness. I have also hurt myself for allowing our actions to run out of control.

When mother died it hit me that I had been wrong with so much over the last few years. I now know that my future is not with you.

I have met some one else and I am leaving with him tonight.

If you ever loved me, then please let me go and do not try to find me, for that would only break my heart even more than it is now breaking.

I do love you. But not the way you want me to. I was wrong for ever lying to you that way. Please for give me and take care of your self. Do not worry about the baby.

I now know it is going to be a boy and I will give him your name, but then I must give him up for adoption. I cannot be tied down now with a child and I know you cannot raise a child. We both know that would not be good.

I know these words will hurt you. But I am also hurt by what we have done. Maybe someday you will know my true meaning.

Kelly.

 

Thomas read the letter over and over that night. And as he set there with the letter and an open bottle of Gin and his gun, he knew what he must do.

Carl had left hours ago scared to death of what Thomas was doing.

If not for the thought of Kelly in back of his mind, and a lot of luck also, Thomas would have died that night. He tried to do it a dozen times. But the luck of the draw was on his side. And so somewhere in the middle of the night he fell asleep.

 

When Thomas was finished with the story Eddie was crying. Thomas thought he almost heard sounds coming from Eddie as he set there and cried.

Ben even had tears falling as he said that his grand parents had both been fourteen when they married. And they both lived a very long time and were together when they died. He said it did not matter about the age of a person, or the race of a person, or the sex of a person, because the heart chose who it wanted to be with.

Dick was very quite. This entire story had upset him something awful.

“You people are not only sick,” he said. “You are damn sick.” Then he stood up and looking at the three men setting there then he said,

“Let’s keep this story to our self.” Then he left.

 

Thomas, Ben and Eddie were setting there alone not saying a word.

Ben was reading the letter Dick had handed to him. Somewhere during the story telling Thomas had pulled the letter out of the same box which had Kelly’s ring in it.

“Mr. Thomas, How do you know Ms Kelly wrote this letter?’ Ben asked.

“It’s her hand writing Ben. I would know it anywhere.”

Eddie began to move his hand around and was trying to communicate to Ben. What ever he was saying, Thomas could not understand. It did not look like any sign language he had ever seen. But Ben understood what Eddie was saying.

“Eddie wants to know what you done after that night? Ben said.

Thomas thought about this.

“Well I sobered up the next day, then a few weeks later I sold the business and left.”

“What about this family of yours.” Ben asked.

“I made arrangements with them and kept in touch. They knew their money was safe. I also made sure no one was going to ever hurt Kelly. Andy Harper his self gave me his word that he would find her and keep her safe, even from me.”

Ben looked at Thomas. “Even from you?” he asked”

“Yes. Kelly asked me not to come looking for her so I asked Andy to find her and keep her safe and not even let me know where she was at.”

“Maybe that is why you have had such a hard time finding her then.” Ben said. “Maybe they have stopped you from finding her.”

“Maybe, I don’t know. I lost contact with the family about thirteen years ago. That’s why I have to go back now. To make right all the wrongs I have done.”

“You mean to go back and give them their money.” Ben said. “What about Kelly?”

“I just want to see her one more time. I am not going to try to do anything else. And I want to give her some money I have saved up for her. Then I will leave.”

“What if she does not want you to leave?” Ben asked.

Thomas thought about this.

“Ben I am a little older now than I was then. If she did not want me then I cannot see her wanting me now at all.” He laughed.

“Maybe she wanted you all alone. Maybe she didn’t write the letter.” Ben was standing now. He had found a new bottle of wine. He had also given Thomas his bottle back.

“No thank you Ben,” Thomas said as he passed the bottle back to Ben. I need to get right for a few days so I can see my daughter, then I am off to Atlanta to see Kelly one more time.”

Ben thought about this a few minutes. Then he handed the wine bottle to Eddie.

“If it is alright with you Mr. Ben I would like to go with you to Atlanta to meet Ms. Kelly. I might be of some help along the way.”

Thomas thought this was a great ideal and was happy to hear Ben offer his help. Eddie also offered to go. When Thomas said okay, Eddie then started taking all the Alcohol away and putting it into storage.

 

It had been a long day and had become late night, or early morning, how ever you wanted to look at it.

Thomas was setting out side at the picnic table alone. He was not drinking. He was watching the stars. And he was thinking about Kelly.

He wondered where she was right at that minute. Here it was, early Saturday morning and he was thinking Kelly must be somewhere asleep.

He wondered if she was alone or if she had someone with her, maybe a lover, or someone that cared for her and loved her and took care of her.

Maybe she was with some one that she loved. Some one that was good to her, and good for her.

Maybe going back was not a good ideal. Maybe he should just sent the money and not let her know he had found her after all these years.

There was no way she could want to see him again after all this time he was sure.

No, he had allowed his self to dream that lie for too long. And now that dream was about to end. He would see it through, to the very end and then, well who knows. Maybe then he could sleep the sleep without the dreams.

Because once he knew she was never going to be his again, he knew then he would never dream again. His life would be over, and he had no regrets.