40. A birthday surprise.
1299 Words
Storm looked at her weak body.
" Okay we have to crawl before we walk."
She agreed. " I will crawl then. But know this about me friend, I will learn to run again. I will do it, everyone pities me when I say this. But Storm...I can feel it, I have it in me."
He nodded. "Okay let's go work out." He carried her to the car. He smelled her hair, it was like Jasmine and spices.
He got close to her. He liked that smell, he liked it a lot.
That evening Stella was sitting down to dinner when there was a visitor at the door.
" Stella!" She heard a familiar voice, her mother was here.
" Oh mom, you came. You must be the surprise Ash mentioned." She hugged her mother.
She smiled. " I wanted to get you something for your birthday in a few weeks. I had Storm drop me in town, when we arrived."
She handed Stella a package.
Stella opened it with relish. She looked up at her mother.
" I love this!" She said.
It was a beautiful dress with hand placed glass beads.
Stella was amazed at her mother's generosity.
" How long are you ...I mean are you spending the night?" Stella asked.
" I am staying in town, the hotel nearby." She smiled.
" Oh, well you are both welcome here." She realized that her dad was with her mom here in India, but had chosen not to come to her home to see her.
" I guess I don't really expect much from that man." She smiled.
Her mother looked around nervously, acting like she wanted to leave.
" Mother, thank you for coming. I hope you have a wonderful time in India. Thank you for the dress. Good bye." She turned to leave.
Her mother quickly walked away.
Storm came up from the gym.
He was very sweaty. "Oh, hey your folks are stopping by tonight for dinner, I wanted to surprise you yesterday, but they didn't want to impose on you here.
They insisted I take them to a hotel in town." He grinned.
" Thank you Storm, you are so very sweet. That was an amazing idea." She wheeled out to the trash and dumped the dress into the garbage.
She wiped her hands on her lap.
Storm came out to sit with her and talk about their exercise plans. He thought she was distant tonight, solemn.
She said she was just going on to bed. She wheeled to her room. " Wait, want me to cancel with your parents then?" He asked.
" Oh, no ..no need. I saw... spoke with mother." She said.
Storm went out to the yard and did some stretching. The gardener was cleaning up the lawn, he went to put some leaves in the trash, he saw that beautiful dress in there.
" Sir, there's some mistake," he pulled out the expensive dress.
Storm picked it up and looked at it. He frowned. He took it to Stella.
She was in her bed rolled into a ball.
He sat next to her.
" Did you throw this expensive dress away?" He asked.
She nodded. " A gift from my mother."
He was puzzled." You didn't care for it then, I think it is very nice, that's a bit ungrateful isn't it, I mean they came all this way, don't you want to see them?" He asked.
" Not talking about this anymore please." She said.
Storm was very angry at her. He called her father.
" Sir, I'm sorry Stella can't see you tonight, she's under the weather." He felt bad for them.
" Oh, Stella's mother visited her today. We are off to see some of the sights tomorrow. Thanks for bringing us here, I always wanted to see India." He said cheerfully.
" You're not seeing your only daughter?" He asked, confused.
" Oh, I'm not her father, so no...I'm not interested in seeing her." He said coldly.
Storm finally understood her. Why she threw that dress away.
He went to her now. She was sleeping.
Storm watched her. She would shudder every so often, she had been crying.
In the morning Storm brought Stella her chair.
" Time to get up kid, coffee waiting." He said firmly.
He would make her hard, stronger. She didn't need her parents any more.
Storm had cut up the dress and put it in a can.
Stella had to stay off her leg, but she could use her other leg and arms.
Storm took her to the basement gym. Cash had put in a weight bench and some exercise equipment. He worked out every day.
Stella was on the punching bag. Storm stood behind her to support her.
He showed her how to punch.
She thought of her parents, abandoning her, her brothers teasing her as a small girl.
She thought about Drake and his women. She punched the bag hard.
Storm said,"From your core Stella not your arms."
She nodded and hit it three times.
" Hello, you are cooking now." He smiled.
Stella worked out every day. She was developing muscles and abs. Storm put her on a clean diet.
She had little pain now. Her therapist cleared her to try and walk on her leg.
Storm took her down to the basement for hours.
Tonight he took her on a walk. She had her walking stick.
He sat her down in a clearing in the woods.
There was a can with something Shiney inside.
He handed her some lighter fluid. "Squirt some in the can."
She stood up and poured it in. She saw the dress her mother had gifted to her, all cut up.
He handed her some matches.
" Light it up and then let it go." He said as he ran his hand through his dark curly hair.
She dropped a match into the can. It flamed up.
She turned away from the smoke.
" They came all this way." He said.
She smiled at him. " I've learned not to expect much. My uh biological father....he was the brother of the man you met.
He died in an accident and my mother was so distraught, she confessed to an affair.
So...that man..Baron. He hates me for it. My mother, she chose him over me." She grinned.
" I'm just a bastard all alone in India."
Storm said, " My family has you now. We will be your new family. We are not leaving you Stella.
Stella walked deeper into the woods. She was crying and didn't want him to see her this way.
He let her go.
Her phone rang. It was Drake.
" Well, did you see them. Are you surprised. I asked Storm and Cash if they could make it happen. Happy birthday Stella!" He said cheerfully.
He was proud that he did this for her.
" Mom came for 7 minutes, dad did not." She told him.
Drake was pissed. " It cost me 5 grand to fly them up first class."
Stella laughed. " Well you being duped by them too makes it almost worth it." She laughed and laughed holding her belly.
She sat on a downed tree and laughed. Then she cried.
She cried hard, she bawled like she did that day in the hospital when he had left her.
She made a sound like a wounded animal.
She dropped her phone. He yelled at her," Please stop. Stella please don't cry, stop it please."
She kept making those horrible lonely noises.
After a long time, she quieted.
He had hung up. He couldn't stand it. It broke his heart.
Drake called Storm.
"What happened?" He asked.
" Her parents abandoned her again." Storm said.
- Writer
