Mommy Dearest Read online

  Crystal can’t stop thinking the thought as she watches her future mother-in-law eat cereal, slurping and smacking her lips. What if she actually decides to move here? Will she be coming over every day and eating with us? The thought is appalling to Crystal. It’s more than that. It’s horrifying.

  The old woman smiles after every bite, showing off her pointy corner teeth. She has that look in her black narrow eyes, the look that brings terror to every cell in Crystal’s body. Crystal keeps picturing her outside their window, looking in.

  Strike comes up to Rob’s mother and rubs himself against her leg. Crystal smiles when she sees him. He’s such a gentle cat, very affectionate. Everyone loves Strike, even people that don’t like cats very much usually take to him. Crystal wonders if Rob’s mother likes cats.

  The old woman responds by pushing him away with her hand. Strike then returns, rubbing himself against her leg again, and she pushes him away a little harder this time. Crystal is about to stop him but is too late. Strike returns yet again and this time her future mother-in-law kicks the cat away and sends him flying across the tiles while making the strangest sound coming from her throat.

  Did she just hiss at my cat?

  Terrified, Crystal gets up, grabs Strike, and carries him to her bedroom, where she closes the door, whispering:

  “I’m so sorry, baby. Stay in here so she won’t hurt you.”

  When she returns to the kitchen, Rob’s mother is gone. She spots her out on the porch, sitting in a chair. Crystal considers yelling at her for kicking her cat, but then decides to let it go. For Rob’s sake. She relaxes her shoulders and returns to her chores. She brings in the wash, folds the towels, and makes the bed. She finds a recipe for potato soup and pulls out a bag of potatoes from the pantry when she suddenly hears a strange sound coming from outside and hurries out onto the porch.

  She finds Rob’s mother standing by the fence at the end of the yard, looking up at a tree where two pelicans are sitting.

  What is she doing?

  Rob’s mother then grabs a rock from the ground and throws it. A pelican is hit on its back and takes off.

  Is she throwing rocks at the pelicans? Who does that?

  Rob’s mother takes another rock and hits the second pelican, then squeals in excitement and does a little happy dance while clapping her hands. She is moving around and wiggling from side to side.

  She’s not immobile at all. She’s dancing. She’s dancing around without using her cane!

  Crystal searches for her phone, pulls it out from her pocket, and turns on the video. She records Rob’s mother’s dancing while grinning from ear to ear. She presses stop, then puts it back in her pocket, mumbling under her breath:

  “Gotcha.”

  As if she heard her, Rob’s mother turns around, grabs her cane in hurry, and then waves while leaning on it. Crystal waves back, the other hand on her warm phone in the pocket of her jeans.

  Explain yourself out of this, old lady. Explain yourself out of this.

  15

  She makes the potato soup and it tastes horrible. At least, Crystal thinks it does. Rob’s mother seems to like it and so does Rob. They’re both eating it with moans and groans of satisfaction. The noises, the gobbling and slurping, make Crystal’s skin crawl and she has to restrain herself to not scream.

  She has watched the footage of Rob’s mother dancing over and over this entire afternoon, wondering how best to serve it to Rob. So far, she has decided to keep it to herself until she needs it. She doesn’t want to get into another argument with him. Not right now when they’re doing so well.

  At bedtime, they make love. Make-up sex is always the greatest and Crystal enjoys being close to him again and especially having him back in their bed. She doesn’t like the thought of him having slept in his mother’s bed last night. It makes her uncomfortable.

  Why didn’t he take the couch?

  He kisses her then rolls to his own side and grabs his iPad with a satisfied groan. “Life is good, isn’t it?” he says.

  Crystal looks at him, then nods. “It sure is.”

  She turns off the light and closes her eyes. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.”

  The alarm clock says three a.m. when Crystal wakes up. And then it happens again. She starts to scream. Rob sits up.

  “What? What’s going on?”

  “There is someone out there,” Crystal points at the door. “Someone tried to open the door, again.”

  Rob jumps out of the bed, rushes to the window and pulls the curtains. “I’ve had it with this…”

  “The door was shaking loudly,” Crystal says. “Then there was a figure outside, running past the window when I started to scream.”

  Rob looks at her. “And you’re sure it wasn’t just a very vivid dream?”

  “Positive.”

  Rob sighs, then picks up his phone. “That’s it. I have had enough of this. I need to put an end to it.”

  “What are you doing?” Crystal asks, her voice shaking.

  “I am calling the police. They need to find whoever it is and put him away. Can’t keep scaring decent people. Yes, hello? Cocoa Beach Police?”

  A patrol unit arrives about ten minutes later and two officers walk around the house, using flashlights to search the yard with the one dog the department has.

  When they return, the one with the dog is shaking his head. “Whoever it was is long gone. You say it happened before?”

  “It’s the third time, Officer,” Rob says.

  “Our neighbors experienced it too,” Crystal says. “And now their dog is gone.”

  The officer shakes his head. “Bastards.”

  “It’s the worst,” the other officer says. “When it comes to animals, we show no mercy. I can’t stand it when animals are hurt.”

  “Well, we don’t know if Fifi was hurt or not,” Rob says. “She’s just missing.”

  The officer holding the dog looks at him. “Just missing? There is no such thing as just missing. Losing a pet is the worst.”

  “Y-y-es, of course,” he says.

  “You did the right thing calling us,” the other officer says. “A possible intruder is a serious thing. Never know what bastard is trying to get in. Are you armed?”

  “I-I-I have a gun,” Rob says. “In my nightstand.”

  The officer nods. “Good. It’s what we always say, only one to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun, ain’t it right, Officer Hanson?”

  Hanson nods. “Sure is what we say. Sure is.”

  16

  When the officers leave, Rob walks around the house, checking all the doors to make sure they’re locked before he returns to bed. They lie still in the middle of the night, waiting for sleep to catch up with them, but it doesn’t happen.

  Crystal can hear him snort in the darkness and turns on the light.

  “What’s the matter?”

  The look in his dark eyes when he stares at her gives her a knot in her stomach. Uh-oh.

  “You still think it’s her, don’t you?”

  She sits up. “What? Where is this coming from all of a sudden?”

  “Answer me. You still think my mother is running around at night pulling the doors, looking in through the window, don’t you?”

  “I…I…I don’t know what I think. I just know that someone is.”

  He shakes his head, biting his lip. “I ain’t buying it, Crystal.”

  “Well, I ain’t selling it,” she says. “I’m not trying to lie here. I’m not trying to do anything, except sleep.”

  “No. No. I need to know this. All this about telling the officers about Fifi going missing and all that. You wanted to tell them about the skirt, didn’t you? You wanted to tell them it was her, am I right?”

  “No. I did no such thing.”

  He leans forward. “Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t think my mother was out there tonight.”

  “I…”

  Look me in the eyes when you say i
t.

  “I…don’t…” Crystal stops with an exhale. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

  “Aha!”

  “Listen, Rob. I didn’t want to tell you this earlier, but something happened today. Several things, actually.” Crystal grabs her phone from the nightstand and holds it between her hands. She finds the video and shows it to him.

  “See for yourself.”

  He watches the video, then looks up at her.

  “I’m sorry,” she says. “I hate to be the one telling you this.”

  “Telling me what?”

  Crystal’s eyes grow wide. “Telling you what? Did you not see the video? She’s dancing, Rob. Dancing without her cane. She’s not disabled; she has been lying to you all along.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “She’s dancing, Rob. Freakin’ dancing!”

  “That’s part of her training. She got a new knee, remember? The doctor told her to dance as soon as she was able to. She has to stay active to strengthen her knee. This is good news, Crystal. It means she’s getting better. It means she has no pain. Look at her go at it. I can’t believe it. It’s amazing.”

  “But…but she…she kicked Strike!”

  “She what?”

  “AND she threw rocks at birds, at the pelicans in the yard.”

  Rob shrugs. “I am sorry about Strike. My mother never was very fond of cats and I don’t know about the birds, but that doesn’t mean she’s the one who took Fifi or that she is the one who was outside our window tonight. You need to let this go. I am beginning to think you’re trying to turn me against my own mother and I don’t like that.”

  Crystal sighs, defeated, and slumps back on her pillow. “She kicked Strike, and she hissed,” she mumbles, then turns off the lights and closes her eyes.

  17

  The next day, Rob works from home. Crystal is sick of arguing with him and keeps her distance. It’s not until lunch that they actually talk again. She has made sandwiches that they eat on the porch.

  Rob and his mother speak in Romanian and laugh. Crystal stares into the yard and the beach, once again looking forward to the day his mother leaves.

  “What’s going on down there?” Rob suddenly says and points towards the end of the yard.

  Crystal looks. She spots a flock of big black birds circling the area, some are standing in the grass, picking at the ground, others are fighting in the air.

  “Is there some sort of food down there?” Crystal asks. “Maybe someone dropped a bag of chips and they’re fighting over it. It happens.”

  “No, this is different,” he says. “These aren’t your usual seagulls. These are vultures. They’re eating something.”

  Crystal gasps and drops her sandwich. Rob’s mother doesn’t seem to understand what’s going on. She’s still smiling and eating, bobbing her head like a darn chicken.

  “I’m going down there,” Rob says and gets up.

  “I’ll go with you,” Crystal says and follows him, her heart thumping loudly in her chest.

  They reach the end of the yard and Rob scares away the birds. They protest loudly before they finally remove themselves, even though they don’t go far. They stay close enough to be ready to return as soon as they are gone.

  Crystal gasps when she sees what is lying there in the dirt, clasping her mouth with a small whimper.

  “Oh, my dear God.”

  Rob sighs and kneels next to the small cadaver. You can barely recognize the poodle since most of its hair is gone.

  “Fifi,” he says. “Oh, no, poor Fifi.”

  He grabs the small dog, or what is left of it, between his hands and lifts it up. Behind him, all the birds are cawing hungrily.

  “Look, Rob,” Crystal says.

  Rob turns and looks. On the ground, in the hole where Fifi was, is a small scarf. Rob picks it up. It’s dirty. Then he gasps.

  “What? What is it? Rob, talk to me.”

  “It’s my mother’s. This is my mother’s scarf. In…” he can barely get the words across his lips. “In the grave where Fifi was…buried.”

  Crystal clasps her mouth once again. “Oh, my God. Rob. You don’t think…do you?”

  “How can I not? I mean, you told me, didn’t you? I just…I just can’t believe she would…”

  “I’m sorry, Rob. I am so sorry. I didn’t want to be right. I really didn’t want to be right about her.”

  “No, I’m the one who is sorry. I never believed you. You told me about the blood on her clothes, about her being outside our window, about her kicking Strike and I refused to listen. I am so, so sorry, Crystal. Can I ever make it up to you? Name anything and I’ll give it to you. I can’t believe I put you through this nightmare. I didn’t believe you and now…this? I guess my mom simply lost it somehow.”

  “So, what will you do?” Crystal asks.

  “If the police ever find out, well…you heard them last night. They show no mercy when it comes to animal abusers. We can’t have them find out and no one can tell Steve and Marcia.”

  “So, what are you saying, Rob?”

  He looks into Crystal’s eyes.

  “She needs to go. I am sending her home. We can’t have her here. Not after this. She’s going home.”

  18

  They find her in her room, sitting on the bed, Strike in her lap. She is smiling widely as they enter and speaks to her son in Romanian. Crystal gasps when she sees how the old woman’s hands are cupped around Strike’s neck.

  “She’s got Strike,” she whispers to Rob.

  “Momma?” Rob says and approaches her slowly, reaching out a hand to calm her down in case she should get agitated.

  “Don’t let her hurt Strike,” Crystal whimpers. “Please, don’t let her hurt him.”

  Rob speaks to her in Romanian, then repeats it in English. “Put down the cat, Mommy. Put down the cat.”

  Crystal stares at Strike, then up at Rob’s mother’s face, then back at the cat and the hand tightly wrapped around the cat’s neck. Rob’s mother is responding in Romanian, gesticulating wildly with the other hand.

  “One snap and he’s gone,” she whispers to Rob. “Don’t upset her.”

  “I’m trying my best here, but she keeps asking me why she can’t pet the cat. What do I tell her?” Rob says.

  “Tell her it’s sick and needs to see a vet.”

  “All right.” Rob then speaks in Romanian.

  Rob’s mother squeals and lets go of the cat. Strike jumps down to the floor.

  “Now, step away from the cat, Mom,” he says, then repeats it in Romanian.

  Crystal calls for Strike to come, then grabs him in her arms and storms outside the room.

  The old woman doesn’t go without putting up a fight. Rob asks her to pack up her things and that’s when things turn ugly. Crystal is standing outside the door, listening, as Rob yells at her and tells her in Romanian that she has to go. At least, that’s what Crystal thinks he is saying, judging from the sound of his voice.

  Soon, the door opens and a suitcase comes flying out. Rob is yelling loudly now while his mother speaks in a pleading voice. Next thing, Rob comes out, dragging his mother by the arm, his mother trying with every muscle in her body to stop him. It’s quite the spectacle. Crystal can tell she is trying to convince her son she didn’t do it, that she didn’t kill the neighbor’s dog. Rob soon gets tired of her resisting and picks her up. He carries her to the front door before he sets her down. Crystal follows, carrying the suitcase that she places in the trunk of his black Cadillac.

  Crystal watches as Rob drags his mother to the car, the old woman yelling and screaming, probably cursing in Romanian. Crystal can’t help feeling very relieved to get her out of the house.

  Rob has called and told his brother about what happened in detail, and they have agreed the old woman must have gone senile and not be aware of her actions. The brother then promised to make sure she’s sent to a retirement home as soon as she sets her feet on Romanian ground. There, they’ll b
e able to keep an eye on her, day—and especially at night.

  No matter what happens, she’ll never come back to Florida, and she certainly won’t move here.

  Crystal can’t say she’s all too sad about that.

  Strike comes up to Crystal and rubs himself against her leg. Crystal picks him up and holds him tightly in her arms, while Rob’s mother screams and yells at her. She’s holding a clenched fist into the air, her black eyes flashing at her, then suddenly says in plain English:

  “The bitch is lying. Do not mar-ry her, Rob. Do not mar-ry her. Do not mar-ry the bitch.” She is pronouncing it marr-ah.

  Crystal feels a pinch in her heart. It hurts being called that by your future mother-in-law, of course it does, even though she is crazy and possibly senile, but then again, she realizes she doesn’t have to care. Chances are, she’ll never see the woman again.

  Crystal waves at the car and holds Strike close, petting him gently on the back. Strike purrs while Rob closes the door and takes off, his mother screaming and yelling from inside the car, knocking on the window, sending curses her way.

  Crystal lifts a hand and waves, smiling endearingly.

  “Buh-bye…mommy… dearest.”

  19

  Crystal quickly finds a way for Rob to make it up to her. It’s not a small request, she knows that much, but she feels like she deserves it after all she has been put through. So, that night, after Rob gets back from the airport—his mother safely on a plane across the Atlantic—Crystal leans over, kisses him gently, then whispers.

  “Elope with me.”

  “What?”

  She looks into his eyes, her eyes sparkling with intensity and expectation. “You can make it up to me by eloping with me.”

  “You mean dropping the big and expensive wedding?” Rob says, sounding intrigued.

  “Yes,” she moans. “I want to marry you right now. Let’s go.”

  So, they do. A week later, they travel to Hawaii and get married on the beach in a beautiful, yet simple ceremony. It’s all so very perfect and, best of all, there are no annoying mother-in-laws to ruin everything.