Let The White Dove Sing

I had started after Sara before the Bastard had finished his song but the crowd was almost impossible to get through, we ended up meeting at the door.

"Hey!" He grabbed me by the shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. "Get lost asshole, Sara is my girl, she has no interest in you."

"Get off!" I yanked my shoulder back from his grip. "Sara isn't stupid enough to fall for that sad stunt you just pulled."

He laughed, "That's where you are wrong asshole, Sara loves it when I sing to her." He shoved me out of the way and headed out the door.

I was not that far behind him, I wasn't going to let him get to her. She had to be strong for her own sake.

As the cool air hit my body, making me shiver, I quickly scanned the area looking for Sara, she was not that far from the front door, in the middle of the parking lot pacing and by the looks of it, talking to herself.

She must have been lost in her thoughts, she didn't even notice us come up behind her. The Bastard got to her before I did, "Hey babygirl."

Sara froze, I could literally see all the muscles in her back go stiff. Slowly she turned around to face the man who damn near killed her a few months ago. "Ken."

"Oh come on baby," Ken moved closer to her. "Surely you can do better than that." His hand reached out to touch her and that's when I had enough, I leapt forward, grabbing his wrist.

I applied as much pressure as I could to his wrist. "Don't you dare touch her."

"Tanner, please don't." I glanced at Sara, meeting her eyes which were pleading with me.

"Yeah Tanner, don't." The bastard sneered. "I will hurt you."

"Oh?" I rolled my eyes. "I thought it was only women you liked to use as a punching bag."

Sara gasped, "Tanner!"

But the Bastard just smirked, "I'd be more than willing to kick your ass you faggot."

"KEN!" Sara slapped him across the arm, he didn't even flinch.

"Try it," I knew I was calling him out and he could probably kick my ass no problem but there was no way I was going to let him any closer to Sara than he was right now.

"Oh for the love of God!" Sara threw her hands up in the air, before coming up to both of us. "Stop this right now," she demanded as she grabbed my wrist and pulled my arm back, trying to get me to let go of the Bastard's wrist.

"I'm not doing anything," the Bastard said as he looked down at her as he opened his hand as if to say he was innocent. "Babygirl I need to talk to you -

"Fuck that!" I cut in.

He pulled his wrist out of my grasp but other wise he ignored me. "Sara, baby, I'm sorry for everything. We really need to talk."

"Yeah right," I scoffed. "Sara doesn't want -"

"You are right, we do need to talk Ken."

"What?" I stared down at her but she was looking at him. "You can't be serious Sara! What if he -"

"Tanner," she turned her face upwards, a smile on her face. "I think you should go back inside. Ken is right, we do need to talk, there's so much that needs to be said but I don't want you here for it. I need you to go back inside and let me have a moment alone with him."

"WHAT?" I was dumbfounded. How the hell could she want to be around him after all he did to her? Was Billy right? Would Sara go back to the Bastard? Just because he got up and sang a stupid song?

"Please Tanner? I need this."

"Why?" I asked her.

"I can't explain it Tanner, I just know that I need this. Please go back inside."

"Yeah," the Bastard but it. "Get lost jackass."

"Ken!" Sara shot him a dirty look before turning back to me. "Tanner would you please do this for me?"

"This is fucked up! He beat the crap out of you and you want to be alone with him?" She nodded. "Are you fucking crazy?"

"Don't talk to me like that Tanner!" She crossed her arms over her chest, a stubborn look on her pretty face as she glared at me. "I don't like it and I don't deserve it!"

"You heard her," the bastard came up behind Sara, grinning over her shoulder as he slipped his hands onto her hips. "Run along."

My hands were clenched in fists of rage, I wanted to punch the Bastard out for touching her and I wanted to shake Sara for being stupid enough to give him the time of day, he didn't deserve any of her attention. "Fine," I snapped. "But don't come crying to me when he hurts you again."

"Tanner!" Sara tried to stop me but I turned and stomped away.

I was fuming when I entered the bar. I wanted to hit something. Who in their right mind voluntarily agrees to be alone with a man like the Bastard?

"Where's Sara?" Billy asked when I plopped down moodily onto my bar stool.

"Fuck Sara," I snapped.

"No thanks," Billy laughed. I shot him a dirty look. "Oh-kay!" He glanced at Cal for a brief second. "Seriously," he looked at me. "Where is Sara?"

"Out being a fucking moron," I told him. "She wanted to talk to the Bastard. What the hell could she be thinking? Talk to him? She should be running as far from him as she can!"

"You left her out there with Ken?" Billy jumped up. "Are you completely dense?"

"Fuck you!" I pushed away from the table. "Fuck you and fuck her! I'm tired of her bullshit! If she wants to be with him, then I'm done."

"She doesn't," Billy protested but I didn't care to hear it, I needed something to drink. Many some things to drink. I headed off in search of a stiff drink.

"Hey bro!" Travis found me a couple minutes later, drowning my second shot of mind numbing whiskey. "What are you doing?" He eyed the two empty and the two full shot glasses. "Since when do you do shots?"

"Fuck off," I picked up the third shot. "To stupid women," I toasted before pouring the vile liquid down my throat - I wanted to gag, I hated whiskey with a passion.

"Ah women problems," Travis pulled up a stool and sat down, stealing my last shot. "I can understand that one."

"Fucking women," I muttered. "Where is the waitress?" I looked around for her, she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"She'll be around," Travis dropped the now empty shot glass down on the table. "What's going on with you? What did Sara do to make you start doing shots?"

"I don't want to talk about it," I told him.

"Oh ok," he shrugged.

"How stupid can she be?" I asked him and before too long I told him what was going on. "I just don't understand it," I told him. "He treated her like crap and she's out there talking to him? What about me? I've been here for her."

"You think that entitles you to something?"

"Fuck yeah!"

"Fuck no," Travis laughed. "Tanman one thing I've learnt in my marriage is that you never expect anything because you damn well aren't going to get it."

"What ever," I scoffed. "Shelly would jump through rings of fire, naked, to get you to pay attention to her like I have with Sara."

"I pay attention to my wife."

I laughed, "Like hell you do! You are very lucky, yet you treat Shelly like crap. Is that what I have to do? Treat a woman like crap to keep her interest? Because being nice and helpful and a friend just isn't cutting it."

"Hey," Shelly came over to us, she looked like she was having a good time. I was glad that someone was. "Come dance with me," she tugged on Travis' arm. Reluctantly, he allowed her to pull him out onto the dance floor. I watched them for a minute.

"Fuck this," I pushed away from the table and made my way over to where Billy and Cal were. "I'm going out there," I told Billy.

"Tanner don't," he called after me but I ignored him. "Wait for me then!"

By the time I stepped through the front doors, Billy had exhausted every excuse he had not to go check on them.

They weren't where I left them, they had moved further down the parking lot, down to here the Bastard's truck was parked. Billy and I made our way over there, hiding the best we could behind cars so they didn't see us.

"This is wrong," Billy hissed.

"Go back inside if you think that," I told him.

"Like I'm going to leave you out here by yourself, someone needs to talk sense into you if you go to do something stupid!"

"Whatever," I snapped. "Shut up, I'm trying to listen here!"

"Why don't we get out of here?" I heard the Bastard ask Sara.

"Fuck that," I whispered and went to get up.

"Tanner!" Billy grabbed my shirt, pulling me down again. "Just stay where you are, let Sara handle this."

"Fine," I snapped."

"No," Sara's voice was calm, which surprised me. "I'm not going anywhere with you Ken, I meant what I said, it's over between us. I don't want you to call me, I don't want you to come over unannounced, and I sure as hell don't want you to sing songs to me. Like that's going to change my mind!"

"Baby why are you being so damn difficult? I told you that I'm sorry and I won't do it again." I rolled my eyes, 'yeah right,' I whispered; Billy shh'ed me.

"You've said that a million times before too Ken but it still happened. I can't do that anymore, being with you isn't good for me, I need to put as much distance between us as possible."

"But I changed!" He exclaimed. "Sara I went to that anger management course that you've been bugging me about and I've even been seeing a shrink! I know what I did was wrong, I don't want to hurt you anymore. Please baby, just give me one more chance to show you how much you mean to me."

There was silence, not being able to see them was torture, I was imaging them kissing. Yes, the green eyed monster reared it's ugly head. "I'm looking," I told Billy.

"No," he pointed to himself. "I'll do it." I started to protest but he was already moving upward to look over the car we were hiding behind.

"No Ken," I grabbed Billy as Sara spoke again. "I've given you enough chances, too many in fact. I need to get on with my life and I'm sorry but you can't be a part of that life."

"Why not?" He demanded. "You said there would always be room in your life for me."

"That was a long time ago Ken!" Her patience sounded like it had reached its limit. "That was after the second time you hit me, I was stupid then, I'm not now. I don't deserve to be treated the way you treated me, I've finally realized that."

"Come on Sara, you know that you miss me. Who could love you like I do?"

I wanted to run over and kick him in the nuts - love? He didn't know what the hell love was.

Sara chuckled, "Thankfully no one will ever love me like you did. Your love damn near killed me Ken! I was to the point that I thought it would be better if I just let you finish the job too. You made me not want to live! That's not love, Ken, it's not."

"But I don't feel that way anymore, I have a lot to live for and even though my life isn't perfect I wouldn't miss a moment of it. I want to live Ken."

"You can still live," Ken insisted. "And you can do it with me baby. We could get married like you talked about -"

"YOU AREN'T LISTENING TO ME!" Sara yelled at him. "I DON'T WANT TO BE WITH YOU!"

"Calm down!" Ken ordered.

"Let me go," Sara cried out. I went to jump up but fucking Billy stopped me again.

"Fuck off!" I hissed.

"I said let me go Ken!" The level of panic in her voice rose.

"Fucking bastard, let her go!" I yelled out, shoving Billy away as I finally made it to a fully standing position. "Let her go!"

"Tanner what are you doing out here? I asked you to go inside!"

"What?" I was shocked. "You are mad at me? What the hell for? I'm not the one gripping your arm at the moment!"

"Just go inside!" She cried. "I need to do this myself! Just go inside!"

"No," I started for them but Billy caught my attention, he was motioning for me to leave. Sara didn't know that he was there.

"Just go Tanner please," she pleaded.

I didn't want too. I didn't know if Billy could handle the Bastard if he got violent but what else could I do?

It was the hardest decision I ever made in my life, leaving her out there in the bastard's grip. I was a nervous wreak as I sat staring at the door, waiting for someone to come in but for the longest time, no one did.

"Just go and see what's going on," I begged Cal after a half hour of waiting. "If the Bastard flips, Billy is going to get hurt," I tried to appeal to his attraction to Billy. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to him, would you?"

"No," Cal admitted. "But I don't think we have to worry about it, Billy is stronger than you think he is."

"Fuck, you suck!" I pushed away from the table, scanning the bar, wondering what the hell I was going to do.

I spotted Travis. "Excuse me," I damn near ran over to where my brother and his wife were sitting with a group of people that Shelly knew. "I need your help."

Travis didn't have any problems going out to see what was up, and that's why my brother is cool, he doesn't think, he reacts.

But ten minutes later, I was worried that he reacted too much. "I'm going out," I told Cal and left without waiting for him to say anything. I was halfway across the bar when Sara appeared at the entrance without Billy or my brother. Our eyes met, she looked terribly upset. I started to push through the crowd, not caring when I almost knocked one woman on her ass.

Sara though headed off in another direction. She headed for the stage. I paused, watching her, wondering what the hell she was doing.

Up on stage, Frankie was talking to the crowd, the band had just come back from a break so they were getting ready for the next person to go up but when Sara walked up onto the stage Frankie stopped to talk to her. When she turned back to the crowd, Frankie was grinning. "Well hell guys, it looks like it's our lucky night. Without any prompting, begging or pleading Sara has asked to do another song. What do you say?" She paused, "Do you all want to hear a little something from Sara?"

The whole room started cheering and hollering their excitement.

"I take that as a yes," Frankie laughed, turning to Sara who now held a mic in her hand - while Frankie was talking to the crowd, she had talked to the band. "I'm sure everyone would love to know how this miracle happened."

"Well Frankie...everyone," she smiled out over the crowd. "I feel happy and I want to celebrate."

When she said celebrate, I felt my heart sink, the Bastard had mentioned marriage...I didn't even want to think about it. I needed to get out of there.

I was on my way back to the table, to get my jacket and tell Cal I was leaving. Only Cal wasn't the only one at the table, Billy, Travis and Shelly were all there too. "Where the hell were you?"

"Shhhhh," Shelly pointed to the stage where Frankie had just asked Sara what it was that she was celebrating.

I turned to stage as Sara said, "The feeling of freedom..." she trailed off and then looked out over the crowd as the band started to play. "I guess you can say this is my Independence day!"

I shot Billy a questioning look when the crowd roared and Sara launched into the song.

"Well she seemed all right by dawn’s early light though she looked a little
Worried and weak she tried to pretend he wasn’t drinkin’ again but daddy left
The proof on her cheek and I was only eight years old that summer and I always
Seemed to be in the way so I took myself down to the fair in town on Independence day"

"Independence Day by Martina McBride," he told me and then added. "The crowd loves it when she sings Martina, she really gets into it."

I turned back to watch her, he was right, she did get into the song. Especially the chorus...

"Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning
Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong
Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay, it’s independence day"

More than the one she sang before, it was like she was...

"What happened outside?" I asked Billy.

"Just like she said, today was a day of reckoning, the weak was strong."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Billy smiled, "It means that she is free, she's finally out from under his spell. And from what I heard, I don't think he'll be bothering her again - she totally emasculated him."