villainous

adjective

1. relating to, constituting, or guilty of wicked or criminal behaviour

2. extremely bad or unpleasant

I fell asleep on the couch. After blubbering all over Wallace's shirt, I took some medicine and fell asleep. It was mum's gently wiping of my face that woke me.

"Come on sweet girl. Time to go home."

"Mum? Where am I?" I sat up and found myself somewhere unfamiliar.

"You fell asleep in Wallace's office. Are you OK? He told me how upset you were. What was that all about, aye?"

"Oh mum. I think it all just piled up on me all at once and when I tripped up and fell over, the extra jolting pain opened the door. I'm sorry." I looked around for Wallace, wondering if it was too late to apologise.

"He's gone, just left in fact. He waited until I arrived, but he had a dinner appointment that he couldn't wait any longer for. I came as fast as I could to replace him. Are you OK? I'm sorry for what Eyva did. I'm sure she didn't mean it."

"I'm OK, mum. Like I said, just all piled up. I'm all cried out now. Feeling awkward and embarrassed for doing that in front of the most powerful man in the city." I cover my face with my hands, hiding the red flush. "So embarrassing!"

"Alright, lets get you home. You younger brother is waiting for you."

She helped me up, passed me both my crutches and lead me out of Wallace's office and down to the waiting car.

"Where is Grant?" I asked when I noticed a different driver. This was mum's usual driver slash body guard, Stirling. I don't know his first name as everyone just calls him 'Stirling'.

"He took Ayva home earlier."

"Oh, that might not be the healthiest thing for Grant. She picks on a bit."

"I'm sure his parents will say something if it gets out of hand."

"Out of hand? He's gay mum and you left him with a narcissist with tenancies of egotistical gratification. She doesn't care about him. At all. She will eat him up and spit him out and it took me so long to stop shying away from me like an abused puppy dog." I sighed, then I remembered I had to save a life tonight.

"What time is it!?" My sudden yell gave mum a fright.

"Lily!"

"I'm serious. Where's my phone. We have to get there on time. Quick, Stirling, take the next left."

"Ma'am?"

"Do what she says, Stirling," she called to him. "What is this about?"

"Um, I had word that someone was in danger of hurting themselves tonight at the lake. Can you get me there within, ah... ten minutes?" I squeaked the last part out.

Stirling stepped his foot on it and we arrived in eight minutes.

"Oh, no. I think we are too late." I said when I couldn't see anyone. I got carefully out of the car and pulled my crutches on. I hobbled down the old board walk towards the lake. When I was almost there, I found the woman I was looking for. She was crumpled in a bundle on the lake edge, covered in a tattered old blanket. My mother tried to hold me back from moving closer to the figure, but I shook her gently off.

"Its OK, mum. She wont hurt me." I gave her a crutch and carefully stepped off the board walk and hobbled to small figure on the sand.

"Ma'am, please. Can I help you?" She jolted and looked over her shoulder. When she saw a short teen girl on crutches, looking harmless, she relaxed and collapsed in on herself again.

I managed to lower myself carefully on the ground with my sore knee out in front of me while mum and her driver stayed back on the board walk back behind us.

I just sat for over ten minutes watching the moon light bounce off the water. I used to do a lot of this, sitting and thinking, before my sister had me released from the mental institute and ran me down with my own car. When I started shivering, I wished I'd brought a jumper or a blanket from the car with me. Haha! Just as I was thinking that, a blanket is draped over my shoulders and another over the woman next to me.

"I'll be in the car, honey," mum quietly said and walked away, leaving the desolate woman and I alone.

"Thanks mum."

"Thank you," came a quiet voice.

"Sigh..." I pull the blanket around me tighter.

"What do you want?" came the same quiet voice.

"World peace?" I asked and was please to hear to chuckle dryly at my lame joke. "Actually I'm hoping to offer you a job."

"Me? A job?" She turned to look at me and I could see the badly healed scar slashed across her forehead and down to her left ear. Her dry chuckle holds self-depreciation this time. "I don't have anything left to give."

"Taekwondo Black belt 7th Dan, national woman's champion five years running. Married three years, divorced two, due to supposed infidelity. Former managing director for the city's largest hotel and restaurant. And I believe there is a whole lot more that I haven't covered. An amazing life you have lived, Ms Palmer. I'd hate for all of that to be wasted on a man who never, ever saw your true value."