The Broken Benefactor

~9~ (UPDATED 02/09/2020)

(VALERIE)

A sound jarred her away from the comforts of the most peaceful sleep. As she struggled to focus her eyes, the day she dreaded most had finally arrived.

          Try as she may, Valerie wasn't successful at remaining undiscovered. She parked on the road leading to the house because she had no intention of disturbing him. She turned off the headlights to avoid detection as she coasted along the road. Of course, it was a short distance by vehicle but a bit of a walk on foot.

          Her miscalculation of his ability to make it that far gave her a false sense of security. As a result of her mistake, Valerie had no idea what was in store for her when she saw his face.

          Batting her eyelids to clear away the fog, she sluggishly made her way towards the front as quickly as her body would move when she looked up and saw him point over to the front passenger door.

          Valerie shuffled her way to the driver's seat. In her mind, there was no doubt Ethan would ask her more questions than she cared to answer. Since she was on his property while sleeping in his van, Valerie had no hope of avoiding an interrogation.

          The one night she needed him to be passed out drunk, he was up moving around much better than she ever imagined he could.

          Valerie sat in the driver's seat. She unlocked the door and patiently awaited whatever would surely happen next.

          As she leaned her head down on the steering wheel to cover her face with her hands, she heard the passenger door open.

          "Drive to the house." He stated in a flat tone she hadn't heard in a while. When she glanced over at him, the scowl on his face told her to expect trouble.

          They traveled the short distance as the weight of a bitter silence threatened to smoother the van's occupants. The vehicle careened into its same space as if it had a mind of its own.

          Before they fully came to a stop, the passenger door was pushed open. Valerie parked and grabbed the keys as she hung her head low and followed Ethan into the house.

          "Tell me right now..." His voice wasn't soft or understanding. He seemed to be genuinely upset to have found her asleep in his driveway.

          "Tell you what?" She asked not quite sure of what to say.

          "Have you been sleeping out there this whole time?" He questioned her with a frustrated look on his face.

          "No..." The hitch in her voice threatened to expose Valerie once and for all. Her boss continued to bore holes into her soul as he glared at her with what could only be described as disgust.

          Valerie held it in as long as possible. As she defiantly held her tongue, Ethan turned a shade of red she had never seen before.

          Something told her to rethink her strategy. Since he looked like he was ready to go to war with her, Valerie realized telling the truth was her only option.

          "My brother and his wife have been driving me crazy because lately, all they do is argue. I've been feeling so drained from the lack of sleep due to all of the noise at home. I finally decided to find a place where I could lay my head and get a night of peaceful rest." She answered him. Her reply was half true.

          Several of the days when she made it to work bright and early were also days when she was parked outside all night. Valerie cried the first few times she made the decision to sleep in the van, but eventually, she just accepted her fate.