She paused and then moved closer. She glared down at him. Oliver noted how the few once-inconsequential inches ominously hulked over him. He remembered how he had towered over her so many years previously.
“I could take you out now if I wanted. Smack you dead like you tried to do to me.”
“I…sorry. I didn’t know what I was doing back then. I swear I didn’t. I’m sorry. And…I’m glad you’re alive.”
“What, your conscience eased now? Is that it?”
“Yeah, I suppose it is,” he mumbled. If Oliver were honest, he’d have to admit he had rarely thought of her and his previous actions.
“You better watch your back. I’m going to follow you for the rest of your days. And you watch your kids, and grandkids, too, if you ever have them. I have a horrid temper now, thanks to you. Your head-bashing did something to me. Made me lose a little bit of my common sense, sets me in rages when I least expect it. Sometimes I know not what I do,” Carmella/Lydia laughed.
Oliver stammered, “What are you saying?” A lump lodged in his throat, one that had sucked his mouth dry before descending downward. He tried to swallow, but it was futile.
“Yeah, I haven’t any sense sometimes,” she repeated. “I prey on people, catch little boys and girls in my clutches, and carry them away to a never-never land. They’ll disappear there, never to be found again.” She peered at him. “You do have children, right?”
“Ah, no—”
“Yes, you do. You have a son. Five years old, right?”
“No.”
“Yes. He’s yours even though he lives with your ex. Mark my words, if I don’t come after him, I’ll come after his kids. You can run, but they can’t. And you can’t tell anyone this without owning up to being a wanna-be murderer.”
Oliver quivered. “I have to go.” He didn’t know what else to say except to add, “And leave my family alone. I can come after you as easy as you can come after me.”
“I told you I’m not interested in you. It’ll hurt you more if you have to worry about your family for the rest of your days. And you won’t do anything to me. You’re too scared. Look at you, you wimp!”
“Please. Leave them alone. Leave me alone.”
This story is poignant. I haven’t read anything like this in a long time.