Chapter Seven

For a while after graduation, Kelleigh was lost. She had always had Andrew, the entire time while growing up he was her constant, Now with him gone, she felt untethered.

Then suddenly she had Steve, they began dating after graduation and he helped fill the void. They had met over the summer while cruising "downtown," which entailed traveling Main Street over and over and over. Sometimes they would park in an empty parking lot so that others could gather and talk. Kelleigh loved cruising, it combined her two favorite activities: cars and her friends.

Steven and Kelleigh married six months after high school, a not uncommon occurrence in Riverside. Kelleigh always sensed disappointment from her friends and for a short while, she was unsure why. As time passed, it became evident: Steve was a jerk. But the stars in her teen-aged eyes had previously blinded her to that fact. Having always been "different" Kelleigh was thankful, relieved even; to have the attention that Steve gave her, not recognizing that it was controlling and not caring.

Not one to quit, Kelleigh persevered. Months became years, years began to add up with little notice from her. But as time passed, she found herself increasingly assert herself to Steve, much to Steve's dismay. He married a scared, injured eighteen year old girl. He wasn't ready - or willing - to deal with a strong nearly forty year old woman.

As much as he resented her growing strength, he did, however, enjoy having Kelleigh's mechanical ability at hand. He also enjoyed the attention that it drew to him, at least for a while. People often commented to him how cool it was to have a wife who was a mechanic. He enjoyed this attention until the ribbing came about his own ability. This ribbing gave Kelleigh and Steve quite a bit of fodder for arguments. He hated to be second fiddle to anyone, especially a girl. And he hated his ability questioned. For the most part, Kelleigh just ignored the comments. What other people thought rarely bothered her.

Together they managed to put together a racecar. It began as just an old junker that Steve had towed home. At first, Kelleigh was horrified at this piece of junk sitting in her garage. But to Steve's credit, it slowly began to take shape.

Along the way, Kelleigh listened to Steve and his friends talking about the car, absorbing every new piece of information. She also secretly read his car magazines when he was gone. Secretly - as he had seen her once reading an article about engine building. He began to mock her. "What do you know about engine building? I bet you can't name all the parts in the picture." Kelleigh, challenged, stared at the picture for a moment then patiently began to name each part as she pointed to it. "Cam, Piston, Ring, Rod, Rocker, Crank…" She continued until she had named every part there. Nonplussed, Steve had just shaken his head and walked away. Kelleigh smiled in triumph and continued to read; only now she was more careful.

It didn't help that when Steve tested for his certified mechanic certificate, Kelleigh studied too. She made the mistake once of helping when a question on the mock test stumped him. Embarrassed, he had yelled at her to stay out his schoolwork, "You're going to mess it up. You don't know anything!' He stormed out afterward, physically pushing past her and nearly knocking her over. She caught herself on the kitchen counter before she fell.

It was the first time that he had become physical with her. She was sure that if questioned, he would just call it an accident. Kelleigh knew that it wasn't an accident. She also knew that it was just the beginning of something worse. She considered herself warned.

Sitting there with Steve's books and homework after his outburst, Kelleigh realized that she loved the car and the magazines more than Steve. She no longer enjoyed his company, just the cars and most of the friends that they had brought. Especially with this last temper tantrum. It showed her a glimpse of their future and it didn't seem happy, or even safe. Kelleigh sat for over an hour, contemplating what she should do next. She felt strange that in one moment, such clarity had been gained. It was time to move on, she had to keep herself safe. With this revelation, she called Delly.