Johnny slept extremely well that night. Debby left just after midnight and he was happy that they had the time to catch up. He didn't feel so desperate and alone and he knew that he had the support he needed now. He felt much more positive and realized that life is just full of surprises and ups and downs. You just have to take it as it comes.
He woke up early when he heard a banging on the door. It sounded urgent and he nearly stumbled down the stairs on his way down. He hastily opened the door and there was Debby and her daughter looking as anxious as can be.
Debby pushed her daughter inside and closed the door.
"Why don't you go through to the kitchen and make us some coffee sweety? You will find everything in the kitchen." She directed her daughter towards the kitchen and the poor child looked as afraid as can be. It was obvious that she was not thinking clearly.
"He found us Johnny. I thought we were safe but he found us. My parent's lied to him and told him that we were not living with them, but I know that he knows they're lying. I just came to say goodbye....We have to leave. I didn't want to leave without seeing you."
"Debby....you can't keep on running. Have you been to the police?"
Debby burst out crying. "I am so tired of this. I should never have married him. It's my fault that we are in this mess."
Johnny put his arm around her. "Stop crying. We're going to figure this out. You can't keep on living like this. Why don't you move in here with me for a while? He won't find you here."
"Are you serious? You wouldn't mind?"
"Of course not. I would not have offered if I wasn't sure. There are enough bedrooms here and I do need some help cleaning up this old place. Hell, this place is big enough to turn into a bed and breakfast."
Debby's daughter Sylvia came in with the coffee.
"Oh thank you sweety."
Debby felt guilty about sending her daughter out of the way but Johnny saved the day.
"Oh wait, I'm sure I have some cookies around here somewhere. Let me go find it..." He smiled and disappeared into the kitchen."
He could hear Debby talking to Sylvia and when she was done he went back to the kitchen.
Debby formally introduced Sylvia and Johnny and Sylvia told her that this was the man that bought all their cookies.
Sylvia asked if she could go and watch television and they both nodded. It was going to be weird having someone here with him in the house, but he was willing to risk anything for his dear friend and her daughter. He hated living alone in any case.
"So why don't you?" Debby asked unexpectedly.
"So why don't I what?" Johnny asked sounding puzzled.
"Why don't you just turn this place into a bed and breakfast? There are six rooms here, and the kitchen and dining room is big enough to hold at least eight people."
"What do I know about running a bed and breakfast, and where would I get the money for the renovations?"
"You could always sell your car. It's a beautiful car and all, but it could bring in quite a lot of money, and it is not as if you needed to impress anyone here."
Thoughts jumped around in Johnny's head and suddenly it made perfect sense. Perhaps it was time that he got rid of all the old things in his life, and just start on a new fresh page.
Debby had plenty of ideas with the house, and all sounded wonderful. She was willing to put up half the money once she received her settlement.
They spoke about her ex-husband for a while, and after a lot of convincing Debby finally agreed to go to the police. She was going to get a restraining order against her ex, and that should protect her and Sylvia.
Her ex did not have any friends on this side to protect him. School was starting the following week and she would be able to put Sylvia back into school with her friends here.
Everything suddenly felt as if it was falling into place. Both Johnny and Debby were grateful towards each other.
Johnny showered while Sylvia and Debby made breakfast. They had a proper breakfast before Johnny drove her and Sylvia to the police station.
An hour later they had everything they needed. Her ex could not come close to her and Debby felt more assured. She knew he would still try but at least she had Johnny and the restraining order to protect her.
Johnny made a few calls, and when Debby and Sylvia walked back to the car, he was all smiles when they came back.
"I've just sold my car. This means we can start as early as next week with the renovations." The money would be wired over to my account and they would send someone to fetch the car. I don't even have to go to the city."
Debby smiled. It was like what happened in the last two days were just meant to be. They drove back to Johnny's house, and they sat at the kitchen table making a list of things that needed to be changed in the house.
It was finally working out for the both of them, and Debby felt as if she made the right decision to stay. Johnny was right. She couldn't run forever and while she had him on her side, nothing could stop them.
Everything worked out perfectly. Quite a large amount of money was wired into John's account later that week. He shed a tear or two when they took his car, but he realized it was just one of those things. He had Debby back in his life, and that mattered more to him than anything else.
They hired a contractor and Johnny bought an old truck just to get by for the moment. They both focused on getting the house ready and spent every minute they had on the house.
A few weeks later Debby got a call from her lawyer and told her that her ex had signed the agreement and that he would handle everything from there on. She would be getting a very large sum of money and her ex was not going to dispute anything.
It was all too good to be true, and Debby cooked them all a special dinner to celebrate. Sylvia was back in school and she enjoyed being with all her friends. She seemed much happier than in her old school and she and Johnny had built up a good relationship.
Life was good. As they ate dinner both of them realized that life had a way of working itself out. They were both happier than they had been in many years. After Sylvia went to bed in her new room, Johnny poured a glass of wine for the both of them and they sat outside on the porch discussing everything that had happened. Before he could stop himself, he kissed Debby and she eagerly kissed him back. They were both where they were supposed to be in their lives and they were extremely grateful for each other.
They decided to take things slow for now, but they knew where this was heading and it was the right thing for all three of them.
Six months later Johnny finally asked Debby to marry him. Something that he was supposed to do fifteen years earlier. This was meant to be and finally they could all live happily ever after.
-The end-
