A Good Deed Gone Bad

I used to work at a gas station. We had hotdogs but it wasn't an all night thing. I would close up and part of that was cleaning everything up. One night a young couple came in and just sort of stood there staring at the hotdogs counting some change between the two of them.

I knew instantly that they didn't have enough money for each of them to have one and when they approached the counter I smiled at him and placed my hand on my back, which, at this point in time was constantly in pain and I told him they could just have it. He shook his head and put the money on the counter.

I pushed it back towards him, realizing I was risking hurting his pride and I looked to the girl and said "I'll tell you what.. If you let me borrow your man for some quick manual labor you can have whatever you want from the hotdogs and I'll even throw in a couple of sodas."

She tossed him a look, obviously leaving it up to him and he sort of paused before he once more shook his head no. "Please, I have to fill the ice machine by hand and it seriously kills my back?" I put forth my best pleading tone and looked as pathetically as I could.

I'm not sure if it was hunger, or, my pleading look but he nodded and walked towards the back as I did and I directed him to the ice machine and bucket while she scooped the change off the counter.

They left after clearing out all the hotdogs and grabbing a fountain drink to share. They returned every night for almost a month.

It was long before I learned their names. Their story. At least, that's how it seemed to me.

My mother always said, and Chris says it now, that I have a thing for strays, not so much animals as people. I am always extending a hand out to those who are down.

The girl was only 22, she had two kids who had been taken by her mother and then her mother had decided to turn them over to the state. She was fighting for them in court, but things were hampered by the fact that they had no where to live.

He was a bit older, almost 30, and was looking for work. They had been living with some friends, but, one day while.. we'll call him Mike.. was at work.. the male friend they were staying with decided to push his luck with.. let's call her Tammy. When she refused, he started busting up the place and threw them out.

One night, a summer storm hit and they came in to the store dripping wet, looking like a pair of soggy kittens.

I didn't have any hot dogs left and in a moment of weakness, I asked them if they would like to come back to my house for a real meal and showers.

Kids were at my ex-husbands and my parents lived right next door. I wasn't too fearful.

They came in, ate, showered, we talked for a while, simple things about life. He offered to fix a door that I couldn't get to stay totally upright and she insisted on doing the dishes.

At this point in my life, I was a pretty lonely little girl. I had just walked out on my marriage and was working full time at the gas station. I had no friends, literally and this was before my days of internet or Chris. All I had was my family and my kids.

I brought out some blankets and they bunked down for the night.

I woke up to the smell of breakfast the next day. After the second day I sat down with them, realizing that if the man was going to get a job so that they could get themselves a place, he would need a place to shower, an address, and all natures of that sort.

I explained to them that my kids would be coming home, that they could bunk down on the floor if they wanted, and that my rules were simple. I don't party, no drugs, no drinking while my kids were there, and never hit one of my kids, not even for a spanking, that was my job.

They agreed and life went on.

My older brother was planning on getting married in June, in New York. I had long ago bought my plane ticket, a fact I was very proud of since I did it with my own money and for a single mom, it was quiet a feet. The day fast approaching I was a bit nervous because I had never left my children before. I was leaving them with my ex-husband though and he was even going to come stay at my house so that they would feel more comfortable, I was going to be gone for 10 days.

By this time, Mike and Tammy had been living with me for about 5 weeks. I had grown close to Tammy and Mike was awsome. He had found a job and was working long long hours. Since I worked and Tammy didn't she had decided her job was to be taking care of the house.

The day came to get in the car and drive to the airport to go to New York. I cried as I said goodbye to my babies and Tammy and Mike hugged me and reassured me that they would watch out for the kids too.

I wasn't too worried. That was back in the days where my ex was still trying to be my husband and actually tried to impress me. I was pretty sure that he wouldn't let anything happen to our babies. My younger brother would also be there for another week and he was more protective of the kids then my ex. I left with the confidance that they would be well looked after.

Indeed a week later my younger brother joined us and we attended the beautiful wedding of my older brother and began our journey back. We arrived back at the Salt Lake air terminal and my brother pulled me to the side.

His head bent low and his face flaming with shame he says "I need to tell you something" and I stared at him with my mouth agape. We didn't keep secrets from each other and I knew that whatever this was, it was pretty big.

"Remember when you talked to me on the phone.. and asked me how things were going and I said they were fine?" I nodded stupidly. "I lied"

I felt a buzzing in my ears and when I spoke my words sounded as if I was being strangled "Did something happen to one of the kids?"

He quickly shook his head and his voice dropped a bit more "No.. but.. Tammy, Mike, and Jeff and I.. we.. sort of did meth"

I felt myself swoon slightly and my heart constricted tightly. I had known my ex-husband for almost 8 years by this time and he had never, in all that time, shown any intrest in any kind of drugs. Not to mention the fact that I wasn't even aware of the fact that Tammy and Mike did drugs. My kids were in a house where everyone was on meth?

I think I drew a bit of attention to myself as I shrieked at him "WHAT?!" I took a few steps back and he reached his hand out towards me and I slapped it away. My Dad moved over with a look of concern on his face "Everything all right?"

"Just peachy" was the curt reply I gave before spinning on my heels and walking away.

The rest of the trip was a blur, I do remember details, but, they are not conducive to the topic so I will spare you them.

When I arrived home, I went into the house and what I found shocked me to my core. The house was a mess, my children were dirty. I moved through the house in a daze and I realized that the door in my room that led to the water heater looked different. The bathroom looked like a hurricane had hit it. The ex was the only one there with the kids.

I sent them over to my parents and I turned my fury on him full force. He had no recourse and I'm sure the neighbors heard every single word I spewed at him. I demanded answers to why the house was in such a shape and he said that while I was gone Mike and Tammy had taken over my bedroom. There was some kind of fight and a hole was punched in the door, so they took it off it's hinges and turned it around so I wouldn't know. There was also a fight in the bathroom where Tammy had been bathing and Mike went in and in a fury he flung everything off my counters onto the floor.

I stomped out and began to gather up their things, cramming them into plastic bags, tieing them together and tossing them out the door as I went.

My ex followed me around the whole time, telling me how unfair I was being, how everyone deserved a second chance, and who was I to judge.

"I am their mother! They betrayed my trust. YOU betrayed my trust. >THEIR< safety is the most important thing to me and it is very clear that it didn't matter one fucking bit to the lot of you. I refuse to allow people near my children who are doing illegal drugs. If you had been caught, I would have lost >my< kids. Don't think the police, or Social Services gives second chances you self rightous bastard, now, you can get the fuck out too!"

He sheepishly headed for the door just as Tammy and Mike came back. He was in a full fury as soon as he spotted their stuff on the lawn. Screaming at me that I had no right to kick them out, that this was their house, and a ton of other rot. I was having no part of it and I screamed right back at them.

Eventually, someone called the police and they showed up. The ex had stood next to me on the porch the entire time and I was to furious to notice. As soon as the police car pulled into our trailer park, Mike took off in one direction and Tammy took off in another.

The officer approached me and I told them exactly what had happened. I looked to the ex-husband expectantly and he glared at me but told them the truth.

I'd like to say this was the end of it, but, for me, my nightmare was just begining.

The phone calls began. At first it was just hang ups and I figured they would tire of that soon enough. At the time, I was too poor for caller id.

At the begining of July, my cousin came to stay with me, her and her two boys. We had a great visit that was overshadowed only by the phone calls. Still, just phone calls, I can ignore those right? It got so bad that I had to disconnect my phone at night because the calls would go on all night long. I switched jobs because they kept coming in and the police kept getting called.

It didn't take them long to find my new job at the grocery store. I had to give up my car because three times they slashed my tires.

The police would do nothing. They said I had no proof who it was. But I knew.

While my cousin was there, the threats began. They called and told me how they were going to kill me. They were going to cut me open and jerk my insides out and make me watch myself bleed to death.

I was terrified. Even with my parents next door, after my cousin left, I was too afraid to sleep at home at night. I began spending nights with my oldest brother and his wife. My children curled up on either side of me on a pull out couch.

During all of this, I got my first computer and met Chris. He encouraged me to stay with my brother until we had this sorted out. So I continued to go to my brothers at night. The nightly phone calls from Chris the only thing keeping me sane.

It took them two weeks, but eventually they did somehow get my brothers phone number and the calls began there too. My sense of security shattered and I sobbed in my sister in laws arms. I was so tired of being afraid all the time, fearing for my kids, my family. I just didn't know what to do.

We tried calling the police again, now we had a number to give them, they said that it was from a Subway near my house and so it could be anyone. No matter the fact that Mike worked there.

My brother, in a fury, called the owner and spoke to him. He gave him times of the phone calls, which, lasted way into the night and offered to have the man come up and check the caller id box if he didn't believe him. He said he did believe us, and, instead of going to the police, his solution was to fire Mike.

This.. did nothing.. to help the situation. It only made it worse. Now, not only was it my fault they didn't have a place to live, but, they had no jobs either.

I finally decided that I had imposed on my brother long enough. I had spent every single night there for nearly a month and it was nearing Christmas time by now.

Yes.. this had been going on for almost 4 months.

I went home, spent from exhaustion. Praying that just this one night, I would have some piece.

I tucked the children into bed and I checked the doors and windows again. The silence cut short by the shrilling of the phone and tears welled into my eyes as I picked it up, not even having a voice to say hello.

I shuddered at the voice on the other end. "I know you're there. I saw you come in" I felt a tingle shoot up my spine and I moved towards the big bay windows and peered through the slits of the blinds. Out in the darkness, in the shadows of the big oak tree near the enterance to the park, I could see him standing. "Yes, I see you. I see you watching me and guess what? When you fall asleep, I am going to set fire to your house and I will watch it burn. I will laugh to hear the screams of your kids as the flames lick at their bodies. I am . ."

I slammed the phone down and picked it back up. I couldn't get out any kind of coherant words out and my mother didn't need any. Within seconds both my parents were at my door, my mothers arms around me as soon as I opened it.

My dad turned to peer into the darkness as I managed to spit out "He's out there right now" and my mother dragged me in and headed for the phone.

The police showed up and, sadly, when my mother wants to, can be quite fierce. She demanded that the do something. When they said they had no proof, my mother's retort was "Does he have to kill my daughter and grandchildren before you fucking do something?"

My dad quietly explained what had been said and that they had been leaving these threatning messages, but, that this was the first time they had threatnened my children and there was no choice, it had to stop or my dad was going to step in to stop it.

Both my brothers showed up as well as my ex and they all stood around furiously demanding that something be done.

My younger brother left on foot, telling the cops that they could arrest him later.

Soon two more squad cars arrived to try to calm me and my family down. During the retelling of this story, one of the officers stopped my Dad and said "You have messages?" and that made them all stop and stare.

He said we did and they asked to listen to them, so I took them in and punched in the numbers for my voice mail system and put it on speaker phone.

They listened in horror as Mike and Tammy took turns leaving graphic messages about how they would kill me.

I sobbed and dropped to the floor with relief when the officer lifted up his radio and ordered an APB on the immedaitly.

It took them two days to find them, but during that two days, I had a police officer with me at all times.

They were both charged and when we went to court the truth about these two came out. They were both drug addicts, she had lost her children due to neglect and abuse. They had gotten kicked out of their last place because of similiar circumstances, only, that man didn't fare so well and spent four days in the ICU due to the beating that Mike had given him.

They were convicted for a slew of accounts, including stalking, child endangerment, harrasment as well as assault. Just for what they did to me. After that they were convicted of attempted murder for the assault on the other man.

This was probably one of the most terrifying things I went through. Sometimes, I still find myself looking over my shoulder.