My New Life

By Carol Lee

The strike was hard, stinging my face. As I stumbled backwards I wondered about the turn of events that had brought me to this day.

I was a small town girl. My dormitory in college had more people than the town I lived in. After my parents were killed, I decided to make a new start. I was 36 years old and had never been married. I had recently lost my job and my parents had left me some money so the timing was perfect. I packed up all my things (which included a large number of Antonio Banderas DVD's), threw them into my car and took off to Los Angeles.

A couple of months later, I had a new apartment, a new job, and a new boyfriend. Jack. However, Jack was not all that I expected. He was great at first. But he had a bad temper and wanted to control everything I did. Once he started hitting me I knew that was it. So I told him it was over. He was angry, of course. Which is how I came to be stumbling out of the doorway of an L.A. restaurant. I had picked a public place to meet him thinking it would be the safest. He apparently didn't care where we were.

As I tried to regain my balance…SLAM. I ran into something hard right behind me. I fell to the ground on top of a man. I scrambled to my feet barely glancing at the man I'd fallen onto. As I ran I heard someone say, "It takes a big man to hit a woman, no?" I took off trying to place where I'd heard his voice. I couldn't remember and was focused on running. Somewhere. Anywhere. I had to get away.

There was a park just a block away and I ran through it to a small pond there and sat behind a tree. My face was burning and as I touched my mouth I could feel a sticky wetness and knew I must be bleeding. My left eye felt like it had exploded. I gingerly explored the area with my fingers and cautiously opened it. It seemed o.k. I could see so I figured I'd be fine.

I leaned back against the tree and closed my eyes trying not to cry. I sensed movement near me and jumped up, terrified that it was Jack. I almost fainted as I realized it was Antonio Banderas. Of all the days to see your favorite actor, I thought. I then realized that it was his voice I had heard and he must be the man I fell on top of.

He walked up to me and said, "Are you alright? Do you need to go to a hospital?"

"No," I responded. "I'm fine."

"I do not think you are fine," he said pointing to my face. "My car is just a block away. Please let me help you." He held his hand out to me.

He looked so concerned as he stood in front of me. I finally lost it and began to cry. He stepped towards me and put his arm around my shoulders. I buried my face in his neck and sobbed. When I finally stopped, he tipped my face up with his hand and looked at me. He took my hand saying, "Come on."

As we walked through the park, I was looking around. I was certain that Jack was still hanging out, waiting for me. Antonio noticed and said, "Don't worry. I think I scared him off for now."

"Thank you," I replied. "You didn't have stop and help me."

He laughed and said, "I had no choice but to stop. You landed right on top of me. I think that is a big sign that I should help you. What's your name?"

"Laura," I replied.

"Well, Laura, it's nice to meet you. I'm Antonio".

We walked a block to his car. He unlocked the door and helped me in then walked around the car and got behind the wheel. He reached across me and dug a napkin out of the glove compartment, wet it with a bottle of water that was in the car, and wiped the corner of my mouth.

"How bad is it?" I asked.

"Not bad," he replied. "Just a little cut on the side of your mouth." I took the napkin from him and held it against my lip.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"I think you should get checked at a hospital," he said.

"NO! No no please. I don't want to go to the hospital. I'm fine. I just want to go home," I cried.

Antonio turned towards me. "Do you live with that guy?" he asked me. I shook my head no.

"But he knows where you live, right?"

I nodded sadly. "He has a key to my apartment," I said.

"Well then I am not taking you home," Antonio said. "But you don't want to go to the hospital either". I shook my head and said, "Please no."

He started the car and pulled out into the street. I leaned back in the passenger seat and closed my eyes. After what had happened I knew I shouldn't have gotten into the car with a man I didn't know. But I just knew Antonio wouldn't hurt me.

After about 10 minutes, the car slowed and I opened my eyes. Antonio was pulling through a gate in front of a large house.

The gate closed as we pulled through it into a driveway.

"Where are we?" I asked.

Antonio stopped the car and turned it off. "This is my house," he said.

He got out and came around the car to open my door. I looked around as we walked to the door.

"This is a huge house," I said. "Do you live here by yourself"? I, of course, already knew that he had gotten a divorce a few months ago but was not letting on that I knew anything about him. I was worried that he would think I was some crazed fan. But I wasn't even thinking about him like that. He was just a guy helping me. He unlocked the door and said, "For now I'm living alone."

He led me down a hallway and into the kitchen. "Please, sit down," he said. While I sat at his kitchen table, he went to the refrigerator and got some ice which he put in a plastic bag and wrapped in a towel. He sat down in the chair next to me and held the ice against my face.

"We really should call the police," he said.

"No", I said. "I don't want to press charges, I just want it to be over". His eyes narrowed as he looked at me but he said nothing.

After a few minutes my face got cold and I pulled away from the ice. "Ummm, thank you for helping me. If you show me where your phone is I can just call a cab and go to a hotel for a few days," I said.

"What will you wear? You don't have any belongings with you and there is blood all over your shirt," Antonio pointed out.

"I'll just stop by my apartment first and have the cab wait for me," I said. Antonio shook his head.

"No way. And have him waiting there for you. No," he said. "I have a meeting that I have to go to," he continued. "You just stay here and we'll talk when I get back. I won't be gone long,"

"You don't have to take care of me. I'm a grown woman," I argued.

"I know that, but I would feel responsible if something happened to you," he argued back. "Please promise me you'll stay here until I get back."

I was going to keep arguing but I didn't want to make him mad. "Alright," I finally agreed.

He got up and grabbed his keys. "Make yourself at home. There's food in the refrigerator if you are hungry. Or you can watch TV in the den. There's a bathroom down the hall from the den. Don't worry about anybody getting in here. The door will be locked."

"Ok, thank you", I replied. With that he left the house, got back into his car and drove off.

I got up and wandered around until I found the den. I managed to find the bathroom and attempted to clean up my face and shirt. The left side of my lip was swollen and had a small cut in the corner. There was a bruise developing too. My left eye was a little puffy and I knew I would have a shiner by morning. I wandered back into the den and looked around at the pictures. There were many pictures of Stella and a few of his parents. I didn't feel right looking at his personal things so I just sat down on the couch and flipped the television on. I settled on a rerun of I Love Lucy.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, Antonio was gently shaking my shoulder. "I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to fall asleep".

"Don't be sorry," he said, "I told you to make yourself at home. I stopped at the store and got a few things for you. I think you should stay here for the night. I have a guest bedroom with its' own bathroom." He was pulling clothes out of bags as he spoke. "I guessed at the size. I hope they all fit." I looked at him incredulously as he pulled shorts, shirts, jeans, socks, pajamas, underwear, and all kinds of toiletries out of bags. "Tomorrow I can take you to your place and pick up some of your stuff."

I protested, "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why not?" he replied. "It's perfect. There's a lock on the guest bedroom door if that's what you are worried about."

"You don't even know me. Why would you do this?" I said. He started putting the clothes back into the bags.

"I told you, I feel responsible for you. If I let you leave here and I read in the paper tomorrow that a woman was murdered by her boyfriend how do you think I would feel?" he said. "And if you don't stay here, I'll have to call the police so they can make sure you are safe."

I glared at him. "That's not fair," I said.

He just shrugged and said, "It's your choice. "C'mon. I'll show you where your room is". He took the bags of clothes and led me up the stairs and into a large bedroom. "The bathroom is in here," he said opening a door. "Why don't you have a nice long bath and put some fresh clothes on. I'll be downstairs". He put the bags on the bed, left the bedroom and I locked the bedroom door…just in case.

I went into the bathroom and started to fill the tub. I found all kinds of bubble bath in the bags that he had bought. There was even make-up and perfume! I was surprised to see that he thought of everything.

As I soaked in the hot water my head was spinning. What the hell was I doing? Sitting in Antonio Banderas' bathtub and about to put on underwear that he bought me. Unreal.

I got out of the tub and dried off. I pulled on the new underwear (thankfully not a thong) then dressed in jeans, a plain t-shirt, and flip flops. I don't know how he figured out my jean size but they fit alright. I opened the bedroom door and was immediately hit with the smell of something cooking. My stomach growled and I realized I hadn't eaten since my yogurt at breakfast and it was now past 6:00. I made my way to the kitchen and found Antonio standing at the counter chopping vegetables.

I stood for a few seconds watching him then tentatively spoke. "Hi," I said.

"Hey," he replied turning around. "The clothes fit, eh? Are you feeling better?"

I nodded and said, "Much better. Tomorrow when you take me home I'll pay you for the clothes."

"That is not necessary. And I'm only taking you to get your things. You can't stay there".

I shook my head. "I'm sure I'll be fine. I think you have gone above and beyond your 'Good Samaritan' duty anyway," I said. "I'll call the landlord and have the locks changed right away and see if I can find a different apartment".

Antonio went back to chopping vegetables. "It's not safe. You can stay here until you find another apartment," he said.

"That's very nice of you to offer," I said, "but I couldn't put you out any more than I already have. Besides, I have to go to work on Monday morning and it would be a long walk from here. It's close to where I live".

"Your boyfriend knows where you work right?" he said.

"Ex-boyfriend" I said nodding. "And there is security there?" he asked.

"Well", I said, "not really. I work in a dentist's office."

"So you should call them and tell them you can't come in until we know it's safe," he said.

"I can't do that," I protested. "I've only been in L.A. for 2 months. I've only worked at the dentist's office for 5 weeks. I would lose my job!"

Antonio whipped around and yelled, "And how would that be worse than having that asshole kill you? It is not safe for you to be at your apartment or at work."

I sat down at the table and Antonio dumped the vegetables into a pan on the stove. He walked over to the table and sat down across from me. "Look," he began, "I know you have had a bad day. You are right, I don't know you and you don't know me. But I told you already that I feel responsible for you. I can not, with a clear conscience, let you walk out the door and not know what happens to you. Face it. We are stuck together until I know you are going to be safe."

I looked at him and sighed. "Alright. But I'm paying you for the clothes," I said.

He stood up and went back to the stove. "Whatever," he said.

He dished up shrimp, rice, and vegetables onto plates and brought them to the table. After digging around in the refrigerator for a minute he turned around with 2 Diet Cokes in his hands and set one in front of me. As we ate he asked about my life before I moved and talked about Stella. When we were done, we loaded the dishes in the dishwasher. Antonio went outside to the pool and I sat on the patio flipping through a magazine I had found.

When it started to get dark I told Antonio I was tired and went back into the house and found my way back to the guest bedroom. I wondered which room was Antonio's but I resisted the urge to open any doors but my own. I went into the bathroom and quickly changed into the pajamas I found in the bag. The pajama pants were pink and long with banana's printed on them. The top that went with them was also pink and had a monkey on the front. I went back into the bedroom and was looking in the mirror thinking how skimpy the top was when I saw Antonio walk by the door. He stopped and walked to the doorway.

"Don't you want to lock your door?" he asked.

I turned around. "Do I need to?" I answered. "You are completely safe here," he said, "but you can lock it if it will make you feel more comfortable. Goodnight".

"Goodnight," I replied. I watched him walk across the hall and go in the room directly across from mine.

I shut my door but didn't lock it and climbed into the bed. I thought I would lie awake but amazingly I fell asleep right away. I didn't wake up until morning. I got out of the bed and made it. I grabbed some of my new clothes and headed to the bathroom. I looked in the mirror and did a double take. I almost forgot what happened yesterday but that shiner brought it all back. I jumped in the shower and carefully washed my hair. I had found a razor in the bags (he really did think of everything) and some lotion. Satisfied that I looked as good as I could with a messed up face, I opened the door and headed downstairs.

Antonio was already up and drinking coffee. He glanced up as I walked into the kitchen. "Wow. That's some shiner," he said.

"Thanks," I replied.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

I found a cup sitting on the counter and poured some coffee into it. "Just a little," I said joining him at the table.

"Did you sleep alright last night?" he asked.

I slept great actually", I said.

He got up and took his cup to the sink. "I checked on you a few times and you were sleeping soundly each time." he said.

I looked up, surprised.

"You did?" I asked. "I didn't hear anything. I must have been asleep before my head hit the pillow."

"Well," he replied, "you did have a rough day yesterday. You were exhausted". I finished the last of my coffee and got up, putting my cup in the sink with his. "So," he said, "you want to go get your stuff now?"

"I guess so", I said. "I hope Jack didn't go there and do anything. He does have a key". We went outside and there was a SUV sitting where the car had been yesterday.

"We'll take the truck this time", he said. "That way you can put a lot of your stuff in the back if you want".

I gave him directions to my building. He pulled up in front and looked at me. "You ready?" he asked.

I bit my bottom lip and said, "Yeah I guess." He came around the truck and opened the door then took my hand as we went in. We climbed the stairs to the second floor. He took the key and unlocked the door. As he pushed the door open he stuck his head inside.

"Looks o.k." he said. He pulled me inside and locked the door behind us. "Alright. Get the things you need to take. I'll wait out here," he said as he sat down on the couch. I went into the bedroom and started throwing my clothes into a bag. I filled 2 bags and took them out to the living room. Antonio was standing by the television looking at my DVD collection.

He turned around saying, "You, ahhhh, seem to have a lot of movies." Busted.

"Ummmm, yeah. I like movies," I replied.

"You knew who I was already then," he said. I nodded. "Why didn't you say anything", he asked.

"Well", I replied, "I didn't know it was you until you came to the park to find me and after that it didn't seem to matter." "If you're mad", I went on, "you can just go. I'll be o.k."

He shook his head. "No, no it's fine. Why would I be mad? You haven't done anything. Is there anything else you want to take with you?"

"You still want me to come with you?" I asked.

"Of course," he replied. "It's not safe for you to be here."

He took one of the bags from me and took my hand. We went downstairs and put the bags in the truck. He closed the back door and came around to let me in the front. He got in the truck and drove back to his house. Neither of us spoke and I was sure he must be really pissed off. He took my bags up to my room and came back downstairs. "I have to go out," he said, "and I'm not sure what time I'll be back. Make sure you keep the front gate locked." He was gone before I could even nod.

I watched some television for a little while then tried reading a book. I fixed some lunch and cleaned up. I didn't know what to do with myself. I went upstairs and put on some of my own clothes. Then I walked outside. As I wandered around the back yard I discovered that the house had its own private beach. I headed down the stairs and walked a little ways down the beach before sitting down on the sand. I stared at the ocean for a long time before I tasted salt in my mouth. I realized tears were rolling down my face.

I don't know how long I sat there crying before I saw Antonio heading down the beach towards me. As he got closer I could see he looked angry. "Why didn't you leave me a note or something? I thought something happened to you," he was yelling. He sat on the sand next to me. Still yelling he said, "I've been going crazy in there looking for you." I kept my eyes on him as I scooted away. He stopped yelling and looked confused. Then he scooted next to me and hugged me to him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he whispered into my ear. "I didn't mean to scare you." He moved around behind me and I leaned back into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and we just sat and watched the waves for a long time.

I felt his breath in my ear before I felt his lips on my cheek, kissing it gently. I turned, surprised, to look at him and his mouth captured mine. He kissed me softly at first then slipped his tongue in my mouth.

I turned in his arms to face him and kissed him back. "Ouch," I said as I pulled away.

"Oh no," he groaned, "I hurt your lip again."

"It's o.k.," I assured him, "it was well worth it". He smiled and we got up and headed back to the house hand in hand.

That was 3 years ago. I never did find a new apartment. I just stayed with Antonio. We got married about a year after we met. In 4 months our twin sons will be born. Antonio still loves to tell everyone that I knocked him off his feet the first moment he met me. And it's the truth.