melodramatic! From now on, no more sleepovers! And you don’t go out with friends either!”
The nurse looked from Caterina to Alessa and back in disbelief. It disturbed her to see this woman being so cruel to her own child. She turned to Alessa and inquired, “Are you doing okay, honey?”
“Yeah, she’s doing fine,” Caterina cut in. “She should thank her lucky stars she’s alive. That Zoe woman is a whore and now look at what she’s gone and done to her kid!”
“For Christ’s sake, lady!” the nurse exclaimed indignantly. “Pull yourself together! Your daughter has just been through a lot. She witnessed her friend getting killed for no good reason. Maybe, as her mother, you should consider how she might be feeling and try to comfort her instead of yelling at her.”
“Don’t you tell me what to do!” Caterina raged back at the nurse. “She isn’t your child! You have no idea what she is like! So mind your own goddamn business before I call the doctor and complain to him about how disrespectful you are!” She turned to her daughter. “Now get dressed, Alessa,” she commanded. “I’m taking you home right now!”
In a fog of confusion and grief, the teenager did exactly as she was told.
On their way out, Caterina and her daughter passed the room where Zoe had been taken. As Alessa’s eyes met hers, Zoe got up and approached her. Between sobs, she managed to say, “God, Alessa, my baby is gone! I don’t know what to do now!”
“I know, Zoe,” Alessa said, trying to comfort her, “I loved her so much.”
About to hug Zoe, the teenager felt her mother’s vicious pinch on the underside of her upper arm. Alessa screamed out in pain.
“What did I just tell you about not talking to her?” Caterina said bitingly. “She doesn’t even care that her daughter is dead. Look at her, with her boobs hanging out of her shirt for the world to see! You are not to go anywhere near her again. Do you understand me, Alessa?”
Her daughter could only nod, as she looked at her friend’s mother with love and sadness. She hoped that one day, Zoe would forgive her for being born to a monster like Caterina.
Chapter Seven
W hen they reached Caterina’s car, Alessa was still sobbing. Her mother ducked inside the car quickly and settled herself. Checking her make-up in the rearview mirror, she continued her verbal assault.
“You see what happens when a woman is a bad mother? The way I see it, that woman killed her daughter! I should never have let you hang around with that Rhonda girl!”
Her blood boiling now, Alessa yelled back, “I love them both! And Zoe wouldn’t have let her brother rape Rhonda for nine years and pretended not to know!”
Caterina’s response to that was to backhand Alessa, making her lip bleed. “You little bitch!” she hissed. “You’re a fucking liar! Just you wait till I get you home! Then I’ll break your fucking head! My brother would never do anything to hurt you! You’ll burn in hell for talking such filth about him!”
Frightened by what she had just blurted out to her mother and the violent reaction it had provoked, Alessa sat in silence, until they got home. She wondered if she really would burn in hell, not for the accusations she had leveled at her uncle, but for the filthy acts she had been engaging in with him. Once they were in the house, she rushed to her bedroom and began to take off her clothes that were still wet and stained with Rhonda’s blood.
She had just stripped down to her underwear, when her mother stormed into the room holding her favorite weapon—the metal spoon. She charged at Alessa with such speed and force that the girl had no time to defend herself against the first blow to her bare thigh. Caterina pulled back the spoon and started to swing again. This time, however, Alessa blocked the blow with her hands and flinched as the spoon cracked across her knuckles. She flung herself on the bed, trying to shield her body as her
The nurse looked from Caterina to Alessa and back in disbelief. It disturbed her to see this woman being so cruel to her own child. She turned to Alessa and inquired, “Are you doing okay, honey?”
“Yeah, she’s doing fine,” Caterina cut in. “She should thank her lucky stars she’s alive. That Zoe woman is a whore and now look at what she’s gone and done to her kid!”
“For Christ’s sake, lady!” the nurse exclaimed indignantly. “Pull yourself together! Your daughter has just been through a lot. She witnessed her friend getting killed for no good reason. Maybe, as her mother, you should consider how she might be feeling and try to comfort her instead of yelling at her.”
“Don’t you tell me what to do!” Caterina raged back at the nurse. “She isn’t your child! You have no idea what she is like! So mind your own goddamn business before I call the doctor and complain to him about how disrespectful you are!” She turned to her daughter. “Now get dressed, Alessa,” she commanded. “I’m taking you home right now!”
In a fog of confusion and grief, the teenager did exactly as she was told.
On their way out, Caterina and her daughter passed the room where Zoe had been taken. As Alessa’s eyes met hers, Zoe got up and approached her. Between sobs, she managed to say, “God, Alessa, my baby is gone! I don’t know what to do now!”
“I know, Zoe,” Alessa said, trying to comfort her, “I loved her so much.”
About to hug Zoe, the teenager felt her mother’s vicious pinch on the underside of her upper arm. Alessa screamed out in pain.
“What did I just tell you about not talking to her?” Caterina said bitingly. “She doesn’t even care that her daughter is dead. Look at her, with her boobs hanging out of her shirt for the world to see! You are not to go anywhere near her again. Do you understand me, Alessa?”
Her daughter could only nod, as she looked at her friend’s mother with love and sadness. She hoped that one day, Zoe would forgive her for being born to a monster like Caterina.
Chapter Seven
W hen they reached Caterina’s car, Alessa was still sobbing. Her mother ducked inside the car quickly and settled herself. Checking her make-up in the rearview mirror, she continued her verbal assault.
“You see what happens when a woman is a bad mother? The way I see it, that woman killed her daughter! I should never have let you hang around with that Rhonda girl!”
Her blood boiling now, Alessa yelled back, “I love them both! And Zoe wouldn’t have let her brother rape Rhonda for nine years and pretended not to know!”
Caterina’s response to that was to backhand Alessa, making her lip bleed. “You little bitch!” she hissed. “You’re a fucking liar! Just you wait till I get you home! Then I’ll break your fucking head! My brother would never do anything to hurt you! You’ll burn in hell for talking such filth about him!”
Frightened by what she had just blurted out to her mother and the violent reaction it had provoked, Alessa sat in silence, until they got home. She wondered if she really would burn in hell, not for the accusations she had leveled at her uncle, but for the filthy acts she had been engaging in with him. Once they were in the house, she rushed to her bedroom and began to take off her clothes that were still wet and stained with Rhonda’s blood.
She had just stripped down to her underwear, when her mother stormed into the room holding her favorite weapon—the metal spoon. She charged at Alessa with such speed and force that the girl had no time to defend herself against the first blow to her bare thigh. Caterina pulled back the spoon and started to swing again. This time, however, Alessa blocked the blow with her hands and flinched as the spoon cracked across her knuckles. She flung herself on the bed, trying to shield her body as her
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