unfortunate baby.
The thought of that woman raising her child in the same way she’d raised his father horrified Teresa. She’d been certain that she’d made a monumental error in not contacting the police the night of the first attack. She’d been naïve and ignorant in her response to the attack because she would have had all the evidence she needed. Now she had the end result of the attack to deal with. What mattered now was that she’d had to get away from Tillman. Angel had understood why she’d never gone home for a visit.
She and her parents had a long, painful conversation at the dining room table that same night. Teresa had told them she was leaving and where she would go. She’d had a good friend from school who had moved to Divine, which was three hours away. Juliana had talked with her recently and offered her a job at the store she managed, if she ever needed one. Teresa had called her before sitting down with her parents, and Juliana had offered her a place to stay, as well, after she shared the circumstances with her. Juliana had promised she would not tell anyone she knew in Tillman that Teresa would be coming to stay with her.
Her parents had tearfully promised they would not reveal her whereabouts to anyone. Teresa had contacted an old friend of her mother’s whom she’d known all her life and could trust. Teresa would need an alternate way to communicate with her parents besides the usual means. She’d called Allen and told him she was expecting and that she was leaving. Teresa had given him her address and new cell phone number. She’d told Angel that she would never forget how sad he’d sounded at her news.
She’d packed that night then loaded her car with her belongings and left Tillman before the sun had even risen. Juliana had welcomed her with open arms and allowed her to stay until she’d found a small apartment that would be affordable and safe for her and the baby once it arrived. Teresa could never find it in her heart to blame the baby for the radical changes that had been thrust upon her. It wasn’t the baby’s fault that the one who made him had no conscience or heart, nor that she had been assaulted.
She’d fit in well at Stigall’s Department Store. At first it had been hard talking to strangers, but need was a powerful motivator, and before long, she’d begun to feel like she fit in Divine. Teresa made a good friend in Grace Stuart who was a kindred spirit of sorts with her own set of domestic challenges in the form of a good-for-nothing, live-in boyfriend. As if to make up for all the pain she suffered at his father’s hands, Michael’s birth and infancy were joyous events.
“Do you hear from your parents often?”
“Yes, my father calls me from their nursing home on a monthly basis. He and my mother share a room. Her health is not good, and her mind has begun to wander a lot. I hear from Delores on a regular basis, and Allen still checks on me every so often. He told me Ranulfo is in trouble right now for contracting and taking payment for jobs he never finished and with the IRS for getting creative with his tax returns. This is one situation his parents’ money may not be able to get him out of. So, that’s my story.”
He’d held her that evening and smiled as she’d told him she felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off her shoulders. She’d said in the long run she’d gotten the only redeemable thing out of the whole ordeal in the form of her precious little son. Michael was the spitting image of Teresa’s father and looked nothing at all like the man who had brutalized her.
Bringing them back to the present, Angel said, “We’re going to have a good time tonight. Later you and I can dance once we return to The Pony if you’d like.”
“I’d love to. I was wondering if we could do that. I wanted to spend time with you, too. Not just go our separate ways for most of the evening.”
“We won’t be at the clubs that late. It’s Saturday
The thought of that woman raising her child in the same way she’d raised his father horrified Teresa. She’d been certain that she’d made a monumental error in not contacting the police the night of the first attack. She’d been naïve and ignorant in her response to the attack because she would have had all the evidence she needed. Now she had the end result of the attack to deal with. What mattered now was that she’d had to get away from Tillman. Angel had understood why she’d never gone home for a visit.
She and her parents had a long, painful conversation at the dining room table that same night. Teresa had told them she was leaving and where she would go. She’d had a good friend from school who had moved to Divine, which was three hours away. Juliana had talked with her recently and offered her a job at the store she managed, if she ever needed one. Teresa had called her before sitting down with her parents, and Juliana had offered her a place to stay, as well, after she shared the circumstances with her. Juliana had promised she would not tell anyone she knew in Tillman that Teresa would be coming to stay with her.
Her parents had tearfully promised they would not reveal her whereabouts to anyone. Teresa had contacted an old friend of her mother’s whom she’d known all her life and could trust. Teresa would need an alternate way to communicate with her parents besides the usual means. She’d called Allen and told him she was expecting and that she was leaving. Teresa had given him her address and new cell phone number. She’d told Angel that she would never forget how sad he’d sounded at her news.
She’d packed that night then loaded her car with her belongings and left Tillman before the sun had even risen. Juliana had welcomed her with open arms and allowed her to stay until she’d found a small apartment that would be affordable and safe for her and the baby once it arrived. Teresa could never find it in her heart to blame the baby for the radical changes that had been thrust upon her. It wasn’t the baby’s fault that the one who made him had no conscience or heart, nor that she had been assaulted.
She’d fit in well at Stigall’s Department Store. At first it had been hard talking to strangers, but need was a powerful motivator, and before long, she’d begun to feel like she fit in Divine. Teresa made a good friend in Grace Stuart who was a kindred spirit of sorts with her own set of domestic challenges in the form of a good-for-nothing, live-in boyfriend. As if to make up for all the pain she suffered at his father’s hands, Michael’s birth and infancy were joyous events.
“Do you hear from your parents often?”
“Yes, my father calls me from their nursing home on a monthly basis. He and my mother share a room. Her health is not good, and her mind has begun to wander a lot. I hear from Delores on a regular basis, and Allen still checks on me every so often. He told me Ranulfo is in trouble right now for contracting and taking payment for jobs he never finished and with the IRS for getting creative with his tax returns. This is one situation his parents’ money may not be able to get him out of. So, that’s my story.”
He’d held her that evening and smiled as she’d told him she felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off her shoulders. She’d said in the long run she’d gotten the only redeemable thing out of the whole ordeal in the form of her precious little son. Michael was the spitting image of Teresa’s father and looked nothing at all like the man who had brutalized her.
Bringing them back to the present, Angel said, “We’re going to have a good time tonight. Later you and I can dance once we return to The Pony if you’d like.”
“I’d love to. I was wondering if we could do that. I wanted to spend time with you, too. Not just go our separate ways for most of the evening.”
“We won’t be at the clubs that late. It’s Saturday
Similar Books
