You said something about that during the interview and I was wondering. If you don’t want to talk about it, though, that’s OK.”
Lex thought for a moment, then answered carefully. “It’s OK, I don’t mind. It was after I left my parents’ house.”
She bit her lip then, hoping Casey wouldn’t ask any further questions on the topic. Lex also couldn’t help but think about the pact she’d made with herself after fleeing from her parents. Since she’d been forced to lie constantly there in order to survive, Lex had sworn to herself that she’d learn to be truthful, especially when people asked questions about her past. She knew she could tell more or less of her story, given different situations, but she’d resolved never to lie anymore to cover up what her parents had done. That fact made her nervous as the conversation continued because she felt like she didn’t want to burden Casey with those stories. At least, not yet.
“Why? What happened?” Casey asked curiously, bringing Lex’s thoughts back to the present.
She could feel the sweat start to pop out on her forehead. “I had to go when I turned 16. It didn’t give me a good starting point, so I lived very close to the edge for years.”
“Why did you have to leave so young?” said Casey, looking down at Lex with concern.
Lex sighed, bit her lip, and then dove quickly into the explanation, face turned towards the ground and mumbling. “My father told me to leave or he would kill me.”
“What? I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you,” Casey said, leaning her ear closer.
Lex sighed and felt herself mentally disengaging from the situation a bit. She said again, more calmly and a little more loudly, “Well, my father told me to leave or he would kill me. I figured it was a no-brainer, so I left.” When she realized she’d started rubbing at the scar on her right forearm, she bit her lip again and stopped, dropping her arm.
She wasn’t sure how Casey would respond, but she’d gotten used to dismissive or non-existent responses to information like this. Oh, well , Lex thought, at least I’ll probably never have to see her again, anyway .
Casey was looking down at Lex with an angry expression. “What an ass! How could he do that to his own daughter? Does that sort of thing happen a lot in the city?”
Hearing that made Lex feel as if the ground under her were no longer solid and the air stuttered in her lungs. She took a new breath but had to stop walking, the thought bearing down on her that none of the few people she’d ever told had spoken out so strongly against what her father had done. When she felt she’d gotten the raging storm in her chest under control again, she saw Casey gazing down at her with concern.
“You really are a kind person, aren’t you?” Lex finally asked, too overwhelmed to add anything else.
Casey shrugged. “I don’t know about that, but are you sure you’re OK? You look kind of pale.”
Smiling up into Casey’s frown, Lex answered, “I’m fine, don’t worry.”
Lex started moving once more, and Casey fell into step beside her. “To answer your question, though, I don’t really know if this sort of thing happens more in the city than the country. What was it like, growing up in the country?”
Casey looked up at the clouds, smiling a bit, and started to tell Lex stories of growing up on a working farm: planting and plowing, catching fireflies on summer nights, playing hide-and-seek in fields of corn much taller than a child, eating an ear right off the stalk, learning to ride the neighbors’ horses, and a million other things that a kid would love. At some point, Lex noticed to her surprise that they’d almost reached the metro.
Just after Casey had finished telling a story about chasing raccoons with the farm dog, Lex said, “Thanks a lot for walking here with me. I liked talking to you, and I hope we’ll meet again.” She smiled then, even though she thought that, unfortunately, the
Lex thought for a moment, then answered carefully. “It’s OK, I don’t mind. It was after I left my parents’ house.”
She bit her lip then, hoping Casey wouldn’t ask any further questions on the topic. Lex also couldn’t help but think about the pact she’d made with herself after fleeing from her parents. Since she’d been forced to lie constantly there in order to survive, Lex had sworn to herself that she’d learn to be truthful, especially when people asked questions about her past. She knew she could tell more or less of her story, given different situations, but she’d resolved never to lie anymore to cover up what her parents had done. That fact made her nervous as the conversation continued because she felt like she didn’t want to burden Casey with those stories. At least, not yet.
“Why? What happened?” Casey asked curiously, bringing Lex’s thoughts back to the present.
She could feel the sweat start to pop out on her forehead. “I had to go when I turned 16. It didn’t give me a good starting point, so I lived very close to the edge for years.”
“Why did you have to leave so young?” said Casey, looking down at Lex with concern.
Lex sighed, bit her lip, and then dove quickly into the explanation, face turned towards the ground and mumbling. “My father told me to leave or he would kill me.”
“What? I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you,” Casey said, leaning her ear closer.
Lex sighed and felt herself mentally disengaging from the situation a bit. She said again, more calmly and a little more loudly, “Well, my father told me to leave or he would kill me. I figured it was a no-brainer, so I left.” When she realized she’d started rubbing at the scar on her right forearm, she bit her lip again and stopped, dropping her arm.
She wasn’t sure how Casey would respond, but she’d gotten used to dismissive or non-existent responses to information like this. Oh, well , Lex thought, at least I’ll probably never have to see her again, anyway .
Casey was looking down at Lex with an angry expression. “What an ass! How could he do that to his own daughter? Does that sort of thing happen a lot in the city?”
Hearing that made Lex feel as if the ground under her were no longer solid and the air stuttered in her lungs. She took a new breath but had to stop walking, the thought bearing down on her that none of the few people she’d ever told had spoken out so strongly against what her father had done. When she felt she’d gotten the raging storm in her chest under control again, she saw Casey gazing down at her with concern.
“You really are a kind person, aren’t you?” Lex finally asked, too overwhelmed to add anything else.
Casey shrugged. “I don’t know about that, but are you sure you’re OK? You look kind of pale.”
Smiling up into Casey’s frown, Lex answered, “I’m fine, don’t worry.”
Lex started moving once more, and Casey fell into step beside her. “To answer your question, though, I don’t really know if this sort of thing happens more in the city than the country. What was it like, growing up in the country?”
Casey looked up at the clouds, smiling a bit, and started to tell Lex stories of growing up on a working farm: planting and plowing, catching fireflies on summer nights, playing hide-and-seek in fields of corn much taller than a child, eating an ear right off the stalk, learning to ride the neighbors’ horses, and a million other things that a kid would love. At some point, Lex noticed to her surprise that they’d almost reached the metro.
Just after Casey had finished telling a story about chasing raccoons with the farm dog, Lex said, “Thanks a lot for walking here with me. I liked talking to you, and I hope we’ll meet again.” She smiled then, even though she thought that, unfortunately, the
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