finally lost. She knew that Jason had abandoned her, knew that he had left her to her own devices, had so little regard for her and her family that he was confident of her silence. It was then that she knew what she was going to do. Knew then how she would pay him back for her humiliation.
Looking into her father’s eyes she said tragically, ‘He made me, Dad, he forced me. I didn’t want to . . . I couldn’t tell you because I didn’t know how to. I was scared.’
She was crying now and they were real tears, tears of relief that she had finally found a way out of her dilemma. Relief that she had finally found the words to stop her father’s anger and sense of betrayal. Relief that she had finally found something permanent, had finally found something realistic enough to make her father believe in her once more. Relief that she had finally found a way to make Jason Parks pay for his treatment of her. She was a woman scorned now and she wanted him to know just how fucking hard the last few weeks had been because she had tried to protect him. She had given him plenty of time to step up to the plate and take responsibility for her child, while putting up with her father’s wrath, with her father’s disappointment in her.
Let him see how far he got now the cat was well and truly out of the bag and she had put the onus on to him. She was almost laughing now at the thought of what Jason was going to have to go through. Let him have a taste of his own medicine. Let him deal with her father and his anger and his hate. She was finally done with it all, she wanted revenge now, nothing more and nothing less. Let that bastard have a taste of her old man and his outdated beliefs. The more she thought about it, the more she warmed to her theme. She was a reckless girl, and she was known for doing reckless things.
Without thinking it through, without understanding the long-term consequences, Imelda decided that this would get her out of this trouble looking like the innocent, would bring her back into her father’s good books. The plan was working, her father looked crushed, defeated by the turn of events.
‘Who forced you, child, who did this to you?’ Already Imelda could feel the difference in her father, she could feel the change in him as he understood what she was telling him. She could see the softening of his features, hear the plea in his voice as he asked her again, gentler this time, ‘Give me a name, child, you know his name?’
Imelda nodded, her face a mask of tragedy and pain, throwing herself into the role of the victim as she instinctively saved her own life and her own reputation. ‘It was Jason Parks, Dad. He raped me.’
Then he was hugging her to him, his huge arms enveloping her, making her feel safe once more, as he had always made her feel since childhood.
He was weeping now, telling her how sorry he was for the way he had treated her, begging her to forgive him for not realising that she was the innocent party. And, as he hugged her, Imelda saw the way her mother was looking at her, saw the accusation in her eyes and she knew then that this had gone too far. As did her brothers, who were silently watching the little tableau from the landing, both their faces devoid of anything even remotely like an emotion. That she couldn’t stop this now, even if she wanted to. It was one lie too many, and she could never take it back.
So, closing her eyes tight, Imelda Dooley cried like a baby, burying her face in her father’s shoulder, wondering what her latest outburst was going to cause.
Chapter Three
Mary looked at her daughter for long moments; she was still crying and she was still acting the innocent.
But she was still able to look her mother in the eye, even though she was aware of her mother’s scepticism. She was not about to stop the act.
Imelda had always been the one who had caused the most aggravation in this house. The boys had either known better, or had understood that they would not
Looking into her father’s eyes she said tragically, ‘He made me, Dad, he forced me. I didn’t want to . . . I couldn’t tell you because I didn’t know how to. I was scared.’
She was crying now and they were real tears, tears of relief that she had finally found a way out of her dilemma. Relief that she had finally found the words to stop her father’s anger and sense of betrayal. Relief that she had finally found something permanent, had finally found something realistic enough to make her father believe in her once more. Relief that she had finally found a way to make Jason Parks pay for his treatment of her. She was a woman scorned now and she wanted him to know just how fucking hard the last few weeks had been because she had tried to protect him. She had given him plenty of time to step up to the plate and take responsibility for her child, while putting up with her father’s wrath, with her father’s disappointment in her.
Let him see how far he got now the cat was well and truly out of the bag and she had put the onus on to him. She was almost laughing now at the thought of what Jason was going to have to go through. Let him have a taste of his own medicine. Let him deal with her father and his anger and his hate. She was finally done with it all, she wanted revenge now, nothing more and nothing less. Let that bastard have a taste of her old man and his outdated beliefs. The more she thought about it, the more she warmed to her theme. She was a reckless girl, and she was known for doing reckless things.
Without thinking it through, without understanding the long-term consequences, Imelda decided that this would get her out of this trouble looking like the innocent, would bring her back into her father’s good books. The plan was working, her father looked crushed, defeated by the turn of events.
‘Who forced you, child, who did this to you?’ Already Imelda could feel the difference in her father, she could feel the change in him as he understood what she was telling him. She could see the softening of his features, hear the plea in his voice as he asked her again, gentler this time, ‘Give me a name, child, you know his name?’
Imelda nodded, her face a mask of tragedy and pain, throwing herself into the role of the victim as she instinctively saved her own life and her own reputation. ‘It was Jason Parks, Dad. He raped me.’
Then he was hugging her to him, his huge arms enveloping her, making her feel safe once more, as he had always made her feel since childhood.
He was weeping now, telling her how sorry he was for the way he had treated her, begging her to forgive him for not realising that she was the innocent party. And, as he hugged her, Imelda saw the way her mother was looking at her, saw the accusation in her eyes and she knew then that this had gone too far. As did her brothers, who were silently watching the little tableau from the landing, both their faces devoid of anything even remotely like an emotion. That she couldn’t stop this now, even if she wanted to. It was one lie too many, and she could never take it back.
So, closing her eyes tight, Imelda Dooley cried like a baby, burying her face in her father’s shoulder, wondering what her latest outburst was going to cause.
Chapter Three
Mary looked at her daughter for long moments; she was still crying and she was still acting the innocent.
But she was still able to look her mother in the eye, even though she was aware of her mother’s scepticism. She was not about to stop the act.
Imelda had always been the one who had caused the most aggravation in this house. The boys had either known better, or had understood that they would not
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