Page 107 of The Tattered Gloves
The father, obviously frustrated, grabbed the phone from her hand. A sharp, shrill scream followed.
“No phone,” he said with force.
“I hate you!” she screamed loud enough for the neighbors and all of Virginia to hear. “I hate you so much. I wish I didn’t live here. I wish I could just run away.”
What was the old saying…if wishes were fishes, we’d all cast nets?
I’d heard my mother say it a million times when I begged for new clothes or a trip to the zoo. “If wishes were fishes, Willow…”
For Alexandria’s sake, I hoped she never got her wishes.
It didn’t take long to find a bus stop after that. Being close to the university provided plenty of exits.
The only problem?
Where would I go from here?
I thought about the girl who now lived in our old family home, convinced her life was over simply because her phone had been taken away. Part of me had wanted to stomp up those old brick steps and shake her until some sense settled into that crazy head.
She had parents who loved her and a warm, inviting home to sleep in… and she wanted to throw it all away?
Sitting on the park bench as the sun began to set, I realized I wasn’t much different.
I’d had all of that, too, and I’d given up everything at the first sign of danger.
When the perfect little world I’d created for myself suddenly didn’t seem so perfect, when the old and new parts of my existence crashed together, I’d run away faster than my legs could carry me.
Picking up my phone, I finally gave in and turned it on.
Ignoring the texts, I went straight for the voice mails, needing to hear the sound of something familiar.
There was a message from Allison, demanding I come home this instant. She started off sassy and full of spunk and then lost her steam about a minute in. She cried over how sorry she was — that she didn’t see it, that she didn’t know.
Next was Addy. Her message was simple and heartfelt. All she wanted was to know I was okay and to see my face again.
And then Sam’s rich voice filled my ear.
“Remember when I told you I hired you because I was curious?” he started out. No hello. No pleading to come home. Just a one-sided conversation he’d hoped I’d eventually listen to. “Well, that was true… but there was more,” he went on.
“I hired you because, after seeing you in that office, peeking up at me with those sad, slightly annoyed eyes of yours that I’ve grown to love, I knew there was more to you, and I think you’re the only one who doesn’t see it. You say you aren’t brave, but look at everything you’ve accomplished. You went through one of the worst things imaginable, and rather than give up, you fought. Every day, you fought. If you come back — no,whenyou come back. Because I know you will. Because this isn’t the end of us. So, when you come back, we will be here for you, side by side, ready to battle this war with you… not for you. Because you are brave, Willow. You truly are.”
A chill ran down my spine as the sun fell into the horizon. Darkness settled in Charlottesville as I waited for the bus to arrive.
I hated the darkness.
Just as much as I hated that man and everything he had done to me.
He’d taken something from me I could never get back, and now, I’d allowed him to take even more. My home, my family, and my friends.
Sam was right. I was brave.
I’d known it all along.
And, now, I had a life to fight for.
