Page 67 of Protecting Christina

“Hello?”

“This is Will Nash. Gabby sent me.”

“Hi,” she said, tentatively. “I’ll be right down.”

I shoved my hands in my pockets and waited. I kept my eyes on the group of young men, but they’d already lost interest in me.

A few minutes later, Ingrid’s voice came through the telecom. “Um, Will. This is not a good time. Could you come back later?”

“What’s going on?”

She didn’t respond. I pressed the buzzer again, but she didn’t answer. Crossing my arms, I wondered how I would get in when the door suddenly unlocked. Without hesitation, I slid inside.

The air was stale in the lobby, and there was a small crowd waiting for the elevator. I opted for the stairs as she was only on the second floor. When I reached her apartment, I knocked on the door, but she didn’t open up. I couldn’t hear any voices when I pressed my ear to the door, but that didn’t make me feel any better.

“Ingrid,” I called, banging on the door.

Nothing.

“Ingrid, I’m going to kick in this door. Stand back.”

I was just about to raise my leg when I heard her shout, “Wait!”

“What is it?” I shouted.

Metal clinked on the other end as Ingrid unlocked the door. A tall, curvy woman stood on the other side. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were red and swollen. “I’ve made a mistake. I’m sorry I made you come down here.”

I looked over her shoulder and saw no one there.

“Is your boyfriend home?”

“No,” she said, holding my gaze.

Then, I pulled out my phone and texted a message to her in case he told her to lie. “Is he in the apartment?”

She shook her head. “No, he’s not here. I’m just feeling like maybe I’m overreacting. He says he’s going to change. And I believe him.”

I knew I wasn’t going to change her mind. But still, I tried.

“He can still change, even if you’re not here to watch over him. If he wants to change, he needs to want to do it for himself. Otherwise, it’ll never work. I promise you that.”

Her bottom lip trembled, and she bit down on it. “But what if I leave and he blames me for everything?”

“It’s not your fault, Ingrid.” I knew she needed to hear these words. She probably needed to hear them a hundred more times before she would believe them. I wish I could have said them a thousand times to my mother.

“I can always try it one more time. If he doesn’t change, then I’ll leave. I’ll give him one last chance.”

I’d heard this before. I knew my words would be cruel, but I had to say them anyway. The reality wasn’t any less hurtful. “The next time, you might not make it.”

Her eyes widened, and she stared at me. “He would never do that.”

“Then why are you afraid?”

She looked down at her trembling hand and clenched it. Closing her eyes, she whispered. “I’m afraid to leave. I’ll have nothing.”

And that was the part that broke my heart.

My mother had stayed for the wrong reasons as well. She had no job, no education, and no way of supporting herself and her young son. So, she stayed. For me. And it cost her everything.

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