Page 3 of The Spy Ring

How stupid could I be? I’m a mother; I shouldn’t have put myself at risk like that. What if I had gone to bed with a man that wanted to kidnap or murder me? Who would take care of David?

My son was only twelve and with his physical and verbal disabilities, he needed someone to be with him. Someone to make sure he got the treatment and care his body needed, and the love his heart deserved.

It’s terrible enough that the same thing that took his might, also took his father.

He’s finally started to gain that strength back and is becoming independent for the first time in his life. I don’t think there’s a parent prouder of their child than I was of my son. And what do I do to show him how pleased I was, putting my own life at risk so that he could grow up without a father and a mother.

I shut off the water after washing and stepped out of the shower. While drying off, brushing my teeth, and finally putting on a clean gray T-shirt and jeans, I made several decisions.

My son needed a father. If something happened to me, even beyond my control, I had to know he would be taken care of. I needed a man that could protect my son and make sure he got the care he needed.

Another decision, there had to be a better way of finding a man—and future father to my son—than a drunken one-night stand.

The little band of gold that caused all this grief inspired my next decision. I had to, above everything else, make sure the man I chose would honor me. There would be no way I wanted to end up with some fool that would cheat on me like the drunken sleaze I stupidly slept with last night.

And finally, he must love the both of us. I am a woman, I may crave affection from a man from time to time, but I’m also a mother. If that man couldn’t understand the deep love I had for my son, then he wasn’t the man for my family.

There was a knock on the door as I finished pulling my hair back into a ponytail.

“Yes?” I said raising my voice so Evaleen could hear me.

“You ready to catch a plane back home? Morgana’s here. It’s time to leave,” Evaleen said from the other side.

I smiled for the first time today. Excited, I was going to see my son in a few hours.

As I opened the door to the steamy room, I nodded at Evaleen who had miraculously transformed into her perfectly coiffed self with the help of my pink T-shirt.

“Yes, I’m ready to go home.”

I felt strong in my decisions, knowing they would be good for my son and me.

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