Page 25 of All for her Forgiveness

I remember the funeral and how I clung to the hope that I would be okay with Riny Marcotte, my mother's friend.

And then, in a sequence of events that harden my heart, I begin to recall the screams, the beatings, the false accusations, the food deprivation, the lies, and the slander.

"Clean it yourself."

"What?"

"That's enough, Aunt Riny. I intended to leave in peace, but there's no way I can stay here with you anymore. I'll send money for a while, until you can get back to your normal life, but I won't stay in this house for another day."

"You can't do this to me, you ungrateful brat! Come back here, or you'll regret it, Juliet!" she threatens, and as she always has, calls me by my middle name just because I once told her I thought it didn't suit me.

I continue walking towards the living room door without looking back. I need to get out of here and clear my head, although I know I won't back down. It takes a lot for me to make a decision. I almost bend over backwards to endure the worst from people, but when I say enough, it's once and for all.

"Juliet, if you don't come back now, you'll sleep on the floor, without a pillow or blanket!"

I finally turn in her direction. "Do you think you still scare me? You've done that to me several times, Aunt, and I didn't die. I'm not a child anymore who was afraid of your threats to send me to an orphanage. I'm leaving, and I don't intend to come back ever again."

I close the door slowly and step out into the starless night.

As soon as I step onto the sidewalk, my stomach growls with hunger. I was going to have some soup too, but despite my body begging for food, I know that if I put anything in my mouth, it'll get stuck in my throat.

It's over. She finally reached my limit.

I'm free now.

Kennedy

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Past

"Juliet?"says the person on the other end of the line when I answer the phone that has been ringing nonstop, and just the use of that name tells me it's someone from Aunt Riny's side.

Everyone, except relatives or acquaintances of hers, calls me Kennedy.

"Hello, who's this?"

"My name is Pam Marcotte, and I can't believe I'm finally talking to you!" she says, sounding excited.

Pam Marcotte.

The granddaughter of Mrs. Vina Marcotte, Riny's mother, and also my aunt's true niece.

"Hi, Pam. It's nice to meet you. If you're trying to reach your aunt, I'm sorry, but I'm not home."

For over an hour, I've been walking the streets of New Orleans. I wish it were morning already so I could grab my things and leave. It's not safe to wander around the deserted city, and I don't have extra money to go to a hotel, since I intend to leave a portion of my savings with Aunt Riny.

It's not for her or because I think she deserves it; it's for myself. I won't be able to lay my head on my pillow and sleep peacefully knowing she'll only have the money she gets from the government to survive. Pain medications are expensive.

In fact, I think she's been buying them illegally, because sometimes I come home and she's completely doped up. I tried talking to her about it, and Aunt Riny just went berserk, started screaming.

"I don't want to talk to her; I want to talk to you. We're practically cousins, and we don't even know each other."

We're not related at all, but there's no reason for me to be rude. The girl seems very nice. "I don't think we've had a chance to talk yet."

She sighs on the phone. "Please, you don't have to be so polite. I know Aunt Riny is a demon."

Yes, she is, but I'm not going to badmouth one relative to another. "I don't want to be rude, but I don't understand why you're calling me."

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