Page 124 of Forgive Me Father
The contact on the screen makes my heart race: “Mom?”
It’s 3 a.m. Why would she be calling at this hour?
Maybe I shouldn’t answer. Maybe—
“Hello?” I whisper, trying to keep my voice low for Roman’s sake.
“Eden?” My mom’s voice is scratchy and raw, a clear sign she’s been crying.
“Yeah, Mom. How did you get this number—”
“Eden, baby, listen carefully,” She interrupts, her tone urgent.
She hasn’t called me “baby” since I was a child.
“I need you and your brother to get out of Idlewood. Take Roman and Zoey with you. Do whatever you need to leave this town. But please, don’t stay here—”
“Mom, what’s happening? Are you okay?”
“I messed up, Eden,” she sobs. “I messed up by staying in this marriage. I messed up by letting him hurt you kids. There’s no way to undo what’s happened, but I can try to make things right now—”
“Mom, what did he do?” I press, struggling to keep my voice steady.
“Eden, there’s no time to explain everything. You and your brother need to leave town tonight,” She cries. “And stay as far away as you can—”
“Who the hell are you talking to?!” My dad’s voice erupts, cutting my mom off abruptly.
“I do love you and your brother, Eden,” my mom’s voice trembles through the phone. “I’m sorry I never said it when it mattered.”
Suddenly, there’s a loud noise, as if the phone was dropped and shoved under something heavy. My mom’s sobs are now distant, muffled by the weight of whatever has been placed over the receiver.
“Who the hell were you talking to?” My dad’s voice growls with increasing anger.
She shoved me under the couch.
“N-No one, David—”
The sound of a slap makes my body flinch. My mom’s cries pierce through the line, raw and desperate.
Tears stream down my face, hot and blinding, as I tremble in fear.
“You fucking lying bitch,” My dad hisses. “Where the hell is it? Where is the phone?”
“You aren’t going to keep harming our kids, David!” My mom’s voice rises, defiant despite the fear. “Look at what this church has done to you. Look at what it did to us. You want to preach about sin? Well, guess what, I’m looking the Devil in the face now, and it’s fucking vile—”
“Shut your goddamn mouth!” He roars, his anger making her scream cut sharply through the line.
The sound of thudding and gasps for breath fills the call, my mom struggling to breathe.
“H-Help—”
“You hear that, you fucking sneaky bastard?” My dad’s voice is cold and cruel, clearly unaware of who’s on the other end. “You hear my wife calling out while my hands are wrapped around her throat? I bet you want to call the police. Go ahead, be my fucking guest. See what they say when you tell them something’s happening at the Faulkner house—”
“D-David—”
“I’ve been wanting a new obedient wife for a while now.”
A loud thud follows, the sound of something cracking making my stomach churn.
