Page 8 of Timeless Pages
I sighed as the familiar helpless feelings washed over me. I had been stuck in an endless cycle of violence, not understanding why Father couldn’t love me and why, as I got older and began to look more and more like my mother, the abuse got worse. There were plenty of times when I was sure the bleeding wouldn’t stop and I’d finally be free. Father called his doctor friend to fix me up for those times. The abuse was never reported because he convinced the doctor that I had done it to myself and that he didn’t want news of my mental problems to become town gossip.
“I tried to get help. I told my teachers and principals what he was doing. I even tried going to the police. Nobody ever believed me. Morris Wilcox was the friendliest man in town. He got along with everyone and was well-respected. He could not do thethings I was accusing him of. Instead, I was labeled as a problem child, and he was praised for putting up with me.”
I couldn’t help but scoff at the memories. “Every time I tried to get help, the abuse got even worse, and Father would lock me away for days at a time without food. It became pointless to try. Then, one day, when I was fifteen, I stumbled upon information about my mother on a rare occasion when my father was out and hadn’t locked me away. Specifically, she had a twin brother whom I had never heard of before. I had family other than my father, and for the first time in my life, I felt hope that I might find a way out of the hell I was in after all.”
A sad smile spread across my face as I recalled my first conversation with Uncle Jay. “I googled him, found a number, and called him right away. I told him who I was, and he sounded so happy to hear from me. He told me he had tried for years to have a relationship with me, but that Father had refused. When he asked me how I was, I broke down and, through my tears, told him everything. When I finished, I braced for the dismissal, which I was sure would come, but it never did. Instead, he told me he was coming to pick me up.
“And he did. Within hours, he was banging on our front door. Father had returned by then, and I remember watching from the top of the grand staircase as Father opened the door and Uncle Jay pushed past him. Father was screaming at him to leave his house, but Uncle Jay ignored him when he saw me at the top of the stairs. He beckoned me to him gently, coaxing me step by step down the stairs with my father screaming at us both. When I reached him, he looked at my bare arms, turned, and punched Father in the face.”
I laughed at the shock I had felt seeing him laid out on his ass. “I remember being so stunned that Uncle Jay had hit him. In my warped mind, Uncle Jay had come charging in like a knight on a white horse to slay the beast and save me. He told my father thatif he ever spoke to me again, he would make sure everyone knew what he really was. That was the last time I saw my father until the day of Uncle Jay’s funeral.”
I turned back to the three statues and pushed up my cardigan sleeves to show the bandages. “Now he has court documents giving him the right to take over my life. These were my punishment after you left for not being as pleasant and agreeable as I should have been when you were here and for telling him that I wasn’t going to live with him.”
I looked at the angry men in front of me, expecting them to say something, but they remained silent as my anxiety built. “And now you know everything,” I finally said to break the silence and hopefully prompt them to speak.
Chapter ten
Evan
By the way Nathan and Dom clenched their fists, I knew they were moments from hunting her father down. I can’t say I blamed them, but the last thing Isa needed was more violence. The sickening feeling in my stomach didn’t fade when her story ended. I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the amount of abuse she suffered at the hands of the one person who was supposed to love her unconditionally and protect her from harm, not cause it.
Isa watched us apprehensively, and I could tell she was getting increasingly anxious the longer the silence stretched.
“Thank you for sharing that with us, Isa,” I told her. “I know it couldn’t have been an easy story to tell, and I want you to know that we appreciate and value your trust in us by telling it.” Her eyes widened slightly at my response. I wasn’t sure if it was because we believed her or because the realization that she was telling us meant she trusted us.
“Can you please let us help you?” I asked, already knowing the answer, but unable to resist offering it anyway. She wouldn’t take our help, not outright. She needed this win, and she needed to know she had done it on her own, which would make helping her tricky—ideas on how we could assist her without her knowing swirled in my mind.
Isa shook her head. “This is my fight, not yours.”
Nate opened his mouth to protest when there was a knock on the door behind us. Isa checked the time on an old cuckoo clock on the wall and then walked past us to answer the door. Who the hell would be knocking on the door after hours?
“Dave! I was hoping I’d see you tonight,” Isa chirped, her entire demeanor changing as she opened the door.
The smile she gave the raggedy old drunk who came inside made my heart skip a few beats. This was the Isa I had observed and fallen in love with from a distance. Until today, I hadn’t known the physical and mental scars she hid from the world every day. I never could have imagined the horrors she had faced. I vowed to myself that one day, that smile wouldn’t be a mask. One day, I would make Isa’s smile reach every crevice of her soul. I would make her happy, and her childhood would seem like a distant memory.
“I couldn’t leave you alone for more than one day, and I didn’t want you to see me in the state I was in yesterday,” the old man replied. He handed her a paper bag with the logo for Icing on Top, the cupcake shop on Main Street. “Got this for you, too.”
“Dave, you didn’t have to do that! How many times have I told you not to spend your money on me?” she admonished him gently as she closed and locked the door behind him.
“Miss Nova had your favorite today. I had to get you one,” Dave replied.
I was dying to find out what cupcake was in that bag so that I could file it away for later, but since we knew Nova and herfiancés well, I would call her later to find out which cupcake Dave purchased.
Dave turned away from Isa and froze when he saw us standing there for about half a second before his face turned red, and he charged us. We were all too stunned to react as he stopped in front of Nathan and shoved him back a step.
“What are you three doing here, and why are you messing with my Belle?!” he demanded.
“Dave!” Isa yelled, rushing to place herself between Nate and the angry man. “It’s ok. They weren’t doing anything wrong.” Isa’s back was pressed against Nate’s front, and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy as his hands moved to her waist. Isa was busy calming Dave down, so she didn’t notice.
“But they want to buy the shop, don’t they? You tell them it’s not for sale,” he replied, looking over her shoulder at Nate. “It’s not for sale! And it’s rude to come here the day after her Uncle’s funeral to try to buy it!”
“Dave, there is a lot you’ve missed in the last day. Why don’t you go get your cot out? I’ll get your bedding out and then start dinner. We can discuss it all then,” Isa replied gently.
“You aren’t selling the store, are you, Belle?” he asked worriedly.
“Not if I can help it,” she assured him. Dave glared at us one more time before walking toward the seating area. That was when Isa noticed Nate’s hands.
She tried to step away from him, but he held her in place and bent down until his lips were near her ear. “This conversation isn’t over, Little Bell,” he whispered. “I won’t stand by and let him hurt you anymore. I can’t.”
